Background Art It is common practice to leave golf bags unattended at golf courses before, during, and after playing the game. For example, golf bags containing clubs are often left unattended by the owner during the changing of clothes, at a visit to a cafeteria or a restaurant, and when in storage between uses. Due to the increasing cost of golf clubs, the club owners bear the risk of theft, both of single clubs and of complete club sets, in addition to entire bags, in the aforementioned unattended situations. Further magnifying the theft problem, statistics show that club theft is a fairly universal and increasing problem.

Numerous inventors have attempted to solve this problem by equipping golf bags with electronic motion detectors and alarms. This solution is generally uneconomical, as it requires a reliable on-board power supply and complicated electronics. Unfortunately, it has also been shown that it is normally not particularly difficult to remove golf clubs from a golf bag which is equipped with such an electronic detector, without triggering the alarm. To do this, it is, for example, possible to carefully pull clubs one by one out of the golf bag, without triggering the electronic detector. Accordingly, there is a need for a simple, economical, reliable, and efficient apparatus for preventing the unauthorized removal of golf clubs from a golf bag.

Although the prior art currently includes mechanical club securing devices, the present invention utilizes a novel apparatus and method for securing the clubs. U. S. Patent No. 5,524,753 describes a device for securing golf clubs in a bag comprising two fixed plate members with holes for the club shaft as well as a movable plate member displaceably journaled between these two members. This security device has significant drawbacks, as it is operated via an actuation means that projects to the outside of the golf bag. Thus, the actuator which releases the clubs is easily accessible to the would be thief for unauthorized manipulation. Further, U. S. Patent No. 5,636,735 describes another golf bag security device, which comprises two rotating plate members that are operated by means of a lever system.

This mechanism for securing clubs utilizes several bearing points with risk of friction, and is therefore vulnerable to the use of force and thereby breakage.

Disclosure of The Invention As herein described, there is provided an apparatus for preventing the unauthorized removal of an elongated object from a container, and more particularly, a golf club from a golf bag. The apparatus generally includes an outer container, or golf bag, having at least one sleeve within for receiving a portion of an elongated object, or golf club, to be secured within the sleeve. The apparatus secures the golf club within the sleeve via a securing means positioned at a point approximately equidistant from the ends of the sleeve. The securing means generally includes at least one plate like member, fixed in position, with at least one opening for accepting the shaft portion of a golf club, along with at least one movable member having at least one corresponding aperture formed therein. The movable member is displaceable parallel; the fixed member thereby causing the cooperative area of the opening and aperture to substantially decrease, thereby securing the club shaft within the sleeve. The movable member comprises two plate like members displaceable in opposite directions.

Brief Description Of The Drawings An apparatus embodying the features of the present invention is depicted in the accompanying drawings, which form a portion of this disclosure wherein: Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the securing assembly; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the securing apparatus; Fig. 3 is a plan view of a single movable plate; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the full security insert apparatus; Fig. 5 is a cutaway perspective view of the apparatus; and Fig. 6 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the security insert apparatus.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention The apparatus for securing a golf club within a golf bag 32, as generally shown in Fig.

4, is designed to be generally used as an insert for a golf bag 32. The securing apparatus 25 generally includes an upper member 20 and a lower member 21, which are interconnected by a plurality of tube sleeves 22 and a club shaft engaging assembly 10 which is positioned approximately equidistant from upper member 20 and lower member 21. Tube sleeves 22 are approximately half the length of golf bag 32, and are axially joined in pairs to the full length of golf bag 32 via the club engaging assembly 10. After installation of securing apparatus 25 into golf bag 32, securing apparatus 25 forms a bundle of parallel tubes inside golf bag 32, each tube having a suitable internal diameter for accommodating the handle of a golf club, with club engaging assembly 10 located inside the golf club bag, approximately halfway between its ends.

Engaging assembly 10, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, is provided with fixed members 11, that are mutually and rigidly interconnected via spacers 12. Each fixed member 11 forms a round plate with openings 16 and projecting flanges 13 for engaging tube sleeves 22. Two movable plate members 14 are displaceably mounted in the area between fixed members 11, in such a way that they may slide between fixed members 11 with comparative freedom from play and friction. As Fig. 3 clearly illustrates, movable plate members 14 are provided with oblong guide apertures 15, which are in cooperation with spacers 12, to form guides for restricting the direction of the slidable movement of plates 14. Plate members 14 are additionally provided with apertures 26 cooperatively positioned corresponding to openings 16 on fixed members 11.

