Patents by Inventor John T. Stites

John T. Stites 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).

  • Patent number: 11220075
    Abstract: Wood-type golf clubs and/or golf club heads include: (a) a golf club head base member including a face member having a ball striking face; and (b) a polymeric body member engaged with the golf club head base member, wherein the polymeric body member is formed via a rotational molding process (or other centrifugal force inducing molding process) and/or engaged with the golf club head base member via a rotational molding process (or other centrifugal force inducing molding process). The polymeric body member forms at least a portion of a crown member of the club head in some structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: John T. Stites, Gary G. Tavares, Todd A. Waatti
  • Publication number: 20220001252
    Abstract: A golf club head has a body defining a ball striking face. The body further has a rear portion comprising a plurality of side walls and a planar lower portion. The plurality of side walls extend downward from a top of the golf club head towards the planar lower portion. The body further comprises a cover extending over the rear. The body further defines a gap between the cover and the planar portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2021
    Publication date: January 6, 2022
    Inventors: John T. Stites, Yoshimasa Fujita
  • Patent number: 11192004
    Abstract: A ball striking device, such as a golf club, includes a head with a face having a ball-striking surface configured for striking a ball, a body connected to the face, and at least one channel in the ball-striking surface of the face. The region of highest COR response of the face is directionally enlarged toward the channel. Depending on the size, shape, and location of the channel, the face can be altered to provide greater COR response and increased energy transfer for impacts at specific locations on the face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: John T. Stites, Andrew G. V. Oldknow, Philip J. Hatton
  • Publication number: 20210354007
    Abstract: Golf clubs and/or golf club heads include a club head body defining an interior chamber, structure for engaging a shaft with the body, and/or a shaft engaged with the body. The club head body may have an overall length of at least 4.5 inches and an overall breadth of at least 4.2 inches. In other examples, the club head body may have an overall length of at least 4.6 inches and a ratio of the overall breadth dimension to the overall length dimension of 1 or less. If desired, the ratio of the head breadth to head length dimensions may be in a range from at least 0.94 to 1 or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2021
    Publication date: November 18, 2021
    Inventors: John T. Stites, Gary G. Tavares
  • Publication number: 20210346771
    Abstract: A golf club head has a body having a ball striking face, a rear opposite the ball striking face, a crown, a sole, a heel, and a toe, the body having a void defined by a peripheral edge on the sole. The body further defines a cover that extends over the void and forms at least a portion of the crown. At least a portion of the peripheral edge of the void includes a lip extending from the peripheral edge inwardly into the void. The golf club head may additionally or alternately include one or more weight receptacles connected to the sole and having an opening in the sole, such that each weight receptacle is configured to receive insertion of a weight through the opening.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2021
    Publication date: November 11, 2021
    Inventors: Michael G. Taylor, Michael Wallans, John T. Stites, Sherry L. Jones
  • Patent number: 11167184
    Abstract: Golf club heads (e.g. drivers, fairway woods, wood-type hybrid clubs, or the like) according to at least some example aspects of this invention include a striking face and a rear portion opposite the striking face, the rear portion defining an opening to an interior cavity. A rear body member configured to be inserted into the opening is engaged with the rear portion of the club head. The rear body member may include multiple rear body parts that may be removable and/or interchangeable to permit flexibility in controlling the weight distribution of the golf club head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Andrew G. V. Oldknow, Robert M. Boyd, John T. Stites
  • Publication number: 20210331047
    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: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2021
    Publication date: October 28, 2021
    Inventors: John T. Stites, David N. Franklin
  • Patent number: 11154756
    Abstract: A golf club head has a body defining a ball striking face. The body further has a first leg extending away from the ball striking face and a second leg extending away from the ball striking face wherein a void is defined between the first leg and the second leg. The body further defines a cover that extends over the void. The golf club head may further have support structures and adjustable weight members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: John T. Stites, Yoshimasa Fujita
  • Patent number: 11097167
    Abstract: Golf clubs and/or golf club heads include a club head body defining an interior chamber, structure for engaging a shaft with the body, and/or a shaft engaged with the body. The club head body may have an overall length of at least 4.5 inches and an overall breadth of at least 4.2 inches. In other examples, the club head body may have an overall length of at least 4.6 inches and a ratio of the overall breadth dimension to the overall length dimension of 1 or less. If desired, the ratio of the head breadth to head length dimensions may be in a range from at least 0.94 to 1 or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2021
    Assignee: KARSTEN MANUFACTURING CORPORATION
    Inventors: John T. Stites, Gary G. Tavares
  • Patent number: 11077343
    Abstract: Golf clubs according to at least some example aspects of this disclosure may include a golf club head and a shaft configured to engage with the golf club head which includes a grip engaged with the shaft. Further, the golf club may include a monitoring device, which includes a sensor and a transmitter. Additionally, the monitoring device may be configured to determine data related to the characteristics of a golf swing. Further, the monitoring device may be configured to transmit the data related to the characteristics of a golf swing to a remote computer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2021
    Assignee: NIKE, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Wallans, Robert M. Boyd, Philip J. Hatton, Mario A. Lafortune, John T. Stites
  • Patent number: 11065515
    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: September 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2021
