A golfer, in a practice situation, can make use of a large number of golf balls which are used in succession for practice stokes. In some instances the golf balls are simply placed on the ground and then struck while in other cases the golfer may require the balls to be placed on a golf tee. After each ball has been struck it is necessary to place a fresh ball on a golf tee or at a desired position. This can be laborious and disconcerting particularly when a golfer is concentrating on a particular stroke technique.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention provides a method of dispensing balls which includes the steps, in respect of each ball, of allowing the ball to move along a placement device to a predetermined position, releasing the bail from the placement device, and causing the device to move away from the ball.

The ball may be caused to move under gravity action.

The placement device may be movable between a first position at which the placement device guides the ball towards the said predetermined position, and a second position at which the placement device is remote from the ball.

The ball may be caused to move along one or more guide formations of the placement device.

The ball, with the placement device at the first position, may be caused to pass through a discharge and positioning formation to ensure that the ball is moved to the said predetermined position.

The placement device may itself be caused to move under gravity action away from the ball towards the second position.

The method may include the step of allowing a plurality of balls to move in a controlled manner and in a desired time sequence under gravity action successively to the placement device.

The method may include the steps of positioning a plurality of balls in a plurality of rows in a ball storage facility, with each row terminating in a guide channel, and allowing balls from the rows to move successively to the guide channel.

Each ball may be moved to the placement device and the mass of the ball may cause the placement device to move from the second position to the first position.

The invention further extends to a ball dispenser which includes a placement device which is movable between first and second positions, the placement device, in the first position, forming a path for guiding movement of a ball, engaged with the placement device, to a predetermined position.

The placement device may include a ball discharge and positioning formation.

The placement device may be mounted for pivotal movement relatively to fixed structure. The placement device may be movable under gravity action, or in any other appropriate way, from the first to the second position.

The fixed structure may include a ball storage facility.

In the first position the placement device may form a downwardly inclined guide path.

The placement device may be of any appropriate form and size and for example may include elongate guide formations which terminate in a discharge formation such as a discharge aperture.

The dispenser may include a ball storage facility and means for directing balls in succession from the storage facility to the placement device.

A stop formation may be positioned between the balls in the storage facility and the placement device. The dispenser may include an actuator for moving a ball past the stop formation to the placement device.

The balls, in the storage facility, may be positioned in a plurality of rows with each row terminating in a guide channel.

The dispenser may include at least one stop member which is movable between first and second positions and which, when moved to the first position, causes at least one ball to be dispiaced away from the guide channel and, when moved to the second position, allows a ball to move from one of the rows to the guide channel if a gap exists in the guide channel for receiving a ball.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention is further described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which : Figure 1 is a perspective view of a golf dispenser according to one form of the invention illustrating the way in which the dispenser can be set up in an operative mode, Figure 2 is a side view of the dispenser of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 illustrating a placement device in a ball placing position, Figure 4 is a plan view of the dispenser of Figure 2, Figure 5 is similar to Figure 4 illustrating golf balls in a storage facility of the dispenser and with the placement device in a ball placing position, and Figure 6 is an enlarged side view of a portion of the dispenser illustrating a detail of an arrester arm which is used in the dispenser.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings illustrates a golf bali dispenser 10 according to the invention. The dispenser is in the nature of a case which includes first and second end flaps 12 and 14 respectively. These flaps are hinged to the remainder of the dispenser. A handle 16 is provided for carrying the dispenser.

Figures 2 and 3 illustrate the dispenser in an operative position. The flaps 12 and 14 are folded about respective pivot axes 18 and 20 through approximately 270° and form downwardly depending legs which support a central body portion 22 of the dispenser in an elevated and inclined position. A side wall 24 is located at an upper end of the portion 22 while a lower end 26 has a side wall 28.

A cover 30 is detachably engaged with the body portion 22. The cover can be slid into engagement with, or out of engagement from, the portion 22. Figure 1 shows the cover 30 detached from the portion 22.

