Five years are now in the books and I am looking forward to a sixth! Boy how time flies. You can check out the first real Golf-Patents blog entry HERE. Hopefully the Golf-Patents blog has provided golfers with a better understanding of just how important intellectual property is to the golf industry. As always... I like to hear from readers regarding the topics and content that they enjoy most, so don't hesitate to email me your thoughts. The following were the most viewed entries in 2011.... << MORE >>

I have been playing a lot of cold weather golf recently and have to admit that heated grips sound pretty nice, yet entirely impractical. Regardless, I recently came across a patent covering just such an invention and you can decide why we haven’t seen them on the market. The patent issued in 2004 as USPN 6,756,573 titled “Heated Golf Club Grip,” which describes the invention as.... Good idea, just not something that would sell.... Dave Dawsey - Monitoring Golf Grip Patents << MORE >>

I was honored to be a guest on the nationally syndicated Small Business Advocate® radio show this morning. Jim Blasingame and I discussed the America Invents Act and the implications for small businesses. Enacted on September 16, 2011, the America Invents Act is the most significant revamping of United States patent law in the last 50 years. Feel free to listen to the interview HERE. David Dawsey – The Small Business Patent Attorney<< MORE >>

Today a Nike Golf patent application published that seems like such a good idea, albeit one that sounds much easier to say than actually do, that I am left wondering whether it has previously been done. You may recall a prior post regarding a Nike application directed to a golf club having hydrophobic and hydrophilic portions; well this week they have taken the hydrophilic concept to golf balls in US Pub. No. 20110319197 titled “Golf Ball with Hydrophilic Coating Layer.” The application explains.... That’s right, get the ball wet and the dimples become shallower and the ball becomes softer!.... OK, so here are my great ideas...(drum roll please) apply the same principle to the sole of shoes so that the traction capability increases during wet weather, or how about a golf grip with projections that expand a bit when wet to increase the wet weather playability. Just send me a check for $1 million and you can launch either of the products.... David Dawsey – Keeping an Eye on Golf Ball Inventions<< MORE >>

Check out this golf tee design patent.... The drawings come from USPN D651266 titled “Golf Tee,” which issued yesterday. I don’t think we will see this in Golf Galaxy anytime soon.... Dave Dawsey - Monitoring Golf Tee Inventions<< MORE >>

As usual, I would love to say there is a fabulous prize if you can correctly identify this driver, but there is not. Just the satisfaction of knowing you are a bigger golf geek than me. Good luck..... The side profile and high rear-edge are unlike traditional Callaway drivers. New product?.... Dave Dawsey - Monitoring Golf Inventions<< MORE >>

Have you ever heard of “The Synchronizer?” I had not until I came across an interesting patent application that published last week and thought to myself... “that just makes sense.” Then I did what I always do, I ran a search for the inventor to see if they have some skills, or are a hacker like me. This time it turned out the inventor is a PGA Lifetime Member and actually has product for sale on a website; all good signs so I bought one. The fact that it is the second training aid purchase I have made in the past month should give you an indication of the state of my game!.... If you see me at Q-school next year you will know that it works! Dave Dawsey - Monitoring Golf Swing Training Inventions<< MORE >>

Who hasn’t seen a playing companion trying to balance a wedge and a putter on a 2” golf tee to keep their grips elevated and dry? Sure, there are plenty of products directed to solving this problem but I have to say that this solution is the best by far. Now I hate wet grips as much as any golfer but I have avoided buying any of the current products because I know that I will be on the other side of the green before I realize that it is still clipped to my bag; and forget about the fact that it will be lost after five rounds. Well, the solution has arrived and I would gladly spend my hard earned money on the invention disclosed in a patent application that published this week.... Dave Dawsey - Monitoring Golf Inventions<< MORE >>

An interesting putter shaft design patent recently issued as USPN D650,028 titled “Golf Club Shaft.” Check it out..... Of course this is not the first triangular golf shaft (for an example of one of the many predecessors see this prior post). Not quite sure how it will meet the USGA’s no “asymmetric properties” requirement, although Stulz Golf found a way.....<< MORE >>

