Gregory_Haralson's Blog

FRESNO, Calif. – California’s two longest rivers have been named the country’s most endangered waterways because of outdated water management and poor flood planning, according to an environmental advocacy group.

American Rivers, a conservation group that compiles the annual list, chose the Sacramento and the San Joaquin rivers because their collapse could endanger the water supply of 25 million Californians, flood the state’s capital and damage the delicate freshwater delta where the two rivers twine.

“The health of the delta depends directly on maintaining the health of these two rivers that feed it,” said Steve Rothert, California director of the Washington-based nonprofit.

The organization chooses its most endangered rivers from nominations made by environmental groups and considers the value of each river to people and the environment, the level of the threat it faces and pending decisions that could affect it in the next year, Rothert said.

But Jerry Johns, deputy director at the Department of Water Resources, said the report did not give adequate consideration to statewide efforts to restore the health of the delta and its two chief tributaries.

Rivers from Pennsylvania to Alaska also made this year’s list. Rounding out the top five were Georgia’s Flint River, the Lower Snake River that courses through Idaho, Washington and Oregon, Mattawoman Creek in Maryland and the North Fork of the Flathead River in Montana.

One recent political compromise will help restore a now-dry 60-mile stretch of the San Joaquin River.

Last week, President Barack Obama signed a wilderness bill that implements a 2006 legal settlement to bring water and Chinook salmon back to a portion of the state’s second-longest river. It provides about $390 million in federal and state funds, as well as fees from water users, over the next decade.

The lawsuit stemmed from the opening of Friant Dam in 1949, which transformed the San Joaquin Valley’s main artery from a river thick with salmon into an irrigation source for more than a million acres of farm fields.

Under the 2006 settlement, irrigation districts that distribute river water to thousands of farms agreed to relinquish a set portion of their traditional water supplies to help restore the fish.

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Interesting Read

April 8, 2009

Gregory Haralson Writes: Good Article found on web

Apple tops in cap growth, bottom in CEO pay
Here’s an interesting pair of lists.

On Seeking Alpha, Birinyi Associates’ Cleve Rueckert lists the 40 S&P 500 stocks with the largest changes in market capitalization so far this year. Although other shares have scored higher percentage gains — some more than 100% — Apple (AAPL) tops this list on a total dollar value basis. Since Dec. 31, 2008, its shares have grown 35.9%, adding more than $27 billion to its market cap.

Meanwhile, the New York Times has published an eye-opening ranking of the pay of chief executives at 198 U.S. companies. The list, compiled by Equilar, is especially interesting because it posts, right next to the CEO’s total compensation, his or her company’s performance in terms of revenue, profit change and total return.

On this list, Apple CEO Steve Jobs, with his $1-a-year salary, comes in at the bottom, tied for last place with Richard Kinder, CEO of Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (KMP).

By contrast, Motorola’s (MOT) Sanjay Jha took home $104.4 million in salary, bonus, perks, stocks and options in 2008 even as his company’s delivered a -71% return on investment. He’s followed on the NY Times list by Oracle’s (ORCL) Larry Ellison ($84.6 million), Walt Disney’s (DIS) Robert Iger ($51.1 million) and American Express’ (AXP) Kenneth Chenault ($42.8 million).

At the bottom of Cleve Rueckert S&P 500 list is Exxon Mobil (XOM), which dropped nearly $58 billion in market cap last year, although its stock has only fallen 11.76% since Dec. 31. That pales next to Citi’s (C) 57.53% decline, Aflac’s (AFL) 54.08% and Bank of America’s (BAC) 46.02%.

Market capitalization, a measure of a company’s size, is calculated by mutiplying share price times the number of shares. Apple closed Monday at $118.45 with 890.55 million shares outstanding, for a total market cap of $105.5 billion.

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Socal Century Listing

March 29, 2009

Posted by: Gregory Haralson

Feb. ’09	Event	Location	Distance
2/8	Undiscovered Country Tours California Desert Escape	San Diego County	300 miles in 6 days

2/28	2009 Santa Clarita Century santaclaritacentury.com	Santa Clarita	50, 100 miles, 6 mile Family Ride
March	Event	Location	Distance
3/1	Gran Fondo San Diego granfondosandiego.com	San Diego, CA	45 miles 100 miles

3/14	Solvang Century & Half Century bikescor.com	Solvang, CA	50 mile 100 mile Cycling Expo

3/22	Undiscovered Country Tours California Central Coast Bike Tour	San Luis Obispo County	250 miles in 5 days

3/27	Undiscovered Country Tours Solvang Getaway Weekend Bike Tour	Solvang, CA	150 miles in 3 days

3/28	Redlands Rotary Ride redlandsrotary.org/ride/index.html	Redlands, CA	6 or 12 miles 33 mile 60 mile
April	Event	Location	Distance

4/25	Alpine Challenge alpinechallenge.com	Alpine	25, 60, 72 miles
May	Event	Location	Distance

5/2	Tour de Fire – Annual Event tdfire.com	Las Vegas, NV	20, 42, 60, 73, 99 & 132 miles

5/16	Encinitas Sports Festival San Diego Century Bicycle Tour encinitasrace.com	Encinitas, San Diego	37, 66, 103 miles

5/25	Acura LA Bike Tour lamarathon.com	Los Angeles	26.2 miles

June	Event	Location	Distance


July	Event	Location	Distance
7/12	LIVESTRONG Challenge San Jose livestrongchallenge.org	San Jose, CA	10, 50, 65, 100 miles
August	Event	Location	Distance
8/15	36th Annual Midnight Madness Fun Bicycle Ride sandiegomidnightmadness.org	San Diego, CA	18 miles

8/30	2nd Annual Bike the Bay Community Bike Ride bikethebay.net	San Diego, CA	25 miles
Sept.	Event	Location	Distance
9/12	Auburn Century The Wildest Ride in the West wildestride.com	Auburn	40, 70, 110 & 140 miles
Oct.	Event	Location	Distance
10/3-4	Bike MS Southern California Ride bikeMSsocal.org	Ventura CA	15-160 miles

10/11-12	Bike MS Bay to Bay Tour biketofinishms.com	Orange County to San Diego	1-day 30 mile loop, 2-day 100, 150 mile route options

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LIST OF PATENTEES

March 29, 2009

Gregory Haralson Patent listing

Found at: http://www.uspto.gov/web/patents/patog/week38/OG/patentee/alphaA.htm

LIST OF PATENTEES
TO WHOM
PATENTS WERE ISSUED ON THE 16th DAY OF September, 2008
NOTE–Arranged in accordance with the first significant character or word of the name
(in accordance with city and telephone directory practice).

A. Friedr. Flender Aktiengessellschaft: See–

von Erichsen, Volker 07424855 Cl. 110-101R.

A.M.S.A. Anonima Materie Sintetiche E. Affini S.p.A.: See–

Vigano’, Enrico; Pizzatti, Enrica; Lanfranconi, Simona; Molteni, Renato; and Landonio, Ernesto 07425648 Cl. 562-450.

ABB Research Ltd: See–

Alvarez, Eduardo Gallestey; Stothert, Alec; Antoine, Marc; and Morton, Steve 07426456 Cl. 703-2.

Abbott, Stuart M.; Golovchenko, Ekaterina A.; and Vaa, Michael, to Tyco Telecommunications (US) Inc. Dispersion management in branched optical networks

07426323 Cl. 385-24.

Abdalla, Karim M.: See–

Bastos, Rui M.; Toksvig, Michael J. M.; and Abdalla, Karim M. 07425966 Cl. 345-613.

Abdelaziz, Mohamed M.: See–

Saulpaugh, Thomas E.; Slaughter, Gregory L.; Traversat, Bernard A.; Duigou, Michael J.; and Abdelaziz, Mohamed M. 07426721 Cl. 717-144.

Abdul-Rahiim, Jihad: See–

Paradis, Jason P; Collings, Peter T; Sye, Chipping; and Abdul-Rahiim, Jihad 07425244 Cl. 156-442.4.

Abe, Hiroshi: See–

Takeshima, Yasuo; Kubono, Fumio; Abe, Hiroshi; Omori, Kazuo; Tsuyama, Fumio; and Nakayama, Hiroshi 07426493 Cl. 705-41.

Abe, Masanori: See–

Yoshida, Masashi; and Abe, Masanori 07426564 Cl. 709-228.

Abe, Teruyuki: See–

Miyagawa, Yukio; Abe, Teruyuki; and Seki, Kazuharu 07426077 Cl. 359-461.

Abe, Toshio; to Kohno Company, Limited Panel type radiator 07424887 Cl. 126-357.1.

Abe, Yukio: See–

Yamashita, Satoshi; Saitou, Shunji; Abe, Yukio; and Yanagi, Shigenori 07426090 Cl. 360-75.

Abel, Christopher J.; Anidjar, Joseph; Sindalovsky, Vladimir; and Ziemer, Craig B., to Agere Systems Inc. Phase interpolator with output amplitude correction

07425856 Cl. 327-231.

Abhishek, Abhishek; Duong, Francis; Guday, Shai; Krantz, Anton; and Ruan, Jiandong, to Microsoft Corporation Extensible wireless framework

07426550 Cl. 709-220.

ABL IP Holding, LLC: See–

Shaner, Jeff R. D0576964 Cl. D13-179.

Aboul-Fadl, Trek: See–

Franklin, Michael R.; Roberts, Jeanette; and Aboul-Fadl, Trek 07425635 Cl. 548-100.

Abramson, Aron: See–

Sued, Charles; Abramson, Aron; and Thomas, Joby D0577059 Cl. D18-34.4.

Absorbent Technologies, Inc.: See–

Savich, Milan H.; Olson, Gary S.; Clark, Eddie W.; Doane, William McKee; and Doane, Steven William 07425595 Cl. 525-242.

Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc.: See–

Brann, Mark R. 07425420 Cl. 435-7.1.

Accuray, Inc.: See–

Fu, Dongshan; and Kuduvalli, Gopinath 07426318 Cl. 382-294.

Acedo, Jorge: See–

Rivas, Gregorio; Garmendia, Iker; Elorriaga, Josu; Mayor, Jesus; Barbachano, Javier Perez; Sole, David; and Acedo, Jorge 07425771 Cl. 290-44.

Acharya, Swarup; Gupta, Bhawna; Risbood, Pankaj; and Srivastava, Anurag, to Lucent Technologies Inc. Data path provisioning in a reconfigurable data network

07426186 Cl. 370-238.

Achiwa, Kyosuke: See–

Fukuguchi, Hitoshi; Achiwa, Kyosuke; and Nozawa, Masafumi 07426624 Cl. 711-173.

Achtari, Mohammad S.; and Steinle, Thomas, to Carl Stahl Kromer GmbH Device for compensating the weight of a suspended load

07424997 Cl. 254-278.

Ackerman, Lily: See–

McConville, David H.; Ackerman, Lily; Li, Robert T.; Bei, Xiaohong; Kuchta, Matthew C.; Boussie, Tom; Walzer, Jr., John F.; Diamond, Gary; Rix, Francis C.; Hall, Keith A.; LaPointe, Anne; Longmire, James; Murphy, Vince; Sun, Pu; Verdugo, Dawn; Schofer, Susan; and Dias, Eric 07425661 Cl. 585-527.

Ackerman, Mark D.; Nazeer, Nadeem Ahmad; and Carter, Stephen R., to Novell, Inc. Mechanism for supporting indexed tagged content in a general purpose data store 07426516 Cl. 707-100.

Ackley, Donald E.; and Graham, Scott O., to Nanogen, Inc. Systems for the active electronic control of biological reactions

07425308 Cl. 422-68.1.

ACO, Co., Ltd.: See–

Kohno, Motomi 07424956 Cl. 209-721.

Actel Corporation: See–

Lien, Jung-Cheun; Sun, Chung-Yuan; Liu, Tong; Zhang, Zili; Feng, Sheng; Huang, Eddy C.; and Liao, Naihui 07426665 Cl. 714-725.

Sun, Chung; Huang, Eddy; and Chan, Stephen 07426667 Cl. 714-731.

Acterna IPMS: See–

Schmitt, Jean; and Le Foll, Dominique 07426685 Cl. 714-821.

Active Audio: See–

Meynial, Xavier 07426278 Cl. 381-82.

Active Biotech AB: See–

Brodin, Thomas N.; Karlström, Pia J.; Ohlsson, Lennart G; Tordsson, Jesper M; and Nilson, Bo H K. 07425623 Cl. 530-388.8.

Active Power, Inc.: See–

Perkins, David E; Andrews, James A; Logan, Scott D; Schuetze, Karl T; Badger, David A; and Hudson, Robert S 07425807 Cl. 318-161.

Actuant Corporation: See–

Radle, Patrick J.; Peterson, Christopher L.; Gilbert, Anthony W.; Maraia, Micah L.; Brockman, Daryl C.; Braganza, Austin R.; Wiesemann, David L.; and Onachilla, Michael David D0576896 Cl. D10-78.

Acushnet Company: See–

Clausen, Karl A.; and Rice, Scott A. D0577088 Cl. D21-749.

