Patents Examined by Stephen Blau
  • Patent number: 9427635
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a set of golf clubs comprising long irons, mid-irons and short irons. The irons have a progressive horizontal CG location. Preferably, the long and MID irons have a CG located between about 1 mm and 3 mm towards the hosel and the short iron CG is located between about 3 mm and 4 mm toward the hosel. Further the irons can have a substantially constant blade width with progressively increasing toe height and progressively decreasing scoreline width.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2016
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Marni Ines, Jonathan Hebreo, Michael E. Franz, Eduardo Mendoza
  • Patent number: 9421421
    Abstract: A weight member for optimizing weight distribution of a golf club, comprising a removable weight member configured to reside within a shaft of the golf club, the shaft having a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end opposite a head of the golf club, the distal end adjacent the head of the golf club, the weight member comprising a heavy weighted portion, the heavy weighted portion offset distally from the proximal end of the shaft, the weight member comprising a plurality of locating members, the plurality of locating members configured to limit movement of the heavy weighted portion relative to an inner wall of the shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2016
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Scott A. Knutson, Daniel Stone
  • Patent number: 9421435
    Abstract: Embodiments of golf club heads with sole cavity ports are described herein. Other examples and related methods are also disclosed herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2016
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Martin R. Jertson, Evan R. Greer
  • Patent number: 9421432
    Abstract: A golf club head is provided a weight system to adjust the center of gravity. In one embodiment, the weight system is a tube having a weight at one end that may be inserted into the golf club head to move the center of gravity at least forward and backward within 6 mm and up and down within 6 mm. Preferably, the tube is angled downward toward the face by at least 3 degrees. In another embodiment, the weight system may adjust the center of gravity of the golf club head along the x and z axis simultaneously using a weighted insert.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2016
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Darryl C. Galvan, Richard L. Cleghorn, Thomas Orrin Bennett, Mark C. Myrhum, Stephanie Bezilla, Eddie G. Perez, Richard Sanchez, Kenneth C. Scott, Stephen S. Murphy
  • Patent number: 9421439
    Abstract: A golf club such as a putter having a club shaft with an upper end and a lower end and a longitudinal axis; a club head on a lower end of the shaft and with a lie angle between the shaft and the club head; and a grip on an upper end of the shaft. The grip provides an increased effective lie angle. The lie angle between the shaft and the club head is in the range from about 67° to about 75° and the effective lie angle is in the range from about 76° to about 85°. The grip improves the performance of the golfer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2016
    Inventor: Enda McLoughlin
  • Patent number: 9409070
    Abstract: A clip-on golfing club holster allows a golfer to hold a golf club at the golfer's side after use. The holster directs the shaft of the club out of the way of the golfer so that, for example, when the golfer uses a wedge to get on the green, the golfer may holster the wedge and move to putting while keeping the wedge close at hand. The holster includes a clip to attach the club to a golfer's belt and a head cover designed so that the golf club hosel hangs behind the golfer and out of the way. With the weight of the golf club head supported by the holster, there may not be any discomfort with carrying the club in the holster.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2016
    Inventor: Tim A. Johnson
  • Patent number: 9409069
    Abstract: A golf club head comprising a crown with an edge support structure and a flexible, conformal weight sized to fit within the edge support structure is disclosed herein. The edge support structure preferably is disposed on an internal surface of the crown so that the conformal weight is invisible when the golf club head is viewed at address. The conformal weight can be removed to adjust the vertical center of gravity of the club head, and preferably is oriented in a front-to-back direction along the club head's X-axis. The conformal weight preferably is composed of a high-density polymeric material with a specific gravity ranging from 1.8 to 4.2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2016
    Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
    Inventor: Steven M. Ehlers
  • Patent number: 9403067
    Abstract: A golf club incorporating an interchangeable shaft system includes a shaft, a shaft sleeve, a club head. The shaft sleeve is coupled to an end of the shaft and is received in a hosel included in the club head. The shaft sleeve is removably coupled to the club head. Hosel and shaft sleeve alignment features provide discrete orientations between the shaft and club head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Gery M. Zimmerman, Kevin Tassistro, Scott A. Knutson, Joshua C. Stokes
  • Patent number: 9403069
    Abstract: A ball striking device has a face with a striking surface and a body extending rearwardly from the outer periphery of the face. A channel extends across at least a portion of the sole, and includes a trough defined between front and rear edges and extending in a heel-toe direction. The device further has internal interconnection structure for connection of a shaft to the head. The device may have a hosel connected to the body proximate the heel, with the hosel having the internal interconnection structure adapted for connection of the shaft to the hosel. A bore or access opening may be provided that intersects the channel, to access the interconnecting structure. The device may further include one or more stiffening ribs on the sole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignee: Nike, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Boyd, Andrew G. V. Oldknow
  • Patent number: 9403065
    Abstract: A club 2 includes a head 4, a shaft 6 and a grip 8. A club length L1is equal to or greater than 43 inches and equal to or less than 48 inches. A frequency of the club is equal to or greater than 240 (cpm) and equal to or less than 290 (cpm). A club inertia moment Ix is equal to or greater than 6.90×103 (kg·cm2) and equal to or less than 7.50×103 (kg·cm2). A ratio Iss/Ix is equal to or greater than 0.085 and equal to or less than 0.115. The inertia moment Ix is a club inertia moment about a swing axis Zx. The moment Iss is a shaft inertia moment about the swing axis Zx.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignee: DUNLOP SPORTS CO. LTD.
