Patents by Inventor Yuichiro Ozawa

Yuichiro Ozawa 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: 9364721
    Abstract: The invention provides a golf ball having a core and a cover of at least one layer. The core has a cross-sectional hardness which, letting (H?14) be a JIS-C hardness at a position 14 mm in from a surface toward a center of the core, (H?8) be a JIS-C hardness at a position 8 mm in from the surface toward the center of the core, (H?6) be a JIS-C hardness at a position 6 mm in from the surface toward the center of the core, and (H?4) be a JIS-C hardness at a position 4 mm in from the surface toward the center of the core, satisfies the formulas (1) H?14<70, (2) H?8<72, (3) H?6<75, and (3) H?4?H?8>8.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2016
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Nakajima, Kazufumi Tabata, Yuichiro Ozawa, Takashi Ohira, Hiroshi Higuchi
  • Patent number: 9314673
    Abstract: A golf ball having a good rebound and excellent flight performance can be obtained using a golf ball composition which contains a diene polymer having an aluminum catalyst residue content of not more than 650 ppm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignees: BRIDGESTONE SPORTS CO., LTD, BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hideo Takeichi, Takashi Ohira, Yuichiro Ozawa, Tsuyoshi Nakajima, Satoru Tamaki, Yusuke Yamagata, Teppei Mori
  • Publication number: 20160074710
    Abstract: The invention provides a golf ball having a core and a cover of one layer or a plurality of layers, the core being formed of a material molded under heat from a rubber composition which includes (A) a base rubber, (B) an organic peroxide, and (C) water and/or a metal monocarboxylate. The product P×E of the difference P (mol/m3) in crosslink density between the core surface and the core center, as measured based on a toluene swelling test, multiplied by the deflection E (mm) of the core when compressed under a final load of 1,275 N (130 kgf) from an initial load state of 98 N (10 kgf) is at least 28×102 mol/m3·mm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2015
    Publication date: March 17, 2016
    Applicant: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi NAKAJIMA, Yuichiro OZAWA
  • Patent number: 9254420
    Abstract: A golf ball having a good rebound and excellent flight performance can be obtained using a golf ball composition which includes a diene polymer containing not more than 1.5% of components having a molecular weight of 30,000 or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2016
    Assignees: BRIDGESTONE SPORTS CO., LTD., BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hideo Takeichi, Takashi Ohira, Yuichiro Ozawa, Tsuyoshi Nakajima, Satoru Tamaki, Yusuke Yamagata, Teppei Mori
  • Patent number: 9242144
    Abstract: A golf ball having a good rebound and excellent flight performance can be obtained using a golf ball composition which includes a diene polymer having a molecular weight distribution (Mw/Mn) of less than 1.9.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2016
    Assignees: BRIDGESTONE SPORTS CO., LTD., BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hideo Takeichi, Takashi Ohira, Yuichiro Ozawa, Tsuyoshi Nakajima, Satoru Tamaki, Yusuke Yamagata, Teppei Mori
  • Patent number: 9242146
    Abstract: A golf ball having a good rebound and excellent flight performance can be obtained using a golf ball composition which contains a diene polymer having a smallest molecular weight value of at least 3,000.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2016
    Assignees: BRIDGESTONE SPORTS CO., LTD., BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hideo Takeichi, Takashi Ohira, Yuichiro Ozawa, Tsuyoshi Nakajima, Satoru Tamaki, Yusuke Yamagata, Teppei Mori
  • Patent number: 9242145
    Abstract: A golf ball endowed with a good rebound and an excellent flight performance can be obtained using a golf ball composition of good workability which contains a diene polymer having a peak top molecular weight (Mp) on a molecular weight distribution curve measured using gel permeation chromatography (GPC) of at least 40×104 and not more than 100×104.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2016
    Assignees: BRIDGESTONE SPORTS CO., LTD., BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hideo Takeichi, Takashi Ohira, Yuichiro Ozawa, Tsuyoshi Nakajima, Satoru Tamaki, Yusuke Yamagata, Teppei Mori
  • Patent number: 9211445
    Abstract: The invention provides a golf ball having a core and a cover of one layer or a plurality of layers, the core being formed of a material molded under heat from a rubber composition which includes (A) a base rubber, (B) an organic peroxide, and (C) water and/or a metal monocarboxylate. The product P×E of the difference P (mol/m3) in crosslink density between the core surface and the core center, as measured based on a toluene swelling test, multiplied by the deflection E (mm) of the core when compressed under a final load of 1,275 N (130 kgf) from an initial load state of 98 N (10 kgf) is at least 28×102 mol/m3·mm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Nakajima, Yuichiro Ozawa
  • Patent number: 9050500
    Abstract: A golf ball of the present invention includes: a core located in the center of the golf ball; a cover surrounding the outside of the core and having plural dimples on the surface thereof; a paint layer surrounding the outside of the cover; and a top coat further surrounding the outside of the paint layer. The paint layer is formed of a material having rubber elasticity. The top coat may have a thickness of at most approximately 60 ?m. A material for forming the paint layer has a first loss tangent, a material for forming the cover has a second loss tangent, and a difference Td between the first loss tangent and the second loss tangent may be at least approximately 0.05.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2015
