US3645022A - Indicating means for golf club cover and the like - Google Patents

Abstract

An indicating device comprising a backing, a resilient annular retaining cover having a central opening affixed thereto and a removable thin transparent panel or disk held between the cover and the backing, the disk carrying a numeral or other indicia on the side adjacent the backing.

Description

United States Patent Anderson Feb. 29, 1972 [54] INDICATING MEANS FOR GOLF CLUB COVER AND THE LIKE [72] Inventor: Robert F. Anderson, 3613 13th St.,

. Menominee, Mich. 49858 [22] Filed: Nov. 3, 1969 [21] 'Appl. No.: 873,206

[52] U.S.Cl ..40/10 [51] Int. Cl. ..G09T 3/18 [58] Field ot'Search ..40/10, 159,108,129A

[56] References Cited 7 v UNITED STATES PATENTS Oda 1%59 Wishnia ..40/10 Connell ..40/140 Primary Examiner-Robert W. Michell Assistant Examiner-Wenceslao J. Contreras Attorney-C. Kenneth Bjork [5 7] ABSTRACT An indicating device comprising a backing, a resilient annular retaining cover having a central opening affixed thereto and a removable thin transparent panel or disk held between the cover and the backing, the disk carrying a numeral or other indicia on the side adjacent the backing.

5 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures Patented Feb. 29, 1972 3,645,022

JOHN DOE.

ANYWHERE US. A.

INVENTOR. Roerf E finds/son HGENT 1 INDICATING MEANS FOR GOLF CLUB COVER AND THE LIKE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The general use of removable indicating devices for various covers and other articles has been practiced for some time. The following patents illustrate representative examples of such indicating means.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,936,460, issued to Jackson teaches a shadow box garment structure. In particular, this patent is directed to a garment including a blouse and skirt wherein the blouse has a-perforation having a plurality of edges. Reinforcing members are attached to the inside surface of the blouse around the perforation and adjacent the edges. The reinforcing membershave a number of fastening devices, e.g., snaps, attached to the outer face of the reinforcing members around the periphery of the perforation. A monogram piece which is larger in periphery than the perforation has mating fasteners on its outwardly facing surface. The thickness provided by the reinforcing members and mating fastening devices inwardly offsets the outwardly facing surface of the monogram piece from the outer face of the blouse to cause a shadow box effect of the monogram piece on the blouse.

Whaley (U.S. Pat. No. 2,072,490) alleges an advertising sign= holder for use on an automobile spare tire and having either a permanent or removable sign. The holder is a face member in the form of an annular disk supported by a stiffening member in the form of a metal ring, this assembly being arranged for support over the exposed face of atire. For use with a removable sign such member is held to the face member by holding means provided along the marginal edge of the member. One such means is an annular band fastened to the face member and stretched between and held flat by stiffening rings around the periphery of the face member. This band also serves to frame the sign. The band has openings positioned to receive fasteners positioned along and secured to the face member. These fasteners enable a portion of the band to be separated from the face member thereby creating an opening through which a sign can be inserted into or removed from the holder.

Cruver (U.S. Pat. No. 1,519,362) teaches a metal badge having a central opening and a transparent celluloid sheet covering its face. Around the opening on the back side of the badge are flanged-tongued edges and a thumb-notch or recess which hold a card. By its construction the edges of the opening provide for changing of the card. The back of the badge also has a fastening element, e.g., a pin assembly, for inserting the badge through a button hole or into a pocket of a user.

Leicher (U.S. Pat. No. 2,589,409) is to a blouse having a cutaway portion defining a channeled frame usually of the same material as the blouse. A picture, monogram or the like can be fitted into the framed opening and held in place by snap fasteners, one part of which is fastened to the insert piece and the mating portions of which are fastened to the channeled frame of the opening.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,935,804, is to a Price Tag Holder. This holder in general consists of an elongate body having an arcuate surface extending the length of this body. The bottom edge of the body is provided with a groove formed by an upwardly extending flange and the upper edge of the body hasa bent over flange, i.e., a U-shaped bead, which forms a channel along the length of the body. One or more pliable price tags are held by sliding these within the bottom groove and upper channel.

Wishnia (U.S. Pat. No. 3,295,236) is directed to a golf club head cover having a replaceable number or indicating means.

' In particular, the cover taught by Wishnia consists of a golf club head cover having a pocket on one side anda central opening in the pocket. The pocket is annular in shape and has an annular flexible marginal lip with a finger engaging bead at its inner periphery. This pocket is attached at its outeredge to one side of the golf club head cover and has one part of a separable fastener element secured to the cover at the center of the opening. An indicating panel in the form of a thin disk with indicia mounted on the front of the 'panelis removably positioned in the pocket by means of a mating fastener element securedto the back of the panel at its center. This is of a size such'that the marginal lip overlies a substantial portion of the panel when the panel is positioned in the pocket.

Each of these indicating devices has certain mechanical or assembly connectors, e.g., fasteners, which require close tolerance in fabrication as well as may provide maintenance problems during use. Additionally, commonly the indicator itself in a number of instances is directly in contact with the elements.

"is a principal object of the present invention to provide an indicating marker which gives easy and ready change of the indicator itself.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an indicating means which assures for securely holding in place a readily removable indicator disk without the use of snap fasteners or other mechanical frictionally engaging means.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an interchangeable indicating marker wherein the marker itself has its message or indicating numeral or numerals protected from the elements.

It is also a particular advantage of the present invention to provide a golf club head cover having an improved indicating means which provides for ready exchange of the indicating member.

