The Next Step in Club Head Adjustability? Acushnet’s COR Adjustment Patent

Club head adjustability is almost as hot as MOI. Has Acushnet seen the future? Well, last week they had a pretty innovative patent issue. Just imagine having the ability to adjust the coefficient of restitution of your club face! Perhaps you really loosen up the face during your practice rounds to gain a few extra yards and carry those fairway bunkers, then turn around the next day and bring it back into USGA conformance for the club championship. It doesn’t sound too realistic, but then again… ten years ago a square driver might not have seemed very realistic. The same …

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A Bit of Golf History: The Origins of the Swing Weight Scale

There are tons of online resources that do a good job of explaining the concept of golf club swing weights, so I won’t reproduce that information here. One of the best explanations can be reviewed here. Now, taking a look at the patent history of swing weight… back in 1934 R.W. Adams received a patent for the first swing weight scale (which looks remarkably similar to modern swing weight scales). The patent is USPN 1953916 titled “Apparatus for Measuring Moments of Golf Clubs and the Like,” which is an interesting piece of club fitting history. Check out this figure from the patent…(drawing)… All golfers owe R.W. Adams a big “thank you.”

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T-Golf LLC Has Eyes on “Golf’s Fifth Major”

OK, I had never heard of T-Golf either. Nonetheless, the company appears to have grand aspirations as they have filed a trademark application for “Golf’s Fifth Major.” Check out this list of products and services that the trademark application lists……… Good luck, I hope that we do get an official fifth major, preferably in the middle of winter.

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Listen to a Discussion of “Fore Inventors Only” on Tee Time Radio

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to discuss some of the inventions from The Golf Channel’s “Fore Inventors Only” program with the great team at the Tee Time Radio program. Tee Time Radio is hosted by CJ McDaniel, the CEO of Crenshaw Golf and the PGA’s first Director of Marketing, Lisa DePaulo, a member of the LPGA Teaching and Club Professional Division and former LPGA Tour pro, and Dan Potter, Texas’ most-listened-to Radio news anchor. Click here to listen…

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Can You Identify This Golf Club Head? Test Your Knowledge of Iron Designs

The Golf-Patents blog has tested your knowledge of iron club head design many times in the past (here, here, here, here, and here). Today, let’s see if you can identify another set of irons. I rate the level of difficulty of this one as moderate. Good luck. The figure below comes from a US golf club iron head design patent that issued this week to a major producer of clubs. Can you identify the brand of irons?…(drawing)… Click here for the answer, and click here to check out USPN D547409 titled “Iron Golf Club Cavity,” which issued this week…

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Callaway Granted a Design Patent for Odyssey Putter Grip

Callaway (owner of Odyssey Putters) was recently granted a design patent on a putter grip incorporating the Odyssey logo. The patent is USPN D547406 titled “Golf Club Grip.” Check out this design…(figures)… As you may recall, a few weeks ago Karsten (Ping) received a putter grip design patent for a Ping putter grip design (see this post)… Which grip do you like better?…

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Perhaps Sergio’s Next Putter?

Cheap shot, I know. Sergio is obviously a much better putter (and golfer) than I am. He was just the easy target. Last month a pretty unique putter patent application published as US Pub. No. 20070149306 titled “Golf Clubs.” This figure says it all…(drawing)… I have to admit, I have never seen anything like it and would love to give it a try…

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A Dimple Design Patent… Interesting

Four months ago I posted a comment on an interesting golf ball design patent. Well, leave it to a golfer to take it to the next level and obtain a design patent on a particular dimple design. This week a Mr. Niwa of Japan was granted USPN D546910 titled “Dimple for a Golf Ball.” Oddly, the patent is not listed to be owned by a golf ball manufacturer. Perhaps this is some hopeful speculation on the part of Mr. Niwa, which might not be a bad idea. Check out these figures from …

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A Unique New Way to Package Plastic Tees

I must admit that I am not a big fan of plastic tees, but a recent design patent illustrates an innovative new way to package and sell them. The patent is USPN D546197 titled “Assembly of Golf Tees with Hanging Hook.” The design looks like a molded assembly that allows the user to break off a tee when needed. Check out this figure…(image)… Not a bad idea…

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The First Mention of Aldila on the Golf-Patents Blog – Their First Patent in 25 Years

