Patents by Inventor Thomas O. Bennett

Thomas O. Bennett 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: 7815523
    Abstract: A golf club head having portions of varying density is disclosed and claimed. The club head includes a body with a recess in the back between the heel and toe and extending toward the sole. An insert that is configured to matingly correspond to the recess is positioned within the recess. The insert has a lower specific gravity than the club head body, biasing the club head mass toward the club head perimeter. The insert can form a muscle of the club head. The club head is forged, and the recess is formed by machining. After the insert is positioned within the recess, the club head-insert combination is subjected to additional forging and finishing steps. The present invention increases the club head moment of inertia and/or enlarges the club head sweet spot while retaining the golfer's ability to work the golf ball and shape the golf shot. The present invention can be used with forged, blade, and muscle back clubs, which have not heretofore been enhanced in these manners.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Scott A. Knutson, Peter J. Gilbert, Thomas O. Bennett
  • Patent number: 7771288
    Abstract: A golf club head is disclosed. The golf club head has a body member and a face insert formed of different materials. The body material is relatively soft and ductile to allow the club to be customized, and the face insert member is relatively hard and wear resistant to ensure that the face groove geometry remains substantially unaltered through use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2010
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Peter J. Gilbert, M. Scott Burnett, Thomas O. Bennett
  • Publication number: 20100190567
    Abstract: Golf equipment including a set of golf clubs having a substantially constant distance from the shaft axis to the central point of the club face for each club in the set. The central point may be the geometric center of the face or the impact point, which may be the same or different.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2009
    Publication date: July 29, 2010
    Inventors: Thomas O. Bennett, Gery Zimmerman
  • Publication number: 20090291774
    Abstract: A golf club head is disclosed. The golf club head has a body member and a face insert formed of different materials. The body material is relatively soft and ductile to allow the club to be customized, and the face insert member is relatively hard and wear resistant to ensure that the face groove geometry remains substantially unaltered through use. A bimetallic face insert may be used. The outer layer is hard and wear resistant, and the inner layer is softer and may include copper. The outer layer is thin, and the inner layer may be seen in the bottoms of the face grooves. A cavity may be provided underneath the face insert. This cavity may be either empty or filled, such as with a dampening member or a weight member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2009
    Publication date: November 26, 2009
    Inventor: Thomas O. Bennett