    Inventor: Takashi Nakamura
  • Patent number: 9403066
    Abstract: An adjustable golf club system is described herein. The adjustable golf club system includes a club shaft, a club head, a hosel, and an adjustment assembly that is removably coupled to the club head and the hosel to facilitate adjusting an orientation of the hosel with respect to the club head. The club head includes a club head cavity that extends between a toe portion and a heal portion. The hosel includes a first end that is coupled to the club shaft and a second end that includes a fastener head. The adjustment assembly includes a sliding member and a hosel fastener that is coupled to the sliding member. The sliding member is positioned within the club head cavity and movable between the toe portion and the heal portion. The hosel fastener extends through the fastener head to the sliding member to couple the hosel to the club head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Inventor: Brian Esposito
  • Patent number: 9399159
    Abstract: A shaft 6 includes a plurality of fiber reinforced resin layers s1 to s10. The plurality of layers include a first straight layer s1 in which a 0°-compression strength is the minimum and a second straight layer s9 in which a 0°-compression strength is the maximum. A specific tip part Tx which is a region between a tip end Tp and a position separated by 100 mm from the tip end Tp satisfies the following (a) to (c): (a) the first straight layer forms a innermost layer; (b) the second straight layer is arranged outside a central position in a thickness direction; and (c) when a 0°-compression strength of the first straight layer is defined as Cmin and a 0°-compression strength of the second straight layer is defined as Cmax, a difference (Cmax?Cmin) is equal to or greater than 550 MPa.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2016
    Assignee: DUNLOP SPORTS CO. LTD.
    Inventors: Hirotaka Nakamura, Hiroshi Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 9393472
    Abstract: The present invention provides a golf club support 10 comprising an elongate shaft 12, having a first and a second end 12a, 12b; a ground engaging member 14, positioned towards said first end; a golf club rest 16 on said shaft positioned towards said second end in which said golf club rest comprises an elongate support member 20 having a first 20a and a second end 20b and a longitudinal axis Y and in which said first end 20a is secured to said shaft 12 and said member 20 extends substantially perpendicular thereto and by an end stop 22 at said second end 20b extending in at least two substantially perpendicular directions from said member. Such an arrangement allows for the support of multiple golf clubs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2016
    Inventor: Ranjit Nagi
  • Patent number: 9393463
    Abstract: A golf club incorporating an interchangeable shaft system includes a shaft, a shaft sleeve, a club head. The shaft sleeve is coupled to an end of the shaft and is received in a hosel included in the club head. The shaft sleeve is removably coupled to the club head. Hosel and shaft sleeve alignment features provide discreet orientations between the shaft and club head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2016
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Thomas Orrin Bennett, Stephanie Bezilla, Charles E. Golden, Bradford Hughes Hartwell, Scott A. Knutson, Stephen S. Murphy
  • Patent number: 9387372
    Abstract: A golf club set 2 includes a plurality of golf clubs 41 to 45 having different club lengths. Each of the golf clubs 41 to 45 includes a head 6, a shaft 8, and a grip 10. The club length of each of the clubs 41 to 45 is 38.5 inches or greater and 42 inches or less. Face progression of the head 6 is substantially constant. If a moment of inertia of the head about an axis line of the shaft is defined as MI, an MI difference ratio between the adjacent clubs is equal to or less than 3%. Preferably, a loft angle is equal to or greater than 17 degrees in each of all the clubs 41 to 45.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: DUNLOP SPORTS CO. LTD.