Readers of this blog know that I am amazed by the lack of golf shaft related patents, especially in light of the technology that goes into the design and manufacturing of shafts (see this post). This week Aldila was granted their first patent in over 25 years! This is hard to imagine… an industry leading innovative publicly traded company that only has 2 patents. Amazing! They must know how to keep trade secrets. The patent that was granted this week is USPN 7243531 titled “Method and Apparatus for Dynamically Locating Neutral Shaft Plane.” The patent describes the invention as…

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Everyone has Heard of Cybersquatting, but do You Know About Trademark-squatting? Consider this Trademark Application for “Sergio Garcia”

Since Sergio is currently leading the British Open I decided to check out what, if any, US trademarks he owns. During my research I came upon an interesting trademark application. I was not surprised to find a pending trademark application for the mark SERGIO GARCIA directed to golf products and clothing. But something in the application caught my eye… it was filed by Sergio Garcia himself. Odd I thought… would the “real” Sergio Garcia really file his own trademark application? No, of course not. A little further investigation yielded the address of the applicant in Highland, Indiana. While I have no idea where the PGA’s Sergio Garcia resides, I would bet that it is not in Highland, Indiana. I suspect that some guy named Sergio Garcia living in Indiana is thinking he is going to cash-in when the PGA Sergio decides to start a clothing line or introduce his own line of golf products. The agent of the PGA’s Sergio should have insisted that Sergio protect his name years ago! (So, PGA Sergio… if you are looking for a new agent, I would be willing to give it a try)… this is not the first time that someone has tried to obtain rights to the “Sergio Garcia” mark.

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The Brits Would be Disappointed to Learn that the USGA Owns the “Open” US Trademark

I was surprised to learn that the USGA owns the OPEN trademark in the US for “educational and entertainment services; namely, conducting a golf tournament.” Interestingly there are only 4 distinct live US trademarks associated with the British Open. There are 2 word marks, namely BRITISH OPEN GOLF, and BRITISH OPEN; and two trophy logo US trademarks, seen below… Looks like they need to play catch up! Compare this to the US Open trademark portfolio and the Masters’ trademark portfolio… So why does The Golf Channel keep calling it The Open Championship?

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Tomorrow Morning at 7:30 EST I will Disclose “The Single Biggest Intellectual Property Mistake of Small Businesses” on the Small Business Advocate® Radio Program

I can feel the anticipation building… I am fortunate to be a frequent guest on the nationally syndicated Small Business Advocate® radio show. It is a great program dedicated to helping small businesses succeed. Tomorrow morning at 7:30 EST I will be discussing what I consider to be “The Single Biggest Intellectual Property Mistake of Small Businesses.” You can listen live here (click the “live” button), or you can listen at your convenience here.

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What is “The Donald” Up To? “The Donald J. Trump World Open” Trademark Application

It looks like “The Donald” has his sights set on a major golf tournament of his own. I recently stumbled upon his trademark application for THE DONALD J. TRUMP WORLD OPEN. Interestingly, he did of course try to register just THE WORLD OPEN, but the application has been abandoned. Interesting stuff… Can you guess how many US trademark applications “The Donald” has filed?…

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Review of the Second Episode of “Fore Inventors Only” on The Golf Channel – Is Stina the Only Judge with Common Sense?

Golfers are crazy, inventors are even crazier, and I don’t know what to say about Fulton and Bill! This week’s episode had everything from “real” inventions to ridiculous novelty products, as well as a fair number of questionable decisions on the part of the judges. Now, my breakdown of the inventions…(list)… So what was my favorite invention? Drum roll please… A tie between the…

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UpLink Granted Golf Cart Control Patent Ensuring Carts Only Drive Where Allowed

This week UpLink was granted USPN 7239965 titled “Method and System for Golf Cart Control.” The ‘965 patent is incredibly broad and will undoubtedly be a valuable contribution to the UpLink patent portfolio. The patent describes the invention as… Easy to describe in words, but I am sure it took some computer geniuses to efficiently implement. Check out these figures from the patent… I was amazed the first time that I played a course that implemented this technology. Congratulations UpLink!

