Patents Examined by Stephen Blau
  • Golf club shaft
    Patent number: 9375619
    Abstract: An adjustable length golf club shaft having a grip portion with an end point is disclosed. A locking element is located within the grip portion and a lower shaft having an inner surface that is in frictional contact with the locking element is also disclosed. The locking element is configured to engage the inner surface of the lower shaft. A total length of the golf club shaft is adjustable by a distance of at least one inch and a total weight of the golf club shaft in a weight zone is less than 110 g. The weight zone is defined as a region of the golf club shaft extending from the end point of the grip portion up to 11? along a central axis of the golf club shaft toward a tip portion of the shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2016
    Assignee: TAYLOR MADE GOLF COMPANY, INC.
    Inventors: Todd P. Beach, Drew T. DeShiell, John Francis Lorentzen
  • Interchangeable shaft system
    Patent number: 9375616
    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: February 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2016
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Gery M. Zimmerman, Jonathan Hebreo, Adrian L. Stanescu, Helene Hipp, Marni Ines, Stephanie Bezilla, Thomas Orrin Bennett, Stephen S. Murphy
  • Iron set groove progression
    Patent number: 9370699
    Abstract: A set of iron type golf club heads comprising a plurality of iron type golf club heads, the plurality of iron type golf club heads comprising a long iron, a mid iron, and a short iron; wherein each of the plurality of iron type golf club heads comprise a striking face, and wherein each of the plurality of iron type golf club heads comprise a plurality of grooves formed in the striking face extending generally from a heel side of the striking face towards a toe side of the striking face; wherein the plurality of grooves of each of the plurality of iron type golf club heads comprise a groove pitch measurement, wherein the groove pitch of the plurality of grooves of the long iron is greater than the groove pitch of the plurality of grooves of the short iron.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Marni Ines, Jonathan Hebreo, Michael E. Franz
  • Golf club
    Patent number: 9364725
    Abstract: The present invention concerns a set of golf club heads having progressive head sizing such that the size of the club heads in the set decreases as the loft angle of the club heads increases; and golf club sets including such club heads. The present invention also concerns weighting systems for use with the progressively sized club head set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2016
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Ronald K. Hettinger, Keisuke Yamane, Hiroshi Kawaguchi, Richard L. Cleghorn
  • Golf club
    Patent number: 9364724
    Abstract: A golf club includes a golf club head provided with a first hole and a second hole on its bottom side, a shaft, a first fastener detachably attached to the first hole to detachably fix the shaft to the golf club head, and a second fastener detachably attached to the second hole to provide weight on the golf club, the second fastener having weight different from that of the first fastener. The first fastener and the second fastener are configured as mutually replaceable fasteners so that the first fastener is detachably attached to the second hole and the second fastener is detachably attached to the first hole to detachably fix the shaft to the golf club head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2016
    Assignee: DUNLOP SPORTS CO. LTD.
    Inventor: Yuki Motokawa
  • Interchangeable shaft system
    Patent number: 9364723
    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: June 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2016
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Christopher D. Harvell, Stephen S. Murphy
  • Golf club head
    Patent number: 9358436
    Abstract: A wood-type golf club head comprises a body having one or more ribs extending across the internal surface of the sole. The plurality of ribs can include two or more ribs, such as three or four ribs, that converge at a convergence location, such as above a recessed pocket in the sole configured to receive an adjustable sole piece. At least one rib can extend along an internal surface of the recessed pocket and along an internal surface of a surrounding sole region. The ribs can extend from the convergence location to a toe weight port, to a heel weight port, to a rear portion of the body and/or toward the face. At least one rib can extend from a hosel, such as to the toe weight port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Nathan T. Sargent, Todd P. Beach, Kraig Alan Willett, Christopher John Harbert
  • Method of manufacturing a composite shaft
    Patent number: 9358437
    Abstract: A composite shaft formed from a single flag of composite material having variable fiber orientation, and methods of forming said shaft, are disclosed herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
    Inventor: Steven M. Ehlers
  • Golf club adjustable hosel assembly
    Patent number: 9358429
    Abstract: An adjustable assembly includes a golf club shaft, a golf club head having a hosel portion with a hosel opening, a hosel insert, a shaft adapter, and a fastener. The hosel insert is secured to the hosel portion and includes at least one inwardly extending pawl. The adapter extends about a longitudinal axis, and defines a shaft opening. The adapter includes outwardly projecting teeth aligned with the hosel insert. Each tooth includes leading and trailing surfaces. The leading surface is shaped to enable rotational movement of the adapter about the axis with respect to the hosel insert in a first rotational direction. The trailing surface is shaped to selectively engage the pawl to inhibit rotational movement of the adapter with respect to the hosel insert in a second rotation direction that is opposite the first direction. The fastener is releasably coupled to the head and the adapter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: Wilson Sporting Goods Co.