Haralson, Gregory; Morris, Thomas C.; Rice, Scott A.; and Soracco, Peter L. D0577089 Cl. D21-759.

Roach, Ryan L.; and Morris, Thomas C. D0577087 Cl. D21-749.

Ad-Tech Medical Instrument Corp.: See–

Putz, David A. 07425142 Cl. 439-138.

Adachi, Kazuki: See–

Fujisaka, Kosei; Sugioka, Tetsuro; Adachi, Kazuki; Kimura, Kiyomi; and Takayama, Tsuyoshi 07425673 Cl. 84-603.

Adachi, Masaya; to Hitachi Displays, Ltd. Display device 07425794 Cl. 313-112.

Adamini, Chris A.: See–

Stevens, Bruce A.; and Adamini, Chris A. 07424985 Cl. 242-374.

Adams, Jr., Frank Paul; Damle, Sanjiv Purushottam; Drescher, Richard Brian; Morris, Joshua Jerome; Smith, Michael Robert; Smith, Stephen Michael; Spieker, Jonathan Lyle; and White, Christopher Lawson, to Verizon Business Global LLC Method and system for providing customer controlled notifications in a managed network services system

07426654 Cl. 714-4.

Adams, Mary Beth: See–

Kubicek, Chris A.; Westphal, Nathan R.; Adams, Mary Beth; and Marie, Romuald D0577136 Cl. D26-20.

Adams, Richard C.; to United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy, The Wearable small-sized patch antenna for use with a satellite 07425922 Cl. 343-700MS.

Adaptor, Inc.: See–

Gagas, Michael D0577106 Cl. D23-248.

ADC Telecommunications Inc.: See–

Geile, Michael J.; and Brede, Jeffrey 07426177 Cl. 370-206.

Sayres, Derek D0576956 Cl. D13-155.

Adducci, Samuel J; Walker, Jonathan D; and Doorhy, Brendan F, to Panduit Corp. Network cabinet

07425678 Cl. 174-50.

Adebo, Ade: See–

Baxter, Rex; and Adebo, Ade 07424795 Cl. 52-718.02.

Adeka Corporation: See–

Yano, Toru; Shigeno, Koichi; and Okada, Mitsuhiro 07425401 Cl. 430-270.21.

Ades, Edwin W.: See–

Carvalho, Maria da Gloria; Sampson, Jacquelyn S.; Ades, Edwin W.; Carlone, George; and McCaustland, Karen 07425626 Cl. 536-24.3.

Adesto Technologies: See–

Gilbert, Nad Edward 07426131 Cl. 365-148.

Adhvaryu, Ketan: See–

Peterson, Todd; Adhvaryu, Ketan; and Jaramillo, Ramon 07425113 Cl. 415-53.1.

Adobe Systems Incorporated: See–

Berger, Ralf; and Troppoli, Steve M. 07425958 Cl. 345-427.

Dowling, Terence S.; and Hall, Jeremy A. 07425960 Cl. 345-469.

Schang, Jeff; and George, David 07426717 Cl. 717-124.

Adoline, Jack W.; Thomas, Mark R.; and Fondren, Bruce J., to Barnes Group Inc. Positioning mechanism for tilt steering

07424835 Cl. 74-493.

Advanced Bionics, LLC: See–

Litvak, Leonid M.; Fridman, Gene Y.; Mishra, Lakshmi N.; and Hartley, Lee F. 07426414 Cl. 607-56.

Advanced Cardiovascular Systems, Inc.: See–

Boyle, William J.; Huter, Benjamin C.; and Huter, Scott J. 07425215 Cl. 606-200.

Lim, Florencia 07425357 Cl. 428-36.91.

Advanced Connectek Inc.: See–

Chung, Ming-Hsun; Chiu, Tsung-Wen; Hsiao, Fu-Ren; Lin, Yu-Ching; and Lan, Chun-Ching 07425924 Cl. 343-702.

Advanced Connection Technology, Inc.: See–

Wang, Eric; and Wang, Ming-Chung 07425136 Cl. 439-70.

Advanced Currents Corp.: See–

Gates, Doug; and Carle, Steve 07425677 Cl. 174-50.

Advanced LCD Technologies Development Center Co., Ltd.: See–

Kawachi, Genshiro 07425940 Cl. 345-98.

Advanced Lithium Electrochemistry Co., Ltd.: See–

Wu, Wen-Ching D0576947 Cl. D13-133.

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.: See–

Daga, Anand 07425858 Cl. 327-279.

Kommrusch, Steven J.; and Tischler, Brett A. 07426621 Cl. 711-169.

Strongin, Geoffrey S.; Barnes, Brian C.; and Schmidt, Rodney W. 07426644 Cl. 713-193.

Advanced NuMicro Systems, Inc.: See–

Fu, Yee-Chung; and Kuo, Ting-Tung 07426066 Cl. 359-199.

Advanced Research Corporation: See–

Dugas, Matthew P. 07426093 Cl. 360-131.

Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, Inc.: See–

Liu, Sheng Tsung 07425755 Cl. 257-666.

Wang, Meng-Jen; Liu, Chien; and Huang, Tsan-Sheng 07425468 Cl. 438-108.

Aegis Therapeutics, Inc.: See–

Maggio, Edward T. 07425542 Cl. 514-21.

Aemireddy, Arvind R.; Wimmer, Robert J.; Rabe, Cameron Carroll; and Gleason, Jeffrey A., to Agere Systems Inc. Differential input/differential output converter circuit

07425867 Cl. 330-257.

Aerrabotu, Naveen; Tran, Phieu; and Vogedes, Jerome, to Motorola, Inc. Contact validation and trusted contact updating in mobile wireless communications devices

07426382 Cl. 455-411.

Agarwal, Amit; Hsu, Steven; and Krishnamurthy, Ram, to Intel Corporation Full-rail, dual-supply global bitline accelerator CAM circuit

07426127 Cl. 365-49.

Agarwal, Gaurav: See–

Musacchio, John T.; Walrand, Jean; Myers, Jr., Roy T.; Parekh, Shyam P.; Mo, Jeonghoon; and Agarwal, Gaurav 07426185 Cl. 370-235.1.

Agency for Science, Technology and Research: See–

Balasubramanian, Narayanan; and Hammond, Richard 07425751 Cl. 257-513.

Agere Systems Inc.: See–

Abel, Christopher J.; Anidjar, Joseph; Sindalovsky, Vladimir; and Ziemer, Craig B. 07425856 Cl. 327-231.

Aemireddy, Arvind R.; Wimmer, Robert J.; Rabe, Cameron Carroll; and Gleason, Jeffrey A. 07425867 Cl. 330-257.

Musacchio, John T.; Walrand, Jean; Myers, Jr., Roy T.; Parekh, Shyam P.; Mo, Jeonghoon; and Agarwal, Gaurav 07426185 Cl. 370-235.1.

Yang, Fuji; Larsson, Patrick; and O’Neill, Jay 07426247 Cl. 375-327.

Agfa Graphics, N.V.: See–

Loccufier, Johan; Groenendaal, Bert; Van Damme, Marc; and Van Aert, Huub 07425402 Cl. 430-271.1.

Vermeersch, Joan; and Meeus, Pascal 07425405 Cl. 430-302.

Agilent Technologies, Inc.: See–

Quimby, Bruce D.; Bush, Joseph B.; Ricker, Robert D.; Logan, Thomas M.; Nguyen, Viet X.; Schmidt, Alvin D.; Thomas, Glenn; Hubbard, David; Spalding, Joseph; and Powell, Jr., Paul J. D0576897 Cl. D10-85.

Robotti, Karla M.; and Apffel, Jr., James Alexander 07425451 Cl. 436-86.

Agio International Company, Ltd.: See–

Wang, Oliver D0576816 Cl. D6-369.

AGK, LLC: See–

Kreiss, Michael D0576818 Cl. D6-381.

Aglassinger, Hans-Peter; to Robert Bosch GmbH Screwdriver

D0576853 Cl. D8-61.

Aglassinger, Hans-Peter; to Robert Bosch GmbH Rotary tool D0576854 Cl. D8-68.

Agnello, Joseph: See–

Xu, Zhanping; Nowak, Brian J.; Heldwein, Thomas C.; Agnello, Joseph; Criscione, Andrew J.; and Muck, Aaron J. 07424999 Cl. 261-97.

Agra, Oran: See–

Ito, Masahiro; Racabi, Amram; Agra, Oran; and Steinberg, Yoav 07425950 Cl. 345-419.

Agrawal, Rakesh; Kiernan, Gerald George; Srikant, Ramakrishnan; and Xu, Yirong, to International Business Machines Corporation System and method for order-preserving encryption for numeric data

07426752 Cl. 726-26.

Agri-Fab, Inc.: See–

Bowsher, Neil Edwin; Hickenbottom, Ronald J.; Short, Greg; Lay, Andrew; and Jankowski, Steve 07425016 Cl. 280-504.

Schneider, Douglas E.; and Harris, Anthony Todd D0577174 Cl. D34-16.

Agus, David B.; to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Use of benzothiopenes to treat and prevent prostate cancer

07425565 Cl. 514-320.

Aharoni, Rina: See–

Sela, Michael; Fridkis-Hareli, Masha; Strominger, Jack L.; Aharoni, Rina; Teitelbaum, Dvora; and Arnon, Ruth 07425332 Cl. 424-184.1.

Ahlers, Bernd: See–

Bach, Hermann; Kömpel, Harald; Ahlers, Bernd; Trabold, Peter; and Höper, Frank 07425663 Cl. 585-652.

Ahluwalia, Mankesh S.; and Warrier, Chandra, to UTStarcom, Inc. Method and apparatus for implementing direct routing

07426389 Cl. 455-433.

Ahmad, Faisal A.; Gower, Kevin C.; and Patel, Anish T., to International Business Machines Corporation Design verification of highly optimized synchronous pipelines via random simulation driven by critical resource scheduling

07426704 Cl. 716-4.

Ahn, Byung Chul; Lim, Joo Soo; Lee, Ji No; and Kwack, Hee Young, to LG Display Co., Ltd. Liquid crystal display device and fabricating method thereof, and thin film patterning method applied thereto

07425508 Cl. 438-694.

Ahn, Young-Man: See–

Kim, Seok-Il; Han, You-Keun; Chung, Hoe-Ju; and Ahn, Young-Man 07426149 Cl. 365-201.

Aiba, Toshiyuki: See–

Haba, Daisuke; Sakurai, Yuji; Sato, Masao; and Aiba, Toshiyuki 07425672 Cl. 84-423R.

Aicklen, Gregory H.: See–

Miles, Larry L.; Tamil, Lakshman S.; Rothrock, Scott A.; Posey, Jr., Nolan J.; and Aicklen, Gregory H. 07426210 Cl. 370-400.

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: See–

Carolan, Michael Francis; and Miller, Christopher Francis 07425231 Cl. 95-54.

Airborne Health, Inc.: See–

Lynn, John Morris; and Newth, Kathryn Anne 07425900 Cl. 340-573.1.

Airbus Deutschland GmbH: See–

Perez-Sanchez, Juan 07425103 Cl. 403-121.

AirConcepts, Inc.: See–

Brown, Carlton E; and Metcalf, Kenneth A D0577100 Cl. D23-213.

Aisenbrey, Thomas; to Integral Technologies, Inc. Low cost electrical fuses manufactured from conductive loaded resin-based materials

07425885 Cl. 337-290.

Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha: See–

Nakagaito, Satoshi; Ebata, Masaru; Takeuchi, Makoto; and Ichikawa, Hiroshi 07425181 Cl. 464-46.

Ajima, Shigetoshi: See–

Yusa, Katsuhiro; Okada, Yasushi; and Ajima, Shigetoshi D0577114 Cl. D23-386.

Akaike, Masatake: See–

Nojiri, Hidetoshi; Akaike, Masatake; Kaneko, Norio; Kawasaki, Takehiko; Nakanishi, Koichiro; Gemma, Naoyo; and Morimoto, Toshitsugu 07426062 Cl. 358-3.24.

Akamine, Yukinori: See–

Tanaka, Satoshi; Hori, Kazuyuki; Kawabe, Manabu; Akamine, Yukinori; Kasahara, Masumi; and Watanabe, Kazuo 07426377 Cl. 455-255.

Akatsu, Hiroyuki; Divakaruni, Rama; Freeman, Gregory G.; Greenberg, David R.; Khater, Marwan H.; and Tonti, William R., to International Business Machines Corporation Structure and method of self-aligned bipolar transistor having tapered collector

07425754 Cl. 257-565.

Akin, Ali R.; Bodie, Elizabeth A.; Burrow, Shirley M.; Dunn-Coleman, Nigel; Turner, Geoffrey; and Ward, Michael, to Genencor International, Inc. Regulatable growth of filamentous fungi

07425450 Cl. 435-484.

Akita, Yasushi; to Icom Incorporated Portable communication device

D0576981 Cl. D14-137.

Akiyama, Masatsugu: See–

Kanekawa, Nobuyasu; Ihara, Hirokazu; Akiyama, Masatsugu; Kawabata, Kiyoshi; Yamanaka, Hisayoshi; and Okishima, Tetsuya 07425763 Cl. 257-724.

