Patents Examined by Sebastiano Passaniti
  • Golf club heads with ribs and related methods
    Patent number: 10850172
    Abstract: Provided herein are embodiments of golf club heads comprising a crown and a ribbed region. The ribbed region of the golf club head can be positioned on a portion of the crown and can further include a ribbed wall, wherein the ribbed wall comprises a ribbed wall interior surface, a ribbed wall exterior surface, and one or more external ribs. The one or more external ribs can protrude from the ribbed region to increase the strength of the crown and beneficially reduce crown thickness. Other embodiments and related methods are disclosed herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Ryan M. Stokke, Martin R. Jertson, David A. Higdon, Xiaojian Chen
  • Golf club head with openwork rib
    Patent number: 10850169
    Abstract: The invention provides a golf club head with an openwork (e.g., lattice-like or trellis-like) internal structural element that provides strength and stiffening at key points of the club head and/or attenuates sound while adding little to the overall mass due to the defined or irregular patterns of holes, piercings, gaps, or apertures through surfaces of the material. A golf club head may be given an openwork internal rib that reinforces regions of high strain, thereby minimizing material fatigue and preventing early breakage of the club head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: COBRA GOLF INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Cameron J. Day, D. Clayton Evans, Steven M. Mitzel
  • High density outer layer of a golf club head
    Patent number: 10843047
    Abstract: Embodiments of a golf club head comprising a body having a body material density, a strike face having a strike face material density, and a coating comprising a coating material having a coating material density greater than the body material density or the strike face material density are described herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Matthew W. Simone, Ryan M. Stokke
  • Golf club with flexure
    Patent number: 10843046
    Abstract: A golf club head including a crown, a sole, a hosel, a face and a flexure. The flexure provides compliance during an impact between the golf club head and a golf ball, and is tuned to vibrate, immediately after impact, at a predetermined frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Thomas Orrin Bennett, David S. Cornelius, Grant M. Martens, Mitchell E. Bac
  • Golf club head
    Patent number: 10843048
    Abstract: Described herein is a golf club head that includes a body with a sole portion, a crown portion, a skirt portion, a forward region, and a rearward region. The golf club head also includes a face portion including a striking face with a maximum height from the ground plane of at least about 50 mm. A volume of the golf club head is at least about 370 cm3. The golf club head has a total club head mass between 190 grams and 210 grams, and the mass of the club head located above half of the peak crown height is less than or equal to 77 grams, and the percentage of the mass above half of the peak crown height is less than or equal to 39% of the total mass of the golf club head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: TAYLOR MADE GOLF COMPANY, INC.
    Inventors: Joseph Henry Hoffman, Joseph R. Nielson, Nathan T. Sargent, Christopher J. Harbert, Christian R. Wester
  • System and method for providing a table game
    Patent number: 10828557
    Abstract: A system and method for providing a table game are disclosed. According to one embodiment, an apparatus comprises a playing field, a ball launcher mechanism launching a ball into the playing field, and the ball launcher mechanism allows a first player to select one or more attributes affecting a ball trajectory. The apparatus further comprises a ball striker mechanism controlling a ball striker. The ball striker placed at a distance from the ball launcher mechanism in the playing field has a bat to hit a ball launched by the ball launcher mechanism and is controlled by a second player. One or more sensors are placed in predetermined locations in the playing field. The electrical signals generated by the one or more sensors are used to update a status of a game.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: ThrowMotion, Inc.
