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Marketing types always say…. it is all about brand recognition. I suppose “brand recognition” is slightly different than “golf club design patent drawing recognition,” (ok, more than slightly) but
they are not entirely unrelated. The following drawings come from a driver design patent that issued yesterday to one of the big guys. Do you recognize this club?…..

I bet that at least 77% of golfers will not recognize this driver. The following drawing comes from a driver design patent that issued recently to one of the big guys. Do you recognize
this club?…..

A truly playable lighted golf ball…. can it be made? I have my doubts. Last week a lighted golf ball patent application published in which the inventor discloses his view of the ideal
lighted golf ball. The application published as US Pub. No. 20080108454 titled “Golf Ball Containing Photoluminescent Material and a Light Source,” which describes the invention as….. Interesting, but my gut tells me that there are a few technical challenges that the inventor will have to overcome.

An interesting patent issued on Tuesday that is supposed to assist golfer in reading greens. I reviewed the patent and thought to myself….. “I would give those glasses a try.” The
patent is USPN 7370960 titled “Method and Apparatus for Viewing a Golf Putting Green” and describes the invention as…..

I am not sure what to say about this golf club patent application titled “Golf Club, Jetdrv Driver for Increased Distance and Accuracy;” other than to say that it is interesting (and it
did not result in a patent being issued). The application published as US Pub. No. 20050032584 and contains the following figures….. The application describes the golf club as follows….. Do you believe it?

Recently a golf related patent application published with the title “Handheld Device for Determining Golf Ball Trajectory for Putt or Chip Shot and Method Therefore;” namely US Pub. No. 20080102989. I am willing to read anything that has a shot at improving my putting, so I jumped right in to see if I felt this invention could help my game. The basic invention looks like this….. So how does it work? Well, the following paragraphs explain the concept with respect to the drawings below….. So, do you think this golf invention could help your putting? I will …..

I recently stumbled across a rather interesting putter utility patent that classic car lovers will appreciate. The patent is USPN 5961398 titled “Golf Club Head Apparatus” and looks like the rear of a 1957 Chevy. Check out this putter…. Frankly I am surprised that the inventor obtained a utility patent on this putter since it seems as though the unique attributes are the nonfunctional ornamental design of the putter rather than anything having to do with the utility. Regardless, it is a pretty cool putter!……

Recently a patent application published with the title “Golf Cart Glove Holder-Dryer” (US Pub. No. 20080083131). OK, interesting title…… you have my attention. The application goes on to describe the invention as….. Not the best description, but the following drawing tells the rest of the story…… Good idea! I would buy a few if I owned my own golf cart.

As you know, Golf-Patents.com has repeatedly used golf club design patents to test your knowledge of golf clubs. Now for the ultimate test….. a chipper. Who in the world can identify
the maker of a chipper? Well, probably only people that actually play this brand; but give it a shot. Can you identify the brand of this chipper?

I love reading patent applications directed to inventions designed to eliminate lost golf balls. Such inventions generally appear very impractical, expensive, or involve technology that would be difficult, or impossible, to incorporate into a golf ball; which is what I expected to find when reading a recently published patent application (namely, US Pub. No. 20080061236 titled “Device for Assisting in Finding an Article”). Upon reading the patent application I was blown away because I found myself saying “this doesn’t seem that impractical, in fact it might be a decent idea and I would consider buying one if it were under $50.” The patent application describes the invention as…..

Interesting golf tee inventions do not come along every day. Fortunately last month a patent application published that revealed an interesting tee design. Admittedly, it is not
necessarily a golf tee that I would buy or use, but it is pretty cool nonetheless. The application published as US Pub. No. titled “Self-Righting Golf Ball Tee” and the following drawing says it all…..

This week an interesting patent issued to a golf company that I did not think was even still in business, namely Pixl Golf (click here for an article on the origins of the company, and click here for a 2003 article on Pixl irons). The patent is USPN 7364513 titled “Golf Club Head with Inserts for Impact Face,” which describes the invention as….. Check out these drawings that nicely illustrate the concept…… Interesting concept, but is it enough to revitalize Pixl Golf?…..

Typically when a golf club design patent issues to one of the major equipment players I expect to open it and see a club design that they introduced months ago, but not today. The US Patent and Trademark Office issues patents every Tuesday. Therefore, much of my Tuesday morning is spent reviewing the latest golf related patents, which is always entertaining but rarely do any of the patents really surprise me. Well, today I was surprised by a design patent that issued to Acushnet (a company known for great products under the Titleist and Cobra brands, but not known for wild club designs). Just check out these drawings….. Could this be the next new Titleist or Cobra driver? I can’t wait to see if this design makes it to market……

If you strip all the logos off a golf club head, the typical avid golfer can usually identify the manufacturer of the popular drivers… often the popular irons… and sometimes the popular
putters….. but rarely the fairway woods of the large golf companies. Can you identify the producer of this fairway wood?…..

