Patents by Inventor Stephen S. Murphy

Stephen S. Murphy 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: 9421432
    Abstract: A golf club head is provided a weight system to adjust the center of gravity. In one embodiment, the weight system is a tube having a weight at one end that may be inserted into the golf club head to move the center of gravity at least forward and backward within 6 mm and up and down within 6 mm. Preferably, the tube is angled downward toward the face by at least 3 degrees. In another embodiment, the weight system may adjust the center of gravity of the golf club head along the x and z axis simultaneously using a weighted insert.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2016
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Darryl C. Galvan, Richard L. Cleghorn, Thomas Orrin Bennett, Mark C. Myrhum, Stephanie Bezilla, Eddie G. Perez, Richard Sanchez, Kenneth C. Scott, Stephen S. Murphy
  • Patent number: 9393463
    Abstract: A golf club incorporating an interchangeable shaft system includes a shaft, a shaft sleeve, a club head. The shaft sleeve is coupled to an end of the shaft and is received in a hosel included in the club head. The shaft sleeve is removably coupled to the club head. Hosel and shaft sleeve alignment features provide discreet orientations between the shaft and club head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2016
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Thomas Orrin Bennett, Stephanie Bezilla, Charles E. Golden, Bradford Hughes Hartwell, Scott A. Knutson, Stephen S. Murphy
  • Patent number: 9381410
    Abstract: A weight system configured to adjust the location of the center of gravity of a golf club head comprising an adjustable weight comprising an aperture dimensioned to receive a fastener, a threaded bore formed in said sole and configured to receive a fastener, and a fastener configured to pass through the aperture of the adjustable weight and engage the threaded bore, wherein rotation of said fastener in a first direction locks said adjustable weight into a locked position, preventing said adjustable weight from rotating relative to said body, and wherein rotation of said fastener in a second direction, opposite said first direction, unlocks said adjustable weight into an unlocked position and allows said adjustable weight to rotate about said fastener, and wherein said adjustable weight can be unlocked and rotated without completely removing said fastener from said threaded bore.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Charles E Golden, Stephen S. Murphy, Mark C. Myrhum, Darryl C. Galvan, Thomas O. Bennett
  • Patent number: 9375616
    Abstract: A golf club incorporating an interchangeable shaft system includes a shaft, a shaft sleeve, a club head. The shaft sleeve is coupled to an end of the shaft and is received in a hosel included in the club head. The shaft sleeve is removably coupled to the club head. Hosel and shaft sleeve alignment features provide discrete orientations between the shaft and club head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2016
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Gery M. Zimmerman, Jonathan Hebreo, Adrian L. Stanescu, Helene Hipp, Marni Ines, Stephanie Bezilla, Thomas Orrin Bennett, Stephen S. Murphy
  • Patent number: 9364723
    Abstract: A golf club incorporating an interchangeable shaft system includes a shaft, a shaft sleeve, a club head. The shaft sleeve is coupled to an end of the shaft and is received in a hosel included in the club head. The shaft sleeve is removably coupled to the club head. Hosel and shaft sleeve alignment features provide discrete orientations between the shaft and club head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2016
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Christopher D. Harvell, Stephen S. Murphy
  • Publication number: 20160129319
    Abstract: A golf club head including a crown, a sole, a hosel, a face and a flexure. The flexure provides compliance during an impact between the golf club head and a golf ball, and is tuned to vibrate, immediately after impact, at a predetermined frequency. A slot is included in a portion of the golf club head and works with the flexure to further tune performance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2015
    Publication date: May 12, 2016
    Applicant: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Thomas Orrin Bennett, Stephanie Luttrell, Charles E. Golden, Scott A. Knutson, Stephen S. Murphy
  • Patent number: 9320949
    Abstract: A golf club head including a crown, a sole, a hosel, a face and a flexure. The golf club head includes a multi-material construction including a face member, a midsection and an aft member that allows optimization of the mass distribution of the golf club head. The flexure provides compliance during an impact between the golf club head and a golf ball.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Charles E. Golden, Uday V. Deshmukh, Stephanie Bezilla, Mark C. Myrhum, Stephen S. Murphy
  • Publication number: 20160067563
