Patents by Inventor Masanobu KUWAHARA

Masanobu KUWAHARA 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: 11654335
    Abstract: In a golf ball having a core, an envelope layer, an intermediate layer and a cover, the difference between the center hardness and the surface hardness of the core is set in a specific range, the intermediate layer is formed of a resin material that includes a high-acid ionomer, the Shore C hardness relationships among the core center and the surfaces of the envelope-encased layer and the intermediate layer-encased sphere satisfy specific conditions; and the ball has a deflection when compressed under a given load which is at least 2.7 mm. This ball achieves a good distance on shots with a driver, utility club or iron, is receptive to spin in the short game, and has a soft feel at impact on all shots, making it useful to amateur golfers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideo Watanabe, Masanobu Kuwahara
  • Patent number: 11504584
    Abstract: A golf ball of the present disclosure includes an inner ball and a cover layer that covers the outer surface of the inner ball and includes an outer surface with dimples. The inner ball includes an inner layer, which includes an outer surface with a recess, and an inner film that covers only the surface of the recess on the outer surface of the inner layer. The inner layer and the inner film are different colors from each other, and the cover layer is transparent or semi-transparent. Peeling of the film can be suppressed in the golf ball.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: BRIDGESTONE SPORTS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hirotaka Shinohara, Masanobu Kuwahara
  • Publication number: 20220143472
    Abstract: In a golf ball having a core, an envelope layer, an intermediate layer and a cover, the difference between the center hardness and the surface hardness of the core is set in a specific range, the intermediate layer is formed of a resin material that includes a high-acid ionomer, the Shore C hardness relationships among the core center and the surfaces of the envelope-encased layer and the intermediate layer-encased sphere satisfy specific conditions; and the ball has a deflection when compressed under a given load which is at least 2.7 mm. This ball achieves a good distance on shots with a driver, utility club or iron, is receptive to spin in the short game, and has a soft feel at impact on all shots, making it useful to amateur golfers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 13, 2021
    Publication date: May 12, 2022
    Applicant: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideo Watanabe, Masanobu Kuwahara
  • Publication number: 20210387058
    Abstract: A golf ball of the present disclosure includes an inner ball and a cover layer that covers the outer surface of the inner ball and includes an outer surface with dimples. The inner ball includes an inner layer, which includes an outer surface with a recess, and an inner film that covers only the surface of the recess on the outer surface of the inner layer. The inner layer and the inner film are different colors from each other, and the cover layer is transparent or semi-transparent. Peeling of the film can be suppressed in the golf ball.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2021
    Publication date: December 16, 2021
    Applicant: BRIDGESTONE SPORTS CO.,LTD.
    Inventors: Hirotaka SHINOHARA, Masanobu KUWAHARA
  • Patent number: 11052291
    Abstract: The golf ball 1 includes a surface having multiple dimples thereon. When a lift coefficient measured under conditions with a Reynolds number of 80000 and a spin rate of 2000 rpm is CL1, and when a lift coefficient measured under conditions with a Reynolds number of 70000 and a spin rate of 1900 rpm is CL2, CL1 and CL2 satisfy 0.990?CL2/CL1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: BRIDGESTONE SPORTS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Masanobu Kuwahara
  • Publication number: 20210170238
    Abstract: The golf ball 1 includes a surface having multiple dimples thereon. When a lift coefficient measured under conditions with a Reynolds number of 80000 and a spin rate of 2000 rpm is CL1, and when a lift coefficient measured under conditions with a Reynolds number of 70000 and a spin rate of 1900 rpm is CL2, CL1 and CL2 satisfy 0.990?CL2/CL1.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2020
    Publication date: June 10, 2021
    Applicant: BRIDGESTONE SPORTS CO.,LTD.
