Particular Material Composition Or Mass Distribution Patents (Class 473/349)
  • Patent number: 9033813
    Abstract: A ball striking device, such as a golf club, includes a head with a face having a striking surface configured for striking a ball and being defined by a plurality of peripheral edges, a body connected to the face and extending rearwardly from the peripheral edges of the face, and a sole member connected to the sole of the body. The sole member may be removably connected to the sole, which can permit removal and replacement with another sole member having a different property. The sole member may additionally or alternately be movably connected to the sole, which can permit adjustment of the sole member, such as to change the lie angle of the head. The sole member may be at least partially received in a receiver in the sole and may form at least a portion of the lowermost surface of the head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignee: Nike, Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew G. V. Oldknow, William F. Rauchholz
  • Patent number: 9028341
    Abstract: A golf club head is described having a club head body having an external surface with a heel portion, a toe portion, a crown portion, a sole portion, and a front opening. The golf club head also includes a face insert support structure located at the front opening. The support structure includes a rear support member. The rear support member includes a support portion interior surface contour defining an apex point and an undercut distance in an undercut region within at least one major or minor plane. A non-undercut region is located in at least one major or minor plane intersecting the crown to face transition region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc.
    Inventors: John Francis Lorentzen, Bing-Ling Chao
  • Patent number: 9022876
    Abstract: Putter heads include a ball striking head body member and a rear body member. In some putter heads, the ball striking head body member includes a rearwardly extending body support having an opening defined therein, and the rear body member extends through this opening. In other putter heads, the rear body member includes a forwardly projecting platform that includes an alignment aid thereon. In still other putter heads, the ball striking head body member includes rearward extending arms at the heel and toe sides that extend rearward at an angle to a location outside the heel and toe edges, respectively, of the ball striking face. Additionally, the rear body member of other putter heads have a first end engaged at a heel side of the ball striking head body member and a free second end that is not engaged with any portion of the putter head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: NIKE, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeremy N. Snyder, Jason P. Martin, Carl A. Jonsson
  • Publication number: 20150119166
    Abstract: A portion of a golf club head comprising an external surface, an internal surface opposite said external surface, said internal surface adjacent an interior of said golf club head, wherein said external surface and said internal surface combine to create a plurality of thin regions and a plurality of thick regions, wherein said internal surface is created via a stamped forging process and wherein said external surface is created via a machining process, wherein said stamped forging process comprises placing said crown between a top punch and a bottom cavity, said top punch having a plurality of protrusions and said bottom cavity having a plurality of depressions, and compressing said top punch towards said bottom cavity to alter a shape of said crown, and wherein said machining process comprises machining off excess material from said external surface of said crown.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 31, 2014
    Publication date: April 30, 2015
    Applicant: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Uday V. Deshmukh, Charles E. Golden
  • Patent number: 9017186
    Abstract: Embodiments of club heads with multiple density weighting and methods of manufacturing the same are described herein. Other embodiments and related methods are also disclosed herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Martin R. Jertson, John A Solheim
  • Patent number: 9017183
    Abstract: An improved putter and method of use utilizing a putter shaft having a rectangular grip extending approximately half the shaft length. A polygonal-like ring provides a flat face with an extended toe and a short heel. The face of the putter head has a polymeric insert for weight redistribution and for better putting feel. The sides of the putter include triangular shaped indents also for weight redistribution. The rear of the putter head is arched to prevent ground contact during putting and further to increase head stability during the stroke.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Inventor: John M. Ambrose
  • Publication number: 20150111665
    Abstract: An iron type golf club head comprising a blade portion located near a terminal end of said iron type golf club head, wherein over 50% of said blade portion is made out of a first material; a hosel portion located near a proximal end of said iron type golf club head, wherein over 50% of said hosel portion is made out of a second material; and a bifurcation plane defined as a plane that is perpendicular to said striking face positioned at a distance of 30 mm heel-ward along an X-axis from a face center of said iron type golf club head, said bifurcation plane separating said blade portion from said hosel portion; wherein said first material has a yield strength greater than about 570 MPa; wherein said second material has a yield strength less than about 570 MPa.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 30, 2014
    Publication date: April 23, 2015
    Applicant: ACUSHNET COMPANY
    Inventors: Marni Ines, Uday V. Deshmukh
  • Patent number: 9011269
    Abstract: A metal golf club head that allows a user to customize the location of the center of gravity. The metal golf club head comprises a hollow body with a weighting port. The weighting port allows a user to place weighting material inside the hollow body, customizing the location of the center of gravity, the swing weight, the total weight, and the balance of the golf club.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: Dogleg Right Corporation
    Inventor: David P. Billings
  • Patent number: 9011266
    Abstract: A golf club head comprises a loft angle no less than 18°, a striking face, a sole portion, and a top portion having an exterior surface. In an imaginary vertical plane spaced from a face center by no more than 10 mm and perpendicular to an imaginary striking face plane, an imaginary line segment has a length of 25 mm, a first endpoint located in the imaginary striking face plane, a second endpoint located above the exterior surface, and forms an angle ? with the striking face plane between 55° and 65°. The line segment is tangent to the exterior surface at a first point. A second point is located on the imaginary line segment and spaced from the first point by no less than 1 mm. The second point is spaced from the exterior surface by a gap distance that is no greater than 0.15 mm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: Dunlop Sports Co. Ltd.
