And Adjustable Lie Angle Patents (Class 473/246)
  • Patent number: 11925841
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a golf club head having an adjustable weight assembly. More specifically, the adjustable weight assembly utilizes a weight member that's secured via a fastener along various positions within an elongate channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Sang Yi, Richard L Cleghorn
  • Patent number: 11918879
    Abstract: There are numerous tools a golfer can buy that will increase or decrease the weight or moment of inertia of a club to increase swing speed, but none of these tools accurately represent the center of mass of a standard golf club. The differences in the center of the mass between the standard club and the trainer club can create problems with the swing including improper alignment of the club face through contact and improper swing path. A swing trainer that increases or decreases the moment of inertia of the trainer by 10-12% while still maintaining the same center of mass as a standard club can solve this issue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Inventor: Michael Duffey
  • Patent number: 11439879
    Abstract: A golf club head includes a body having an outer surface, a recessed channel defined in the outer surface of the body, and a weight assembly. The weight assembly includes a weight at least partially disposed within the recessed channel and configured to slide therein, and a cover adapted to releasably secure the weight within the recessed channel. The cover including a first portion and a second portion. The weight assembly also including a fastener coupling the cover to the body and defining a fastener axis. The fastener engages with the first portion of the cover such that the cover is moveable along the fastener axis, and the second portion of the cover is rotatable relative to the first portion when the first portion is raised at least partially out of the recessed channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Sang Yi, Richard Sanchez, Richard L. Cleghorn, Thomas Orrin Bennett
  • Patent number: 11278770
    Abstract: A golf putter head assembly includes a putter head and a two-part hosel detachably mounted to the putter head by a single removable fastener. The two-part hosel includes a lower intermediate connector extending upwardly from the putter head, and an upper shaft connector extending upwardly from the intermediate connector. The fastener extends through a crown-to-sole through-bore formed in the putter head, through a longitudinal through-bore formed in the intermediate connector, and into a blind bore formed in a lower member of the shaft connector. An upper member of the shaft connector is mountable to a putter shaft. The upper member is angled relative to the lower member to define a shaft-head lie angle, and is offset from the lower member to define a shaft-head offset distance. The intermediate connector has a selected length that establishes a shaft-head balance characteristic. A kit and a method are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Inventors: Anthony Tuber, Michael Tuber
  • Patent number: 11266889
    Abstract: Golf clubs having weighting systems with movable weights are disclosed. In one embodiment, the golf club head includes: a main body having a periphery; and a weighting system including a movable weight, wherein the weighting system is configured to allow the weight to move between: a first position inward of the periphery of the main body; and a second position wherein at least a portion of the weight is located outward of the periphery of the main body. In other cases, the movable weight need not be movable to a position that is outward of the periphery of the main body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: Pelican Golf, Inc.
    Inventor: Jeffrey V Bamber
  • Patent number: 11229827
    Abstract: A golf club head includes a body having an outer surface and a recessed channel defined in the outer surface of the body. A chamber is defined at one end of the recessed channel. The golf club head also includes a weight assembly having a weight at least partially disposed within the recessed channel and configured to slide therein. A cover having a first end and an opposite second end, the second end including a projection, and a fastener coupling the first end of the cover to the body. The fastener secures the first end of the cover to the body while the projection of the second end of the cover engages with the chamber of the recessed channel to retain a position of the weight within the recessed channel between the first end and the second end of the cover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Sang Yi, Richard Sanchez, Richard L. Cleghorn, Thomas Orrin Bennett
  • Patent number: 11161023
