US3459434A - Golf cart - Google Patents

Description

J. E. DULANEY GOLF CART 5 Sheets-l-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 5, 1966 Ilz, 3

M Mm w w 6 Ol wl 3 M w QZ/0 .llmu ||||U| n i M www@ .NIL 3 0 v y M L iL@ Aug. 5," 1969 J. E. DULANEY 3,459,434

GOLF CART Filed Dec. 5, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 8. M A\\ All@ 5, i969 J. E. DULANEY 3,459,434

GOLF CART med Dec. 5, 196e y 5 sheets-sheet 4 J. E. DULANEY Aug. 5, 1969 GOLF CART 5 sheets-sheet s' Filed Dec. 5. 1966 United States Patent O "ice U.S. Cl. 280-38 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A folding golf cart has a frame member of rectangular cross section, a sliding member of rectangular cross section which can be moved axially relative to said frame member to move wheels between closed and open positions, and guide plates with at inner faces fixedly secured to one 4of said members and surrounding and conining the other of said members to prevent twisting of said sliding member relative to said framemember. Latching plates with flat inner faces rotatably secure a handle of rectangular cross section to said frame member and prevent twisting of said handle relative to said frame member. A supporting bracket is mounted on said frame member and clamps are movably mounted relative to said supporting bracket to engage and hold the upper ends of golf bags which have different thicknesses and different diameters.

This invention relates to improvements in golf carts. More partciularly, this invention relates to improvements in folding golf carts.

It is, therefore, an object lof the present invention to provide an improved folding golf cart.

Many golfers nd it desirable to use golf carts to support their golf bags and golf clubs as they walk around golf courses; and, as a result, a number of golf carts have been proposed. Many of those golf carts have been folding golf carts; and such golf carts are extendable to open position when they are to be used on the golf courses and are retractable to closed position when they are to be stored. Some of the prior folding golf carts have been flimsy in construction; and other of those folding golf carts could pinch or cut the users ngers as they were extended to open position or retracted to closed position. It would be desirable to provide a folding golf cart that was sturdy in construction, and that would not pinch the users fingers as it was extended to open position or retracted to closed position. The present invention provides such a folding golf cart; and it is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a folding golf cart that is sturdy in construction and that will not pinch the users ngers as it is extended to open position or retracted to closed position.

The folding golf cart provided by the present invention can accommodate golf bags of different sizes and of different shapes. Specifically, that folding golf cart has clamps which can receive and hold the upper ends of golf bags of different sizes, of different shapes, and of different height; and hence that golf cart can be used with many individually different kinds of golf bags. Itis, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a folding golf cart with clamps that can accommodate and grip golf bags of different sizes, of different shapes, and of different heights.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present 3,459,434 Patented Aug. 5, 1969 invention should become apparent from an examination of the drawing and accompanying description.

In the drawing and accompanying description two preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown and described but it is to be understood that the drawing and accompanying description are for the purpose of illustration only and do not limit the invention and that the invention will be defined by the appended claims.

In the drawing, FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of one preferred embodiment of folding gold cart that is made in accordance with the principles and teachings of the present invention, and it shows that folding golf cart in closed position,

FIG. 2 is a sectional View through the folding golf cart of FIG. 1, and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 2-2 in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a partially broken, side elevational view of the folding golf cart of FIG. 1, and it shows that folding golf cart in open position,

FIG. 4 is a sectional view through a portion of the folding golf cart of FIG. 3, and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 4-4 in FIG. 3,

FIG. 5 is a sectional view through another portion of the golf cart of FIG. 3, and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 5-5 in FIG. 3,

FIG. 6 is a sectional view through a further portion of the folding golf cart of FIG. 3, and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 6-6 in FIG. 3,

FIG. 7 is a sectional view through the portion of the folding golf cart shown in FIG. 6, and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 77 in FIG. 6,

FIG. 8 is a sectional view through the portion of the folding golf cart shown in FIG. 6, and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 8 8 in FIG. 7,

FIG. 9 is a broken-away, front elevational view of a portion of the folding golf cart of FIG. l, and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 9--9 in FIG. 3,

FIG. 10 is a sectional view through the golf cart of FIG. 1, and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 10-10 in FIG. 1,

FIG. 11 is another sectional view through the folding golf cart of FIG. 1, and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 11-11 in FIG. 1,

FIG. 12 is a further sectional view through the folding golf cart of FIG. 1, and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 12-12 in FIG. 1,

FIG. 13 is a partially broken-away sectional view through the folding golf cart of FIG. 1, and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 13-13 in FIG. 1,

FIG. 14 is a sectional View through the portion of the folding golf cart shown in FIG. 13, and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 14-14 in FIG. 13,