Would you ever guess that a patent titled “Symbolically Reinforced Golf Club Head” would contain this iron design? Bling, bling….

Check out these figures contained in a golf related design patent that issued earlier this month. Can you guess what it is? (scroll way down in the post for the answer)…..

The company behind The Club Glove travel bags, which according to their website are the number one travel bags on Tour, have sued Armor Gear alleging infringement of USPN 7219902 titled “Flexible Travel Bag with Integrated Support to Protect Bag from Wear.” The Complaint alleges that Armor Gear’s Big Kahuna, Big Kahuna II, and the Rolling Sherpa IIz bags infringe the ‘902 patent. Click HERE to read the Complaint. The ’902 patent describes the invention as…..

Blogging has been slow lately. I apologize, but everyone needs a vacation once in a while. I just returned from a great trip to Palm Springs where I was fortunate to play many of the
PGA West courses. Needless to say….. it was incredible. The courses were beautiful and my game was awful after a long Ohio winter break, but what surprised me the most was the……

Interesting golf tee patents are few and far between. Fortunately, a unique golf tee patent did issue last month, although I am not quite convinced that we will see it in local pro shop any time soon. Fun to look at nonetheless! The patent is USPN 7344456 titled “Flexible Golf Tee.” Check out these drawings…..

As you know, Golf-Patents.com has repeatedly used putter design patents to test your knowledge of putters (click here to satisfy your hunger for putter patent posts). The figures below come from a US putter design patent that issued recently to a major producer of clubs. Can you identify the brand of putter?

Boy, a ton of putter design patents have issued recently! As you know, Golf-Patents.com has repeatedly used putter design patents to test your knowledge of putters (click here to satisfy your hunger for putter patent posts). Well this should be 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 figures below come from a US putter design patent that issued recently to a major producer of clubs. Can you identify the brand of putter?

Many golfers would be surprised to learn that majority of golf grips are patented. Some manufacturers apply for utility patents on their unique grip construction and manufacturing
methods, while others merely seek to protect the ornamental look of the grips via design patents. Recently a golf grip design patent issued on a fairly popular grip, can you identify it from the
design patent drawings?

I bet that at least 77% of golfers will not recognize this driver. The following drawings come from a driver design patent that issued recently to one of the big guys. Do you recognize this club?…..

Familiar with the PuttingDisc? (the website is a little rough) I saw the figures below in a patent that issued this week and thought that I had seen it before, but there is hardly a reference to it on the web (so I must have been mistaken). Oh well, further proof that it is not easy to get a golf training aid to market. The patent is USPN 7347789 titled “golf putting practice device” and describes the invention as….

Golf-Patents.com has repeatedly used putter design patents to test your knowledge of putter designs. For today’s test, can identify the maker and model of this putter?

As a golfer whose game fluctuates from marginal, at best, to horrible (as my playing partners will attest from my first round of 2008 that I played on Thursday), I view most training aides with a skeptical eye. After all, I have tried a lot of things and the only thing that seems to help my game is a lot of time on the range and a lot of rounds. Therefore, I could not believe it when this week a golf training device patent issued and I found myself saying… “not a bad idea; good for use in the backyard, especially if your neighbors won’t put up with the sound of your driver blasting balls into a practice net.” The patent is USPN 7347790 titled “golf swing training device.” The patent describes the invention as…… I describe the invention as……

Golf-Patents.com has repeatedly used putter design patents to test your putter knowledge. Today a unique golf putter design patent issued…. check out the drawing below. Can you identify the make and model?……. Click here for the answer; and click here to check out USPN D565142 titled “Golf Club Head for a Putter.”

It is hard to believe that is has been over a year since I authored a post titled “Bust Your Competitors’ Patents” regarding the patent reexamination process. Since that post many of you have probably learned a little more about the process simply by following my coverage of the Callaway v. Titleist ProV1 golf ball patent dispute. Well, recently a Request for Ex Parte Reexamination was approved by the USPTO regarding a push golf cart design patent, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to share this golf patent reexamination example with the Golf-Patents readers. Back in November a Request for Ex Parte Reexamination was filed regarding USPN D502303 titled “Golf Cart.” The golf cart in question is shown below…….

