TEE MARKER

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority on U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/045,179 filed on Sep. 3, 2014, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The application relates generally to tee markers.

BACKGROUND OF THE ART

A game of golf is played on a course, which consists in general of an arranged progression of either nine or eighteen holes. Each hole on the course contains a tee box to start from, and a putting green containing the actual hole. There may be more than one tee box associated with a given hole, depending of the proficiencies of the players. Beginners may, for example start, from a tee box closer to the hole than advanced players. The tee box is visually recognizable by the presence of two tee markers in between which the player must drive. The tee markers may have colors corresponding to that of the players proficiencies.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, there is provided a tee marker comprising: a body including a display surface having a top end and a bottom end; a bottom prehension member connected to the bottom end of the display surface; and a top prehension member connected to the top end of the display surface and movable relative to the bottom prehension member in a generally vertical direction, the top prehension member being telescopically mounted to the body for movement towards and away from the bottom prehension member in the generally vertical direction thereby providing for holding of display panels of variable height on the display surface of the tee marker between the top end and bottom prehension members.

In another aspect, there is provided a tee marker comprising: a body including a display surface having a top end and an open bottom end, the body being hollow, the bottom end of the body having a thickness greater than a thickness of the top end of the body so that the body is stackable onto a similar other tee marker; and a spike articulated to the body, the spike being displaceable between an operational anchoring position in which the spike depends downwardly from the bottom end of the hollow body and a storage position in which the spike clears the open bottom end of the hollow body thereby allowing stacking onto the similar other tee marker.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference is now made to the accompanying figures in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a tee marker according to one embodiment, shown in an operating position;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the tee marker of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a back perspective view of the tee marker of FIG. 1, shown in the operating position holding a display panel; and

FIG. 4A and 4B are bottom perspective views of the tee marker of FIG. 1 shown with an anchoring spike in a storage position (4A) and in an operating position (4B).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3 a tee marker 10 to be used in a tee box is shown. The tee marker 10 has a body 12 and a downward extending anchoring spike 13. The spike 13 may be movable between a storage position and an a functional position in which the spike is centrally disposed relative to the body of the tee marker to be driven in the ground, so as to secure the body 12 to the ground. The use of a single central spike 13 allows to adjust the orientation of the tee marker when anchored in the ground. The body 10 may be provided in various colors which may be codes recognizable by the golf player.

The body 12 includes a top end 14, a bottom end 16, front and back sides 18 and two lateral sides 19. The body 12 may have a hollow pyramidal shape. In the illustrated embodiment, the body tapers from the bottom end 16 to the top end 14. As can be appreciated from FIG. 3, the bottom end 16 has a thickness t1 greater than a thickness t2 (shown in FIG. 3) of the top end 14, thereby allowing stacking of similar tee markers 10, as will be described below.

Each side 18 is inclined along a generally vertical direction D (shown in FIG. 2) and includes a display surface 20 onto which promotional material may be displayed. The generally vertical direction D is at an angle of about 5 degrees with the vertical V so that the display surface 20 is easily readable for a person standing up with the tee marker 10 at ground level. It is however contemplated that the side 18 including the display surface 20 could be at various angle relative to the vertical V or even be at the vertical V. It is also contemplated that only one or two of the sides 18 could have the display surface 20. The display surface 20 may be in slight recess with a rest of the body 12, as shown in the Figures. The display surface 20 may have various shapes. The Figures illustrate a generally square shape, but it is contemplated that the display surface 20 could be rectangular or even round.

The sides 18 can be used to display promotional material either temporarily via a sticker or permanently for example by being printed or otherwise provided onto the display surface 20. As shown in FIG. 3, the sides 18 can also be used to hold a display panel P that may be put onto the display surface 20. The display panel P may be held onto the tee marker 10 by a bottom prehension or grasping member 22 and a top prehension or grasping member 24. A pair of bottom and top prehension members can be provided on both the front and back sides of the body 12. The bottom prehension member 22 and the top prehension member 24 are any member or members assemblies preventing dislodging of the display panel P. The bottom prehension member 22 and the top prehension member 24 may not be gripping the display panel P, but instead just restrain movements of the display panel P, for example, when wind is blowing.

The bottom prehension member 22 is disposed at a bottom end of the display surface 20, and the top prehension member 24 is disposed at a top end of the display surface 20, such that the display panel P may be bounded vertically by the abutment members 22, 24. The bottom and top prehension members 22, 24 are adapted to receive the panel P therebetween with a portion of the members extending over the front surface of the panel P. In the embodiment shown in the figures, the bottom 22 and top 24 prehension members are provided in the form of pair of jaw members, but other types of prehension members are contemplated as well. For example, the top prehension member 24 could be a spring loaded clip. It is also understood that the top 24 and bottom 22 prehension members may or may not be of a same type.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the top prehension member 24 on one side 18 of the body 12 (for instance the front side) may be movable relative to the bottom prehension member 22, so that display panels of different heights can be accommodated onto the front face of the tee marker 10. As best seen in FIG. 2, the front top prehension member 24 is disposed at an end of a shaft 26, which is telescopically engaged into a sliding channel 28. The shaft 26 may be moved in the generally vertical direction D to and away from the top end 14 of the body 12 so as to adjust a distance d between the top 24 and bottom 22 prehension members depending on a height h (shown in FIG. 2) of the display panel P. The shaft 26 may be provided with a stopper 27 at a lower end thereof to prevent the top prehension member from being slid upwardly out of the sliding channel 28. The shaft 26 and sliding channel 28 arrangement is only one possible way to adjust the distance between the top prehension member 24 and the bottom prehension member 22. For example, the sliding channel 28 could be omitted and the shaft 26 itself could be telescopic. The shaft 26 is free to move inside the sliding channel 28, but it is contemplated that the sliding channel 28 could be a rack with predetermined positions for incremental adjustment of the position of the top prehension member 24. As best shown in FIG. 2, the shaft 26 and sliding channel 28 arrangement is disposed inside the body 12. Yet, the shaft 26 and sliding channel 28 arrangement could be disposed on the outside of the body 12, although this may not be aesthetically pleasant.