    Assignee: BRIDGESTONE SPORTS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Atsushi Komatsu, Yuichiro Ozawa, Hiroshi Nasu
  • Patent number: 9033824
    Abstract: A golf ball of the present invention includes: a core located in the center of the golf ball; a cover surrounding the outside of the core and having plural dimples on the surface thereof; and a paint layer surrounding the outside of the cover. The paint layer is formed of a material having rubber elasticity. When the golf ball has a ? hardness and the paint layer has a JIS-C hardness, a ratio Sp of the JIS-C hardness of the paint layer with respect to the ? hardness of the golf ball is at most approximately 15. When the cover has a Shore D hardness, a ratio Sc of the Shore D hardness of the cover with respect to the ? hardness of the golf ball may be at most approximately 25.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignee: BRIDGESTONE SPORTS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Atsushi Komatsu, Yuichiro Ozawa, Hiroshi Nasu
  • Publication number: 20150065268
    Abstract: The invention provides a golf ball having a core and a cover of one layer or a plurality of layers, the core being formed of a material molded under heat from a rubber composition which includes (A) a base rubber, (B) an organic peroxide, and (C) water and/or a metal monocarboxylate. The product P×E of the difference P (mol/m3) in crosslink density between the core surface and the core center, as measured based on a toluene swelling test, multiplied by the deflection E (mm) of the core when compressed under a final load of 1,275 N (130 kgf) from an initial load state of 98 N (10 kgf) is at least 28×102 mol/m3·mm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 3, 2013
    Publication date: March 5, 2015
    Applicant: BRIDGESTONE SPORTS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi NAKAJIMA, Yuichiro OZAWA
  • Patent number: 8962720
    Abstract: The invention provides a rubber composition for golf balls which includes (A) a base rubber containing a polybutadiene having a cis-1,4 bond content of at least 60 wt %, (B) an unsaturated carboxylic acid and/or a metal salt thereof, and (C) a benzimidazole of general formula (1) or (2) below wherein R is a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbon group of 1 to 20 carbons, and m is an integer from 1 to 4, with the proviso that if m is 2 or more, each occurrence of R may be the same or different. The golf ball rubber composition of the invention enables a high-quality molded and crosslinked product having a suitable hardness and a high resilience to be obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignees: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd., Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventors: Yuichiro Ozawa, Tsuyoshi Nakajima, Teppei Mori, Yusuke Yamagata, Takahiro Iwai
  • Patent number: 8932151
    Abstract: The invention provides a solid golf ball having a core and a cover. The core is formed of a rubber composition containing a base rubber, a co-crosslinking agent, a crosslinking initiator and a metal oxide. The base rubber contains polybutadiene, a styrene-butadiene rubber and, optionally, an isoprene rubber. The co-crosslinking agent is methacrylic acid, and the rubber composition includes a specific waste material in the form of a powder. The core deflection and the cover material are optimized. Utilizing a waste material in a solid golf ball conserves resources and thus is beneficial to the global environment. Even during prolonged use, the golf ball maintains its basic performance attributes (feel, flight, durability) at a high level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Higuchi, Hirotaka Shinohara, Motoki Furuyama, Tasuku Takita, Takashi Ohira, Daisuke Arai, Yuichiro Ozawa, Katsunori Sato
  • Patent number: 8905859
    Abstract: The invention provides a solid golf ball having a core and a cover. The core is formed of a rubber composition containing a base rubber, a co-crosslinking agent, a crosslinking initiator and a metal oxide. The co-crosslinking agent is methacrylic acid, and the rubber composition includes a specific waste material in the form of a powder. The core deflection and the cover material are optimized. Utilizing a waste material in a solid golf ball conserves resources and thus is beneficial to the global environment. Even during prolonged use, the golf ball maintains its basic performance attributes (feel, flight, durability) at a high level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Higuchi, Hirotaka Shinohara, Motoki Furuyama, Tasuku Takita, Takashi Ohira, Daisuke Arai, Yuichiro Ozawa, Katsunori Sato
  • Patent number: 8822577
    Abstract: The invention provides a rubber composition for golf balls which includes (A) a base rubber containing a polybutadiene having a cis-1,4 bond content of at least 60 wt %, (B) an unsaturated carboxylic acid and/or a metal salt thereof, and (C) a diphenylamine of the general formula wherein R1 and R2 are each independently a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbon group of 1 to 20 carbons, m is an integer from 1 to 5, and n is an integer from 1 to 4, with the proviso that if m and/or n is 2 or more, each occurrence of R1 and R2 may be the same or different. The golf ball rubber composition of the invention enables a high-quality molded and crosslinked product having a suitable hardness and a high resilience to be obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignees: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd., Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventors: Yuichiro Ozawa, Tsuyoshi Nakajima, Yusuke Yamagata, Teppei Mori, Takahiro Iwai
