IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
US-0023046
(2001-12-17)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
|
대리인 / 주소 |
Gibbons, Del Deo, Dolan, Griffinger & Vecchione
|
인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
4 인용 특허 :
8 |
초록
▼
A golf ball stacking and dispensing apparatus comprising a hopper having two pyramidal shells each of different dimensions. Each of the shells is truncated and has a respective open substantially rectangular rim defining a respective open base of a different dimension than that of the other. The she
A golf ball stacking and dispensing apparatus comprising a hopper having two pyramidal shells each of different dimensions. Each of the shells is truncated and has a respective open substantially rectangular rim defining a respective open base of a different dimension than that of the other. The shells are joined together where each is truncated so as to converge together and define a funnel opening between the shells. Each of the shells is configured to form a self-supporting stack of golf balls atop each other as a stacking tray closes the open base of one of the shells and the golf balls are poured through the other of the shells. A method of forming different size pyramidal stacks of golf balls by pouring golf balls through one pyramidal shell of a hopper to fill the other pyramidal shell thereof. The filled pyramidal shell has an open base that is closed by a tray, thereby forming a self-supporting pyramidal stack of golf balls on the tray after filling the applicable shell, and removing the hopper from the tray. Further golf balls may be poured through the other shell onto a further tray. This other shell has a differently dimensioned open base that is closed by the further trays to form a further self-supporting pyramidal stack of golf balls after pouring in the golf balls to fill two other of the shells.
대표청구항
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1. A golf ball stacking and dispensing apparatus, comprising a hopper having two pyramidal shells, wherein: each of the two pyramidal shells is truncated and has a respective rim defining a respective open base; the two pyramidal shells are joined together where each of the two pyramidal shells
1. A golf ball stacking and dispensing apparatus, comprising a hopper having two pyramidal shells, wherein: each of the two pyramidal shells is truncated and has a respective rim defining a respective open base; the two pyramidal shells are joined together where each of the two pyramidal shells is truncated so as to converge together and define a funnel opening between the two pyramidal shells; a first of the two pyramidal shells is configured to form a self-supporting stack of uniformly-sized golf balls arranged in a plural number of layers atop each other as a stacking tray closes the open base of the first of the two pyramidal shells and golf balls fill the first of the two pyramidal shells after pouring through a second of the two pyramidal shells; and the second of the two pyramidal shells is configured to form a further self-supporting stack of the uniformly-sized golf balls arranged in a different plural number of layers atop each other as a further stacking tray closes the open base of the second of the two pyramidal shells and the golf balls fill the second of the two pyramidal shells after pouring through the first of the two pyramidal shells. 2. The stacking and dispensing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising the stacking tray and the further stacking tray, wherein the stacking tray is sized and arranged to close the open base of the first of the two pyramidal shells, and the further stacking tray is of a different dimension than that of the stacking tray and is sized and arranged to close the open base of the second of the pyramidal shells.3. The stacking and dispensing apparatus of claim 2, wherein each of the stacking tray and the further stacking tray comprises: a base frame having a central region bounded by a peripheral region, the peripheral region including two pairs of opposing, concavely-curved sides forming a boundary of the central region and that are perpendicular to each other, the central region having a width defined between one or the two pairs of opposing, concavely-curved sides; a plurality of convexly curved rails; and a plurality of resting surfaces, and wherein: the rails and resting surfaces are arranged relative to each other in a parallel, uniform manner across the width of the central region, such that neighboring ones of the rails are separated from each other by adjacent ones of the resting surfaces and neighboring ones of the resting surfaces are separated from each other by adjacent ones of the rails; each of the resting surfaces has a width bounded between neighboring ones of the rails that is sufficient to permit a golf ball to rest on the resting surface situated between the neighboring ones of the rails without contacting said rails; each of the rails having an associated apex, the apexes of the plurality of the rails being in a common tangential plane with each other; the plurality of rails and the plurality of resting surfaces are arranged in parallel with the one pair of the two pairs of opposing, concavely-curved sides of the peripheral region of the base frame; and the opposing, concavely-curved sides of the one pair are adjacent to neighboring ones of the plurality of resting surfaces. 4. The stacking and dispensing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the rails of the stacking tray and the rails of the further stacking tray are integrally formed with and thus in connection with the other pair of the two pairs of opposing, concavely-curved sides of the peripheral region of respective ones of the stacking tray and the further stacking tray.5. The stacking and dispensing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the resting surfaces of the stacking tray and the resting surfaces of the further stacking tray are integrally formed with and thus in connection with the other pair of the two pairs of opposing, concavely-curved sides of the peripheral region of respective ones of the stacking tray and the further stacking tray.6. The stacking and dispensing apparatu s of claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of resting surfaces in the stacking tray and the further stacking tray is flat.7. The stacking and dispensing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the stacking tray and the further tray each have a surface with a unique visual indication that helps distinguish one from the other visually.8. The stacking and dispensing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the central region of the stacking tray and the central region of the further stacking tray are substantially rectangular.9. The stacking and dispensing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the stacking tray and the further tray each have a different number of spaced apart rails than that of the other.10. The stacking and dispensing apparatus of claim 9, further comprising an additional tray having a fewer number of rails than the stacking tray, the additional tray being positioned to close the open base of first of the two pyramidal shells at a position further inside of the first of the two pyramidal shells than where the stacking tray closes the open base of the first of the two pyramidal shells.11. The stacking and dispensing apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a different tray having a fewer number of rails than that of the further tray, the different tray being positioned to close the open base of the second of the two pyramidal shells at a position further inside of the second of the two pyramidal shells than where the further tray closes the open base of the second of the two pyramidal