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Acushnet Answers Callaway’s Complaint in Golf Club Patent Infringement Case… Acushnet Turns the Tables and Sues Callaway for Infringing 2 of Acushnet’s Golf Club Patents

As you may recall from a prior post, on June 8, 2007 Callaway filed a golf club patent infringement lawsuit alleging that Acushnet has willfully infringed 5 Callaway patents. On July 12, 2007 Acushnet filed their Answer to the Complaint. Of course the Answer alleges that Acushnet is not infringing the Callaway patents and alleges that the Callaway patents are invalid, BUT interestingly Acushnet returned the favor and accused Callaway of infringing two of Acushnet’s patents. As you may recall, the Complaint alleges that King Cobra 454 Comp, King Cobra F Speed, King Cobra HS9 F Speed, King Cobra HS9 M Speed, King Cobra LD F Speed, Titleist 905R, Titleist 905S, and Titleist 905T clubs infringe one, or more, of the Callaway patents. The Answer alleges that the Callaway FT-i, FT-5, X-460, X-460 Tour, Big Bertha Fusion FT-3, and Big Bertha 460 clubs infringe one, or more, of the Acushnet patents….. Think there is a fair amount of money at risk in this lawsuit?

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Can You Identify This Putter? Test Your Knowledge of Golf Putter Designs

Golf-Patents.com has repeatedly used putter design patents to test your knowledge of putter designs. Well here is a relatively easy one… How good are you at identifying a particular brand of putter when all the logos and trademarks are stripped off the club head? The figure below comes from a US putter design patent that issued this week to a major producer of clubs. Can you identify the brand?…

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Can You Identify This Golf Club Head? Test Your Knowledge of Iron Designs

The Golf-Patents blog has tested your knowledge of iron club head design several times in the past. Today, let’s see if you can identify another set of irons. I rate the level of difficulty of this one as moderate. Good luck… The figure below comes from a US golf club iron head design patent that issued Tuesday to a major producer of clubs. Can you identify the brand of irons?…

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Review of the First Episode of “Fore Inventors Only” on The Golf Channel – A Lot of Whiffs and Shanks, but a Fun Show to Watch

The first episode of “Fore Inventors Only” was a success. The show is at least as good as the American Inventor show, and frankly I like it better. OK, so now my review of the inventions… (in the order that they appeared on the show)…So what was my favorite invention? Drum roll please… The invention that I thought was the best was actually not evaluated by the panel; it was in a commercial for the Adidas Power Band shoes. Congratulations Adidas. But seriously, as for the best invention evaluated by the panel… there is no question, it was the… IF the invention is protectable then the inventor could make millions off of it. Now, regarding the panelists… Bill Harmon comes off as an elitist know-it-all and I predict that he will be replaced if the show makes it to a second season. Otherwise, Stina Sternberg and Fulton Allem are great…

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Tour Edge Makes Their First Appearance on the Golf-Patents Blog

Recently Tour Edge has been receiving some pretty positive press on their Exotics line of clubs. Well now they have a design patent on the sole of their Exotics driver to go along with all the hype. Recently Tour Edge was granted USPN D545389 titled “Golf Club Head.”..(figure).. It appears that Tour Edge now has 7 patents. Keep it up!… PS – You have to respect their money back guarantee that purchasers will hit the ball further …

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Golf Putter UTILITY Patent Issues on a Putter that You May Recognize

Last week an interesting utility patent issued on a pretty popular putter design. The patent was USPN 7235021 titled “Golf Putter Head with a Visual Alignment Aid and an Increased Moment of Inertia.” Do you recognize the putter brand?… If you don’t recognize it, order more golf magazines (and click here). This patent is a good illustration of a putter utility patent (as most are putters are protected by design patents, see this post)…

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Acushnet and Softspikes Sued for Golf Shoe Spike Patent Infringement… and Lawsuit Against Nike and Champ Lives On

Will golf shoes and spikes become more expensive? On June 14, 2007 Greenkeepers sued Acushnet and Softspikes for patent infringement of USPN 6530162 titled “Sports Shoe Cleats.” What is this lawsuit all about? Well, basically an angled arrangement of flexible teeth extending from the base of the cleat to enhance lateral stability. Perhaps these figures will help…. This is not the first patent litigation action regarding the ‘162 patent. In fact, Greenkeepers sued Nike and MacNeill Engineering (maker of Champ spikes) back in August of 2004… I suspect that there is a fair amount of money at stake in these cases!…

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Golfers and Their Swing Plane Fixation (since 1924!)… Another Swing Plane Training Patent Issues