FIG. 15 is a sectional view through the portion of the folding golf cart shown in FIG. 13, and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 15-15 in FIG. 14,

FIG. 16 is a side elevational view of another preferred embodiment of folding golf cart that is made in accordance with the principles and teachings of the present invention,

FIG. 17 is a partially broken-away plan view, on a larger scale, of the folding golf cart of FIG. 16, and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 17-17 in FIG. 16,

FIG. 18 is a sectional view, on the scale of FIG. 17, through the folding golf cart of FIG. 16, and it is taken along the broken plane indicated by the broken line 18-18 in FIG. 17,

FIG. 19 is a sectional view, on a still larger scale, through the folding golf cart of FIG. 16, and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 19-19 in FIG. 17,

FIG. 20 is a bottom view, on the scale of FIG. 17, of part of the folding golf cart of FIG. 16, and

FIG. 2l is a sectional view, on the scale of FIG. 19, through part of the folding golf cart of FIG. 16, and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 21-21 in FIG. 20.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the numeral 30 denotes a. frame member of one preferred embodiment of folding golf cart that is made in accordance with the principles and teachings of the present invention. In that preferred embodiment, that frame member is elongated, tubular, and square in cross section. That frame member has a foot 32 which extends forwardly of the axis of that frame member; and a smoothly-bent arcuate portion connects the foot 32 with the rest of that frame member. A pivot bracket 34, that is generally V-shaped in plane as shown by FIG. 11, is secured to the frame member 30 by rivets 35. That pivot bracket supports four pivots 36, 38, 40 and 42; and legs 44, 46, 48 and 50 are pivotally secured to the pivot bracket 34 by the pivots 36, 38, 40 and 42, respectively. As indicated particularly by FIG. l, the legs 44 and 46 are disposed to the left of the frame member 30, while the legs 48 and 50 are disposed to the right of that frame member. The upper ends of the legs 44, 46, 48 and 50 are held snugly by the front and rear walls of the pivot bracket 34; and those front and rear walls coact with the pivots 36, 38, 40 and 42 to prevent any play between those legs and that pivot bracket.

The numeral 52 denotes a generally U-shaped bracket which is disposed below the left-hand portion of the pivot bracket 34 in FIG. 1; and pivots 54 and 56 pivotally secure the lower ends of the legs 44 and 46 to that U-shaped bracket. The spacing between the pivots 54 and 56 is the same as the spacing between the pivots 36 and 38; and the spacing between the pivots 36 and 54 is the same as the spacing between the pivots 38 and 56. As a result, the legs 44 and 46 coact with the pivot bracket 34 and with the generally U-shaped bracket 52 to define a parallelogram. An axle 62 is held within the closed end of the generally U-shaped bracket 52 by rivets 58 and 60. That axle will always be parallel to the line defined by the pivots 36 and 38; and that axle will rotatively support a rubbertired wheel 64.

The numeral 66 denotes a generally U-shaped bracket which is disposed below the right-hand portion of the pivot bracket 34 in FIG. 1; and pivots 68 and 70 pivotally secure the lower ends of the legs 48 and 50 to that U-shaped bracket. The spacing between the pivots 68 and 70 is the same as the spacing between the pivots 40 and 42; and the spacing between the pivots 40 and 68 is the same as the spacing between the pivots 42 and 70. As a result, the legs 48 and 50 coact with the pivot bracket 34 and with the generally U-shaped bracket 66 to define a parallelogram. An axle 76 is held within the closed end of the generally U-shaped bracket by rivets 72 and 74. That axle will always be parallel to the line defined by the pivots and 42; and that axle will rotatively support a rubber-tired wheel 78.

The numeral 80 denotes a U-shaped guide which has the closed end thereof of abutting the front face of the frame element 30 below the level of the pivot bracket 34. That U-shaped guide has ears 81 inclining outwardly and rearwardly therefrom, as shown particularly by FIG. 12. A slide 84, which is shown as being elongated, tubular, and square in cross section, abuts the rear face of the frame member 30; and that slide has the arms of the U-shaped guide 80 secured thereto by rivets 82. A further U-shaped guide 86 has the closed end thereof abutting the front face of the frame member 30 above the level of the pivot bracket 34; and the arms of that U-shaped guide are xedly secured to the slide 84 by rivets 88. Those U-shaped guides hold the slide 84 immediately adjacent the rear face of the frame member 30, while permitting that slide to reciprocate relative to that frame member.

A rivet 90 secures a connecting rod 92 to the U-shaped guide 86. Preferably, that connecting rod is elongated, tubular, and square in cross section so it will look like an extension of the slide 84, as indicated by FIGS. 2 and 3. Latch plates 94 and 96 are pivotally secured to the frame member 30 by a pivot 100; and those latch plates also are secured to the free end of the connecting rod 92 by a pivot 102. As shown particularly by FIG. 2, the latch plates 94 and 96 have notches 98 in the left-hand edges thereof. Rivets 104 secure the free ends of the latch plates 94 and 96 to a handle 106. A resilient grip 108 is preferably telescoped over the free end of the handle 106.

