The present invention relates to golf trolleys that are adapted to display notifications that are received wirelessly. It further relates to a system for providing notifications to a golfer that includes a trolley that connects wirelessly to a smart device of the golfer.

The present invention is particularly concerned with golf trolleys which are designed to assist in the transportation of golf bags and golf clubs as a player moves around a course, but such trolleys are not intended to carry people. To assist in the movement of such trolleys around a course it is well known for them to be provided with electrical motors adapted to drive the wheels. Batteries are provided in order to supply the electric motor or motors with the necessary electrical current to operate. It is increasingly common these days for sportsmen to use portable electronic equipment either as part of the sport or simply personal use whilst playing or during appropriate pauses. Such equipment may include for example smart devices, mobile phones, and the like. In some sports, particularly golf, equipment such as GPS receivers are used in order to monitor a golfer's position on a course and provide useful data such as distance to the hole. Such devices are often carried by the golfer either all the time or during particular situations such as when they approach a ball to assess its lie. The device may be carried in a pocket but may need to be retrieved from the pocket or other storage location to access details such as the distances to the front of the green, the pin and the rear of the green. Items such as SMS messages would also require a golfer to access their phone in what could be inclement conditions. It is an aim of the present invention to provide a mechanism by which key data transmitted by a smart device can be displayed on a trolley for easy viewing by a golfer using the trolley.

According to the present invention there is provided an electrically powered golf trolley which may be steered by a person walking alongside; means to support a golf bag but not a person on the trolley, a battery, a short range wireless receiver adapted to revive push notifications from a smart device of the person walking alongside and, a display to show notifications to the person as they use the trolley.

The trolley may have a handle by which the trolley may be steered by a person walking alongside, and preferably behind, the trolley. Such a handle may be configured to push/pull the trolley as well as steer. The handle may be adapted to be grasped by one or both hands of a person using the trolley (who may herein also be referred to as a "golfer").

The trolley may be a powered trolley with one or motor adapted to drive one or more wheel of the trolley. There may be drive control means provided on or with the trolley to control that powered movement. Manually operative parts of the drive control means may be provided in the handle if present. Remote control means may be provided.

The trolley may be a trolley with 3 or 4 wheel positions. Each wheel position may have one wheel or may have more than one wheel in cooperating sets.

The battery may be separate to any other power source on the trolley or may be the main battery or integrated therewith. The battery may also supply electrical current to power one or more wheel of the trolley or other parts such as a powered USB interface. The display may be mounted anywhere on the trolley to be visible to a golfer in use. This will normally be to a golfer who is standing or moving behind the trolley. Ideally the display is located in, on or adjacent the handle. Ideally the display is orientated for optimum viewing by a user walking or standing behind the trolley. The display may comprise an illuminated electronic screen.

The display and the receiver are ideally combined in a display unit that also includes a memory and a controller. The controller may include a processor and appropriate electronics to integrate the components. The display unit may be mounted within the handle.

The trolley may have one or more control interface to allow a user to access, delete or otherwise process notifications from the smart device. The control interface may include one or more button that may be operate by the user.

According to the present invention there is also provided a notification system to provide visual notifications to a golfer comprising:

· a golf trolley provided with a wireless receiver to receive push notifications;

a smart device carried by the golfer or the trolley and adapted to wirelessly transmit push notifications; and

a display mounted on the trolley and visible to a golfer using the trolley that will display the push notifications wirelessly received from the smart device.

The trolley that is part of the system may have the same optional features as discussed above. The display may be attached to the trolley, or may ideally be integrated into the trolley. The trolley may have a handle by which the trolley may be steered by a person walking behind and the display may be mounted in, on or adjacent the handle. The smart device and trolley may communicate wirelessly using any suitable wireless protocol. Ideally they use Bluetooth. Bluetooth is usually operative over a range of up to about 15-20m, which is well suited to the game of golf where a golfer will wander a certain distance from the trolley but will return thereto frequently.

The smart device may include a GPS receiver or other positional functionality. It may also have details of the golf course loaded therein so that it can calculate the distance to a desired point on the course. This might include the distance to the front of the green, to the pin and to the rear of the green. This distance information may be included in push notifications sent to the trolley.

