Patents Examined by Sebastiano Passaniti
  • 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
  • Mixed material golf club head
    Patent number: 10765922
    Abstract: A golf club head includes a metallic front body coupled with a rear body to define a substantially hollow structure. The metallic front body includes a strike face and a surrounding frame that extends rearward from a perimeter of the strike face. The rear body includes a crown member and a sole member coupled to the crown member. The sole member comprises a structural layer formed from a filled thermoplastic material and a fiber reinforced composite resilient layer bonded to an external surface of the structural layer. The structural layer includes a plurality of apertures extending through a thickness of the structural layer, and the resilient layer extends across each of the plurality of apertures. The structural layer and the resilient layer each include a common thermoplastic resin component, and are directly bonded to each other without an intermediate adhesive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Eric J. Morales, Ryan M. Stokke, Martin R. Jertson, Tyler A. Shaw
  • Golf club head
    Patent number: 10758798
    Abstract: A golf club head includes a top portion, a sole portion opposite the top portion, and a striking face configured to impact a golf ball. The striking face includes a face center and a variable thickness distribution such that the club head exhibits an Expected COR value of not less than 0.810, the Expected COR value being determined based on the following relationship Expected ? ? COR = ? i = 1 n ? ? j = 1 m ? p ij * c ij The variable cij corresponds to an average COR value associated with bin and the variable pij corresponds to a bin-specific impact probability value. And the club head exhibits a characteristic time no greater than 257 microseconds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Yuki Motokawa, Naruhiro Mizutani, Jacob Lambeth
  • Golf club head
    Patent number: 10758788
    Abstract: A golf club head comprises a loft angle no less than 18°, a striking face, a sole portion, and a top portion having an exterior surface. In an imaginary vertical plane spaced from a face center by no more than 10 mm and perpendicular to an imaginary striking face plane, an imaginary line segment has a length of 25 mm, a first endpoint located in the imaginary striking face plane, a second endpoint located above the exterior surface, and forms an angle ? with the striking face plane between 55° and 65°. The line segment is tangent to the exterior surface at a first point. A second point is located on the imaginary line segment and spaced from the first point by no less than 1 mm. The second point is spaced from the exterior surface by a gap distance that is no greater than 0.15 mm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Jeff D. Brunski, Darius Cyrulik, Matthew R. Daraskavich, Michael T. Prichard, Ryan J. A. Ritchie, Michael J. Cohen
  • Golf club head or other ball striking device having stiffened face portion
    Patent number: 10751586
    Abstract: A ball striking device, such as a golf club head, has a head that includes a face configured for striking a ball and a body connected to the face, the body being adapted for connection of a shaft proximate a heel thereof. The face has a thickened portion including an annular tapered area that tapers in thickness between an upper boundary and a lower boundary and encloses an elevated area bounded by the upper boundary. The upper and/or lower boundary defines a shape having two lobes, each with an outer edge with a convex profile, and a connecting portion extending between the lobes, such that the connecting portion is defined by two outer edges extending between the outer edges of the lobes, wherein at least one of the outer edges of the connecting portion has a concave outer profile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Robert M. Boyd, Jeremy N. Snyder, Hiroshi Kawaguchi, James S. Thomas, Raymond J. Sander, Rick S. Wahlin, Akira Shimozuma
  • Golf clubs and golf club heads
    Patent number: 10744380
    Abstract: Golf club heads which may include an iron-type golf club head body and an adjustable member configured to be engaged with iron-type golf club head body. The adjustable member may include a first surface and a second surface. The first surface of the adjustable member may form at least a portion of the sole of the iron-type golf club head and at least a portion of the rear of iron-type golf club head when the adjustable member is engaged with the iron-type golf club head body in a first orientation. Additionally, the second surface of the adjustable member may form at least a portion of the sole of the iron-type golf club head and at least a portion of the rear of iron-type golf club head when the adjustable member is engaged with the iron-type golf club head body in a second orientation, which is different from the first orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Raymond J. Sander, Robert M. Boyd, John T. Stites, Hiromitsu Akiyama
  • Golf club head
    Patent number: 10744378
    Abstract: A hollow golf club head 1 comprises a face portion 2 which includes a club face 2a for striking a ball, and a main body 3 extending rearward of the head from the face portion 2. The face Portion 2 is made of a low-specific-gravity material having a specific gravity of 4.0 or less. The main body 3 is provided in its face portion 2 side with a low stiffness zone 10 where the stiffness is locally reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Masahide Onuki, Hiroshi Hasegawa, Hiromasa Tsunashima
  • Golf club having striking face with supporting wall
    Patent number: 10737151
    Abstract: A golf club head has a striking face. A ledge extends from the perimeter contact rim of the golf club head. The striking face is secured to the club head body proximate the rim. There is a gap between the striking face and the ledge. The inner wall's perimeter edge is disposed in the gap and is in contact with the ledge. The rear surface of the striking face is in contact with a portion of the inner wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: ACUSHNET COMPANY
    Inventors: Jonathan Hebreo, Nick Frame
  • Golf club head having a composite crown
    Patent number: 10737148
    Abstract: A golf club head has a high COR, is durable, and has desirable acoustic qualities. The club head includes a body portion, a striking face and a crown forming a hollow cavity of at least 150 cc in volume. The body portion defines a front opening and an upper opening, and it includes a sole and a side section that extends rearward of the front opening. The striking plate is secured to the body portion, enclosing the front opening. While partially assembled, final weighting and/or other attachment of other members to the inner surface of the club head can be preformed, as desired. The crown is secured to the body portion, enclosing the upper opening. A surface veil may also be provided about a junction of the crown and body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Drew T. DeShiell, Kraig Alan Willett, Michael Scott Burnett, Benoit Vincent, Joseph Henry Hoffman