A connecting bar has one end thereof pivotally secured to one of the ears 81 on the U-shaped bracket 80 by a rivet 114, as shown particularly by FIG. 12; and the other end of that connecting bar is pivotally secured to the leg 44 by a pivot 116. A connecting bar 112 has one end thereof pivotally secured to the other ear 81 on the U-shaped bracket 80 by a pivot 120; and the other end of that connecting bar is pivotally secured to the leg 50 by a pivot 118.

The numeral 122 denotes a slide which is disposed within the upper end of the frame member 30, as shown particularly by FIG. 8. Vertically-directed slots 124 are provided in the sides of the frame member 30, and those slots accommodate a latch rod 126 which is secured to the slide 122. A helical compression spring 128 overlies that slide; and the upper end of that spring bears against a rivet 130. That spring will act against that rivet and the slide 122 to urge the latch rod 126 downwardly toward the lower ends of the slots 124 in the frame member 30.

A rivet 132 coacts with the rivets 130 to secure a bracket 134 to the front of the frame member 30, as shown particularly by FIGS. 2 and 3. An elongated slot 136 extends along the major portion of the length of the bracket 134; and that major portion of the length of that 4bracket is spaced forwardly of the front of the frame member 30.

rl`he numeral 140 denotes a U-shaped bracket which is generally triangular in elevation, as shown particularly by FIG. 6. That bracket holds a supporting bracket which is generally noted by the numeral 142, which has an inverted U-shaped portion 144, which has horizontally-directed and forwardly-bent portions 146, and which has upwardly-directed pivot portions 148. Rivets extend between the front and rear walls of the U-shaped bracket 140, on opposite sides of the inverted U-shaped portion 144 of the supporting bracket 142; and those rivets flxedly hold that supporting bracket in assembled relation with that U-shaped bracket. Screws 152 extend through the front and rear walls of the U-shaped bracket 140 and seat in a place 154 which has two threaded openings therein in register with the screws 152. Loosening of the screws 152 will permit the U-shaped bracket 140, and hence the supporting bracket 142, to be moved axially of the slot 136 in the bracket 134, and thus axially of the frame element 30. Tightening of those screws will ix the position of the brackets 140 and 142 relative to the frame element 30.

The numeral 156 denotes L-shaped plates which have slots 158 in the feet thereof. Each of those L-shaped plates has a horizontally-directed ear 159 with a vertically-directed opening therein; and the foot of each of those plates has a vertically-directed opening in register with the vertically-directed opening in the ear 159. The aligned openings in the ears 159 and in the feet of the L-shaped plates 156 telescope downwardly over the upwardly-directed pivot portions 148 of the supporting bracket 142. Caps 160` are then pressed onto the upper ends of the upwardly-directed pivot portions 148 to prevent separation of the L-shaped plates 156 from the supporting bracket 142.

J-shaped clamps 162 are set in inverted position, and

the elongated arms of those clamps extend downwardly through the slots 158 in the feet of the L-shaped plates 156. Stops 163, in the form of short pins, extend through the elongated arms of the J-shaped clamps 162; and those stops are longer than the slots 158 are wide, thereby keeping those J-shaped clamps in assembled relation with the L-shaped plates 156. Wing bolts 164 are threaded into openings in the elongated arms of the I-shaped clamps 162, and Wing nuts 166 are threaded onto the shanks of those wing bolts. The inner ends of the wing bolts `164 can bear against the L-shaped plates 156, and the threads of those wing bolts can urge the short arms of the J- shaped clamps 162 toward those L-shaped plates.

The numeral 168 denotes a trapezoidal plate which is secured to the upper surface of the foot 32 of the frame member 30` by rivets. Four ears 17()` are punched downwardly out of the plate 168, and openings are formed in those ears. The center of a supporting bracket 172 is riveted to the lower end of the frame member 30, and the ends of that supporting bracket are xedly secured to the plate 168. That supporting bracket is generally V- shaped in plan, as shown by FIG. 13.

