Vertical delivery system for golf balls
AssigneeAcushnet Company
InventorsMichael A. Couto, Jedediah H. James, Roy A. Langton
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A delivery system for transporting a golf ball from a first location to a second location has a transport track. The transport track has a first track and a second track. The first track has a first contact edge and a second contact edge configured to simultaneously contact a golf ball. The second track has a third contact edge and fourth contact edge configured to simultaneously contact a golf ball. The first track is positioned opposite the second track and is configured to fit a golf ball therebetween. The first track and the second track each have a repeating curvature that produces an undulating path for a golf ball between the first location and the second location.
Claims20
A system for transporting a golf ball from a first location to a second location, the system comprising:
- a first track comprising a first contact edge and a second contact edge configured to simultaneously contact a golf ball;
- and
- a second track comprising a third contact edge and fourth contact edge configured to simultaneously contact a golf ball,
- wherein the first track is positioned opposite the second track and configured to fit a golf ball therebetween,
- wherein the first track and the second track each comprise a repeating curvature that produces an undulating path for a golf ball between the first location and the second location,
- wherein the first contact edge follows the repeating curvature in a first plane and the second contact edge follows the repeating curvature in a second plane that is spaced from and parallel to the first plane, and
- wherein an inflection point of the repeating curvature of the first track is horizontally spaced from an inflection point of the repeating curvature of the second track.
A system for transporting a golf ball from a first location to a second location, wherein the first location is above the second location, the system comprising:
- a first track comprising:
- a first plate comprising a first contact edge;
- and
- a second plate comprising a second contact edge, the first contact edge and the second contact edge configured to simultaneously contact a golf ball;
- a second track comprising:
- a third plate comprising a third contact edge;
- and
- a fourth plate comprising a fourth contact edge, the third contact edge and the fourth contact edge configured to simultaneously contact a golf ball,
- wherein the first track is positioned opposite the second track to define a path configured to fit a golf ball therein, wherein the path comprises a repeating curvature, and wherein the first plate, the second plate, the third plate, and the fourth plate each comprise a plurality of repeating peaks and valleys that define the repeating curvature;
- a top mount connected to the first track and the second track and comprising a ball entrance for introducing a golf ball into the path;
- a bottom mount connected to the first track and the second track and comprising a ball exit for allowing a golf ball to leave the path;
- and
- a dispensing system configured to selectively release a golf ball through the ball exit.
A transport track for a golf ball, comprising:
- a first track comprising a first contact edge in a first plane and a second contact edge in a second plane configured to simultaneously contact a golf ball, wherein the first plane is parallel to the second plane;
- a second track comprising a third contact edge in the first plane and a fourth contact edge in the second plane configured to simultaneously contact a golf ball, wherein the first track is positioned opposite the second track to define a path configured to fit a golf ball therein;
- wherein the first plane is spaced from the second plane by less than 1.68″ and
- wherein, along the height of the path, the first contact edge remains spaced from the third contact edge and the second contact edge remains spaced from the fourth contact edge by a distance DGap, and wherein DGap is less than 1.68″.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.