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!<< MORE >>

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....<< MORE >>

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!....<< MORE >>

Building on my three prior “Would it Work” posts (HERE, HERE, and HERE), today we turn our attention to magnets. Golf inventors seem convinced that the magical powers of magnets must be able to improve golf equipment.... So, “would it work?” My guestimate....<< MORE >>

Building on my two prior “Would it Work” posts (HERE and HERE), today we turn our attention to a golf ball design. Specifically a golf ball containing springs and ball bearings. The design is found in USPN 6,755,753 titled “Golf Ball Having a Controlled Variable Moment of Inertia.” The patent describes the invention as.... So, “would it work?” I wouldn’t bet against the brains in the R&D department at....<< MORE >>

Building on my prior post’s “Would it Work” topic, today we take a look at another common theme of golf club patents, specifically the topic of liquids within club heads. As I mentioned, the “Would it Work” category is directed to golf inventions that are likely to make at least half the readers say “come on, that would not work.” Today’s installment takes a look at USPN 6,641,490 titled “Golf Club Head With Dynamically Movable Center of Mass.” Check it out!.... So, “would it work?” My guestimate....<< MORE >>

I have created a new category for the sidebar on the right. The category is titled “Would it Work.” It is the perfect place to categorize posts covering golf inventions that are likely to make at least half the readers say “come on, there is no way that would work.” The first addition to the category is a club head design revealed in USPN 5,366,222 titled “Golf Club Head Having a Weight Distributing System.” The patent describes the invention as.... So, “would it work?” My guestimate....<< MORE >>

No explanation needed, check out this puzzle!.... The drawings come from a Nike Golf patent application that recently published as US Pub. No. 20120083359 titled “Golf Club Head or Other Ball Striking Device Having Adjustable Weighting Features.".... I can just imagine the TV commercial....<< MORE >>

Golfers need an exciting new patent infringement case to fill the void left by the settlement of the Pro V1 golf ball patent dispute. Unfortunately golf towel patent litigation isn’t quite as sexy as golf ball litigation with at least 9 figures at risk. The patent at the center of this litigation is USPN 5813080 titled “Towel Structure,” which describes the invention as.... The product at the center of the dispute is the Maxfli Dry Tech Towel. Click HERE to read the entire complaint. Is there a lesson to take away from this post? Of course! Aside from the obvious, that golf towel patent litigation is not very interesting, the lesson to learn is that if you are going to launch ANY type of product in the golf industry you MUST start with the assumption the product probably infringes at least one patent, then work to identify the sources of risk and investigate potential "design-around" alternatives. << MORE >>

I have commented in the past that adjustability of the golf club may be trending away from the golf club head. For instance, recent posts have covered several club manufacturers efforts at developing adjustable shaft stiffness systems (Nike Golf, TaylorMade), adjustable length systems, and even adjustable grips. It was just a matter of time before someone zeroed in on placing moveable weights within the golf club shaft. Today Nike Golf had a patent application publish as US Pub. No. 20120094780 titled “Device for Changing Mass Characteristics of a Golf Club.” The application describes the invention as.... Will this be the next hot adjustability selling point? Can't you just hear the salesperson saying "the liquid-filled shaft produces too much spin, the paste-filled shaft launches the ball too low, but that gelatin-center is just right!" Dave Dawsey - The Golf Invention Attorney<< MORE >>

Over the past five years golfers have been bombarded with various adjustable weight systems, all having a unique manufacturer specific acronym or catchy name. Like most golfers I played around with the weights on the driving range two or three times before accepting that the problem was my swing, not whether 10 grams were located closer to the toe or heel of the club head. The Mizuno “Fast Track Technology” was the most fun to play with, although it didn't seem to force the ball into the middle of the fairway as I expected. A recent Nike Golf patent application published and gives us a look at a different spin on adjustable weights..... Tweet me (@GolfPatents) the best acronym you can come up with for this “exciting new technology,” as the marketers would say. You won’t win anything, but it may inspire me to start using Twitter.....<< MORE >>

