Patents by Inventor Tomoya Hirano

Tomoya Hirano 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: 20090118032
    Abstract: A wood-type golf club head has a hollow structure comprising a face portion having a back surface and a front surface defining a club face for striking a ball, a crown portion, a sole portion, and a side portion between the crown portion and sole portion. The hollow structure is provided with a hollow and a solid part. The solid part extends forward from the backmost point of the club head by a distance of from 0.08 to 0.20 times the maximum size of the club head in the back-and-forth direction, the hollow extends between the front surface of the solid part and the back surface of the face portion. The main frame of the hollow structure integrally includes the solid part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2008
    Publication date: May 7, 2009
    Inventor: Tomoya Hirano
  • Publication number: 20090075752
    Abstract: A hollow golf club head has a head volume of not less than 430 cc, a lateral moment of inertia of from 5000 to 5900 g sq·cm, and a club head thickness of from 45 to 58 mm. In a vertical plane including a sweet spot and the center of gravity of the head, preferably, a crown surface length measured along the upper outer surface of the club head from an upper edge of a club face to the rearmost point of the club head is set in a range of from 1.02 to 1.20 times a sole surface length measured along the lower outer surface of the club head from a lower edge of the club face to the rearmost point of the club head.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 2, 2008
    Publication date: March 19, 2009
    Inventor: Tomoya Hirano
  • Patent number: 7479070
    Abstract: A golf club head has a hollow structure comprising a metallic main body provided in a crown portion with a crown opening, and a metallic crown plate fitted in the opening. In order to lower the center of gravity by reducing the weight of the crown portion, the thickness of the crown plate is decreased, and the crown plate is butt welded to the main body without substantial overlap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2009
    Assignee: SRI Sports Limited
    Inventor: Tomoya Hirano
  • Publication number: 20090005190
    Abstract: A wood-type golf club head has a hollow structure having a specific configuration in which, in order to make it easier to rotate the club head around the clubshaft during swing while maintaining a large lateral moment of inertia, the relative positions of the club face, the center of gravity, the clubshaft center line and the heel are optimized by limiting the face progression within a range between 21 to 27 mm, and the area ratio (S1/S2) of two specific right-angle triangles (OGP and ORQ) described on a horizontal plane (HP2) within a range of from 4 to 10.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2008
    Publication date: January 1, 2009
    Inventor: Tomoya Hirano
  • Publication number: 20080261314
    Abstract: A compound represented by the following general formula (I) or a salt thereof: wherein R1 represents hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, an alkoxy group, or hydroxy group; R2 represents a group represented by the following formula (A): wherein X1 to X4 represent hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, or 2-pyridylmethyl group, and m and n represent 0 or 1; Y represents a single bond or —CO—; R3 represents a carboxy-substituted aryl group, a carboxy-substituted heteroaryl group, benzothiazol-2-yl group, or 5-oxo-2-thioxo-4-imidazolyzinylidenmethyl group], and a fluorescent probe for zinc which comprises said compound or a salt thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2008
    Publication date: October 23, 2008
    Applicants: DAIICHI PURE CHEMICALS CO., LTD., TETSUO NAGANO
    Inventors: Tetsuo NAGANO, Kazuya Kikuchi, Tomoya Hirano, Satoko Maruyama
  • Patent number: 7435189
    Abstract: An iron-type golf club head comprises a top having an upper surface of the club head, a sole having a bottom surface of the club head, a toe connecting between the top and the sole, a heel being in the opposite side of the toe, a face portion being surrounded by the top, the sole and the toe, the face portion comprising a thick part having an area including a sweet spot of the club head and a thin part provided around the thick part and having a thickness smaller than the thick part, the thin part comprising at least upper thin part provided between the top and the thick part, and the upper thin part having a width increasing from both sides of the toe and the heel toward therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2008
    Assignee: SRI Sports Limited
    Inventor: Tomoya Hirano
  • Publication number: 20080248896
    Abstract: A golf club head comprises a face portion having a front face defining the club face and a rear face facing a hollow, wherein the face portion is provided on the rear face with an upper rib, a lower rib, a toe-side groove and a heel-side groove which extend radially from a thickest central region, so as to form a toe-side upper region, a toe-side lower region, a heel-side upper region and a heel-side lower region. The thickness distribution of the face portion satisfies the following magnitude relations: (Central region>=upper rib); (central region>=Lower rib); (upper rib>Toe-side upper region>Toe-side groove); (Lower rib>Toe-side lower region>Toe-side groove); (upper rib>Heel-side upper region>Heel-side groove); and (Lower rib>Heel-side lower region>Heel-side groove).
