Patents Examined by Alvin A. Hunter, Jr.
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Patent number: 7510485Abstract: A golf club head comprises a main body and a crown cover disposed in a crown portion of the head, wherein the main body comprises a crown base made of a metal material and provided with a plurality of openings gradually decreasing in the opening area from the backside to the foreside of the head, and the crown cover is made of a material such as FRP whose specific gravity is lower than the metal material, and disposed on the crown base so as to cover the openings.Type: GrantFiled: March 28, 2005Date of Patent: March 31, 2009Assignee: SRI Sports LimitedInventor: Akio Yamamoto
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Patent number: 7448963Abstract: One embodiment of a golf club head having movable weights includes a body with a face plate positioned at a forward portion of the golf club head, a sole positioned at a bottom portion of the golf club head, a crown positioned at a top portion of the golf club head and a skirt positioned around a periphery of the golf club head between the sole and the crown. Two or more weight ports are formed in the body and at least two weights are configured to be retained at least partially within the weight ports.Type: GrantFiled: January 31, 2007Date of Patent: November 11, 2008Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc.Inventors: Todd P. Beach, Thomas Olsavsky, Benoit Vincent, Ian Wright, Kraig Willett, Gery Mel Zimmerman, Joseph Hoffman
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Patent number: 7416496Abstract: A golf club head (20) having optimized inertial properties and center of gravity is disclosed. The golf club head (20) preferably has a volume between 300 cubic centimeters and 500 cubic centimeters. The golf club head (20) has a center of gravity located less than 1.7 inches from an exterior surface of a front wall (30). The positioning of the center of gravity of the golf club head (20) and the optimized inertial properties provide the golf club with greater ball spin robustness and better performance.Type: GrantFiled: September 11, 2006Date of Patent: August 26, 2008Assignee: Callaway Golf CompanyInventors: J. Andrew Galloway, Alan Hocknell, Matthew T. Cackett
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Patent number: 7396296Abstract: A wood-type golf club head (20) with a main body (22) and a metal injection molded sole portion (26) is disclosed herein. The main body (26) has a face portion (30), a crown portion (24) a ribbon portion (28) and a bottom opening (31). The metal injection molded sole portion (26) is preferably brazed to the main body (22). The metal injection molded sole portion (26) preferably has a mass ranging from 45 grams to 110 grams. The metal injection molded sole portion (26) is preferably from 50 weight percent to 35 weight percent of the total mass of the wood-type golf club head (20).Type: GrantFiled: February 7, 2006Date of Patent: July 8, 2008Assignee: Callaway Golf CompanyInventor: D. Clayton Evans
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Patent number: 7396297Abstract: A hollow golf club head comprises a face portion whose front face defines a club face for striking a golf ball, a crown portion intersecting the club face at the upper edge thereof, and a sole portion intersecting the club face at the lower edge thereof, wherein at least one of the crown portion or the sole portion is made of a rolled steel at least partially, and a rolling direction of the rolled steel is in the range of from 0 to 20 degrees with respect to a front-back direction of the head.Type: GrantFiled: October 2, 2006Date of Patent: July 8, 2008Assignee: SRI Sports LimitedInventor: Tomoya Hirano
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Patent number: 7396293Abstract: A golf club with improved performance over a larger percentage of the strike face, including the lower extremities of the face, is disclosed and claimed. The club head has a coefficient of restitution that approaches substantial uniformity across the face. The golf club head includes a body having a face, a sole, a transition zone between the face and the sole. The transition zone has an internal surface and an external surface. Both the internal and external surfaces have radii of curvature greater than 0.2 inch. The transition zone transitions smoothly from the face, through the transition zone, to the sole. An extension may be provided adjacent the transition zone, cooperating with the transition zone to form a chamber. Dampening and/or weight inserts may be positioned within the chamber.Type: GrantFiled: February 24, 2005Date of Patent: July 8, 2008Assignee: Acushnet CompanyInventor: Peter L. Soracco
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Patent number: 7396294Abstract: A golf putter including an elongated handle terminating in a three-dimensional shaped putter head exhibiting a substantially smooth ball striking face. A vibration inducing component being mounted to first and second locations associated with a surface of the putter head and located opposite the ball striking face. Upon impacting a golf ball offset from a center line associated with the striking face, the vibration inducing components counteract twisting of the putter head, thereby increasing an effective surface area of the striking face creating a perpendicular travel direction of the ball relative to the putting face.Type: GrantFiled: December 8, 2005Date of Patent: July 8, 2008Inventor: Joseph Consiglio