Over the past year and a half I have covered the attempted IP grabs at white crowns, matching crowns/shafts/grips, and colors in general related to golf club design. Most recently I covered a Cobra Golf design patent in the post titled “Will White Club Heads Still Be Around in 5 Years?”.... Interestingly Cobra has taken it a step further, as revealed in a utility patent application that published last week as US Pub. No. 20120083354. A proposed claim of the application seeks to lay claim to a golf club on which “an exposed portion” of the crown, “an exposed portion” of the shaft, and “an exposed portion” of the grip are “the same hue.” You have to love patent attorneys!.... This got me thinking, surely Karsten (aka PING) has attempted to grab some coverage associated with the color pink on club heads, right? Well, not yet. One reason may be a trademark registration owned by.... So, hopefully Bubba likes the black grip that he is currently using because if the Cobra application were to issue as a patent, which is a big IF, he may not be able to completely match his golf club’s outfit!....<< MORE >>

It just occurred to me that I short changed Mr. Pelz in my prior post “Patents by Dave Pelz – Phil Mickelson’s Short-Game Coach.” Turns out he has 16 golf related utility patents, not the 12 previously reported. Three of the utility patents were overlooked simply due to the age of the patents, namely USPN’s 3912277, 3549300, and 3462155, while one (USPN 7,225,663) issued since the date of the original post. Two of his patents from the late 1960’s reveal some rather unusual thinking. Check out these two putter designs!.... Wow!....<< MORE >>

Callaway Golf seems to be taking so many steps in the right direction lately that I beg them to forget that they ever thought of an articulated hosel. Great new clubs, fabulous golf balls, and an outstanding hire for the CEO position; but please just walk away from the articulated hosel concept disclosed in a patent application that published today as US Pub. No. 20120083358 titled “Golf Club Head with Articulated Hosel.” The application describes the invention as.... A worm gear has no place on a golf club! Although... it would be impressive if they could pull off the engineering to make such a connection system durable and reliable....<< MORE >>

It is a fitting time to revisit prior posts that cover Masters champions who are also inventors....<< MORE >>

It is that time of year again to check out Augusta's trademark portfolio....<< MORE >>

I can’t say that I have ever felt that keeping the ball on the tee is a challenge, but that’s just me. If you do consider it a challenge then the invention disclosed in the recently published application US Pub. No. 20120077625 may be of interest to you. Check this out.... Yep, that is a suction cup on the end of a tee. Seems like that may cost you some distance!....<< MORE >>

Like many golfers I purchase all sorts of training products looking for that magic bullet that will make me a scratch golfer. Surprisingly, none of them have produced that result, although many have helped, at least for a week or two. A recently published patent application discloses a training product that I would buy and add to the collection of contraptions gathering dust in my trunk. The application published as US Pub. No. 20120071256 titled “Golf Swing Wrist Condition Training Device.” The invention is described as.... I like it.....<< MORE >>

I have recently covered a Bridgestone patent directed to “ridged scorelines,” as well as a Callaway patent that focused on a groove’s “micro-edges.” Today you get to chew on a Nike invention directed to “textured” grooves. The invention is disclosed in US Pub. No. 20120071269 titled “Golf Clubs With Golf Club Heads Having Grooves Formed With Textured Surfaces,” which describes the invention as..... So, would you prefer your grooves ridged, with micro-edges, or textured? David Dawsey - An IP Attorney<< MORE >>

Bridgestone Golf would prefer that golfers focus on changing their wedge’s bounce to suit the course conditions. They recently had a patent application publish as US Pub. No. 20120064997 titled “Clubhead of Iron Golf Club,” which explains..... Back in 2010 I wrote about a Nike Golf design that would allow a golfer to switch their cavity back irons to muscle backs irons. The Nike patent application discussed in the post actually issued as USPN 8133129 just last week, and perhaps unluckily for Bridgestone discloses..... It is hard to imagine that we will ever see either the Bridgestone or Nike designs on the market, but you never know in today’s competitive marketing driven golf environment.....<< MORE >>

How often do you see a fellow golfer leave the face open at impact and push a putt? I do it all the time; at least five times more often than I pull a putt. Well, a design patent issued this week that may help golfers get the putter face square at impact. Check out this design.... Sure, connecting the shaft to the head on the toe side of the club head looks a little odd, but I could easily get past the aesthetics if it saved me a couple of strokes a round.....<< MORE >>

I have always been a fan of SeeMore Putter Company’s products. There is a certain beauty in the simplicity of their riflescope technology. Today they were granted USPN 8,133,126 titled “Golf Club Having Alignment Markings,” which may suggest that they are considering applying the technology to more than just putters.....<< MORE >>