As you may recall, back in late December Nike filed a lawsuit taking on the clones (Illinois Northern District Court; 07-c-7108). Specifically, Nike’s December 18th complaint named King Sports, Inc. dba Turbo Power Golf, Hung Ying Chang, Krookedstix, Inc., and Gigagolf, Inc. as defendants. Click HERE to review the prior post. It didn’t take long for GigaGolf and KrookedStix to fold and agree to a Consent Judgment and Permanent Injunction with Nike. Click HERE to read the GigaGolf document; and click HERE to read the KroodedStix document. GigaGolf and KroodedStix agreed that they do in fact infringe the Nike design patents and agreed to stop manufacturing and selling the infringing clubs. Interestingly, KroodedStix sold a grand total of “no more than 49 clubs that infringe” the patents-in-suit! King Sports apparently has decided to fight it out and has filed an Answer to the Complaint. Click HERE to read the Answer. To no surprise, King Sports denies infringement and alleges that the patents are invalid. I am not sure I would want to be in the position of King Sports in this lawsuit, but you be the judge……

Back in the fall I authored a post about a patented putting method. Judging from the number of page views and links to the post, I suspect a lot of golfers were surprised to learn that a putting method could be patented; although, let’s face it, the patented putting methods are a little on the unique side of things (to put it nicely). Needless to say, none of the top 10 players in the world took me up on my challenge from the last post:…….. Surprised? Me neither. Anyway, I thought that it was time to revisit the topic and take a look at another patented putting method… so here is USPN 7121954 titled “Putting Method and Putter.” Check out these figures from the patent:…….. So how do you describe it in words… easy, just check out this claim from the patent:…….. So, next time you are watching The Golf Channel see if you can spot any patent infringers (judging from the figures above… I doubt it).

This week Karsten (makers of PING putters) had an interesting patent application publish as US Pub. No. 2008005121 titled “Acoustically Tunable Golf Club Head.” The application describes the invention as……
Check out these figures from the application…… I hope this putter makes it to market!

Time to brush-up on your knowledge of ferrofluids, magnetorheological fluids, inverse magnetorheological fluids, and magnetorheological elastomers. Today a patent application published with the title “adaptive golf ball,” and describes the invention as a “smart golf ball.” OK, that got my attention. It just so happens I have been looking for a ball that can predict when I am going to hit it off the toe and then adjust accordingly. Well, come to find out… the ball disclosed in US Pub. No. 20080045358 isn’t quite as smart as I was hoping for. Oh well, how fun would golf really be if you were always in the middle of the fairway? The patent application describes the invention as…… What is so “smart” about this ball? Well, the following paragraphs from the application do a good job of explaining the concept……. Sound too good to be true?

Ready to test your iron knowledge? No worries, this test should be easy for the avid golfer (or anyone with good analytical skills… i.e. there is a hint in the drawing). 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?……….

A design patent issued yesterday under the title “Rocket Golf Tee,” so I just had to check it out and share it with you. Check out these figures from USPN D562420!………(drawings)…….. Interesting, but will it help your shots go any farther or straighter?

Every golfer has at some point suffered from a case of the shanks. I know that I do at least twice a season. Judging from number of off-set wedge related patents I would say that golfers spend a lot of time thinking about how it must be a problem with the clubs; surely not the swing! I previously posted an overview of a lot of clubs directed at curing the shanks (click HERE to read). Recently a patent application published directed to another seemingly shank-resistant club. Check out these figures from US Pub. No. 20080026867 titled “Golf Club.”…….

Last Valentine’s Day I wrote about a golf ball with heart shaped dimples (click here). Ahh, so sappy and sweet! I have been keeping a published patent application a secret just for a Valentine’s Day post; or more appropriate, I doubt anyone was looking for it. Nonetheless, the application title “Sweetheart Putter” got my attention. The following figure comes from published application US Pub. No. 20080009361……. Interesting design…. I am guessing this one will be marketed to the ladies!

Here comes the softball of the year! 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?…..

Marketing types always say… it is all about brand recognition. I suppose “brand recognition” is slightly different than “design patent drawing recognition,” (ok, more than slightly) but they are not entirely unrelated. The following drawings come from a driver design patent that issued today to one of the big guys. Do you recognize this club?……. So, does this club have good brand recognition?

Last week I posted about an interesting Nike patent application directed to golf clubs incorporating a fluid-filled bladder. Imagine my surprise this week when a patent issued to Fu Sheng Industrial, the world’s largest OEM manufacturer of golf club heads, directed to a remarkably similar design. The Fu Sheng patent is USPN 7326127 titled “Golf Club Head with Gas Cushion.” Check out these drawings from the patent…… Compare the Fu Sheng patent (USPN 7326127 titled “Golf Club Head with Gas Cushion”) to Nike’s published application (US Pub. No. 20080015050 titled “Golf Clubs and Golf Club Heads Having Fluid-Filled Bladders and/or Interior Chambers”). Turns out that great minds do think alike. Looks like we probably will see a club make it to market with a fluid-filled bladder.

