Smooth roller

Abstract

An attached device (Smooth Roller) (not an insert within a cutout on the face of a putter) made of lightweight soft urethane elastomer material. The attached device has two sides: a backside and a front or striking side. The backside of the device is flat and coated with an adhesive. The front or striking side is round in shape. Attachment is achieved by contacting the device flat backside surface, coated with an adhesive, with the putter's flat face striking surface. The attached device position is fixed by aligning the top of the device with the top of the putter's head providing the optimal striking relationship between Smooth Roller and golf ball. The Smooth Roller extends vertically and horizontally across the putter's face. The Smooth Roller can attach to any existing putter having a flat putter face. The front side or striking face is described. The urethane elastomer material of the Smooth Roller's striking face has a varied durometer (hardness) ranging from 15 to 80 rating. The lower the durometer the softer the material and can be made to accommodate individual preference for “feel” and distance control. The front or striking side surface of the Smooth Roller is shaped round and extends longitudinal along the length of the putter face. The round shaped striking face imparts a desired over spin to the golf ball when the ball is struck with a putter employing the attached Smooth Roller device. A ball struck with a putter employing the Smooth Roller device rolls smoothly across the putting surface without skidding, backspin or bouncing, which is common in putters

Description

This invention applies to the configuration of golf club putters.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The art of putting in attempting to achieve a high degree of proficiency is elusive, difficult and requires constant practice and a high degree of skill. Putting includes different facets requiring constant practice with changing conditions. The main objective in putting is to propel the golf ball into an opening in the putting surface commonly known as the “hole” in the least amount of strokes. The main facets of putting are: Distance control (fast vs. slow greens), direction, “reading” the putt (left to right or right to left breaking putt or straight) and stoking the ball. One important aspect of stroking the ball is to achieve a true roll. A true roll is achieved when a golf ball struck with a putter on the putting surface (green) does not show/exhibits skidding, bouncing and has over spin imparted to the ball. Throw into the mix the skill level of the golfer with respect to putting and stoking a putt with an ordinary flat faced putter resulting in the golf ball skidding, bouncing and not achieving a true roll resulting in lost momentum (leaving it short). The Smooth Roller device provides a golfer with minimum putting skill the ability to produce a true roll requiring little or no practice because of the designed features built into the Smooth Roller device such as the curved surface in relation to the golf ball providing contact at or above the equator/center line of the golf ball resulting in over spin.

Golfers are usually attached to their clubs and are a reluctant lot to purchase new clubs and this is particularly the case where putters are involved. The idea is to utilize the existing putter that the golf is familiar with and enhance the putting experience with the Smooth Roller attached device.

This invention has the advantage that no expensive, time-consuming and labor intensive re-tooling to their putter is needed for its use. The golfer need not posses a high degree of putting skill to produce a true roll when making a putting stroke with a putter equipped with the Smooth Roller device. The Smooth Roller attachment process is simple, straightforward, and inexpensive and requires no expertise to attach. No expensive labor intensive retrofitting, retooling or purchasing of a putter is required.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows the device having a flat back surface coated with an adhesive. The figure also depicts the curved front/striking surface of the device.

FIG. 2 shows a putter head with a flat front face/striking surface. The device is shown in relation to the putter head before attachment. The figure depicts how the device is attached to the putter surface.