A retainer 173 has an inverted U-shaped portion at the front thereof, as shown particularly by FIG. 1; and it has two rod-like extensions which extend into, and are supported by, the openings in the ears 170 which are punched downwardly out of the plate 168. An L-shaped latch 174 surrounds one of the rod-like extensions of the retainer 173; and a helical compression spring 176 bears against the rear face of that latch and against the forward face of one of the ears 170 to urge that latch to the inclined position shown by solid lines in FIG. 13. However, that spring can yield to permit that latch to be moved to the dotted-line position shown in FIG. 13.

yIn the closed position of the folding golf cart of FIG. 1, the legs 44, 46, 48 and 50 are parallel to the frame element 30; and the legs 46 and 48 are very close to the sides of that frame element. As a result, the wheels 64 and 78 are close to the plate 168 and to the bracket 172 which is secured to that plate. The U-shaped guide 80 is spaced well below the pivot bracket 34, and the U- shaped guide 86 is immediately above that pivot bracket, The latch plates 94 and 96 incline downwardly from the pivot 180, as shown particularly by FIG. 2; and the handle 106 is generally parallel to, and immediately adjacent, the slide 84. The' connecting rod 92 is close to the frame member 30; and it will tend to appear, to a viewer, to be an extension of the slide 84. The latch rod 126 will be resting against the bottoms of the slots 124 in the frame member 30.

To shift the folding golf cart of FIG. 1 from its closed position to its open position, the user need only press forwardly and downwardly on the upper end of the frame member 3ft-to urge the foot 32 into holding engagement with the floor or ground--and then to pull rearwardly and upwardly on the grip 108i. Thereupon, the handle 106 and the latch plates 94 and 96 will rotate in the clockwise direction in FIG. 2 toward the position shown by FIG. 3. As those latch plates so rotate, they will initially raise the upper end of the connecting rod 92 upwardly and to the left; and then, as the pivot 102 moves upwardly above the level of the pivot 100, those latch plates will raise the upper end of that connecting rod upwardly and to theright. As the connecting rod 92 moves upwardly, it will pull the slide 84 upwardly along a path which is parallel to the frame member 30; and that slide will pull the U-shaped guide 80 upwardly. The resulting upward movement of the pivots 114 and 120, held by the ears 81 on that U-shaped guide, will cause the connecting bars 110 and 112 to force the lower ends of the legs 44 and 56 to move outwardly. As those lower ends of those legs so move, the lower ends of the legs 46 and 48 also will move outwardly; and the axles 62 and 76 will move the wheels 64 and 78 further apart. As the latch plates 94 and 96 approach the latch rod 126, the upper edges of those latch plates will engage that latch rod and raise it upwardly within the slots 124 until after the notch 98 has moved into register with that latch rod. Thereupon, the helical compression spring 128 will force that latch rod down into the slots 98, and that latch rod will then lock the latch plates 94 and 96, the handle 106, the connecting rod 92, the guide brackets and 86, the slide 84, the legs 44, 46, 48 and 50, the axles 62 and 76, and the wheels 64 and 78 in open position.

To shift the folding golf cart of FIG. l from its open position to its closed position, it is only necessary to raise the latch rod 126 upwardly, to shift the frame element 30 forwardly until the foot 32 is in holding engagement with the tloor or ground, and then to rotate the grip 108 rearwardly and downwardly until it reaches the position shown by FIG. 2. As that grip so moves, the handle 106, the latch plates 94 and 96, the connecting rod 92, the slide 84, the U-shaped guide 80, the connecting bars 110 and 112, the legs 44 and 50, the U- shaped brackets 52 and 66, and the axles 62 and 76 will move the wheels 64 and 78 to the retracted positions shown by FIG. l.

To attach a golf bag 178 to the folding golf cart of FIG. l, the user should reach under plate 168 with his linger and shift L-shaped clamp 174 from the solid-line position to the dotted-line position of FIG. 13. Then, while holding that clamp in that dotted-line position, he should pull forwardly on retainer 173 until the front end of that retainer is spaced far enough from the V-shaped bracket 172 to easily accommodate the base of golf bag 178. The user should then rest that base upon the plate 168, and should move the upper end of that golf bag close to the short arms of the inverted J-shaped clamps 162. If the U-shaped bracket is set, relative to the length of the slot 136 in the bracket 134, so the short arms of those J-shaped clamps can be raised upwardly over the upper end of that golf bag and then moved far enough downwardly to lit within that upper end, no adjustment need be made in the position of that bracket. However, if the bracket 140V is not initially set so the short arms of the inverted J-shaped clamps 162 can be raised upwardly over the upper end of the golf bag and then moved far enough downwardly to t within that upper end, the screws 152 should be loosened and the bracket 140` should be shifted up or down until the short arms of those inverted J-shaped clamps can be raised upwardly over the upper end of the golf bag and then moved far enough downwardly to t within that upper end. Once the bracket 140 has been properly set, the screws 152 can be tightened to xedly hold that bracket in position.

