Patents Examined by Sebastiano Passaniti
  • Club heads with bounded face to body yield strength ratio and related methods
    Patent number: 10695620
    Abstract: Some embodiments include a club head with a bounded face to body yield strength ratio. Other embodiments of related club heads and methods are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Ryan M. Stokke, Eric J. Morales, Matthew W. Simone
  • Golf club face insert
    Patent number: 10688349
    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: October 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2020
    Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
    Inventors: Eric D. Stubben, David Handy, Brett Carter, Craig E. Abbott, Augustin W. Rollinson, Sean Toulon
  • Golf club head
    Patent number: 10688352
    Abstract: A golf club head includes a metal frame having a sole opening, a composite laminate crown joined to the frame, a composite laminate sole insert joined to the frame and overlying the sole opening, and a thermoplastic composite component overmolded on the sole insert. The composite component may include a weight track, ribs, supports or other features. A method of making the golf club includes the steps of forming a frame having a sole opening, forming a composite laminate sole insert, forming a composite laminate crown insert, injection molding a thermoplastic composite head component over the sole insert to create a sole insert unit, and joining the sole insert unit and crown insert to the frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2020
    Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher John Harbert, Joseph Reeve Nielson, Nathan T. Sargent, Christian Reber Wester
  • Golf club
    Patent number: 10675516
    Abstract: A golf club head includes a golf club body including a sole, a crown connected to the sole by a skirt, and a hosel connected to at least one other feature of the golf club body; a face connected to a front end of the golf club body; and features allowing striking of a golf ball above the ideal strike location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew David Johnson, Joseph Henry Hoffman, Jason Andrew Mata, Matthew Greensmith
  • Golf club heads with cavities and inserts and related methods
    Patent number: 10675518
    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: April 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: David L. Petersen, Les J. Bryant, James D. Glover, Richard D. MacMillan, Xiaojian Chen, Martin R. Jertson
  • Golf club head
    Patent number: 10668351
    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: January 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2020
    Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Paul M. Demkowski, Bret H. Wahl, Sean Toulon, Marni D. Ines, Robert Nunez, Bill Price, Jose Miraflor
  • Golf club head having deflection features and related methods
    Patent number: 10668338
    Abstract: Described herein is a golf club head comprising a deflection feature to increased ball speed and launch distance, while producing desirable acoustics and optimized mass distribution. The deflection feature can include any one of or any combination of an insert comprising a gap, an insert comprising voids, a thin uniform sole, a cutout in the top rail, optimized face material, a thin sole, a reinforcement device, or a multi material weight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2020
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Eric J. Morales, Ryan M. Stokke, David L. Petersen, Eric V. Cole, Cory S. Bacon, Les J. Bryant
  • Golf club head with improved sole
    Patent number: 10661131
    Abstract: A golf club head with an improved sole profile is disclosed herein. More specifically, the present invention discloses a wedge type golf club head wherein the sole is formed from continuously variable radius of curvature from the leading edge to the trailing edge, without any identifiable inflection points. The resulting golf club head improves performance, as this new sole profile allows specific portions of the sole to have a profile that meets the needs at that location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: James P. Harrington, Oswaldo Gonzalez
  • Multi-material golf club head
    Patent number: 10653927
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Stephen S. Murphy, Nick Frame, Richard L. Cleghorn, Peter Soracco, Charles E. Golden, Hiroshi Kawaguchi
  • Golf club heads
    Patent number: 10653926
    Abstract: Disclosed golf club heads include a body defining an interior cavity, a face, a sole, a crown, and a hosel. Certain embodiments include a weight channel positioned in the sole and defining a path along the sole. Some embodiments include a weight member positioned in the weight channel that is configured to be adjusted to any of a range of selectable positions to adjust mass properties of the golf club head. A fastener may be configured to secure the weight member in any of the selectable positions, while the fastener itself, regardless of where the weight member is positioned along the path, may be secured to the body at a fixed location that is independent of the position of the weight member along the path. Additional discretionary mass elements may be added to the weight member, such as at its ends, to further adjust mass properties of the golf club head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Story, Nathan T. Sargent, Justin D. Kleinert
  • Golf club head
    Patent number: 10646755
    Abstract: A golf club head is disclosed having a main body comprising a face portion, a top portion, a bottom portion opposite the top portion, a toe portion and a heel portion opposite the toe portion. The golf club head includes one or more slideably adjustable weights within one or more weight tracks and/or one or more interchangeable weights within one or more weight ports, the weights provided so as to adjust a center of gravity (CG) of the golf club head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Justin David Kleinert, Mattieu J. Bovee, Joseph Reeve Nielson, Nathan T. Sargent, Christopher John Harbert, Rachel Elizabeth Gardner, Wester Reber Christian
  • Golf club head
    Patent number: 10639524
