GB2357031A

GB2357031A - A golf cart beverage holder

Info

Publication number: GB2357031A
Application number: GB9929280A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gordon Liao
Original assignee: Unique Product and Design Co Ltd
Current assignee: Unique Product and Design Co Ltd
Priority date: 1999-12-11
Filing date: 1999-12-11
Publication date: 2001-06-13
Also published as: GB9929280D0

Abstract

A beverage holder for a golf cart comprises a first component 60, which is attachable to the frame of the golf cart and has projecting arms 64, equipped with axial holes 65. A second component 70 is in the form of a basket or receptacle for the beverage container and includes resilient tabs 72 to firmly locate the container. Lugs 71 engage with axial holes 65 and allow the free pivoting of the basket about the arms of component 60. When the beverage container is placed withing the receptacle, its centre of gravity is beneath the pivot and thus the container will swing to a vertical position regardless of the inclination of the golf cart.

Description

2357031 A GOLF CART BEVERAGE HOLDER

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1 Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a golf cart beverage holder, and more particularly, to one that constantly maintains a substantially vertical orientation with respect to the ground as the golf cart is moved, thereby helping to avoid spillage or tilting of the beverage.

2. Description of the Prior Art

The structure of a prior art golf cart beverage holder is generally as illustrated in Figs.

I and 2 of the accompanying drawings. Essentially, a containment block is provided at a side end of a frame 10 above a golf bag well or bracket 20, a catch tab 21 protrudes from the side and is made integral with said bracket 20 to receive a beverage holder 30 which is provided on its sia. with a catch channel 31. The beverage holder 30 is adapted to receive a bottle, can or canteen 40.

However, though the beverage holder 30 is fixed by the catch to the bracket 20 and thus to the frame 10, the holder 30 tilts depending on the operation angle of the golf cart, that is, the beverage holder 30 indicates the same inclination as that of the cart.

Thus the prior art beverage holder is only usable with beverage containers 30 provided with a lid, for example a bottle or a canteen. It is not usable with ring-pull or tab-pull type beverage cans, since once the ring-pull or tab-pull is pulled open, the beverage can will tilt with the frame 10 and spill the beverage as illustrated in Fig 3.

SUMNLA,RY OF THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention seek to provide a golf cart beverage holder that constantly maintains a substantially vertical orientation with respect to the ground as the golf cart is moved, thereby helping to avoid spillage or tilting of the beverage.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a beverage holder for a golf cart having a main frame, the beverage holder comprising:

i) a first component which is attachable to the main frame and which includes a pair of opposed arms which project therefrom; and ii) a second component which forms a basket or receptacle adapted to hold a beverage container, the basket or receptacle having an open top portion through which a beverage container may be received, and which top portion is provided with a pair of opposed attachment means; wherein the top portion is pivotally mounted between the pair of opposed arms by means of the attachment means so as to allow the basket or receptacle to pivot freely.

The opposed arms may be provided with holes, in which case the attachment means take the form of lugs which fit into the holes so as to allow the basket or receptacle to pivot freely.

Alternatively, the opposed arms may be provided with lugs, in which case the attachment means take the form of holes which accept the lugs so as to allow the basket or receptacle to pivot freely.

Preferably, the attachment means are diametrically opposed across the top portion of the basket or receptacle. This means that the basket or receptacle will tend to maintain a substantially vertical orientation with respect to the ground, especially when holding a beverage container which provides additional weight and lowers the centre of mass of the second component. The attachment means may be provided on arms which project from the top portion of the basket or receptacle.

2 Because the basket or receptacle can pivot freely and generally will hang below the first component, regardless of the angle of inclination of the frame of the golf cart (at least during normal use), a beverage container placed therein will tend to maintain a substantially vertical position even when the frame of the golf cart is tilted during normal movement, thereby avoiding spillage of the beverage.

In one preferred embodiment, adapted for use with a golf cart which has a main frame having two parallel frame members, the first component comprises a generally elongate member having a tube portion at each end thereof adapted to be fitted about the fi-ame members, and a pair of opposed arms which extend from the elongate member between the tube portions.

The tube portions may each be provided with a resilient positioning tab formed by making a pair of cuts along part of a length of each tube portion from an end thereof, thereby allowing the first component to be resiliently yet movably attached to the parallel frame members.

Advantageously, the basket or receptacle includes at least one, and preferably two opposed resilient members which project into an inner volume thereof The at least one resilient member serves to hold a beverage container securely within the basket or receptacle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the present invention and to show how it may be carried into effect, reference shall now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE I is a side view of a prior art beverage holder when the golf cart is in standing position; 3 FIGURE 2 is an exploded view of the prior art beverage holder;

FIGURE 3 is a side view of the prior art beverage holder of Figure 1 when in use;