Survey says.... ____________. OK, it wasn’t a survey, rather a trademark application that was filed last week. Check it out HERE..... << MORE >>

My bet is on a “RAZR ______” product. Check out their recently filed trademark application HERE. << MORE >>

Did you know that the Aldila RIP technology is short for “reverse interlaminar placement?” Their RIP patent application recently published and provides all the details. The application published as US Pub. No. 20110294593 and describes the invention as.... You learn something new everyday.... Dave Dawsey - Monitoring Golf Shaft Patent Applications<< MORE >>

Yes, I proclaimed this driver the “Wind Tunnel,” it is not the actual product name although it fits perfectly. The club design is disclosed in a patent application that recently published as US Pub. No. 20110294590 titled “Golf Club With Wind Resistant Shaft And Golf Club Head.”.... Interesting concept, as it has been each time I have come across it in the past. Take a look at this post and think of all the money that could have been saved if only they read the Golf-Patents blog! I wouldn't expect to see this design on store shelves, or in Tiger's bag, anytime soon.....<< MORE >>

Humm, a Nike golf club application with the sole inventor located in Amsterdam, a place known for free thinking. Has “The Oven” moved? The potential jokes are endless, so I will leave it at that. The following interesting adjustability design is disclosed in a patent application that published last week as US Pub. No. 20110294591 titled “Golf Club With Adjustable Shaft.” The application describes the invention as.... I can see how a center shafted driver would seem like a good idea (after polishing off a plate of brownies and half a bag of Doritos)....<< MORE >>

Is your putting stroke a little “handsy?” If so, this method may be just what you need to try..... I like my odds better using two hands. Dave Dawsey - The Putter Patent Attorney<< MORE >>

Gallagher & Dawsey Co. LPA is pleased to announce the launch of version 2.0 of our PatentMarvel website. In the past four years PatentMarvel has become a popular free online patent tool for U.S. patent lawyers and inventors to create free clean PDF copies of U.S. patents and published applications. Version 2.0 takes several steps forward and includes numerous tools developed by our intellectual property lawyers to ease the lives of US patent attorneys, inventors, and intellectual property owners. It includes a Patent Term Calculator, a Patent Claim Chart Generator, and a Patent Claim Tree Generator. Additionally, a unique toolbar appears at the top of the screen while a user is viewing a PDF that allows the user to quickly search the assignment records and view the maintenance payments via the bibliographic records link. We invite you to spend some time on the site and click on the various tools; you may be surprised by what you find....<< MORE >>

In the past I have covered a few patented putting methods/strokes (here, here, here, and here) and these seem to be popular posts among the readers. Therefore I have decided to make a week of it. The first method of putting patent for the week is USPN 6,595,867, which claims.... This method gives new meaning to the term “long putter.”.... OK, so where can I get a putter shaft that is six feet long? I wonder which Tour player would be first to give this method a try..... Dave Dawsey - Monitoring Patented Putting Strokes<< MORE >>

Are you brave enough to try this training aid?.... Generally I will try any training product but even I will pass on this one.... Dave Dawsey - The Golf Technology Blog << MORE >>

I recently covered some pretty radical driver designs from Nike Golf. Well, here are a few more unconventional designs to chew on over the holiday..... Dave Dawsey - The Golf Lawyer<< MORE >>

What is a golf equipment “purist” now days anyway? In 1990 it was someone that would never dream of hitting a metal wood, today they are. In the early 2000’s it was someone that would never dream of hitting a 460 cc driver, today they are. Then it was square heads, and so on, and so on, … Attitudes change when technology leaves you behind (or someone on Tour puts a club in play). I say this to prepare you for the following club head design. Think about it a little bit and read what the application has to say about the technology before you race to post “I just puked in my mouth” on one of the golf forums. OK, are you prepared?.... Did you ever think a driver would have a diffuser, a vane, and a Kammback feature? Sure, it isn’t much on the eyes but if it reliably provided the longest drive of the group in the fairway then I would game it. Dave Dawsey - The Golf Attorney<< MORE >>