Akiyama, Ryozo; Ushirogouchi, Toru; Ishibashi, Mitsuru; Ohtsu, Kazuhiko; and Hiroki, Masashi, to Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha Washing solution for inkjet printer head and washing method using the solution 07425525 Cl. 510-247.

Akzo Nobel NV: See–

Nystrom, Mats; and Jarnvik, Christina 07425316 Cl. 423-588.

Alam, Tausif; Hullett, Debra A.; and Sollinger, Hans W., to Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation Treatment of diabetes with synthetic beta cells

07425443 Cl. 435-320.1.

Albemarle Corporation: See–

Semen, John 07425290 Cl. 264-109.

Alberta Research Council: See–

McFarlane, Richard Anthony; Lott, Roger Kai; and Huang, Haibo 07425584 Cl. 521-41.

Albina, Emmanuel: See–

Jestin, André; Albina, Emmanuel; Le Cann, Pierre; Blanchard, Philippe; Hutet, Evelyne; Arnauld, Claire; Truong, Catherine; Mahe, Dominique; Cariolet, Roland; and Madec, François 07425444 Cl. 435-320.1.

Albrecht, Gerhard: See–

Kraus, Alexander; Hübsch, Christian; Albrecht, Gerhard; Grassl, Harald; Hartl, Angelika; Scheul, Stefanie; and Kern, Alfred 07425596 Cl. 525-329.7.

Albrecht, Manfred; Rettner, Charles Thomas; Terris, Bruce David; and Thomson, Thomas, to International Business Machines Corporation Enhancement of magnetic media recording performance using ion irradiation to tailor exchange coupling 07425353 Cl. 427-523.

Albrecht, Martin G.: See–

Udayakumar, Kezhakkedath R.; Moise, Ted S.; Summerfelt, Scott R.; Albrecht, Martin G.; Dostalik, Jr., William W.; and Celii, Francis G. 07425512 Cl. 438-740.

Alcamo, John J.; and Pearce, Richard J. Bottle cap

D0576877 Cl. D9-449.

Alcatel: See–

Mortensen, Ivar; and Neustadt, Alf 07426385 Cl. 455-425.

Alcatel Lucent: See–

Wells, Donald J.; Dippel, Peter C.; and McAllister, Shawn 07426573 Cl. 709-238.

Alcon, Inc.: See–

Chen, Hwang-Hsing; and May, Jesse A. 07425572 Cl. 514-405.

Alcorn, Byron Alan; Hoffman, Donley Byron; and Walls, Jeffrey Joel, to Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Systems and methods for generating a composite video signal from a plurality of independent video signals

07425962 Cl. 345-556.

Aldape, John Luis; Corrigan, Robert W.; McKendry, Scott; Brewster, Kevin David; and Laning, Chris J., to Electronic Controls Company Three button control head

D0576959 Cl. D13-168.

Aldape, John Luis; Corrigan, Robert W.; McKendry, Scott; Brewster, Kevin David; and Laning, Chris J., to Electronic Controls Company Six button control head D0576960 Cl. D13-168.

Aldecoa, Eduardo Anitua; to Biotechnology Institute, I Mas D, S.L. Dental implant

D0577122 Cl. D24-156.

Aldrich, John F.: See–

Schmitz, Johann Burkhard; Plikat, Claudia; Neubert, Nicolai; Zwick, Carola E. M.; Zwick, Roland R. O.; Aldrich, John F.; Hill, Christopher C.; Slagh, James D.; and VanDeRiet, Douglas M. 07425037 Cl. 297-300.2.

Aldridge, Laurel Jane: See–

Sheppard, John Edward; Aldridge, Laurel Jane; Davis, William John; and Hall, Tosh Thomas D0576871 Cl. D9-418.

Aleardi, Massimo: See–

Gjerde, Richard D.; Dam, Robert; and Aleardi, Massimo 07425128 Cl. 431-278.

Alert Safety Lite Products Co., Inc.: See–

Kovacik, James D.; and Blanch, Paul S. D0577142 Cl. D26-63.

Alexeyev, Valery: See–

Siegfried, Daniel E.; Burtner, David Matthew; Townsend, Scott A.; and Alexeyev, Valery 07425709 Cl. 250-423R.

Alfa Laval Corporate AB: See–

Blomgren, Ralf 07424908 Cl. 165-167.

Alfano, Donald: See–

Leung, Ka Y.; Leung, Kafai; Xaio, Jinwen; Wei, Chia-Ling; Storvik, II, Alvin C.; Sahu, Biranchinath; and Alfano, Donald 07426645 Cl. 713-300.

Ali, Shahzad: See–

Reissfelder, Bob; Jia, Yantao; Jin, Lei; Ali, Shahzad; West, Stephen John; Zhang, Hui; and Zhu, Shuangxia Sarah 07426575 Cl. 709-240.

Ali, Valiuddin: See–

Homer, Steven S.; Love, James Scott; and Ali, Valiuddin 07426643 Cl. 713-186.

Alien Technology Corporation: See–

Jacobsen, Jeffrey Jay; Gengel, Glenn Wilhelm; Hadley, Mark A.; Craig, Gordon S. W.; and Smith, John Stephen 07425467 Cl. 438-107.

All-Logic Int. Co., Ltd.: See–

Yang, Shun-Tien D0577055 Cl. D16-314.

Allan, Christian B.: See–

Oliver, Cynthia N.; Allan, Christian B.; and Chang, Stephen T. 07425618 Cl. 530-387.1.

Allegro Microsystems, Inc.: See–

Monreal, Gerardo; and Romero, Hernan D. 07425821 Cl. 324-117H.

Allen, Richard Barnett; Bellwood, Thomas Alexander; Chumbley, Robert Bryant; and Rutkowski, Matthew Francis, to International Business Machines Corporation Systems and methods for user-constructed hierarchical interest profiles and information retrieval using same

07426508 Cl. 707-5.

Allen, Robert S. Fixture of a cord holder having a pair of knobs and a finger 07425148 Cl. 439-369.

Allergan, Inc.: See–

Donovan, Stephen 07425338 Cl. 424-239.1.

Allibhoy, Nizar; Elliott, L. Dane; Fernandez-Silva, Joaquin; and Johnson, Stephen M., to Thomson Licensing Method and system for controlling and auditing content/service systems

07426558 Cl. 709-224.

Alltel Communications, Inc.: See–

Moody, Scott Edward D0577035 Cl. D14-486.

Aloha, LLC: See–

Smith, Earl Dallas; and Smith, Judson 07425005 Cl. 280-124.111.

AlphaVax, Inc.: See–

Smith, Jonathan F.; Kamrud, Kurt I.; Rayner, Jonathan O.; Dryga, Sergey A.; and Caley, Ian J. 07425337 Cl. 424-218.1.

Alps Electric Co., Ltd: See–

Sugawara, Takehito 07426275 Cl. 380-264.

Alsius Corporation: See–

Collins, Kenneth A. 07425216 Cl. 607-105.

ALSTOM Technology Ltd: See–

Bellucci, Valter; Meili, Francois; Paschereit, Christian Oliver; and Schuermans, Bruno 07424804 Cl. 60-725.

Johnson, Nicolas Campino; Hoebel, Matthias; Hurter, Jonas; and Niederberger, Christoph 07425115 Cl. 415-173.4.

Altera Corporation: See–

Carley, Adam L. 07425875 Cl. 331-45.

Chung, Jonathan; Kim, In Whan; Pan, Philip; Sung, Chiakang; Wang, Bonnie; Wang, Xiaobao; Chong, Yan; Rangan, Gopinath; Nguyen, Khai; Chang, Tzung-Chin; and Huang, Joseph 07425844 Cl. 326-68.

Kita, David B.; Yang, Tser-Yuan Brian; and SeLegue, Dylan 07426306 Cl. 382-238.

Pechanek, Gerald George; Kurak, Jr., Charles W.; and Larsen, Larry D. RE040509 Cl. 712-227.

Alternative Seed Strategies LLC: See–

Warkentin, Tom 07425668 Cl. 800-298.

Altmann, Robert James; and Ryan, Christopher Richard, to Anchor Wall Systems, Inc. Concrete pavers positioned in a herringbone pattern

07425106 Cl. 404-39.

Aluma-Form, Inc.: See–

Dziedzic, Edward 07424992 Cl. 248-218.4.

Aluminum Pechiney: See–

Tailhades, Philippe; Rousset, Abel; Gabriel, Armand; Laurent, Véronique; Baco-Carles, Valérie; and Lamaze, Airy-Pierre 07425284 Cl. 252-521.2.

Alvarez, Eduardo Gallestey; Stothert, Alec; Antoine, Marc; and Morton, Steve, to ABB Research Ltd Optimal operation of a power plant

07426456 Cl. 703-2.

Alverson, Gail A.; Callahan, II, Charles David; Coatney, Susan L.; Koblenz, Brian D.; Korry, Richard D.; and Smith, Burton J., to Cray Inc. Placing a task of a multithreaded environment in a known state

07426732 Cl. 718-108.

Alves, Rogerio G.; Yen, Kuan-Chieh; and Ngia, Lester Soon Huat, to Clarity Technologies, Inc. Method and system for clear signal capture

07426270 Cl. 379-406.08.

Amai, Masatoshi; to Pioneer Kabushiki Kaisha Loudspeaker

D0577005 Cl. D14-216.

Amai, Masatoshi; to Pioneer Kabushiki Kaisha Loudspeaker D0577006 Cl. D14-216.

Amano, Mitsuyoshi; Nagayama, Hironori; and Suginohara, Keiji, to Pioneer Corporation Network conference system, conference server, record server, and conference terminal

07426192 Cl. 370-261.

Amber, John T.; Porter, Stephan S.; and Powell, Theodore M., to Biomet 31, Inc. Healing components for use in taking impressions and methods for making the same

07425131 Cl. 433-173.

Ambrose, Kevin B.; to International Business Machines Corporation Method and apparatus for a client call service

07426056 Cl. 358-1.16.

American Axle & Manufacturing, Inc.: See–

Donofrio, Gregory M; Haske, Larry G; York, Todd M; Valente, Paul J; and Calomeni, Brian A 07425185 Cl. 475-231.

Worman, Jr., William E. 07425006 Cl. 280-124.166.

American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.: See–

Bishop, Fred; Barrett, Michael R.; Armes, David; Wojciechowski, Lee A.; Madhineni, Madhukar; Krishnan, Vilayanur Parameswaran; McKay, Joshua B.; and Gebb, Lucas 07426492 Cl. 705-39.

American Megatrends, Inc.: See–

Ilyasov, Oleg; and Naborskyy, Andriy 07426582 Cl. 710-2.

American Power Conversion Corporation: See–

Rasmussen, Neil; Ziegler, William; and Francis, Peter 07425682 Cl. 174-68.1.

Americast, Inc.: See–

Siviter, Terry Lee; Hofe, Brian Richard; Kay, Edward Stuart; and Coffman, Larry S. 07425261 Cl. 210-150.

Amerinova Properties, LLC: See–

Aoki, Kerrie PP019228 Cl. PLT-257.

Amgen Inc.: See–

Groneberg, Robert D.; Askew, Jr., Benny C.; D’Amico, Derin C.; Zhan, James; Toro, Andras; Kim, Youngboo; Mareska, David A.; Han, Nianhe; Fotsch, Christopher H.; Liu, Qingyian; Riahi, Babak; Yang, Kevin; Li, Aiwen; Yuan, Chester Chenguang; Biswas, Kaustav; Harried, Scott; Nguyen, Thomas; Qian, Wenyuan; Chen, Jian Jeffrey; and Nomak, Rana 07425631 Cl. 546-192.

Amico, John; and Sberna, Carmelo System and method for digitizing a pattern

07426302 Cl. 382-203.

Amir, Elisha: See–

Yodfat, Ofer; Neta, Avraham; and Amir, Elisha D0577118 Cl. D24-111.

Amkor Technology, Inc.: See–

Glenn, Thomas P.; and Webster, Steven 07425750 Cl. 257-434.

Ampani, Kumar: See–

Rosko, Robert; and Ampani, Kumar 07426530 Cl. 709-201.

Amphenol Corporation: See–

Taylor, Paul R. 07425134 Cl. 439-66.

Amrhein, Armin; and Thurner, Elmar, to Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Plug-in communication module and method for communicating using a plug-in communication module

07426590 Cl. 710-62.

Amundson, Mark D.: See–

Balczewski, Ron A.; Von Arx, Jeffrey A.; Linder, William J.; and Amundson, Mark D. 07426413 Cl. 607-21.

Amura Therapeutics Ltd.: See–

Quibell, Martin 07425562 Cl. 514-300.

AMX LLC: See–

Partridge, Charles W.; Barber, Ronald W.; Lee, Mark R.; and Holub, Douglas R. 07426702 Cl. 715-835.

Anadys Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: See–

Zhou, Yuefen; Li, Liansheng; and Webber, Stephen E. 07425552 Cl. 514-222.8.