    Inventors: Aditya Dayal, Thomas Grimm
  • Mixed material golf club head
    Patent number: 10828543
    Abstract: A golf club head includes a rear body having a crown member coupled to a sole member, and a front body coupled to the rear body to define a substantially hollow structure. The front body includes a strike face and a surrounding frame that extends rearward from a perimeter of the strike face. At least a portion of an outer wall of the club head comprises a thermoplastic composite having a plurality of lamina layers. The plurality of lamina layers include at least a fabric reinforced thermoplastic composite layer and a filled thermoplastic layer, and the fabric reinforced thermoplastic composite layer and the filled thermoplastic layer are directly bonded to each other without an intermediate adhesive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Eric J. Morales, Ryan M. Stokke, Martin R. Jertson, Tyler A. Shaw, Clayson C. Spackman, Jeremy S. Pope, Atiqah Shahrin
  • Golf club heads and methods to manufacture golf club heads
    Patent number: 10821339
    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 face portion having a front surface and a back surface with a plurality of back surface grooves. Each back surface groove includes a groove opening with a groove opening width and an interior groove width at a location inside the back surface groove. The interior groove width is greater than the groove opening width. The golf club head further includes a body portion and an interior cavity enclosed by coupling the face portion and the body portion, a port connected to the interior cavity; and a polymer material injected into the interior cavity from the port and filling the plurality of back surface grooves. Other examples and embodiments may be described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: PARSONS XTREME GOLF, LLC
    Inventors: Robert R. Parsons, Michael R. Nicolette, Bradley D. Schweigert
  • Striking face deflection structures in a golf club
    Patent number: 10821338
    Abstract: A golf club head including a club head perimeter comprising a toe portion, a heel portion, a topline, and a sole portion; a striking face; and a cantilevered face support secured to the interior surface of the sole portion; wherein the cantilevered face support tab is in contact with but not secured to the rear surface of the striking face; wherein the striking face includes a centrally located first portion having a first portion thickness, a second portion having a second thickness and located heelward of the first portion, and a third portion having a third thickness and located toeward of the first portion; wherein the first thickness is greater than the second thickness, wherein the first thickness is greater than the third thickness; and wherein the cantilevered face support tab is in contact with the first portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Jonathan Hebreo, Nick Frame, Oswaldo Gonzalez, Marni D. Ines, Joshua C. Stokes, Doug M. Takehara, Grant M. Martens
  • Golf club face insert
    Patent number: 10821333
    Abstract: A resilient face insert for a golf club head, preferably a putter head, is disclosed herein. In particular, the face insert comprises a plurality of hinge features spaced from a striking surface to ensure consistent ball speed across the striking surface. Each hinge feature comprises a tab portion that is spaced from the striking surface by a stem portion and that extends parallel to the striking surface, and is angled with respect to a horizontal y-axis. The orientation of hinge features with respect to the y-axis varies across the face, which reduces sidespin from mishits and produces consistent topspin regardless of impact location of a golf ball on the face insert.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
    Inventors: Eric D. Stubben, David Handy, Brett Carter, Craig E. Abbott, Augustin W. Rollinson, Sean Toulon
  • Golf club heads and methods to manufacture golf club heads
    Patent number: 10821340
    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 toe portion, a heel portion, a top portion, a sole portion, a front portion, and a back portion. The body portion may include a face portion coupled to the front portion to close the interior cavity with the face portion having a front surface, a back surface having a center portion, and a reinforcement section extending into the interior cavity from the back surface. A polymer material in the interior cavity may be coupled to at least the center portion of the back surface and at least partially surrounded by the reinforcement section. Other examples and embodiments may be described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: PARSONS XTREME GOLF, LLC
    Inventors: Robert R. Parsons, Michael R. Nicolette, Bradley D. Schweigert
  • Golf club head with polymeric face
    Patent number: 10814192
    Abstract: A golf club head includes a body and a face plate insert. The body includes an annular face support having a recessed shelf configured to receive the face plate insert, and partially defining a cavity. The face plate insert includes a hitting surface and a rear surface that is opposite the hitting surface. The face plate insert is disposed within the annular face such that the rear surface of the face plate insert abuts the recessed shelf. The face plate insert includes a polymeric material that is disposed across the cavity and can be at least partially exposed through a rear opening of the cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventor: Raymond J. Sander
  • Golf club heads and methods to manufacture golf club heads
    Patent number: 10814193
    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 toe portion, a heel portion, a top portion, a sole portion, a front portion, a back portion, a hosel portion, a first interior cavity, and a hosel transition portion between the first interior cavity and the hosel portion. The golf club head may include a second interior cavity extending into the hosel transition portion and connected to the first interior cavity. The body portion may include a port connected to the first interior cavity. The first interior cavity may be filled with a polymer material from the port. The golf club head may include a mass portion located at or below a horizontal midplane of the body portion. Other examples and embodiments may be described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: PARSONS XTREME GOLF, LLC