Would a practice device with unusually high level of difficulty inspire you to practice more or less? Check out the device disclosed in US Pub. No. 20120058836 titled “Golf Club and Method for Use to Improve Golf Game”.... This invention seems to be an extension of a similar concept introduced long ago in practice putters.....<< MORE >>

I love putter inventions! Just when you think you have seen everything some golfer dreams up a crazy new design that will undoubtedly eliminate the dreaded 3-putt. This week's wild new design is found in a patent application that published today as US Pub. No. 20120058837 titled "Golf Putter with Trampoline-Effect Drumhead Striking Surface and Pendulum Plumb-Bob Peripheral Weight Distribution"..... Check it out.... I suspect we won’t see any of these at Doral this week (unless Matt Every is in the market for a new flatstick).... Dave Dawsey - The Putter Patent Attorney<< MORE >>

What golfer couldn’t use a little putting help? I just had my first ever putting lesson and it turns out my grip was wrong, my stroke was wrong, and my alignment was wrong, other than that everything was perfect (meaning at least I was holding a putter). A dedicated putting practice ball may just be what you need to start sinking more putts. One such ball is disclosed in a patent application that recently published as US Pub. No. 20120028726 titled “Golf Putting Practice Ball,” which describes the invention as.... I would buy a sleeve. Now all the inventor needs is an endorser and an infomercial on The Golf Channel!....<< MORE >>

Eco-friendly golf ball IP seems to be hot right now. Last week I posted about Nike’s attempt to take on global warming with golf balls, and about a year ago I covered a Bridgestone patent directed to a biodegradable golf ball. What the next logical step? A biodegradable golf ball that turns into fish food, of course..... Nice idea, but the balls seem to be directed to one-shot applications, like off a cruise ship, rather than for use on the course. I wonder how big the market is for single-shot golf balls?.... David Dawsey – The Golf Invention Lawyer<< MORE >>

Can you imagine a silent adjustable golf glove? Sounds too good to be true. Well this week a patent application published disclosing a clever dial adjustment system that may eliminate the awful sound of your playing partner removing their glove during your tee shot or putting stroke.... Great idea but success will depend on whether it provides the same level of adjustability found with the large Velcro flaps....<< MORE >>

OK, would your answer be different if it was a BROOM putter by.... Boy, Johnny and Nick would have a field day talking about this! Smart marketing. David Dawsey – A Golf Trademark Attorney << MORE >>

Proving that patent issues are relevant to the entire population (yes, even politicians), yesterday a company named EveryMD sued Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney, and Newt Gingrich for allegedly infringing USPN 7644122 titled “method apparatus and business system for online communications with online and offline recipients.”.... Do you think these three guys have any idea whether their campaign is carrying out the following method? Given my general disgust of everything political I never could have imagined writing about these three politicians and alleged patent infringement. Keep your eyes peeled for some upcoming “fund my patent infringement defense” dinners. This confirms it, golf is so much more interesting than politics, although I bet I could write an interesting Saturday Night Live skit about this! David Dawsey - An Apolitical Patent Attorney<< MORE >>

What golfer hasn’t looked at their golf ball and thought…. “this ball is almost perfect, it is just missing a visible charm or jewelry piece.” Aside from myself and every golfer that I know, perhaps this is an untapped market..... Oh my! David Dawsey – The Golf Lawyer<< MORE >>

Can you imagine a future in which your golf balls help combat global warming? Nike Golf hopes that you can. Today they had a patent application publish that will make any tree hugger breathe a sigh of relief.... Props to Nike for some pretty creative thinking! Now, will it make it to the market?.... David Dawsey – The Golf Invention Attorney<< MORE >>

Are you ready for Bridgestone’s “Golf Ball Love” advertising campaign? Probably not, and that is OK because I just made it up in light of a Bridgestone golf ball design patent that issued today. Unfortunately the patent missed its mark (Valentine’s Day) by exactly one week. Check out this dimple pattern!.... Would your golfing buddies give you a hard time for playing this ball? David Dawsey – The Golf Invention Law Firm<< MORE >>

In a recent post I wondered if the term “micro-edges” would become the buzz word of the future. Based upon a recently issued patent, Bridgestone Golf may be hoping that the next hot buzz word is “ridged scorelines.”.... Think you could shred some cheese on the face of that iron? Dave Dawsey - The Golf Attorney<< MORE >>