Would a patent application titled “Mouse Putter” get your attention? It got mine. So, do you putt mice with it or what? The application published as US Pub. No. 20080009367 titled “Mouse Putter.” Check out this putter design……

OK golfers, how well do you know your drivers? These drawings come from a driver design patent that issued Tuesday to a major club maker. Do you recognize this club?….. You can click here for the answer, and click here to check out USPN D561284 titled “Golf Club Wood Head.”

I didn’t think last week’s post regarding the 3-wheeled bag-riding golf cart could be outdone, but boy was I wrong. Last week an amazing patent issued titled “Collapsible Golf Scooter Cart Having Fold Out Balance Wheels” (USPN 7322434). A what? A golf scooter! Check out this drawing of the scooter……. How would you feel cruising around the course on this beauty?

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

If I searched patents for the term “fluid-filled bladder”… the last thing I would expect to find would be a patent application for golf irons! But that is exactly what I stumbled across recently. More specifically, it was a published patent application directed to a Nike Slingshot design containing a fluid-filled bladder. The application published as US Pub. No. 20080015050 with the title “Golf Clubs and Golf Club Heads Having Fluid-Filled Bladders and/or Interior Chambers.” The application describes the invention as…… So what fills the fluid-filled chamber? The application states that it could be filled with air, inert gases, or liquids. Check out these figures from the application…….
It will be interesting to see if a patent issues from this application, and whether such a product ever makes it to market…..

Another golf invention that words just don’t do justice! Check out these figures……… The drawings come from a recently published patent application US Pub. No. 20080023236 titled “Combined Golf Caddie And Golf Cart.”
Am I nuts, or wasn’t there some problems with the roll-over potential of 3-wheel ATV’s on uneven terrain? Surely that won’t be an issue for this invention….. (I mean it looks pretty stable, right?)

I knew that title would get you interested… but seriously, this post may contain the next hot new golf shoe design and perhaps a glimpse into future FootJoy offerings. Yesterday Acushnet was granted 6 golf shoe design patents. The patents are USPN’s D560338, D560339, D560340, D560341, D560342, and D560343; all titled “Golf Shoe Upper.” Recognize any of these styles?…..

On Friday Stroke Solutions, Inc., maker of the SuperStroke putter grip that KJ has made famous, filed patent infringement lawsuits against Tacki-Mac Grips, Inc. and Energy Grip, Inc. in the Eastern District of Wisconsin. The actual Complaints filed with the court do not contain much information, but you can check them out HERE and HERE. The patent at the center of the dispute is USPN 6626768 titled “Putter Grip.” A few figures from the patent are found below….. I will keep you posted on this gripping patent infringement lawsuit….

Golf-Patents.com has repeatedly used putter design patents to test your knowledge of putter designs (example 1, example 2, example 3, example 4, example 5, example 6, example 7, example 8, and example 9). Today a unique golf putter design patent issued that is directed to the profile of a groove that runs across the top of the putter. Check out the drawings below and pay particular attention to the groove cross-section. Can identify the make and model? (I could not) …

As I expressed in this prior post, I love golfers’ commitment to the belief that golf club heads should have fins and wings! Recently a patent application published that espouses all the perceived benefits of wings. The application is US Pub. No. 20070293333 titled “Golf Club.” Check out these amazing designs!….The application describes the invention as:….I don’t know how this patent application “flew” under my radar!

Would you strap yourself into this contraption to improve your game?

Which top 5 golfer is listed as an inventor on a golf club patent? (Woods, Mickelson, Stricker, Furyk, or Els)
… and who owns the patent? (Nike, Callaway, Acushnet, Srixon, or PING)

Words don’t do this invention justice… you just have to check out these figures. The patent is USPN 6991556 titled “Golf Swing Training Hat.”…… Interesting. Think you could keep the ball on the tee throughout your swing?

Does the title “Method of Playing a Game with a Telescopic Putter Mounted to Headband” peak your interest? It should. The patent is USPN 6846244. Check out this figure from the patent….
I would love to know how many of these have been sold!

Have you ever wondered if you should orient the hexagonal symmetry of your club’s alpha case crystals in a specific manner? Of course you have… I mean who hasn’t? What kind of golfer would you be if you couldn’t sketch out a hexagonal closely packed crystal structure (as seen below) in 30 seconds or less!…… Well, thankfully for all of us… there are engineers working in the golf industry that think about things such as the hexagonal symmetry of a club face’s alpha case crystals. Interestingly, according to a patent application that published yesterday, the orientation of the alpha case crystals in a club face plays a major role in the durability of the club head. In fact a table in the application indicates that a club head with a poor orientation may actually only have one-half the life span of a club head with good orientation. Amazing stuff! The application was filed by….