    Abstract: A golf club head comprising a channel, a slidable weight that can be reversibly fixed at any point within the channel, and a pocket to store a portion of the slidable weight is disclosed herein. The slidable weight comprises first and second weight plates, each made of materials having different densities, a lightweight retainer, a screw, and a nut. The second weight plate has the same dimensions as, and is interchangeable with, the first weight plate and is disposed in a pocket in the sole proximate the face of the golf club head. The retainer and nut have snap-fit features that allow them to remain loosely attached to one another during adjustment of the assembly and when one weight plate is swapped with the other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
    Inventors: Austin L. Frederickson, Timothy G. Scott
  • Patent number: 11033781
    Abstract: Embodiments of putter-type golf club heads with adjustable loft and lie and methods of manufacturing of the same with adjustable loft and lie are generally described herein. These embodiments relate in particular to a putter-type club head with an adjustment portion that allows a user to change the loft and lie. The separate adjustment portions of the putter-type club head can couple the upper hosel to the body at a plurality of positions. An insert part of the adjustment portion has an upper section for receiving the upper hosel portion, a middle section, and a lower hosel portion. The sections of the adjustment portion can be coupled together by a fastener so that the sections are rotationally movable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Calvin Wang, Xiaojian Chen, Erik Henrikson
  • Patent number: 10918917
    Abstract: A golf club head includes a body having a recessed channel formed in the outer surface. A weight assembly that includes a weight disposed within the recessed channel and a cover extending over the recessed channel. A shelf is defined in the cover and slidably receives the weight. The weight assembly also includes a fastener coupling the cover to the body. The fastener is adapted to retain the weight in the recessed channel only indirectly by the cover. The cover is positionable in an unlocked configuration whereby the cover is raised at least partially out of the recessed channel and the weight is slidable within the shelf and the recessed channel, and a locked configuration whereby the cover is disposed within the recessed channel and the weight is secured within the recessed channel and the shelf. The weight moves with the cover between the unlocked configuration and the locked configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Tyrone Northcutt, Thomas Orrin Bennett, Takeshi Casey Funaki
  • Patent number: 10888751
    Abstract: A golf club head comprising a channel, a slidable weight that can be reversibly fixed at any point within the channel, and a pocket to store a portion of the slidable weight is disclosed herein. The slidable weight comprises first and second weight plates, each made of materials having different densities, a lightweight retainer, a screw, and a nut. The second weight plate has the same dimensions as, and is interchangeable with, the first weight plate and is disposed in a pocket in the sole proximate the face of the golf club head. The retainer and nut have snap-fit features that allow them to remain loosely attached to one another during adjustment of the assembly and when one weight plate is swapped with the other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
    Inventors: Austin L. Frederickson, Timothy G. Scott
  • Patent number: 10549160
    Abstract: A golf club includes a striking face, a top portion, a sole portion opposite the top portion, and a shaft assembly. The shaft assembly can include a shaft having a butt end and a tip end, and a shaft sleeve located at the tip end, the shaft sleeve including indicia. The golf club may further include a hosel extending from the top portion, and the hosel can include a sidewall, a tip end, an internal bore for receiving the shaft assembly, a hosel axis, and an aperture extending through, and circumscribed by, the sidewall such that the indicia of the shaft sleeve corresponds with the aperture. The sidewall circumscribing the aperture may include an inner surface having a first thickness T1 in a radial direction relative the hosel axis and a chamfered edge having a second thickness T2 in the radial direction, T1/T2 being between approximately 3 and 7.33.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES LTD.
    Inventor: Dan S. Nivanh
  • Patent number: 10537773
    Abstract: A golf club head comprises a body having a face, a crown and a sole together defining an interior cavity. The body having a channel located on the sole and extending generally from a heel end of the body to a toe end of the body. A weight member movably positioned within the channel such that a position of the weight member within the channel is able to be adjusted, thereby adjusting a location of a center of gravity of the body. Additionally, adjustment of the weight member provides a maximum x-axis adjustment range of the position of the center of gravity (Max ?CGx) that is greater than 2 mm and a maximum z-axis adjustment range of the center of gravity (Max ?CGz) that is less than 2 mm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph Reeve Nielson, Nathan T. Sargent, Christopher John Harbert, Todd P. Beach, Brian Bazzel, Mark Vincent Greaney, Christian Reber Wester, Craig Richard Slyfield, Matthew David Johnson, Matthew Greensmith, Kraig Alan Willett