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Patent number: 7396295Abstract: A putter head comprising a body having an open, frame-like structure having an improved mass distribution for optimizing the moment of inertia and placement of the center of gravity. The body includes a front portion, a rear portion, toe and heel portions extending between and interconnecting respective ends of the front and rear portions, and a central portion interconnecting the front and rear portions along the longitudinal axis of the body. A first main opening of the body is bounded by the toe portion, the central portion, and part of the front portion. A second main opening of the body is bounded by the heel portion, the central portion, and part of the front portion. The heel and toe portions desirably are formed with respective elongated openings extending substantially the entire lengths of the heel and toe portions.Type: GrantFiled: August 24, 2006Date of Patent: July 8, 2008Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc.Inventors: Nick Frame, Maresala Milo, Jose Miraflor, Marni Ines
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Patent number: 7371189Abstract: A configuration of an iron golf-club head is defined as follows in order to offer ease of addressing a ball with face open. In a projected figure of the head focused on a projection plane including a sweet spot and normal to a perpendicular from a center of gravity of the head to a face thereof, a maximum transversal is defined by a straight line cutting across a face contour over the greatest length as passing through an intersection of a leading edge and a straight line drawn from a heel-side end point of a face line in a predetermined direction of the projected figure, and forms an angle of 39° to 50° (inclusive) relative to a horizontal line. The face contour has a radius of curvature of 10 mm to 22 mm (inclusive) in the vicinity of a toe-side intersection of the face contour and the maximum transversal.Type: GrantFiled: February 18, 2005Date of Patent: May 13, 2008Assignee: SRI Sports LimitedInventor: Akio Yamamoto
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Patent number: 7367900Abstract: A hollow golf club head containing a face component made of a metal material and including a face plate forming a face portion of the head and a turnback extending backward from the face plate; a FRP component made of a fiber reinforced resin; and an elastomeric insert made of an elastomeric material disposed between the turnback and the FRP component.Type: GrantFiled: May 17, 2004Date of Patent: May 6, 2008Assignee: SRI Sports LimitedInventor: Tomio Kumamoto
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Patent number: 7364514Abstract: The present invention is a golf putter head wherein the second moment among the three inertial moments described below shows a maximum value in a state in which the head is placed on a horizontal plane at a specified lie angle and loft angle: First moment: inertial moment about a first axis which passes through the center of gravity of the head, and which is parallel to the face surface and said horizontal plane; Second moment: inertial moment about a second axis which is an axis in the vertical direction that passes through the center of gravity of the head; and Third moment: inertial moment about a third axis which passes through the center of gravity of the head, and which is perpendicular to said first axis and perpendicular to said second axis.Type: GrantFiled: July 8, 2004Date of Patent: April 29, 2008Assignee: SRI Sports LimitedInventors: Tetsuo Yamaguchi, Masayoshi Nishio
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Patent number: 7357733Abstract: A golf ball with at least one moisture vapor barrier layer is disclosed. The moisture vapor barrier layer is formed from a composition comprising a filler dispersed in a liquid or solven-born polymer of multi-olefin, iso-olefin, or a combination thereof.Type: GrantFiled: January 12, 2004Date of Patent: April 15, 2008Assignee: Acushnet CompanyInventors: Matthew F Hogge, Mitchell E Lutz, Michael J Sullivan
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Patent number: 7347796Abstract: There is provided a golf club in which the repulsion area of a face portion is enlarged. The same face in each component of the crown portion, sole portion and the like in the body portion is welded to the face portion having a strike surface by combining metal plates having different rigidity or strength. For example, the face portion on the crown portion or the sole portion is formed of a titan alloy having high rigidity or strength, and other components are formed of pure titan. By disposing such metal plates having different rigidity or strength in one component in this manner, the repulsion area on the face portion can be enlarged, and the traveling distance obtained by hitting a ball can be increased.Type: GrantFiled: June 7, 2005Date of Patent: March 25, 2008Assignee: K.K. Endo SeisakushoInventor: Hitoshi Takeda
