Patents Examined by Benjamin Layno
  • Patent number: 11383139
    Abstract: A ball striking device, such as a golf club, includes a head that includes a face having a ball striking surface configured for striking a ball and a body connected to the face and extending rearward from the face. A face member formed primarily of a metallic material forms the face, and a body member is connected to the face member and extends rearward from the face member to form at least a portion of the body. The body member is formed at least partially of a polymer material, and has a doped portion containing a doping material dispersed within the polymer material. The doping material may have a different density than the polymer material, such that the doped portion has a different density than the portions of the body member not containing the doping material. A co-molding method may be used to form the ball striking device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Michael E. Finn, David N. Franklin, Raymond J. Sander, Jeremy N. Snyder, Robert M. Boyd
  • Patent number: 11358036
    Abstract: A ball striking device, such as a golf club head, includes a face having a ball striking surface, an inner surface opposite the ball striking surface, and a thickness defined between the ball striking surface and the inner surface, and a body connected to the face and extending rearward from the face. The face has a modulus gradient across the thickness of the face, such that the modulus of the face varies at different distances from the ball striking surface. The face may also include at least one of an insert, a composite material, a multi-layered structure, and/or a portion treated by a surface treatment to contribute to the modulus gradient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Robert M. Boyd, Mark J. Perry, Jay R. Sayre
  • Patent number: 11338180
    Abstract: A golf club head includes a first portion joined to a second portion to at least partially define an interior club head volume. The first portion includes a wall defining an outer boundary of the club head volume, and a support rib extending from the wall to operatively stiffen the first portion. The second portion of the golf club head can engage the support rib, and the support rib can be adhered to the second portion to join the first portion and the second portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventor: Joshua Boggs
  • Patent number: 11325025
    Abstract: Methods are described for controlling movement of dice in a gaming system. The gaming system includes an input device controllable by a user and a platform for holding the dice. The platform may be moved up and down by a drive to cause the dice to be moved upward and thrown above the surface of the platform. Data received from the input device may be used to determine the upward motion of the platform. The data may include the distance a user is from the input device. The data may also include how hard, how far and/or how fast a user pushes the input device. Data received from the input device may not be used to determine the upward motion of the platform. The time at which the platform may be moved may be randomly determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: INTERBLOCK D.D.
    Inventors: Urban Bergant, Ivo Zavbi, Peter Kroselj
  • Patent number: 11318359
    Abstract: Embodiments of golf club heads comprising a head interior and a hosel structure, the head interior bounded by a head front portion, a head rear portion, a head heel portion, a head toe portion, a head top portion, and a head sole portion, the golf club heads further comprising various optimized characteristics, are presented herein. Other examples and related methods are also disclosed herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Bradley D. Schweigert, Ryan M. Stokke
  • Patent number: 11305164
    Abstract: Described herein are embodiments of golf club heads having a balance of the following parameters: a low and back club head center of gravity position, a high moment of inertia, and low aerodynamic drag. Methods of manufacturing the embodiments of golf club heads having a balance of club head center of gravity position, moment of inertia, and aerodynamic drag are also described herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Ryan M. Stokke, Sina Ghods
  • Patent number: 11291890
    Abstract: Embodiments of golf club heads, golf clubs, and methods to manufacture golf club heads and golf clubs are generally described herein. In one example, a golf club head may include a body portion having an interior cavity and a front portion. A face portion is attached to the front portion of the body portion to enclose the interior cavity. The golf club head may further include a first filler material coupled to a portion of an inner wall of the body portion, and a second filler material between the first filler material and the face portion and coupled to the face portion. The first filler material has a greater coefficient of restitution (COR) than the second filler material, and the second filler material has a greater stiffness than the first filler material. Other examples and embodiments may be described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: PARSONS XTREME GOLF, LLC
    Inventors: Robert R. Parsons, Michael R. Nicolette, Bradley D. Schweigert
  • Patent number: 11266888
    Abstract: Embodiments of golf club heads and methods to manufacture golf club heads are generally described herein. In one example, a golf club head may include a body portion having a front portion, a rear portion, a toe portion, a heel portion, a top portion, and a bottom portion. The front portion may have a face portion. A rear surface of the face portion may have a plurality of face regions arranged in a plurality of rows and columns forming a grid. The plurality of face regions may have differing thicknesses to control characteristic time (CT) across the face portion. Other examples and embodiments may be described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: PARSONS XTREME GOLF, LLC