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: John T. Stites, David N. Franklin
  • Patent number: 11065517
    Abstract: A golf club head has a body having a ball striking face, a rear opposite the ball striking face, a crown, a sole, a heel, and a toe, the body having a void defined by a peripheral edge on the sole. The body further defines a cover that extends over the void and forms at least a portion of the crown. At least a portion of the peripheral edge of the void includes a lip extending from the peripheral edge inwardly into the void. The golf club head may additionally or alternately include one or more weight receptacles connected to the sole and having an opening in the sole, such that each weight receptacle is configured to receive insertion of a weight through the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2021
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Michael G. Taylor, Michael Wallans, John T. Stites, Sherry L. Jones
  • Publication number: 20210178709
    Abstract: Wood-type golf clubs and/or golf club heads include: (a) a golf club head base member including a face member having a ball striking face; and (b) a polymeric body member engaged with the golf club head base member, wherein the polymeric body member is formed via a rotational molding process (or other centrifugal force inducing molding process) and/or engaged with the golf club head base member via a rotational molding process (or other centrifugal force inducing molding process). The polymeric body member forms at least a portion of a crown member of the club head in some structures.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2021
    Publication date: June 17, 2021
    Inventors: John T. Stites, Gary G. Tavares, Todd A. Waatti
  • Patent number: 10933599
    Abstract: Wood-type golf clubs and/or golf club heads include: (a) a golf club head base member including a face member having a ball striking face; and (b) a polymeric body member engaged with the golf club head base member, wherein the polymeric body member is formed via a rotational molding process (or other centrifugal force inducing molding process) and/or engaged with the golf club head base member via a rotational molding process (or other centrifugal force inducing molding process). The polymeric body member forms at least a portion of a crown member of the club head in some structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: John T. Stites, Gary G. Tavares, Todd A. Waatti
  • Publication number: 20210016142
    Abstract: A golf club head has a body defining a ball striking face. The body further has a first leg extending away from the ball striking face and a second leg extending away from the ball striking face wherein a void is defined between the first leg and the second leg. The body further defines a cover that extends over the void. The golf club head may further have support structures and adjustable weight members.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2020
    Publication date: January 21, 2021
    Inventors: John T. Stites, Yoshimasa Fujita
  • Patent number: 10888748
    Abstract: A golf club includes a shaft and a club head for a metal wood type club head. The club head includes a ball striking face, a heel, a toe, a rear, a crown, and a sole. The sole includes a forward sole surface and a rearward sole surface. The substantially horizontally-oriented forward sole surface extends rearwardly from the ball striking face to a rearward edge. The substantially horizontally-oriented rearward sole surface extends forwardly from the rear of the club head. The rearward sole surface extends over and is offset in a height direction from the rearward edge. A cavity may be located above the forward sole surface, the cavity having a rearward facing opening located below the rearward sole surface. A projection may extend rearwardly from the rearward edge beneath the rearward sole surface, the projection having sides that extend in a generally breadthwise direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: John T. Stites, Robert Boyd, Raymond J. Sander
  • Publication number: 20210001188
    Abstract: Golf club heads (e.g. drivers, fairway woods, wood-type hybrid clubs, or the like) according to at least some example aspects of this invention include a striking face and a rear portion opposite the striking face, the rear portion defining an opening to an interior cavity. A rear body member configured to be inserted into the opening is engaged with the rear portion of the club head. The rear body member may include multiple rear body parts that may be removable and/or interchangeable to permit flexibility in controlling the weight distribution of the golf club head.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2020
    Publication date: January 7, 2021
    Inventors: Andrew G.v. Oldknow, Robert M. Boyd, John T. Stites
  • Publication number: 20200398127
    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: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2020
    Publication date: December 24, 2020
    Inventors: John T. Stites, David N. Franklin
  • Publication number: 20200391086
    Abstract: Golf clubs and/or golf club heads include a club head body defining an interior chamber, structure for engaging a shaft with the body, and/or a shaft engaged with the body. The club head body may have an overall length of at least 4.5 inches and an overall breadth of at least 4.2 inches. In other examples, the club head body may have an overall length of at least 4.6 inches and a ratio of the overall breadth dimension to the overall length dimension of 1 or less. If desired, the ratio of the head breadth to head length dimensions may be in a range from at least 0.94 to 1 or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2020
    Publication date: December 17, 2020
    Inventors: John T. Stites, Gary G. Tavares
  • Publication number: 20200346083
    Abstract: Aspects of this disclosure relate to a golf club head which includes a wood type golf club head body including a ball striking face portion at a front side thereof, a rear side opposite the front side, a crown portion, and a sole portion. Further, the sole or crown or rear portion of the golf club head body may be configured so that the golf club head body includes a bump portion which protrudes from the sole or crown or rear portion and an indented portion which recedes into the sole or crown or rear portion and creates a recess in the sole or crown or rear portion of the golf club head body. Further, the bump portion and the indented portion may be configured so that a center of gravity of the club head body is nearer to one of the heel edge of the club head body and the toe edge of the club head body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2020
    Publication date: November 5, 2020
    Inventors: John T. Stites, Gary G. Tavares