Patent Law

All Golfers Are Familiar With The ?Best Ball? Format, But What About The Patent Pending ?Worst Ball? Format?

Posted on February 28, 2009

Great IP Video Library Dedicated to all of You that Just Can?t Learn Enough about Intellectual Property

Posted on February 27, 2009

Callaway Has Balls with Deep Apertures!

Posted on February 27, 2009

Finally, Logos Within the Dimples of a Golf Ball!

Posted on February 26, 2009
Callaway had an interesting golf ball patent application publish today as US Pub. No. 20090054177 titled ?Dimples Composed of Letters or Symbols Inset into Cover,? which describes the invention as:The present invention relates to dimples and dimple patterns for golf  balls (20), preferably dimple patterns composed of letters, symbols, logos and combinations thereof, inset into the cover of the golf ball (20)...

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A Patent on a Method for Correcting a Golf Swing Using the Internet

Posted on February 25, 2009
                       Really, a patent issued today directed to a method of correcting your golf swing over the internet. I know, hard to believe...

Hippo Golf on the Receiving End of Another Trademark Infringement Lawsuit, This Time Over Alleged Imitation ?Mitsubishi Rayon? Golf Shafts

Posted on February 21, 2009
You may recall my prior posts (here and here) regarding a trademark dispute between John Daly and Hippo Holdings and Hippo Golf. Well, Hippo Golf is on the receiving end of another trademark infringement lawsuit; this time from MRC Golf Inc., aka Mitsubishi Rayon Company Golf...

Is Golden Tee at Risk? A Golf Game That Can Serve Double Duty and Help You Pick the Ideal Clubs for You

Posted on February 18, 2009
Recently a patent application published that combines the best of a virtual reality golf game and the technical data of a launch monitor. The patent application published as US Pub. No. 20090036237 titled ?Golf Gaming Systems and Methods? and explains:[0005] The game of golf is enjoyed world-wide by both men and women from a variety of diverse cultures...

If You Can Putt With This Putting Practice Device Then You Should Be On Tour

Posted on February 16, 2009
Ever practiced putting with an egg? Check out design patent USPN D586419 titled ?Golf Putting Practice Device,? which issued last week. Interesting concept!Dave Dawsey  - Keeping an Eye on Golf Tee PatentsPS ? check out more putting related posts here 

How Can You Go Wrong With An Elephant Hazard On A Golf Course

Posted on February 11, 2009
This week a patent issued with the title ?Golf Ball Passing Elephant Miniature Golf Course Hazard,? so I had to check it out. The patent issued as USPN 7488260 and describes the invention as:A miniature golf course device that is in the shape of an elephant...

Is It The Next ZeroFriction Tee?

Posted on February 10, 2009
Today an interesting golf tee design patent issued to Excel Golf Products, owners of the ZeroFriction line of tees, and Tocare line of grips. Check out this design: Looks like it would require delicate placement of the ball!The golf tee patent that issued today is USPN D586411 titled ?Golf Tee...

Hot Product or Flop Product? The Golf Bag with a Built-In Pull Cart

Posted on February 06, 2009
An interesting patent application published with week covering a golf bag invention. Would you buy a golf bag that has a pull cart built into it? Check it out. The patent application published as US Pub. No. 20090033050 titled ?Integrated Golf Bag and Cart? and describes the invention as:An integrated golf bag and cart mainly combines the golf bag, internal container and cart into an integral body, which comprises an internal container, a bag body, a pull rod assembly and a wheel assembly, wherein, said internal container is disposed inside of the bag body for accommodating various golf clubs; the pull rod assembly and the wheel assembly are connected to the internal container and can be contained inside or protrudes outside of the bag body respectively; Besides, the internal container can also be used in association with the pull rod assembly and the wheel assembly to achieve the quick and convenient effect in carrying transportation or packing storage of golf clubs...

The IP Golf Guy Discusses ?Trade Secret Issues Common in Small Businesses? on the Small Business Advocate® Radio Program

Posted on February 06, 2009
I was honored to be a guest on the nationally syndicated Small Business Advocate® radio show this morning. Jim Blasingame and I discussed trade secrets and how they relate to small businesses. I have been a fan of Jim?s show for close to 10 years and highly recommend it...

A Triple Threat; Head Cover, Swing Training Device, and Wind Sock!

Posted on February 03, 2009
The idea of incorporating some type of drag chute into a training aide seems to be a pretty popular idea; just check out THIS previous post. Recently a patent issued on a more discreet variation; you know one that doesn?t scream ?hey look at me and my fancy training aide!? In fact, USPN 7479068 titled ?Golf Swing Training Device? nicely incorporates the ?drag chute? concept into a head cover...

This Club May Be A Tough Sell, Even for Callaway (but I would give it a try... for sure)

Posted on January 30, 2009
While reviewing the golf club patents that issued this week I came across a Callaway patent titled ?Golf Club Head with Alignment Line.? I immediately assumed it was yet another putter alignment system patent. Since putter alignment systems are generally pretty innovative I immediately clicked on it to learn more...

Looking to Get a Little Extra Distance Out of Your Drives? Perhaps You Need an ?Assistive Energy Type Golf Club?

Posted on January 29, 2009
An interesting patent application published today under the title of ?Method and Apparatus for an Assistive Energy Type Golf Club? (US Pub. No. 20090029793). The application explains that getting extra distance is simply a matter of timing; or more precisely the timing of an explosive charge, the release of a compressed spring or compressed gas, or other ?assistive energy? means...