A floor 32 of the portion 22 has a number of parallel guide walls 34 fixed to it. The floor 32, referring to Figure 2, slopes downwardly from right to left. The flap 12, at the lower end 26, is also inclined or tapered so that a surface 40 of the floor 32, on an inner side of the side wall 28, slopes downwardly in the direction of an arrow 42 towards a discharge corner 44 of the dispenser.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the dispenser with the cover 30 removed. The guide walls 34 form a number of parallel rows or channels 46A, 46B,...., 46N which slope

downwardly from the side wall 24 at the upper end of the body portion 22, to the lower end 26. The rows or channels 46 discharge at lower ends 50 into a guide channel 52 which is bounded on its lower side by the side wall 28 and which extends substantially at right angles to the directions in which the channels 46 extend.

A control arm or rod 54 is positioned at the discharge ends 50 on the underside of the body portion 22. This rod is mounted for pivotal movement relatively to the body portion 22 and has a number of stop/release formations or members 56 which protrude through respective gaps in the floor 32. A respective stop member 56 is positioned centrally inside each discharge end 50. Each stop member is in the nature of an upstanding spigot or short rod.

At its right hand end, referring to Figure 1, the control rod 54 is attached to a recessed release pad 58 which is on an outer side of a bounding wall 60. The release pad is, optionally, detachably engaged with a protruding end of the arm or rod 54.

An actuator 62 is fixed to the rod 54 adjacent the corner 44. The actuator is movable in unison with the rod and the stop members 56.

A fixed stop formation 64 is positioned on the floor 32 at the comer 44 adjacent an exit passage 66 which is formed in the wall 28. The stop formation is in the nature of a small protuberance or ramp in the exit passage.

A placement device 70 is detachably engageable with the remainder of the dispenser.

The placement device includes two spaced generally parallel guide rails 72 and 74,

see Figure 5, which extend from a base 76 and which terminate at opposing ends in a circular ball placement and discharge formation 78. The base 76 has two stub axles 80 which fit into upwardly facing slots 82 on projections 84. This allows the placement device 70 to move with a pivotal action about the axles 80. The base 76, to one side of the axles 80, also acts as a counterweight. Optionally the counterweight is movable inside a small enclosure, not shown, which shields the counterweight and which thereby prevents the counterweight from snagging on a surface on which the dispenser is positioned.

If a golf ball is not engaged with the placement device then the mass of the base 76 is such that the guide rails 72,74 are pivoted to an upwardly extending position as is shown in Figure 2. If a golf ball 86 is placed on the guide rails then, due to the fact that the guide rails are displaced to one side, away from the stub axles, see Figure 2, the mass of the golf ball overcomes the counterweight force which is exerted by the base 76 and, as is shown in Figures 2 and 3, the guide rails pivot downwardly in the direction of an arrow 88 to a defined position which is determined by the base 76 abutting an underside of the floor 32.

Figure 5 illustrates a plurality of golf balls 86 located in the storage facility of the dispenser which is formed on top of the floor 32. The balls can be loaded into the dispenser in any manner and due to the guide walls 34, which have contoured inner surfaces, the balls are automatically positioned inside the channels 46 on the floor.

The flaps 12 and 14 are shaped so that the channels 46 are inclined downwardly towards the guide channel 52 adjacent the lower wall 28, and so that the guide channel 52 is inclined downwardly towards the discharge corner 44.

The stop formation 64 at the exit passage 66 prevents golf balls from going through the exit passage in an uncontrolled manner.

Figures 2 and 3 illustrate the dispenser 10 adjacent a golf peg or tee 90. Preferably the golf tee is made from a flexible plastics material and, optionally, forms part of a mat 92 which rests on the ground 94. The mat itself may be fixed to the dispenser so that the tee is always at a fixed distance from the dispenser. The placement arm 70 when pivoted to the downwardly inclined position shown in Figure 3 has the ball placement and discharge formation 78 positioned concentrically with the upstanding peg 90.