After the base of the golf bag 178 has been rested upon the plate 168, and after the short arms of the inverted I-shaped clamps 162 have been raised upwardly over the upper end of that golf bag and then moved far enough downwardly to lit within that upper end, the wing nuts 166 will be loosened and then the wing bolts 164 will be tightened. Those wing bolts will be tightened until the short arms of the inverted J-shaped clamps 162 intimately engage the inner face of the upper end and pull the outer face of that upper end into intimate engagement with the L-shaped plates 156. Thereafter, the wing nuts 166 can be tightened to prevent accidental rotation of the wing7 bolts 164.

The adjustability of the bracket 140 relative to the bracket 134 enables the golf cart of the present invention to accommodate golf bags of different heights. The wing bolts 164 and the inverted J-shaped clamps 162 enable that golf cart to accommodate golf bags with upper ends that have different thicknesses. The pivoting of the L-shaped plates 156 on the upwardly-directed portions 148 of the supporting bracket 142 enable that golf cart to accommodate golf bags of different diameters and of circular configurations. Furthermore, the L- shaped brackets 156, the inverted I-shaped clamps 162, and the wing volts 164 can solidly hold the golf bag 178 without applying collapsing forces to that golf bag, as a flexible strap or straps would do.

The base of the golf bag 178 will be held in position on the plate 168 by moving the retainer 173 toward the V-shaped bracket 172. As that retainer is so moved, it will not be necessary to grasp the clamp 174 and move it to the dotted-line position shown in FIG. 13; because the frictional engagement between that retainer and that clamp will automatically shift that clamp far enough toward that dotted-line position to enable that retainer to freely move into engagement with the base of the golf bag. That retainer will then coact with the V-shaped bracket 172 and the plate 168 to fully support the base of that golf bag.

As shown by FIG. 3, the upper end of the frame member 30 extends upwardly above the major portions of the latch plates 94 and 96. This is desirable; because it enables the user of the folding golf cart to apply a solid force to that upper end of that frame member and to move the handle 106 upwardly from the position shown by FIG. 2 to the position shown by FIG. 3 with minimal risk of having his fingers caught and pinched. The fact that the upper end of the frame member 30 extends above the major portions of the latch plates 94 and 96 also is desirable because it enables the user to grasp that upper end while he simultaneously raises the latch bolt 126. 1n fact, the user can grasp the upper end of the frame member 30 with one hand, can raise the latch bolt 126 with the fingers of that hand, and can then grasp the grip 108 with the other hand to rotate the handle 106 from the position of FIG. 3 to the position of FIG. 2.

It will be noted that as the folding golf cart is shifted between its closed position and its open position, and is subsequently moved from its open position to its closed position, the slide 84 remains parallel to the frame member 30 and is spaced from that frame member a substantially constant distance. As a result, a user cannot have his fingers pinched between that slide and that frame member during any shifting of the folding golf cart from its open position to its closed position and from its closed position to its open position.

It `should also be noted that the latch plates 94 and 96 overlie substantially all of the upper end of the connecting rod 92, as that connecting rod approaches the upper end of the frame member 30. This is desirable; because those latch plates will automatically guide the users hand and fingers away from the space between the connecting rod and that frame member-thereby minimizing the likelihood of those fingers being pinched between that connecting rod and that frame member.

The overall result is that the present invention has provided a folding golf cart which is sturdy and strong but that is easily shifted from closed position to open position and vice versa. Also, the present invention has provided a folding golf cart that is able to grip and hold golf bags of different heights, diameters, configurations, and thicknesses. Moreover, the present invention has provided a folding golf cart which can be lshifted between its closed position and open position and vice versa with a minimal risk of having the users hands and fingers pinched.

FIGS. 16-21 show another preferred embodiment of folding golf cart that is made in accordance with the principles and teachings of the present invention. That folding golf cart has a frame member 30, a foot 32, a pivot bracket 34, pivots 36 and 38 plus counterparts to pivots 40 and 42, legs 44 and 46 plus counterparts to legs 48 and 50, a bracket 52 plus a counterpart to bracket 66, an axle 62 plus a counterpart to axle 76, a wheel 64 plus a counterpart to wheel 78, U-shaped guides 80 and 86, a slide 84, a connecting rod 92, a latch plate 94 plus a counterpart to latch plate 96, handle 106, grip 108, a connecting bar 110 plus a counterpart to connecting bar 112, counterparts to slide 122 and spring 128, and a latch rod 126. Consequently, the structure of the 8 folding golf cart of FIGS. 16-21 which enables that golf cart to fold and unfold will be identical to the corresponding structure of the folding golf cart of FIG. l. However, the folding golf cart of FIGS. 16-21 is not intended to have a golf bag attached to it; and, instead, is able to carry golf clubs directly and individually.