    Inventors: Michael Vrska, Mark Spencer, Richard P. Hulock
  • Golf club head with center of gravity adjustability
    Patent number: 9352199
    Abstract: The present invention comprises a golf club head comprising a body having a crown, a sole, a front wall and a hosel, wherein the body defines a hollow interior. The golf club head further comprises a center of gravity adjustment assembly wherein the center of gravity adjustment assembly is positioned within the hollow interior of the body, and allows the center of gravity of the golf club head to be adjusted by at least 0.050 inch, preferably along a vertical axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
    Inventors: James A. Seluga, Denver Holt
  • Golf club head with center of gravity adjustability
    Patent number: 9345936
    Abstract: A golf club head comprising an adjustable weighting feature including a tube extending from the crown to the sole of the golf club head is disclosed herein. More specifically, a golf club head formed from three pieces, namely a first piece comprising a face, a crown portion, a sole portion, and a hosel, a second piece comprising a rear end, a crown portion, and a sole portion, and a tube, wherein these pieces are welded to one another, is disclosed herein. Each of these pieces may be separately cast, forged, or formed from a metal material such as stainless steel, titanium alloy, and aluminum alloy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
    Inventors: Joshua D. Westrum, James A. Seluga, Patrick Dawson, Sean P. Griffin
  • Shaft for golf clubs
    Patent number: 9339702
    Abstract: A shaft 6 includes bias layers and straight layers. The bias layers include full length bias layers s1, s2, and butt partial bias layers s3, s4 arranged at a butt end side of the shaft. The straight layers include full length straight layers s7, s9, a tip partial straight layer arranged at a tip side of the shaft, and a butt partial straight layer arranged at a butt end side of the shaft. The tip partial straight layer includes a tip low-elastic layer s6. The butt partial straight layer includes a butt low-elastic layer s8. A low-elastic layer means a layer in which an elastic modulus of a reinforcing fiber is equal to or less than 20 ton/mm2. A shaft length Ls is equal to or less than 41 inches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: DUNLOP SPORTS CO. LTD.
    Inventor: Hiroshi Hasegawa
  • Golf club
    Patent number: 9339700
    Abstract: A golf club 2 is provided with a head 4 having a hosel hole 18 and a shaft 6. The golf club 2 has a mounting/detaching mechanism detachably mounting the head 4 and the shaft 6 to each other. The mounting/detaching mechanism can fix the shaft 6 to the hosel hole 18 of the head 4 at a plurality of circumferential mounting positions. The shaft 6 has anisotropy producing coupled deformations of bending and torsion. Preferably, an angle ?1 between an axis line of the shaft 6 and an axis line of the hosel hole 18 is 0 degree. Preferably, a bending torsional amount of the shaft 6 is equal to or greater than 0.5 degree.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: DUNLOP SPORTS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hitoshi Oyama
  • Golf club head with adjustable center of gravity and diagnostic features
    Patent number: 9333390
    Abstract: A golf club head comprising one or more center of gravity adjustment assemblies, and weight cartridges and electronic diagnostic inserts that can be received by said assemblies, is disclosed herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
    Inventors: Scott R. Manwaring, James A. Seluga
  • Multi-piece driver with separately cast hosel
    Patent number: 9333401
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a multi-piece golf club head having a metal hosel with adjustability features that is cast separately from a face component, sole, and crown, and then is permanently affixed to those other parts after casting is complete. The face component, sole, and crown may be composed of any suitable materials, but preferably each of the face component, the sole, and the crown are stamped from a metal material and are welded to the hosel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
    Inventors: Bradley C. Rice, Patrick Dawson, M. Grace Hohn
  • Golf club set providing improved distance gapping adjustability
    Patent number: 9333400
    Abstract: A set of golf clubs having a degree of adjustability to provide improved distance gapping across the transition from a curved face golf club head to a flat face golf club head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Justin M. Girard, Michael Scott Burnett, Jason Sulak
  • Interchangeable shaft system
    Patent number: 9327171
    Abstract: A golf club incorporating an interchangeable shaft system includes a shaft, a shaft sleeve assembly, and a club head. The shaft sleeve assembly is coupled to an end of the shaft and is received in a hosel included in the club head. The shaft sleeve assembly is removably coupled to the club head includes portions coupled by a flexible coupling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Scott A. Knutson, Gery M. Zimmerman, Joshua C. Stokes
  • Golf club
    Patent number: 9327169
    Abstract: A club length L1 of a golf club 2 is equal to or greater than 43 inches and equal to or less than 48 inches. A ratio Iss/Ix is equal to or greater than 0.070 and equal to or less than 0.100. A club inertia moment Ix about a swing axis is equal to or less than 6.90×103 (kg·cm2). The inertia moment Ix (kg·cm2) is calculated by the following formula (1). The shaft inertia moment Iss (kg·cm2) is calculated by the following formula (2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignee: DUNLOP SPORTS CO. LTD.
    Inventor: Takashi Nakamura
  • Golf clubs with hosel inserts and related methods
    Patent number: 9327170
    Abstract: Embodiments of golf clubs with hosel inserts are presented herein. Other examples and related methods are also disclosed herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: John A. Solheim, Eric V. Cole, Jeffrey A. Blankenship, Eric J. Morales, Ryan M. Stokke, Martin R. Jertson
  • Golf club
    Patent number: 9320947
    Abstract: A golf club 2 includes a head 4, a shaft 6, a sleeve 8, and a screw 10. The sleeve 8 is fixed to a tip part of the shaft 6. The head 4 has a head body 18 and an engaging member 20. The engaging member 20 is fixed to the head body 18. Rotation of the sleeve 8 to the head 4 is regulated based on engagement between the sleeve 8 and the engaging member 20. Withdrawal of the sleeve 8 from the head 4 is regulated based on connection between the sleeve 8 and the screw 10. The head body 18 has a screw part. The engaging member 20 has a screw part. The screw part of the head body 18 is connected to the screw part of the engaging member 20.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: DUNLOP SPORTS CO. LTD.
    Inventor: Akio Yamamoto