Analog Devices, Inc.: See–

Cosgrave, Gavin 07425912 Cl. 341-145.

Rose, Steven C.; and Schreier, Richard E. 07425909 Cl. 341-135.

Ananthapadmanabhan, Arasanipalai K.; Manjunath, Sharath; Huang, Pengjun; Choy, Eddie-Lun Tik; and DeJaco, Andrew P., to QUALCOMM Incorporated Method and apparatus for quantizing pitch, amplitude, phase and linear spectrum of voiced speech

07426466 Cl. 704-230.

Anchor Wall Systems, Inc.: See–

Altmann, Robert James; and Ryan, Christopher Richard 07425106 Cl. 404-39.

Andersen, Jack B.; and Kost, Michael A., to D2Audio Corporation Systems and methods for pulse width modulating asymmetric signal levels

07425853 Cl. 327-172.

Anderson, Darrell R.; Hanna, Nabil; and Brams, Peter, to Biogen Idec Inc. Host cells expressing 7C10 and 16C10 CD80-specific antibodies

07425447 Cl. 435-343.1.

Anderson, David C.: See–

Kinsella, Todd M.; Masuda, Esteban; Bennett, Mark K.; Warner, Justin E.; and Anderson, David C. 07425418 Cl. 435-7.1.

Anderson, Dean; Giesler, William L.; King, Brad; and Wiggins, Jimmy D., to Honeywell International Inc. Over center high deflection pressure energizing low leakage seal 07425003 Cl. 277-647.

Anderson, Eric: See–

Walstrom, Todd; Anderson, Eric; Beck, Russ; Trowbridge, Todd; Peschmann, Joseph J.; and Okerlund, Kash D0577175 Cl. D34-35.

Anderson, Frank Edward; Dixon, Michael John; Drummond, James Paul; McKinley, Bryan Dale; Plakosh-Angeles, Amanda Kay; Reed, Jerry Randall; Singh, Jeanne Marie Saldanha; and Woolcott, George Nelson, to Lexmark International, Inc. Customizable electroluminescent displays 07425795 Cl. 313-509.

Anderson, Richard E.; Georgiou, Christos John; and Sandon, Peter A., to International Business Machines Corporation Method of computing partial CRCs 07426674 Cl. 714-758.

Anderson, Stephen D.; Tetzlaff, David E.; Gaboury, Michael J.; and Bibee, Matthew L., to Xilinx, Inc. Method of adaptive equalization for high-speed NRZ and multi-level signal data communications 07426235 Cl. 375-221.

Ando, Hideo: See–

Watabe, Kazuo; Ando, Hideo; Maruyama, Sumitaka; Kashihara, Yutaka; and Ogawa, Akihito 07426167 Cl. 369-59.25.

Ando, Hideo; Kikuchi, Shinichi; Taira, Kazuhiko; and Ito, Yuji, to Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba Information storage system capable of recording and playing back a plurality of still pictures 07426334 Cl. 386-95.

Ando, Hideo; and Unno, Hiroaki, to Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba Information recording method, information recording medium, and information reproducing method, wherein information is stored on a data recording portion and a management information recording portion 07426335 Cl. 386-95.

Ando, Hideo; and Yoshioka, You, to Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba Information storage medium and information recording/playback system 07426336 Cl. 386-95.

Ando, Muneki; to Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Image forming apparatus and video receiving and display apparatus 07425996 Cl. 348-790.

Andre, Bartley K.; Coster, Daniel J.; De Iuliis, Daniele; Howarth, Richard P.; Ive, Jonathan P.; Kerr, Duncan Robert; Nishibori, Shin; Rohrbach, Matthew Dean; Satzger, Douglas B.; Seid, Calvin Q.; Stringer, Christopher J.; Whang, Eugene Antony; and Zorkendorfer, Rico, to Apple Inc. Electronic device holder

D0577008 Cl. D14-217.

Andreas Stihl AG & Co. KG: See–

Schlauch, Patrick; Kern, Jens; Nickel, Hans; Zimmermann, Helmut; Hamisch, Claus-Peter; and Kuppert, Reiner 07424879 Cl. 123-198E.

Tinius, Michael D0577113 Cl. D23-383.

Andrews, James A: See–

Perkins, David E; Andrews, James A; Logan, Scott D; Schuetze, Karl T; Badger, David A; and Hudson, Robert S 07425807 Cl. 318-161.

Andrzejak, Artur; and Graupner, Sven, to Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Determining placement of distributed application onto distributed resource infrastructure

07426570 Cl. 709-235.

Ang, Chien Mei Linda: See–

Lim, Kian Choon Janie; Tan, Jeng Khim; Ang, Chien Mei Linda; Gan, Hui Ling; and Khoo, Soo Beng Damien D0577004 Cl. D14-211.

Angel, Aimee B.; and Hunter, Ian W., to Massachusetts Institute of Technology Needleless injector

07425204 Cl. 604-68.

Angel, Bruce A.; and Moore, Anthony D., to Camco Manufacturing, Inc. Combination handle and sewer hose support 07425028 Cl. 294-16.

Angell, Richard Martyn; Bamborough, Paul; Baldwin, Ian Robert; Li-Kwai-Cheung, Anne-Marie; Longstaff, Timothy; Merrick, Suzanne Joy; Smith, Kathryn Jane; Swanson, Stephen; and Walker, Ann Louise, to SmithKline Beecham Corporation Heteroaryl substituted biphenyl derivatives as p38 kinase inhibitors

07425555 Cl. 514-236.2.

Angerer, Bernhard: See–

Ankenbauer, Waltraud; Svetlichny, Vitaly; Bonch-Osmolovskaya, Elizaveta; Ebenbichler, Christine; Angerer, Bernhard; Schmitz-Agheguian, Gudrun; and Laue, Frank 07425423 Cl. 435-15.

Angermüeller, Stephanie: See–

Klopp, Marcus; Angermüeller, Stephanie; Weiβ, Matthias; Scheck, Georg; and Krüger, Frieder 07424940 Cl. 192-15.

Angilivelil, Josey George: See–

Risbo, Lars; Shankar, Asit; and Angilivelil, Josey George 07425874 Cl. 331-1A.

Anglin, Noah L.; to Secure Computing Corporation Portable computer security device that includes a clip

D0577022 Cl. D14-383.

Anglin, Noah L.; to Secure Computing Corporation Portable computer security device D0577023 Cl. D14-383.

Anidjar, Joseph: See–

Abel, Christopher J.; Anidjar, Joseph; Sindalovsky, Vladimir; and Ziemer, Craig B. 07425856 Cl. 327-231.

Ankenbauer, Waltraud; Svetlichny, Vitaly; Bonch-Osmolovskaya, Elizaveta; Ebenbichler, Christine; Angerer, Bernhard; Schmitz-Agheguian, Gudrun; and Laue, Frank, to Roche Diagnostics GmbH Thermostable nucleic acid polymerase from Thermococcus gorgonarius

07425423 Cl. 435-15.

Annis, D. Allen: See–

Cooper, Alan B.; Zhu, Hugh Y.; Wang, James J-S; Desai, Jagdish A.; Shipps, Jr., Gerald W.; Curran, Patrick J.; Annis, D. Allen; Nash, Huw M.; and Girijavallabhan, Viyyoor M. 07425640 Cl. 548-374.1.

Anraku, Tsuyoshi: See–

Shiga, Futoshi; Kanda, Takahiro; Kimura, Tetsuya; Takano, Yasuo; Ishiyama, Jyunichi; Kawai, Tomoyuki; Anraku, Tsuyoshi; and Ishikawa, Kumi 07425563 Cl. 514-310.

Ansorge, Siegfried; Tadje, Janine; and Lendeckel, Uwe, to IMTM GmbH Use of alanyl aminopeptidase inhibitors and pharmaceutical compositions containing said inhibitors

07425532 Cl. 514-2.

Antares Pharma IPL AG: See–

Grenier, Arnaud; Carrara, Dario Norberto R.; and Besse, Celine 07425340 Cl. 424-400.

Antique Books, Inc.: See–

Thibadeau, Robert 07426747 Cl. 726-9.

Antler, Steven M.; to Staino, LLC Interdental brush package

07424952 Cl. 206-362.4.

Antoine, Marc: See–

Alvarez, Eduardo Gallestey; Stothert, Alec; Antoine, Marc; and Morton, Steve 07426456 Cl. 703-2.

Antoniou, Peter; to Odourbuster Limited Toilet system

07424752 Cl. 4-213.

Antony, Richard T.; to Science Applications International Corporation Optimal boolean set operation generation among polygon-represented regions

07426455 Cl. 703-2.

Anzai, Setsu: See–

Katayama, Hideo 07426230 Cl. 373-9.

Aoki, Ichiro; Hajimiri, Seyed-Ali; Ruthledge, David B.; and Kee, Scott David, to California Institute of Technology Distributed circular geometry power amplifier architecture

07425869 Cl. 330-276.

Aoki, Kerrie; to Amerinova Properties, LLC Hibiscus plant named ‘Haight Ashbury’ PP019228 Cl. PLT-257.

Aoki, Masaki: See–

Tanaka, Yoshinori; Hibino, Junichi; Aoki, Masaki; Sugimoto, Kazuhiko; and Setoguchi, Hiroshi 07425164 Cl. 445-24.

Aoshima, Tatsundo: See–

Tsuge, Yoichiro; Aoshima, Tatsundo; Beniyama, Nobuo; and Kaji, Tomoyuki 07426619 Cl. 711-165.

Aota, Hideyuki; and Watanabe, Hirofumi, to Ricoh Company, Ltd. Reference voltage generating circuit and constant voltage circuit

07426146 Cl. 365-189.09.

Apeler, Heiner: See–

Wild, Hanno; Hanko, Rudolf; Dorschug, Michael; Horlein, Hans-Dietrich; Beunink, Jurgen; Apeler, Heiner; Wehlmann, Hermann; and Sebald, Walter 06130318 Cl. 530-351.

Apffel, Jr., James Alexander: See–

Robotti, Karla M.; and Apffel, Jr., James Alexander 07425451 Cl. 436-86.

Apothéloz, Christophe; to Leica Microsystems (Schweiz) AG Microscope

D0577047 Cl. D16-131.

Apple, Inc.: See–

Cannistraro, Alan C.; Stewart, William George; Powell, Roger A.; Rodger, Kevin Christopher; Jacklin, Kelly B.; and Wyatt, Doug 07426417 Cl. 700-94.

Moulios, Christopher; and Friedman, Sol 07425674 Cl. 84-612.

Applied Materials, Inc.: See–

Demos, Alexandros T.; Elsheref, Khaled A.; Trachuk, Yuri; Cho, Tom K.; Dixit, Girish A.; M’Saad, Hichem; and Witty, Derek 07425716 Cl. 250-492.3.

Apte, Raj B.: See–

Wong, William S.; Lu, Jeng Ping; Salleo, Alberto; Chabinyc, Michael L.; Apte, Raj B.; and Street, Robert A. 07425734 Cl. 257-222.

Aqua Glass Corporation: See–

Ingram, Scott; and Thomas, Brent 07424754 Cl. 4-584.

Arai, Toshiaki: See–

Sekiguchi, Tomoki; Arai, Toshiaki; Furukawa, Hiroshi; and Ikeda, Kazumi 07426662 Cl. 714-43.

Arai, Yasuyuki: See–

Yamazaki, Shunpei; Arai, Yasuyuki; and Teramoto, Satoshi 07425931 Cl. 345-7.

Arai, Yoshihide: See–

Nishiyama, Yuko; Arai, Yoshihide; Nemoto, Takashi; Inoue, Manabu; and Horie, Kenichi 07425370 Cl. 428-413.

Araki, Yoshiyuki: See–

Creamer, Rob; Knapp, Walter; Koch, Mark; Araki, Yoshiyuki; and Helton, Richard 07425987 Cl. 348-211.3.

Araman, Christopher J.: See–

Lee, Oliver; Guo, Quji; Grossman, Joel K.; Wentz, Brian D.; Schwartz, Jordan L. K.; Araman, Christopher J.; Winjum, Randall Knight; Farnham, Shelly; and Cheng, Lili 07426537 Cl. 709-204.

Arasappan, Ashok; Njoroge, F. George; Padilla-Acevedo, Angela I.; Chen, Kevin X.; Bennett, Frank; Sannigrahi, Mousumi; Bogen, Stephane L.; Venkatraman, Srikanth; Jao, Edwin E.; Saksena, Anil K.; and Girijavallabhan, Viyyoor M., to Schering Corporation Compounds as inhibitors of hepatitis C virus NS3 serine protease

07425576 Cl. 514-423.

Arase, Shinya: See–

Kishioka, Takahiro; Arase, Shinya; and Mizusawa, Ken-ichi 07425403 Cl. 430-271.1.

Aratani, Katsuhisa; Ishida, Minoru; and Kouchiyama, Akira, to Sony Corporation Memory device and method of production and method of use of same and semiconductor device and method of production of same

07425724 Cl. 257-68.

Arbel Medical Ltd.: See–

Levin, Alexander; and Toubia, Didier 07425211 Cl. 606-20.