    Abstract: A golf club head comprising a variable thickness profile comprising a thick central portion; a transition portion; and a thin perimeter portion; wherein said transition portion surrounds said thick central portion; wherein said thin perimeter portion surrounds said transition portion; wherein said thick central portion comprises a center, said center of said thick central portion located equidistant from a heel most portion of said thick central portion and a toe most portion of said thick central portion; wherein said center of said thick central portion is offset from said geometric center of said striking face. The present invention also discloses a flexure feature located near a frontal sole portion of the golf club head, wherein the flexure has a specific thickness profile adapted to respond to the needs of the present golf club head.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2015
    Publication date: March 10, 2016
    Applicant: ACUSHNET COMPANY
    Inventors: Stephen S. Murphy, Darryl C. Galvan, Richard L. Cleghorn, Grant M. Martens, David S. Cornelius
  • Publication number: 20160067569
    Abstract: A golf club head is provided with a body that has an address position with a zero degree bounce portion on the sole and a center sole position with a multi-relief surface of the sole having a negative bounce portion. The negative bounce portion may comprise a negative 0.5 to a negative 4.0 degree surface. In one embodiment, the multi-relief surface may comprise the negative bounce portion and a cutaway portion extending to the back of the sole, which may have a depth of about 0.05 to 0.5 inch from a regular sole surface. In another embodiment, the golf club head includes a weight system to adjust the center of gravity. In one embodiment, the weight system is a tube having a weight at one end that may be inserted into the golf club head to move the center of gravity at least forward and backward within 6 mm and up and down within 6 mm. Preferably, the tube is angled downward toward the face by at least 3 degrees.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2015
    Publication date: March 10, 2016
    Applicant: ACUSHNET COMPANY
    Inventors: Thomas Orrin Bennett, Michael Scott Burnett, Daniel S. Callinan, Christopher D. Harvell, Jeffrey W. Meyer, Stephen S. Murphy
  • Publication number: 20160045791
    Abstract: A golf club incorporating an interchangeable shaft system includes a shaft, a shaft sleeve, a club head. The shaft sleeve is coupled to an end of the shaft and is received in a hosel included in the club head. The shaft sleeve is removably coupled to the club head. Hosel and shaft sleeve alignment features provide discrete orientations between the shaft and club head.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2015
    Publication date: February 18, 2016
    Applicant: ACUSHNET COMPANY
    Inventors: Darryl C. Galvan, Richard L. Cleghorn, Gery M. Zimmerman, Eddie G. Perez, Sang Yi, Mark C. Myrhum, Stephen S. Murphy, Stephanie Luttrell
  • Patent number: 9259626
    Abstract: A golf club incorporating an interchangeable shaft system includes a shaft, a shaft sleeve, a club head. The shaft sleeve is coupled to an end of the shaft and is received in a hosel included in the club head. The shaft sleeve is removably coupled to the club head. Hosel and shaft sleeve alignment features provide discrete orientations between the shaft and club head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2016
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Stephen S. Murphy, Darryl C. Galvan
  • Publication number: 20160038798
    Abstract: A golf club having variable face to body transition is disclosed herein. More specifically, the present invention relates to a golf club head having an indented transition region that helps facilitate the transition of thickness variation from the striking face to a rear aft body. The indented transition region may be located on the crown, the skirt, or the sole, and achieves improved performance by achieving an increased thickness reduction slope.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 3, 2015
    Publication date: February 11, 2016
    Inventors: Charles E. Golden, John W. Morin, Darryl C. Galvan, Richard L. Cleghorn, Stephen S. Murphy
  • Patent number: 9211452
    Abstract: A golf club head is provided with a body that has an address position with a zero degree bounce portion on the sole and a center sole position with a multi-relief surface of the sole having a negative bounce portion. The negative bounce portion may comprise a negative 0.5 to a negative 4.0 degree surface. In one embodiment, the multi-relief surface may comprise the negative bounce portion and a cutaway portion extending to the back of the sole, which may have a depth of about 0.05 to 0.5 inch from a regular sole surface. In another embodiment, the golf club head includes a weight system to adjust the center of gravity. In one embodiment, the weight system is a tube having a weight at one end that may be inserted into the golf club head to move the center of gravity at least forward and backward within 6 mm and up and down within 6 mm. Preferably, the tube is angled downward toward the face by at least 3 degrees.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Thomas Orrin Bennett, Michael Scott Burnett, Daniel S. Callinan, Christopher D. Harvell, Jeffrey W. Meyer, Stephen S. Murphy
  • Publication number: 20150352415
