Patents by Inventor Masafumi Nishitani

Masafumi Nishitani 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: 7887435
    Abstract: A golf club head is a hollow head made of metal, preferably titanium or a titanium alloy. The golf club head has a face portion, a crown portion, a sole portion, a side portion, and a hosel portion. A thin and small plate made of metal is fixedly attached to the internal surface of the sole portion on the toe side so as to be in tight contact with the internal surface. The thin and small plate made of metal preferably has a thickness of 0.2 mm-1.2 mm, particularly 0.4 mm-1.1 mm, more particularly 0.5 mm-1.0 mm, and a weight of 0.5 g-1.5 g, particularly 0.6 g-1.0 g.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2011
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masafumi Nishitani
  • Patent number: 7857712
    Abstract: An iron-type golf club head has a face which has a face surface of a flat shape, and a hosel which is continuous with the face on its heel side. A shaft insertion hole is disposed in the hosel. A protrusion protruding rearward is disposed in the vicinity of the center in a toe-heel direction. A material of the golf club head is pure iron having a high purity of at least 99.8%, for instance, pure iron having a purity within a range of 99.995 to 99.9999%. The golf club head is subjected to carburizing so that carbon diffuses up to about 0.2 to 0.5 mm from the surface. A region within 0.2 mm from the face surface has a hardness of HV 300 to 600, and a region where a distance from the face surface is 0.7 mm or more has a hardness of HV 100 or lower.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masafumi Nishitani, Hisashi Yamagishi, Makoto Kubota, Koki Motoyoshi
  • Publication number: 20100234136
    Abstract: A weight material is provided on a heel side of a hosel portion in a golf club head. A convex portion E is provided on the heel side of the head. The weight material is disposed within the convex portion. The weight material is made of high specific gravity metal such as tungsten, and welded on both a lower column and a skirt portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2010
    Publication date: September 16, 2010
    Applicant: BRIDGESTONE SPORTS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Masafumi NISHITANI
  • Patent number: 7749095
    Abstract: A weight material is provided on a heel side of a hosel portion in a golf club head. A convex portion E is provided on the heel side of the head. The weight material is disposed within the convex portion. The weight material is made of high specific gravity metal such as tungsten, and welded on both a lower column and a skirt portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masafumi Nishitani
  • Patent number: 7563175
    Abstract: A golf club includes a shaft and a metal head attached to the shaft. The metal head includes a plurality of metal pieces fixed together by means of laser welding. For example, a face member of the head is manufactured by laser welding three metal pieces; i.e., a center metal piece, an intermediate metal piece, and an outer metal piece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2009
    Assignees: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd., K. K. Endo Seisakushao
    Inventors: Masafumi Nishitani, Masaei Tsurumaki
  • Publication number: 20080214321
    Abstract: A weight material is provided on a heel side of a hosel portion in a golf club head. A convex portion E is provided on the heel side of the head. The weight material is disposed within the convex portion. The weight material is made of high specific gravity metal such as tungsten, and welded on both a lower column and a skirt portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 29, 2008
    Publication date: September 4, 2008
    Applicant: BRIDGESTONE SPORTS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Masafumi NISHITANI
  • Patent number: 7156750
    Abstract: A golf club head includes a front body, a middle body, a back body integrally. The middle body is disposed between the front body and the back body. The middle body includes a middle crown constituting a middle portion of a crown portion in back and forth directions, a middle side constituting middle portions of both side surfaces on a toe side and a heel side in the back and forth directions, a middle sole constituting a middle portion of a sole portion in the back and forth directions. The middle body may include aluminum alloy. The front body and the back body may include titanium alloy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2007
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masafumi Nishitani, Hideo Matsunaga
  • Publication number: 20050250597
    Abstract: A golf club head is a hollow head made of metal, preferably titanium or a titanium alloy. The golf club head has a face portion, a crown portion, a sole portion, a side portion, and a hosel portion. A thin and small plate made of metal is fixedly attached to the internal surface of the sole portion on the toe side so as to be in tight contact with the internal surface. The thin and small plate made of metal preferably has a thickness of 0.2 mm-1.2 mm, particularly 0.4 mm-1.1 mm, more particularly 0.5 mm-1.0 mm, and a weight of 0.5 g-1.5 g, particularly 0.6 g-1.0 g.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2005