A Bridgestone Golf Ball Fitting Patent Application Publishes! Should Contain All Sorts of Cool Ball Fitting Information, Right?

Posted on January 27, 2009
Wrong! I wanted to read about all the cool stuff going on behind the computer screen. You know, relationships among launch angles, spin rates, ball speed, swing speed, ball hardness, influences of multi-piece ball construction, etc. Nope, none of that interesting information in this patent application; it is more like a softball marketing piece...

How is Your Knowledge of Triboluminescent Materials? Probably Not Good, but Would You Buy a Reversible Color-Changing Golf Ball? Taylor Made Hopes So

Posted on January 24, 2009
If you are like me, and 99.99% of golfers, then you have no idea what triboluminescence is. Fortunately, a recently published Taylor Made golf ball patent application explains:[0054] Triboluminescence is an optical phenomenon in which light is generated or emitted by a material when that material is subjected to a force, stress or strain...

Want to Read Greens Like Camilo Villegas but Don?t Have the Back for It, or Is the Belly Getting in the Way?

Posted on January 22, 2009
Having trouble reading the greens? If so, an invention disclosed in a recently published patent application may be just what you need. The application published as US Pub. No. 20090017943 titled ?Golf Green Reader? and included these drawings: The application describes the invention as:A Golf Green Reader is disclosed...

Proof That No Business Can Ignore Patents; Greg Norman Interactive Named in Patent Infringement Lawsuit Regarding a ?Size Adjustable Hat!?

Posted on January 20, 2009
Watch out, if you wear a Greg Norman straw hat style GNS8AC20; you may be a patent infringer! Last week the Bollman Hat Company filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Greg Norman Interactive, LLC regarding the sale of the Greg Norman straw hat. You may read the Complaint HERE...

Bridgestone Wants Some Information Redacted from the ProV1 Litigation Court Order, But Why?

Posted on January 18, 2009
Back in November the District Court issued several rulings regarding the ProV1 litigation (click HERE to refresh your memory). Well since then Acushnet has appealed several rulings to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC), and as you know the CAFC let the injunction stand...

Golf Balls With Grooves; Truth or Fiction?

Posted on January 15, 2009
Truth! Just consider the disclosure in an Acushnet patent application that published today. The patent application published as US Pub. No. 20090017941 titled ?Golf Ball Surface Patterns Comprising Multiple Channels? and contained the following drawings...

Really, Is a Heated Club Head Cover Necessary?

Posted on January 14, 2009
I don?t know if a heated head cover is really "necessary," but some inventor must think that there is a market for heated head covers because they have filed a patent application directed to one such device. The patent application published as US Pub...

GolfTech Wins & the Dancin? Dogg Loses

Posted on January 13, 2009
A little over one year ago I wrote about a patent infringement lawsuit that GolfTech filed against Edens Technologies LLC regarding their Dancin?Dogg personal golf simulator. The plaintiff is not the golfTEC teaching franchise, but rather the owner of USPN 6821211 titled ?Sport Swing Analysis System? and licensor of the technology for the P3ProSwing golf simulator and swing analyzer...

Talk About Alternative Energy! Why Not Generate Electrical Power From The Impact Of A Golf Club And Golf Ball?

Posted on January 10, 2009
Generally it is easy to dismiss golf ball locating systems as impractical or technically impossible. Recently I was about to dismiss yet another such patent application simply from the abstract and title, but upon scratching the surface I realized that there was an awful lot of technical disclosure in the application...

Grooves of the Future?

Posted on January 08, 2009
Grooves, grooves, grooves?. they have definitely been a hot topic for the past year at the USGA, which by default means they have been a topic for the club makers! Therefore, it should be no surprise that we are starting to see some interesting groove related inventions...

How Is Your Knowledge of Electromagnetic Field Theory, Soddy Circles, and Circle Packing Theory? Fortunately Acushnet?s Golf Ball Engineers Know a Little About These Subjects

Posted on January 07, 2009
An interesting golf ball patent issued yesterday to Acushnet. The patent is USPN 7473194 titled ?Dimpled Golf Ball and Dimple Distributing Method? and describes the invention as:A golf ball having a plurality of dimples on its surface, the dimples as a whole are distributed on at least a portion of the golf ball based on Soddy circles...

Can You Identify These New Irons?

Posted on January 06, 2009
How familiar are you with the new lines of ?players? irons? Do these look familiar? You can click here for the answer, and click here to check out USPN D584370 titled ?Iron Golf Club Head,? which issued today. Nice looking sticks, but my game is not good enough for them...

Is Foam the Future of PING? Probably Not, But Check Out This Interesting Karsten Manufacturing Patent Application!

Posted on January 02, 2009
In the past I have posted about some pretty unusual Callaway designs (here) as well as some rather unique Taylor Made designs (here). This week Karsten Manufacturing (aka PING) steps up to the plate with a surprising design.Last Thursday a patent application published as US Pub...

Is It A New Nike Putter? (Update - Apparently Not)

Posted on December 29, 2008
**UPDATE 12/29 - I have received several emails from putter fanatics to inform me that this putter is actually an old Nike OZ Mallet, not a new product. Thank you to all those that emailed me!**I will be the first to admit that it is hard to keep up with all the different putter models that are launched every year...

More Entertaining Golf Patent Drawings

Posted on December 28, 2008
How many oddities can you spot in this drawing from a patent directed to a golf club for shots within sixty yards of the green? The drawing comes from USPN 6605006 titled ?Golf Club? which describes the invention as:A golf club for effecting shots within sixty yards of play to the "green"...

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