    Inventors: Jeffrey D. Brunski, Darius Cyrulik, Matthew R. Daraskavich, Michael T. Prichard, Ryan J. A. Ritchie, Michael J. Cohen
  • Patent number: 9011265
    Abstract: A golf club includes a shaft and a club head. The club head includes a ball striking face, a heel, a toe, a rear, and a crown. The crown may include a substantially horizontally-oriented forward crown region extending rearwardly from the ball striking face. The crown further may include a primary recessed feature located rearward of the forward crown region and extending from the heel to the toe of the club head. The recessed feature may have a floor and a front wall extending upward from the floor to the forward crown region. The crown may further include a substantially horizontally-oriented rearward crown region extending forwardly from the rear of the club head. The recessed feature may be located between the forward crown region and the rearward crown region. A back wall of the recessed feature may extend upward from the floor to the rearward crown region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: NIKE, Inc.
    Inventors: John T. Stites, Robert Boyd, Raymond J. Sander
  • Patent number: 9011270
    Abstract: An iron type golf club head includes a head main body, a toe-side weight member made of a metal material having specific gravity ?2 larger than that of the head main body and disposed on a toe-side of the head main body, and a heel-side weight member made of a metal material having specific gravity ?3 larger than that of the head main body and disposed on a heel-side of the head main body. The head main body includes a face main portion having a face to hit a golf ball, and a tubular hosel portion provided continuously on a heel-side of the face main portion and having a shaft inserting hole. A distance from the center of gravity Gt of the toe-side weight member to the center of gravity Gh of the heel-side weight member ranges from 50 to 120 mm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: SRI Sports Limited
    Inventor: Takashi Nakano
  • Patent number: 9005048
    Abstract: Embodiments of golf club heads with port structures and tuning elements are presented. In some embodiments, a golf club head comprises a strikeplate comprising a strikeface and a backface opposite the strikeface, and a sole coupled to the strikeplate. The sole comprises an outer sole surface, an inner sole surface opposite the outer sole surface, a sole front section, and a sole rear section. The golf club head comprises a port structure defined by the backface and by the sole. The port structure can be configured to receive a tuning element within a port perimeter of the port structure, and comprises a port base at the backface and delimited by the port perimeter, a port rib wall protruded from the backface and bounding an upper section of the port base along the port perimeter, and a port trench extending into the sole. Other examples and related methods are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Martin R. Jertson, Ryan M. Stokke, Bradley D. Schweigert
  • Patent number: 8986133
    Abstract: A golf club head including a crown, a sole, a hosel, a face and a flexure. The flexure provides compliance during an impact between the golf club head and a golf ball, and is tuned to vibrate, immediately after impact, at a predetermined frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Thomas Orrin Bennett, Stephanie Bezilla, Richard L. Cleghorn, Uday V. Deshmukh, Noah de la Cruz, Darryl C. Galvan, Charles E. Golden, Marni Ines, John Morin, Stephen S. Murphy, Mark C. Myrhum, Gery Zimmerman
  • Patent number: 8986131
    Abstract: A golf club includes a shaft and a club head. The club head includes a body member having a ball striking face, a heel, a toe, a rear and a crown. The crown may include a forward crown region, a rearward crown region, and a crown transition region therebetween. The rearward crown region may have a lower height than the forward crown region. The crown transition region may extend generally in a heel-to-toe direction. The vertical slope of the crown transition region may decrease as the crown transition region extends from the heel toward the toe. The crown transition region may lie at an angle from a front plane of the club head. Optionally, a club head may include a forward sole region, a rearward sole region, and a sole transition region therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Nike, Inc.