    Inventors: Robert R. Parsons, Michael R. Nicolette, Bradley D. Schweigert
  • Contrast-enhanced golf club heads
    Patent number: 10814190
    Abstract: Golf club heads include white diffusing top surfaces to aid in club head alignment. Wood type club heads also include a dark diffusing club face so that a crown/face border is emphasized. Scorelines in wood type clubs can be provided with an intermediate contrast surface, and can be displaced from club face center to accommodate player perception when confronted with a white diffusing crown. Putter heads can include dark diffusing alignment lines, and iron-type club heads can include white diffusing surfaces at a sole portion of a club face, at a top line, or a top portion of a club face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Todd P. Beach, David Anderson, Bill Price, Kevin Harper, Benoit Vincent, Bret H. Wahl
  • Golf club head with flexure
    Patent number: 10806978
    Abstract: A golf club head including a crown, a sole, a hosel, a face and a flexure. The flexure provides compliance during an impact between the golf club head and a golf ball, and is tuned to vibrate, immediately after impact, at a predetermined frequency. A filler at least partially fills the cavity defined between the front wall and the rear wall of the flexure and is exposed to the interior of the golf club head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Charles E. Golden, Thomas Orrin Bennett, Stephanie Luttrell, David S. Cornelius, Stephen S. Murphy
  • Golf club
    Patent number: 10806975
    Abstract: A golf club includes a head including a hosel part, a shaft, and a tip engagement part having a reverse-tapered shape and being disposed at a tip end portion of the shaft. The tip engagement part includes a sleeve having a reverse-tapered shape and being fixed to the tip end portion of the shaft. The hosel part includes a hosel hole. The hosel hole includes a reverse-tapered hole corresponding to at least a part of the outer surface of the tip engagement part. The tip engagement part is fitted to the reverse-tapered hole. Of the hosel hole, at least an upper end edge and a lower end edge are formed by a resin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Masahide Onuki, Yuki Motokawa, Naruhiro Mizutani
  • Golf club
    Patent number: 10792543
    Abstract: An iron-type golf club head includes a club body including a heel portion, a sole portion, a toe portion, a top-line portion, and a face portion having an ideal striking location. In some embodiments, the sole portion extends rearwardly from a lower end of said face portion and includes two or more slots extending upwardly in the z-axis direction into the body. In some embodiments, the toe portion includes one or more slots extending heelwardly in the x-axis direction into the body. In some embodiments, the top-line portion includes one or more slots.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Scott Taylor, Peter L. Larsen, Bret H. Wahl, Joshua J. Dipert
  • Golf club face insert
    Patent number: 10780325
    Abstract: A resilient face insert for a golf club head, preferably a putter head, is disclosed herein. In particular, the face insert comprises a plurality of hinge features spaced from a striking surface to ensure consistent ball speed across the striking surface. At least a portion of each hinge feature extends parallel to the striking surface without making contact with the striking surface. In the preferred embodiment, each hinge feature comprises a tab portion that is spaced from the striking surface by a stem portion and that extends parallel to the striking surface. The hinge features may be co-molded with a polymeric backing material having a plurality of parallel grooves in order to further improve performance of the face insert.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
    Inventors: Craig E. Abbott, Augustin R. Rollinson, Patrick Dawson, Sean Toulon
  • Golf club having a reinforced ball striking plate
    Patent number: 10773136
    Abstract: A ball striking device includes a ball striking plate having a front surface configured to strike a ball and a rear surface opposite the front surface. The ball striking plate has a desired-contact region and a perimeter. One or more spoke-like reinforcement ribs may be located on the rear surface and may radiate away from the desired-contact region toward the perimeter. At least one of the spoke-like reinforcement ribs may be located in an upper-toe quadrant or in an upper-heel quadrant of the rear surface. One or more encircling reinforcement ribs may be located on the rear surface. The one or more encircling reinforcement ribs may be at least partially encircling the desired-contact region. A thickened portion of the ball striking plate may be positioned behind the desired-contact region of the ball striking plate. The ball striking device may be a golf club head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Byron C. Slaughter, William C. Knight, David N. Franklin, Jeremy Snyder
  • Golf club heads
    Patent number: 10765923
    Abstract: Putters include a putter body having a ball striking face member made of a material having a first hardness characteristic. A cavity is defined in the putter body behind the ball striking face member, and plural openings are defined in the ball striking face member extending rearward with respect to the ball striking face member and into the cavity. A polymeric material at least partially fills the openings and the cavity, wherein the polymeric material has a second hardness characteristic that is softer than the first hardness characteristic. The ball striking face member and the polymeric material exposed in at least some of the openings provide a ball striking surface of the putter. The ball striking surface may include grooves or scorelines to affect the launch angle, spin, and/or roll of the ball during a putt. Methods for making such putter devices also are described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: John T. Stites, David N. Franklin