Patents Examined by Sebastiano Passaniti
  • Patent number: 10940371
    Abstract: A golf club head that is capable of preserving the metallic acoustic signature of an entirely metallic golf club head all while utilizing a lightweight composite material is disclosed herein. More specifically, the golf club head in accordance with the present invention creates a frontal acoustic chamber in conjunction with a rear weight saving chamber via a panel member barrier is disclosed. The panel member may even be combined with an optimized thickness relationship at the transition region between the striking face portion and the panel member to further optimize the performance of the golf club head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Stephen S. Murphy, Richard Sanchez, Grant M. Martens, Stephanie Luttrell, Christopher D. Harvell, Darryl C. Galvan, Noah de la Cruz, David S. Cornelius
  • Patent number: 10905922
    Abstract: A golf club head includes a striking face, and a bottom portion secured to, and extending rearward of, the striking face. A top portion of the golf club head is secured to, and extends rearward of, the striking face. The top portion includes a substrate layer and a sealant layer disposed on the substrate layer. The sealant layer includes therein a roughened region defining visually identifiable indicia. According to another aspect, a method includes receiving a golf club head including a portion having a metal substrate layer and a sealant layer disposed thereon. A selection of a first indicia is received from among a plurality of indicia, and a masking is applied to one or more exterior surface regions of the portion based on the selection. A visual representation of the first indicia is generated on an exterior surface of the portion by media blasting the portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Keith F. Dolezel
  • Patent number: 10905921
    Abstract: A face insert for a golf club head, preferably a putter head, is disclosed herein. The face insert comprises a pair of stacked plates, each with a plurality of hinge features. The hinge features of the lower plate extend through openings in the upper plate so that the plates are locked together, and the edge surfaces of the hinge features combine to create a striking surface that increases topspin of a golf ball.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
    Inventors: Eric D. Stubben, David Handy, Patrick Dawson
  • Patent number: 10905929
    Abstract: A golf club head having a flexible channel to improve the performance of the club head, and a channel tuning system to reduce undesirable club head characteristics introduced, or heightened, via the flexible channel. The channel tuning system includes a sole engaging channel tuning element in contact with the sole and the channel. The club head may include an aerodynamic configuration, as well as a body tuning system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Jason Andrew Mata, Joseph Henry Hoffman, Bradley Poston, Matthew David Johnson, Mark Vincent Greaney
  • Patent number: 10905924
    Abstract: A wood-style golf club head includes a strike face and a body that cooperate to define a hollow internal club head volume. The strike face formed from a strike plate having an outer perimeter and a frame surrounding the strike plate. The strike plate is affixed to the frame across the entire outer perimeter. The strike plate and frame define a continuous ball striking surface that has a surface texture characteristic of milling that extends continuously across both the strike plate and the frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Erik M. Henrikson, Matthew W. Simone, Yujen Huang
  • Patent number: 10898764
    Abstract: A golf club includes a golf club head having a body defining an interior cavity. The body includes a sole, a crown and a skirt positioned around a periphery between the sole and crown. A face defines a forward portion of the club head and includes a striking surface width and a hosel defining a hosel bore. A channel and a recessed port are positioned in the sole. The channel extends substantially in a heel-to-toe direction. A sleeve is mounted on a tip end of the golf club shaft and is adapted to be inserted into the hosel bore. A fastener has a shaft portion extending through a passage and a head portion located in the recessed port. Selectively attaching the sleeve adjusts at least one of a loft angle and a lie angle of the club head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher John Harbert, Todd P. Beach, Matthew David Johnson, Nathan T. Sargent, Kraig Alan Willett, Michelle Penney, Marc Kronenberg, Matthew Greensmith, Joseph Henry Hoffman
  • Patent number: 10888750
    Abstract: A golf club head includes a body having a crown defining a perimeter of the club head, a sole opposite the crown, a toe end opposite a heel end, a back end, and a hosel, the body further including a club face, an exterior side, an interior side, a head center of gravity, and a weight member positioned on one of the exterior side or the interior side of the crown.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventor: Ryan M. Stokke
  • Patent number: 10888753
    Abstract: A golf club and golf club head having a high static loft angle, low forward center of gravity, and enhanced z-axis gear effect via a large roll radius and/or tightly controlled moment of inertia about the CG x-axis, Ixx, associated with upward and downward twisting of the club head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Vincent Greaney, Brandon H. Woolley
  • Patent number: 10888746
    Abstract: An oversized golf club head and golf club having a large volume, large head dimensions, and/or large face characteristics, as well as unique mass property attributes driven by relationships not often considered in conforming club head design, to achieve a resistance to squaring the oversized club head during a golf swing that is comfortable to the novice golfer, a feel similar to a non-oversized golf club, stability during off-center impacts, and preferred launch characteristics. This is achieved in part via establishing a club head configuration and associated center of gravity location that results in a preferred magnitude of Delta1 and Delta2 values, CG angle, moments of inertia, and associated ratios, relationships, and club head mass property characteristics influenced by these variables, to account for the significant scale of the oversized club head and achieve improved performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: TAYLOR MADE GOLF COMPANY, INC.