    Inventors: John T. Stites, Robert Boyd, Raymond J. Sander, Eric A. Larson
  • Patent number: 8986132
    Abstract: The present invention provides a golf club head having air flow guiding slot with uneven surface, which includes a ball striking plate, a connection portion, a top plate, a bottom portion and at least one air flow guiding slot. The at least one air flow guiding slot is mounted on the top plate and the bottom portion, is near to the connection portion, and has an uneven surface. Utilizing the uneven surface of the at least one air flow guiding slot, the stability of air flow can be improved and the surface area of the air flow guiding slot can be greatly increased so as to raise the weight of the air flow guiding slot so that the center of gravity for the golf club head can be mounted on the at least one air flow guiding slot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Inventor: Wen-Ta Chen
  • Publication number: 20150080150
    Abstract: A golf club head and a low density alloy thereof are provided. The low density alloy has a balanced weight percentage of titanium, 10˜11 wt % aluminum, and trace elements including (C+N+O) <0.2 wt %, silicon <0.2 wt %, and (Fe+Cr+V+Mo) <0.4 wt %. The golf club head has a tensile strength of 90˜110 kips/in2, and a density of 4.18˜4.30 g/cm3. Through heat treatment at a high temperature of 925±25° C., the precipitation or ?2 phase of the interfacial interphase can be avoided, and thus the embrittlement phenomena can be improved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2014
    Publication date: March 19, 2015
    Inventors: Chuan-Hsien CHANG, Jui-Ming SU, Chih-Yeh CHAO
  • Patent number: 8979673
    Abstract: Embodiments of golf club heads with weight redistribution channels are described herein. Other examples and related embodiments are also disclosed herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corp.
    Inventors: Eric J. Morales, Eric V. Cole, Jeffrey A. Blankenship
  • Patent number: 8979667
    Abstract: A golf putter head which includes a putting face having a positive loft angle diverging from vertical to a putter head base. The putting face is formed from a plurality of substantially parallel blades, each of the blades contiguous with each other wherein the blades are arrayed at a downward angle. Each of the blades narrows in width towards the putting face and terminates in a narrow tip. Each of the blades is flexible at its tip in order impart an upward spring force upon impact with a golf ball.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: The University of Tulsa
    Inventor: Steven M. Tipton
  • Patent number: 8979671
    Abstract: A golf club head having a face component, a crown, and a composite sole or a composite body patch with one or more weight ports for receiving one or more weight inserts is disclosed herein. At least part of each of the weight ports is integrally formed in the composite sole or composite body patch, and each of the weight ports include a weight receiving region for receiving a weight and a screw receiving region for receiving a screw that secures the weight in the weight port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
    Inventors: Brandon D. DeMille, William C. Watson, Patrick Dawson
  • Patent number: 8974317
    Abstract: The present invention discloses an iron-type golf club head formed from multiple materials that increase torsional stiffness of the club and aid in sound performance. In particular, the iron-type golf club head includes a rear flange and a composite component bonded to an external surface of the rear flange. The composite component may cover an entire surface of the rear flange, and may also extend upwards to make contact with a top portion of the club head and thus close off a rear cavity of the club head. The iron-type golf club head may further comprise a face support structure extending from the rear flange, to which the face plate may be affixed via welding or brazing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
    Inventors: Sean Griffin, Steven M. Ehlers
  • Patent number: 8968114
    Abstract: A ball striking device, such as a golf club, includes a head that includes a face having a ball striking surface configured for striking a ball and a body connected to the face and extending rearward from the face. A face member formed primarily of a metallic material forms the face, and a body member is connected to the face member and extends rearward from the face member to form at least a portion of the body. The body member is formed at least partially of a polymer material, and has a doped portion containing a doping material dispersed within the polymer material. The doping material may have a different density than the polymer material, such that the doped portion has a different density than the portions of the body member not containing the doping material. A co-molding method may be used to form the ball striking device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Nike, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Boyd, Michael E. Finn, David N. Franklin, Raymond J. Sander, Jeremy Snyder
  • Patent number: 8961334
    Abstract: Putter heads have a ball striking face portion and a rear body portion (as one or more parts). These putter heads may have a DCG/B ratio of at least 0.425 (where B is the overall breadth dimension and DCG is the depth of the center of gravity). Some putter heads may include: (a) a ball striking face body member having a ball striking face with plural openings defined in its central portion; (b) a polymeric material mostly located behind an exterior surface of the ball striking face, wherein a portion of the polymeric material is exposed at the exterior surface of the ball striking face through the openings; and (c) a rear body member engaged with the ball striking face body member. Rear body members or portions thereof can be interchanged to allow for customization and/or better fitting of the putter to the user's putting stroke and/or tastes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: NIKE, Inc.