Specifically, a generally Z-shaped bracket 180 is secured to the upper end of the frame member 30 of the folding golf cart of FIGS. 16-21; and that bracket is located about where the bracket 134 of the folding golf cart of FIG. 1 is located. A trapezoidal plate 182 is secured to the forward and lower end of the bracket 180, as by screws; and that plate extends forwardly from, and at right angles to, the frame member 30. That plate has a number of circular openings 184 therein, and it also has a circular opening 186 therein. The diameter of the opening 186 is larger than the diameter of any of the openings 184.

A trapezoidal plate 188 is secured to the upper surface of the foot 32 of the frame member 30; and that plate is located about ywhere the plate 168 of the fold ing golf cart of FIG. 1 is located. A number of openings 190 are formed in the plate 188, and a number of smaller openings 192 also are formed in that plate. The openings 190 are smaller than, but are coaxial with, the openings 184 in the plate 182; and the openings 192 are eccentric of the openings 190.

Elongated tubes 194 have cup-like bottom portions 196 secured thereto, and each of those cup-like bottom portions has an opening 198 and an opening 200 therein. The lower ends of the tubes 194 will be telescoped downwardly through the openings 184 in the plate 182 until the cup-like bottom portions 196 abut the plate 188. The openings 198 in the cup-like `bottom portions 196 will be aligned 4with the openings 192 in the plate 188; and the openings 200 in those cup-like bottom portions `will be aligned with the openings 190 in that plate. Thereupon, rivets 202 will be used to permanently secure the lower ends of the tubes 194 to the plate 188. The aligned openings 198 and 192, respectively, in the bottom portions 196 and in the plate 188 will permit moisture, rain, dirt and the like to escape from the tubes 194.

As indicated particularly by FIG. 4, the upper ends of the tubes 194 extend short distances above the upper surface of the plate 182. Annular caps 203 of yieldable material, such as synthetic rubber or elastomeric plastic, are pressed down over the upper ends of the tubes 194. Those annular caps will protect the hands, clothing, and clubs of the user from any raw edges on the upper ends of the tubes 194.

An I.shaped bracket 204 is secured to the bracket 180 and to the upper end of the frame member 30 by the rivet and the foot of that bracket has an opening which is in register with an opening in the foot of the bracket 180. A tube 206, which has a vertically-directed slot 208 in the side thereof, is fixedly disposed within the opening 186 in the plate 182. The tube 206 can be of any desired length; but it -will usually be much shorter than any of the tubes 194, as shown by FIG. 16. The slot 208 in the side of the tube 206 confronts the front face of the frame element 30; and an L-shaped lifter 210 has the foot thereof extending into the tube 206 through the slot 208. The vertically-directed leg of that L-shaped lifter extends through the openings in the feet of the brackets and 204; and those brackets will confine and guide that lifter for movement parallel to the frame element 30. A cap 212 is pressed onto the upper end of the leg of the L- shaped lifter 210 and that cap will facilitate ready grasping and raising of that lifter. The foot of the lifter 210 `will underlie any golf Iballs 213 stored within the tube 206; and hence raising of that lifter will automatically raise the uppermost of those golf balls above the level of the plate 182, as indicated by dotted lines in FIG. 18. As a result, raising of that lifter will automatically make the uppermost golf ball immediately available to the user.

which can accommodate part of the handle of the umi brella 222. The extensions 214 and 218 are dimensioned so the fabric or plastic covering of the umbrella 222 must be compressed as the ferrule and handle of that umbrella are, respectively, set in engagement with the opening 216 and the notch 220. The resulting forces -which that covering 'will cause that handle and that ferrule to apply, respectively, to that opening and that notch will prevent accidental separation of that umbrella from the folding golf cart of FIGS. 16-21. The folding golf cart of FIGS. 16-21 relieves the user thereof of the cost of a golf bag. Further, it keeps the shafts of the golf clubs from striking each other during the storing or transporting of those golf clubs. Moreover, that folding golf cart makes golf balls immediately available to the user. In addition, it holds an umbrella immediately available for use.

The folding golf cart of FIGS. 16-21 can be shifted from closed position to open position and vice versa in exactly the same manner in which the folding golf cart of FIG. l can be so shifted. Further, the folding golf cart of FIGS. 16-21 can be shifted from closed position to open position and vice versa with the same substantial freedom from pinching that is experienced `with the folding golf cart of FIG. l.

Whereas the drawing and accompanying description have shown and described two preferred embodiments of the present invention it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the form of the invention without affecting the scope thereof.