    Inventors: Mark Vincent Greaney, John Francis Lorentzen, Matthew Greensmith, Craig Richard Slyfield
  • Patent number: 10881918
    Abstract: Golf club heads are described herein, and in one embodiment including a body with an exterior surface defining a first body volume of at least about 400 cm3. The body has a bottom portion, a top portion, a front portion, and a back portion. A face positioned at the front portion of the body and is configured to receive an impact. A top portion silhouette profile located along a perimeter of the top portion is further described. The top portion silhouette profile defines the outer bounds of the top portion in an X-direction and Y-direction. At least one indentation can be located on the bottom portion below the crown silhouette profile. The removal of the at least one indentation from the bottom portion can create a second body volume that is at least 12 cm3 larger than the first body volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: TAYLOR MADE GOLF COMPANY, INC.
    Inventors: Todd P. Beach, Nathan T. Sargent, Kraig Alan Willett
  • Patent number: 10881916
    Abstract: Golf club heads are described having a club head portion, a shaft portion connected to the club head portion, and a grip portion connected to the shaft portion. The club head portion has a heel portion, a sole portion, a toe portion, a crown portion, a hosel portion, and a striking face. The striking face can have a center face roll contour, a toe side roll contour, a heel side roll contour, a center face bulge contour, a crown side bulge contour, and a sole side bulge contour. The toe side roll contour can be more lofted than the center face roll contour. The heel side roll contour can be less lofted than the center face roll contour. The crown side bulge contour can be more open than the center face bulge contour, and the sole side bulge contour can be more closed than the center face bulge contour.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Vincent Greaney, Kraig Alan Willett, Joe Hoffman, Todd P. Beach, Robert Story, Jake Feuerstein, Michelle Penney, Bradley Poston, Christopher Rollins, Joseph Yu, Bing-Ling Chao
  • Patent number: 10874928
    Abstract: A golf club head is provided having a club body having a front portion, a rear portion, a toe portion, and a heel portion. The club head also having a central portion connected with the front portion. A frame is connected with the central portion configured to provide a lightweight crown portion being located above an offset plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Paul A. Demkowski, Bret H. Wahl, Sean Toulon, Marni D. Ines, Robert Nunez, Bill Price, Jose Miraflor
  • Patent number: 10874920
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are embodiments of iron-type golf club heads that comprise weight reducing features in the topline region of the club head that facilitate changing the Z-up location of the club head. In some exemplary embodiments, the body comprises a weight reducing feature in a topline weight reduction zone of the club head that extends over the entire face length from the par line to the toe portion ending at approximately the Z-up location of the iron type golf club head. The weight reducing feature results in a mass savings of about 2 g to about 20 g, and a Zup shift of about 0.5 mm to about 2.0 mm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Jason W. Issertell, Joshua J. Dipert, Bret H. Wahl, Maresala Milo, Zac Atwell, Scott Taylor
  • Patent number: 10874914
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a golf club head comprising at least one crown opening and at least one crown insert attached to the body and covering the at least one crown opening. The golf club head further comprises at least one sole opening and at least one sole insert attached to the body and covering the at least one sole opening. The golf club head additionally includes at least one weight member configured to clamp first and second ledges at selected locations along a sliding weight track. The golf club head also comprise a coefficient of restitution (COR) feature located on the sole of the golf club head. The at least one crown insert is formed from a composite material having a density between 1 g/cc and 2 g/cc. The at least one sole insert is formed from a composite material having a density between 1 g/cc and 2 g/cc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: TAYLOR MADE GOLF COMPANY, INC.