    Abstract: A golf club head including a crown, a sole, a hosel, a face and a flexure. The flexure provides compliance during an impact between the golf club head and a golf ball, and is tuned to vibrate, immediately after impact, at a predetermined frequency. A slot is included in a portion of the golf club head and works with the flexure to further tune performance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2015
    Publication date: December 10, 2015
    Applicant: ACUSHNET COMPANY
    Inventors: Thomas Orrin Bennett, Stephen S. Murphy, Nick Frame, Richard L. Cleghorn
  • Publication number: 20150321055
    Abstract: A weight system configured to adjust the location of the center of gravity of a golf club head comprising an adjustable weight comprising an aperture dimensioned to receive a fastener, a threaded bore formed in said sole and configured to receive a fastener, and a fastener configured to pass through the aperture of the adjustable weight and engage the threaded bore, wherein rotation of said fastener in a first direction locks said adjustable weight into a locked position, preventing said adjustable weight from rotating relative to said body, and wherein rotation of said fastener in a second direction, opposite said first direction, unlocks said adjustable weight into an unlocked position and allows said adjustable weight to rotate about said fastener, and wherein said adjustable weight can be unlocked and rotated without completely removing said fastener from said threaded bore.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 7, 2014
    Publication date: November 12, 2015
    Applicant: ACUSHNET COMPANY
    Inventors: Charles E. Golden, Stephen S. Murphy, Mark C. Myrhum, Darryl C. Galvan, Thomas O. Bennett
  • Patent number: 9174103
    Abstract: A golf club head optimized for sound has a body that defines an interior cavity. The body includes at least one of a sole portion, skirt portion, or a crown portion. At least the sole portion is stiffened to provide a higher frequency sound. The stiffened sole portion increases the frequency range of the golf club head by at least 300 Hz with an overall frequency of greater than about 3000 Hz. The stiffened sole portion provides a higher frequency sound with a minimal increase in the overall weight of the golf club head. In one embodiment, the stiffened sole portion increases the weight of the golf club head by less than 10 grams with the overall weight of the golf club head less than 220 grams. In operation, the golf club head with at least the stiffened sole portion impacts the golf ball to provide an aesthetically pleasing sound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: ACUSHNET COMPANY
    Inventors: Andrew J. Curtis, Noah de la Cruz, John Morin, Stephanie Bezilla, Thomas Orrin Bennett, Stephen S. Murphy
  • Patent number: 9144721
    Abstract: A golf club having variable face to body transition is disclosed herein. More specifically, the present invention relates to a golf club head having an indented transition region that helps facilitate the transition of thickness variation from the striking face to a rear aft body. The indented transition region may be located on the crown, the skirt, or the sole, and achieves improved performance by achieving an increased thickness reduction slope.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Charles E. Golden, John W. Morin, Darryl C. Galvan, Richard L. Cleghorn, Stephen S. Murphy
  • Publication number: 20150190688
    Abstract: A golf club head including a crown, a sole, a hosel, a face and a flexure. The flexure provides compliance during an impact between the golf club head and a golf ball, and is tuned to vibrate, immediately after impact, at a predetermined frequency.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2015
    Publication date: July 9, 2015
    Applicant: ACUSHNET COMPANY
    Inventors: Thomas Orrin Bennett, Stephanie Bezilla, Richard L. Cleghorn, Uday V. Deshmukh, Noah de la Cruz, Darryl C. Galvan, Charles E. Golden, Marni Ines, John Morin, Stephen S. Murphy, Mark C. Myrhum, Gery Zimmerman
  • Publication number: 20150165279
    Abstract: A golf club incorporating an interchangeable shaft system includes a shaft, a shaft sleeve, a club head. The shaft sleeve is coupled to an end of the shaft and is received in a hosel included in the club head. The shaft sleeve is removably coupled to the club head. Hosel and shaft sleeve alignment features provide discrete orientations between the shaft and club head.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2015
    Publication date: June 18, 2015
    Applicant: ACUSHNET COMPANY
    Inventors: Gery M. Zimmerman, Jonathan Hebreo, Adrian L. Stanescu, Helene Hipp, Marni Ines, Stephanie Bezilla, Thomas Orrin Bennett, Stephen S. Murphy
  • Publication number: 20150151172
    Abstract: A golf club head and a removable weight that is received in a receptacle of the golf club head. The weight includes a cap and a slug. The cap is removably coupled to the receptacle and includes a recess that receives a portion of the slug so that the cap and slug are able to rotate relative to each other. The slug includes an anti-rotation feature that prevents relative rotation between the slug and the receptacle and a lead-in portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2015
    Publication date: June 4, 2015
    Applicant: ACUSHNET COMPANY
    Inventors: Stephanie Bezilla, Thomas Orrin Bennett, Stephen S. Murphy, Gery M. Zimmerman