    Inventors: David N. Franklin, Jeremy N. Snyder, Michael R. Pinto, Carl Jonsson, Gregory Scott Hinzmann
  • Patent number: 8961337
    Abstract: Aspects of this disclosure relate to a golf club head which includes a wood type golf club head body including a ball striking face portion at a front side, a rear side, a crown portion, and a sole portion. Further, the sole or crown or rear portion of the club head body may be configured so that the body includes a bump portion which protrudes from the sole or crown or rear portion and an indented portion which recedes into the sole or crown or rear portion and creates a recess in the sole or crown or rear portion of the body. Further, the bump portion and the indented portion may be configured so that a center of gravity of the golf club head body is nearer to one of the heel edge of the body and the toe edge of the body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Nike, Inc.
    Inventors: John T. Stites, Gary G. Tavares
  • Patent number: 8961336
    Abstract: Embodiments of golf club heads and methods to manufacture golf club heads are generally described herein. In one example, a golf club head may include a plurality of weight portions and a body portion. The plurality of weight portions may be associated with a total weight portion mass. The body portion may include a face portion, a toe portion, a sole portion, an interior cavity that may extend between the top and sole portions, and a back portion with a plurality of exterior weight ports having a first set of exterior weight ports and a second set of exterior weight ports. Each of the plurality of exterior weight ports is associated with a port diameter and configured to receive at least one weight portion of the plurality of weight portions. Other examples and embodiments may be described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Parsons Xtreme Golf, LLC
    Inventors: Robert R. Parsons, Michael R. Nicolette, Bradley D. Schweigert
  • Patent number: 8961332
    Abstract: A golf club head including a crown, a sole, a hosel, a face, and a flexure. The flexure provides compliance during an impact between the golf club head and a golf ball, and is tuned to vibrate, immediately after impact, at a predetermined frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Darryl C. Galvan, Noah de la Cruz, Charles E. Golden
  • Patent number: 8956243
    Abstract: The present invention discloses an iron-type golf club head having features that permit adjustment to the principal moment of inertia angle, the center of gravity location, turf interaction, loft, and overall club forgiveness. In particular, the golf club head includes a rear cavity sized to receive a weight cartridge composed of one or more materials, the adjustment of which changes one or more of the mass properties of the golf club head and also changes the interaction of the golf club head with turf during play. The weight cartridge may comprise one or more high density materials, and may be located in or proximate the sole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2015
    Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
    Inventors: Wee Joung Kim, Homer E. Aguinaldo, James A. Seluga
  • Patent number: 8956248
    Abstract: A golf club (40) having a club head (42) with a face component (60), an aft body (61), and a sound modifying sole and crown design is disclosed herein. The face component, which may be composed of a metal material, (60) has a striking area portion (72) and a return portion (74). The aft-body (61), which may be composed of a non-metal material such as composite or thermoplastic material, is composed of a crown portion (62) and a sole portion (64). The sound modifying design, which may include deep pockets or pillars extending from the sole portion (64) to the crown portion (62), alters the sound of the golf club head (42) when it impacts a golf ball.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2015
    Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
    Inventors: Brandon D. DeMille, Matthew T. Cackett
  • Patent number: 8956240
    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. The face defines a striking surface having an ideal impact location at a golf club head origin. Embodiments include club heads for a fairway wood that at least one of a high moment of inertia, a low center-of-gravity, a thin crown and a high coefficient of restitution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2015
    Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Todd P. Beach, Matthew David Johnson, Nathan T. Sargent, Kraig Alan Willett, Michelle Penney, Marc Kronenberg, Matthew Greensmith, Joseph Henry Hoffman
  • Patent number: 8951144
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a golf club having a playing characteristic that is communicated to a player based upon a vibration damping material that is colorized and visible from outside of the club head, thereby communicating to a golfer information about the playing characteristics of the club.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2015
    Assignee: Cobra Golf Incorporated
    Inventors: Ryan L. Roach, Tim A. Beno, Andrew Curtis, Michael S. Yagley
  • Patent number: 8951143
    Abstract: Embodiments of golf club weight attachment mechanisms are described herein. In some embodiments, a golf club head comprises a head body with an interior cavity, a shell portion, and a bracket with a weight member coupled to the bracket. In one embodiment, the bracket and the weight member can be configured to be fully contained within the interior cavity. Other examples and related methods are also described herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2015