    Abstract: Disclosed golf club heads include a body defining an interior cavity, a face, a sole, a crown, a skirt, and a hosel. Certain embodiments include a channel positioned in a forward portion of the sole. Some embodiments include one or more of a split mass pad and/or one or more weight ports positioned behind the channel. Additionally or alternatively, one or more mass pads or weight ports may be positioned adjacent to the periphery of the sole portion. Some embodiments further include an adjustable head-shaft connection assembly configured to adjustably couple the hosel to a golf club shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Michelle Penney, David Bennett, Nathan T. Sargent, Robert Story
  • Golf club irons including backing material behind ball striking face
    Patent number: 10639526
    Abstract: Golf clubs and golf club heads, such as iron heads, may include an iron body and a ball striking plate engaged with the iron body. The ball striking plate may include a face layer and a backing layer. The face layer of the ball striking plate may be formed of a metal material, while the backing layer may be formed of a polymeric material. The backing layer isolates the face layer from the iron body. In some arrangements, the backing layer of the insert may be visible at the top, the bottom, the side and/or the front surfaces of the iron head. Methods for making such iron devices are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventor: Jeremy N. Snyder
  • Golf club head and method of manufacturing golf club head
    Patent number: 10632351
    Abstract: A putter-type golf club head and method of manufacturing said golf club are herein disclosed. The putter has a body, a face surface, a rear surface, a sole surface, a crown surface, and a heel surface. To reduce the reflective glare off the crown surface and to improve the ease of alignment, the putter includes various curved boundaries between surfaces of the club head. Multiple sections of the crown connect with the heel surface through curved transition regions, which reflect the light differently than the crown surface and thus serve as alignment aids.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: John A. Solheim, Michael R. Nicolette
  • Golf club with flexure
    Patent number: 10625124
    Abstract: A golf club head including a face having a flat ball-striking surface and a body that forms a flexure. The golf club head has a feature formed in a sole of the golf club head that provides the flexure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: John Morin, Noah de la Cruz, Nick Frame, Charles E. Golden, Jonathan Hebreo, Michael E. Franz, Grant M. Martens
  • Golf club having an elastomer element for ball speed control
    Patent number: 10625127
    Abstract: A golf club head including a club head body including a back portion, a striking face, and an interior cavity formed between the back portion and the striking face, wherein the striking face comprises a front surface configured to strike a golf ball and a rear surface opposite the front surface, a deformable element residing between the back portion and the rear surface of the striking face, wherein the deformable element comprises a front surface in contact with the rear surface of the striking face, wherein an aperture is formed through the back portion; and an adjustment driver residing within the aperture, the adjustment driver including a recess adjacent the interior cavity, wherein the deformable element resides within the recess, wherein the back portion comprises a shelf surrounding the aperture, wherein the adjustment drive comprises a flange, the flange in contact with the shelf.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Charles E. Golden, John Morin, Jonathan Hebreo, Jason A. Mata, Marni D. Ines, Gery M. Zimmerman, Oswaldo Gonzalez
  • Golf club heads with optimized characteristics and related methods
    Patent number: 10610745
    Abstract: Presented herein are embodiments of golf club heads comprising a head interior and a hosel structure, the head interior bounded by a head front portion, a head rear portion, a head heel portion, a head toe portion, a head top portion, and a head sole portion. The golf club heads further comprising various optimized characteristics, including optimizing the head center of gravity height and depth in relation to the head volume and mass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventor: Ryan M. Stokke
  • Iron type golf club head
    Patent number: 10610749
    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: July 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Bret H. Wahl, Scott Taylor, Peter L. Larsen, Joshua J. Dipert
  • Golf club head
    Patent number: 10603555
    Abstract: A golf club head includes a body defining an interior cavity. The body includes a sole positioned at a bottom portion of the golf club head, a crown positioned at a top portion, and a skirt positioned around a periphery between the sole and crown. The body has a forward portion and a rearward portion. The club head includes a face positioned at the forward portion of the body. The face defines a striking surface having an ideal impact location at a golf club head origin. Embodiments include club heads for a fairway wood that at least one of a high moment of inertia, a low center-of-gravity, a thin crown and a high coefficient of restitution. A sleeve for easily disconnecting a shaft to the club head allows for selective adjustment of the head's loft and lie angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Todd P. Beach, Matthew David Johnson, Nathan T. Sargent, Kraig Alan Willett, Michelle Penney, Marc Kronenberg, Matthew Greensmith, Joseph Henry Hoffman
  • Multi-component golf club head
    Patent number: 10596427
    Abstract: A golf club head comprising two components, wherein the first component comprise a ball striking surface, a striking face return, and a sole extension with a rear mass. And wherein the second component comprises a lower density material, comprising part of the crown and part of the sole. The first component comprises a majority of the mass of the golf club head, having a rear mass comprising 20% to 35% of the mass of the golf club head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Martin R. Jertson, Erik M. Henrikson, Samuel J. Pendred, Jeremy S. Pope