TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to an anti-theft device for fitting to golf bags such that golf clubs may be securely retained in the golf bag and to golf bags incorporating such an anti-theft device.

BACKGROUND ART

As is, of course, well known, golf clubs are usually stored and carried in a golf bag with the shafts of the clubs being inserted into the bag and the heads extending above the mouth of the bag so that the bag may be carried by a player, or by his caddy, or be supported on a golf trolley, with each club being readily accessible as and when it is required by the player.

Unfortunately, there are times when a golf bag must be left unattended, and at such times a thief may quickly remove one or more clubs from the bag.

An object of this invention is to provide an anti-theft device conveniently and selectively operable to secure golf clubs in a golf bag or to allow ready access to the clubs, and to provide a golf bag incorporating such a device. Other potential advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and from the subsidiary claims of the specification.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided an anti- theft device for fitting to a golf bag comprising a first member adapted to be secured to the mouth of a golf bag, a second member mounted on the first member and selectively moveable in relation to the first member to and between a first position in which a plurality of spaced

apertures defined by the members can each receive the shaft of a golf club and a second position in which the members co-operate such that the effective size of the apertures is reduced so that any club inserted in an aperture cannot be withdrawn therefrom, and means for releasably securing the second member to the first member in the second position.

Thereby, in use, with the second member in the first position, the golfer, or the caddy, can readily remove and replace selected clubs from a golf bag that is fitted with or incorporates the anti-theft device according to the invention, whilst when the bag is to be left unattended, the second member is moved to, and then secured in, the second position so that clubs cannot be removed because the handle ends of the clubs, which are thicker than the shaft portion adjacent the heads, cannot be withdrawn through the reduced apertures.

Preferably the second member is slidably mounted on the first member, and advantageously is arranged to be linearly slidable on the first member. For example the second member may be mounted on the first member and fastened thereto by a pair of pin-like fastenings passing through aligned slots formed in either or both of the first and second members.

Moreover the first member may be an apertured plate adapted to be secured across the mouth of a golf bag.

The first member may be provided with or include a number of annular lugs, flanges or other fastening devices, adapted to extend downwardly when the first member is fitted in the mouth of a golf bag and provide fixings whereby the first member may be secured to the mouth of the bag by rivets or by other secure fastening members.

The second member may, alternatively, be rotatably mounted on the first member. The mounting may comprise a threaded pin member passing through aligned holes in the first and second members and

held in place by a washer and lock nut, so that the second member can be readily rotated with respect to the first member.

The second member may comprise a circular disc, and conveniently the first and second members may each define a plurality of spaced circular apertures each slightly larger in diameter than the diameter of a conventional golf club handle, and arranged such that when the second member is in the first position the holes are aligned.

Hence, when the second member is rotated with respect to the first member, the apertures in the second member will be moved out of alignment with the apertures in the first member thereby, in effect, reducing the effective size of the apertures so that a handle of a conventional club cannot pass therethrough.

Nevertheless it has been found that the plurality of apertures defined by the first and second members should advantageously be formed as slots, each adapted to receive the shaft of several clubs because not only does this reduce the necessity of sometimes having to straighten the clubs already in the bag before inserting another club, but also allows the second member to be moved more readily.

Additionally, in the case where the first member is linearly slidable on the second member, the slotted apertures may comprise straight slots arranged such that the device may be fitted to a golf bag without removing the normal bag divider -with, the non-aperturεd portions positioned over the web of the standard divider, and furthermore, such an arrangement allows the plurality of apertures defined by the first member to receive the required fourteen clubs whilst stiU leaving substantial portions of the first member to which the fastening devices can be fitted.

Moreover, for economical manufacture, the first and second members are conveniently both formed from substantially identical plastics mouldings.

The means for securing the second member to the first member in the second, locking, position may comprise a barrel lock, which may be arranged to pass through the top of a golf bag to which the device is fitted, or, alternatively, the first and second members may include hasps that can be secured together by a conventional padlock.

The device may also include resilient means urging the second member to the first position in relation to the first member, so that in use, when the second member is not secured to the first member in the second position, it is moved by the resilient means into the first position so that clubs may be readily inserted into and withdrawn from the golf bag.

Furthermore, the device may also include a hasp, or similar attachment, adapted to receive a high tensile security wire or chain by which the golf bag may be attached to a golf trolley and/or to a secure fixture in a vehicle, in the club house, in the trolley park, or elsewhere.

Other features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the subsidary claims of the specification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The invention will now be further described, merely by way of example, with reference to the following drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a golf .bag. .that .includes an anti-theft device according to an embodiment of the invention, supported on a golf trolley;

Figure I is an exploded diagrammatic view of the anti-theft device shown in Figure 1:

Figure 2 :s a diagrammatic plan view of the anti-theft device shown in Figures 1 and 2. viewed in the direction of the arrow 'a' in Figure 2, and showint. the anti-theft device with the effective size of the

apertures reduced such that any clubs that are in the bag cannot be withdrawn;

Figure 4 is a side view illustrating the shape of a typical golf club;

Figure 5 is an exploded diagrammatic view, similar to Figure 2, but showing an alternative arrangement;

Figure 6 is a plan view of another alternative anti-theft device, in which the members are linearly slidably interconnected, showing the members in the club securing position;

Figure 7 is a side view of the device shown in Figure 6; and

Figure 8 is an underside view of the device shown in Figures 6 and 7.

BEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Referring to Figure 1, a golf bag 11 is supported on a golf trolley 12 in conventional manner.

An anti-theft device 13, according to one embodiment of the invention, is secured to and within the mouth the bag 11 by rivets such as 14.

As shown in Figure 2, the anti-theft device 13 comprises a first member 15 having annular lugs, such as 16, extending downwardly and provided with fixing holes 17 through which it is rivetted to the mouth of the golf bag 11.