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2008
    Publication date: October 9, 2008
    Inventor: Tomoya Hirano
  • Patent number: 7396297
    Abstract: A hollow golf club head comprises a face portion whose front face defines a club face for striking a golf ball, a crown portion intersecting the club face at the upper edge thereof, and a sole portion intersecting the club face at the lower edge thereof, wherein at least one of the crown portion or the sole portion is made of a rolled steel at least partially, and a rolling direction of the rolled steel is in the range of from 0 to 20 degrees with respect to a front-back direction of the head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2008
    Assignee: SRI Sports Limited
    Inventor: Tomoya Hirano
  • Publication number: 20080081709
    Abstract: A hollow wood-type golf club head with improved directional stability having, in head periphery region Ao including head contour line OL defined by crown portion 4 when viewed from above as a plane view of the head in the standard state, thick wall portion 9 extending along the contour line and expanding toward the hollow portion side to have an increased thickness, wherein the thick wall portion 9 comprises crown thick wall portion 9c which forms a part of crown portion 4 and has a thickness of 1.2 to 2.0 mm, and side thick wall portion 9s which is continuous with the crown thick wall portion 9c and forms a part of side portion 6 and has a thickness of 1.2 to 3.0 mm, and wherein the thick wall portion 9 has a width along the head outer surface of 6 to 16 mm in a vertical section passing through the head center of gravity G in the standard state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2007
    Publication date: April 3, 2008
    Inventor: Tomoya Hirano
  • Publication number: 20070298507
    Abstract: A fluorescent probe which specifically and efficiently traps nitrogen monoxide, zinc ion etc. to emit fluorescence is provided. A compound represented by the following general formula (I): [wherein R1 and R2 represent hydrogen atom, or a group represented by the following formula (A): (wherein X1 to X4 represent hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, or a protective group for amino group, and m and n represent 0 or 1); R3 and R4 represent hydrogen atom, a C1-6 alkyl group, or a C1-6 alkoxy group; R5 to R12 represent hydrogen atom, sulfo group, phospho group, a halogen atom, or a C1-6 alkyl group; R13 and R14 represent a C1-18 alkyl group; Z1 represents oxygen atom, sulfur atom, or —N(R15)— (wherein R15 represents hydrogen atom, or a C1-6 alkyl group); Y1 and Y2 represent —C(?O)—, —C(?S)—, or —C(R16)(R17) (wherein R16 and R17 represent a C1-6 alkyl group); and M? represents a counter ion in a number required for neutralizing the charge].
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2005
    Publication date: December 27, 2007
    Inventors: Tetsuo Nagano, Eita Sasaki, Hirotatsu Kojima, Tomoya Hirano, Kazuya Kikuchi
  • Publication number: 20070270236
    Abstract: A golf club head comprises a face portion of which front face defines a club face, wherein at least a part of the face portion is formed by a unidirectionally rolled plate of a titanium alloy having alpha phase such as alpha titanium alloys and alpha+beta titanium alloys, and the unidirectional rolled direction of the plate is oriented in the toe-heel direction of the head. At least 50% in area of the face portion is formed by the unidirectionally rolled plate. The angle (theta) between the rolled direction and the toe-heel direction is not more than 15 degrees.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2007
    Publication date: November 22, 2007
    Inventor: Tomoya Hirano
  • Publication number: 20070219018
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a hollow golf club head is disclosed, wherein a metallic main frame provided with a top opening and a bottom opening, a metallic crown plate and a metallic sole plate are prepared. The sole plate is placed in the bottom opening. A die is inserted into the inside of the main frame through the top opening. A protrusion of the sole plate is crushed onto the edge portion of the main frame around the bottom opening, by the use of the inserted die. Then the top opening is closed by the crown plate. The specific gravity SGm and proof stress YSm of the main frame, the specific gravity SGs and proof stress YSs of the sole plate, and the specific gravity SGf of the face plate satisfy: SGf=<SGm<SGs and YSs<YSm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2007
    Publication date: September 20, 2007
    Inventor: Tomoya Hirano
  • Patent number: 7220190
    Abstract: A golf club head having a face portion that hits a ball, which includes: a center thick portion; a portion of a varying thickness in annular form; and a peripheral thin portion provided around the portion of a varying thickness, where the peripheral thin portion of which the thickness is the smaller than that of the center thick portion. The peripheral thin portion includes a first thin portion and a second thin portion. The first thin portion is provided in at least one portion of a sole portion, a toe portion and a heel portion of the peripheral thin portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2007