I love inventions intended to reduce the number of lost golf balls… primarily because I can’t help asking myself the question… “how many golf balls would this device have to prevent me from losing just to pay for itself?” This week a patent application published (US Pub. No. 20080000364) with the title “Golf Ball Locating System and Methods of Use,” so I had to check it out. The invention is directed to magnetic ink on the golf ball and a handheld device using modified pulse induction technology and a beat-frequency oscillator. Sounds incredible right? Well, unfortunately the effective range seems to be 20 feet. That’s right… 20 feet! I think I will have to pass on this one, but I encourage you to check out the application because it is fairly interesting. (surely I am not the only one that would feel just a little embarrassed carrying one of these out on the course)… The following drawings come from the patent application…..

Would you consider playing irons that have a non-metallic face? How about a non-metallic face plated with nanocrystalline material? Does it just sound too futuristic?
Within the past 2 weeks Callaway had an interesting patent application publish directed to just such a set of irons. The published patent application is US Pub. No. 20070293348 titled “Iron Golf Club with Nanocrystalline Face Insert.” The patent application is directed to an iron with…

Until recently golf shoes were not considered high-tech, but that is rapidly changing. For instance, on Christmas day Acushnet was granted a fascinating golf shoe patent that may give us a look at the future of golf shoes. Can you imagine a shoe that automatically knows when you are walking and when you are hitting, then adjusts the shoe accordingly? Amazing, right! So amazing in fact that you may not believe that the invention disclosed in USPN 7310895 titled “Shoe with Sensors, Controller and Active-Response Elements and Method for Use Thereof” can actually be implemented in a consumer product. The patent describes the invention as……. Check out these figures from the patent….

This is the first Golf-Patents post directed to a golf ball retriever! Pretty exciting? Not really; but it is mildly interesting.
The patent is USPN 7311345 titled “Golf Ball Retriever” and describes the invention as…(description)…
I bet you never thought about posterior and anterior fingers as you fished a ball out of the local water hazard! Check out these figures from the patent….

Interesting golf glove patents are few and far between. In fact, there have only been a handful of posts related to golf gloves in the past year (here, here, here, and here). Today an interesting design patent issued on a single finger golf glove… a what? That’s right… a single finger golf glove. The patent is USPN D558405 titled “Single Finger Golf Glove.” Check out this figure from the patent…

In the past I have commented on my surprise at the lack of patents directed to golf bags. This is particularly true for design patents; which are a perfect way to protect unique ornamental design features of golf bags. Well, yesterday two interesting design patents issued that are related to golf bags… more specifically, the patents are directed those hard plastic dividers at the top of carry bags that keep your sticks nicely separated and organized. Karsten Manufacturing (aka PING) was granted USPN D557501 and USPN D557502, both titled “Golf Bag Divider Top.” The following figures come from the patents….(figures)…. Great illustration of smart design patent utilization!

Recently, The Grip Master Co. Pty Ltd. of Australia filed a lawsuit against TheGripMasterUSA of Texas alleging willful patent and trademark infringement (in addition to an allegation of fraud on the USPTO). Click HERE to review the actual Complaint. The patent at the center of the dispute is USPN 6449803 titled “Grip for a Handle or Shaft.” The patent is directed to an underlisting (or core) designed for wrapped grips, as seen below…

If you strip all the logos off a golf club head, the typical avid golfer can usually identify the manufacturer of the popular drivers… often the popular irons… and sometimes the popular
putters… but rarely the fairway woods of the large golf companies (unless they incorporate distinctive design features from the drivers of the product line). Can you identify the producer of this fairway wood?

Club fitting is all the rage, so it is interesting to see what a major club manufacturer may have in store for the future. Callaway had an interesting patent issue this week that may provide us with a glimpse into what they view as the future of club fitting. The patent is USPN 7281985 titled “Golf Club Head,” and describes the invention as: The golf club head (20) of the present invention allows for the face angle, lie angle, loft angle and shaft diameter of the golf club to be customized to a golfer. The golf club head (20) of the present invention is able to accomplish this by providing a major body (22) and a minor body (23) having a crown section (24) and hosel section (25). The minor bodies (23) have different hosel section (25) orientations thereby allowing for different face angles, loft angle, lie angles and shaft diameters of the golf club (19). Check out these drawings from the patent…..

If you don’t recognize this driver then it is time to regroup and get your priorities in order! These drawings come from a driver design patent that issued today on a very popular driver. Do you recognize the club?…(figures)… You can click here for the answer, and click here to check out USPN D553206 titled “Golf Driver Head.”

