Patents by Inventor Hideo Matsunaga

Hideo Matsunaga has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20080220894
    Abstract: This invention provides a hollow metal golf club head including at least a face portion, sole portion, side portion, and crown portion. This golf club head includes a head main body having an opening in the face portion, and a face plate engaged and welded with the opening. The head main body comprises a protruding portion which forms a part of the face portion and protrudes upward from a central portion, in a toe-and-heel direction, of a corner portion between the face portion and the sole portion in the golf club head. The face plate comprises s a recessed portion which extends upward from the lower edge of the face plate and engages with the protruding portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 3, 2008
    Publication date: September 11, 2008
    Applicant: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideo MATSUNAGA, Makoto Kubota, Masaomi Hiruta
  • Publication number: 20080153624
    Abstract: A wood club head having a loft angle of not less than 13° is provided. The hosel length is not less than 20 mm. The face progression is set to fall within a range of 12 mm to 16 mm (both exclusive). The barycenter depth is set to fall within a range of 20 mm to 25 mm (both exclusive).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2007
    Publication date: June 26, 2008
    Applicant: BRIDGESTONE SPORTS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Wataru Ban, Koki Motoyoshi, Hideo Matsunaga
  • Publication number: 20080153626
    Abstract: The present invention provides a golf club head capable of lessening the decrease in carry even for an off-center hit. In a golf club head in which a face part 2 of a metallic head body 1 having a hollow part therein is formed with an opening 8 communicating with the hollow part, and a metallic face plate 9 is welded to the opening 8, notch parts 8A and 8B connecting with the opening 8 are formed in a part on the toe 6 side of a crown part 3 and a part on the heel 7 side of a sole part 4, respectively; and the upper end portion of the face plate 9 is extended so as to compensate the notch part 8A in the crown part 3 and welded to the notch part 8A, and the lower end portion thereof is extended so as to compensate the notch part 8B in the sole part 4 and welded to the notch part 8B.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2007
    Publication date: June 26, 2008
    Applicant: BRIDGESTONE SPORTS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hideo Matsunaga, Makoto Kubota
  • Publication number: 20080139338
    Abstract: A golf club head 1 has a face part 2, a crown part 3, a sole part 4, a side part 5, and a hosel part 6, which are formed of titanium or a titanium alloy. The golf club head 1 is formed by integrating a head body 10 and a face plate 30 with each other by welding such as laser welding or plasma welding. A thick part 20 is provided only in the central portion in the toe-heel direction of the cross corner portion between the face part 2 and the sole part 4. The width in the toe-heel direction of the thick part 20 is 20 mm or narrower. Therefore, the golf club head in accordance with the present invention can increase a carry on average even if being used by an amateur golfer who is prone to hit a ball by varied hit points across the clubface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2007
    Publication date: June 12, 2008
    Applicant: BRIDGESTONE SPORTS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hideo Matsunaga, Makoto Kubota, Masaomi Hiruta
  • Patent number: 7377861
    Abstract: A hollow golf club head includes a face part, a crown part, a sole part, a side part, and a hosel part. The head has a volume of 100 to 250 cm3 and a weight of 195 to 250 g. The crown part includes a large-thickness crown part formed along an overall edge thereof, and a small-thickness crown part which is formed inside the large-thickness crown part and has a thickness less than a thickness of the large-thickness crown part. The side part includes a heel-side small-thickness side part formed at a heel side, a toe-side small-thickness side part formed at a toe side, and a large-thickness side part which is formed at a portion of the side part other than the heel-side small-thickness side part and the toe-side small-thickness side part and has a thickness greater than thickness of the side parts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2008
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsuo Tateno, Hideo Matsunaga
  • Publication number: 20080090674
    Abstract: A hollow golf club head includes: a metal head main body including a hollow section; and a weight formed from magnesium or a magnesium alloy in at least one of a toe side, a heel side, a back side and a sole of the metal head main body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2007
    Publication date: April 17, 2008
    Applicant: BRIDGESTONE SPORTS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Makoto KUBOTA, Hideo MATSUNAGA
  • Publication number: 20080090677
    Abstract: A metal golf club head includes: a metal head main body; and an anticorrosion screw that is formed from a magnesium alloy and fastened to predetermined location on the metal head main body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2007
    Publication date: April 17, 2008
    Applicant: BRIDGESTONE SPORTS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Makoto KUBOTA, Hideo MATSUNAGA
  • Publication number: 20080090676
    Abstract: The present invention provides a golf club head capable of increasing carry on average even if being used by an amateur golfer who is prone to hit a ball by varied hit points of clubface. A golf club head 1 has a face part 2, a crown part 3, a sole part 4, a side part 5, and a hosel part 6, which are formed of titanium or a titanium alloy. A thick part 10 is provided near the central portion in the toe-heel direction of the rear portion of the crown part 3. The distance a between a foremost portion 1 Of the thick part 10 and the foremost portion of the crown part 3 is 20 to 80% of the total length L of the crown part 3.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2007
    Publication date: April 17, 2008
    Applicant: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideo Matsunaga, Makoto Kubota, Masaomi Hiruta
  • Publication number: 20080090675