  • Patent number: 10363469
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are embodiments of adjustable golf clubs comprising features which allow for the adjustment of a lie angle, a loft angle, or both a lie angle and a loft angle of the golf club. In some embodiments, a golf club head includes a body and a hosel, the hosel including an adjustment screw which can be tightened or loosened to adjust the lie and/or loft angles of a golf club head. In some embodiments, certain angles of a golf club head's geometry can be continuously adjustable through a predetermined range of angles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2019
    Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Todd P. Beach, Bret H. Wahl, Scott Taylor, Peter L. Larsen
  • Patent number: 10328318
    Abstract: A golf club 100 includes a tip engagement part RT having a reverse-tapered shape and being disposed at a tip end portion of a shaft 300, and a screw member 600. The tip engagement part RT includes a sleeve 400 fixed to the tip end portion of the shaft 300. The sleeve 400 has a sleeve-side connection part 410. The screw member 600 has a screw-side connection part 602 that can be detachably connected to the sleeve-side connection part 410, and a male screw part 604. The head 200 has a female screw part 220. When the screw member 600 is rotated in a first direction, the screw member 600 presses the tip engagement part RT in an engaging direction. When the screw member 600 is rotated in a second direction, the screw member 600 pulls the tip engagement part RT in an engagement releasing direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Masahide Onuki, Hiroshi Hasegawa, Naruhiro Mizutani, Yuki Motokawa
  • Patent number: 10220267
    Abstract: In a golf club, an apparatus which secures a shaft to a head comprises a rotator, a shaft adapter, a rotator connection mechanism which provides for the rotator be secured to the head in a plurality of rotational orientations, and a shaft adapter connection mechanism which provides for a component of the shaft adapter to be secured to the rotator in a plurality of rotational orientations. Under a condition that the shaft adapter is a skewed axis shaft adapter, the apparatus can be used to make independent adjustments to the head's mass distribution properties and angular orientation with respect to an axis of the shaft. The apparatus is also useful in making adjustments to the golf club's face progression and to the shaft's rotational orientation with respect to the head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Inventor: Barry Lyn Holtzman
  • Patent number: 10207159
    Abstract: A shaft of a golf club includes a reverse-tapered engagement part. The reverse-tapered engagement part includes a sleeve having a reverse-tapered shape, and a reverse-tapered outer surface. A hosel part of a head includes a reverse-tapered inner surface and a hosel slit. A hosel hole includes the reverse-tapered inner surface having a shape corresponding to that of the reverse-tapered outer surface. Either one of the reverse-tapered outer surface and the reverse-tapered inner surface includes an abutting engagement surface and a non-abutting engagement surface. The other of the reverse-tapered outer surface and the reverse-tapered inner surface includes a first abutting surface and the second abutting surface. In the golf club, a first state and a second state in which club lengths are different from each other can be achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Masahide Onuki, Yuki Motokawa, Naruhiro Mizutani
  • Patent number: 9993698
    Abstract: A golf club incorporating an interchangeable shaft system includes a shaft, a shaft sleeve, a club head. The shaft sleeve is coupled to an end of the shaft and is received in a hosel included in the club head. The shaft sleeve is removably coupled to the club head. Hosel and shaft sleeve alignment features provide discrete orientations between the shaft and club head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventor: Kevin Tassistro
  • Patent number: 9981170
    Abstract: A putter comprising an adjustable hosel structure is disclosed herein. In particular, the putter comprises a hosel assembly comprising a shaft receiver and two interlocked bars that connect the shaft receiver to the putter head. A plurality of bolts connect the bars to the shaft receiver and the putter head, and these points of connection are joints about which the bars move, and which can be restrained to immobilize the hosel assembly or otherwise reversibly fix it in place so that a longitudinal shaft axis is aligned with a desired portion of the putter head. The hosel assembly preferably is adjustable along a horizontal, heel-to-toe axis, and is partially disposed, and secured, within a pocket on the heel side of the putter head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
    Inventor: Matthew Myers
  • Patent number: 9884234