  • Golf club heads and methods to manufacture golf club heads
    Patent number: 10729948
    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 back 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. Other examples and embodiments may be described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: PARSOND XTREME GOLF, LLC
    Inventors: Robert R. Parsons, Michael R. Nicolette, Bradley D. Schweigert
  • Golf club heads and methods to manufacture golf club heads
    Patent number: 10729949
    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 including a first material and having a toe portion, a heel portion, a top portion, a sole portion, a back portion, a front portion having a face portion. The golf club head may also include a third mass portion including a second material and coupled to the body portion, and a plurality of mass portions coupled to the third mass portion. The density of the second material is greater than a density of the first material. The interior cavity may include an elastic polymer material. Other examples and embodiments may be described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: PARSONS XTREME GOLF, LLC
    Inventors: Robert R. Parsons, Michael R. Nicolette, Bradley D. Schweigert
  • Sport simulation board game apparatus with pegs and method
    Patent number: 10722781
    Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure relate to a sport simulation board game apparatus configured to simulate the game play of a sport and method of sport simulation play. The sport simulation board game apparatus includes a game board and a game chip. The game chip is configured to move across the game board when a force is applied by a user's hand. The game board comprises one or more sets of pegs and one or more openings. The one or more sets of pegs are configured to present obstacles to prevent the game chip from directly entering the openings when propelled from the center of the game board. In implementations, the method of game play can be adjusted to accommodate users of a variety of ages and skill levels. In some embodiments, the game board can be customized to include images or text selected by the end user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Inventor: Jim Braunschweig
  • Golf club head with adjustable center of gravity
    Patent number: 10716984
    Abstract: A golf club head having an adjustable assembly comprising a weight arm that is at least partially suspended within an interior cavity of the body of the golf club head is disclosed herein. The weight arm, which comprises a bar with a weighted portion affixed to one end of the bar, can be moved within the interior cavity to change the golf club head center of gravity, thereby adjusting the bias of the club head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
    Inventor: Austin L. Frederickson
  • Golf club head
    Patent number: 10716974
    Abstract: A golf club head includes a hollow portion. The head includes a first member having an opening, and a second member attached to the first member and covering the opening. The first member includes a first rib projected toward the hollow portion. The second member includes a second rib projected toward the hollow portion. The first rib is engaged with the second rib. A Young's modulus of a material of the second member may be smaller than that of the first member. The second member may be adhered to the first member using an adhesive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Naruhiro Mizutani
  • Golf club heads and methods to manufacture golf club heads
    Patent number: 10716978
    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 back portion, and a front portion. The golf club head may include an interior cavity. Other examples and embodiments may be described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: PARSONS XTREME GOLF, LLC
    Inventors: Robert R. Parsons, Michael R. Nicolette, Bradley D. Schweigert
  • Golf club head
    Patent number: 10695622
    Abstract: A golf club head includes: a sole; a crown; a toe; a heel opposite the toe; a strike face generally bounded by a face perimeter edge, the strike face comprising a geometric center; a rear portion; and a substantially enclosed interior cavity at least partially delimited by the sole, the crown, the strike face, and the rear portion. The golf club head also includes at least one rib having a first portion secured to the strike face, having a second portion secured to the crown, and being positioned such that a location on the strike face laterally spaced toe-ward from the geometric center by no less than 0.4 in is associated with a COR value no less than 0.825.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Robert J. Horacek, Nathaniel J. Radcliffe, John J. Rae, Michael J. Wallans, Sam G. Lacey
  • Golf club heads with turbulators and methods to manufacture golf club heads with turbulators
    Patent number: 10695625
    Abstract: A golf club head includes a crown surface having an apex at a highest point and extending between the face, the rear, the heel and the toe of the golf club head. The golf club head also includes a plurality of crown turbulators projecting from the surface of the crown and located between the face and the apex, wherein each adjacent pair of crown turbulators is separate and spaced apart to define a space between the adjacent pair of crown turbulators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Erik M. Henrikson, Paul D. Wood, John Hart, Marty R. Jertson, Bradley D. Schweigert
  • Golf club heads with cavities and inserts and related methods
    Patent number: 10695629
    Abstract: Golf club heads with cavities and inserts, and methods to manufacture golf club heads with cavities. Various embodiments include a golf club head comprising a body. The body comprises a strikeface at a front of the golf club head, a backface opposite the strikeface, a heel region, a toe region opposite the heel region, a sole, a rear portion at a rear of the golf club head, and a cavity located between the backface and the rear portion. In many embodiments, the body further comprises an insert within the cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: David L. Petersen, Les J. Bryant, James D. Glover, Richard D. MacMillan, Xiaojian Chen, Martin R. Jertson, Yujen Huang, Jacob T. Clarke, Tyler A. Shaw, William D. Shearer, Travis D. Milleman