Patents Examined by Alvin A. Hunter, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6905425
    Abstract: A golf ball is provided that is soft and thus provides an excellent shot feeling, the golf ball exhibiting less deterioration in impact resilience and a superior spin characteristic. The golf ball is further superior in burr resistance and scuff resistance when being shot by an iron club. The golf ball is formed of a core and a cover surrounding the core and the cover composition contains a polymer component including 10 to 80 parts by weight of an ethylene-(meth)acrylic acid copolymer-based ionomer resin (Component A), 0 to 60 parts by weight of an ethylene-(meth)acrylic acid-(meth)acrylic acid ester ternary copolymer-based ionomer resin (Component B), and 5 to 60 parts by weight of a thermoplastic elastomer containing a styrene block (Component C). The cover composition has a shore D hardness of 40 to 60.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2005
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashi Sasaki, Akira Kato
  • Patent number: 6905423
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a golf ball that provides improved playing characteristics by providing a cushioning interface between a center and subsequent layers. The ball can include a center, a soft intermediate layer, and a cover, although various constructions and modifications are possible. The intermediate layer can include an elastomeric latex or solution that will dry to form a soft film on the surface of the center. Such a soft rubber interlayer can serve as a cushioning interface to help improve durability and softness of the ball upon club impact. In another embodiment, the thin intermediate layer includes a responsive viscoelastic composition that exhibits an increase in viscosity under shear forces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2005
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: William E. Morgan, Kevin M. Harris, Michael J. Sullivan
  • Patent number: 6902498
    Abstract: A perimeter weighted golf ball with a low compression core is provided. The core preferably comprises a diene polymer that has low cross-link density or not cross-linked with a reactive co-agent. This core has low compression and low specific gravity. The low specific gravity core is encased within a thin dense layer positioned outside of the centroid radius to provide the ball with a high moment of inertia. The same core can be encased within a plurality of intermediate layers having either increasing hardness or decreasing hardness to provide selective golf balls for either low swing speed players or advanced players. Alternatively, a thin layer of diene polymer highly cross-linked with reactive a co-agent may be incorporated into the ball to increase the hardness of the ball.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2005
    Inventors: Michael J Sullivan, Derek A Ladd, Peter R. Voorheis
  • Patent number: 6902496
    Abstract: A putter golf club head includes a body fitted with relatively high-density heel and toe inserts. A golf putter club head includes a body formed of a first material (e.g., titanium) having a density of approximately 3.0 g/cm3 to 7.0 g/cm3. Two cavities are formed in the body, one adjacent to the heel region of the body, and another adjacent to the toe region. Inserts are provided in each of the two cavities and are formed of a second material (e.g., tungsten) having a density ranging from approximately 15.0 g/cm3 to 20.0 g/cm3. The cavities may be configured such that they extend to (or are bounded by) the bottom surface and/or the front face of the body. In one embodiment, the body of the putter club head has an elastic modulus greater than approximately 90 GPa while the density of the insert material is greater than the density of the body material by a factor of at least 3.0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2005
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: John A. Solheim, Bradley D. Schweigert, Eric V. Cole
  • Patent number: 6899641
    Abstract: A multi-piece solid golf ball comprising a core, an intermediate layer enclosing the core, and an outer layer enclosing the intermediate layer is characterized in that the intermediate layer is made of a thermoplastic resin composition, the intermediate layer on its surface has a Shore D hardness of at least 57, the intermediate layer has a specific gravity of 1.00-1.30 g/cm3, the outer layer has a specific gravity of at least 1.00 g/cm3, the core has a specific gravity of 1.05-1.20 g/cm3, the intermediate layer and the outer layer have a total gauge of up to 3.3 mm, [(core surface JIS-C hardness)?(core center JIS-C hardness)]?16, [(intermediate layer surface JIS-C hardness)?(core surface JIS-C hardness)]?0, and ?18?[(outer layer surface Shore D hardness)?(intermediate layer surface Shore D hardness)]<0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2005
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hideo Watanabe
  • Patent number: 6899639
    Abstract: A golf ball includes a core and a cover layer. The core is formed of a first composition and the cover is formed of a second composition. The specific gravity values of each of the first and second compositions are generally equal to each other. The first and second compositions are each sufficiently mixed such that the ball exhibits random orientation when floated in a solution of sufficient density to support the ball. The weight, size, spherical symmetry, initial velocity and overall distance of the ball conform to the requirements of the United States Golf Association.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2005
    Assignee: Wilson Sporting Goods Co.