The following drawing comes from a patent application that published yesterday as US Pub. No. 20070238540 titled “Golf Practice Assembly with Multi Target and Trajectory Analysis.” Do you see something that is a little out of the ordinary? (scroll way down in the post for the answer)

I love finding ridiculous golf club patents. Perhaps it is my fascination with the inventors. Do the really think their crazy club designs are going to be the next hot golf product resulting in fame and fortune?
Fortunate for me, there seems to be an endless supply of crazy golf club patents. The Golf-Patents blog has profiled some bizarre clubs in the past (just look here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here). None of the previously profiled clubs have anything on the club covered by US design patent D551728 titled “Golf Club.” Check out these figures…

What is golf ball seam spew? Well, a recently issued Srixon (aka SRI Sports) patent provides a nice background explanation… As you may know, a golf ball is usually formed by upper and lower molds having hemispherical cavities. A molding method such as an injection molding method, a compression molding method or the like is employed.
Regardless of the type of molding, the molding material slightly leaks out of a parting line of the upper and lower molds. Accordingly, a ring-shaped spew is generated along the seam, which must be removed (typically by a cutting tool, grindstone, sandpaper, etc.). Often the resin of the seam is unexpectedly removed when the seam abuts on a grinding tool.
Obviously, such unexpected material removal is not ideal… after all, who wants to be able to see the seam, let alone be subjected to less than ideal ball flight characteristics?
Therein lies the goal of the Srixon invention… producing a golf ball having a higher uniformity by processing the seam of the golf ball more smoothly. The invention is directed to a seam processing step of cutting or grinding the spew of the seam by means of a rotary processing tool having a processing direction inclined to the seam while rotating the golf ball in a circumferential direction of the seam. Sounds easy enough. The result should be a seam portion that is as small as possible with a smooth removal mark. The patent is USPN 7273574 titled “Golf Ball Manufacturing Method.” Srixon produces some great golf balls, so check out this patent. Congratulations Srixon.

The Golf-Patents blog has tested your knowledge of driver and wood designs in the past (here, here, here, here, here, and here). Today a design patent issued on a popular driver. Do you recognize this club?…(drawing)… You can click here for the answer, and click here to check out USPN D552198 titled “Golf Driver Head,” which issued today. Good luck.

Check out this putter patent application. The application recently published as US Pub. No. 20070191136 titled “Putter Type Golf Club and a Method of Using It.” The application describes the invention as…..
So, do you think this putter would meet the USGA equipment rules for putters?

A recently published patent application caught my eye. The application was titled “Fishing Rod with a Sports Style Handle” and published as US Pub. No. 20070193105. The application describes the invention as….. Check out these figures….. The perfect mix of fishing and golfing.

As with most swing training devices, I have no idea whether this device would be helpful or hurtful. My skeptical nature tends to make me doubt the credibility of the device, but if there was ever a swing that could use some help… it is mine.
The invention is disclosed in a patent application that recently published as US Pub. No. 20070191129 titled “Golf Swing Training Aid.” The application describes the invention as….
Check out these drawings showing the device in action….

Golfers rarely think about the advancements made in golf shoe technology, but boy would we ever if we were forced play a round in the shoes that we wore 20 years ago. I would not want to walk a round in my old leather soled Dexters with metal spikes. A good example of recent golf shoe technology advancements is found in a patent application that recently published as US Pub. No. 20070199211 titled “Flexible Foot-Support Structures and Products Containing Such Support Structures.” The application describes the invention as…….
Check out the following figures from the application……

How large is the market for golf geek products? Now, don’t get me wrong… I like tech toys as much as the next golfer, but I just can’t see myself wearing this product. Check out the product disclosed in the recently published patent application US Pub. No. 20070183262 titled “Golf Watch.” The application describes the invention as “[a] golf watch, which keeps time and allows a player to keep score of a person’s golf game and records the clubs that were used during that game.” Perhaps this product meets the needs of all the golfers that just loved their calculator watches. Wearing this watch would definitely make a statement…

A recently issued putter patent caught my attention because I scanned through the drawings and thought “it would be virtually impossible to putt with this putter.” The patent issued on September 4th as USPN 7264557 titled “Golf Putter with Concave Cylindrical or Spherical Striking Surface.” Check out a few of the drawings from this patent…..
What do you think; would this putter make the game easier or more difficult?
Additionally, what is the likelihood that the USGA would find this to be a non-conforming putter?

In my part of the country golfers rarely buy golf shoes unless they are waterproof. I am sure that this may not be the norm with golfers in Arizona, but would they buy dickies for their golf shoes? The inventors of the device in the recently published patent application US Pub. No. 20070175064 titled “Waterproof Protective Overshoe for Golf Shoes” obviously do believe that golfers will purchase such a product. The patent application describes the invention as… Check out this drawing. Would you wear these on the course?

