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).

  • Publication number: 20150182821
    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: March 10, 2015
    Publication date: July 2, 2015
    Inventors: Andrew G.v. Oldknow, Robert M. Boyd, John T. Stites
  • Publication number: 20150165285
    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: January 7, 2015
    Publication date: June 18, 2015
    Inventors: John T. Stites, Gary G. Tavares
  • Publication number: 20150141164
    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: January 27, 2015
    Publication date: May 21, 2015
    Inventors: John T. Stites, Gary G. Tavares, Todd Anthony Waatti
  • Patent number: 9033814
    Abstract: Golf club heads which may include an iron-type golf club head body and an adjustable member configured to be engaged with iron-type golf club head body. The adjustable member may include a first surface and a second surface. The first surface of the adjustable member may form at least a portion of the sole of the iron-type golf club head and at least a portion of the rear of iron-type golf club head when the adjustable member is engaged with the iron-type golf club head body in a first orientation. Additionally, the second surface of the adjustable member may form at least a portion of the sole of the iron-type golf club head and at least a portion of the rear of iron-type golf club head when the adjustable member is engaged with the iron-type golf club head body in a second orientation, which is different from the first orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignee: Nike, Inc.
    Inventors: John T. Stites, Robert Boyd, Raymond J. Sander, Hiromitsu Akiyama
  • Patent number: 9028342
    Abstract: A golf club includes a shaft and a club head for a metal wood type club. 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: May 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: NIKE, Inc.
    Inventors: John T. Stites, Robert Boyd, Raymond J. Sander
  • Publication number: 20150111659
    Abstract: Golf club heads include a golf club head body, a ball striking face, and a shaft engaging member configured to engage a golf club shaft with the golf club head body. Further, the shaft engaging member may be configured to engage the golf club head body and the shaft below a center of gravity of the golf club head.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2014
    Publication date: April 23, 2015
    Inventors: John T. Stites, Chewei Tai
  • Patent number: 9011265
    Abstract: A golf club includes a shaft and a club head. The club head includes a ball striking face, a heel, a toe, a rear, and a crown. The crown may include a substantially horizontally-oriented forward crown region extending rearwardly from the ball striking face. The crown further may include a primary recessed feature located rearward of the forward crown region and extending from the heel to the toe of the club head. The recessed feature may have a floor and a front wall extending upward from the floor to the forward crown region. The crown may further include a substantially horizontally-oriented rearward crown region extending forwardly from the rear of the club head. The recessed feature may be located between the forward crown region and the rearward crown region. A back wall of the recessed feature may extend upward from the floor to the rearward crown region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: NIKE, Inc.
    Inventors: John T. Stites, Robert Boyd, Raymond J. Sander
  • Publication number: 20150094166
    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: December 9, 2014
    Publication date: April 2, 2015
    Inventors: Michael G. Taylor, Michael Wallans, John T. Stites, Sherry L. Jones
  • Patent number: 8986131
    Abstract: A golf club includes a shaft and a club head. The club head includes a body member having a ball striking face, a heel, a toe, a rear and a crown. The crown may include a forward crown region, a rearward crown region, and a crown transition region therebetween. The rearward crown region may have a lower height than the forward crown region. The crown transition region may extend generally in a heel-to-toe direction. The vertical slope of the crown transition region may decrease as the crown transition region extends from the heel toward the toe. The crown transition region may lie at an angle from a front plane of the club head. Optionally, a club head may include a forward sole region, a rearward sole region, and a sole transition region therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Nike, Inc.
    Inventors: John T. Stites, Robert Boyd, Raymond J. Sander, Eric A. Larson
  • Patent number: 8986134
    Abstract: A golf club includes a shaft and a club head for a metal wood type club. The club head includes a ball striking face, a heel, a toe, a rear, a crown, a sole and a centerline extending from the ball striking face to the rear. The sole includes a substantially horizontally-oriented sole surface extending rearwardly from the ball striking face to the rear. A first insert-receiving feature is located to a heel-side of the centerline, and a second insert-receiving feature is located to a toe-side of the centerline. The first and second insert-receiving features are substantially symmetrically located with respect to the centerline. The first and second insert-receiving features have substantially mirror-images shapes with respect to the centerline. A system having a golf club head with an insert-receiving feature and multiple interchangeable inserts configured for being received within the insert-receiving feature is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Nike, Inc.