    Abstract: An aerodynamic golf club has a club head connected to an elongated shaft. The club head has a central section and contiguous thereto, a separated pair of flanking sections on opposite sides of the central section. The central section has a striking face in front and a rear surface in back. The pair of flanking sections each has a leading face in front and a trailing surface in back. The leading face of each of the flanking sections has a plurality of inlets. The trailing surface of each of the flanking sections has a plurality of outlets. Each of the flanking sections has a plurality of distinct channels. Each of the channels runs from a corresponding one of the plurality of inlets to an associated one of the plurality of outlets. The central section has an exposed top surface and an exposed bottom surface. Each of the top surface and the bottom surface extends up to the pair of flanking sections. The central section is impervious between its top surface and its bottom surface to internal airflow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Inventor: Alan Fischer
  • Patent number: 9814942
    Abstract: A golf club incorporating an interchangeable shaft system includes a shaft, a shaft sleeve, a club head. The shaft sleeve is coupled to an end of the shaft and is received in a hosel included in the club head. The shaft sleeve is removably coupled to the club head. Hosel and shaft sleeve alignment features provide discrete orientations between the shaft and club head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Christopher D. Harvell, Stephen S. Murphy
  • Patent number: 9795839
    Abstract: A golf club head includes a body defining an interior cavity. The body includes a sole positioned at a bottom portion of the golf club head, a crown positioned at a top portion, and a skirt positioned around a periphery between the sole and crown. The body has a forward portion and a rearward portion. The club head includes a face positioned at the forward portion of the body. In some embodiments, the crown includes a lattice-like structure having thin regions surrounded by a web of relatively thicker regions. In some embodiments, the club head includes one or more stiffening tubes attached between the sole and the crown to improve the acoustic performance of the golf club head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew Greensmith, Todd P. Beach, Nathan T. Sargent, Kraig Alan Willett, Joshua J. Dipert
  • Patent number: 9694262
    Abstract: A putter comprising an adjustable hosel structure is disclosed herein. In particular, the putter comprises a hosel assembly comprising a shaft receiver and two interlocked bars that connect the shaft receiver to the putter head. A plurality of bolts connect the bars to the shaft receiver and the putter head, and these points of connection are joints about which the bars move, and which can be restrained to immobilize the hosel assembly or otherwise reversibly fix it in place so that a longitudinal shaft axis is aligned with a desired portion of the putter head. The hosel assembly preferably is adjustable along a horizontal, heel-to-toe axis, and is partially disposed, and secured, within a pocket on the heel side of the putter head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
    Inventor: Matthew Myers
  • Patent number: 9636551
    Abstract: An adjustable shaft and hosel assembly allows for dependent and independent adjustment of a golf club's face angle, loft angle, and lie angle. The adjustable shaft and hosel assembly comprises a shaft sleeve, a hosel portion, and at least two tubular adjustment pieces having non-parallel upper and lower surfaces, wherein the tubular adjustment pieces include loft and lie angle indicators that can be added together to determine overall club head loft and lie angles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
    Inventors: Homer E. Aguinaldo, James A. Seluga, Broadus Perry Wall, Jr.
  • Patent number: 9636556
    Abstract: A computer program is disclosed for reconfiguring a property-adjustable golf club. The program receives data input corresponding to a current configuration of an adjustable feature of the golf club, and data input corresponding to trajectory adjustment information. Based on the data input, reconfiguration information is generated, and outputted, that corresponds to one of a plurality of configurations of the adjustable feature of the golf club.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: SRI SPORTS LIMITED
    Inventors: Christopher J. Beck, Casey Casburn, John J. Rae, Aram Salehi
  • Patent number: 9445688
    Abstract: The invention relates to a capsule intended for delivering a beverage in a beverage preparation machine. The capsule comprises a code support surface on which a code is represented. The code comprises a first value for at least one capsule-related information. The code further comprises a first element and a second element arranged on the code support surface so as that the distance between the first element and the second element is a function of the first value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2016
    Assignee: Nestec S.A.