Interesting question. Rest assured that it was not Johnny Miller, this guy (see comments section), or this guy (although I would like to see the picture of him with a parrot on his shoulder). The earliest patent I could locate on a belly putter was filed in 1961 and issued in 1965 to Richard T. Parmley as USPN 3188086 titled “Body-Pivot Golf Putter.”.... If only he could have collected a percentage of the winnings! Good job Richard, you were decades ahead of most golfers.... Dave Dawsey - Monitoring Belly Putter Inventions<< MORE >>

Yes, ROI (return on investment) not MOI (moment of inertia). Some of the best golf gadgets are the simplest and the invention disclosed in USPN 8,052,542 is simple by anyone’s measure.... This product would be a great promotional give-away. Give me a quote for 100!.... << MORE >>

Check out the driver disclosed in a patent application that published this week.... The drawings come from US Pub. No. 20110275446 titled “Wood-Type Golf Clubs with Tubing and Weights,” which describes the invention as.... Can you guess which golf company came up with this unique design?.... << MORE >>

Check out the Nike iron design that is disclosed in a patent application that published today as US Pub. No. 20110275452 titled “Iron-Type Golf Club Head or Other Ball Striking Device.” The application describes the invention as.... Would this topline suit your eye?.... Dave Dawsey - Monitoring Golf Technology<< MORE >>

Guess what year this driver design was patented..... Dave Dawsey - Monitoring Bizarre Patents << MORE >>

I must be about the only golfer that is not over-the-moon about adjustability. Frankly I suspect the majority of golfers would be most likely to tinker with adjusting their putters, yet the putter seems to be the one club that manufacturers are leaving alone. Sure, adjustability is cool but it seems like it is always accompanied by a sacrifice, whether it be sound, feel, or weight distribution. So, what is the next step in adjustability? Perhaps modularity. An Acushnet patent application recently published as US Pub. No. 20110256953 titled “Modular Golf Club.” The application describes the invention as.... I have a hard time imagining one of these club designs with a Titleist badge on it. Dave Dawsey - Monitoring Golf Inventions << MORE >>

Well… maybe not the solution, but an interesting golf gadget that would be fun to try. Check out this putter..... As golf inventors have shown in the past, if one is good then two must be better! Dave Dawsey - Monitoring Golf Grip Inventions << MORE >>

I would love to say there is a fabulous prize if you can correctly identify this driver, but there is not. Just the satisfaction of knowing you are a bigger golf geek than me. Good luck.... << MORE >>

Golf club adjustability has come a long way in the past five years. In fact, some purists might say that it has gotten out of control. You be the judge. Recently an Acushnet patent application published as US Pub. No. 20110256949 titled “Butt-Mounted Shaft Extension for a Golf Club.” Oh, the potential jokes associated with that title. Anyway, the application describes the invention as.... Any buyers out there? Dave Dawsey - Monitoring Adjustable Golf Club Inventions << MORE >>

Acushnet reveals an interesting approach to interchangeability in a patent application that recently published as US Pub. No. 20110256951 titled “Interchangeable Golf Club Hosel.” The application describes the invention as.... Nice solution! Dave Dawsey - Monitoring Golf Inventions << MORE >>

OK, I made up the “catamaran” name and “sneak peek” might be a bit of a stretch because it is generally used in association with a product that will actually make it to market. Ignoring those minor details, Cobra Golf did have a rather interesting patent application publish today as US Pub. No. 20110256954 titled “Golf Club with Multi-Component Construction.” Check out this driver design..... Now this is the part that I find most interesting.... A hinged face! Pretty interesting stuff but will it ever see the light of day?.... Dave Dawsey - Monitoring Golf Patent Applications << MORE >>

I recently posted about one method of making golf more enjoyable, but a recent application takes the cake. Have you ever heard of Tolf? Yes, that is golf with a T (clever). The revolutionary new hybrid game is disclosed in US Pub. No. 20110221134, aptly titled..... It certainly looks a lot less frustrating than golf. I hear that it might be in the Olympics. Ugh, can you tell it was a slow week in the world of golf patents?.... Dave Dawsey - Keeping an Eye on Golf Inventions<< MORE >>