In Figs. 1 and 2, plate members 14 are reciprocally displaced in opposite directions with respect to fixed member 11 to a locking position and engaged position. In this position, plate members 14 slidably overlap each other in such a way that the opposite edges of apertures 26 on plate members 14 overlap each other forming a nip, thereby reducing the effective area of aligned opening 16 and aperture 26. In this position, withdrawal of a club from tube sleeve 22 through club engaging assembly 10 is prevented as the club grip, which is located proximate the lower portion of the securing assembly 21, is much wider than the remaining part of the club shaft, and is therefore unable to pass through the reduced diameter of opening 16 and aperture 26.

The operation of the plate members 14, between its open position and its locked position, may be achieved mechanically via the rotation of a key actuator assembly, as shown in Fig.'s 4 and 5, wherein an eccentric cam mechanism 17, as shown in Fig. 3, displaces movable plate members 14. Key actuator assembly 27 is rotatably connected to eccentric cam mechanism 17 via actuation shaft 28, as shown in Fig. 5. The actuation of the key may also be utilized to activate the operation of an electronic movement detector 29, as shown in Fig. 6, to be used in conjunction with the securing apparatus 25 for greater protection against complete theft of the golf bag 32 and clubs together. By using the above described club protector together with a movement detector alarm, an efficient protection system is provided which both protects against theft of single clubs as well as against theft of a complete golf bag 32.

Alternatively operation of the security insert assembly may be achieved by electronic means, such as a remotely controlled actuator 30 or servo, as shown in Fig. 6, which operates via a radio-controlled device in accordance with commonly known prior art in the field of remotely controlled locks and such. For this object, the servo again rotates eccentric cam mechanism 17 via actuation shaft 28, which cooperates with the edges of cam guide 18 in plate members 14 to slidably position plate members 14 between the respective locked and unlocked positions. The movement of eccentric cam mechanism 17 causes the two plate members 14 to move in opposite directions with reference to the fixed members 11. For example, the two plate members 14 may move in a plane extending substantially at right angle to the longitudinal axis of a golf bag 32 to reduce the effective cooperative area of opening 16 and aperture 26, and thereby securing the clubs within tube sleeve 22. In this embodiment, the electronic means for actuation of club engaging assembly 10 is supplied with the necessary power via a rechargeable accumulator battery for driving a receiver circuit and a servo, as is well known in the art. Generally speaking, the actuator may be a solenoid, a servo, a stepper motor, or other electrically powered device which can impart relative motion between plates members 14.

Plates 14 may be manufactured from an inexpensive and economical, plastic, for example, without rigorous demands for strength, as the location of the securing assembly near the longitudinal center of a golf bag 32, makes it very difficult to reach the locking mechanism with tools for the purpose of tampering or disabling the securing assembly. The position of club engaging assembly distant from upper member 21 significantly improves the reliability and performance of securing apparatus 25 over prior art devices. This improvement is a result of the difficulty involved in physically reaching club engaging assembly 10 in its position within the golf bag 32. Prior art devices positioned the locking mechanism proximate the top of the golf bag 32, such that would be thieves could easily tamper with and defeat the locking mechanism. An additional advantage to the position of club engaging assembly 10 is that the mechanical advantage of the lever arm of the club shaft cannot be used to defeat the locking mechanism in the present invention, as was the result in the prior art designs.

The manufacturing of plates 14 may be performed by injection molding or by working, e. g. by means of water jet cutting prefabricated plates. For this object, the two plates may be manufactured identical and be mounted back to back against each other between the two fixed members 11. The invention is not limited to the above described embodiments, as several variations upon the general principal are within the scope of the appended claims. For example, the security device according to the invention may be used for securing other elongated objects, such as firearms in an armory, yard tools, and pool cues.

Thus, it is to be understood that the form of the invention shown is a preferred embodiment thereof and changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention, as defined in the following claims.