In order that it be better understood, but by way of example only the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of trolley according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged plan view of the handle of that trolley showing the display; and

Figure 3 is a schematic view of a notification system according to the present invention.

Referring to Figure 1 , there is shown an embodiment of golf trolley according to the present invention. The trolley generally comprises a frame 12 supported by three wheels 1 1 which allow the trolley to roll over the ground. A golf bag 13 is supported on the frame 12 and carries golf clubs 14 for use whilst playing. The frame supports a battery pack 15 which powers motors that drive the rear wheels 1 1 . These rear wheels are configured such that a separate motor drives each wheel therefore allowing independent control of the two rear wheels and as a consequence the direction of the trolley's movement.

At the upper end of the frame is a handle 16 which can be used to manoeuvre the trolley. The handle is shown in more detail in Figure 2 which a plan view. The handle 16 comprises a main body 20 from which laterally extend hand portions 21 and 22 on the left and the right. The handle is mounted onto a portion of the frame 12 and in use a golfer may grasp either one or both hand portions and steer or push the trolley. A drive control knob 24 is located on an upper surface of the main body 20 and this may be used to control the speed at which the trolley moves forward or the distance it travels before it stops and other such characteristics of the powered operation.

A screen 26 is also provided in the upper surface of the main body 20. This screen is adapted to display notifications transmitted by a smart device and received by the trolley. A receiver is provided within the trolley but is not visible in Figure 2. Likewise, appropriate control electronics are also provided within the handle but not visible in this image. A screen control button 28 is located on the upper surface of the main body and accessible for the finger or thumb of the user to control aspects of the system such as what is visible on the screen 26. This control may be used to change the message displayed or to clear the message or any other suitable processing step that needs to be carried out.

Figure 3 is a schematic representation of the notification system provided by the present invention. Box 30 represents the trolley and it includes the screen 26. It further includes the battery pack 15 which supplies electrical current to the components on the trolley including the screen 26 and a controller 32 that integrates the screen with the other components of the system. The trolley includes a wireless receiver 34 which is adapted to receive wireless signals and a memory 36 which is linked to the controller 32 and is sufficient to store a relatively small amount of information such as set up data and a certain number of messages or notifications received by the trolley. The memory may also contain information about smart devices with which the system paired. The screen controller button 28 is integrated with the controller 32 in order to provide an interface between the system and the user for operation of suitable functionality.

A smart device 40 such as a smart phone carried by the golfer or on the trolley communicates using a wireless protocol with the trolley. The signal transmission may be two way back and forth with the smart device especially for set up, but in normal use the notifications are ideally sent one way from the smart device 40 to the trolley. The signal 42 transmitted from the smart device 40 is received by the wireless receiver 34 and the controller 32 displays that notification on the screen 26. A golfer may read that notification as appropriate during use of the trolley and may make use of the information as required. The notification may be deleted or otherwise processed using the screen control button 28. Until such time as a notification/message is deleted its contents may be stored in memory 36.

The notifications transmitted by the smart device 40 are push notifications which are sent to the trolley without the trolley needing to request or actively download these. Therefore, the notifications are sent automatically by appropriate application software running on the smart device 40 and may be displayed to read or otherwise used by the golfer. The screen 26 is conveniently located on the handle such that it is visible to a golfer walking or standing behind the trolley. For example, the message indicated in Figure 2 relates to distances from the golfer (or smart device) to the front of the green, the rear of the green and to the pin. This information may be utilised to select an appropriate club for a shot.

The nature of the push notification transmitted by the smart device and display by the screen 26 need not be limited to those specifically relating to the game of golf. They may include information such as SMS messages received by the smart device 40.

The present invention provides a system by which notifications may be readily displayed to a golfer without the need constantly to access the smart device by which they are generated. Highly convenient functionality by the present invention may be achieved at a low cost due to the fact that the system does not require the integration of complex electronics such as positioning systems or extensive processing capability into the trolley. This means the device is not only highly convenient in terms of the functionality it provides but also may be achieved at a low unit cost.

The screen in this embodiment is shown integrated into the handle. It could be connected to the trolley. The trolley may also have a USB port to connect and/or power external items.