shells.12. The stacking and dispensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the rim of the open base of the first shell is of a different dimension than that of the rim of the open base of the second shell.13. A method of forming different size pyramidal stacks of golf balls with a hopper having first and second pyramidal shells, comprising: closing an open base of the second pyramidal shell of the hopper with a stacking tray; pouring golf balls through the first-pyramidal shell of the hopper to fill the second pyramidal shell of the hopper so as to form on the stacking tray a self-supporting pyramidal stack of a plural number of layers of uniformly-sized golf balls, the second pyramidal shell and the first pyramidal shell each being truncated and being joined together where each is truncated so as to form a funnel opening between the second pyramidal shell and the first pyramidal shell; removing the hopper from the stacking tray to leave the self-supporting pyramidal stack of uniformly-sized golf balls alone on the stacking tray; closing an open base of the first pyramidal shell of the hopper with a further tray; pouring further golf balls through the second pyramidal shell of the hopper to fill the first pyramidal shell so as to form on the further tray a further self-supporting pyramidal stack of a further plural number of layers of uniformly-sized golf balls that is different than that of the first-mentioned plural number of layers, the stacking tray and the further stacking tray being of different dimensions; and removing the hopper from the further stacking tray to leave the further self-supporting pyramidal stack of uniformly-sized golf balls alone on the further stacking tray. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the stacking tray is arranged without confines of the second pyramidal shell during pouring golf balls through the first pyramidal shell, so that the open base of the second pyramidal shell sits atop the stacking tray.15. The method of claim 13, wherein the stacking tray is arranged within confines of the second pyramidal shell during pouring golf balls through the first pyramidal shell, so that the stacking tray is inserted within the open base of the second pyramidal shell.16. The method of claim 13, wherein the further stacking tray is arranged without confines of the first pyramidal shell during pouring further golf balls through the second-pyramidal shell, so that the open base of the first pyramidal shell sits atop the further stacking tray.17. The method of claim 13, wherein the further stacking tray is arranged within confines of the first pyramidal shell during pouring further golf balls through the second pyramidal shell, so that the further stacking tray is inserted within the open base of the first pyramidal shell.18. The method of claim 14, further comprising closing the open base of the first pyramidal shell of the hopper with an additional stacking tray, pouring additional golf balls through the second pyramidal shell of the hopper to fill the first pyramidal shell of the hopper, the additional stacking tray being within confines of the first pyramidal shell to enable formation of an additional self-supporting pyramidal stack of an additional number of uniformly-sized golf balls that is different in number from the first-mentioned plural number and the further plural number, the additional stacking tray being of a different dimension than that of the stacking tray and the further stacking tray; and removing the hopper from the additional stacking tray to leave the additional self-supporting pyramidal stack of uniformly-sized golf balls alone on the additional stacking tray.19. The method of claim 18, further comprising closing the open base of the second pyramidal shell with a different stacking tray, pouring different golf balls through the first pyramidal shell of the hopper to fill the second pyramidal shell so as to form a different self-supporting pyramidal stack of a different number of uniformly-sized golf balls that is different in number from the first-mentioned plural number and the further plural number and the additional plural number, each of the stacking tray, the further stacking tray, the additional stacking tray and the different stacking tray being of different areal dimensions relative to each other; and removing the hopper from the different stacking tray to leave the different self-supporting pyramidal stack of uniformly-sized golf balls alone on the different stacking tray.20. A golf ball stacking and dispensing apparatus, comprising a hopper having a pyramidal shell that has an open base bounded by a rim; two trays each of a different dimension, a first of the trays being configured and arranged to close the open base by fitting the rim onto the first of the trays so that the first of the trays is outside of confines of the pyramidal shell, a second of the trays being configured and arranged to close the open base by being inserted within confines of the pyramidal shell and having an underside that is arranged coplanar with the rim while the second of the trays is within the confines of the pyramidal shell. 21. A method of stacking and dispensing golf balls using a hopper and two trays each of a different dimension, the hopper having a pyramidal shell that has an open base bounded by a rim; comprising closing the open base of the pyramidal shell with a first of the trays by fitting the rim onto the first of the trays so that the first of the trays is outside of confines of the pyramidal shell; removing the first of the trays; and closing the open base of the pyramidal shell with a second of the trays by inserting the second of the trays within confines of the pyramidal shell, arranging an underside of the second of the trays coplanar with the rim while the second of the trays is within the confines of the pyramidal shell. 22. A method as in claim 21, wherein the pyramidal shell has an opening formed at a location where the pyramidal shell is truncated, further comprising pouring golf balls through the opening while the first of the trays closes the open base of the pyramidal shell to form a pyramidal stack of the golf balls on the first of the trays and pouring additional golf balls through the opening while the second of the trays closes the open base of the pyramidal shell to form an additional pyramidal stack of the additional golf balls on the second of the trays.23. A golf ball stacking and dispensing apparatus, comprising a hopper having two truncated pyramidal shells each with an open base bounded by a rim and connected to each other by a funnel opening formed by and between the two truncated pyramidal shells; two trays each of a different dimension, a first of the trays being configured and arranged to close the open base of one of the two truncated pyramidal shells, a second of the trays being configured and arranged to close the open base of the other of the two truncated pyramidal shells. 24. A golf ball stacking and dispensing apparatus of claim 23, wherein the first of the trays is located without confines of the open base of the one of the two truncated pyramidal shells when closing same, by fitting the rim onto the first of the trays.25. A golf ball stacking and dispensing apparatus of claim 23, wherein the first of the trays is located within confines of the open base of the one of the two truncated pyramidal shells to close same.26. A golf ball stacking and dispensing apparatus of claim 25, wherein the first of the trays has an underside that is arranged coplanar with the rim while the first of the trays is within the confines of the one of the two truncated pyramidal shells.27. A golf ball stacking and dispensing apparatus of claim 20, wherein the pyramidal shell is truncated.
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