What I claim is: 1. A folding golf cart that comprises: an elongated frame member that is rectangular in cross section and thus has substantially flat faces,

wheel-supporting linkages pivoted for movement relative to said frame member, said wheel-supporting linkages being adapted to move Wheels between closed position and open position and vice versa,

an elongated sliding member that is rectangular in cross section and thus has substantially at faces and that is reciprocable relative to said frame member to cause said `Wheel-supporting linkages to move said wheels between closed position and open position and vice versa.

guide brackets that are rectangular in cross section and that are xedly secured to one of said members and that surround and conne the other of said members to always hold said sliding member immediately adjacent, and in substantially parallel relation with, said frame member, and

a handle that is movble relative to said frame member and to said sliding member to -reciprocate said sliding member relative to said frame member,

said guide brackets being spaced apart along the lengths of said members to hold the axes of said members substantially parallel and to strongly resist any forces which tend to cause the ends of said members to diverse from each other,

said guide brackets having innerfaces which a-re substantially flat and which confront and engage said substantially tlat faces of said members,

the engagements between said inner faces of said guide brackets and said substantially flat faces of said one of said members preventing twisting of said guide brackets relative to said one of said members, and the engagements between said inner faces of said guide brackets and said substantially at faces of said other of said members preventing twisting of said other of said members relative to said guide brackets or to said one of said members,

a latching plate pivotally secured to said frame member at one side of said frame member,

a second latching plate secured to said frame member at the opposite side of said frame member,

said latching plates being secured to said handle, and

a connecting rod pivotally secured to said latching plates and to said sliding member,

said latching plates being adapted to overlie a substantial portion of the upper end of said connecting rod and thereby guide the users hand and fingers away from the space between said upper end of said connecting rod and said frame member,

said handle being rectangular in cross section and thus having substantially flat faces,

said latching plates having substantially flat inner faces that confront and engage said substantially at faces of said frame member,

said substantially at inner faces of said latching plates also confronting and engaging said substantially hat faces of said handle,

the engagements between said substantially ilat inner faces of said latching plates and said substantially flat faces of said frame member preventing twisting of said latching plates relative to said frame member, and

the engagements `between said substantially at inner faces of said latching plates and said substantially hat faces of said handle preventing twisting of said handle relative to said latching plates and relative to said frame member.

2. A folding golf cart that comprises:

an elongated frame member that is rectangular in cross section and thus has substantially hat faces,

wheel-supporting linkages pivoted for movement relative to said frame member, said wheel-supporting linkages being adapted to move wheels between closed position and open position and vice versa,

an elongated sliding member that is rectangular in cross section and thus has substantially dat faces and that is reciprocble relative to said frame member to cause said Iwheel-supporting linkages to move said wheels between closed position and open position and vice versa,

guide brackets that are rectangular in cross section and that are fixedly secured to one of said members and that surround and conne the other of said members to always hold said sliding member immediately adjacent, and in substantially parallel relation with, said frame member, and

a handle that is movble relative to said frame member and to said sliding member to reciprocate said sliding member relative to said frame member,

said guide brackets being spaced apart along the lengths of said members to hold the axes of said members substantially parallel and to strongly resist any forces `which tend to cause the ends of said members to diverge from each other,

said guide brackets having inner faces which are substantially flat and which confront and engage said substantially flat faces of said members,

the engagements between said inner faces of said guide brackets and said substantially at faces of said one of said members preventing twisting of said guide brackets relative to said one of said members, and the engagements between said inner faces of said guide brackets and said substantially flat faces of said other of said members preventing twisting of said other of said members relative to said guide `brackets or to said one of said members,

a latching plate pivotally secured to said frame member and secured to said handle, and

a connecting rod pivotally secured to said latching plate and to said sliding member,

said latching plate having a notch therein and said frame member having a latch movable relative thereto,

said latch selectively engaging said notch in said latching plate to selectively lock said folding golf cart in open position,

said latch being a rod that is disposed within and is movable relative to a slot in said frame member, and

a spring that biases said rod into position to engage and to hold said latching plate,

said handle extending downwardly and being in close proximity to said connecting rod whenever said golf cart is in closed position,

said notch in said latching plate being disposed a substantial distance below the level of the upper end of said frame member whenever said golf cart is in closed position.

3. A folding golf cart that comprises:

an elongated frame member that is rectangular in cross section and thus has substantially at faces,

wheel-supporting linkages pivoted for movement relative to said frame member, said wheel-supporting linkages being adapted to move wheels between closed position and open position and vice versa,

an elongated sliding member that is rectangular in cross section and thus has substantially llat faces and that is reciprocable relative to said frame member to cause said wheel-supporting linkages to move said wheels between closed position and open position and vice versa,

guide brackets that are rectangular in cross section and that are Xedly secured to one of said members and that surround and confine the other of said members to always hold said sliding member immediately adjacent, and in substantially parallel relation with, said frame member, and

a handle that is movable relative to said frame member and to said sliding member to reciprocate said sliding member relative to said frame member,