  • Patent number: 8822604
    Abstract: The invention provides a rubber composition for golf balls which includes: (A) a base rubber containing a polybutadiene having a cis-1,4 bond content of at least 60 wt %; (B) an unsaturated carboxylic acid and/or a metal salt thereof; (C) an anthranilic acid derivative of the general formula wherein R1 and R2 are each independently a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbon group of 1 to 20 carbons, m is an integer from 1 to 4, and n is an integer from 1 to 3, with the proviso that if m and/or n is 2 or more, each occurrence of R1 and R2 may be the same or different; and (D) sulfur. The rubber composition for golf balls of the invention enables a high-quality molded and crosslinked product having a suitable hardness and a high resilience to be obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignees: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd., Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventors: Yuichiro Ozawa, Tsuyoshi Nakajima, Yusuke Yamagata, Teppei Mori, Takahiro Iwai
  • Patent number: 8802788
    Abstract: Rubber composition for golf balls which includes: (A) a base rubber containing a polybutadiene having a cis-1,4 bond content of at least 60 wt %; (B) an unsaturated carboxylic acid and/or a metal salt thereof; (C) an anthranilic acid derivative of the general formula wherein R1 and R2 are each independently a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbon group of 1 to 20 carbons, m is an integer from 1 to 4, and n is an integer from 1 to 3, with the proviso that if m and/or n is 2 or more, each occurrence of R1 and R2 may be the same or different; and (D) an organic peroxide having a one-minute half-life temperature which is at least 158° C. and less than 175° C. The rubber composition for golf balls of the invention enables a high-quality molded and crosslinked product having a suitable hardness and a high resilience to be obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignees: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd., Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Nakajima, Yuichiro Ozawa, Yusuke Yamagata, Teppei Mori, Takahiro Iwai
  • Publication number: 20140073461
    Abstract: The invention provides a golf ball endowed with an improved distance and durability. The ball has a core and a cover, the core being formed of a rubber composition containing a base rubber, a co-crosslinking agent, a crosslinking initiator, a metal oxide and an organosulfur compound. The co-crosslinking agent is methacrylic acid, the metal oxide is zinc oxide, and the rubber composition contains the crosslinking initiator in an amount of from 1.2 to 5 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the base rubber. The finished ball has an initial velocity of at least 74.3 m/s.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 7, 2012
    Publication date: March 13, 2014
    Applicant: BRIDGESTONE SPORTS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yuichiro OZAWA, Daisuke ARAI, Hiroshi HIGUCHI, Takashi OHIRA, Katsunori SATO
  • Publication number: 20140073455
    Abstract: The invention provides a golf ball endowed with an improved distance and durability. The ball has a core and a cover, the core being formed of a rubber composition containing a base rubber, a co-crosslinking agent, a crosslinking initiator and a metal oxide. The co-crosslinking agent is methacrylic acid. The core has a hardness profile in which, letting (A) be the JIS-C hardness at the core surface, (B) be the JIS-C hardness at a position 2 mm in from the surface toward the center of the core, (C) be the JIS-C hardness at a position 5 mm in from the surface toward the center of the core, (D) be the JIS-C hardness at a position 10 mm in from the surface toward the center of the core, (E) be the JIS-C hardness at a position 15 mm in from the surface toward the center of the core, and (F) be the JIS-C hardness at the center of the core, (A) to (F) have specific hardnesses.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 7, 2012
    Publication date: March 13, 2014
    Applicant: BRIDGESTONE SPORTS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yuichiro OZAWA, Daisuke ARAI, Hiroshi HIGUCHI, Takashi OHIRA, Katsunori SATO
  • Publication number: 20140073460
    Abstract: The invention provides a golf ball endowed with an improved distance and durability. The ball has a core and a cover, the core being formed of a rubber composition containing a base rubber, a co-crosslinking agent, a crosslinking initiator and a metal oxide. The base rubber is a mixture of (A) polybutadiene with (B) styrene-butadiene rubber and/or isoprene rubber, the co-crosslinking agent is methacrylic acid, and the metal oxide is zinc oxide. The rubber composition contains the crosslinking initiator in an amount of from 1.2 to 5 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the base rubber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 7, 2012
    Publication date: March 13, 2014
    Applicant: BRIDGESTONE SPORTS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yuichiro OZAWA, Daisuke ARAI, Hiroshi HIGUCHI, Takashi OHIRA, Katsunori SATO