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Eric J. Morales, Martin R. Jertson
  • Patent number: 8951141
    Abstract: A set of iron-type golf clubs and a set of iron-type golf club heads are disclosed. The loft angles of the heads are gradually increased from the lowest numbered golf club to the highest numbered golf club in the set. Given that a coefficient of inertia of the head is the ratio Ms/M of a moment of inertia Ms (gram sq·cm) of the head around a horizontal axis extending in a toe-heel direction of the head passing through the center of gravity of the head, to the mass M (g) of the head, the coefficient of inertia is gradually increased with the increase in the loft angle, and the difference of the coefficient of inertia of the head of the highest numbered club from that of the lowest numbered club is 0.3 or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2015
    Assignee: Dunlop Sports Co. Ltd.
    Inventor: Naruhiro Mizutani
  • Patent number: 8951146
    Abstract: A golf club head includes a striking face having an upper perimeter, a lower perimeter, a heel portion, a toe portion, and a posterior body portion comprising a crown portion and a sole portion. The crown is coupled to the upper perimeter of the striking face and the sole is coupled to the lower perimeter of the striking face. The golf club also includes a hosel for receiving a shaft. The heel is positioned below the hosel and the club head has a c.g. positioned towards the toe by a distance, ?z, from a vertical plane running perpendicularly through the crown, the sole, and the striking face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2015
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Ryan Margoles, Gregory D. Johnson, Noah de la Cruz
  • Publication number: 20150038263
    Abstract: An iron-type golf club head has a face for hitting a ball, a sole extending backward from the lower edge of the face and extending in the toe-heel direction of the head so as to define the bottom surface of the club head, and a hosel extending upward in a heel-side of the face and provided with a shaft inserting hole. The club head is composed of a head main body including the face, and a weight member having a specific gravity larger than that of the head main body and fixed to the head main body. The weight member integrally includes a first part extending in the toe-heel direction in the sole, and a second part constituting at least substantial portion of the hosel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2014
    Publication date: February 5, 2015
    Inventor: Naoyoshi UEDA
  • Patent number: 8944934
    Abstract: A head 4 includes a head body h1, a socket 10, and a weight body 12. The weight body 12 has an engaging part 32. The socket 10 has a first hole part 18 and a second hole part 20. The engaging part 32 can take an engaging position EP and a non-engaging position NP in the second hole part 20 by relative rotation of an angle ?. Hardness Hs of the second hole part 20 is D40 or greater and D58 or less. The second hole part 20 has a resistance surface 84 elastically deformed in the middle of the relative rotation. A longest sectional size of the engaging part 32 is defined as d1, and a distance between the resistance surfaces 84 opposed to each other is defined as F1, a ratio (F1/d1) is 0.935 or greater and 0.965 or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Dunlop Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Akio Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20150031474
    Abstract: A head for a ball striking device includes a face having a striking surface and a rear side located behind the face, a rear member connected to the rear side of the face member and having a front surface confronting the rear side of the face member, and a resilient material separating the rear member from the face member, such that the resilient member engages the rear member and the face member and is configured to transfer momentum between the face member and the rear member. The face member has projections extending rearwardly from the rear side of the face member proximate the heel and toe sides of the head. The rear member has receivers in the front surface on the heel and toe sides of the head, where the projections are received in the corresponding receivers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2014
    Publication date: January 29, 2015
    Inventors: David N. Franklin, Brian Kammerer
  • Patent number: 8939848
    Abstract: A golf club head having a low-density insert located in a top portion thereof. The insert may be only in the top line of the club head or extend from the heel around the toe. The insert may extend through a hosel and optionally be visible on a heel-side surface. The insert may be mounted on a back surface of a striking face, and may extend a distance down the back surface. The insert may extend into, and provide part of, a golf ball striking face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: Cobra Golf Incorporated
    Inventors: Peter L. Soracco, Ryan L. Roach, Denise T. Herman, Thomas W. Preece, Michael S. Yagley
  • Publication number: 20150024864
    Abstract: Embodiments of golf club heads with sole cavity ports are described herein. Other examples and related methods are also disclosed herein.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 22, 2014