    Inventor: Jean-Marc Flick
  • Patent number: 9403067
    Abstract: A golf club incorporating an interchangeable shaft system includes a shaft, a shaft sleeve, a club head. The shaft sleeve is coupled to an end of the shaft and is received in a hosel included in the club head. The shaft sleeve is removably coupled to the club head. Hosel and shaft sleeve alignment features provide discrete orientations between the shaft and club head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Gery M. Zimmerman, Kevin Tassistro, Scott A. Knutson, Joshua C. Stokes
  • Patent number: 9403066
    Abstract: An adjustable golf club system is described herein. The adjustable golf club system includes a club shaft, a club head, a hosel, and an adjustment assembly that is removably coupled to the club head and the hosel to facilitate adjusting an orientation of the hosel with respect to the club head. The club head includes a club head cavity that extends between a toe portion and a heal portion. The hosel includes a first end that is coupled to the club shaft and a second end that includes a fastener head. The adjustment assembly includes a sliding member and a hosel fastener that is coupled to the sliding member. The sliding member is positioned within the club head cavity and movable between the toe portion and the heal portion. The hosel fastener extends through the fastener head to the sliding member to couple the hosel to the club head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Inventor: Brian Esposito
  • Patent number: 9381405
    Abstract: Disclosed are systems and methods of adjusting the playing orientation of the head of a golf club. An adjustment to the axis of the shaft in reference to the vertical plane is constrained within minimum and maximum limits, so as to conform to current and proposed changes to the United States Golf Association (USGA) rules of play. The fine adjustment within these constraints cannot be readily made, and all adjustable parts are firmly fixed, so there is no reasonable likelihood of them working loose during a round. The adjustments to the club are designed such that during a stipulated round, the playing characteristics of a club cannot be purposely changed by adjustment or by other means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: Cue Golf Management, LLC
    Inventors: John Norman Miles, Jr., Kent D. Heusinkveld, Eric M. Krug
  • Patent number: 9375616
    Abstract: A golf club incorporating an interchangeable shaft system includes a shaft, a shaft sleeve, a club head. The shaft sleeve is coupled to an end of the shaft and is received in a hosel included in the club head. The shaft sleeve is removably coupled to the club head. Hosel and shaft sleeve alignment features provide discrete orientations between the shaft and club head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2016
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Gery M. Zimmerman, Jonathan Hebreo, Adrian L. Stanescu, Helene Hipp, Marni Ines, Stephanie Bezilla, Thomas Orrin Bennett, Stephen S. Murphy
  • Patent number: 9333399
    Abstract: An adjustable golf club is disclosed. The club can be adjusted by moving one or more sliders located proximate the heel of the club. The sliders can move to enable the loft and lie of the club to be adjusted independently. To adjust the club, a user can loosen a fastener, reposition the sliders, and re-tighten the fastener. The one or more sliders can slide against a spherical surface with its origin at the center of rotation of the shaft. In this configuration, when the sliders are pressed against the spherical surface, the spherical surface can enable the club to remain properly adjusted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: Mizuno USA, Inc.
    Inventors: David Llewellyn, Tetsuya Kanayama
  • Patent number: 9308430
    Abstract: In an embodiment, a golf club includes a striking face, a top portion, a sole portion opposite the top portion, and a shaft assembly. The shaft assembly can include a shaft having a butt end and a tip end, and a shaft sleeve located at the tip end, the shaft sleeve including indicia, and a hosel extending from the top portion. The hosel can include a sidewall, an internal bore for receiving the shaft assembly, and an aperture extending through, and circumscribed by, the sidewall such that the indicia of the shaft sleeve corresponds with the aperture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: DUNLOP SPORTS CO. LTD.
    Inventor: Dan S. Nivanh
  • Patent number: 9278262
    Abstract: A golf club head comprises a sole, a recessed sole port in the sole; and a rotatably adjustable sole piece adapted to be at least partially received within the sole port and comprising a central body having a plurality of contact surfaces adapted to contact the sole port and being offset from each other along a central axis extending through the central body of the sole piece. The sole piece can be positioned at least partially within the sole port at five or more rotational and axial positions with respect to the central axis, wherein at each rotational position, at least one of said contact surfaces of the central body contacts the sole port to set the axial position of the sole piece. The sole port and/or the sole piece can be generally pentagonal in shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2016
    Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Nathan T. Sargent, Joseph Reeve Nielson, Matthew David Johnson, Matthew Greensmith, Todd P. Beach, Michael Franz
  • Patent number: 9101806
    Abstract: A golf club comprising a hosel and a shaft that is fastened to the hosel at the heel-side of the club is disclosed herein. The golf club includes a wedge inserted into an opening on the heel-side of the hosel, which and retains the shaft within the hosel. In an alternative embodiment, a lever is inserted into an opening in the heel side of the hosel to retain the shaft within the hosel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2015
    Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
    Inventors: Homer E. Aguinaldo, James A. Seluga, Denver Holt
  • Patent number: 9079077
    Abstract: An adjustable putter head assembly having a hosel attachment member that includes a hosel for receipt of a golf club shaft, a striking face, a bottom surface, and an adjustment surface that is generally parallel to the striking face and opposite the striking face. The hosel attachment member further includes an extension member that includes an aperture for mating with a threaded opening of the adjustment surface, and a plurality of receptacles that vertically extend the length of the extension member and correspond with a plurality of settings disposed on the adjustment surface. The adjustment surface defines multiple hosel position points for selectively attaching the hosel along the length of the putter head, and, adjusting the angular orientation between the golf club shaft and bottom surface in the plane in which the shaft lies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2015
    Inventor: Michael Wolf
  • Patent number: 9067108
    Abstract: An adjustable shaft and hosel assembly allows for dependent and independent adjustment of a golf club's face angle, loft angle, and lie angle. The adjustable shaft and hosel assembly comprises a shaft sleeve with a joint portion, a hosel portion, and a fitting piece, wherein the joint portion fits within the fitting piece and the fitting piece fits within the hosel portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
    Inventors: Homer E. Aguinaldo, Broadus Perry Wall, Jr., Denver Holt, James A. Seluga, Scott Manwaring
  • Patent number: 9044652
    Abstract: An adjustable shaft and hosel assembly allows for dependent and independent adjustment of a golf club's face angle, loft angle, and lie angle. The adjustable shaft and hosel assembly comprises a shaft sleeve with a joint portion, a hosel portion, and a fitting piece, wherein the joint portion fits within the fitting piece and the fitting piece fits within the hosel portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2015
    Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
    Inventors: Homer E. Aguinaldo, Broadus Perry Wall, Jr., Denver Holt, James A. Seluga, Scott R. Manwaring
  • Patent number: 8961330
    Abstract: A golf club incorporating an interchangeable shaft system includes a shaft, a shaft sleeve, a club head. The shaft sleeve is coupled to an end of the shaft and is received in a hosel included in the club head. The shaft sleeve is removably coupled to the club head. Hosel and shaft sleeve alignment features provide discrete orientations between the shaft and club head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Gery M. Zimmerman, Jonathan Hebreo, Adrian L. Stanescu, Helene Hipp, Marni Ines, Stephanie Bezilla, Thomas Orrin Bennett, Stephen S. Murphy
  • Patent number: 8961329
    Abstract: Golf club heads are releasably engaged with shafts so that the club heads and shafts can be readily interchanged and/or so that the shaft position with respect to the club head can be readily changed. Assemblies for connecting the club head and shaft may include: a shaft adapter, a collet, a ferrule, and a club head having an interior chamber. The club head and shaft may be changed by releasing the securing system and exchanging the original parts with different parts. Furthermore, the shaft may be bent or otherwise extend at an angle from the shaft adapter so as to allow adjustment of the shaft position with respect to the club head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Nike, Inc.
    Inventors: Raymond J. Sander, James S. Thomas, Matthew Paul Rubal, Gregory A. Trees
  • Patent number: 8939847
    Abstract: Aspects of this invention relate to structures and methods for connecting golf club heads to shafts in a releasable and adjustable manner allowing independent adjustability of face angle, loft angle, and lie angle of a club head. Assemblies for connecting the club head and shaft may include: (a) a hosel assembly; (b) an adjustment member; and (c) a securing system for releasably and adjustably securing the hosel assembly and adjustment member to the club head. The face angle, loft angle, and lie angle may be independently adjusted by releasing the securing system and rotating the different structures or exchanging the original parts with different parts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: Nike, Inc.
