Automated practice putting green with oversurface ball return
US5733200A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 13, 1996 |
| Grant date | Mar 31, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 13, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA63B2067/025
- WIPO fieldFurniture, games
- WIPO sectorOther fields
Abstract
A practice putting green assembly has a strip of artificial grass supported on an articulated multi-sectional frame. A plurality of motor/lift arm combinations can selectively raise or lower individual hinge points between the frame sections. A programmable circuit such as a microprocessor, is able to store a repertoire of programs of different movements responsive to the individual motor/lift arm combinations. This way, a series of topographies of the artificial grass strip may be selected by a player from a plug-in console connected to the programmable circuit. Putted balls are returned to a player over the grass surface by automatically inclining the target end of the grass strip toward the player, causing a pendulum controlled cup to empty and any balls on the grass surface to roll under gravity back to the player.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.