    Inventor: Kazuhiro Hayashi
  • Patent number: 9387379
    Abstract: In some embodiments, a golf club includes a reversible grip that that is universal to dexterity and can be used on a golf club configured for both right-handed golfers and left-handed golfers. Such a reversible golf club grip can provide the golf club with an identical grip configuration without removing the grip from the shaft of the golf club. In some embodiments, a reversible golf club grip as described herein can be used on an adjustable golf club such that as the orientation of the golf club shaft is reversed between a right-handed and left-handed dexterity, the grip can be used for either orientation without being repositioned on the shaft. In some embodiments, a reversible golf club grip can be configured to promote a traditional hands placement on the golf club grip in both right-handed and left-handed orientations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Inventors: Vikash Sanyal, David Stuart Cooper, Jeffrey D. Sheets
  • Patent number: 9387369
    Abstract: A golf club includes a club head, and a shaft. The club head includes a hosel formed into a tubular body having a top end and a shaft insertion hole extending downwardly from the top end. The shaft includes a shaft main body and a reinforcing member. The shaft main body is formed into a tubular shape having a tip end, and an internal surface surrounding cavity therein. The reinforcing member has a specific gravity of not more than 2.0 and is fixed in the cavity of the shaft main body. The reinforcing member includes a first portion fitting the internal surface of the shaft main body. The first portion includes an uppermost edge positioned upwardly with respect to the top end of the hosel, and a lowermost edge positioned between the top end of the hosel and the tip end of the shaft main body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: DUNLOP SPORTS CO. LTD.
    Inventor: Akio Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 9387374
    Abstract: In accordance with the present invention, a set of golf club heads is disclosed. The set includes golf club heads with peripheral weights. The dimensions and configuration of at least the peripheral weights are changed from club-to-club along the set so that the center of gravity rises from the long irons to the short irons. By raising the center of gravity from the long irons to the short irons, a golfer will see a peak trajectory height along a line for each club head that is substantially more consistent along that line throughout the set than prior art clubs provide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Charles E. Golden, Jeffrey A. Harmet, Daniel Stone, Richard M. Nelson
  • Patent number: 9387378
    Abstract: A golf club shaft which satisfies strength and is lightweight is provided by the present invention. This golf club shaft comprises one or more fiber-reinforced resin layers, and is characterized by satisfying the following relationship (1), wherein x [mm] is the displacement in a cantilever bending test, M [g] is the mass of the golf club shaft, and L [mm] is the length thereof, and by satisfying the following strength standard values [1]-[4]: M×(L/1168)<49.66 e?0.0015x (relationship 1); [1] the three-point bending strength at T-90 (the position 90 mm apart from the smaller-diameter end) is 800 N or higher; [2] the three-point bending strength at T-175 (the position 175 mm apart from the smaller-diameter end) is 400 N or higher; [3] the three-point bending strength at T-525 (the position 525 mm apart from the smaller-diameter end) is 400 N or higher; and [4] the three-point bending strength at B-175 (the position 175 mm apart from the larger-diameter end) is 400 N or higher.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Satoshi Shimono, Takashi Kaneko, Masahiro Kishi
  • Patent number: 9381405
    Abstract: Disclosed are systems and methods of adjusting the playing orientation of the head of a golf club. An adjustment to the axis of the shaft in reference to the vertical plane is constrained within minimum and maximum limits, so as to conform to current and proposed changes to the United States Golf Association (USGA) rules of play. The fine adjustment within these constraints cannot be readily made, and all adjustable parts are firmly fixed, so there is no reasonable likelihood of them working loose during a round. The adjustments to the club are designed such that during a stipulated round, the playing characteristics of a club cannot be purposely changed by adjustment or by other means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: Cue Golf Management, LLC
    Inventors: John Norman Miles, Jr., Kent D. Heusinkveld, Eric M. Krug