FIG. 3 and 4 shows the putter head with the attached device. FIG. 3 shows the putter head with the attached Smooth Roller device in relation to a golf ball. FIG. 3 depicts how the attached device is used to strike a golf ball at or above the equator/center line of the golf ball for the purposes of making a putt with imparted over spin (true roll), no bouncing or skidding because of the relationship of the curved surface to the equator/center line of the golf ball.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Briefly described, the present invention Smooth Roller is made of soft lightweight urethane elastomer material comprising a curved front or striking surface and a back flat surface with an adhesive coating. The back flat surface is attached to the flat striking face of the putter head by means of an adhesive backing of the back flat surface of the attached device (FIGS. 2 & 4). The rounded shape of the striking surface of the device now becomes the front striking surface of the putter head (FIG. 4). The attached device provides the putter head with intrinsic properties due to the shape of the curved attached device and the urethane elastomer material in use (FIG. 3). The striking front of the putter head with the attached device provides a no skidding or bouncing of the golf ball when struck with the attached device (FIG. 3). Desired over spin is imparted to the golf ball when struck (FIG. 3). Improved softer feel and distance control is improved due to the properties of the soft lightweight urethane elastomer material used. The Smooth Roller device can be used on any existing putter in use and does not require any mechanical/tooling alteration to be performed to incorporated the attached device to the putter or substantially alter the weight/weight distribution of the putter (FIG. 4). The feel of the putting stroke is changed due to the dampened effects of the soft lightweight urethane elastomer material in use.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The Smooth Roller, herein referred to as an attached device or device, is made of lightweight soft urethane elastomer material. The attached device is not an insert within a cutout on the face of a putter. The attached device has two sides: a backside and a front or striking side (FIG. 1). The backside of the attached device is flat and coated with an adhesive (FIG. 1). The front or striking side is round in shape. Attachment is achieved by contacting the attached device's flat backside surface, coated with an adhesive, with the putter's flat face striking surface (FIG. 2). The attached device extends vertically and horizontally across the putter's face (FIG. 2 and FIG. 4). The device can attach to any existing putter having a flat putter face (FIG. 2 and FIG. 4). The front side or striking face is described. The urethane elastomer material of the striking face has a varied durometer (hardness) ranging from 15 to 80 rating. The lower the durometer the softer the material and can be made to accommodate individual preference for “feel” and distance control. The front or striking side surface is shaped round and extends longitudinal along the length of the putter face (FIGS. 1, 2 and 4). The attached device position is fixed by aligning the top of the device with the top of the putter head providing the optimal striking relationship between putter face and golf ball (FIGS. 2, 3 and 4). The round shaped striking face imparts a desired over spin to the golf ball when the ball is struck with a putter employing the attached device (FIGS. 3 & 4). A ball struck with a putter employing the attached device rolls smoothly across the putting surface without skidding, backspin or bouncing, which is common in putters utilizing a flat putter face. A ball struck with a putter employing the attached device results in a true roll with over spin (FIG. 3). In addition, the attached device provides an improved sense of distance control and enhances both “soft” feel and touch in the putting stroke. The “soft” feel is derived from the lightweight soft urethane elastomer material in used and creates a dampening effect (FIG. 4). The device can utilize an existing putter (FIGS. 3 & 4) without making a major investment to procure an existing putter exhibiting similar benefits described or performing any major retooling for retrofitting such as but not limited too cutting out a piece of the putter's face to accommodate an insert or major altering of the putter head itself resulting in changing the weight and weight distribution characteristics of the putter, putter head and “feel” aspect. This invention has the advantage that no expensive and time-consuming labor intensive re-tooling is needed for its use. The process to attach the device is simple, straightforward and inexpensive. No specialized expertise is required to attach and use (FIGS. 1,2 & 4).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS AND PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference to the drawings, putter head FIG. 4 shows a flat-faced putter with the Smooth Roller attachment. The flat backside of the Smooth Roller is coated with an adhesive and the front/striking side has the curved shape (FIG. 1). The Smooth Roller attachment is affixed by contacting the backside of the Smooth Roller attachment with the flat striking putter's face as show in FIGS. 2 and 4. The resultant action is FIGS. 3 and 4, which shows a putter with the Smooth Roller attachment in place.

It is understood that the above description and drawings are the preferred embodiment of the Smooth Roller attached device invention.

REFERENCES CITED [REFERENCED BY]

U.S. Patent Documents

• D138380 July 1944 Myers et al. 273/167.
• D212890 December 1968 Rose D34/5.
• D279497 July 1985 Brown D21/219.
• 823082 June 1906 Robertson 273/167.
• 1046343 December 1912 Smith 273/164.
• 1525137 February 1925 Lawton 273/175.
• 2083189 June 1937 Crooker 273/167.
• 2472978 June 1949 Mahon 273/175.
• 2826417 March 1958 Marcoccio 273/175.
• 3240497 March 1966 Taylor 273/171.
• 4043562 September 1977 Shillington 273/164.
• 4422638 December 1983 Tucker 273/78.
• 4607846 August 1986 Perkins 273/171.
• 4881739 November 1989 Garcia 273/167.
• 5354060 October 1994 Wooten
• 589836 February 1998 Donofrio

Claims

1. A device (Smooth Roller) attached to the front or striking face of a putter made of lightweight soft urethane elastomer material. See FIGS. 1,2 and 4.

2. The Smooth Roller device is attached by contacting the face of a putter with the adhesive flat backside of the Smooth Roller device. See FIGS. 1, 2 and 4.

3. The front or striking face of the attached Smooth Roller device to the putter exhibits a curved striking surface extending laterally between the end points of the putter's striking face. See FIGS. 1, 2 and 4.

4. The curved surface of the attached Smooth Roller device provides a more desirable surface shape to impart top/over spin to the golf ball thus producing the desired effect (true roll). See FIG. 3 and FIG. 4.

5. Improved “feel” is achieved because of the lightweight soft urethane elastomer material employed providing a dampen effect to the golfer making the stroke using the Smooth Roller device.

6. Because the curved surface extends vertically from the top of the putter face to the bottom of the putter face a consistent striking surface in relation to the spherical shape of a golf ball is achieved. See FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4.

7. The demands placed on the individual performing the putting stroke of striking the golf ball precisely at or above the equator with a flat surfaced striking face of a putter to achieve over spin, no skidding or bouncing requires constant practice and a high degree of skill level. With the attached Smooth Roller device, skidding or bouncing is virtually eliminated regardless of skill level and desired over spin is imparted to the golf ball resulting in true roll. See FIGS. 3 and 4.

8. Improved distance control and “feel” is achieved with a more consistent lightweight soft urethane elastomer material curved striking surface the attached Smooth Roller device affords and results in a true roll.

9. This invention has the added benefit of not having to invest in a new putter to benefit from improvements in putters through design features but to utilize the golfer's current putter with the attached Smooth Roller device to improve the golfer's putting results as in claim 6. See FIGS. 3 and 4.

10. This invention has features that are not addressed by other inventions making similar claims without purchasing a new putter or performing labor intensive and expensive efforts to retool and retrofitting an existing putter. See FIGS. 2 and 4.