    Inventor: Masanobu KUWAHARA
  • Patent number: 10967226
    Abstract: In a golf ball having a two-layer core consisting of an inner core layer and an outer core layer, one or more intermediate layer, and a cover serving as an outermost layer, the inner core layer and outer core layer are each formed primarily of a base rubber, the inner core layer has a diameter of at least 19 mm, the intermediate layer and the cover are each formed primarily of a resin material, and the overall core has a specific hardness profile. The golf ball has a high initial velocity while holding down the spin rate on full shots with a driver or long iron, thus enabling a good distance to be achieved. The ball also has a high controllability in the short game.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideo Watanabe, Akira Kimura, Masanobu Kuwahara
  • Patent number: 10953287
    Abstract: In a golf ball having a core, an intermediate layer and a cover, the intermediate layer-encased sphere has a higher surface hardness than the ball. The core hardness profile in the ball is designed such that the core surface has a Shore C hardness value which is at least 27 higher than the Shore C hardness value at the core center, and the surface areas A to F calculated from hardness differences between positions located at specific distances in the core and differences between the specific distances satisfy a specific formula. This golf ball has an excellent flight performance when struck by skilled amateur golfers and professionals, and also has a good controllability on shots with an iron.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2021
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideo Watanabe, Masanobu Kuwahara
  • Publication number: 20200330826
    Abstract: In a golf ball having a two-layer core consisting of an inner core layer and an outer core layer, one or more intermediate layer, and a cover serving as an outermost layer, the inner core layer and outer core layer are each formed primarily of a base rubber, the inner core layer has a diameter of at least 19 mm, the intermediate layer and the cover are each formed primarily of a resin material, and the overall core has a specific hardness profile. The golf ball has a high initial velocity while holding down the spin rate on full shots with a driver or long iron, thus enabling a good distance to be achieved. The ball also has a high controllability in the short game.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 15, 2020
    Publication date: October 22, 2020
    Applicant: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideo WATANABE, Akira Kimura, Masanobu Kuwahara
  • Patent number: 10765917
    Abstract: In a multi-piece solid golf ball having a core, an intermediate layer encasing the core and a cover which encases the intermediate layer and has numerous dimples on an outside surface thereof, the intermediate layer is formed of a resin material, the cover is formed of a urethane resin material, the core has a diameter of at least 38.0 mm, the sphere obtained by encasing the core with the intermediate layer has a surface hardness on the Shore D hardness scale of at least 69, the cover has a material hardness on the Shore D hardness scale of 55 or less, the (intermediate layer thickness)/(core diameter) value is from 0.025 to 0.043, the (cover thickness)/(core diameter) value is from 0.014 to 0.027, and the sphere obtained by encasing the core with the intermediate layer has an initial velocity A and the core has an initial velocity B which together satisfy the condition A?B?0 m/s.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideo Watanabe, Katsunori Sato, Masanobu Kuwahara
  • Patent number: 10758786
    Abstract: In a golf ball having a two-layer core consisting of an inner core layer and an outer core layer, one or more intermediate layer, and a cover serving as an outermost layer, the inner core layer and outer core layer are each formed primarily of a base rubber, the inner core layer has a diameter of at least 21 mm, the intermediate layer and the cover are each formed primarily of a resin material, and the overall core has a specific hardness profile. The golf ball has a high initial velocity while holding down the spin rate on full shots with a driver or long iron, thus enabling a good distance to be achieved. The ball also has a high controllability in the short game.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideo Watanabe, Akira Kimura, Masanobu Kuwahara
  • Publication number: 20200206580
    Abstract: In a golf ball having a core, an intermediate layer and a cover, the intermediate layer-encased sphere has a higher surface hardness than the ball. The core hardness profile in the ball is designed such that the core surface has a Shore C hardness value which is at least 27 higher than the Shore C hardness value at the core center, and the surface areas A to F calculated from hardness differences between positions located at specific distances in the core and differences between the specific distances satisfy a specific formula. This golf ball has an excellent flight performance when struck by skilled amateur golfers and professionals, and also has a good controllability on shots with an iron.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2020
    Publication date: July 2, 2020
    Applicant: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideo WATANABE, Masanobu KUWAHARA
  • Patent number: 10639523
    Abstract: In a golf ball having a two-layer core consisting of an inner core layer and an outer core layer, an intermediate layer and a cover, the core is formed primarily of a base rubber, the diameter of the inner core layer is at least 21 mm, the intermediate layer and cover are each formed primarily of a resin material, the overall core has a specific hardness profile, the inner core layer has a higher specific gravity than the outer core layer, and the sphere consisting of the core encased by the intermediate layer has a higher surface hardness than the ball. This golf ball has a high initial velocity at impact while holding down the spin rate on full shots with a driver or long iron, enabling a good distance to be achieved. The ball also has a good controllability in the short game.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideo Watanabe, Akira Kimura, Masanobu Kuwahara
  • Publication number: 20200108299