    Publication date: January 22, 2015
    Inventors: Martin R. Jertson, Evan R. Greer
  • 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: 8932144
    Abstract: When hitting a ball to a target with a putter, the ball often travels to a point which is deviated to the right from the target. When a golfer looks at the target just after taking his address, he turns his head to a target about a rotation axis which extends through the back of his head. When this rotation axis is not horizontal and an angle defined by the rotation axis and his sighting line to a putter head is not 90°, he has an optical illusion which tricks him into believing that he has to correct his address position. The putter of the present invention is provided with a thin-plate pendulum thereby allowing him to turn his head about the rotation axis while keeping the angle defined by the rotation axis and his sighting line at 90°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: Taiseikogyo Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kiyosi Simizu
  • Patent number: 8926448
    Abstract: A golf club head having a center of gravity located at a point close to the face and the sole is disclosed herein. In particular, the golf club head comprises a hollow body including a weight lip and face component, and the weight lip extends from the sole inside the body towards the face component without making contact with the face component. The golf club head is preferably a wood-type or hybrid-type golf club head. In other embodiments, the golf club head comprises a weight bar disposed within the hollow body proximate the face component, and the weight bar bridges at least a portion of the sole. The weight bar may be movable within the hollow body to allow for center of gravity adjustment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
    Inventors: Irina Ivanova, Joel B. Erickson, Bradley C. Rice, Brandon D. DeMille, Patrick Dawson, William C. Watson
  • Patent number: 8926451
    Abstract: A co-forged iron type golf club is disclosed. More specifically, the present invention discloses a co-forged iron type golf club with the body portion made out of a first material and at least one weight adjustment portion monolithically encased within the body portion of the co-forged iron type golf club head without the need for secondary attachment or machining operations. The present invention creates of an iron type golf club head from a pre-form billet that already contains two or more materials before the actual forging process resulting in a multi-material golf club head that doesn't require any post manufacturing operations such as machining, welding, swaging, gluing, and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventors: Uday V. Deshmukh, Ronald K. Hettinger, Jonathan Hebreo
  • Patent number: 8926450
    Abstract: A hollow golf club head includes a face portion, a sole portion, a side portion, a crown portion, and a hozel portion. A main portion of the crown portion is made of a fiber reinforced resin. The fiber reinforced resin portion includes a bulk molding compound (BMC) molded body. At least the face portion, a leading edge of the crown portion continuous with the face portion, and a center portion of the sole portion in a toe-heel direction are made of a metal. Alternatively to this configuration, the face portion may be provided with a metal faceplate, a portion subsequent to the face portion may include a BMC molded body, and a rear portion of the crown portion may include a molded laminate of prepreg sheets. The height of center of gravity may be 24 mm or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Takahashi, Yasunori Imamoto
  • Publication number: 20150005098
    Abstract: Embodiments of a golf club head and methods to manufacture such a golf club head are generally described herein. The golf club head generally includes at least one ball-striking face, which comprises a titanium alloy that is associated with an average grain size measuring no more than about 1 micron (?m) in the longest dimension. The golf club head is associated with a coefficient of restitution of about 0.847 or more when a ball impacts the ball-striking face.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2014
    Publication date: January 1, 2015
    Inventor: Liang Quan
  • Patent number: 8920257
    Abstract: Embodiments of face plates for golf club heads are disclosed herein. Other examples, and related methods are also disclosed herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: David D. Jones, Les J. Bryant, Xiaojian Chen
  • Patent number: 8920258
    Abstract: A golf club head has a main body and a front recess that includes a flange. A rear portion of the main body includes a perimeter-weighting element. A striking face insert is secured within the front recess. A face center is located on the front surface of the striking face insert. A rear cavity is at least partially delimited by the perimeter-weighting element and a rear surface of the striking face insert. A rear insert is secured to the rear surface of the striking face insert. In an imaginary horizontal plane passing through a portion of the rear insert, proximate a heel portion of the club head, a heelwardmost point of the rear insert is spaced further from a vertical center plane than a minimum distance between the flange and the center plane. The club head comprises an auxiliary recess that extends outward from the rear cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: Dunlop Sports Co. Ltd.
