Patents Examined by Raeann Gorden
  • Patent number: 12161918
    Abstract: A golf club head with a hollow therein comprises a face portion and a main body portion including a crown portion and a sole portion extending rearward from the face portion. The main body portion is provided with at least one slit penetrating through the main body portion. The slit has a width in the toe-heel direction and a length in the front-rear direction which is larger than the width. The surrounding area of the slit is at least partially provided with a thick portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2024
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Yohei Ozaki, Seiji Hayase, Masahide Onuki
  • Patent number: 12146032
    Abstract: A golf ball and golf ball composition are disclosed. The golf ball may include a core layer. The golf ball may further include a cover layer. The golf ball may contain any layer that includes a Zylon based material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2024
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventor: Manjari Kuntimaddi
  • Patent number: 12138513
    Abstract: Embodiments of putter-type golf club head comprising a striking surface capable of achieving consistent ball speeds across the striking surface to account for various ball impact locations are described herein. The striking surface has at least two materials that differs in concentration away from the geometric center of the striking surface to provide this consistency. Consistent (or uniform) ball speed is achieved throughout the striking surface as the portion of the golf ball that contacts the striking surface interacts with at least two materials having a differing material characteristic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2024
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: James D. Willmott, Erik M. Henrikson, David A. Higdon, Cole D. Brubaker, Anthony D. Serrano, John A. Solheim
  • Patent number: 12138511
    Abstract: A formulation for making at least one element of a golf ball, wherein the formulation includes: (i) from 50 weight percent to 95 weight percent of a thermoplastic composition comprising: (1) at least one ethylene acid copolymer consisting essentially of copolymerized comonomers of: (A) ethylene, and (B) from 5 weight percent to 25 weight percent of at least one ?,?-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid having from 3 carbon atoms to 8 carbon atoms, based on the total weight of monomers present in the ethylene acid copolymer; wherein the acid moieties of component (1) are neutralized to a level of from 25 percent to 220 percent; and (ii) from 5 weight percent to 50 weight percent of a crosslinked material having a gel content of at least 80 weight percent, wherein the crosslinked material is a crosslinked elastomer, a crosslinked rubber, or a blend of a crosslinked elastomer and a crosslinked rubber; a process for making the above formulation; at least one element of a multilayer golf ball and a process for
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2024
    Assignee: Dow Global Technologies LLC
    Inventors: James R. De Garavilla, Keith C. Anderson
  • Patent number: 12138510
    Abstract: A golf ball with a cover layer composed of at least one polymer and a micropowder material is disclosed herein. The micropowder material comprises polybutadiene rubber, isoprene rubber, zinc diacrylate, zinc oxide, zinc stearate, peroxide initiator, a peptizer, barium sulfate, tungsten, bismuth oxide and or bismuth oxychloride, and styrene butadiene rubber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2023
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2024
    Assignee: Topgolf Callaway Brands Corp.
    Inventor: Vijay Chavan
  • Patent number: 12134012
    Abstract: Method of making a golf ball, the golf ball comprising a core, an outer layer and at least one adhesion promoting coating disposed between each of the core and the outer layer; the core comprising a rubber composition comprising at least one zinc-containing and/or magnesium-containing component; the outer layer comprising at least one ionomer; and the adhesion promoting coating comprising a waterborne dispersion comprised of at least one ethylene acid copolymer having an acid content of at least 15% by weight wherein the copolymer is at least partially neutralized with one or more neutralizing agent; wherein at least one neutralizing agent is selected from ammonia compounds and/or amine compounds. In a specific embodiment, the at least one neutralizing agent comprises i) mono and/or divalent metal compounds and ii) ammonia compounds and/or amine compounds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2023
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2024
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Nicholas M. Nardacci, Mark L. Binette, Brian Comeau
  • Patent number: 12134010