    Inventors: Frank M. Simonutti, Wayne R. Bradley
  • Patent number: 6899640
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a one-piece golf ball formed by vulcanization from a rubber composition composed of 100 parts by weight of rubber base material, 10 to 40 parts by weight of unsaturated carboxylic acid, 10 to 60 parts by weight of metal oxide, and 0.9 to 5 parts by weight of organic peroxide, said rubber base material containing 60 to 100% by weight based on the weight of a polybutadiene which is synthesized with a catalyst of rare earth element, contains no less than 60% of cis-1,4-linkage, and has a Mooney viscosity (ML1+4(100° C.)) no less than 40. This golf ball has good shot feeling and high rebound resilience and is easy to produce by extrusion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2005
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroto Sasaki, Hiroshi Higuchi, Nobuyuki Kataoka, Atsushi Nanba
  • Patent number: 6896629
    Abstract: A golf ball comprising a core and a cover layer. The core defines at least one depression along its outer surface. The cover layer provides at least one aperture that extends through the cover layer to the core. The aperture of the cover is aligned with the depression of the core. The cover may be a single layer or it may include multiple layers. The aperture(s) may be spherical or non-spherical, and the portion of the aperture that extends to the next inner layer may be the same or different shape as the outer portion of the aperture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2005
    Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
    Inventors: Kevin J. Shannon, Thomas A. Veilleux, Vincent J. Simonds, Thomas J. Kennedy, III, David M. Melanson, Michael J. Tzivanis, John L. Nealon
  • Patent number: 6893021
    Abstract: A card game uses game cards having various indicia thereon used to simulate a wrestling match. The indicia can be statistics and rankings of the wrestlers which are compared by the players during the course of the game. The indicia can also be POP or Points of Pain for each wrestler and the moves or maneuvers of each wrestler which are used during the course of the game. The game cards can also have an image of wrestlers thereon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2005
    Inventor: Edmund A. Gress
  • Patent number: 6887167
    Abstract: The present invention provides a multi-piece solid golf ball, which is superior in flight distance, spin performance, shot feel and scuff resistance. The present invention relates to a multi-piece solid golf ball comprising a core consisting of a center and an intermediate layer, and a cover, wherein the center has a diameter of 25 to 40 mm, and a surface hardness (B) is higher than a central point hardness (A) of the center by not less than 15, the intermediate layer has a thickness of 0.5 to 8.0 mm, and a surface hardness of the intermediate layer (C) is higher than the (A) by 15 to 35, the cover comprises polyurethane-based thermoplastic elastomer as a main component, and has a thickness of 0.3 to 1.5 mm and a hardness (D) in Shore D hardness of 35 to 55, and the (D) is higher than the (D) by 3 to 25.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2005
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Akira Kato, Keiji Moriyama
  • Patent number: 6883803
    Abstract: A board game apparatus for educating players with respect to tourist attractions within a particular geographical region that includes a gameboard having a continuous path of areas representing particular localities within the geographical region and a set of cards having either questions concerning various tourist attractions of the localities or other instructions. Another set of cards represent rewards obtained during the course of playing the game. Each of the areas representing the localities are marked to indicate whether a locality is accessible by a conveyance such as a boat and/or by an airplane while all of the localities are accessible by a car. Each player has a single multi-token of parallelepiped shape with a side surface each having a respective representation of an automobile, a boat and an airplane that is permitted to occupy only those areas designated as being accessible by that particular conveyance and whose ends designate STOP and GO attributes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2005
    Inventor: Dennis P. Barry
  • Patent number: 6884184
    Abstract: A golf ball having a plurality of dimples on its surface, the dimples as a whole are distributed on at least a portion of the golf ball using principles of electromagnetic theory. The dimples placed on the golf ball surface are assigned charge values that are used to determine the electric potential. A solution method is then applied to minimize the potential by rearrangement of the dimple positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2005
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventor: Nicholas M. Nardacci
  • Patent number: 6881159
    Abstract: A fairway wood type golf club having a club head with a major body and a minor body is disclosed herein. The major body is composed of a metal material and has a striking plate section, a return section, a sole section, a ribbon section and a ledge portion. The minor body is preferably composed of a composite material and has a crown section and a ribbon section. The striking plate section preferably has variable face thickness. The minor body is preferably attached by a liquid adhesive to the ledge section of the major body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2005
    Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
    Inventors: J. Andrew Galloway, Richard C. Helmstetter, Matthew T. Cackett, Alan Hocknell, D. Clayton Evans, Herbert Reyes, Garth W. Smith, James M. Murphy, Augustin W. Rollinson
  • Patent number: 6878074
    Abstract: A golf club head composed of a damascene patterned metal, such as a Damascus steel, is disclosed. The golf club head may be a putter head or an iron-type club head with a majority of the club head body formed of the damascene patterned metal, or a wood-type club head or an iron-type club head with a damascene patterned metal face insert.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2005
    Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
    Inventors: Wayne H. Byrne, Ronald K. Hettinger, Uday V. Deshmukh, Herbert Reyes
  • Patent number: 6878079
    Abstract: A ball game assembly is disclosed for a ball game to be played with a tennis-type racquet, a net and a foam ball, whose speed and/or action is reduced to increase play activity. The tennis racquet is smaller than a conventional adult tennis racquet, e.g., a junior tennis racquet, and the game is played on a tennis court of reduced size, with a net dividing the court into halves. The ball is larger and lighter in weight than a tennis ball, and it moves slower and has a softer bounce than a tennis ball. Preferably the net is supported across the playing area by net supports that are positioned at mid-court on either side of the court.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2005
    Inventor: Roger M. Peskin
  • Patent number: 6875129
    Abstract: 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 body (22) is preferably composed of a light weight material such as a magnesium alloy or an aluminum alloy. A ribbon (28) of the body (22) has a recess (52) therein for placement of a rear weighting member (50). The golf club head (20) preferably has a volume between 300 cubic centimeters and 500 cubic centimeters. The golf club head (20) preferably has a mass between 105 grams and 300 grams.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2005
    Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
    Inventors: Joel B. Erickson, D. Clayton Evans, Matthew T. Cackett, J. Andrew Galloway, Herbert Reyes, Alan Hocknell
  • Patent number: 6863622
    Abstract: This invention relates to a golf club head with an adjustable tilt mechanism which is designed to be mounted between a shaft and a head. Simply speaking, the neck of the head forms a long adjusting cavity and the shaft is held in the long adjusting cavity of the head by the pivot but pin permitting left or right swing. The shaft is further locked in the lock ring and clamped in place by the tie land and tie slot carved on the head to retain the shaft fast within the long adjusting hole of the head. This mechanism permits an adequate adjustment of tilt angle (an angle of elevation) of the face. At the case of a long flight of ball striking, the face at a desirable tilt angle will render the ball a low or high parabola along the flight course to fly over the obstacle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2005
    Inventor: Hsin I Hsu
  • Patent number: 6855072
    Abstract: A multi-piece solid golf ball comprising a solid core and a cover of two inner and outer layers surrounding the core. The outer cover layer has a surface formed with a plurality of three types of dimples such that a product of the Shore D hardness of the inner cover layer multiplied by the Shore D hardness of the outer cover layer and a proportion VR (%) of the total of the volumes of dimple spaces satisfy one of: (1) 1,500 to less than 2,000 VR: 0.8 to 1.1% (2) 2,000 to less than 2,500 VR: 0.75 to 1.05% (3) 2,500 to less than 3,000 VR: 0.7 to 1% (4) 3,000 to less than 3,500 VR: 0.65 to 0.95% (5) 3,500 to 4,000 VR: 0.6 to 0.9%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2005
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hisashi Yamagishi, Hiroshi Higuchi, Junji Hayashi, Akira Kawata
  • Patent number: 6852042
    Abstract: A high CoR golf ball having predetermined moment of inertia is provided. A portion of the golf ball preferably contains substantially no filler, which contributes to the increased resilience of the ball. In accordance to one aspect of the invention, the portion with substantially no filler is the core of the ball. The remaining portions of the ball preferably contribute to the moment of inertia of the ball.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2005
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Michael J. Sullivan, Derek A. Ladd, Antonio U. Desimas
  • Patent number: 6852039
    Abstract: The present invention includes an instructional golf ball including a spherical body having an outer surface with a plurality of dimples formed therein. Situated on the outer surface of the body is instructional indicia. Such instructional indicia include text for providing guidance as to the manner in which a user should play the golf ball. During use, a user might read the instructional indicia while addressing the golf ball, and address and/or strike the golf ball in the manner indicated by the instructional indicia.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2005
    Inventors: Stephen H. Pettigrew, Victoria I. Pettigrew