New Mizuno MP’s?

Mizuno was granted a design patent (USPN D660390) this week that left me scratching my head wondering whether it may be a new MP product or just backward (i.e. left-handed) bad drawings of an existing product. After staring at the Mizuno website for a few minutes I gave up and came to the conclusion that it may be a new product that is in the works. See what you think….. Pretty nice, but how many golfers really have the game to play irons like that?….

Read more

Need Tunes on the Course?

A lot of golfers must like to listen to music on the course. Personally, I like the peace and quiet, mixed with the sounds of an occasional four letter word screamed from several hundred yards away. If you just can’t leave your iPod behind when you hit the links then the head cover disclosed in recently published application US Pub. No. 20120118452 may appeal to you. Check this out….

Read more

The Rest of the Story re Callaway’s Aerodynamic Hosel Patents

It is hard to believe it has been a year since I covered three unique hosel design patents awarded to Callaway Golf (here, here, and here). At the time I commented that it is easy to dismiss one or two wacky design patents as just something dreamt up in R&D that is unlikely to ever see the light of day in an actual product; but by the time that a third variation appears in a design patent one has to start thinking “they may be serious about bringing some of these variations to market.” One of the posts concluded with the thought that there must be some performance benefit associated with these new hosel designs, otherwise it is hard to imagine a Tour player saying “boy that fits my eye, give me one of those.” I can’t wait to learn “the rest of the story.” Well, today we learn the rest of the story…. This morning Callaway was granted USPN 8,177,659 titled “Golf Club Head with Improved Aerodynamic Characteristics.” The application was filed on January 6th and issued just over four months later by taking advantage of a “request for prioritized examination.” Such a request increases the filing fee by a factor of five, leading me to believe that it is likely that we will be seeing some variation of this aerodynamic hosel design incorporated in future products. Now don’t get me wrong, the increase in patent office fees associated with such a request is generally worth the additional costs. However, since this is the first time that I have noticed a Callaway patent issue as the result of a prioritized examination, one has to wonder what is the rush associated with securing protection for this invention…..

Read more

How Much is Your Hosel, Ferrule, and Epoxy Hurting You?

As an avid golfer and equipment junkie, I go through a lot of golf clubs. Not once have I thought about the negative performance impact associated with a club’s hosel, ferrule, or epoxy; probably because that is “just how it is done.” Perhaps such old-school thinking is outdated and due for a change, particularly if you are looking for the ultimate custom club. After all, club makers are always searching for every last bit of discretionary weight to give them a leg up on the competition. Since I recently read about Rickie’s $720 shaft, one has to wonder what this club would cost…. Interesting idea, but is it practical?

Read more

PING Goes for Gold, I Mean Pink

In my April 9th post titled “No Pink Grip for You! (maybe… someday)” I wondered why Karsten (aka PING) had not yet attempted to grab some coverage associated with pink on club heads. I speculated that one reason may be a trademark registration owned by Frankly Consulting, the company formed by former USGA Technical Director Frank Thomas, directed to the Original Pink Frankly Frog Putter…. Well, nine days later Karsten went for it and filed a trademark application seeking to protect a club head with a pink crown. To hedge their bet, they also filed a second trademark application seeking to protect a club head with a pink crown in combination with a pink shaft. Check out THIS picture and see if you can spot the abnormality…. Do you think Karsten should be allowed to register these trademarks?

Read more

New Putting Style Destined for the Tour

Probably not, but amazing nonetheless. Golfers and their inventions never cease to amaze me. Check out this putting style found in a patent application that recently published as US Pub. No. 20120083356 titled “Method of Putting and a Putter.”…. Is it possible to make putting more difficult? This may just be the perfect marriage of shuffleboard and golf!

Read more

New Nike Golf “Air” Golf Ball?

If the patent applications coming out of the Nike Golf R&D department are any indication, “The Oven” must be a place that welcomes unconventional thinking and ideas. How about some “adjustable dimples” as an example of unconventional thinking? Today a Nike Golf patent application published as US Pub. No. 20120108361 titled “Golf Ball with Changeable Dimples.” Check out these drawings from the application!…. Yes, that is a hand pump being used to inflate the golf ball’s dimples! The application explains…. Props to them if they can pull it off. Unfortunately my golf balls seem to find enough cart path bounces that I would be afraid of getting a flat….

Read more

Patent Attorneys Breathe a Sigh of Relief; Finally More Golf GPS Rangefinder Patent Litigation

It is hard to believe it has been almost 1.5 years since I reported on any patent litigation concerning golf GPS rangefinders. Especially in light of the fact that back in 2007-2008 virtually every manufacturer of golf GPS devices was in midst of at least one patent infringement lawsuit. I eventually stopped following the cases because they were sucking me in like quicksand and consuming too much of my time. Perhaps we are about to see a resurgence in golf GPS litigation. Yesterday a patent infringement complaint was filed by GPS Industries, LLC alleging that Deca International Corp., maker of the GolfBuddy line of products, is infringing USPN 5,438,518 and USPN 6,263,279…. It seems like just a matter of time before all the smartphone application developers of golf GPS apps find themselves on the receiving end of a patent infringement complaint!….

Read more
Advertisment ad adsense adlogger