Patents by Inventor Yasunori Imamoto

Yasunori Imamoto 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: 7520822
    Abstract: A golf club head includes a front body formed of a titanium-based metal material, an FRP body, a metallic sole plate, and a weight member. The front body has a face portion, a metal sole portion, a metal side portion (toe), a metal crown portion, a metal side portion (heel), and a hosel portion. A slight gap is formed between a front side of the sole plate and the metal sole portion. Preferably, the front body is made of a titanium alloy, while the sole plate is made of stainless steel. The height of center of gravity (mm) and the head volume V have a relationship of H?0.05V+7.5.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2009
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hisashi Yamagishi, Yasunori Imamoto
  • Patent number: 7497788
    Abstract: A hollow golf club head has a face portion, a sole portion, a side portion, a crown portion, and a hosel portion. A main portion of the crown portion is made of fiber reinforced plastic. At least the face portion and the front edge portion of the crown portion continuing to the face portion are made of metal. A circumferential edge portion of the crown portion made of fiber reinforced plastic is joined to the rear end surface and the internal surface of the metal front edge portion of the crown portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2009
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasunori Imamoto, Katsumi Iida
  • Patent number: 7481719
    Abstract: A golf club head has a head main body, an elastic body, and a lid body. The head main body has a back surface and a sole surface, and defines a recess portion depressed from one of the back surface and the sole surface. The elastic body is fixed in the recess portion in an compressed state and defines an empty portion. The lid body is attached to an entrance portion of the recess portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2009
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yasunori Imamoto
  • Patent number: 7455600
    Abstract: A hollow golf club head includes a face portion, a sole portion, a side portion, a crown portion and a hosel portion. A main portion of the crown portion is made of a fiber plastic resin. At least the face portion, a front edge portion of the crown portion continuous with the face portion, and a central portion of the sole portion in a toe-heel direction are made of a metal. A loft angle is in a range of 14° to 25°. A head volume is in a range of 100 cc to 230 cc. A weight of a fiber plastic resin portion of the golf club head is in a range of 6% to 30% of a weight of the golf club head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2008
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasunori Imamoto, Hisashi Yamagishi
  • Patent number: 7438649
    Abstract: A golf club head is formed from a front-face body made of a metal material, an FRP body, a metal sole plate, and a weight member. The front-face body is formed from a front-face body main body made of a crystalline metal, and a face plate which is fitted in an opening of the front-face body main body and fixedly attached thereto by means of caulking and which is made of an amorphous metal. The front-face body main body includes a face, a metal sole, a metal side portion (toe), a metal crown portion, a metal side portion (heel), and a hosel. A front edge of the sole plate and the metal sole are separated with a gap of about 4 to 12 mm therebetween, which forms the FRP body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2008
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Ezaki, Yasunori Imamoto
  • Patent number: 7435188
    Abstract: A golf putter head includes a hollow-structured body frame made of a metal material having a specific gravity of 4 to 9, which includes a face forming a recess, a crown forming in a center thereof a depression occupying at least 35% of an entire area of the crown, a toe, a heel, first and second sides extending backward from the toe and the heel respectively, a back connecting the first side and the second side, and a sole. A weight distribution is provided so that the toe, the heel, and the back are increased in wall thickness relative to a remaining portion. A face member made of a material having a specific gravity of 0.9 to 3 is attached to the recess of the face. A crown member made of the material having the specific gravity of 0.9 to 3 is attached to the depression of the crown.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2008
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsuo Tateno, Yasunori Imamoto
  • Patent number: 7410427
    Abstract: An iron golf club head includes a head main body and an FRP body. The head main body includes a face portion, a first face along the face portion, second faces, and a recess behind the head portion. The second faces continue from a rear face of the face portion to the first face. The recess is defined by the first face and the second faces. The hollow FRP body is disposed in the recess, overlaps the first face and the second faces, and closes an opening portion of the recess. At least a part of crossing corner portions between the first face and the second faces has a curved face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasunori Imamoto, Hisashi Yamagishi
  • Patent number: 7351163
    Abstract: A head body of a golf club head has a hollow portion defined by an outer wall. An opening portion is provided in a part of the head body. A small tungsten alloy piece having a shape fittable to the opening portion so as to cover the opening portion is fixedly attached to the opening portion by welding. The golf club head defines the opening portion in a part of the metal head body and has the small tungsten alloy piece fitted and joined to the opening portion by welding so that the golf club head can be reduced in weight because of provision of the hollow portion. Since the small tungsten alloy piece is joined to the opening portion by welding, difficult plastic forming is not required particularly, and the weight can be adjusted easily and accurately.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2008
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideo Shimazaki, Yasunori Imamoto
  • Patent number: 7347795
    Abstract: A golf club head includes a front body formed of a titanium-based metal material, an FRP body, a metallic sole plate, and a weight member. The front body has a face portion, a metal sole portion, a metal side portion (toe), a metal crown portion, a metal side portion (heel), and a hosel portion. A slight gap is formed between a front side of the sole plate and the metal sole portion. Preferably, the front body is made of a titanium alloy, while the sole plate is made of stainless steel. The height of center of gravity (mm) and the head volume V have a relationship of H?0.05V+7.5.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2008
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hisashi Yamagishi, Yasunori Imamoto
  • Patent number: 7344452
    Abstract: A golf club head includes a front body formed of a titanium-based metal material, an FRP body, a metallic sole plate, and a weight member. The front body has a face portion, a metal sole portion, a metal side portion (toe), a metal crown portion, a metal side portion (heel), and a hosel portion. A slight gap is formed between a front side of the sole plate and the metal sole portion. Preferably, the front body is made of a titanium alloy, while the sole plate is made of stainless steel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2008