said guide brackets being spaced apart along the lengths of said members to hold the axes of said members substantially parallel and to strongly resist any forces which tend to cause the ends of said members to diverge from each other,

said guide brackets having inner faces which are substantially flat and which confront and engage said substantially flat faces of said members,

the engagements between said inner faces of said guide brackets and said substantially flat faces of said one of said members preventing twisting of said guide brackets relative to said one of said members, and the engagements between said inner faces of said guide brackets and said substantially at faces of said other of said members preventing twisting of said other of said members relative to said guide brackets or to said one of said members,

a support adjacent the lower end of said frame member that can help support the base of a golf bag,

a supporting bracket adjacent the upper end of said frame member, and

clamps that are selectively movable relative to said supporting bracket and that extend over the top of the upper end of said golf bag and that extend downwardly inside of said upper end of said golf bag,

said clamps being engageable with the inner surface of said golf bag adjacent the upper end of said golf bag and being selectively movable into intimate engagement with said inner surface of said golf bag adjacent the upper end of said golf bag to help support said upper end of said golf bag without applying collapsing forces to said upper end of said golf bag.

`4. A folding golf cart that comprises:

an elongated frame member that is rectangular in cross section and thus has substantially flat faces,

wheel-supporting linkages pivoted for movement relative to said frame member, said wheel-supporting linkages being adapted to move wheels between closed position and open position and vice versa,

an elongated sliding member that is rectangular in cross section and thus has substantially flat faces and that is reciprocable relative to said frame member to cause said wheel-supporting linkages to move said wheels between closed position and open position and vice versa,

guide brackets that are rectangular in cross section and that are fiXedly secured to one of said members and that surround and confine the other of said members to always hold said sliding member immediately adjacent, and in substantially parallel relation with, said frame member, and

a handle that is movable relative to said frame member and to said sliding member to reciprocate said sliding member relative to said frame member,

said guide brackets being spaced apart along the lengths of said members to hold the axes of said members substantially parallel and to strongly resist any forces which tend to cause the ends of said members to diverge from each other,

said guide 'brackets having inner faces which are substantially at and which confront and engage said substantially flat faces of said members,

the engagements between said inner faces of said guide brackets and said substantially flat faces of said one of said members preventing twisting of said guide brackets relative to said one of said members, and the engagements between said inner faces of said guide brackets and said substantially flat faces of said other of said members preventing twisting of said other of said members relative to said guide brackets or to said one of said members,

said clamps being disposable at different distances from members which are supported by said supporting bracket and which also engage said upper end of said golf bag,

said members being plates that movably support said clamps,

said clamps being I-shaped and being inverted in position,

said members being L-shaped and having openings therein to loosely accommodate the elongated arms of said clamps so said clamps can be moved relative to said members.

S. A folding golf cart that comprises:

an elongated frame member that is rectangular in cross section and thus has substantially flat faces,

wheel-supporting linkages pivoted for movement relative to said frame member, said wheel-supporting linkages being adapted to move wheels between closed position and open position and vice versa,

an elongated sliding member that is rectangular in cross section and thus has substantially fiat faces and that is reciprocable relative to said frame member to cause said wheel-supporting linkages to move said wheels between closed position and open position and vice versa,

guide brackets that are rectangular in cross section and that are Xedly secured to one of said members and that surround and conne the other of said members to always hold said sliding member immediately adjacent, and in substantially parallel relation with, said frame member, and

a handle that is movable relative to said frame member and to said sliding member to reciprocate said sliding member relative to said frame member,

said guide brackets being spaced apart along the lengths of said members to hold the axes of said 13 14 members substantially parallel and to strongly resaid members being disposable at ditferent angles sist any forces which tend to cause the ends of said relative to said frame member to enable said clamps members to diverge from each other, and said members to abut and to grip and hold the said guide brackets having inner faces which are subupper ends of golf bags having dierent diameters.

stantially at and which confront and engage said 5 substantially flat faces of said members, References Cited the engagements between said inner faces of said guide brackets and said substantially iiat faces of said one UNITED STATES PATENTS of said members prevening twisting of said guide 2,770,466 11/1956 Pearson et a1- 28o-41 brackets relative to said one of said members, and 10 3,265,402 8/1966 Snyder 28o-41 the engagements between said inner faces of said guide brackets and said substantially at faces of FOREIGN PATENTS said other of said members preventing twisting of 679,485 7/ 1952 Great Britain. said other of said members relative to said guide 941,603 1l/1963 Great Britain. brackets or to said one of said members, 15

said clamps being disposable at different distances BENJAMIN HERSH, Primary Examiner from members which are supported by said supporting bracket and which also can engage said upped JOEL E' SIEGEL Assistant Examiner end of said golf bag, said members being plates that movably support said 20 U'S' C1' X'R' clamps, 28'0-41

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