1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to sports equipment, and more particularly to golfing accessories. The present invention is a ball marker adapted for temporary and removable placement on a golf green to mark the location of a temporarily removed ball which might otherwise interfere with the path of another ball in play. The present marker includes various decorative and ornamental features which also provide various functional advantages in durability, visibility, etc.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As the rules governing the game of golf have developed, it has become the practice in most instances to allow a player whose ball lies farthest from the hole on the green, to putt first. Oftentimes, another player's ball may lie on, or very nearly on, the expected path of the farthest ball. Accordingly, the rules of the game provide for the closer player to mark the location of his/her ball temporarily, with a marker that will not impede the travel of another ball if that other ball passes over the marker.
Most players merely place a dime or other small, flat object (button, etc.) at the location of the temporarily removed ball, to mark its location until it is placed back into play at the proper turn. However, the golfing industry has developed numerous specialized markers for such use, and many players utilize such special purpose markers or some suitable object of particular monetary and/or emotional value to them (rare coin, etc.).
These various devices, either developed particularly for the purpose or adapted from other articles, lack various advantages of the present marker invention. One of the greatest problems with such devices is the difficulty in readily seeing and finding the marker when the ball is to be replaced, as generally the present markers are not of particularly high visibility. Moreover, players in a group who may have occasion to place two or more markers down at the same time, may have some difficulty in determining which marker was placed by which player, where common coins or readily available commercial plastic markers are used, as they may all have the same appearance. Also, less expensive markers are often made of metals which may be prone to corrosion, and generally provide no means for attachment to an article of clothing (wrist closure of a glove, lapel buttonhole, etc.). The present marker invention overcomes these deficiencies of the prior art with a marker which is not only of significant value to its owner as a result of the materials incorporated therein, but which also provides superior durability, high visibility, and other advantages over the prior art discussed below.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,139,690 issued to Miriam L. Hait on Jul. 7, 1964 describes a Golfing Aid comprising a multiple piece magnetic assembly. A garment attachable component includes a pin and magnetic base, and a ball marker component comprises a magnetically attractive disc. While the use of stainless steel is disclosed for corrosion resistance, the device does not provide particularly high visibility, as is provided by the present marker from virtually any angle. Moreover, the Hait marker does not include any depending protrusion to engage the surface of the green, and may thus be easily moved from its resting place by another golfer inadvertently stepping on it or by the travel of a golf ball thereover. The protrusion of the present marker provides reasonable security, and also provides for the attachment of the marker to clothing.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,895,797 issued to Harrington Moore on Jul. 22, 1975 describes a Golf Ball Marker comprising a small disc with a green engaging peg extending from one side thereof, and a wooly textured fabric material (e.g., Velcro, tm) on the opposite side thereof. The purpose is to provide a texture which reasonably resembles that of the green, in order to avoid any unnatural disruption of the ball should the ball roll over the marker. As a result, the Moore marker is difficult to see, and in fact Moore specifically states that his marker should be unobtrusive in order to avoid distracting the putting golfer. This is unlikely to be a significant distraction, as the golfer is concentrating on the ball and on the hole, rather than on other points, and markers are customarily of relatively small size, e.g., half inch diameter.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,938,805 issued to Kei Sakuma on Feb. 17, 1976 describes a Golf Accessory comprising a ball marker and attachment means therefor. The attachment means is adhesively secured to another article (the end of a putter, an article of clothing, etc.) and the marker is removably secured thereto by hook and loop material (Velcro, tm). The Sakuma marker is adapted to be placed upon the green with the hook and loop fastening material disposed downwardly, as the marker may include some form of upwardly facing identification means. However, due to the essentially planar configuration of the two Velcro attachment components, no green engaging protrusion is provided by Sakuma. Thus, the Sakuma marker may be easily dislodged from its resting place, as in the case of the Hait marker discussed further above.