Games using tangible projectile – Golf – Practice swingable implement or indicator associated with...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-09
2002-11-12
Blau, Stephen (Department: 3711)
Games using tangible projectile
Golf
Practice swingable implement or indicator associated with...
C473S313000, C473S340000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06478688
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to: a device for confirming, when a golf club is addressed, whether or not the direction (as will be called the “facing direction”) in which the club head is faced is accurately at a right angle with respect to the direction in which a golf ball is to be hit. Also provided is a method of forming such an index on the club head for orienting the facing direction of the club head visually in an accurate direction when the golf club is addressed. Additionally provided is a golf club capable of correcting a deviation of the facing direction, caused by aberations of the trained eye, visually when the golf club is actually addressed. Furthermore provided is a golf club having a head with an index capable of orienting the facing direction visually in an accurate direction.
A putter club, one of the golf clubs, is exemplified in tie prior art by one dedicated especially to an operation to measure whether or not the putter is accurately addressed to have its facing direction to a target cup at a right angle with respect to a straight line, by constructing the device such that a laser beam is emitted from the face of the putter head. However, there exists no device which can perform this measurement operation by using an ordinary golf putter.
In order to practice the accurate addressing of the putter, therefore, there has been employed a putting practicing mat which is provided with a cup and which is provided on its surface with a line directed to the cup and a line intersecting with the former at a right angle. Moreover, this putting practicing mat has been employed to make a correction to orient the facing direction in an accurate direction, such that the putting is practiced by paralleling the line, which is defined by the face of the club head and a corner of a crest, to the perpendicular line on the mat.
Another putter, as employed, is provided on its club head with a parallel index line and/or a perpendicular index line on the face. Whether or not tie putter having such an index line is accurately addressed with respect to the direction in which the golf ball is to be hit is decided with respect to the index line.
Even after a number of practices were made by using the putting practicing mat of the prior art, there is a disadvantage in that no line for confirming the accuracy in the facing direction is indicated on the practice green of a golf course during the actual putting on the course. This makes it necessary for the golfer to determine the facing direction of the putter exclusively by the help of the visual feeling of the player. Hence, the practicing method has failed to achieve an improvement in the putting technique. Here, it is extremely difficult to determine the facing direction of the putter accurately relying just upon the visual feeling of the player himself, and this difficulty cannot be eliminated by the practice or the like in the least. This is because the human being has two eyes, one of which is skillful, or trained, and the other which is not.
At putting, more specifically, the player usually stands at the position of a golf ball to visually determine the direction, in which the ball is to be hit, and then addresses himself to the golf ball. More strictly, the club head of the putter is so arranged that its face line may take a right angle with respect to the trajectory of the hit ball.
Then, the following illusion occurs. When the club head is observed with two eyes, the observer falls in such a feeling that the left eye gazes the club head from the left side thereof whereas the right eye gazes the same from the right side thereof, and that the putter is accurately address at the center of the observer's body and with the face line of the club head being accurately aligned with a line perpendicular to the putting line. As a matter of fact, however, the position of the club head is recognized with the skillful eye and auxiliary with the inferior eye. As a result, the transverse balance cannot be achieved by the observation with the two eyes. By observing the club head with the two eyes at the moment the putter is addressed, the observer feels that the address is correct. As a matter of fact, however, the putter address is deviated to cause a slight deviation between the line perpendicular to the ball hitting direction and the facing direction.
The correctness of this theory is apparent if the putter head is observed only with the inferior eye by closing the superior eye while keeping the position in which the putter is addressed with the two eyes.
Practically, moreover, a deviation is caused between the visions of the right and left eyes by the difference in the visual acuity between the right and left eyes and in the directions of vision.
Even if the player himself believes that he addresses the putter correctly, there is the illusion caused by vision so that the facing direction fails to align accurately with the line perpendicular to the putting direction. The fact is that the facing direction is turned more or less clockwise or counter-clockwise.
For these reasons, moreover, the index line parallel or perpendicular to the face can be utilized, even if indicated, only if the player has an accurate visual feeling, Otherwise, the index line will obstruct the correct putting.
There is also known a putter in which an index line angularly spaced more or less from the face line are indicated on the face line side of a crest the putter so that the deviation in the facing direction can be corrected by adopting the index line as a measure. In this putter, however, the face line and the index line are arranged close to each other, As a result, the two lines overlap and are difficult for the eyes to differentiate making it difficult to address the putter by gazing at only the index line. Moreover, the visual balance may be lost because the two lines are seen. As a result, a contrary effect may be invited by the indicating index line.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
After the keen investigations of the present inventor over many years, it is an object of the invention to provide a device capable of accurately confirming how much a facing direction of a club head is deviated when the head is addressed, a method of forming an accurate index in a club head from angle of deviation, as calculated from the deviation, and a golf club which is able to address the head of a golf club by forming not a mere line but an index utilizing a visual illusion to look straight at only the index while disregarding the face line.
According to the invention, there is provided a facing direction confirming device for a golf club head comprising a mat having a predetermined length, a light source mounted on one end side of the mat for emitting a light beam, a reflecting mirror mounted on the other end side for confirming the direction of the light beam, a ball target interposed close to the light source between the light source and the reflecting mirror, and a transparent plate interposed between the light source and the ball target for detecting a light spot reflected from the reflecting mirror.
With this construction, the beam direction is so adjusted that the beam from the light source is reflected to the light source by the reflecting mirror, the reference light spot by the reference light is determined on the transparent plate and the head of the golf club is addressed on the side of the reflecting mirror between the light source and the reflecting mirror and aimed at the ball target. When the light beam is then emitted from the light source, it is reflected on the face of the club head, and the reflected beam impinges upon the transparent plate so that its reflected light spot can be detected on the transparent plate. If the reflected light spot coincides with the reference light spot, therefore, it can be confirmed that the club head is addressed in the accurate facing direction. If the reflected light spot and the reference light spot fail to coincide, it can be confirmed that the facing direction is inaccurate. It can be furth
Blau Stephen
Jordan and Hamburg LLP
LandOfFree
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