    Assignee: SRI Sports Limited
    Inventor: Tomoya Hirano
  • Publication number: 20070105657
    Abstract: A golf club head has a hollow structure comprising a metallic main body provided in a crown portion with a crown opening, and a metallic crown plate fitted in the opening. In order to lower the center of gravity by reducing the weight of the crown portion, the thickness of the crown plate is decreased, and the crown plate is butt welded to the main body without substantial overlap.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2006
    Publication date: May 10, 2007
    Inventor: Tomoya Hirano
  • Publication number: 20070105656
    Abstract: A hollow golf club head comprises a face portion whose front face defines a club face for striking a golf ball, a crown portion intersecting the club face at the upper edge thereof, and a sole portion intersecting the club face at the lower edge thereof, wherein at least one of the crown portion or the sole portion is made of a rolled steel at least partially, and a rolling direction of the rolled steel is in the range of from 0 to 20 degrees with respect to a front-back direction of the head.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2006
    Publication date: May 10, 2007
    Inventor: Tomoya Hirano
  • Publication number: 20060287131
    Abstract: A golf club head and a manufacturing method therefor in which the coefficient of restitution can be easily adjusted to desirable values for example the upper limit specified by Golf the Rules without impairing the durability and the directional stability. The head comprises a face member having a ball striking club face, and a main member at the front of which the face member is disposed, wherein the face member is produced from a titanium alloy, and the main member is produced from another titanium alloy having a larger specific gravity than that of the face member's titanium alloy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 1, 2006
    Publication date: December 21, 2006
    Inventor: Tomoya Hirano
  • Patent number: 7144337
    Abstract: An iron type golf club head is provided with an annular trench including: an upper side trench portion that is positioned above the horizontal border line on the face surface through the sweet spot; and a lower side trench portion that is positioned beneath the above described border plane, and a ratio (Wu/Wd) of the average trench width Wu of the upper side trench portion to the average trench width Wd of the lower side trench portion is in the range of 2.5 to 5.0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2006
    Assignee: SRI Sports Limited
    Inventor: Tomoya Hirano
  • Patent number: 7074823
    Abstract: A compound represented by general formula (IA) or a salt thereof useful as a fluorescent probe for zinc: wherein R1 and R2 represent a hydrogen atom or a group represented by formula (A), wherein X1, X2, X3, and X4 represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, a 2-pyridylmethyl group, or a protective group for an amino group, and m and n represent 0 or 1, provided that R1 and R2 do not simultaneously represent hydrogen atoms; R3 and R4 represent a hydrogen atom or a halogen atom; and R5 and R6 represent a hydrogen atom, an alkylcarbonyl group, or an alkylcarbonyloxymethyl group, and R7 represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2006
    Assignees: Daiichi Pure Chemical Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tetsuo Nagano, Kazuya Kikuchi, Tomoya Hirano
  • Publication number: 20060116219
    Abstract: An iron-type golf club head comprises a top having an upper surface of the club head, a sole having a bottom surface of the club head, a toe connecting between the top and the sole, a heel being in the opposite side of the toe, a face portion being surrounded by the top, the sole and the toe, the face portion comprising a thick part having an area including a sweet spot of the club head and a thin part provided around the thick part and having a thickness smaller than the thick part, the thin part comprising at least upper thin part provided between the top and the thick part, and the upper thin part having a width increasing from both sides of the toe and the heel toward therebetween.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2005
    Publication date: June 1, 2006
    Inventor: Tomoya Hirano
  • Patent number: RE40572
    Abstract: A compound represented by general formula (IA) or a salt thereof useful as a fluorescent probe for zinc: wherein R1 and R2 represent a hydrogen atom or a group represented by formula (A), wherein X1, X2, X3, and X4 represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, a 2-pyridylmethyl group, or a protective group for an amino group, and m and n represent 0 or 1 provided that R1 and R2 do not simultaneously represent hydrogen atoms; R3 and R4 represent a hydrogen atom or a halogen atom; and R5 and R6 represent a hydrogen atom, an alkylcarbonyl group, or an alkylcarbonyloxymethyl group, and R7 represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2008
    Assignees: Sekisui Medical Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tetsuo Nagano, Kazuya Kikuchi, Tomoya Hirano