Nike Golf is Getting Their Feet Wet in Golf Ball IP

Regular readers of the Golf-Patents blog know that Nike Golf is one of the most prolific filers of golf club related patent applications, however you may have noticed that Nike Golf patent applications directed to golf ball technology are almost never mentioned. The reason is that they have very few published patent applications directed to golf ball technology, which is why one of their applications caught my attention last week. The application published as US Pub. No. 20100323817 titled “Golf Ball With Oriented Particles,” which describes the invention as…. Finally, a ball that will fly straighter and reduce spin when I need less spin, while increasing spin when I need more spin! It is a panacea; now I would be able to be on Tour if only it could prevent shanks with a wedge from the center of the fairway at 100 yards…..

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Lefty May Have a Fallback Career

Earlier this year I authored a post titled “A Big Day for Lefty; Golf Club Designer Phil Mickelson Granted His Second Patent.” Well, last week a utility patent application directed to the functional aspects of his club design was published as US Pub. No. 20100323811 titled “Hybrid Golf Club Head.” The application describes the invention as…. Perhaps Phil has a fallback career as a golf club designer! Would you buy this club?….

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Having Trouble Getting Enough Spin on Your Wedge Shots?

If so, SRI may have the solution. Wedge patents don’t come along everyday, and when they do the focus is generally an incredibly complex groove profile. Not this wedge patent; it illustrates a pretty straightforward concept and will probably make you want to give the club a try. The patent is USPN 7,846,033 titled “Iron Type Golf Club Head,” which explains (grind through the awkward translation issues from the original Japanese application)…. The bottom line for me is that it looks different than all the wedges that have betrayed me in the past, so I would love to give it a try (whether I understand why it is supposed to help me or not)…..

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Just in Time for Christmas; A True Game Changer!

I am surprised this hot new club hasn’t been revealed on one of the golf forums yet. Well, I guess I get the honor of being the first to bring it to the masses! A rather intriguing patent issued last week titled “Golf Club Having Two Angularly Divergent Impact Faces” (USPN 7,850,538). The patent describes the invention as…. How about that golfer’s grip! I guess it helps when you bury the heel into the green?….

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The ProV1 Drama is Not Over Yet; Implications for an Acushnet Golf Deal?

A lot has been made lately regarding a potential acquisition of Acushnet Golf, but I have yet to see anyone mention the fact that Acushnet is not yet out of the woods regarding the ProV1 dispute. Let’s not forget, the amount at risk is substantial, even if you considerably discount the risk. Therefore, by the time the consultants and attorneys factor this risk into a transaction, it would seem that Acushnet Golf would probably be going for a discount; perhaps making a management led deal more likely to garner the highest price. By now you are probably wondering why Acushnet is not out of the woods yet. Good question. Last month Callaway filed a motion explaining…

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I am Pretty Sure Electric Shock Therapy Would Help My Putting Stroke

How much do you love golf? Is it enough to endure a little electric shock therapy to lower your score? I suspect that the answer of most golfers is…. h##l yes! As a kid I remember loving the game called Operation. It was always such a challenge to remove the wishbone without getting a shock and having buzzers buzzing and lights flashing. Well, the golf putting stroke invention disclosed in recently published application US Pub. No. 20090111598 reminds me a lot of Operation, which makes me think it would be a heck of a fun practice device. Check this out….. I can just imagine one of these in the bar at the clubhouse so you could challenge your buddies to a little putting competition after a few cold ones; especially if you could adjust the voltage to really penalize a bad stroke…..

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SkyCaddie Takes on GolfBuddy

It is hard to believe it has been over two years since I reported on any patent litigation concerning golf GPS rangefinders. Well, this week the makers of SkyCaddie®, the self-proclaimed “#1 Rangefinder in Golf,” filed a patent infringement lawsuit against the makers of the GolfBuddy. The lawsuit, SkyHawke Technologies, LLC v. Deca International Corp., was filed on December 6th in the Southern District of Mississippi concerning USPN 6,456,938 titled “Personal dGPS Golf Course Cartographer, Navigator and Internet Web Site with Map Exchange and Tutor.”….

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My Game is On Today, I Think I Will Sit Down and Turn My Cavity Back Irons into Muscle Back Irons, or Maybe Even Blades

Can you ever imagine yourself ever saying that? Nike Golf is hoping that the ability to transform irons from cavity backs, to muscle backs, or even blades, appeals to a segment of golfers. In fact, this week they had a patent application publish as US Pub. No. 20100304886 titled “Golf Club and Golf Club Head with Interchangeable Body Component,” which describes the invention as….

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This Ball Looks Like It Will Go Far

Ignoring any particular real technology, this ball design just looks like it would fly (although it does remind me of the Burrows Golf “Powersphere ”). I look at every published US patent application directed to golf ball dimple designs and I will often think “that’s cool” or “pretty innovative”, but this is the first time that I actually thought “something about that dimple just looks like it will have me averaging 300 off the tee.” Yes, I know, purely BS based upon the look of a ball; but if it got a pessimist like me thinking that, I bet by the time the marketing types got done running it through the hype machine the average golfer would be clamoring for it. You be the judge….

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