A PING Golf Bag That Would Sell, But Would You Want a Golfer in Your Group to Have One?

I have no doubt that young golfers would buy the PING golf bag described in a patent application that published this week as US Pub. No. 20090152144 titled “Golf Bag Having Shoulder Strap With An Electronic Device.” The application described the invention as:

A golf bag having a shoulder strap with a pocket for housing an electronic device such as an MP3 player, a radio, CD player, cassette player, and like devices. The shoulder strap includes a speaker, controls, and wiring to connect the electronic device to the speaker.

A cassette player? Really? Check out these drawings.

The application explains:

[0002] Typically, golfers carry their golf bags utilizing one or more shoulder straps. Golf bag shoulder straps come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Furthermore, many golfers enjoy listening to music and/or videos while playing or practicing golf. Often, golfers will listen to music and/or watch videos utilizing an MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3 (MP3) player.

[0003] MP3 players have been in existence for several years and golfers usually carry their MP3 players on their person while playing golf or practicing. Sometimes, the MP3 player can inhibit the golfer’s ability to socialize with others because individual golfers utilize ear phones to listen to audio portions of the file. Moreover, the wiring utilized to connect the MP3 player to the ear phones can interfere with the golfer’s swing as he/she plays or practices. Therefore, there is a need in the art for apparatus to allow golfers to listen to and/or watch files on an MP3 player while playing golf or practicing such that golfers are capable of interacting with other players and not substantially interfering with an individual golfer’s swings.

[0009] Shoulder strap 100 includes a pocket 110 to receive and hold an electronic device 140. In one embodiment, pocket 110 has a size so that it may receive and hold an audio device such as an MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3 (MP3) player. In another embodiment, pocket 110 is sized such that it is capable of receiving and holding an iPod manufactured by Apple Computer, Inc. of Cupertino, Calif. In further embodiments, pocket 110 may receive and hold any type of MP3 player, radio, compact disk (CD) player, cassette player, and other electronic audio and/or audio video devices such as internet access devices, PDAs, cell phones and multi-media devices.

[0010] Shoulder strap 100 also includes one or more speakers 120 mounted on the elongated body 170 and oriented between upper end 172 and lower end 176. Speaker 120 may be any device suitably configured to receive an electronic signal and output sound waves. As such, speaker 120 may be any speaker known in the art or developed in the future. In one embodiment, speaker 120 is oriented on shoulder strap 100 such that when an individual is carrying a golf bag utilizing golf bag shoulder strap 100, speaker 120 is oriented proximate one of the individual’s ears.

[0011] Additionally, speaker 120 includes circuitry such that speaker 120 may produce low volumes. In addition or alternatively, speaker 120 may include circuitry to produce medium and high volumes as well. Speaker 120 is configured to produce audio signals that are audible inside a pre-determined geographic distance such that persons outside the pre-determined distance are not substantially disturbed by the audio signals produced by speaker 120. In one embodiment, the geographic distance is less than about ten feet. In another embodiment, the geographic distance is less than about two feet. Notably, the invention contemplates that the geographic distance may be any pre-determined distance.

Interesting invention that would be nice to have on the range or when playing by yourself, but please not when playing in a group!

Dave Dawsey  – The Golf Patent Lawyer

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