I would be interested in knowing the total number of double decker driving ranges in the United States. Could there be 100?
That reality did not prevent Si-Myung Kim of Seoul from filing a US patent application that recently published as US Pub. No. 20070178984 titled “Golf Ball Conveying Apparatus for Use on Driving Ranges.” Perhaps Si-Myung is forecasting a building boom. The patent application describes the invention as… Check out this figure of the invention… Finally, no more having to exhaust yourself by carrying those heavy baskets of balls! (kidding, or course)

Put practicality aside for a minute and think of how much fun a driving range could be if it looked like the one drawn below. The drawing comes from USPN 5439224 titled “Driving Range with Automated Scoring System.” The patent describes the invention as… Check out these additional drawings… How difficult would it be to put UPC’s on golf balls?

Last week Acushnet was granted an interesting golf ball dimple patent. The patent is USPN 7267624 titled “Golf Ball Dimple Pattern.” Perhaps the most interesting thing about the patent is that the “claims,” the legal scope of the patent, are limited to a 344 dimple ball. As far as I can tell, Acushnet does not sell a 344 dimple golf ball either under the Titleist brand or the Pinnacle brand. Makes you wonder if a 344 dimple golf ball is on the horizon? The abstract of the patent describes the invention as… (figure)…

Amazing! Who would ever think to put advertisements in the bottom of the cup?
Apparently the inventors of USPN 7266916 did. The following is the description of their invention, as well as a figure….(description… drawing)… What will marketers think of next?…

The Golf-Patents blog has tested your knowledge of driver and wood designs in the past (here, here, here, here, here, and here). Last week a design patent issued on a popular driver. Do you recognize this club?…(figures)… You can click here for the answer, and click here to check out USPN D550800 titled “Sole Plate for Golf Club Head,” which issued last week. PS – I like the design of this club so much that I have one in my bag.

The Golf-Patents blog has profiled some bizarre clubs in the past (just look here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here).
None of the previously profiled clubs have anything on the club covered by US design patent D223767 titled “Golf Club Head or the Like.” Check out these figures….(drawings)…. So, is it a driver or a putter? (I am leaning toward a driver…)

Don’t ever question the amount of R&D brain power that goes into bringing the latest and greatest golf clubs and golf balls to your local pro shop. Just check out recently issued USPN 7254492 titled “Method of Computing Energy Loss Generated in Viscoelastic Material and Method for Evaluating Energy Loss of Golf Ball by Using Method of Computing Energy Loss,” owned by SRI Sports Ltd (Srixon). The patent describes the invention as………. Wow… that is a mouthful (and who uses the word “momently”?). Check out these figures from the patent…

A golf ball patent recently issued under a title that got my attention… “Hybrid Composite Golf Ball and Method of Manufacturer.” The patent is USPN 7255655, which is assigned to Element 21. Sure, everyone wants that golf ball with the perfect feel… but, have you ever thought to yourself… “self… if only I could selectively mix flakes of varying metal alloys into the cover of my ball I would be able to tune my golf ball for just the right feel?” “Do I feel like my titanium alloys golf balls… perhaps the aluminum alloy ball would be more suited for today’s humid weather… better yet, why don’t I just use my old stand-by, the nickel based alloy golf balls.” I doubt that many people ever considered metal flakes as being the missing ingredient from the perfect golf ball……

It is hard to believe that this club maker has not been previously mentioned in a post. In the past this particular manufacturer did not seem to be big on golf club design patents, however they may be turning over a new leaf… they have had 3 club head design patents issue in the past 5 weeks. The figure below comes from a US golf club iron head design patent that issued on Tuesday to a major producer of clubs. Can you identify the brand of irons?….. A few weeks prior the same manufacturer received a design patent on this design…. Can you identify the club maker?

Last week Golf-Patents features a post on loft adjustability, therefore I figured that this week a look at lie adjustability was in order. As with loft adjustability, the USPTO conveniently places all the patents directed to lie adjustability in a single class (473/248). I was surprised to find only 77 patents have been assigned to this class since 1790 (some of which I would not consider to be primarily directed to lie adjustability)! The earliest patent directed to lie adjustability is USPN 1535707, which issued in 1925. Check out these drawings from this patent…(figures)… I would not want to hit anything other than a putt with that club! Now, on the opposite end of the spectrum… the most recent patent in this class that I consider directed to lie adjustability is USPN 6857969, which issued to Acushnet on February 22, 2005. The ‘969 patent describes the invention as:…(description)… Check out this figure from the ‘969 patent:…(drawing)… It should be fun watching the “adjustability” explosion. I wonder what clubs will look like, and be capable of, in ten years?