    Abstract: In a multi-piece solid golf ball made up of, successively, a core, an intermediate layer and a cover having numerous dimples on the surface thereof, the intermediate layer is formed of a resin material and the cover is formed of a urethane resin material, each having a specific respective Shore D hardness. The ball has a specific (intermediate layer thickness)/(core diameter) value and a specific (cover thickness)/(core diameter) value, and the core has a specific deflection and has a specific hardness profile from a center to a surface thereof. This golf ball provides an increased distance and has both a soft feel when played and a high durability to repeated impact.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2019
    Publication date: April 9, 2020
    Applicant: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideo Watanabe, Katsunori Sato, Masanobu Kuwahara
  • Patent number: 10610741
    Abstract: In a golf ball having a core, an intermediate layer and a cover, the intermediate layer-encased sphere has a higher surface hardness than the ball. The core hardness profile in the ball is designed such that the core surface has a Shore C hardness value which is at least 28 higher than the Shore C hardness value at the core center, and the surface areas A to F calculated from hardness differences between positions located at specific distances in the core and differences between the specific distances satisfy a specific formula. This golf ball has an excellent flight performance when struck by skilled amateur golfers and professionals, and also has a good controllability on shots with an iron.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideo Watanabe, Masanobu Kuwahara
  • Patent number: 10512823
    Abstract: In a multi-piece solid golf ball made up of, successively, a core, an intermediate layer and a cover having numerous dimples on the surface thereof, the intermediate layer is formed of a resin material and the cover is formed of a urethane resin material, each having a specific respective Shore D hardness. The ball has a specific (intermediate layer thickness)/(core diameter) value and a specific (cover thickness)/(core diameter) value, and the core has a specific deflection. The sphere consisting of the core encased by the intermediate layer has an initial velocity A and the core has an initial velocity B which together satisfy the condition A?B?0 m/s. This golf ball provides an increased distance and has both a soft feel when played and a high durability to repeated impact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2019
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideo Watanabe, Katsunori Sato, Masanobu Kuwahara
  • Publication number: 20190351293
    Abstract: In a golf ball having a core, an intermediate layer and a cover, the intermediate layer-encased sphere has a higher surface hardness than the ball. The core hardness profile in the ball is designed such that the core surface has a Shore C hardness value which is at least 28 higher than the Shore C hardness value at the core center, and the surface areas A to F calculated from hardness differences between positions located at specific distances in the core and differences between the specific distances satisfy a specific formula. This golf ball has an excellent flight performance when struck by skilled amateur golfers and professionals, and also has a good controllability on shots with an iron.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 5, 2019
    Publication date: November 21, 2019
    Applicant: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideo WATANABE, Masanobu Kuwahara
  • Publication number: 20190351292
    Abstract: A golf ball for amateur golfers is endowed with both an excellent flight when hit by golfers whose head speed is not very high and a soft yet good feel at impact. The ball has a core, an envelope layer, an intermediate layer and a cover. The core is formed primarily of a base rubber and the intermediate layer is formed so as to be thicker than the envelope layer and the cover. The respective surface hardnesses of the core, envelope layer-encased sphere, intermediate layer-encased sphere and ball satisfy a specific relationship. The core hardness profile is designed such that the surface areas A to F calculated from hardness differences between positions located at specific distances in the core and differences between the specific distances satisfy a specific formula.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2019
    Publication date: November 21, 2019
    Applicant: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideo WATANABE, Masanobu KUWAHARA
  • Publication number: 20190255392
    Abstract: In a golf ball having a two-layer core consisting of an inner core layer and an outer core layer, an intermediate layer and a cover, the core is formed primarily of a base rubber, the diameter of the inner core layer is at least 21 mm, the intermediate layer and cover are each formed primarily of a resin material, the overall core has a specific hardness profile, the inner core layer has a higher specific gravity than the outer core layer, and the sphere consisting of the core encased by the intermediate layer has a higher surface hardness than the ball. This golf ball has a high initial velocity at impact while holding down the spin rate on full shots with a driver or long iron, enabling a good distance to be achieved. The ball also has a good controllability in the short game.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2019
    Publication date: August 22, 2019
    Applicant: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideo WATANABE, Akira KIMURA, Masanobu KUWAHARA
  • Publication number: 20190217161
    Abstract: In a multi-piece solid golf ball having a core, an intermediate layer encasing the core and a cover which encases the intermediate layer and has numerous dimples on an outside surface thereof, the intermediate layer is formed of a resin material, the cover is formed of a urethane resin material, the core has a diameter of at least 38.0 mm, the sphere obtained by encasing the core with the intermediate layer has a surface hardness on the Shore D hardness scale of at least 69, the cover has a material hardness on the Shore D hardness scale of 55 or less, the (intermediate layer thickness)/(core diameter) value is from 0.025 to 0.043, the (cover thickness)/(core diameter) value is from 0.014 to 0.027, and the sphere obtained by encasing the core with the intermediate layer has an initial velocity A and the core has an initial velocity B which together satisfy the condition A?B?0 m/s.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2018
    Publication date: July 18, 2019
    Applicant: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideo Watanabe, Katsunori Sato, Masanobu Kuwahara