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasunori Imamoto, Hisashi Yamagishi
  • Patent number: 7326472
    Abstract: A head body of a golf club head has a hollow portion defined by an outer wall. An opening portion is provided in a part of the head body. A small tungsten alloy piece having a shape fittable to the opening portion so as to cover the opening portion is fixedly attached to the opening portion by welding. The golf club head defines the opening portion in a part of the metal head body and has the small tungsten alloy piece fitted and joined to the opening portion by welding so that the golf club head can be reduced in weight because of provision of the hollow portion. Since the small tungsten alloy piece is joined to the opening portion by welding, difficult plastic forming is not required particularly, and the weight can be adjusted easily and accurately.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2008
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideo Shimazaki, Yasunori Imamoto
  • Publication number: 20080020859
    Abstract: The present invention provides a golf club head that can hit a ball with a sufficiently large amount of backspin. The golf club head according to the present invention is an iron type golf club head made of a metal and including a flat face. A plurality of traces are formed by milling on the face. The pitch of the traces is between 0.1 mm and 1 mm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2007
    Publication date: January 24, 2008
    Applicant: BRIDGESTONE SPORTS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hisashi Yamagishi, Yasunori Imamoto
  • Publication number: 20080020860
    Abstract: A golf club head has a head main body, an elastic body, and a lid body. The head main body has a back surface and a sole surface, and defines a recess portion depressed from one of the back surface and the sole surface. The elastic body is fixed in the recess portion in an compressed state and defines an empty portion. The lid body is attached to an entrance portion of the recess portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2007
    Publication date: January 24, 2008
    Applicant: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yasunori IMAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20080015049
    Abstract: To provide a golf club head in which a sole portion has a high rigidity. A weight material is mounted near a central part of the sole portion in the fore-to-aft direction, and a rib extends in the toe-to-heel direction. Since the sole portion has high rigidity in the toe-to-heel direction, there is less deformation of the head in the toe-to-heel direction when hitting the ball, thereby suppressing the vibration of the sole portion. An elastic body is filled in a recess portion and closely contacted with the weight material, whereby the vibration of the sole portion is absorbed by the elastic body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2007
    Publication date: January 17, 2008
    Inventor: Yasunori IMAMOTO
  • Patent number: 7318782
    Abstract: A golf club head includes a front body formed of a metal material, an FRP body, a metallic sole plate, and a weight member. The front body has a face portion, a metal sole portion, a metal side portion (toe), a metal crown portion, a metal side portion (heel), and a hosel portion. A slight gap in a range of 4 mm to 12 mm is formed between a front side of the sole plate and the metal sole portion. This part is formed of the FRP body. Preferably, the metal material of the front body includes a titanium-based alloy or a zirconium-based amorphous alloy. The sole plate is made of stainless steel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2008
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasunori Imamoto, Hisashi Yamagishi
  • Patent number: 7316623
    Abstract: A golf club head has a head main body, an elastic body, and a lid body. The head main body has a back surface and a sole surface, and defines a recess portion depressed from one of the back surface and the sole surface. The elastic body is fixed in the recess portion in an compressed state and defines an empty portion. The lid body is attached to an entrance portion of the recess portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2008
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yasunori Imamoto
  • Publication number: 20070298907
    Abstract: A golf club head includes a front body formed of a titanium-based metal material, an FRP body, a metallic sole plate, and a weight member. The front body has a face portion, a metal sole portion, a metal side portion (toe), a metal crown portion, a metal side portion (heel), and a hosel portion. A slight gap is formed between a front side of the sole plate and the metal sole portion. Preferably, the front body is made of a titanium alloy, while the sole plate is made of stainless steel. The height of center of gravity (mm) and the head volume V have a relationship of H?0.05V+7.5.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2007
    Publication date: December 27, 2007
    Inventors: Hisashi YAMAGISHI, Yasunori IMAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20070293350
    Abstract: A golf club head includes a front body formed of a metal material, an FRP body, a metallic sole plate, and a weight member. The front body has a face portion, a metal sole portion, a metal side portion (toe), a metal crown portion, a metal side portion (heel), and a hosel portion. A slight gap in a range of 4 mm to 12 mm is formed between a front side of the sole plate and the metal sole portion. This part is formed of the FRP body. Preferably, the metal material of the front body includes a titanium-based alloy or a zirconium-based amorphous alloy. The sole plate is made of stainless steel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 13, 2007
    Publication date: December 20, 2007
    Inventors: Yasunori IMAMOTO, Hisashi YAMAGISHI
  • Patent number: 7303486
    Abstract: A golf club head made of metal includes a face surface, a back surface, and an elastic body. Plural hollow portions are defined between the face surface and the back surface and are arranged in an upper and lower direction. The elastic body is filled in the lowermost hollow portion. The plural hollow portions are defined in a lower portion of the golf club head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2007
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co. Ltd
    Inventor: Yasunori Imamoto
  • Patent number: 7273423
    Abstract: To provide a golf club head in which a sole portion has a high rigidity. A weight material is mounted near a central part of the sole portion in the fore-to-aft direction, and a rib extends in the toe-to-heel direction. Since the sole portion has high rigidity in the toe-to-heel direction, there is less deformation of the head in the toe-to-heel direction when hitting the ball, thereby suppressing the vibration of the sole portion. An elastic body is filled in a recess portion and closely contacted with the weight material, whereby the vibration of the sole portion is absorbed by the elastic body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2007
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sport Corporation
    Inventor: Yasunori Imamoto