Archer, Jarrett E.; Scivicque, Joseph A.; Sherman, Frederick A.; and Hendrickson, Heath W., to Verizon Business Global LLC Communication systems and QSIG communications methods

07426218 Cl. 370-466.

Ardissono, Cristian: See–

Belley, Manon; Ardissono, Cristian; and Urie, Grant A. D0576779 Cl. D2-952.

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: See–

Gharbaoui, Tawfik; Sengupta, Dipanjan; Lally, Edward A.; Kato, Naomi S.; Carlos, Marlon; and Rodriguez, Natalie 07425630 Cl. 544-262.

Areva T&D SA: See–

Neveu, Andre; Cimala, Andre; Girodet, Alain; Lebiad, Mehdi; and Marquezin, Gwenael 07426100 Cl. 361-115.

Aridome, Kenichiro: See–

Matsuno, Katsumi; and Aridome, Kenichiro 07426330 Cl. 386-46.

Arimoto, Kota; Tanaka, Shigeru; and Suzuki, Shinya, to Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Developing apparatus

07426360 Cl. 399-254.

Arisue, Kenji; Okabe, Naokazu; Goshima, Yasuhiro; and Kitayama, Minoru, to Yamazaki Mazak Corporation Combined turning and milling machine

D0577043 Cl. D15-122.

Aritome, Seiichi: See–

Watanabe, Hiroshi; Nakamura, Hiroshi; Shimizu, Kazuhiro; Aritome, Seiichi; Yaegashi, Toshitake; Takeuchi, Yuji; Imamiya, Kenichi; Takeuchi, Ken; and Oodaira, Hideko 07425739 Cl. 257-296.

ARM Limited: See–

Blasco Allue, Conrado; Kimelman, Paul; Swaine, Andrew Brookfield; and Grisenthwaite, Richard Roy 07426659 Cl. 714-27.

Piry, Frederic Claude Marie; Symes, Dominic Hugo; and Francis, Hedley James 07426629 Cl. 712-225.

Stevens, Ashley Miles 07426320 Cl. 382-307.

Armes, David: See–

Bishop, Fred; Barrett, Michael R.; Armes, David; Wojciechowski, Lee A.; Madhineni, Madhukar; Krishnan, Vilayanur Parameswaran; McKay, Joshua B.; and Gebb, Lucas 07426492 Cl. 705-39.

Armstrong, Jason N.: See–

Chopra, Harsh Deep; Hua, Zonglu; Sullivan, Matthew R.; and Armstrong, Jason N. 07425826 Cl. 324-252.

Arnauld, Claire: See–

Arndt, Elizabeth: See–

Korolchuk, Theodore; and Arndt, Elizabeth 07425344 Cl. 426-518.

Arnold, Bill: See–

Chang, Julia; Wyatt, Stacy; and Arnold, Bill D0576781 Cl. D2-961.

Arnold, Billy Dean: See–

Deka, Ganesh Chandra; Lawler, Christopher John; Arnold, Billy Dean; Reader, David Joseph; and Cox, Ronald C. 07425517 Cl. 442-327.

Arnold, David V.; Dougall, Jr., John B.; Giles, Bradley Curtis; Jarrett, Bryan Robert; Karlinsey, Thomas William; and Waite, Jonathan L., to Wavetronix, LLC Systems and methods for monitoring speed 07426450 Cl. 702-142.

Arnold, Nathan James; Owoc, Greg J.; and Lovegrove, William Palmer Electronic practice device 07426157 Cl. 368-82.

Arnon, Ruth: See–

Sela, Michael; Fridkis-Hareli, Masha; Strominger, Jack L.; Aharoni, Rina; Teitelbaum, Dvora; and Arnon, Ruth 07425332 Cl. 424-184.1.

Aron, Mathew Randolph Integrated motorcycle light frame and turn signal assembly

07425893 Cl. 340-465.

Arradiance, Inc.: See–

Beaulieu, David 07425713 Cl. 250-492.2.

Array BioPharma Inc.: See–

Wallace, Eli M.; Lyssikatos, Joseph P.; Marlow, Allison L.; and Hurley, T. Brian 07425637 Cl. 548-304.7.

Arregui, Damian: See–

Dance, Christopher R.; and Arregui, Damian 07426312 Cl. 382-254.

Arrigo, Simone; Zahnd, Daniel A; Piot, Julien; and Kehlstadt, Florian, to Logitech Europe S.A. Wireless optical input device

07425945 Cl. 345-165.

Artimplant AB: See–

Flodin, Per; and Aurell, Carl-Johan 07425288 Cl. 264-49.

Artus, Vincent: See–

Noetinger, Benoît; and Artus, Vincent 07426460 Cl. 703-10.

Aruga, Yohichi: See–

Ishizawa, Masato; Aruga, Yohichi; and Kusano, Kazumi 07425303 Cl. 422-63.

Asada, Toshiaki: See–

Ezaki, Shuichi; Asada, Toshiaki; and Tateno, Manabu 07424873 Cl. 123-90.16.

Asahi Glass Company, Limited: See–

Funatsu, Toshifumi 07425926 Cl. 343-713.

Oharu, Kazuya; Okazoe, Takashi; Murotani, Eisuke; Watanabe, Kunio; and Ito, Masahiro 07425646 Cl. 560-227.

Asahi Kasei Kabushiki Kaisha: See–

Fukumoto, Hirofumi; and Nomura, Masayuki 07425455 Cl. 436-526.

Asakura, Nobuyuki: See–

Morikawa, Taishi; Ide, Tetsuro; Sakaguchi, Tadahisa; and Asakura, Nobuyuki 07425161 Cl. 439-877.

Asano, Mitsuru; to Sony Corporation Active matrix type display apparatus, active matrix type organic electroluminescence display apparatus, and driving methods thereof

07425939 Cl. 345-76.

Asano, Seiji; to Hitachi, Ltd. Engine controller with an atmospheric pressure correction function 07426434 Cl. 701-109.

Asano, Wataru; Koto, Shinichiro; and Yamakage, Tomoo, to Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba Digital watermark detection method and apparatus 07426640 Cl. 713-176.

Asano, Wataru; Koto, Shinichiro; and Yamakage, Tomoo, to Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba Digital watermark detection method and apparatus 07426641 Cl. 713-176.

Asao, Masaya; Kawakami, Soichiro; and Ogura, Takao, to Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Electrode material for lithium secondary battery, electrode structure comprising the electrode material and secondary battery comprising the electrode structure

07425285 Cl. 252-521.3.

Ashida, Kenichiro; Takamoto, Junji; Ibuki, Masato; Yamamoto, Shinji; Matsui, Hirokazu; Kumazaki, Daisuke; and Suga, Akiko, to Nintendo Co., Ltd. Controller for electronic game machine

D0577025 Cl. D14-400.

Ashida, Masaaki; Mori, Kouichi; Mitsuishi, Shunichi; Nishizawa, Kimiyoshi; and Ugomori, Yoshinao, to Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. Hydrocarbon trapping device 07425312 Cl. 422-180.

Asiana Airlines, Inc.: See–

Moon, Jun-Ho D0576938 Cl. D12-343.

Askew, Jr., Benny C.: See–

ASM Japan K.K.: See–

Todd, Michael A. 07425350 Cl. 427-372.2.

ASML Holding N.V.: See–

Downey, Todd R. 07426034 Cl. 356-445.

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Tags: Gregory Haralson
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United States Patent D577089

March 29, 2009

Gregory Haralson Awarded Patent:

Found at: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/D577089.html

Inventors:

Haralson, Gregory (Laguna Niguel, CA, US)
Morris, Thomas C. (Carlsbad, CA, US)
Rice, Scott A. (San Diego, CA, US)
Soracco, Peter L. (Carlsbad, CA, US)

Plaque It!

Application Number:

D/283810

Publication Date:

09/16/2008

Filing Date:

08/24/2007

View Patent Images:

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Export Citation:

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Assignee:

Acushnet Company (Fairhaven, MA, US)

Primary Class:

D21/759

International Classes:

(IPC1-7): 2102

Field of Search:

473/324-331, D21/733, 473/343-346, D21/759, D21/752

US Patent References:

D514185	Golf club head	January, 2006	Barez et al.
D516652	Golf club head	March, 2006	Barez et al.
D526039	Metal wood sole	August, 2006	Breier et al.	D21/759
D527064	Metal wood	August, 2006	Breier et al.	D21/752
D534979	Sole of a club head	January, 2007	Chau et al.	D21/759
D537139	Metal wood sole having composite wedges	February, 2007	Breier et al.	D21/759
D537895	Metal wood golf club head	March, 2007	Breier et al.	D21/752
D538370	Metal wood sole	March, 2007	Breier et al.	D21/759
D553210	Golf club head	October, 2007	Harvell et al.	D21/752
D553211	Golf club head	October, 2007	Harvell et al.	D21/752
D561853	Golf club head	February, 2008	Haralson et al.	D21/733
D561859	Golf club sole	February, 2008	Haralson et al.	D21/759
D571882	Golf club head	June, 2008	Soracco	D21/752

Primary Examiner:

Siegel, Mitchell I.

Attorney, Agent or Firm:

Wheeler, Kristin D.

Claims:

CLAIM

1. The ornamental design for a sole of a club head, as shown and described.

Description:

FIG. 1 is a bottom heel perspective view of our new design for a sole of a club head;

FIG. 2 is a heel side view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a bottom view thereof;

FIG. 4 is a back view thereof;

FIG. 5 is a toe side view thereof; and,

FIG. 6 is a front view thereof.

The portion of the club head shown in phantom does not form any portion of the present invention.

Tags: Gregory Haralson
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Patent title: Golf club head with concave insert

March 29, 2009

Gregory Haralson Awarded Patent:

Found at: http://www.faqs.org/patents/app/20080268980

Abstract:

A hollow golf club head with a concave portion is disclosed and claimed. The club head includes a metallic portion and a light-weight portion, which may be formed of plastic, composite, or the like. The concave portion allows the club designer to make a club head having very thin portions while still maintaining the requisite structural integrity. Convex bulges may optionally be provided to house weight inserts to enhance the playing characteristics of the golf club. The metallic portion of the club head may take on the appearance of a frame, into which several light-weight inserts are positioned. These light-weight inserts may be positioned in the crown, skirt, and sole of the club head. The club head is thus contoured such that its surface area is substantially large. The club head may also be formed of a single, relatively light-weight material.

Claims:

1. A golf club head, comprising:a body including a striking face;wherein the club head has a volume of at least 400 cc, said body and said face are formed of the same material, and the club head body has a mass of less than 190 g.

2. The club head of claim 1, wherein said material is a metallic material.

3. The club head of claim 1, wherein said material includes aluminum.

4. The club head of claim 1, wherein said body has a plan profile area of at least 145 cm.sup.2.

5. The club head of claim 1, wherein said mass is less than 180 g.

6. The club head of claim 1, further including one or more weight member inserts having a total mass of greater than 20 g, wherein the club head has a mass of 200 g or less.

7. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the club head has a total outer surface area of at least 400 cm.sup.2.

8. A golf club head, comprising:a first club head component formed of a first material, said first club head component having a first outer surface area, said first material having a first density; anda second club head component coupled to said first club head component to cooperatively form a club head body, said second club head component formed of a second material, said second club head component having a second outer surface area, said second material having a second density; wherein: A 2 A 1 < ρ 1 ρ 2 < 5 A 2 A 1 where A₁ is said first outer surface area, A₂ is said second outer surface area, ρ₁ is said first density, and ρ₂ is said second density.

9. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein A 2 A 1 < ρ 1 ρ 2 < 3 A 2 A 1 .

10. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein the club head has a total outer surface area of at least 400 cm.sup.2.

11. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein said first density is less than or equal to 3.5.

12. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein ρ 1 ρ 2 < 2.

13. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein said first density is greater than said second density.

14. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein said second surface area is greater than said first surface area.

15. The golf club head of claim 8, further comprising a face insert, said face insert, said first club head component, and said second club head component cooperatively defining the club head.

16. A golf club head, comprising:a first club head component formed of a first material, said first club head component having a first outer surface area, said first material having a first density; anda second club head component coupled to said first club head component to cooperatively form a club head body, said second club head component formed of a second material, said second club head component having a second outer surface area, said second material having a second density less than said first density;the club head defining a first plan profile, said first plan profile having a first side wall ratio, a first area, and a first geometrical center;the club head defining a second plan profile having a second area equal to 90% of said first area, said second plan profile having a second side wall ratio equal to said first side wall ratio and a geometrical center that is coincident with said first geometrical center;the club head defining a third plan profile having a third area equal to 80% of said first area, said third plan profile having a third side wall ratio equal to said first side wall ratio and a geometrical center that is coincident with said first and second geometrical centers; wherein:within said third plan profile a first ratio of projected area divided by actual area is less than 0.8 and a first equivalent density is less than 2; andbetween said second plan profile and said first plan profile a second ratio of projected area divided by actual area is less than 0.8 and a second equivalent density is greater than 2.