Figure 2 shows the dispenser 10 with the placement arm 70 in an upright position. A golf ball 86A at the exit passage 66 rests against the stop 64. The actuator 62 which extends upwardly from the rod 54 is alongside the ball 86A. A player or operator then pushes on the release pad 58 so that the pad is pivoted downwardly, as is shown by means of an arrow 96 in Figure 3. The actuator 62 bears against the ball 86A which is thereby forced upwardly over the stop formation 64 whereafter, under gravity action, the ball moves slightly downwardly, under gravity action, due to the ramped shape of the stop formation, onto the guide rails 72,74 of the placement arm. The placement arm then pivots downwardly towards the position shown in Figure 3, due to the weight of the ball 86A, and as the placement arm moves in this direction the ball 86A rolls along the spaced guide rails to the ball placement and discharge formation 78. This formation is positioned centrally over the tee 90 and consequently when the ball reaches the formation it comes to rest on the top of the tee. As the ball leaves the placement arm the force exerted by the counterweight base 76 causes the

placement arm to pivot upwardly for the arm no longer carries the weight of the golf ball.

When the actuator 62 is pivoted to force the ball 86A over the ramped stop formation it forms a barrier which prevents the closest ball 86B in the guide channel 52 (see Figure 5) from moving to the corner 44. On the other hand the stop members 56 on the rod 54 are pivoted downwardly and towards the side wall 28 to positions 56A shown in dotted lines in Figure 6, and no longer impede movement of balls from the channels 46 to the guide channel 52. If a gap exists in the guide channel 52 which can accommodate a ball then a ball is fed by gravity action from a respective channel 46 into the guide channel 52. Normally, due to the geometry of the floor and its sloping orientation the leftmost guide channel 46A, shown in plan in Figure 4, is emptied of balls first and then the adjacent channel 46B, up to the rightmost channel 46N, but this is not necessarily the case.

When the force on the release pad is removed the release pad reverts to its original position by means of the restoring action of a small coil spring 100, see Figures 2 and 3, which acts between the floor 32 and the rod 54. The rod 54 then pivots and the actuator 62 is moved to the position shown in Figure 1. At the same time the stop members 56 are moved to the upright positions shown in Figure 1 and balls which may have partially entered the guide channel 52 are moved away from the guide channel back into the respective channels 46. The lowermost ball 86A in the guide channel 52 then rests against the actuator 62. Again, if force is applied to the release pad 58, the rod 54 is pivoted and a ball is forced over the stop formation 64 onto the

placement arm 70. The arm then pivots downwardly and the ball rolls along the arm and the ball is guided in this way and is then positioned precisely on the tee 90.

The stop members 56 prevent the balls in the channels 46 from rolling into the guide channel 52, or bearing on the balls in the guide channel, unless the release pad 58 is pushed down. When the pad is depressed all the balls in the channels 46 can move downwardly, to a small extent, but the balls are then moved upwardly by the members 52, as the pad moves to its original position. When the stop members move from the positions 56A to the upright positions there is a tendency for the balls to be lifted by the stop members. Small wings 102 are provided to limit this movement. The drawings show these wings only at the lower end of the wall 34 to the left of the channel 46N but it is to be understood that similar wings are provided for all the channels.

The process continues in the described way in that balls are successively fed onto the placement arm and are then allowed to move under gravity action to be positioned at a desired location. It is not necessary to place the balls successively on the golf tee for the balls could, if required, be placed on the ground.

Once a ball has been positioned at a desired location the placement arm automatically moves upwardly and hence is out of harm's way except perhaps for the most inexperienced of golfers. Once the ball on the tee has been struck a fresh ball is released simply by actuating the release pad.

placement arm 70 and, optionally, the release pad 58 can be disengaged from the body of the dispenser and can be stored inside a cavity formed under the cover 30 (when engaged with the dispenser).

As stated in the preamble hereof the principes of the invention can be used for the dispensing of balls for different games, e. g. for dispensing balls onto a practice pin or peg for a baseball player.