FIGURE 4 shows a first embodiment of the present invention when the golf cart is in standing position; FIGURE 5 is an exploded view of the first embodiment of the present invention; FIGURE 6 is a sectional view showing the assembly of the first embodiment of the present invention; FIGURE 7 is a side view showing the first embodiment of the present invention mounted onto the golf cart when this is in a standing position; FIGURE 8 is a side view taken from Figure 7 showing the first embodiment of the present invention in use; FIGURE 9 shows a second embodiment of the present invention with the golf cart in a standing position; FIGURE 10 is an exploded view of the second embodiment of the present invention; and FIGURE 11 is a sectional view of the assembly of the second embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring firstly to Figs 4, 5 and 6, there is shown a first embodiment of the present invention on a double-tube golf cart. It is essentially comprised of a saddle 60 4 provided on a frame 50 of said cart, and a beverage holder freely pivoted to the rear end of said saddle 60. Said saddle 60 is provided on the frame 50 above a bag well or holder 51 of the cart, a tube 61 is provided at both right hand and left hand ends of said saddle 60 to be attached around the frame 50. Two gaps or slits 62, spaced from each other by an appropriate distance, are cut downward from the upper end of the wall of each tube 61 to form a resilient, subsidiary. positioning tab 63 to help achieve a stop at given point for the sliding movement by and between the tube 61 and the frame 50; furthermore, a holding arm 64 is respectively provided on said saddle 60 on both sides of the rear end of the tube 6 1, both holding arms 64 indicate a certain inclination downward, and a corresponding axial hole 65 is respectively provided at the end of each holding arm 64.

A protruding level or lug 71 is provided at both sides external to the top of the beverage holder 70 to allow to this to be pivotally mounted in said axial holes 65, thus allowing the beverage holder 70 to be freely pivoted between said two holding arms 64 located behind the upper bag well or holder 51 (i.e. the golf bag) while being free to swing on the saddle 60. A resilient clipping tab 72 protrudes from the inner side of opposed side walls of the beverage holder 70 to accommodate and help hold stable various sizes of bottle, can or canteen 40.

Accordingly, when any bottle, can or canteen 40 containing a beverage, be it provided with a lid or not, is placed into the beverage holder 70 of the first embodiment of the present invention, the beverage holder 70 is subject to the weight of the beverage and maintains a substantially vertical inclination to the ground no matter whether the golf cart at the time is in a standing position, as illustrated in Fig 7, or is being moved at a certain inclination as illustrated in Fig 8. Since both the beverage holder 70 and the beverage container 40 constantly maintain a substantially vertical inclination to the ground, tilting or spillage of the beverage can be prevented.

Referring next to Figs 9, 10 and 11, there is shown the second embodiment of the present invention which is mounted to a single-tube type of golf cart. The saddle 50' is provided on a cart frame 50' below a bag well or holder 51' while two T-shape catch blocks 66 are provided at the rear end by the side of two holding arms 64' so that said catch blocks 66 can be respectively inserted into a corresponding T-shape channel protruding from a fixing tab 80 so as to hold said saddle 60' in position; and said fixing tab 80 can be riveted into the cart frame 50'. A beverage holder 70' is freely pivotable between said two holding arms 64' by means of two levers or Jugs 71' protruding from both sides of the top of the beverage holder 70' such that it can freely swing on the saddle 60' while constantly maintaining a substantially vertical inclination to the ground to achieve the same purposes as those described for the first embodiment of the present invention.

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Claims

CLAIMS:

A beverage holder for a golf cart having a main frame, the beverage holder comprising:

i) a first component which is attachable to the main frame and which includes a pair of opposed arms which project therefrom; and ii) a second component which forms a basket or receptacle adapted to hold a beverage container, the basket or receptacle having an open top portion through which a beverage container may be received, and which top portion is provided with a pair of opposed attachment means; wherein the top portion is pivotally mounted between the pair of opposed arms by means of the attachment means so as to allow the basket or receptacle to pivot freely.
2. A beverage holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the opposed arms are provided with holes and the attachment means take the form of lugs which fit into the holes so as to allow the basket or receptacle to pivot freely.
3. A beverage holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the opposed arms are provided with lugs and the attachment means take the form of holes which accept the lugs so as to allow the basket or receptacle to pivot freely.
4. A beverage holder as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the attachment means are diametrically opposed across the top portion of the basket or receptacle.
5. A beverage holder as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the attachment means are provided on arms which project from the top portion of the basket or receptacle.

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6. A beverage holder as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the first component comprises a generally elongate member having a tube portion at each end thereof adapted to be fitted about one of a pair of parallel main frame members of the golf cart, and a pair of opposed arms which extend from the elongate member between the tube portions.
7. A beverage holder as claimed in claim 6, wherein the tube portions are each provided with a resilient positioning tab formed by making a pair of cuts along part of a length of each tube portion from an end thereof, thereby allowing the first component to be resiliently yet movably attached to the parallel frame members.
8. A beverage holder as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the basket or receptacle includes at least one resilient member which projects into an inner volume thereof so as to hold a beverage container securely within the basket or receptacle.
9. A beverage holder as claimed in claim 8, wherein two opposed resilient members are provided which project into an inner volume of the basket or receptacle.
10. A beverage holder for a golf cart having a main frame, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 4 to I I of the accompanying drawings.
11. A golf cart beverage holder, essentially comprised of a saddle provided on the frame, one holding arm each provided at both sides at the rear end of said saddle, a corresponding axial holes is provided at the end of said arm, and a beverage holder, both sides of the top of said beverage holder is provided a protruding lever which can be caulked into the axial hole and pivoted into position so that the beverage holder can be pivoted and moving between two holding arms while constantly maintaining vertical status against the ground as the location or the movement of the golf cart to avoid spillage or tile of the beverage.

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12. A golf cart beverage holder as claimed in claim 11, within, a tube is provided at both RH and LH ends of the saddle to be inserted into the cart frame; and two gaps at proper spacing are cut downward at the upper end of the wall of said tube to form a resilient, subsidiary positioning tab.
13. A golf cart beverage holder as claimed- in claim 11, within, two resilient clipping tabs are separately protruding from the inner sides of the respective side wall of the beverage holder.

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