This week an interesting patent issued for a rather unusual golf product. The patent is USPN 7261639 titled “Golf Club Ring” and describes the invention as:…
Perhaps these drawings illustrate the invention in a more understandable manner…

This week yet another swing training device invention was granted a patent. I can’t tell if it would be helpful, hurtful, or neither. The patent is USPN 7261653 titled “Golf Swing Training Apparatus” and describes the invention as:… Check out this drawing of the device… I bet the great instructors like Harmon and Leadbetter secretly have a few of these in their garage(s)…

Did you catch this week’s Golf Digest article regarding rumors that the USGA and R&A will be officially adopting a previously proposed rule that would allow for greater club head adjustability? If not, check it out. The article got me thinking about the early innovators of
adjustable golf club heads. There are so many degrees of club head adjustability (loft, lie, shaft length, and on, and on, and on)
that I must limit this post to just one… loft. The USPTO conveniently places all the patents directed to loft
adjustability in a single class (473/245). I was surprised to find only 65 patents have been assigned to this class since 1790! The earliest patent directed to loft adjustability is USPN 569438, which issued in 1896. Check out these drawings from this patent…

Ask most golfers about aerodynamics and they will immediately
start spouting off buzz words pertaining to golf balls… dimples,
drag, lift, etc…
Well, have you ever thought about the aerodynamics of your golf clubs? Fortunately there have been many inventors over the years that have been fixated on the aerodynamics of the golf club head. I would love to interview a golf club design engineer regarding the
significance, or lack thereof, of a golf club head’s aerodynamics.
I suspect that at Tiger’s swing speed it may have minor
significance, but virtually no significance for most golfers… but
that is just a hunch. While the idea makes some sense, if it were a truly great idea then one of the major manufacturers would have been all over it a long time ago. Part 1 of this series focuses on a handful of patents that disclose clubs which aim to channel airflow through the club head in a particular manner. Part 2 of the series will honor those inventors that think… “the only think missing from a golf club head is fins!”… Check out these clubs…

This beauty of a golf club is disclosed in USPN D501,903 titled “Golf Club Head.”…(drawings)… Frankly, I was hoping to find a utility application listing the same inventor so that I could learn what was behind the accordion look. Perhaps, each layer has slightly different material properties for optimum deformation at impact with the ball? Maybe the design creates regions of engineered deformation? Perhaps both… Needless to say, I could not locate a related utility application (or patent), so we will never know the origins of the accordion design…

The “odd club of the week” award goes to the club found in USPN D539,861 titled “Golf Club Head.”…(figures)… While it may look ridiculous, I doubt that I would hit it any worse (or better) than my normal wedge.

The Golf-Patents blog has frequently tested your knowledge of
driver and wood designs in the past (here, here, here, and here). Well, here is another test… Recently a design patent issued on a fairly popular metal wood, however I suspect very few people will be able to identify the manufacturer of this club in light of the patenting strategy that was used. Do you recognize this club?

A prior post took a look at shaft related patents that issued in 2006. Needless to say it was a short post (very few shaft patents issued last year). This year is not shaping up to be much more active, but there has been some activity in the past month… Additionally, this week True Temper received its first patent in over 10 months. The True Temper patent that issued Tuesday is USPN 7255652 titled “Lightweight, Durable Golf Club
Shafts.” The patent describes the invention as… OK, that is nice… but it doesn’t really tell you anything about the legal scope of the invention. A quick review of the claims reveals that the patent is directed to…

Golf-Patents.com has repeatedly used putter design patents to test your knowledge of putter designs. If you can identify this one then you are a genius. I did not even know that they had a line of putters. The assignee does not even list any putters on their website and I could not locate this putter design anywhere online. The figure below comes from a US putter design patent that issued last week to a major producer of clubs. Can you identify the brand of putter?

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

You may recall a post from last month regarding Aldila’s first patent in 25 years. Since that post Aldila has had two patent applications publish. It looks like they may be getting more aggressive with their patenting strategy. The first published
application is US Pub. No. 20070173345 titled “Golf Club Shaft and Method of
Producing the Same.” Check out the following figure and description
from this published application……… The second published patent application is US Pub. No. 20070184914 titled “Method for Producing Golf Shafts of Like Flex.” Check out the following figure and description from this published application…

Not a week goes by in which I don’t receive a call from an
inventor that believes that filing a patent application is similar
to completing a driver’s license application (i.e. just a matter of
completing some forms). Such inventors are often disgusted and mad
that preparing a patent application is a lot of work, and therefore
not inexpensive. I frequently direct them to self-help legal books
on patent application drafting and tell them that if they read it
from cover-to-cover at least twice, and follow the directions
step-by-step, then they should be able to draft their own patent
application. This week a patent application published under the title “The Perfect Golf Tee.” The title alone peaked my interest. Unfortunately, the inventor decided to prepare the application himself and it will not result in a patent issuing (in other words he probably would have received more pleasure by flushing the $500 filing fee in cash down the toilet). Experienced inventors know…

Golf-Patents.com has repeatedly used putter design patents to test your knowledge of putter designs. 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 of putter?

Crazy… absolutely, but I like it better than the spatula. Check out this golf invention…(figure)… Interesting stuff (and a good illustration of inventors’ fascination with the toilet).

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.”