Touch-free solar-powered golf ball washer
OwnerSean C. Welchinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A touch-free solar powered golf ball washer (1) includes a housing (4) a conduit having an inlet (7), a porous conduit section (6) containing brushes (2) immersed in a cleaning fluid solution (9), an air blowing motor (3), the motor configured to blow air through an air flow tube (20) into the conduit porous section (6) and a non-porous conduit section (15) at through which a golf ball passes on its way to an outlet (8). The washer motor is preferably powered by a solar power circuit (10) in electrical communication with a solar panel (11). The motor can be activated by waiving one's hands proximate a touch-free activator panel (17) on the housing of the washer.
Claims7
A touchless solar-powered golf ball washer, comprising:
- at least one brush;
- a conduit having a porous section on an inlet end, wherein the porous section is configured to conduct a golf ball by gravity from the inlet end to the outlet end, and wherein a porous section is positioned in operable relation to the at least one brush, such that the at least one brush can contact the golf ball at a point along the conduit when the golf ball moves through the porous section;
- a motor blowing air through an air tube connected to the porous conduit for moving the golf ball through the conduit;
- a cleaning fluid having a level sufficient to cover the porous section so the cleaning fluid can permeate the porous section of the conduit and contact the golf ball as it moves through the porous section;
- a non-porous section of the conduit proximate an outlet end which commences above the level of the cleaning fluid to conduct the golf ball toward an exit of the conduit;
- and
- a solar power circuit in electrical communication with the motor, the solar power circuit configured to supply power to the motor.
A method of touchlessly washing a golf ball, comprising the steps of:
- dropping the golf ball into an inlet of a conduit having a porous section and a non-porous section, said porous section configured to conduct the golf ball downwardly by gravity toward an outlet of the conduit;
- triggering activation of a motor configured to blow air through an air tube into the porous section of the conduit to push the golf ball by a at least one brush;
- causing one or more bristles of the at least one brush to extend through a pore in the porous section of the conduit;
- bringing the golf ball into contact with the one or more bristles of the at least one brush at a point along the section of the porous conduit;
- supplying a cleaning fluid to the at least one brush to promote cleaning of the golf ball by the one or more bristles;
- pushing the golf ball by air flow generated by the motor into the non-porous section of the conduit toward an outlet end of the conduit;
- supplying power to the motor with a solar power circuit;
- and
- collecting the golf ball at the outlet of the conduit, wherein the golf ball when so collected is in a cleaner condition than that which existed when the golf ball was dropped into the inlet end of the conduit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.