    Inventors: Matthew Johnson, David Bennett, Joseph Hoffman, Joseph R Nielson, Nathan T Sargent, Christopher J Harbert, Jared Guttmann, Christian R Wester
  • Patent number: 10874921
    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 with a toe portion, a heel portion, a top portion, a sole portion, a rear portion, and a front portion having a face portion with a face portion thickness extending between a front surface and a back surface. The body portion may be associated with a body portion volume. The golf club head may also include an interior cavity. The interior cavity may include an elastic polymer material including a radiocontrast material. Other examples and embodiments may be described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: PARSONS XTREME GOLF, LLC
    Inventors: Robert R. Parsons, Michael R. Nicolette, Bradley D. Schweigert, Peter J. Lehr
  • Patent number: 10870042
    Abstract: Iron-type golf club heads are disclosed having a heel portion, a sole portion, a toe portion, a top-line portion, a front portion, a rear portion, and a striking face. The iron-type golf club heads include a flexible boundary structure (“FBS”) that is provided at one or more locations on the club head. The flexible boundary structure may comprise, in several embodiments, a slot, a channel, a gap, a thinned or weakened region, or other structure that enhances the capability of an adjacent or related portion of the golf club head to flex or deflect and to thereby provide a desired improvement in the performance of the golf club head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2020
    Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Bret H. Wahl, Scott Taylor, Peter L. Larsen, Joshua J. Dipert
  • Patent number: 10864414
    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 an interior cavity, a port connected to the interior cavity, a toe portion, a heel portion, a top portion, a sole portion, a back portion, a port, and a front portion having a perimeter ledge portion defining at least a portion of an outer boundary of the front portion. The example golf club head may also include a face portion having a front surface with at least one groove and a back surface opposite the front surface and associated with a total back surface area. The back surface may include a first back surface region associated with a first back surface area and a second back surface region associated with a second back surface area. The total back surface area may equal to the sum of the first back surface area and the second back surface area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2020
    Assignee: PARSONS XTREME GOLF, LLC
    Inventors: Robert R. Parsons, Michael R. Nicolette, Bradley D. Schweigert
  • Patent number: 10857429
    Abstract: Golf club heads are described herein, and in one embodiment including a body with an exterior surface defining a first body volume of at least about 400 cm3. The body has a bottom portion having a sole, a top portion, a front portion, a back portion, and a front-rear dimension of at least about 111 mm. A face positioned at the front portion of the body and is configured to receive an impact. A groove located in the sole and extending from the heel portion to the toe portion. The golf club head has a moment of inertia about a center of gravity z-axis of at least about 450 kg·mm2 and a coefficient of restitution greater than about 0.810.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: TAYLOR MADE GOLF COMPANY, INC.
    Inventors: Todd P. Beach, Nathan T. Sargent, Kraig Alan Willett
  • Patent number: 10857430
    Abstract: A wood-style golf club head includes a strike face and a body that cooperate to define a hollow internal club head volume. The strike face formed from a strike plate having an outer perimeter and a frame surrounding the strike plate. The strike plate is affixed to the frame across the entire outer perimeter. The strike plate and frame define a continuous ball striking surface that has a surface texture characteristic of milling that extends continuously across both the strike plate and the frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Erik M. Henrikson, Matthew W. Simone, Yujen Huang, Ryan M. Stokke
  • Patent number: 10850175
    Abstract: Some embodiments include a golf club head. The golf club head includes a front body having a front body front portion with a front body front surface and having a front body rear portion, and includes a rear body having a rear body front portion, a rear body rear portion, and multiple protrusions. The golf club head is configured such that (i) when the front body front surface strikes a golf ball with a first amount of force, the front body deflects toward the rear body with a first amount of deflection, and (ii) when the front body front surface strikes the golf ball with a second amount of force less than the first amount of force, the front body deflects toward the rear body with a second amount of deflection greater than the first amount of deflection. Other embodiments of related club heads and methods are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Travis D. Milleman, Martin R. Jertson