17. The golf club head of claim 16, wherein said first area is greater than 130 cm.sup.2.

18. The golf club head of claim 16, wherein the club head has a total outer surface area of at least 400 cm.sup.2.

19. The golf club head of claim 16, further comprising a face insert, said face insert, said first club head component, and said second club head component cooperatively defining the club head.

Description:

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001]This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/363,098 filed on Feb. 28, 2006, now pending, which is 1) a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/110,733 filed on Apr. 21, 2005, now pending, and 2) a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/180,406 filed on Jul. 13, 2005, now pending. Each of these applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002]1. Field of the Invention

[0003]The present invention relates to a golf club, and, more particularly, the present invention relates to a large wood-type golf club head with a concave insert.

[0004]2. Description of the Related Art

[0005]Golf club heads come in many different forms and makes, such as wood- or metal-type (including drivers and fairway woods), iron-type (including wedge-type club heads), utility- or specialty-type, and putter-type. Each of these styles has a prescribed function and make-up. The present invention primarily relates to hollow golf club heads, such as wood-type and utility-type (generally referred to herein as wood-type golf clubs).

[0006]Wood-type type golf club heads generally include a front or striking face, a crown, a sole, and an arcuate skirt including a heel, a toe, and a back. The crown and skirt are sometimes referred to as a “shell.” The front face interfaces with and strikes the golf ball. A plurality of grooves, sometimes referred to as “score lines,” may be provided on the face to assist in imparting spin to the ball and for decorative purposes. The crown is generally configured to have a particular look to the golfer and to provide structural rigidity for the striking face. The sole of the golf club contacts and interacts with the ground during the swing.

[0007]The design and manufacture of wood-type golf clubs requires careful attention to club head construction. Among the many factors that must be considered are material selection, material treatment, structural integrity, and overall geometrical design. Exemplary geometrical design considerations include loft, lie, face angle, horizontal face bulge, vertical face roll, face size, sole curvature, center of gravity, and overall head weight. The interior design of the club head may be tailored to achieve particular characteristics, such as by including hosel or shaft attachment means, perimeter weighting on the face or body of the club head, and fillers within hollow club heads. Club heads typically are formed from stainless steel, aluminum, or titanium, and are cast, stamped as by forming sheet metal with pressure, forged, or formed by a combination of any two or more of these processes. The club heads may be formed from multiple pieces that are welded or otherwise joined together to form a hollow head, as is often the case of club heads designed with inserts, such as sole plates or crown plates. The multi-piece constructions facilitate access to the cavity formed within the club head, thereby permitting the attachment of various other components to the head such as internal weights and the club shaft. The cavity may remain empty, or may be partially or completely filled, such as with foam. An adhesive may be injected into the club head to provide the correct swing weight and to collect and retain any debris that may be in the club head. In addition, due to difficulties in manufacturing one-piece club heads to high dimensional tolerances, the use of multi-piece constructions allows the manufacture of a club head to a tight set of standards.

[0008]It is known to make wood-type golf clubs out of metallic materials. These clubs were originally manufactured primarily by casting durable metals such as stainless steel, aluminum, beryllium copper, etc. into a unitary structure comprising a metal body, face, and hosel. As technology progressed, it became more desirable to increase the performance of the face of the club, usually by using a titanium material.

[0009]With a high percentage of amateur golfers constantly searching for more distance on their shots, particularly their drives, the golf industry has responded by providing golf clubs specifically designed with distance in mind. The head sizes of wood-type golf clubs have increased, allowing the club to possess a higher moment of inertia, which translates to a greater ability to resist twisting on off-center hits. As a wood-type club head becomes larger, its center of gravity will be moved back away from the face and further toward the toe, resulting in hits flying higher and further to the right than expected (for right-handed golfers). Reducing the lofts of the larger head clubs can compensate for this. Because the center of gravity is moved further away from hosel axis, the larger heads can also cause these clubs to remain open on contact, thereby inducing a “slice” effect (in the case of a right-handed golfer the ball deviates to the right). Offsetting the head and/or incorporating a hook face angle can help compensate for this by “squaring” the face at impact, but often more is required to eliminate the “slice” tendency.

[0010]Another technological breakthrough in recent years to provide the average golfer with more distance is to make larger head clubs while keeping the weight constant or even lighter by casting consistently thinner shell thicknesses and using lighter materials such as titanium, magnesium, and composites. Also, the faces of the clubs have been steadily becoming extremely thin, because a thinner face will maximize what is known as the Coefficient of Restitution (COR). The more a face rebounds upon impact, the more energy is imparted to the ball, thereby increasing the resulting shot distance.

[0011]Known methods to enhance the weight distribution of wood-type club heads to help reduce the club from being open upon contact with the ball usually include the addition of weights to the body casting itself or strategically adding a weight element at some point in the club. Many efforts have been made to incorporate weight elements into the wood-type club head. These weight elements are usually placed at specific locations, which will have a positive influence on the flight of the ball or to overcome a particular golfer’s shortcomings. As previously stated, a major problem area of the higher handicap golfer is the tendency to “slice,” which in addition to deviating the ball to the right also imparts a greater spin to the ball, further reducing the overall shot distance. To reduce this tendency, the present patent teaches the placement of weight elements directly into the club head. The placement of weight elements is designed so that the spin of the ball will be reduced, and also a “draw” (a right-to-left ball flight for a right-handed golfer) will be imparted to the ball flight. This ball flight pattern is also designed to help the distance-challenged golfer because a ball with a lower spin rate will generally roll a greater distance after initially contacting the ground than would a ball with a greater spin rate.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0012]The present invention relates to a large wood-type golf club head with a concave insert. The club head is formed of a plurality of body members that define an interior volume. A first body member is made of a metallic material and includes a sole portion and a face portion. A second body portion is made of a light-weight material, such as plastic, composite, or a very thin sheet of low density metallic material. The second body portion makes up at least a portion of the club head skirt, and includes one or more concave indentations that extends into the interior volume of the club head. These indentations provide structural integrity to the second body portions, which may be very thin panels.

[0013]The second body member optionally may also include one or more convex bulges that generally extend away from the interior volume. Inserts, such as weight inserts, may be positioned within the convex bulges. Careful positioning of the weight inserts allows the designer to enhance the playing characteristics of the golf club and tailor the club for a specific swing type. The first body member may form a large portion of the club head sole, and the second body member may form a large portion of the club head crown. This weight positioning further enhances the playing characteristics of the golf club.

[0014]The contoured body of the inventive golf club head can be characterized by the ratio of the projected area of the club head to the actual club head surface area. The surface area projected onto horizontal planes is significantly less than the actual club head surface area due to the concave and convex bulges. This ratio preferably is 0.8 or less. Due to selective shaping and placement of the individual components, the average of equivalent density of the club head materials varies over different club head regions. In a central region of the club head, the equivalent density preferably is less than two, while on the outer periphery of the club head the equivalent density preferably is greater than two.

[0015]The relative amounts of the various materials used to form the inventive club head can be characterized by a comparison of the ratios of their relative surface areas and their relative densities. Preferably, the relationship is inversely related such that the ratio of the heavier material density to the light-weight material density is between one and five times the ratio of the ratio of the light-weight material surface area to the heavier material surface area. More preferably, the first ratio is between one and three times the second ratio.

[0016]The club head may include secondary weights positioned extremely low and back from the striking face. A center point on the sole plate defines the lowest point on the club head, and in one embodiment the center point is located directly below the club head center of gravity when the club head is at a 59° lie angle. The center of gravity of the secondary weights are positioned a predetermined distance from the center point. Preferably, each secondary weight center of gravity is at least 0.5 inch rearward of the center point, at least 0.75 inch from the center point toward the heel for the heel weight or at least 0.75 inch from the center point toward the toe for the toe weight, and a maximum 0.25 inch above the center point, whereby the positions of the secondary weights alter the traditional look of the golf club head by bulging outward of the natural contour of the club head.

[0017]The secondary weights may be located by reference to a point at which the hosel centerline intersects the sole plate. This distance is then measured from the back surface of the striking face at the midpoint thereof to determine an intersection point. Preferably, the secondary weights are each at least 1.50 inches rearward of the intersection point, at least 0.75 inch toward either the heel or the toe, and a maximum of 0.25 inch above the center point with the club head at a 59° lie angle.

[0018]According to one aspect of the present invention, the club head may be formed of a single material. As the club head has a large volume–at least 400 cc is contemplated, the material must have a relatively lighter density than with conventional club heads. This ensures that the overall weight and mass of the club head is not so great that it becomes unwieldy or does not provide the club designer with enough “discretionary weight” to enhance playability aspects of the resulting golf club. Preferred materials include aluminum and its alloys.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019]The present invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters reference like elements, and wherein:

[0020]FIG. 1 shows a golf club head of the present invention;

[0021]FIG. 2 shows a body member of the golf club head of FIG. 1;

[0022]FIG. 3 shows a second club head of the present invention;

[0023]FIG. 4 shows a bottom view of the club head of FIG. 3;

[0024]FIG. 5 shows a bottom perspective view of a club head of the present invention;

[0025]FIG. 6 shows a rear elevation view of the club head of FIG. 5;

[0026]FIG. 7 shows a heel elevation view of the club head of FIG. 5;

[0027]FIG. 8 shows a bottom schematic view of the club head of FIG. 5;

[0028]FIG. 9 shows a front cross-sectional view of the club head of FIG. 5;

[0029]FIG. 10 shows a bottom view of a golf club head of the present invention;

[0030]FIG. 11 shows a bottom view of a golf club head of the present invention;

[0031]FIG. 12 shows a cross-sectional view of the club head of FIG. 11 taken along line 12-12;

[0032]FIG. 13 shows an exploded top view of a golf club head of the present invention;

[0033]FIG. 14 shows an exploded top view of the golf club head of FIG. 13;

[0034]FIG. 15 shows a first club head component and its projected area;

[0035]FIG. 16 shows a second club head component and its projected area; and

[0036]FIG. 17 shows a top view of the club head of FIG. 13.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0037]Other than in the operating examples, or unless otherwise expressly specified, all of the numerical ranges, amounts, values and percentages such as those for amounts of materials, moments of inertias, center of gravity locations, loft and draft angles, and others in the following portion of the specification may be read as if prefaced by the word “about” even though the term “about” may not expressly appear with the value, amount, or range. Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the following specification and attached claims are approximations that may vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by the present invention. At the very least, and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims, each numerical parameter should at least be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques.

[0038]Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of the invention are approximations, the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as possible. Any numerical value, however, inherently contains certain errors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in their respective testing measurements. Furthermore, when numerical ranges of varying scope are set forth herein, it is contemplated that any combination of these values inclusive of the recited values may be used.

[0039]FIG. 1 shows a golf club head 1 of the present invention. The club head 1 includes a body 10 having a strike face 11, a sole 12, a crown 13, a skirt 14, and a hosel 15. The body 10 defines a hollow, interior volume 16. Foam or other material may partially or completely fill the interior volume 16. Weights may optionally be included within the interior volume 16. The face 11 may be provided with grooves or score lines therein of varying design. The club head 1 has a toe T and a heel H.

[0040]The club head 1 is comprised of a plurality of body members that cooperatively define the interior volume 16. A first body member 101 includes a sole portion and a face portion. The first body member 101 may include a complete face 11 and sole 12. Alternatively, either or both the face 11 and the sole 12 can be inserts coupled to the first body member 101. The club head 1 also includes at least one second body member 102 coupled to the first body member 101 along the skirt 14 in known fashion. The crown 13 can be unitarily a portion of either body member 101, 102 or it may be an insert coupled to either of the body members 101, 102. The second body member 102 includes a concave portion 20 that, when the body members 101, 102 are coupled together, extends inward into the interior volume 16. FIG. 2 shows an isolated view of an exemplary second body member 102.

[0041]The first body member 101 preferably is formed of a metallic material such as stainless steel, aluminum, or titanium. The material of the first body member 101 is chosen such that it can withstand the stresses and strains incurred during a golf swing, including those generated through striking a golf ball or the ground. The club head 1 can be engineered to create a primary load bearing structure that can repeatedly withstand such forces. Other portions of the club head 1, such as the skirt 14, experience a reduced level of stress and strain and advantageously can be replaced with a lighter, weight-efficient secondary material. Lighter weight materials, such as low density metal alloys, plastic, composite, and the like, which have a lower density or equivalent density than the previously mentioned metallic materials, can be used in these areas, beneficially allowing the club head designer to redistribute the “saved” weight or mass to other, more beneficial locations of the club head 1. These portions of the club head 1 can also be made thinner, enhancing the weight savings. Exemplary uses for this redistributed weight include increasing the overall size of the club head 1, expanding the size of the club head “sweet spot,” which is a term that refers to the area of the face 11 that results in a desirable golf shot upon striking a golf ball, repositioning the club head 1 center of gravity, and/or producing a greater moment of inertia (MOI). Inertia is a property of matter by which a body remains at rest or in uniform motion unless acted upon by some external force. MOI is a measure of the resistance of a body to angular acceleration about a given axis, and is equal to the sum of the products of each element of mass in the body and the square of the element’s distance from the axis. Thus, as the distance from the axis increases, the MOI increases, making the club more forgiving for off-center hits since less energy is lost during impact from club head twisting. Moving or rearranging mass to the club head perimeter enlarges the sweet spot and produces a more forgiving club. Increasing the club head size and moving as much mass as possible to the extreme outermost areas of the club head 1, such as the heel H, the toe T, or the sole 12, maximizes the opportunity to enlarge the sweet spot or produce a greater MOI, making the golf club hotter and more forgiving.

