Golf putter, components therefor and methods of making the same

Details Golf putter, components therefor and methods of making the same Golf putter, components therefor and methods of making the same

2000-09-01

2003-06-17

Passaniti, Sebastiano (Department: 3711)

Games using tangible projectile

Golf

Practice swingable implement or indicator associated with...

C473S252000, C473S330000, C473S313000, C473S340000, C473S336000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06579193

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to golf clubs and preferably to a golf putter having a cylindrical head.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Putting is one of the more difficult and frustrating aspects of the game of golf. From the golfer's stance to the angle of club impact with the ball, many factors influence the success or failure of a putting stroke. The shape of the putter head, for example, can have a tremendous impact on the result of a putt. A number of mallets and golf putters have been designed with partially or generally cylindrical club heads, such as those found in the following U. S. Patents.
For instance, it is known to provide a polo mallet having a generally cylindrical head comprising two hollow parts which telescopically join wherein the handle locks the two hollow parts of the head together. U. S. Pat. No. 1,177,266 issued on Mar. 28, 1916 to B. Pedersen claims such a mallet.
Yet another generally cylindrically shaped polo mallet is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,902,660 issued on Mar. 21, 1933 to Hans Nelson wherein a wooden block is encased in a prepared cylinder of celluloid with moisture-proof plugs sealing the connection between the block and the cylinder.
It is known to provide a generally cylindrical putter head having a truncated cone toe and heel, the head further having a chordal bottom. For instance, see the U.S. Design Pat. Des. No. 264,367 issued on May 11, 1982, to Walter Gida.
It is also known to provide a generally cylindrical putter head having each of the toe and heel portions consisting of a stepped, truncated cone. For instance, see the U. S. Design Pat. Des. No. 276,452 issued on Nov. 20, 1984 to Theodore Doman.
It is further known to provide a generally cylindrical putter head having flat ends perpendicular to the axis of the cylinder. For instance, see U.S. Design Pat. Des. No. 303,559 issued on Sep. 19, 1989 to Raymond Florian.
Still further known is a generally cylindrical putter head having a polished metal central annular band and terminal ends wherein the ends are counterbored. The putter head may be substantially hollow. For instance, see U.S. Design Pat. Des. No. 368,292 issued on Mar. 26, 1996 to Timothy Willoughby.
Another known generally cylindrical putter head is tubular and has cup-shaped elements of resilient material removable from the opposing ends of the tubular head wherein the cup-shaped members retain weights therein. For instance, see U.S. Pat. No. 3,909,005 issued on Sep. 30, 1975 to Geza Piszel.
Additionally, it is known to provide a substantially cylindrical putter head wherein the longitudinal axis of the putter head is in the putting direction wherein the putter head comprises a cupshaped first portion and a plug shaped second portion, the second portion securely fitting within the first portion. For instance, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,922 issued on Feb. 21, 1989 to Robert Whitfield.
Gene Fucinato, in his U.S. Pat. No. 4,861,038 issued on Aug. 29, 1989, discloses a generally cylindrical putter head having a cavity wherein most of the cavity is disposed above a centerline of the cylindrical head.
Yet another known generally cylindrical putter head is U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,684 issued on Oct. 10, 1989 to Stephanie Dippel. Dippel claims a head of acetal resin having weight-receiving receptacles in the heel and toe ends wherein the shaft is attached to the acetal resin head.
Another known patent in the art discloses a generally cylindrical putter head having a substantially cylindrical central portion and tapered bottom surfaces on the heel and toe ends. For instance, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,193,806 issued on Mar. 16, 1993 to Alfred Burkly.
An improved croquet stick having a head comprising two semi-circular half portions bonded together about an octagonal stick is claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,308,064 issued on May 3, 1994 to Lin Gen.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,969 issued on Dec. 2, 1997 to Paul Schooler discloses a putter having an adjustable shaft captured in a generally cylindrical putter head.
Those knowledgeable in the art will recognize that it is known to provide generally cylindrical putter head having a rotatable striking portion. For instance, see the U.S. Pat. No. 5,362,056 issued on Nov. 8, 1994 to Peter Minotti.
Olsen, et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,441 claims a cylindrically shaped club head comprising a thin cylindrical tube of soft and malleable material and a cylindrically shaped rod of hard material fastened throughout the length of the inside of the tube, the tube having end caps for adjusting the height between the putting surface and the center of the club head.
It is also known to provide a generally cylindrical putter head having a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of a golf ball, the center of mass of the head located at a midpoint between the toe and head on the centerline of the cylinder wherein the putter head has a plurality of spaced apart parallel slots formed circumferentially in the bottom of the head. For instance, see the U.S. Pat. No. 5,597,364 issued on Jan. 28, 1997 to James Thompson.
The art field suggests that the material of the putter head can also have a tremendous impact on the result of a putt. Mallet and golf putter heads have been designed with internal portions of wood or metal, these heads then encased in or coated with a polymeric substance. For instance, see the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 1,177,266 to Pedersen; U.S. Pat. No. 1,902,660 to Nelson; U.S. Pat. No. 3,909,005 to Piszel and U.S. Pat. No. 5,597,364 to Thompson.
It is also known to produce a putter head from a plastic material and insert weights in the heel and toe ends. See the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,684 to Dippel.
Still another generally cylindrical putter head comprising a tube of PVC pipe which has the internal passage thereof filled with weighted material wherein the weighted material placed in the heel and toe portions is greater than that in an equivalently sized center portion is claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,447,310 issued to Doyle Jernigan on Sep. 5, 1995.
In addition, it is known to provide a golf putter head comprising a hollow structure including a sleeve of generally rectangular cross section, filling the internal passage of the hollow structure with a light density material and inserts of preselected weight and forming a plastic shell substantially entirely around the now filled structure. For instance, see the U.S. Pat. No. 3,843,122 issued on Oct. 22, 1974 to Raymond Florian.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,508,342 issued on Apr. 2, 1985 to Robert Drake claims a golf putter having a head made of solid plastic material wherein the striking face of the putter may be an arc of a circle and Matt Donofrio, in his U.S. Pat. No. 5,501,461 issued on Mar. 26, 1996 discloses a cylindrical putter head of acetal resin having equal weights disposed in the heel and toe ends such that the putter head is centrally balanced along the longitudinal axis.
It is also known to provide a golf club formed of a translucent plastic having a chemiluminescent light stick disposed within the head. For instance, see the U.S. Pat. No. 4,913,437 issued on Apr. 3, 1990 to Newcomb, et al.
Some golfers have also relied upon a reference mark on at least the top surface of the club head to assist in squaring the putter with a sight line toward the hole. For instance, see the aforementioned U.S. Design Pat. Des. No. 264,367 to Gida and Des. No. 368,292 to Willoughby and the U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,684 to Dippel. Other golfers rely upon multiple reference marks disposed on or around the club head in order to line up each putt. For instance, see the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,922 to Whitfield; U.S. Pat. No. 4,861,038 to Fucinato and U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,969 to Schooler. Other putters have been constructed having a central mark for aligning the putt and multiple other reference marks. For instance the U.S. Design Pat. Des. No. 251,027 to Nicholas Cruger shows a series of equally spaced grooves in the separated top edges of the club head parallel to and on opposite sides of the central groove, De

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