Wow, it has been over a year since my last golf glove related post! I guess not many people are working on innovations in the field of golf gloves; kind of surprising. That changes today with an invention straight out of The Villages (the location of the inventor). The invention is disclosed in a patent application that recently published as.... Not a bad idea if you fight strangling your grip....<< MORE >>

I have recently covered a Nike patent application and a DuPont patent directed to user-customizable golf balls, generally involving a microwave or oven (and probably a lot of injuries). While this screams “bad idea” to me, the folks at Nike must not agree since this week they had another patent application publish directed to user-customizable golf ball kits. You decide.... Are you brave enough, and do you have the desire, to try to produce golf balls in your kitchen? Not me. It just seems to me that it should be done in a tightly controlled manufacturing environment with multimillion dollar machinery. David Dawsey – Keeping an Eye on Golf Ball Technology<< MORE >>

How often do you think about the leading edge of your irons? Sure, golfers often think about “bounce” but what about the actual leading edge? Fortunately, the engineers at Karsten (aka PING) are thinking about these things for us as witnessed by an interesting patent application that published today..... How would you like to cleanly shear tall grass when going after a ball buried in the rough? I don’t know if it would actually help my game but it is an interesting concept. Nice work..... Dave Dawsey - Monitoring Intellectual Property in the Golf Industry<< MORE >>

Check out the golf grip disclosed in a patent that issued this week as USPN 8,105,179 titled “Golf Club Having Improved Handle Configuration.”.... That actually might work with my swing since the left elbow position during follow-through looks familiar, but I am working on it....<< MORE >>

A little over one year ago I posted about a flip-face putter that I thought would sell. A lot of people at GolfWRX do not seem to agree. I suspect that will change if Phil puts this putter in play. At least Odyssey, and now Nike, seem to agree with me. In fact this week Nike had a patent application publish that has a lot of similarities to the putter I covered in THIS prior post. The Nike patent application published as US Pub. No. 20120028732 titled “Putter Heads And Putters Having Adjustable, Multi-Sided Ball Striking Face Insert.” The application describes the invention as.... It will be interesting to see if Nike’s design makes it to the market.... Dave Dawsey - Monitoring Golf Putter Inventions << MORE >>

A ceramic face of course. This week Callaway had a patent issue directed to a ceramic club face. Interestingly, it originates from another application filed with a nonpublication request, which I have written about in the past here and here, leading one to believe that they did not want the competition knowing about this research project until a patent actually issued. This seems to be a trend. The patent issued as USPN 8,105,180 titled “Iron-Type Golf Club Head with Groove Profile in Ceramic Face,” which describes the invention as.... So, “micro-edges” may be the buzz word of the future!....<< MORE >>

Would a phone’s unique golf-specific capabilities influence your selection of cell phone service provider? It probably would for me, which is exactly the hope of Verizon. This week they had a patent application publish as US Pub. No. 20120023152 titled “Methods and Systems for Providing Location-Based Interactive Golf Content for Display by a Mobile Device,” which describes the invention as.... So, would this speed-up or slow-down play?....<< MORE >>

Oh, that’s right, it was the BlackHawk putter. It was a broadcast that probably made a few at Callaway pucker up because they have intended to use the BlackHawk name on clubs for over 2.5 years. In fact, they have applied for registration of five BlackHawk variations since 2009, including FT-BLACKHAWK, X BLACKHAWK, X SERIES BLACKHAWK, BLACKHAWK, and BLACKHAWK X. Unfortunately all five of those applications eventually went abandoned because they ultimately did not use the mark on products. So what did they do?.... << MORE >>

Pull out this golf invention at the family dinner and you are sure to make an impression, especially after you ruin a few bottles of wine. The invention in question was issued a patent this month under the title “Method and a Device for Forcibly Expelling a Cork from a Bottle of Champagne or the Like.” So what does this have to do with golf? Well, check out these drawings and think about how confident you are in your golf swing..... It would be amazing to witness someone pull off this method of uncorking a bottle without breaking the neck. I bet Daly could do it.....<< MORE >>

You wouldn’t expect a patent application to mix golf and football but one published this week that combines the two for a perfect winter Sunday drinking game. The application published as US Pub. No. 20120010010 titled “Gaming Surface and Game Styled after American Football,” which describes the invention as.... Is it the next cornhole?<< MORE >>