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,521,018 issued to N. Eugene Cotchonis on Jun. 4, 1985 describes a Golf Ball Position Marker essentially comprising a C shape, with a central open area slightly larger than the diameter of a golf ball. The Cotchonis marker is adapted for placement over the ball, with the opening passing over the ball, rather than being placed slightly behind and under the rearward part of the ball. Cotchonis relies upon the sheer size of his marker for visibility, rather than providing any highly reflective means for visibility, as provided by the present marker. Also, the Cotchonis marker suffers from the same problem as other markers discussed further above, in that it has no protrusion to engage the surface, and may be moved some distance from its resting place if inadvertently kicked or stepped on by another player.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,822,052 issued to Gary S. Dimmick et al. on Apr. 18, 1989 describes a Golf Club Grip Attachment For Identification And Ball Position Marking. The attachment is primarily adapted to provide identification for the owner of the clubs, and is preferably permanently affixed to the ends of the club grips. However, the device which is secured to the putter includes a removable ball marker component. The marker component secures removably within the permanently affixed component on the end of the putter by means of a protruding snap fastener-like button in the center of the grip component, and a mating hole in the center of the removable marker component. Thus, the marker does not have any depending point or protrusion adapted to engage the green surface, and may be easily dislodged, as with other similar devices discussed further above. Also, no particularly high visibility is provided for the Dimmick et al. marker.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,282,616 issued to Marylou I. Stacavich-Notaro on Feb. 1, 1994 describes a Golf Ball Marker closely resembling the Sakuma device discussed further above, in that the '616 marker is removably secured to an underlying component by means of Velcro (tm) or the like. The underlying component may be removably pinned to a garment or the like, or may be permanently secured to the end of a golf putter or other club. The marker itself may include a downwardly extending pin to provide better security when placed on the green. While some identification means is disclosed, no particularly high visibility means is provided in the marker of the '616 patent.
U.S. Pat. No. D-319,862 issued to Torgny L. O. Lahger on Sep. 10, 1991 describes a design for Green Markers, comprising a disc with a pin protruding centrally therefrom. The pin has a larger diameter protuberance at the distal end thereof. No means of providing high visibility under different lighting angles, as provided by the present invention, is apparent in the Lahger ball markers.
U.S. Pat. No. D-348,402 issued to Thomas L. McDonald on Jul. 5, 1994 describes a design for a Combined Timepiece And Golfing Tool, comprising a pocket watch type timepiece secured to a double tined turf repair tool. The device would not be used as a ball marker, as it would project vertically from the surface if driven into the green. Even if positioned flat upon the surface, the indicated thickness of the timepiece in the side elevation view would preclude the unimpeded travel of a golf ball thereover.
British Patent Publication No. 664,172 to Jarrett, Rainsford, & Laughton Ltd. et al. and published on Jan. 2, 1952 describes Improvements In Or Relating To Tie Holders, Clips, Or Slides. The clip includes a removable button with an underlying collar adapted to be gripped within the clip. No centrally disposed downwardly extending protrusion adapted to engage a green, or highly reflective surface or other elements, are disclosed in the button element of the '172 British patent. A golfer would not be likely to wear a tie during play, making it unlikely that he or she would have such a clip, with its button, on their person during play. Thus, the button element is not readily adaptable as a ball marker.
British Patent Publication No. 2,049,438 to Masaru Watanabe and published on Dec. 31, 1980 describes a Marker For A Golf Ball, comprising a marker base having a downward extension therefrom adapted to secure to a mating apparel component. The base may have a figure or article therein, with a magnifying lens formed thereover. No particular reflectivity or brilliance is disclosed, as provided by the present marker, nor is any particular durability provided with a relatively soft plastic lens.
Finally, French Patent Publication No. 2,645,756 to Jean P. Angel and published on Oct. 19, 1990 describes an accessory for golfers comprising a forked turf repair tool including a ball marker removably attachable thereto. The marker has no particular distinguishing features, other than a circular inset element. No particular reflectivity or brilliance is disclosed in the French patent publication, nor is there any particular disclosure of durability of the marker itself (as opposed to the repair tool portion).
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.