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Patent number: 7338388Abstract: A a golf club head with a variable thickness face plate having a central thickened region surrounded by a transition region tapering from the central thickened region to a thinner peripheral region. The golf club head is made by locating a ball end mill revolving about an axis generally normal to the inner surface of the face plate at an initial location on a circumferential intersection between the outer edge of the central thickened region and a transition region. The inner surface of the face plate is machined by moving the revolving ball end mill in a radial direction outwardly toward and through the transition region and the peripheral region to machine the inner surface of the face plate creating a tool channel having a width as the ball end mill traverses the transition region and thereby vary the thickness of the face plate in the tool path.Type: GrantFiled: August 1, 2005Date of Patent: March 4, 2008Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing CorporationInventors: Bradley D. Schweigert, John A. Solheim
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Patent number: 7326127Abstract: A golf club head includes a body, a striking plate engaged with the body and including a front side for striking a golf ball, and at least one gas cushion mounted in the body and behind the striking plate. The gas cushion includes a bladder defining a gas chamber. The bladder is made of an elastomeric material. The gas chamber is filled with at least a gas to provide said at least one gas cushion with compressibility.Type: GrantFiled: June 14, 2004Date of Patent: February 5, 2008Assignee: Fu Sheng Industrial Co., Ltd.Inventors: Wen-Ching Hou, Yu-Hong Chen
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Patent number: 7318781Abstract: A golf club head (20) having a body (22) with a front wall (30) with an opening (32) and a striking plate insert (40) is disclosed herein. The striking plate insert (40) has a substrate base layer (40a) and a second layer (40b). The second layer (40b) is preferably composed of a nickel-iron alloy material. The golf club head (20) preferably has a volume between 200 cubic centimeters and 600 cubic centimeters. The golf club head (20) preferably has a mass between 140 grams and 215 grams.Type: GrantFiled: May 4, 2007Date of Patent: January 15, 2008Assignee: Callaway Golf CompanyInventor: Uday V. Deshmukh
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Patent number: 7314418Abstract: A golf club head (20) having optimized inertial properties and center of gravity is disclosed. The golf club head (20) preferably has a volume between 300 cubic centimeters and 500 cubic centimeters. The golf club head (20) has a center of gravity located less than 1.7 inches from an exterior surface of a front wall (30). The positioning of the center of gravity of the golf club head (20) and the optimized inertial properties provide the golf club with greater ball spin robustness and better performance.Type: GrantFiled: September 11, 2006Date of Patent: January 1, 2008Assignee: Callaway Golf CompanyInventors: J. Andrew Galloway, Alan Hocknell, Matthew T. Cackett
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Patent number: 7273419Abstract: A wood-type golf club head (40) preferably having a major body (50), a striking plate insert (55) and a minor body (60) is disclosed herein. The major body (50) is preferably composed of a metal material and has a front wall section (72), a return section (74), a sole section (76), a ribbon section (78) and a ledge portion (80). The minor body (50) is preferably composed of a low density material and has a crown section (62) and a ribbon section (64). The striking plate insert (55) is preferably composed of a metal material. The wood-type golf club head (40) preferably has a sole section 76 with a first keel (400) and a second keel (405).Type: GrantFiled: September 23, 2005Date of Patent: September 25, 2007Assignee: Callaway Golf CompanyInventors: D. Clayton Evans, Evan D. Gibbs, Matthew J. Erickson
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Patent number: 7261644Abstract: A golf club putter head includes a faceplate groove pattern configured to provide the putter head with an elevated center of gravity. In one preferred form, a club head body defines a faceplate having at least one and preferably multiple elongated grooves formed therein to extend generally in a heel-to-toe direction, with at least one groove positioned above a vertical mid-point of the club head body. The groove depths progressively increase in a top-to-bottom direction so that the putter head center of gravity is elevated to a position spaced above the vertical mid-point of the club head body. When striking a golf ball, the elevated center of gravity functions to minimize initial ball skidding and to promote early smooth ball roll toward a target such as a cup on a golf green.Type: GrantFiled: January 27, 2005Date of Patent: August 28, 2007Assignee: BGI Acquisition, LLCInventor: Bruce D. Burrows
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Patent number: 7258630Abstract: A wood-type golf club head (40) having a major body (50), a striking plate insert (55) and a minor body (60) is disclosed herein. The major body (50) is composed of a metal material and has a front wall section (72), a return section (74), a sole section (76), a ribbon section (78) and a ledge portion (80). The minor body (50) is preferably composed of a low density material and has a crown section (62) and a ribbon section (64). The striking plate insert (55) is composed of a metal material. An epoxy-based composition (200) is placed at a face-sole junction (205) to lower the amplitude of the sound of the golf club head (40) during impact with a golf ball.Type: GrantFiled: June 12, 2006Date of Patent: August 21, 2007Assignee: Callaway Golf CompanyInventors: Matthew J. Erickson, Bradley C. Rice, D. Clayton Evans, Evan D. Gibbs