The tee marker 10 may have only one side 18 adapted to display panels of different sizes, and in particular of different heights. The other side 18 may be provided with a fixed top prehension member 25 (shown in FIG. 2) which allow to display panels of a predefined size. The top prehension member 25 is shaped similarly to the top prehension member 24 to provide symmetry in the tee marker's 10 design and favour stacking of the tee markers 10 when not in use.

Two or more tee makers 10 can be disposed side 19 by side 19 to display particularly large display panels in width w (shown in FIG. 2). The tee marker 10 can also be provided with one or more removable abutment members (not shown) for holding panels smaller than the display surface 20. The removable abutment members may be temporarily connected to the display surface 20, for example by screwing or snapping them thereonto. They may be shaped as solely abutment member (for example be corner shaped) or as jaws.

To place the display panel P onto the tee marker 10, the user lifts the top prehension member 24 up by sliding the shaft 26 upwardly along the sliding channel 28. The user then places a bottom of the display panel P into the bottom prehension member 22, and let the top prehension member 24 move down to brace a top of the display panel P. To remove the display panel P from the tee marker 10, the user lift the top prehension member 24 up so as to disengage the top prehension member 24 from the top of the display panel P, remove the bottom of the display panel P from the bottom prehension member 22, and let the top prehension member 24 move down until abutment with the body 12.

As mentioned hereinbefore, the body 12 may be hollow with the bottom end 16 open in order to allow stacking of the tee marker 10 onto other similar tee makers via the bottom end 16. The body 12 may be made of two halves (as shown in FIG. 2), each portion being made of polypropylene that may be snapped or otherwise fasten to each other to form the body 10. Other material resistant to the usual golf courses conditions may be used. As can be appreciated from FIG. 2, the sliding channel 28 may be formed by pairs of elongated ridges projecting integrally from the inner surface of the two portions forming the body 12.

Referring now to FIGS. 4A and 4B, the spike 13 may be mounted to a pivoting arm 30 to allow to store the spike 13 and allow stacking of the tee marker 10. The arm 30 has one end 30a pivotally connected to the bottom end 16 and one free end 30b. The arm 30 is pivotable between a storage position (shown in FIG. 4A) where the arm 30 and the spike 13 are aligned with the bottom end 16 in a way that the spike 13 clears the open bottom end 16 thereby allowing the stacking of the tee markers 10, and an operating anchoring position (shown in FIG. 4B) where the arm 30 is at an angle with the bottom end 16 such that the spike 13 is placed centrally at the bottom end 16 to connect to the ground. In the particular embodiment shown in the Figures, the spike 13 is disposed at half-length of the arm 30, and the arm 30 rotates up to 90 degrees from one side of the bottom end 16 to lock in place onto an opposed side of the bottom end 16. In one embodiment, the locking is achieved by engaging the free end 30b of the arm 30 into a beveled recess such as the recess 31 shown in FIG. 4B. It is contemplated that the arm 30 could rotate at an angle more or less than 90 degrees, and that the spike 13 could be disposed elsewhere along the arm 30. For example, the tee marker 10 could have four arms 30 with associated spikes 13, each arm 30 being disposed at a corner of the bottom end 16 and movable to an angle of about 25 degrees from the side of the bottom end 16 they are on when in the storage position. In another example, the spike 13 is disposed at one end of the arm 30. It is also contemplated that the arm 30 could not be locked in the operational anchoring position and/or that the arm 30 could be locked in the storage position. Also, more than one spike 13 could be extending downwardly from the arm 30.

To place the tee marker 10 into the ground, the user pivots the arm 30 until engaging the free end 30b of the arm 30 into the recess 31, at which point the free end 30b snaps into the recess 31 and becomes locked there. To store the tee marker, the user unsnaps the free end 30b from the recess 31 and positions the arm 30 in the storage position. The user then places the tee marker 10 over another similar tee marker by engaging the other tee marker into the open bottom end 16 of the tee marker 10 so as to stack the tee markers one on top of the other.

The above description is meant to be exemplary only, and one skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made to the embodiments described without departing from the scope of the invention disclosed. Other modifications which fall within the scope of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, in light of a review of this disclosure, and such modifications are intended to fall within the appended claims.