Training aids always look amazing in an infomercial; in fact, they tend to look great right up until the time you open the box. Then, the miracle cure that surely will get you down to a single digit handicap looks more like a lump of cheap material. Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of training aids and spend my fair share of money in search of that perfect device; it just seems that I am disappointed more often than I am pleasantly surprised. Recently an interesting training aid patent application published as US Pub. No. 20110250979 titled “Golf Swing Training Aid.” You decide, is it a birdie or a bogey? I am leaning toward.... David Dawsey - Keeping an Eye on Golf Swing Inventions << MORE >>

A recently published patent application gives us a sneak peek at what some may consider as a breakthrough in the field of.... David Dawsey – Keeping an Eye on Golf Ball Technology<< MORE >>

Over the years I have covered a lot of golf club head designs incorporating fins and wings (see HERE, HERE, and HERE). Generally they looked like mad creations of a garage tinkerer and easy to dismiss, however now days every major club maker seems focused on aerodynamics along with complex modeling of the airflow around the club head. Therefore, when a patent application published this week directed to a finned club head it made me wonder… maybe there is something to all those old finned club heads and they were just ahead of their time (or perhaps it didn’t really matter until we started swinging gigantic club heads). Either way, the following Nike Golf patent application got my attention. The application published as US Pub. No. 20110244979 titled “Golf Club Assembly and Golf Club with Aerodynamic Features.”..... Could there really be something to this madness? I am betting that fins are not the new square but if I am wrong and one of these actually makes it to the market, I will be in the front of the line to try it out. The only thing that surprises me about this application is that the fins aren't adjustable, after all it seems that golfers will buy anything that is marketed as adjustable. Can't you just imagine one of these designs with the Tiger Woods logo on it! Dave Dawsey - Monitoring Golf Inventions << MORE >>

Me neither! Fortunately the brains at “The Oven” are thinking about these things, as evidenced by a patent application that recently published as US Pub. No. 20110224008 titled “Golf Ball With Piezoelectric Material.” The application describes the invention as.... Say what? The application goes on to explain.... Now that sounds like an expensive golf ball and tee combination! Frankly, I would prefer if my ball just transformed into the shape of a remote control airplane upon impact. David Dawsey – Keeping an Eye on Golf Ball Technology<< MORE >>

Genius, sure. Visionary, you bet. Since there will be a ton of great tributes written about Steve Jobs in the next few days, I will keep this simple... check out his very first patent, applied for in 1980 directed to a "personal computer.".... Imagine how cutting edge that design was back when this application was filed in 1980! David Dawsey - IP Attorney << MORE >>

I bet you haven’t uttered those words on a tee box before. In the future golfers may be thinking more about the shear force imparted on a golf ball by a bad swing. Recently Nike Golf had a patent application publish as US Pub. No. 20110224015 titled “Golf Ball With Inidicia To Indicate Imparted Shear Force.” The application explains.... What, independently rotating layers! That sounds slightly complicated..... Very interesting. Wouldn't a rotating outer layer dramatically reduce the spin? Sounds similar to putting Vasoline on a club face. It must be a practice ball.... David Dawsey – Keeping an Eye on Golf Ball Innovation.... << MORE >>

As I have said before, interesting golf shoe patent applications do not come along very often. Recently an application that published as US Pub. No. 20110113652 titled “Pair of Golf Shoes” caught my eye. The application describes the invention as.... Seems like a good idea to me. Sign me up, I will try a size 10!.... David Dawsey – Watching Shoe Patents << MORE >>

I know that the ability to tune the sound of a driver would not influence my purchase decision, but clearly some club manufacturers feel that it might be the tipping point that makes a consumer choose their product over one of a competitor. Back in December 2009 I authored a post titled “Ahh, Is There a Better Sound Than a Purely Struck Drive? You May Soon Be Able to Tune Your Driver,” regarding an Acushnet patent application directed to a driver that you could tune for the perfect sound. The Acushnet application became USPN 7,914,393 in March of this year. Apparently Nike Golf likes the idea because they too filed a patent application directed to the concept. The Nike application recently published as US Pub. No. 20110224017 titled “Golf Clubs and Golf Club Heads Including Structure to Selectively Control the Sound of the Club Head,” which describes the invention as.... So, who do you think did it better, Acushnet or Nike? More appropriately, who did it about the same, only later?.... David Dawsey - Monitoring Golf Inventions<< MORE >>