    Abstract: In a multi-piece solid golf ball having a core, an envelope layer, an intermediate layer and a cover, the core is formed of one or more layer of a rubber composition; the envelope layer, intermediate layer and cover are each formed of a single layer of resin material; the hardness relationship among the layers satisfies the following two conditions: material hardness of cover>material hardness of intermediate layer, and material hardness of envelope layer?surface hardness of core; the ball additionally satisfies the condition: envelope layer thickness (mm)×envelope layer material hardness (Shore D hardness) cover thickness (mm)×cover material hardness (Shore D hardness); and the core and ball have optimized deflections when subjected to a specific loading. This ball serves as a distance ball which enables a superior distance to be achieved on full shots with a driver and with irons.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2023
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2024
    Assignee: BRIDGESTONE SPORTS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hideo Watanabe
  • Patent number: 12102893
    Abstract: A golf club head according to the disclosure is a cavity-back iron type golf club head that includes a face portion, a cavity portion provided behind the face portion, and a protrusion provided on a lower part of a rear face of the face portion. The protrusion includes a first recess extending from an upper surface of the protrusion toward a sole, a second recess positioned closer to a toe than the first recess is and extending from the upper surface of the protrusion toward the sole, and a thick portion provided between the first and second recesses in a toe-heel direction. The first and second recesses each has a substantially trapezoidal shape in a cross-sectional view taken along a plane that is parallel to a front face of the face portion and passes through a deepest part of each of the first and second recesses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2024
    Assignee: BRIDGESTONE SPORTS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Takahashi, Takaharu Takechi
  • Patent number: 12090369
    Abstract: In a golf ball for professional golfers and skilled amateurs which has a single-layer core, a cover and at least one intermediate layer therebetween, the core is molded from a rubber composition that includes a base rubber, an unsaturated carboxylic acid and/or metal salt thereof, an organic peroxide and, in a specific weight ratio, water and sulfur, and has a hardness profile which satisfies certain specific conditions. The ball achieves an excellent distance on full shots with a driver (W #1) and a middle iron, and is designed for high controllability in the short game.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2024
    Assignee: BRIDGESTONE SPORTS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Akira Kimura
  • Patent number: 12090374
    Abstract: A golf club head according to the disclosure is a cavity-back iron type golf club head that includes a face portion and a back portion. The face portion includes a front face and a rear face facing away from each other, the front face being a ball-striking face. A non-metallic member is fixed to the rear face. An abutment portion including a tip portion with a curved surface is provided on the back portion. The abutment portion is passed through the back portion, and the curved surface of the tip portion contacts the non-metallic member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2024
    Assignee: BRIDGESTONE SPORTS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kozue Wada, Takaharu Takechi
  • Patent number: 12083388
    Abstract: A golf ball according to the present invention includes a core, a cover located outside the core and having a plurality of dimples, and a coating layer located outside the cover and containing a delusterant, the surface of the coating layer having an average roughness Ra of at least 0.35. The surface of the golf ball has a static friction coefficient of at least 0.20. A method for producing a golf ball according to the present invention includes forming a coating layer on the surface of a cover having a plurality of dimples by using a coating material composition including a polyurethane coating material, a delusterant, and a solvent having a boiling point of at least 130° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2024
    Assignee: BRIDGESTONE SPORTS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hirotaka Shinohara
  • Patent number: 12083390
    Abstract: A golf ball comprising layers that have from 0.05% to 70% by weight of a radio-opaque filler, and wherein the concentration of the radio-opaque filler is measurably different in each layer is disclosed herein. The radio-opaque filler is preferably a compound based on barium, bismuth, tungsten, iodine, or reduced iron.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2024
    Assignee: Topgolf Callaway Brands Corp.