[0042]The second body member 102 is light-weight, which gives the opportunity to displace the club head center of gravity downward and to free weight for more beneficial placement elsewhere without increasing the overall weight of the club head 1. When the wall thickness of the second body member 102 is at the minimum range of the preferred thickness, a reinforcing body layer can be added in the critical areas in case the member shows deformations. These benefits can be further enhanced by making the second body member 102 thin. To ensure that the structural integrity of the club head 1 is maintained, these thin panels may preferably include a concave portion 20. Inclusion of these concave portions 20 allow the second body member 102 to withstand greater stress–both longitudinally and transversely–without sustaining permanent deformation or affecting the original cosmetic condition, ensuring the structural integrity of the club head 1 is maintained. Preferred thicknesses for the first body member 101 include from 0.03 inch to 0.05 inch, while preferred thicknesses for the second body member 102 include from 0.015 inch to 0.025 inch. Preferably, the concave portion 20 displaces at least 10 cubic centimeters. More preferably, the concave portion 20 displaces at least 25 cubic centimeters. While the club head 1 can be virtually any size, preferably it is a legal club head. A plurality of concave portions 20 may be used with the club head 1. For example, concave portions 20 of uniform or varying size may be positioned in the toe, heel, back, etc.

[0043]FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view taken substantially perpendicular to the face 11 of a second club head 2 of the present invention, and FIG. 4 shows a bottom view of the club head 2. In the illustration of this embodiment, the concave portion 20 is positioned at the back of the club head 2. The concave portion 20 preferably is not visible to the golfer at address. In addition to the concave portion 20, the second body member 102 further includes a convex bulge 22 that extends generally away from the interior volume 16. An insert 23 may be positioned within the convex bulge. The insert 23 is not visible from outside the club head 2, and is thus illustrated using broken lines. In a preferred embodiment, the insert 23 is a weight insert. The convex nature of the bulge 23 allows the weight to be positioned to maximize the mechanical advantage it lends to the club head 2. As shown in FIG. 4, the club head 2 may include a plurality of convex bulges 22, such as on a heel side and on a toe side of the club head 2. The club designer may place inserts 23 as desired within the bulges 22. The masses of the inserts may be substantially equal. Alternatively, one of the inserts may have a greater mass than the other. This may be beneficial to design the club to correct a hook swing or a slice swing. A preferred mass range for the weight insert 23 is from 1 gram to 50 grams.

[0044]As shown in FIG. 3, the first body member 101 may comprise a majority of the sole 12 and the second body member 102 may include a majority of the crown 13. This beneficially removes a large majority of the mass from the upper part of the club head 2. In this embodiment the first body member 101 includes an attachment perimeter 18 that extends around its edge. The second body member 102 is coupled to the first body member 101 along the attachment perimeter 18. The first and second body members 101, 102 cooperatively define the interior volume 16. The attachment perimeter 18 preferably may contain a step defining two attachment surfaces 18a, 18b. As illustrated, the second body member 102 may be coupled to both of these surfaces 18a, 18b to help ensure a strong bond between the body members 101, 102.

[0045]While the body members 101, 102 may be formed in a variety of manners, a preferred manner includes forming a complete club head shell (first body member 101) in known manner and removing material to create openings to which the second body member 102 can be coupled. The opening may be created in any desired manner, such as with a laser. The second body member 102 may be joined to the first body member 101 in a variety of manners, such as through bonding or through a snap-fit in conjunction with bonding. If a composite material is used for the concave inserts, molding six plies of 0/90/45/-45/90/0 is preferred.

[0046]FIGS. 5-9 illustrate additional aspects of the present invention. In the embodiment illustrated in these figures, the club head 1 includes a crown portion 13, a sole 12, a heel portion H, a toe portion T, a skirt portion 14 connecting the heel portion H to the toe portion T, a front face 11 and a hosel 24 that extends from the heel portion H. The club head 1 can be formed from sheets joined together, such as by welding, or cast, preferably from a titanium alloy. The crown portion 13 can be made from such materials as carbon fiber composite, polypropylene, Kevlar, magnesium, or a thermoplastic. Hosel 24 includes a bore defining a centerline axis C/L.

[0047]As best depicted in FIG. 9, the club head 1 of the present invention has a center of gravity G located at an extremely rearward and low position. The location of the center of gravity G is biased by the location of two secondary weights, a toe secondary weight 26 and a heel secondary weight 28, which are both partially outside the traditional look of a golf club head. As shown in FIGS. 5-9, the locations of the two secondary weight elements 26, 28 are established by the relationship of their distances from established points of contact. When the club head is at a lie angle o of 59°, the lowest contact point of the sole 12 is at a center point C directly beneath the center of gravity G.

[0048]One method of establishing the locations of the secondary weights 26, 28 is discussed herein. As shown in FIG. 8, the center line C/L of hosel 24 intersects the sole plate 12 at a distance D from the rear surface of the front face 11. When extending a line B-B that is substantially parallel to the leading edge of the club head (maintaining the distance D), an intersection point P is made with a line A-A that is perpendicular to and extends rearward from the midpoint of the front face 11. The line A-A extends through the middle of the club head 1 and passes directly beneath the club head center of gravity G. This intersection point P may also be defined by the intersection of line A-A and a vertical plane positioned at an intersection of the hosel center line C/L and the sole 12. The center of gravity C/G of each secondary weight 26, 28 is at a distance W of at least 1.50 inches rearward of the intersection point P, a distance Z that is a maximum of 0.25 inch above the lowest point of contact, which is the center point C of the sole plate 12, and each secondary weight is at least 0.75 inch away from line A-A in opposing directions, which is a distance Y1 towards the toe T for the toe secondary weight 26 and a distance Y2 towards the heel H for the heel secondary weight 28.

[0049]The locations of the secondary weights 26, 28 may also be determined for the present invention by measuring from the center point C. From center point C, the center of gravity of each secondary weight 26, 28 is a distance X of at least 0.50 inch rearward along line A-A, the distance Z that is a maximum of 0.25 inch above the center point C, and a minimum of 0.75 inch away from line A-A in opposing directions, towards the toe T for the toe secondary weight 26 and towards the heel H for the heel secondary weight 28. Thus, each secondary weight 26, 28 is a minimum of 0.90 inch from the center point C.

[0050]The secondary weights 26, 28 can be selected from a plurality of weights designed to make specific adjustments to the club head weight. The secondary weights 26, 28 can be welded into place or attached by a bonding agent. The weights 26, 28 can be formed from typically heavy weight inserts such as steel, nickel, or tungsten. Preferably, the body of the club head 1 is formed from titanium, and the crown portion 13 from a light-weight material such as carbon fiber composite, polypropylene, Kevlar, thermoplastic, magnesium, or some other suitable light-weight material. Preferred volumes of the club head 1 include from 350 cc to 460 cc. The secondary weights 26, 28 preferably range in mass from 2 to 35 grams, with 10 grams to 35 grams being more preferred. It is well known that by varying parameters such as shaft flex points, weights and stiffness, face angles, and club lofts, it is possible to accommodate a wide spectrum of golfers. But the present invention addresses the most important launch consideration, which is to optimize the club head mass properties (center of gravity and moment of inertia) by creating a center of gravity that is low, rearward, and wide of center. The club head 1 of the present invention encompasses areas of the club head that are not typically utilized for weighting because they adversely alter the traditional look of a club head. The design of this club head 1 allows for a portion of the secondary weights 26, 28 to bulge outside the normal contour of the club head.

[0051]FIG. 10 shows a bottom view of a golf club head 1 of the present invention. The skirt 14 includes an opening 30 towards the rear of the club head 1. An insert 35 is positioned within the opening 30 in known fashion, such as via an attachment perimeter 18, to cooperatively define the interior volume 16. Preferably, the insert 35 is formed of a light-weight material such as a composite material or a polymer material. Using a light-weight insert 35 inherently biases the club head mass toward the sole 12 of the club head 1. It also allows the inclusion of a weight member to achieve a specific moment of inertia and/or center of gravity location while maintaining typical values for the overall club head weight and mass.

[0052]FIG. 11 shows a bottom view of a golf club head 1 of the present invention. In addition to secondary weights 26, 28, the club head 1 includes an insert 27 intermediate the toe secondary weight 26 and the heel secondary weight 28. The insert 27 may be a weight insert similar to the toe and heel secondary weights 26, 28, in which case it also has a preferable mass range of 2 to 35 grams. Alternatively, or in addition to being a weight member, insert 27 may include one or more indicia, such as a model or manufacturer designation. The club head 1 further includes a sole insert 105; in the illustrated embodiment, two such sole inserts 105 are shown. These inserts 105 preferably are formed of a light-weight material as described above. Such materials likely are robust enough to withstand contact with the ground such as the sole 12 incurs through normal use of the golf club. However, the arcuate shape of the sole 12 in the illustrated embodiment minimizes the likelihood of the inserts 105 contacting the ground. Inclusion of the sole inserts 105 frees even more mass for more beneficial placement in the club head, such as at toe insert 26, intermediate insert 27, and/or heel insert 28. The location of the inserts 105 toward the center of the sole 12 inherently biases the mass toward the outer portions of the club head 1, improving the club head MOI.

[0053]FIG. 12 shows a cross-sectional view of the club head 1 of FIG. 11 taken along line 12-12. Here it is seen that the crown 13 is an insert that is coupled to the metallic first body member 101. The crown insert 13 preferably is formed of a light-weight material, beneficially displacing the club head center of gravity downward and freeing yet more weight for more beneficial placement elsewhere without increasing the overall weight of the club head 1. Due to the inclusion of holes in which to position the crown insert 13, the skirt insert 35, the second body member inserts 102, and the sole inserts 105, the first body member 101 takes on the appearance of a frame. It should be noted that not every insert 13, 35, 102, 105 need be included in a particular embodiment of the present invention, though all may be present. The frame-like nature of first body member 101 is a load bearing structure that ensures that the stresses and strains incurred during a golf swing, including those generated through striking a golf ball or the ground, do not detrimentally affect the light-weight portions of the club head 1, which experience a reduced level of stress and strain. These club head portions, which may include secondary body member 102, crown 13, skirt insert 35, and sole inserts 105, advantageously can be formed of a lighter, weight-efficient secondary material such as low density metal alloys, plastics, composites, and the like, which have a lower density or equivalent density than the previously mentioned metallic materials, beneficially allowing the club head designer to redistribute the “saved” weight or mass to other, more beneficial locations of the club head 1. These portions of the club head 1 can also be made thinner, enhancing the weight savings.

[0054]The first body member 101 preferably includes an attachment perimeter 18 for each insert (including the crown 13). These attachment perimeters 18 extend around the edge of the respective openings. Preferably, each attachment perimeter 18 includes a step defining two attachment surfaces 18a, 18b, which provide additional assurance of a strong bond between the respective club head components. (While each attachment perimeter 18 of FIG. 12 includes a step defining two attachment surfaces 18a, 18b, such attachment surfaces 18a, 18b are called-out in only one location for the sake of clarity.)

[0055]The openings in the club head 1 into which the inserts 13, 35, 102, 105 are positioned preferably may be created by forming a complete club head shell in known fashion, and then creating the openings therein. One preferred method of creating the openings is by using a laser to remove portions of the metallic material of the first body member 101. This method provides for tight tolerances. The attachment perimeter 18, including attachment surfaces 18a, 18b, may be formed in a variety of manners, such as machining the first body member 101 after laser cutting the opening in the club head 1.

[0056]Each sole insert 105 preferably has a mass of 0.5 gram to 10 grams, and more preferably from 1 gram to 5 grams. The sole inserts 305, as well as the other inserts, may be beveled or stepped slightly to provide a location for any excess adhesive. In one embodiment, the toe and heel sole inserts 26, 28 each have a preferred mass range of 4 grams to 7 grams, while the intermediate insert sole 27 has a preferred mass range of 2 grams to 3 grams. In one embodiment, the thickness of the club head components is tapered such that the walls are thicker towards the face 11 and thinner towards the rear of the club head 1. Such wall thickness tapering frees more mass for more beneficial placement in the club head 1.

[0057]As discussed above, certain golf club head geometries have an inherent advantage over typical design shapes with respect to the club head’s mass properties, especially in view of the dimension limits mandated by the United States Golf Association (USGA) and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews (R&A), the governing bodies promulgating the Rules of Golf. Two such properties of particular note are the club head center of gravity (CG) height and the club head MOI in the heel/toe twisting direction about a vertical axis passing through the CG. (The limit for this MOI is 5900 gcm².) Further to the discussion above, material selection and distribution plays an important role in determining the club head properties, including these two specific properties.