    Inventors: John T. Stites, Robert Boyd
  • Publication number: 20150072800
    Abstract: A head for a ball striking device, such as a golf club head, includes a face member having a face with a striking surface configured for striking a ball and a rear surface opposite the striking surface, a weight member connected to the face member behind the rear surface of the face member, and a resilient member positioned between the weight member and the face member. The resilient member is connected to the rear surface of the face member to connect the weight member to the face member. The resilient member is compressible to permit energy and/or momentum to be transferred between the weight member and the face member through the resilient member during impact, including an off-center impact on the striking surface. Momentum transferred from the weight member to the face member during an off-center impact may reduce energy loss and twisting of the face on impact.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2014
    Publication date: March 12, 2015
    Inventors: David N. Franklin, Jeremy N. Snyder, John T. Stites, Robert Boyd
  • Publication number: 20150072799
    Abstract: A head for a ball striking device, such as a golf club head, includes a face member having a face with a striking surface configured for striking a ball and a rear surface opposite the striking surface, a weight member connected to the face member behind the rear surface of the face member, and a resilient member positioned between the weight member and the face member. The resilient member is connected to the rear surface of the face member to connect the weight member to the face member. The resilient member is compressible to permit energy and/or momentum to be transferred between the weight member and the face member through the resilient member during impact, including an off-center impact on the striking surface. Momentum transferred from the weight member to the face member during an off-center impact may reduce energy loss and twisting of the face on impact.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2014
    Publication date: March 12, 2015
    Inventors: David N. Franklin, Jeremy N. Snyder, John T. Stites, Robert Boyd
  • Publication number: 20150072798
    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: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2014
    Publication date: March 12, 2015
    Applicant: NIKE, INC.
    Inventors: John T. Stites, Andrew G.V. Oldknow, Philip J. Hatton
  • Patent number: 8961337
    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, a rear side, a crown portion, and a sole portion. Further, the sole or crown or rear portion of the club head body may be configured so that the 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 body. Further, the bump portion and the indented portion may be configured so that a center of gravity of the golf club head body is nearer to one of the heel edge of the body and the toe edge of the body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Nike, Inc.
    Inventors: John T. Stites, Gary G. Tavares
  • Publication number: 20150038261
    Abstract: A ball striking device, such as a golf club, includes a head with a face having an outer surface configured for striking a ball, a body connected to the face, an elongated, inwardly recessed channel located on the body and extending across a portion of the body, and an insert mounted within the channel. The insert includes a resiliently deflectable base member that engages the channel to retain the insert within the channel and a rigid outer member connected to the base member and forming at least a portion of the outer surface of the insert, where the outer member is made from a different material than the base member. Additionally, the insert has an outer surface that is substantially flush with at least one immediately adjacent surface of the body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2014
    Publication date: February 5, 2015
    Inventors: John T. Stites, Andrew G.V. Oldknow, Robert Boyd
  • Patent number: 8915794
    Abstract: Golf club heads which include an iron type golf club head body include a ball striking face, a rear surface opposite the ball striking face (e.g., including a perimeter weighting member) and a multi-legged bridge member which indicates the location of the center of gravity of the golf club head body. Golf clubs including these club heads and methods of making such golf club and golf club heads also are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2014
    Assignee: Nike, Inc.
    Inventor: John T. Stites
  • Publication number: 20140371000
    Abstract: A golf club head includes a body member having a ball striking face, a crown, a toe, a heel, a sole, a back and a hosel region, located at the intersection of the ball striking face, the heel, the crown and the sole. The body member may have a first cross-section having a first airfoil-shaped surface in the heel. The first cross-section may be oriented at approximately 90° from the centerline of the club head. The body member may have a second cross-section having a second airfoil-shaped surface. The second cross-section may be oriented at approximately 45° or at approximately 70°. The airfoil-shaped surfaces may be defined by spline points or by equations. A golf club including the golf club head is also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2014
    Publication date: December 18, 2014
    Inventors: Gary G. Tavares, Robert Boyd, John T. Stites
  • Publication number: 20140333005
    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: July 25, 2014
    Publication date: November 13, 2014
    Inventors: John T. Stites, Gary G. Tavares, Todd A. Waatti
  • Publication number: 20140323235
    Abstract: Golf club heads having sensors configured to measure one or more swing parameters are provided. The golf club head may include several gyroscopes and accelerometers. In one embodiment, the club head contains three gyroscopes that measure angular rate data along different orthogonal axes. At least one gyroscope may an analog gyroscope. Accelerometers may provide data regarding the three orthogonal axes associated with the gyroscopes. The club head may further include software and/or hardware that perform computer-executed methods for determining one or more swing parameters. Exemplary club heads may include a display device for displaying an output of the swing parameter(s). Further aspects of the invention relate to novel methods and algorithms for calculating measurements relating to the swing parameters.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 10, 2014
    Publication date: October 30, 2014
    Inventors: John T. Stites, Jeremy Snyder, James S. Thomas, Jeffrey A. Hadden, Bradley C. Glenn, Daniel J. Simpson, Daniel A. Roberts, Douglas A. Thornton
  • Patent number: 8852023
    Abstract: A cavity back golf club head having a bridge member and a damping element is disclosed. The bridge member extends across a first rear cavity connecting a heel and a toe of the golf club head to control the trajectory of a golf ball. For the longer iron clubs, a damping element extends from the sole portion of the cavity back golf club head to the bridge member to define a second cavity to further influence the trajectory of the golf ball. For the shorter iron clubs, the damping element extends from the top portion of the cavity back golf club head to the bridge member. The damping element may reduce the vibration and sound of the golf club head upon impact with a golf ball.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: Nike, Inc.
    Inventors: John T. Stites, Hiroshi Kawaguchi, Byron C. Slaughter, Michael G. Taylor, David N. Franklin