    Abstract: A golf club head includes a metallic head body 1 having a cavity 10 therein and an opening 8 being formed in a face part 2 therethrough to the cavity, and a metallic face plate 9 welded to the opening.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 11, 2007
    Publication date: April 17, 2008
    Applicant: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideo Matsunaga, Makoto Kubota
  • Publication number: 20070149313
    Abstract: This invention provides a hollow golf club head having a face portion, a crown portion, a sole portion, and a side portion, and comprising a viscoelastic body to be mounted in at least one of the face portion, crown portion, sole portion, and side portion. The viscoelastic body is mounted in a part of a portion where the viscoelastic body is to be mounted, the part corresponding to an antinode of a primary vibration mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2006
    Publication date: June 28, 2007
    Inventors: Hideo Matsunaga, Wataru Ban, Hideo Shimazaki
  • Publication number: 20070129161
    Abstract: This invention provides a hollow golf club head having a viscoelastic body, wherein the viscoelastic body is made by mixing a plurality of types of viscoelastic materials with loss coefficients the temperature dependences of which are different.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2006
    Publication date: June 7, 2007
    Inventors: Hideo Matsunaga, Wataru Ban, Hideo Shimazaki
  • Publication number: 20070129167
    Abstract: This invention provides a hollow golf club head having a face portion, a crown portion, a sole portion, and a side portion. The head has 0.3 to 0.6-mm thick thin-walled regions on the face side of the crown portion and the face side of the side portion, a medium-thick-walled region thicker than the thin-walled region of the crown portion at the back of the thin-walled region, and a high-rigidity region on the face side of the sole portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2006
    Publication date: June 7, 2007
    Inventor: Hideo Matsunaga
  • Publication number: 20070129164
    Abstract: This invention provides a hollow golf club head including a fixing member which includes a shaft body formed with a threaded portion at one end, and a head portion at the other end of the shaft body, a viscoelastic body having an opening through which the shaft body extends, a recess portion formed in a circumferential wall of the golf club head and in which the viscoelastic body is disposed, and a screw hole formed in a bottom portion of the recess portion and threadably engages with the threaded portion. The viscoelastic body is fixed between the head portion and the bottom portion by threadably engaging the threaded portion with the screw hole.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2006
    Publication date: June 7, 2007
    Inventors: Hideo Shimazaki, Hideo Matsunaga, Wataru Ban
  • Publication number: 20070129166
    Abstract: This invention provides a golf club head comprising a head main body, a face plate fixed to a front surface side of the head main body to form a face surface, a cavity portion formed in the head main body and open to a face plate side, and a viscoelastic body inserted in a compressed state in a space formed by the cavity portion and the face plate. An end face on the face plate side of a circumferential wall defining the cavity portion comprises a contacting portion ontacting with a rear surface of the face plate, and a non-contacting portion spaced apart from the rear surface of the face plate to form a gap communicating with the cavity portion between the non-contacting portion and the rear surface of the face plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2006
    Publication date: June 7, 2007
    Inventors: Hideo Shimazaki, Hideo Matsunaga, Wataru Ban
  • Publication number: 20070129165
    Abstract: This invention provides a golf club head having a first viscoelastic body made of a first viscoelastic material and a second viscoelastic body made of a second viscoelastic material with a loss coefficient the temperature dependence of which is different from that of a loss coefficient of the first viscoelastic material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2006
    Publication date: June 7, 2007
    Inventors: Hideo Matsunaga, Wataru Ban, Hideo Shimazaki
  • Publication number: 20070129160
    Abstract: This invention provides a hollow golf club head having a first viscoelastic body made of a first viscoelastic material and a second viscoelastic body made of a second viscoelastic material with a loss coefficient the temperature dependence of which is different from that of a loss coefficient of the first viscoelastic material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2006
    Publication date: June 7, 2007
    Inventors: Hideo Matsunaga, Wataru Ban, Hideo Shimazaki
  • Publication number: 20070129168
    Abstract: This invention provides a golf club head having a viscoelastic body, wherein the viscoelastic body is made by mixing a plurality of types of viscoelastic materials with loss coefficients temperature dependences of which are different.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2006
    Publication date: June 7, 2007
    Inventors: Hideo Matsunaga, Wataru Ban, Hideo Shimazaki
  • Publication number: 20070066420
    Abstract: A hollow club head having a head body 14 and a face member 16 bonded to the face opening 12 of the head body 14 is provided, wherein the W/H ratio between the maximum height H (mm) and maximum width W (mm) of the face member is in the range of 1.0 to 1.7, so as to improve cost efficiency associated with improved repulsive speeds of balls hit by the club.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2005
    Publication date: March 22, 2007
    Inventors: Yasunori Imamoto, Hideo Matsunaga
  • Publication number: 20070049410
    Abstract: This invention provides a hollow golf club head having a crown portion and a sole portion. Young's modulus of a material among materials of the crown portion which is used in the largest amount is lower than Young's modulus of a material among materials of the sole portion which is used in the largest amount.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 30, 2005
    Publication date: March 1, 2007
    Inventor: Hideo Matsunaga
  • Patent number: D545386
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2007
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Vinh-Duy Thai Nguyen, Yasushi Ichikawa, David L. Walker, Hideo Matsunaga