Yet another swing plane training device patent issued this week, namely USPN 7238116 titled “Golf Swing Training Apparatus and Method of Using the Same.” A quick look at the patent made me think… this can’t be the first patent for this type of device. In fact, USPN 1567530 titled “Golf Swing Device” was filed in 1924 for a remarkably similar device. Just compare these figures from the two patents and you will recognize that the ‘166 patent is fairly narrow (i.e. limited, or specific)(even without having to review the claims). Can you identify which of these designs is from 1924?…

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They Invited Me Back… The IP Golf Guy was a Guest on Tee Time Radio Program

Once again I was honored to be a guest on the Tee Time Radio program, and may be joining them in the future to discuss The Golf Channel’s For Inventors Only show that premiers Tuesday at 10:00 EST. This great golf radio program is hosted by CJ McDaniel, the CEO of Crenshaw Golf and the PGA’s first Director of Marketing, Lisa DePaulo, a member of the LPGA Teaching and Club Professional Division and former LPGA Tour pro, and Ryan Terry (filling in for Dan Potter, Texas’ most-listened-to Radio news anchor). Click here to listen.

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Patent Issues on the Unique GreenFix Ballmark Repair Tool

We have all seen them. It seems to be the first commercially successful non-conventional green repair tool in decades. Now, not only does GreenFix have a cool product, but they also have a utility patent to back it up. This week a patent issued directed to the unique GreenFix ballmark elimination system. The patent is USPN 7238126 titled “Golf Green Repair Device, Method, and Apparatus.” Check out these figures… A little more innovative than the traditional tool (seen below)…

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A Self-Healing Golf Ball… What?

Remember the good old days when one bad shot would put a big smile across the cover of your golf ball? A true penalty for a bad swing. Did you know that Acushnet has two patents directed to “healing agents” built into the cover of the ball?… The inventions relate to golf ball materials including at least one polymer and at least one microencapsulated healing agent to improve impact durability. The patent provides a nice explanation of the problem solved by the inventions…

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Origins of the Liquid Filled Golf Ball

If you follow the Golf-Patents blog then you probably realize that I was fascinated by a recent Callaway ball patent. The Callaway invention is directed to internal structures in the ball that divert liquid as the ball spins to control the spin of the ball. The Callaway patent inspired some research into the origins of liquid filled golf balls (and there have been many!). The earliest US disclosure of a liquid filled golf ball is found in USPN 715295 titled “Playing Ball,” which was filed in 1902…

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At Least Once a Season a Rake Saves My Ball from a Bunker… So Why Would I Want Rakes to be Stored Underground?

Isn’t the game hard enough? Well, the inventors of USPN 6691887 titled “Underground Rake Storage Apparatus and Method” must not think so. The ‘877 patent discloses a unique underground storage system and keeps rakes out of the way and nicely presents them when needed. Check out this device… The device looks a little complex (i.e. costly). Interesting idea nonetheless, and I could see the USGA using these devices at big tournaments.

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As a Patent Lawyer You Always Wonder How Closely the Inventors Review a Patent Application (A Little Humor)

Very few inventors appreciate how important it is to closely review a patent application before it is filed. After all, an inventor should not want to notice errors for the first time when they are attempting to enforce it against a competitor. The attorney that drafted this patent application tried to educate his clients on the importance of a thorough application review prior to filing, yet something slipped through the cracks. Check out this claim that remained in the application when it was filed. Funny!…

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Even I Could Produce Lots of Spin with this Wedge

My wedge struggles have led me to looking at a lot of wedge patents lately. One patent in particular really caught my attention. I have no doubt that the club disclosed in USPN 6224496 titled “Golf Club Head with Removable Head Insert” would produce some incredible spin, but it looks like it would absolutely tear up golf balls. Check out this club!… This patent is assigned to The Spin Doctor Ltd. and it appears that a version of this club is actually available for purchase!…

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Shanks… Hosel Rockets… No Matter What You Call Them, We Have All Had Them; Inventors Have Been Designing Clubs to Prevent Hosel Rockets Since 1921

Inventors have been trying to develop shank resistant wedges for years. I am sure that everyone has seen the advertisements for F2 Golf’s face forward wedges. Let’s look a few of the early innovators in shank resistant clubs, as well as one design that would seem to promote hosel rockets…

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