A second member 18 of the anti-theft device 13 comprises a circular disc rotatably secured to the first member 15. within the lugs 16, by a threaded pin member ( not shown) fitted though pivot holes 19 and held in place by a lock nut and washer (not shown ). The second member 18 may have upwardly extending lugs 16' as shown.

The first member 15 and the second member 18 each define a number of apertures 20, which are each large enough to receive the handle of a conventional golf club and which are arranged so that each of the apertures 20 in the second member 18 can be aligned with a corresponding aperture 20 in the first member 18 such that a club may be readily inserted and withdrawn through each of the aligned pairs of apertures 20.

However, the second member 18 may be partially rotated with respect to the first member 15 to the position shown in Figure 3 where it will be seen that the effective size of the apertures 20 is reduced so that any club previously inserted through a pair of aligned apertures 20 cannot be removed.

As shown diagrammatically in Figures 2 and 3 (but omitted for the sake of clarity from Figure 1) the first member 15 may include a hasp 24 having holes 25 and 26, and the second member 18 may include a hasp 27 with a single hole 28 respectively arranged such that when the second member 18 is in the first, open, position the hole 28 is aligned with the hole 25 where it can be retained with a conventional padlock (not shown) passing through holes 28 and 25, and when the second member 18 is moved into the second, relatively closed, position, the hole 28 is aligned with the hole 26 and thereby the second member 18 can be secured in the second position by the padlock.

The padlock may additionally be used with a high tensile security wire or chain (not shown) to fasten the bag to any convenient secure fixture.

In an alternative locking arrangement ( not shown ) the first and second members 15 and 18 are fitted with a conventional barrel lock arranged to lock the second member 18 to the first member 15 in the second, relatively closed, position and in such arrangements, the first member 15 may include a hasp i not shown) arranged such that the bag may be padlocked to any suitable fixture.

Moreover with the second member 18 in the second relatively closed position as illustrated by Figure 3, the lugs 16 ¹ on the second member 18 extend across the gaps between the lugs 16 on the first member 15 thereby impeding any attempt that might otherwise be made to prise the members 15 and 18 apart.

The anti-theft device 13 may also be fitted with any suitable resilient means such as a spring (not shown) adapted to urge the second member 18 to the first position, in which the apertures 20 in each pair are aligned so that as soon as any locking means is released the second member 18 is retained in the second, relatively open position.

Figure 4 illustrates a typical golf club comprising a handle 21, a shaft 22 and a head 23. It will be appreciated that when the apertures 20 are aligned they present an aperture which is sufficiently wide to receive the handle 21 which has a width 'H\ Once the golf club has been inserted in the bag, the narrow portion of the shaft 22 having a width 'S' lies within the aperture 20 so that if the effective size of the aperture 20 is reduced by rotating the member 18 to the position shown in Figure 3, the club cannot be removed as the effective width of the aperture 20 is now less than the width of the handle 21.

In the alternative arrangement shown in Figure 5, a first member 29 and a second member 30 are generally similar to the first and second members 15 and 18 shown in Figure 2. However in this alternative arrangement the first member 29, which includes annular lugs, such as 31, similar to the lugs 16 shown in Figure 2, incorporates a tongue-like projection 32 instead of the hasp 24, and below the projection 32 the annular lug 31 includes a transverse slot 33.

Moreover, the second member 30 is a flat plate-like member that does not include any annular lugs such as the lugs 16 shown in Figure 2, but has a tongue-like projection 34, instead of the hasp 27 shown in Figure 2. and the second member 30 is adapted to fit within the annular lugs 31 of the first member 29 with the tongue-like projection 34 extending through the slot 33.

Thus it should be apparent that the second member 30 can be moved from a first, open, position where a hole 35 in projection 34 is aligned with a hole 36 in projection 32 to a second, relatively closed, position in which the hole 35 is aligned with a hole 37 in projection 32 and can be secured in either position by a padlock (not shown) in a similar manner to that described with reference to Figure 2.

In the further alternative anti-theft device shown in Figures 6, 7 and 8 the first and second members each comprise identical apertured plates 38 and 42 moulded from a suitable plastics material.

The first member 38 is adapted to be secured across the mouth of a golf bag by tightening screwed fasteners 39 threaded through blocks 40 mounted on the underside of the first member 38 by screws, rivets or other fixings 41, against the mouth of the bag, e.g. a substantially rigid collar fitted to the mouth of the bag.

The second member 42 is linearly slidably mounted on the first member 38 by domed headed bolts 43 secured by nuts 44 (only the shanks of the bolts 43 being shown in Figures 6 and 8) passing through a pair of aligned slots 45 formed in both the first member 38 and in the second member 42 such that the second member 42 may be slid linearly from a first open position as shown in Figure 8, in which apertures 46, formed in both the first and second members 38 and 42 are aligned so that they can receive the shafts of golf clubs inserted through the apertures 46, to a second locking position as shown in Figure 6, in which the second member 42 is displaced such as to reduce the effective size of the space provided by the apertures 6 thereby preventing withdrawal of any clubs that have previously been inserted therein.

Each of the plates comprising the first and second members 38 and 42 include a pair of holes 47 arranged such that a padlock can be fitted through the holes when the members are in both the first position and in the second position thereby to secure the members in the selected oosition.

Such an alternative anti-theft device has the advantages that not only may it be fitted to conventional golf bags without removing the normal dividers fitted at the top of the bag (which typically extend across the mouth of the bag to divide it into four or six sections), but also it has been found that the slotted apertures allow clubs to be replaced in a bag fitted with the device without having to straighten the clubs already in the bag as is sometimes necessary in the case of devices where the apertures are round and also allows the second member to be more readily moved to each of the first and second positions.