Games using tangible projectile – Golf – Club or club support
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-11
2001-03-13
Passaniti, Sebastiano (Department: 3711)
Games using tangible projectile
Golf
Club or club support
C473S330000, C473S342000, C473S409000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06200229
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In recent years, golf club technology has evolved rapidly, with many different types of materials, including wood, composite materials, and various metals, now being used to manufacture golf clubs. Golf ball technology has also evolved from the early balata construction to a variety of new golf balls of different materials and designs, including a popular two-piece construction.
With the advent of new golf balls, golf clubs have evolved to provide a feel and sound to the club when striking the ball, such as a two-piece ball, that emulates the feel and sound of striking a balata ball. Along these lines, golf putter manufacturers have introduced putter inserts designed and marketed to appeal to golfers for their soft feel and sound. However, these putter inserts generally do not allow for logos or other indicia to be practically, and prominently, displayed thereon.
Where the prior art club heads do include inserts with indicia, they are typically formed by employing a transparent layer of insert material covering the indicia. Structures of this type are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,460,377 and 5,605,510. A problem with prior art insert structures of the type described above is that the strike face of the insert is hard and does not provide a soft feel and sound for good playability, as especially desirable with putters.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a golf club strike face having an insert constructed of a material providing a soft feel and at the same time permitting the inclusion of a logo or other indicia which is prominently visible on the putter face.
It is a further object to provide a strike face insert and method for applying a strike face insert which is economical and provides for minimized scrap rates in manufacturing.
In accordance with the invention, the golf club and more particularly the face of the club head of a putter is provided with an insert constructed of two layers of differently colored material. One layer contains projections extending into the other layer. The projections on the one layer form a logo, other indicia and/or a border, and are visible at the strike face of the insert. In a preferred embodiment, the one layer is molded with the projections and the second layer is separately molded with recesses for receiving the projections, so that when combined, the two layers fit snugly together. The insert is then adhered to the putter face and the front surface of the second layer of the insert is machined so that the projections of the underlying layer are visible at the machined surface. The projections of the underlying layer are ideally formed as a border around the strike face or as a logo or other indicia, or both, and appears prominently on the putter face, as an integral part of the insert. By selecting an adhesive with a color matching one of the layers, any adhesive which seeps through the seams is effectively masked.
The invention is particularly applicable to inserts made of material which is opaque and which, at the same time, has the physical properties to provide the soft feel and sound, preferred by golfers.
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Grace Robert M.
Parker Harold M.
Cobra Golf Incorporated
Passaniti Sebastiano
Pennie & Edmonds LLP
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