    Inventor: David M. Melanson
  • Patent number: 12083391
    Abstract: An object of the present disclosure is to provide a golf ball having an increased spin rate when being hit with an 8-iron while suppressing rise in a spin rate when being hit with a driver. The present disclosure provides a golf ball comprising a spherical core having an inner core and an outer core, and a cover positioned outside the spherical core, wherein A×a is 12,200 or less and B×b is 20,400 or more, where “a” represents an average hardness (Shore C) of a hardness (H2.5) at a point of 2.5 mm from a center of the spherical core and a hardness (H5) at a point of 5 mm from the center of the spherical core, “b” represents an average hardness (Shore C) of a hardness (H7.5) at a point of 7.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2024
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Sho Goji, Kazuyoshi Shiga
  • Patent number: 12083389
    Abstract: Golf balls having a single or dual-layered solid core are provided. In one embodiment, the golf ball has dimensions and properties that do not conform to the rules of the United States Golf Association (USGA). For example, the ball weight; ball size; ball spherical symmetry; ball initial velocity; and/or ball overall distance may fall outside of the USGA standards. The dual-layered core can have an inner core comprising a thermoplastic composition and surrounding outer core comprising a thermoset composition. In another embodiment, the dual-layered core has an inner core comprising a thermoplastic composition and outer core comprising a thermoset composition. The thermoplastic composition preferably comprises an ethylene acid copolymer ionomer and plasticizer. The thermoset composition preferably comprises polybutadiene rubber. The ball further includes a cover of at least one layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2024
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Michael J. Sullivan, Mark L. Binette, Derek A. Ladd
  • Patent number: 12070656
    Abstract: Golf balls having dimple patterns arranged in dipyramid layouts are disclosed. The patterns may be arranged in triangular dipyramid, quadrilateral dipyramid, pentagonal dipyramid, or hexagonal dipyramid layouts. The dipyramid patterns have six, eight, ten, or twelve substantially identical dimple sections, where each dimple section is defined by a spherical triangle. The dimples in each of the identical dimple sections have at least two different dimple diameters including a minimum dimple diameter and a maximum dimple diameter. The resulting dimple patterns have a surface coverage of about 70 percent or less. The reduced surface coverage helps to reduce the flight of the golf balls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2024
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Michael Madson, Nicholas Nardacci
  • Patent number: 12070657
    Abstract: A golf ball is provided which suppresses twisting due to external forces while maintaining sufficient deflection at the time of impact, reduces the spin rate without lowering ball rebound, and is thus able to effectively increase the distance traveled by the ball, particularly on shots with a driver. In the golf ball, which includes a core and a cover, the core has a core body made of a first polybutadiene rubber and having a surface with a plurality of groves or holes thereon, which grooves or holes are filled with a second polybutadiene rubber of a differing composition from the first polybutadiene rubber. The polybutadiene rubber-filled groove portions or hole portions have a higher surface hardness than the core body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2024
    Assignee: BRIDGESTONE SPORTS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Atsushi Komatsu
  • Patent number: 12064667
    Abstract: The present invention provides methods for producing molded golf balls and the resultant balls. The methods of this invention involve producing foamed polyurethane covers and these methods help reduce dimple distortions and other surface imperfections. These golf balls contain an inner core and outer foamed polyurethane cover. One or more intermediate layers can be disposed between the core and cover. In one embodiment, a castable liquid polyurethane composition containing a foaming agent is dispensed into mold cavities, which are then pressed together to form a foam cover for the ball.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2024
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Shawn Ricci, Mark L. Binette, Brian Comeau
  • Patent number: 12059599
    Abstract: Golf ball comprising one or more layers and/or indicia formed from a fluorescent composition comprising: a base polymer; and a colorant; wherein the colorant is a small-molecule ionic isolation lattice formed from one or more fluorescent dye and one or more cyanostar macrocycles. The one or more fluorescent dyes may include at least one dye selected from xanthenes, oxazines, styryls, cyanines, trianguleniums, or mixtures thereof. The colorant may be a dispersion of the small-molecule ionic isolation lattice in a carrier medium or a powder. In particular embodiments, at least one of the one or more layers is a cover layer and/or a coating layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2024
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Erin C. McDermott, Manjari Kuntimaddi
  • Patent number: 12059600
    Abstract: Golf ball having at least one layer formed from a thermoset or thermoplastic composition comprising one or more free radical scavengers selected from lignosulfonates, hydroxycarboxylic acids, carbohydrates, superplasticizers, or combinations thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2024
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Dennis Britton, Erin C. McDermott, Manjari Kuntimaddi, Derek A. Ladd
  • Patent number: 12048864
    Abstract: Golf balls including at least one modified dimple group are disclosed. The modified dimple group comprises one or more modified dimples forming an axially symmetric pattern about a Correction Area Centroid located on an axis of symmetry at a latitude greater than 0°, where 0° represents the hemispherical pole and 90° represents the equator. The modified dimples can be altered, for example, by changing dimple coverage, dimple diameter, dimple depth, dimple edge angle, dimple volume, dimple cross-sectional shape, and/or dimple plan shape. Optionally, the dimples have a catenary cross-sectional shape and the modified dimples are altered by changing the shape factor and/or chord depth. Such modifications preferably produce a golf ball that flies more consistently regardless of orientation when struck than a corresponding golf ball without such modifications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2024
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Courtney N. Engle, Michael R. Madson