    Publication date: November 10, 2005
    Inventor: Masafumi Nishitani
  • Publication number: 20050250594
    Abstract: An iron-type golf club head has a face which has a face surface of a flat shape, and a hosel which is continuous with the face on its heel side. A shaft insertion hole is disposed in the hosel. A protrusion protruding rearward is disposed in the vicinity of the center in a toe-heel direction. A material of the golf club head is pure iron having a high purity of at least 99.8%, for instance, pure iron having a purity within a range of 99.995 to 99.9999%. The golf club head is subjected to carburizing so that carbon diffuses up to about 0.2 to 0.5 mm from the surface. A region within 0.2 mm from the face surface has a hardness of HV 300 to 600, and a region where a distance from the face surface is 0.7 mm or more has a hardness of HV 100 or lower.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2005
    Publication date: November 10, 2005
    Inventors: Masafumi Nishitani, Hisashi Yamagishi, Makoto Kubota, Koki Motoyoshi
  • Publication number: 20050245329
    Abstract: An iron-type golf club head has a face having a face surface of a flat surface, and a hosel which is continuous with the face on its heel side. A shaft insertion hole is disposed in the hosel. A protrusion protruding rearward in the vicinity of the center in a toe-heel direction is disposed. A material of the golf club head is pure iron having a high purity of at least 99.995%, for instance, a purity within a range of 99.995 to 99.9999%. The golf club head is subjected to carburizing so that carbon diffuses to a range of about 0.2 to 0.5 mm from the surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2005
    Publication date: November 3, 2005
    Inventors: Masafumi Nishitani, Hisashi Yamagishi, Makoto Kubota, Koki Motoyoshi
  • Patent number: 6932718
    Abstract: A golf club head is a hollow head made of metal, preferably titanium or a titanium alloy. The golf club head has a face portion, a crown portion, a sole portion, a side portion, and a hosel portion. A thin and small plate made of metal is fixedly attached to the internal surface of the sole portion on the toe side so as to be in tight contact with the internal surface. The thin and small plate made of metal preferably has a thickness of 0.2 mm-1.2 mm, particularly 0.4 mm-1.1 mm, more particularly 0.5 mm-1.0 mm, and a weight of 0.5 g-1.5 g, particularly 0.6 g-1.0 g.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2005
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masafumi Nishitani
  • Patent number: 6929563
    Abstract: A golf club head has a head body, filler fixedly attached to the head body 1 by press fitting into a recess portion of the head body, and a back weight disposed on the rear surface side of the filler and fixedly attached to a sole portion of the head body. Titanium, titanium alloys, aluminum, aluminum alloys and magnesium alloys are preferable as the filler. The back weight may be made of the same material as the head body or may be made of metal higher in specific gravity than the head body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2005
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masafumi Nishitani
  • Publication number: 20050085313
    Abstract: A weight material is provided on a heel side of a hosel portion in a golf club head. A convex portion E is provided on the heel side of the head. The weight material is disposed within the convex portion. The weight material is made of high specific gravity metal such as tungsten, and welded on both a lower column and a skirt portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2004
    Publication date: April 21, 2005
    Inventor: Masafumi Nishitani
  • Patent number: D502976
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2005
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masafumi Nishitani, Koki Motoyoshi
  • Patent number: D504480
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2005
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masafumi Nishitani, Koki Motoyoshi, Atsuo Tateno
  • Patent number: D504481
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2005
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masafumi Nishitani, Koki Motoyoshi, Atsuo Tateno
  • Patent number: D517146
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2006
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masafumi Nishitani
  • Patent number: D518863
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2006
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Koki Motoyoshi, Masafumi Nishitani
  • Patent number: D521583
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2006
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Koki Motoyoshi, Masafumi Nishitani
  • Patent number: D526036
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2006
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masafumi Nishitani