Performance Indicator LLC was recently granted patent USPN 7,967,702 titled “Golf Ball with Water Immersion Indicator.” The patent describes the invention as.... If you are wondering, the general concept of a golf ball that indicates when it has spent a long period of time under water is not new. As the patent explains.... No more surprises associated with hitting a soggy golf ball! Nice idea, but I don't think you can go wrong with the practice of "if it looks to scummy to pick up with your bare hands then you probably shouldn't be teeing it up." David Dawsey – Keeping an Eye on Golf Ball Technology<< MORE >>

See if you can guess which manufacturers recently applied to register the following marks..... Man, who wouldn't want a _________ golf shaft? I can't wait to hear the marketing pitch associated with _________ golf clubs. David Dawsey – Monitoring Golf Trademarks << MORE >>

Over the summer I came across an interesting patent that was worth saving until football season, and it serves as a good example that bizarre sports patents aren’t limited to the field of golf. The patent is USPN 7,980,971 titled “Self-Propelled Football with Internally Ducted Fan and Electric Motor.” Check out these drawings..... Could there be a market for such a product (assuming it actually worked)? Dave Dawsey - A Sports Equipment Patent Attorney<< MORE >>

Earlier this week I posted about litigation regarding Acushnet golf sandals; well, apparently they are in IP enforcement mode because now they are taking a company to task regarding their Titleist AP2 iron IP. On Monday Acushnet filed suit in the Eastern District of Virginia (case #: 2:11-cv-00509-AWA-DEM) against JK Crew Golf regarding a design patent, USPN D579,996, directed to the AP2 irons. Surprisingly, the clubs at issue don’t seem to be cheapo knock-offs. Rather, the JK Crew C-10 Dual Cavity Backs are listed at $525 a set, more than a new set of 2010 AP2’s will cost you, and the specs indicate that the irons are forged carbon steel with a tungsten base. You be the judge.... Dave Dawsey - The Golf Litigation Lawyer<< MORE >>

See any resemblance between these two sandal designs?..... Acushnet believes the designs are just a little too much alike. The image on the left is from Acushnet design patent U.S. Patent No. D466,272, entitled "Sandal Sole," and the image on the right is an allegedly infringing product by RJ Sports. Similar?.... On Monday a complaint was filed by Acushnet alleging patent infringement by RJ Sports, USA. Click HERE to read the entire complaint. Dave Dawsey - The Golf Litigation Attorney<< MORE >>

This is top secret, but check it out.....<< MORE >>

Check out this beautiful club design!.... Well, that stance looks perfectly natural! The figures come from a patent application that recently published as US Pub. No. 20110207548 titled “Golf Club With Near Vertical Shaft.” The application explains.... Dave Dawsey - Monitoring Golf Inventions << MORE >>

This one doesn’t need any explanation, check it out!.... The putting aspect looks a little challenging, but I bet it would be hard to hook or slice a tee shot..... << MORE >>

Yes, I have heard words to that effect many times. Well, perhaps this case will change your mind. How much money do you think could be at risk selling a novelty divot repair tool? The case of Divix Golf Inc. v Jeffrey P. Mohr, et al. gives us a glimpse at why intellectual property is important no matter what type of products are being sold. The case at issue was filed in the Southern District of California and concerns USPN 6,162,137 titled “Multiple-use Hand Tool for Golfers.”..... A recent Order reads a little like a soap opera and I encourage you to read it, particularly if you question the value of IP or ever find yourself saying “they don’t have the resources to assert their patents against me.” Apparently Divix did have the resources and the time, over 6 years of litigation, to litigate their patent. Kudos. I have reproduced some of the high points of the Order below.... I think there may be a lesson or two to learn from this golf patent litigation story!.... << MORE >>

Perhaps. Last week a Nike patent application published that discloses a pretty interesting concept; align the ball for your impact, not simply in the center of the face. Easier said than done, right? Well, a few tricks on the crown may help achieve this..... I could see that actually helping a newbie! Congratulations.....<< MORE >>