[0058]Modern drivers have gone from predominately made of steel in the 1990s to titanium alloys in the 2000s as the driver size, measured by volume, have gone from around 250 cc to the maximum allowed 460 cc. While maintaining a certain volume as a constant, the surface area of the club head may be varied. A sphere would be the smallest body for a given volume, while a rectangle with twice the footprint can have the same volume as the sphere. What is different about the two objects is that the sphere has a minimum amount of surface area surrounding the enclosed volume while the rectangle has a much greater amount of surface area. With that logic, and the fact that there are inherent limits to how thin walls can be made using certain metals–and furthermore if the walls do reach the desired minimal thickness, secondary durability issues, such as denting, arise–certain materials reach their practical limit. While stiffening ribs can be added to help overcome denting, this becomes a complex and costly solution and may offer only marginal improvement.

[0059]Considering for example titanium, which has a density of approximately 4.43 gm/cc, current manufacturing techniques can obtain wall thickness in the range of 0.5-0.7 mm at a reasonable cost. For a “traditional” shaped profile for a 460 cc driver approaching the Rule limits in width and depth of 12.7 cm, the surface area (SA) required is approximately 380 cm². Using a wall thickness of 0.06 cm, the minimum amount material of titanium required is 101 g titanium (calculated as areathicknessdensity). However, certain areas of the club need to be substantially thicker than the minimum wall thickness for a variety of reasons. One such area is the face 11. Variable face thicknesses are typical in modern drivers, with thicknesses ranging from about 0.2 cm near the outer periphery and up to 0.4 cm or more in the central region. Most face areas do not approach the Rule limit of 12.7 cm (5 in)×7.1 cm (2.8 in), which represents a SA of 90 cm². Certain drivers manufactured by Cobra Golf have a large face area, measuring around 54 cm². Assuming for calculation purposes that a uniform thickness of 0.28 cm is used for the face to achieve its functional requirements, then 67 g of titanium is needed for the face. Thus the total amount of titanium used is:

Total amount = face mass + body mass = ( face S A face thickness density ) + ( ( body S A – face S A ) body thickness density ) = ( 54 cm 2 0.28 cm 4.43 g / cc ) + ( ( 380 cm 2 – 54 cm 2 ) 0.06 cm 4.43 g / cc ) = 67 g + 86.6 g = 153.6 g

[0060]For current driver club building specifications having a shaft length of 45.5 in, the overall club head mass is about 200 g. The amount of free mass is thus 46.4 g to optimize certain playing characteristics. Furthermore, the maximum shaft length allowed by the Rules is 48 in, and when shafts are lengthened the heads traditionally become lighter. A rule of thumb is that for every 0.5 in shaft length increase, the head mass must decrease by 5 g. Thus, with a 48 in. shaft, the maximum mass for the club head is 175 g, leaving little discretionary mass for the club head designer to manipulate.

[0061]Increasing the face area to the maximum allowable value enhances the playability of the resulting golf club, but presents additional challenges to the club head designer. Namely, the inventive golf club head is contoured to control the club head attributes and volume, which increases the club head body SA. At the same time, the face thickness would most likely need to be increased to maintain its functional requirements. For quick calculations, the following assumptions are made: face SA=76 cm², face thickness=0.34 cm, body SA=400 cm², and body thickness=0.06 cm. This results in a club head mass of 200 g, virtually eliminating discretionary mass available to the club head designer for strategically weighting the club head.

[0062]This suggests that there is a limit to how much surface area of the club head can be provided in titanium. One aspect of the instant invention is the use of lightweight metallic materials with densities less than 4.0 g/cc as the primary or only (including alloys) material for both the face and body in heads with large volumes (i.e., greater than 400 cc), large overall surface areas (i.e., greater than 350 cm²), large face areas (i.e., greater than 60 cm²), and plan profiles approaching the Rule limits (12.7 cm heel-toe distance, less than 12.7 cm face-back distance). As used herein, plan profile means the smallest rectangle that can be drawn around the widest toe-heel and front-back dimensions of the club head projected onto a plane. The plan profile defines a side wall ratio, which is defined as the widest toe-heel dimension divided by the widest front-back dimension. Preferably, the club head has a plan profile area of at least 130 cm², and more preferably at least 145 cm². The inventive club, having these dimensions and materials, has increased forgiveness and increased playability for golfers of various skill levels.

[0063]Preferred materials for the inventive club head include aluminum, its alloys, metal matrix aluminum composites, aluminum cermets (ceramic-reinforced metals), and the like. Such materials may have material strengths that are comparable to the widely used titanium alloys. Use of such materials have a density less than 3 g/cc, yielding a lower total club head mass even with increased wall thicknesses. For example, using such an aluminum-based material having a density of 2.8 to form the body and face of a golf club head having an overall surface area of 400 cm², the face having a surface area of 76 cm² and a thickness of 0.4 cm, and the body having a thickness of 0.1 cm, the total club head mass is about 175.8 g. This represents a “savings” of more than 24 g relative a titanium-based club head. The club head designer may use this saved mass to strategically position weight members to the club head, increasing the club head MOI, lowering the club head CG, and enhancing the forgiveness and playability of the resulting golf club.

[0064]In an alternate version of the inventive club head, a combination of a relatively heavier material and a lightweight material is used to form the club head body. FIG. 13 shows an exploded top view of a golf club head 200 of the present invention. The club head 200 includes a body formed of two major components. A first component 210 is formed of a relatively heavier material, preferably a metallic material, and includes the strike face 11, which may be an insert or formed integrally therewith. The metallic component 210 further includes wing-like projections 211, 212 extending rearward from toe and heel portions of the face 11, respectively, partially forming the skirt 14 of the club head 200. The wing extensions 211, 212 define voids therebetween, including in crown and sole portions of the club head. Thus, the metallic component 210 has a frame-like design.

[0065]A second major component 220 is formed of a lightweight material and cooperates with the metallic component 210 to define the club head 200. Preferred materials for the second component 220 include reinforced plastic and other composites. The first and second components 210, 220 are coupled together in known manner, such as through an adhesive, epoxy, or the like. The components 210, 220 can also be coupled via bladder molding or welding. To facilitate their attachment, the components 210, 220 have corresponding attachment surfaces. Preferably, at least the top, outer surfaces of the projections 211, 212 and corresponding surfaces of the lightweight component 220 are such attachment surfaces. Preferably, at least portions of the bottom, outer surfaces of the projections 211, 212 and corresponding surfaces of the lightweight component 220 are also attachment surfaces.

[0066]The lightweight component 220 fills in the voids of the metallic component 210. Thus, the lightweight component forms a majority of the crown 13, a rear portion of the skirt 14, and a central portion of the sole 12. This is illustrated in FIG. 14, which shows an exploded side view of the club head 200. By displacing the denser metallic material from the crown, the center of gravity is inherently lowered. Similarly, by displacing the metallic material from the central portion of the sole 13, mass is inherently biased toward the heel and toe of the club head.

[0067]Similarly to the second body member 102 discussed above, the club head 200 may further include additional lightweight bodies 230 positioned in front heel and toe portions of the skirt 14, near the strike face 11. Inclusion of such additional lightweight components displaces further metallic material, further allowing the club designer to enhance the playing characteristics of the golf club.

[0068]One way to characterize the relative amounts of each material is by a ratio of the surface area comprised by the relatively heavier material and that comprised by the lightweight material. It should be noted that, preferably, the “relatively heavier material” is less dense than the metallic materials typically used to form golf club heads. The aluminum materials discussed above are preferred for the “heavy” material, and carbon fiber or otherwise reinforced plastic composites are preferred for the lightweight material. The surface area ratio may be compared with a ratio of the densities of the two club head components 210, 220. According to one preferred arrangement,

A 2 A 1 < ρ 1 ρ 2 < . 5 A 2 A 1 ,

where A₁ is the surface area of the first component 210, A₂ is the surface area of the second component 220, ρ₁ is the density of the first component 210, and ρ₂ is the density of the second component 220. It is the outer surface areas that are being referred to here. More preferably,

A 2 A 1 < ρ 1 ρ 2 < 3 A 2 A 1 .

[0069]Thus, the inventive club head 200 balances the amount of the relatively heavier material (measured as a function of its surface area) with the relative densities of the components 210, 200. Preferably, the first density ρ₁ is less than or equal to 3.5, and the first density ρ₁ divided by the second density ρ₂ is less than 2. The greater the difference in relative densities, the greater is the difference in surface areas. This is an inverse relationship, which an increase in the difference in densities causing a decrease in the surface area comprised by the heavier material.

[0070]In addition to the amounts of material present in the club head, the present invention additionally controls the placement of the different materials. This material placement aspect may be quantified as a ratio of projected surface area to actual surface area. That is, for a given portion of the club head, the outer surface area of each component 210, 200 forming the club head is projected onto a horizontal plane. FIGS. 15 and 16 illustrate this concept. FIG. 15 shows the heavier first club head component 210. The projected surface area 210a shown above the first club head component 210 is a projection onto a horizontal plane of that portion of the component 210 above the crown parting line of the club head components 210, 220. The projected area 210b shown below the first club head component 210 is a projection onto a horizontal plane of that portion of the component 210 below the parting line. The projected area for the first club head component 210 is the sum of these partial projections 210a, 210b. The parting is a convenient location to use to separate the relative club head “halves,” thought it is not the only such location available. Similarly, FIG. 16 shows the lighter second club head component 220 with a first projected area 220a of that portion of the component 220 above the parting line and a second projected area 220b of that portion of the component 220 below the parting line. The projected area for the second club head component 220 is the sum of these partial projections 220a, 220b.

[0071]Due to the contoured nature of the club head, the club head body surface area is increased and the projected area is less than the actual surface area. Preferably, the ratio of projected area divided by actual area is 0.8 or less, and more preferably this ratio is 0.7 or less.

[0072]The concept of equivalent density is useful in describing the inventive club head 200. The equivalent density is calculated as the density of the material forming each component as a percentage of the surface area for the component relative the total surface area:

ρ eq = ρ 1 A 1 + ρ 2 A 2 A 1 + A 2 ,

where ρ_eq is the equivalent density and the other terms are as defined above.

[0073]Of course, equivalent density can be calculated for the entire club head and for specific portions of the club head. FIG. 17 shows a top view of the club head 200 and its plan profile 250. Two additional plan profiles 251, 252 are also shown, with all of the plan profiles 250, 251, 252 having geometric centers that are coincident. Plan profile 251 has an area equal to 90% of the first plan profile 250 area, and plan profile 252 has an area equal to 80% of the first plan profile 250 area. Each of these secondary plan profiles 251, 252 has the same side wall ratio as the primary plan profile 250. Preferably, the inventive golf club head has an equivalent density of less than 2 within the 80% plan profile 252. Preferably, the inventive golf club head also has an equivalent density of greater than 2 between the 90% plan profile 251 and the primary plan profile 250. In another aspect of the present invention, this equivalent density between the 90% plan profile 251 and the primary plan profile 250 is greater than 3, or greater than 4.

[0074]Table 1 below shows the attributes of one example of the inventive golf club head 200 and a known golf club head:

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Example Comparative Main Body ρ 2.7 4.43 SA 170 270 Lightweight insert ρ 1.5 1.5 SA 290 110 Club Head SA 460 380 SA_L/SA_H 1.7 0.41 ρ_H/ρ_L 1.8 2.95

where density ρ is in g/cm³, surface area SA is in cm², H designates the heavier material, and L designates the lighter material. As shown, the properties of the inventive club head are an improvement over known club heads.

[0075]The strike face 11 may be integral with or an insert attached to the first component 210. If an insert, the strike face may be formed of the same material as the first component 210. Alternatively, the face insert may be formed of a different material, such as titanium or a titanium alloy. Thus, the density of the face may be greater than the density of any of the body components.

[0076]More than one light-weight material can be used with the inventive golf club head. These components may also be comprised of layers of various light-weight materials. If so, the densities, surface areas, and other attributes mentioned herein are of the actual inserts used rather than just one of the various materials used.

[0077]Additionally, the light-weight components of the club head may be treated with a metallic coating to improve their wear resistance. Other coatings may also be used. Preferably, the coating is chosen such that it has only a minor impact, if any, on the club head attributes.

[0078]As used herein, directional references such as rear, front, lower, etc. are made with respect to the club head when grounded at the address position. See, for example, FIG. 9. The direction references are included to facilitate comprehension of the inventive concepts disclosed herein, and should not be read or interpreted as limiting.

[0079]U.S. Design patent application Ser. No. 29/276,256, now pending, is incorporated herein by reference.

[0080]While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not of limitation. It will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art that various changes in form and detail can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, while two body members have been described above, the present invention may be embodied in a club head having more than two body members. Additionally, the present invention may be embodied in any type of club in addition to the wood-type clubs shown in the illustrated embodiments. Thus the present invention should not be limited by the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents. Furthermore, while certain advantages of the invention have been described herein, it is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, for example, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein

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United States Patent D577089

Patent title: Golf club head with concave insert

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