These and other objects and advantages readily will become apparent from the detailed description presented hereinafter when read in conjunction with the figures of the drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the indicating device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view of the indicator taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In general, the indicating device of the present invention comprises a backing, a resilient cover having a central opening affixed thereto and a flexible thin transparent panel removably held between the cover and the backing, the panel having a numeral or other indicia on the side adjacent the backing.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS With reference to FIGS. 1-3 of the drawing, one preferred embodiment of the indicating device of the present invention comprises a sheetlike backing l0 usually of a cloth, plastic, rubber, leather or the like. Conveniently, when the present indicating means is used with a golf club head cover this backing 10: usually is of the same type of canvas, heavy duty cloth, leather, plastic or nylon as the golf club head cover itself. A circular, annular ring planar retaining cover 12 is firmly attached to the backing member 10. The cover 12 usually is stitched to the backing 10 by at least one row of stitching 14 extending around the periphery of the cover 12 near its outer edge 16. Alternatively, the cover 12 can be adhesively or otherwise bonded around its outer perimeter to the back member 10. The edge 16 of cover 12 can be plain; for decorative purposes it can have a design such as, for example, a sawtooth pattern as shown in the FIGURES.

The cover 12 usually is constructed from a resilient material such as leather, synthetic polymeric materials and the like.

This cover I2 is of a thin sheetlike material which normally lies flat against the backing 10, or a panel 18 when the latter is positioned between the cover 12 and backing 10, but which upon application of an outward pressure at its inner edge 20,

A thin transparent panel 18 having an outer periphery larger than that defined by the inner edge 20 of cover 12 but smaller than the row of stitches l4 and usually possessing a configuration substantially the same as that defined by stitches 14 carries an indicia 22. This panel 18 usually is of a size that it can readily be inserted between cover 12 and backing but is large enough to assure that it does not slip out of the opening defined by inner edge 20 of cover 12 during use. Panel 18 is a relatively thin member which is distendable and flexible thereby permitting ready insertion and removal of panels having different indicia 22, e.g., different numerals representing the numbers of golf woods, from between the annular retaining cover ring 12 and backing 10. This panel 18 usually is fabricated from a synthetic polymer, celluloid or the like. The thickness of the panel 18 or its material of construction are not critical except for maximum in sealing engagement between the backing l0 and cover 12, this panel 18 should not be of a thickness so as to unduly distend these components. On the other hand, panel 18 should possess sufficient flexibility so as to not easily fracture or split under multiple flexings and bendings as the panel is removed or inserted into place in the device. Ordinarily the panel 18 ranges in thickness from about 0.003 to about 0.020 inch.

The indicia 22 itself is painted, silk screened, inked, printed, formed from a separate material and stuck onto the panel 18 or otherwise fabricated onto this panel 18. The indicia 22 is positioned on panel 18 on its underside, i.e., the side adjacent the backing 10. This means that the indicia 22 as applied to panel 18 is reversed; that is, it is the mirror image from that actually viewed in the assembled unit.

For use with a golf club head cover 24, the backing l0 and cover 12 can be sewed by stitches 14 or otherwise attached directly to the cover 24 in the position where the club number ordinarily is placed on the cover 24. If desired, in this application the wall 26 of cover 24 can serve as the backing 10 and the cover ring 12 can be attached directly thereto.

A substantially circular or elliptical indicator has been found to be particularly suitable and useful from the standpoint of ease of fabrication, transfer of indicating panels 18 and general esthetic beauty. However, for some utilities such as identification marking on flight bags, bowling ball bags and other articles the design of the backing 10, cover 12 and panel 18 can be of any of a variety of shapes. Several illustrative embodiments of other shaped indicating means of the present invention are shown in FIGS. 4-6. In these latter embodiments, the relative thicknesses of the component members and the means of changing the indicating panel 18 are the same as described fully hereinbefore for the embodiment of indicating means illustrated by FIGS. 1-3.

It is to be understood that the embodiments of the invention illustrated in the drawing are not limiting and that embodiments other than the specific constructions and designs shown and described are within the scope of the present invention as will be understood by one skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. An indicating device which comprises in combination a sheetlike backing, a planar resilient retaining cover defining a central opening, said cover being fastened to said backing around its periphery near its outer edge, the inner edge of said cover defining said opening being freely movable away from said backing, a thin flexible transparent panel having a periphery larger than that defined by the inner edge of said cover but being of a size and configuration such that said ganel when inserted between said cover and said backing is eld therebetween but is readily removable therefrom, an mdicia formed on the side of said panel adjacent said backing, said indicia being visible through the opening of said cover.

2. The indicating device as defined in claim 1 wherein the cover and panel are circular in configuration, said cover defining a ring.

3. The indicating device as defined in claim 2 wherein the backing is a wall of a golf club head cover.

4. The indicating device as defined in claim 3 wherein the indicia is a numeral corresponding to that used to designate a golf club.

5. The indicating device as defined in claim 1 wherein the transparent panel ranges in thickness from about 0.003 to about 0.020 inch.

Claims (5)

1. An indicating device which comprises in combination a sheetlike backing, a planar resilient retaining cover defining a central opening, said cover being fastened to said backing around its periphery near its outer edge, the inner edge of said cover defining said opening being freely movable away from said backing, a thin flexible transparent panel having a periphery larger than that defined by the inner edge of said cover but being of a size and configuration such that said panel when inserted between said cover and said backing is held therebetween but is readily removable therefrom, an indicia formed on the side of said panel adjacent said backing, said indicia being visible through the opening of said cover.

2. The indicating device as defined in claim 1 wherein the cover and panel are circular in configuration, said cover defining a ring.

3. The indicating device as defined in claim 2 wherein the backing is a wall of a golf club head cover.

4. The indicating device as defined in claim 3 wherein the indicia is a numeral corresponding to that used to designate a golf club.

5. The indicating device as defined in claim 1 wherein the transparent panel ranges in thickness from about 0.003 to about 0.020 inch.

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