    Inventors: Caleb S. Kroloff, Bradley D. Schweigert
  • Patent number: 11266885
    Abstract: A golf club head includes a body defining an interior cavity. The body includes a sole positioned at a bottom portion of the golf club head, a crown positioned at a top portion, and a skirt positioned around a periphery between the sole and crown. The body has a forward portion and a rearward portion. The club head includes a face positioned at the forward portion of the body. In some embodiments, the crown includes a lattice-like structure having thin regions surrounded by a web of relatively thicker regions. In some embodiments, the club head includes one or more stiffening tubes attached between the sole and the crown to improve the acoustic performance of the golf club head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew Greensmith, Todd P. Beach, Nathan T. Sargent, Kraig Alan Willett, Joshua J. Dipert
  • Patent number: 11260285
    Abstract: A method for a game to be played by a team of players including offering the team of players a first challenge, the team of players having the ability to accrue time in the first challenge, and offering the team of players a final challenge, the time allocated for completing the final challenge including at least any time accrued by the team of players in the first challenge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Inventor: Alexander Patterson
  • Patent number: 11260281
    Abstract: An automatic card shuffler has a shuffling device having a card exit and a card box rack. The card box rack has a connecting arm mounted on the shuffling device and a pivot shelf. The pivot shelf is pivotally connected on the connecting arm and is adapted to accommodate the card box. The pivot shelf is adapted to pivot relative to the connecting arm to a first position and a second position. In the first position, the cover of the card box is easy to be sealed. In the second position, the cover opens due to gravity and the opening of the card box is aligned to the card exit of the shuffling device. Therefore, when the poker cards are dispensing, the poker cards pass through the opening, enter the card box, and are stacked inside the card box to be sealed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: TAIWAN FULGENT ENTERPRISE CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Cai Shiang Ho
  • Patent number: 11253775
    Abstract: A game tile shuffler may include a tile loader, a tile container, a belt, and a tile dispenser. The tile loader may be capable of holding a plurality of game tiles. The game tiles pass from the tile loader to the tile dispenser through the tile loader and the belt. The belt may be capable of capturing and carrying the game tiles. The tile dispenser may include a chute opening and a tunnel that may split into multiple directions. A tunnel door may direct the game tiles between the multiple directions. The tile dispenser may be capable of identifying individual game tiles prior to dispensing. The game tile shuffler may be operable between a shuffle mode, whereby game tiles are circulated through the device, and a dispensing mode, whereby game tiles pass through the tunnel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Inventor: Yesmin Zurita
  • Patent number: 11241612
    Abstract: A more challenging tic-tac-toe game is described. This game makes use of an apparatus comprising a grid of openings configured to receive multi-sided playing pieces that each have a symbol on one side that once the playing pieces are inserted into the grid openings with the symbol not visible to the players, each player must memorize their moves to successfully place symbol playing pieces adjacently in a row or obtain tic-tac-toe. This game can be played in several different modes, including electronic versions, with varying complexity. In this game, each move, of each player, is hidden from view once a move has been made and when a player believes they have formed tic-tac-toe, the game apparatus reveals the moves and whether a player has successfully formed tic-tac-toe or not.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Inventor: James Edward Porter
  • Patent number: 11241613
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a gaming device. The gaming device may include a geared-wheel assembly having a first gear wheel and a second gear wheel. The first gear wheel and the second gear wheel may be capable of getting rotatably engaged with each other via its teeth and slots. The gaming device may include a gear turntable member that may be aligned behind the first gear wheel and the second gear wheel. The gear turntable member may be rotatingly coupled to the first gear wheel and the second gear wheel. The gaming device may include a first front supporting member and a second front supporting member to support its respective gear wheel from front. The gaming device further includes a method of playing the gaming device, which defines a winning position or a losing position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Inventor: Andy Dao Quang Lee
  • Patent number: 11235227
    Abstract: Embodiments provide for card games such as blackjack that allow at least one card to be dealt from a special deck (e.g., a restricted deck) into a hand, while the remainder of the cards for that hand (and, in some embodiments, other hands involved in the game event) are dealt from a main/conventional deck. In accordance with some embodiments, the at least one card dealt from the special deck is dealt into a hand of the player while in other embodiments it is dealt into the hand of a dealer and/or an opponent player. A special deck may be a deck that includes cards configured to provide an advantage to the player (e.g., in a blackjack game, restricted deck may only include high value cards if being used for a player hand or only low value cards if being used for a dealer hand).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: Roxor Gaming, Ltd.