    Inventors: Keith F. Dolezel, Matthew R. Daraskavich
  • Patent number: 8920259
    Abstract: An iron golf club head according to this invention includes a head body and a face member. The face member includes a front portion forming portion which forms the front portion of a sole portion. The head body includes a sole forming portion thicker than the front portion forming portion. The end surface of the sole forming portion on the side of a face portion includes a lower region attached to the end surface of the front portion forming portion on the back side, and an upper region above the lower region. An elastic body is disposed in the gap between the upper region and the back surface of the face member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd
    Inventor: Takaharu Takechi
  • Patent number: 8915798
    Abstract: A putter-type golf club head having a face insert comprising a metal sheet and a urethane backing is disclosed herein. The metal sheet, which makes contact with a golf ball during use, includes a plurality of oval-shaped holes extending through the entire thickness of the sheet and having a specific size and spacing, and the urethane backing has a hardness that optimizes performance of the face insert, and thus the putter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2014
    Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
    Inventors: Alan Hocknell, Craig E. Abbott, Augustin W. Rollinson
  • Patent number: 8915797
    Abstract: The present invention discloses an iron-type golf club head having a body and at least one weight disc having a first diameter, the body having a sole with a first recess, which comprises a first bore having a second diameter, a second bore having a third diameter, and a shelf located between the first bore and the second bore, the first diameter is smaller than the second diameter and greater than the third diameter, the first bore is sized to receive the at least one weight disc, the at least one weight disc rests against the shelf, and the at least one weight disc is secured within the first bore. The sole may further comprise second, third, and fourth recesses, each of which may have a first bore, a second bore, and a shelf.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2014
    Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
    Inventors: Justin Kuhar, Joseph Mehren, Irina Ivanova, Bradley C. Rice, Scott R. Manwaring, Brandon D. DeMille, Patrick Dawson
  • Publication number: 20140357403
    Abstract: Embodiments of golf club heads and methods to manufacture such a golf club heads are generally described herein. In some embodiments, the golf club head may include a ball-striking face and a protective aluminum oxide layer coupled to the ball-striking face of the golf club head. The protective aluminum oxide layer is associated with a hardness that is greater than that of the ball-striking face. In further embodiments, golf club heads may include a top portion and at least one of a plurality of interchangeable alignment indicia coupled thereto, which are configured to guide the golf club head relative to a golf ball.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2014
    Publication date: December 4, 2014
    Inventors: Liang Quan, Anthony D. Serrano
  • Patent number: 8900071
    Abstract: A putter type golf club head 1 having a face 2 for hitting a ball on a front side has a head main body 1A provided in a face 2 side with a concave portion 3 and a face insert 1B made of an elastic material attached to the concave portion 3 of the head main body 1A. The face insert 1B has a three-layered structure composed of a first layer 8 disposed in a frontmost side, a third layer 10 disposed in a rearmost side and a second layer 9 sandwiched between the first layer 8 and the third layer 10, wherein hardnesses h1, h2 and h3 and moduli of repulsion elasticity r1, r2 and r3 of the first layer 8, second layer 9 and third layer 10, respectively, satisfy relationships: h1>h2, h3>h2, r1>r2 and r3>r2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: Dunlop Sports Co. Ltd.
    Inventor: Kenji Kii