Ever seen this fairway wood?.... The drawings come from a recently issued design patent (USPN D652,095). Looks like a potential new member of the Diablo line.... << MORE >>

There is not a lot of patent activity in the field of golf bags compared to every other item that a golfer touches. Not quite as surprising as the lack of protection directed to golf shaft technology, but still surprising. Fortunately this week we get a look at a golf bag invention that isn’t afraid of being a little unusual. The invention is found in a patent application that published today as US Pub. No. 20120012482 titled “Balanced, Separable, Weight-Distributed Golf Bag for Ease of Carrying.”.... Slap a Puma logo on it and young whippersnappers would be all over them.... Dave Dawsey - The Golf Bag Patent Attorney<< MORE >>

Interesting question. In the past I have touched on the trademark wrangling of Cobra and Taylor Made in their quest to own white. The Cobra trademark application has since matured to registration on the Supplemental Register, see the registration here, while the Taylor Made trademark application remains pending. You can refresh your memory by reading the prior post here. Interestingly, just one week before Cobra filed their trademark application they filed a design patent application that happened to issue today as USPN D652464. While the Cobra trademark application seemed to be directed to “the color white as applied to the entirety of a golf club excepting the collar and face of the golf club head,” i.e. including the sole, their design patent is geared toward only a relatively generic pear shaped head along with the color of the crown in combination with the color of the shaft and the grip (white or black). White crown, white shaft, white grip = Cobra design patent, but also black crown, black shaft, black grip = Cobra design patent! Say it ain’t so.... So, I wonder how many custom club makers are potentially infringing the design patent by assembling a club with a white grip, a custom white shaft, and a R11 head? Even further, ever seen a golf club with a black crown, black shaft, and black grip?.... David Dawsey – A Golf IP Protection Attorney<< MORE >>

Just like having to sit by the wall-mounted phone and wait for a call, the days of having to actually look at your GPS unit, or shoot the pin with your laser rangefinder, may be coming to an end. This week an interesting patent application published directed to the use of virtual reality on the golf course.... I would not be surprised if this were commonplace in 10 years. Dave Dawsey - Keeping an Eye on Golf Technology Breakthroughs<< MORE >>

As I have said before, if you are like me blog post titles that say “exclusive” or “secret” just make you roll your eyes and think “give me a break!” So, I am proud to say that after over 5 years of posts this is only the second time I have used such overdramatic language, but there is a reason. If you must know, the first time was for the post titled TaylorMade’s “Secret” Driver Patent Application (Now Patent). As a regular reader of the Golf-Patents blog I am sure you know that US utility patent applications are published 18 months after they are filed, which is generally when we get to see behind the doors of the R&D departments. Of course an applicant can request that the USPTO publish an application early, or request that an application not be published at all. It is very rare in the world of golf IP to see either request. This morning, as with every Tuesday morning, I was browsing through the new golf patents that issued for the week and came across a Callaway patent illustrating an invention that did not look familiar. Yes, I am getting older, but I should have remembered this design from when the application was published. Fortunately, I am not getting forgetful; I just happened upon one of the rare situations in which the applicant (Callaway) specifically requested that the patent application not be published. So, now you see why I used the overdramatic “secret” language in the title; because until today the design was secret..... Why all the secrecy? They didn’t want a competitor to beat them to the punch of course! So, will we ever see a Callaway iron with a face that looks like the one above?.... Dave Dawsey - The Golf Patent Attorney<< MORE >>

Golf-Patents previously covered a Nike golf ball that required cooking instructions to tailor the ball to a golfer’s game or weather conditions. I commented that it sounded like a pain in the neck. Well, perhaps this is the golf ball fitting of the future. This week DuPont, not a company you generally think about when shopping for golf balls, had a patent issue directed to a “phase transition golf ball and method of use.” The patent issued as USPN 8088026 and describes their golf ball invention as.... No offense but golf takes long enough; there is no way I am going to prepare for a round by cooking my balls for “hours or days.” Let’s hear them out.... Interesting concept but I am as dedicated golfer as they come and that sounds like a huge hassle to me! Just one hacker’s opinion.... David Dawsey – Keeping an Eye on Golf Ball Technology<< MORE >>

Trademark office records indicate that Callaway plans to launch a new golf ball called the _________. That is a great name in light of the traditional boring golf ball names..... << MORE >>