    Inventors: Raymond J. Sander, Robert Boyd
  • Patent number: 8932147
    Abstract: Embodiments of golf coupling mechanisms are presented herein. Other examples and related methods are also disclosed herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: Karsten Maunfacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Marty R. Jertson, Ryan M. Stokke
  • Patent number: 8926447
    Abstract: Embodiments of golf coupling mechanisms are presented herein. Other examples and related methods are also disclosed herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Marty R. Jertson, Ryan M. Stokke
  • Patent number: 8876626
    Abstract: Disclosed is a golf club having a structure with which optional angle adjustment can be easily and firmly performed by a user himself/herself without changing the direction of a shaft along the circumference thereof with respect to a head. To this end, the distal end portion of the shaft to which a plug member is fixed is fitted into a shaft insertion hole of a hosel portion from above, an angle adjusting member is fitted from below, and a fixing bolt is fitted into a bolt insertion hole of the angle adjusting member and screwed into an internal thread portion of the plug member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Honma Golf Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Suwa, Daisuke Saito, Naoto Honma, Takeshi Ikeda, Yorihisa Oi
  • Patent number: 8870674
    Abstract: A golf club head having an adjustable hosel and a level is disclosed herein. The adjustable hosel is movable between a plurality of positions to adjust at least one feature of the golf club head, such as loft, lie, and/or face angle, and is held in place by an adjustment knob or adjustment lever. The level preferably is a bubble level that is disposed proximate a scale to indicate to a golfer an optimal loft, lie, and/or face angle of the golf club head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
    Inventor: Craig E. Abbott
  • Publication number: 20140315654
    Abstract: An adjustable golf club including a shaft and hosel assembly allows for dependent and independent adjustment of a golf club's face angle, loft angle, and lie angle. The adjustable shaft and hosel assembly comprises a shaft sleeve, a hosel portion, and at least one tubular adjustment piece having non-parallel upper and lower surfaces, wherein the shaft sleeve, hosel, and tubular adjustment piece each include markings that combine to form a code that correlates to a unique angular setting and is readable by an electronic device. The adjustable golf club may also comprise an audible feedback system including an indexing ring that interacts with indexing features in the tubular adjustment piece.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2014
    Publication date: October 23, 2014
    Inventors: James A. Seluga, Homer E. Aguinaldo
  • Patent number: 8858357
    Abstract: A golf club head with an improved Moment of Inertia (MOI) is disclosed herein. More specifically, the present invention relates to a golf club head with a releasable hosel mechanism that is leaner and more lightweight, it allows a significant amount of weight to be saved from the hosel portion of the golf club head and used to improve Center of Gravity (CG) location of the golf club head; which contributes to the improvement of the MOI of the golf club head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Charles E. Golden, Christopher D. Harvell
  • Patent number: 8827827
    Abstract: A golf club 2 is provided with a head 4, a shaft 6, a tip member 8, and a screw member 10. The shaft 6 is inserted into a shaft hole of the tip member 8, and a tip part of the shaft 6 is fixed to the shaft hole. An axis line s1 of the shaft 6 is inclined with respect to an axis line z1 of the tip member 8. The head 4 has a head hole into which the tip member is inserted, a head side engaging part capable of being engaged with the tip member 8 inserted into the head hole, and a through hole into which the screw member 10 can be inserted. The tip member 8 has a shaft side engaging part 38 capable of being engaged with the head side engaging part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Dunlop Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Akio Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8801537
    Abstract: An adjustable golf club including a shaft and hosel assembly allows for dependent and independent adjustment of a golf club's face angle, loft angle, and lie angle. The adjustable shaft and hosel assembly comprises a shaft sleeve, a hosel portion, and at least one tubular adjustment piece having non-parallel upper and lower surfaces, wherein the shaft sleeve, hosel, and tubular adjustment piece each include markings that combine to form a code that correlates to a unique angular setting and is readable by an electronic device. The adjustable golf club may also comprise an audible feedback system including an indexing ring that interacts with indexing features in the tubular adjustment piece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
    Inventors: James A. Seluga, Homer E. Aguinaldo
  • Patent number: 8801538
    Abstract: A golf club incorporating an interchangeable shaft system includes a shaft, a shaft sleeve, a club head. The shaft sleeve is coupled to an end of the shaft and is received in a hosel included in the club head. The shaft sleeve is removably coupled to the club head. Hosel and shaft sleeve alignment features provide discrete orientations between the shaft and club head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Scott A. Knutson, Gery M. Zimmerman, Joshua C. Stokes
  • Patent number: 8795099
    Abstract: A golf club includes: a shaft; a head mounted on a leading end of the shaft; and a substantially cylindrical shaft case fixed to the leading end of the shaft, wherein: the shaft case is inserted into the tubular portion of the hosel of the head; the tubular portion includes a partition plate section in the lower portion thereof; a spacer is interposed between the leading end of the shaft case and partition plate section; the shaft case is unrotatably engaged with the spacer; the spacer and partition plate section respectively include stopper portions for preventing the rotation of the spacer; and a bolt inserted through bolt insertion holes respectively formed in the partition plate section and spacer from the sole side of the head is screwed into the shaft case, whereby the shaft case is fixed to the head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Fumiaki Sato, Takaharu Takechi, Tomonori Kitagawa
  • Patent number: 8790191
    Abstract: Embodiments of golf coupling mechanisms are presented herein. Other examples and related methods are also disclosed herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Marty R. Jertson, Ryan M. Stokke