    Inventors: Robeson Mandela Reeves, Hans Elias, Marlon James Dublin, Alexander Sandford Todd Young, Zachary David Philip Boswell
  • Patent number: 11235210
    Abstract: A golf club head includes a front body and a rear body coupled to the front body to define a hollow cavity therebetween. The front body includes a strike face that defines a ball striking surface, a hosel, and a frame that at least partially surrounds the strikeface and extends rearward from a perimeter of the strikeface away from the ball striking surface. The strike face and frame are formed from a thermoplastic composite comprising a thermoplastic polymer having a plurality of discontinuous fibers embedded therein. Each of the plurality of discontinuous fibers have a length of less than about 40 mm. The specific gravity of the thermoplastic can range between 1.0 and 2.0. In some embodiments, the thermoplastic composite is 20% to 70% fibers by volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Clayson C. Spackman, Jeremy S. Pope, Tyler A. Shaw, Eric J. Morales, Atiqah Shahrin
  • Patent number: 11229833
    Abstract: There is provided a shuffled playing card, wherein a suit and a rank are printed on one surface of a card base sheet, and a back pattern is printed on another surface, different sheet IDs for one card base sheet or each of a plurality of card base sheets are printed on the card base sheet, one deck or a plurality of decks are formed by individual cards cut by a cutting machine from the card base sheet, the one deck or the plurality of decks are shuffled by a shuffle machine to form a set of shuffled playing cards, different shuffled playing card IDs for each set are assigned to the shuffled playing card as ID codes, and the sheet ID of the playing card constituting the shuffled playing card and the shuffled playing card ID are associated with each other in a database.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: ANGEL GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yasushi Shigeta
  • Patent number: 11219818
    Abstract: A collapsible, self-expanding polyhedron comprises a plurality of side members each connected with an elastic band that is sized to urge each side wall of adjacent side members together to form an expanded configuration. When the polyhedron is compressed on two opposing side members, which causes the other side members to separate into a collapsed configuration, the elastic band expands to a maximum length with maximum tension. Once the compression is released, the at least one elastic band retracts back to a minimum length and urges the side members back into the expanded configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Inventors: David Yakos, Timothy Walsh
  • Patent number: 11207574
    Abstract: A golf club head includes a striking face, a crown and a sole. The crown and/or the sole includes an FRP member formed by a fiber reinforced plastic that contains a fiber and a matrix resin. The FRP member has an average flexural modulus of greater than or equal to 25 GPa. The fiber may contain a carbon fiber. The carbon fiber may have a tensile elastic modulus of greater than or equal to 300 GPa. The fiber may contain a metallic fiber. The FRP member may have a resin content of less than or equal to 40% by weight. The matrix resin may have a glass transition temperature of higher than or equal to 150° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuki Motokawa, Seiji Hayase
  • Patent number: 11202945
    Abstract: A golf club head for a driver is disclosed. The golf club head includes a face portion and a rearward end portion. An upward facing surface in a crown portion of the golf club head curves up towards the rearward end portion to keep airflow from separating from the crown portion. A downward facing surface on a sole portion of the golf club includes an airfoil that helps keep air stuck to the sole portion of the golf club head. The airfoil portion extends across a substantial entirety of the width of the golf club head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2021
    Assignee: ESS 2 Tech, LLC
    Inventors: Michael Suk, David A. Shoffler