Mallet-style putter head with alignment aid

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12427384-B2
Application number	US-202318180767-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 8, 2023
Priority date	Mar 8, 2022
Publication date	Sep 30, 2025
Grant date	Sep 30, 2025

Abstract

Embodiments of mallet-style putter-type golf club heads comprising a first color and an alignment system to draw a golfer's eye towards a particular desirable location are described herein. The alignment system includes a central line extending rearward from a top edge centerpoint toward the rear portion and comprising a second color different from the first color. The alignment system further includes a focus element having a first grouping of lines and a second grouping of lines each extending rearward parallel to the central line and comprising a base abutting a top edge. Each of the first grouping of lines and the second grouping of lines further comprise at least the second color, a color saturation that changes as the lines extend rearward from the top edge, and line lengths that decrease as the first grouping of lines and the second grouping of lines are distributed further from the central line. The alignment system's changes in color, color saturation, and line length provide means to draw the human eye into focus at a particular desirable location to minimize mis-strokes that would cause undesirable variance from the desired trajectory or roll path.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A mallet-style putter-type golf club head, comprising:
a front portion having a strike face, a rear portion opposite the front portion, a crown comprising a first color, a sole opposite the crown, a toe portion, a heel portion opposite the toe portion, a top edge defined between the front portion and the crown and having a top edge centerpoint, and a leading edge defined between the front portion and the sole;
wherein an x-axis is defined through the top edge centerpoint parallel to a ground plane in a heel-to-toe direction;
wherein the sole is oriented approximately parallel to the ground plane when the mallet-style putter-type golf club head is in an address position;
wherein a y-axis is defined through the top edge centerpoint perpendicular to the x-axis in a sole-to-crown direction;
wherein a z-axis is defined through the top edge centerpoint perpendicular to both the x-axis and the y-axis in a front-to-rear direction;
wherein a yz-plane is defined by the y-axis and the z-axis;
wherein the top edge centerpoint is defined by an intersection of the top edge and the yz-plane;
wherein a putter head length is defined as the maximum distance between the strike face and a rear portion rearmost edge measured parallel to the z-axis;
wherein a putter head width is defined as the maximum distance between a toe portion most toeward edge and a heel portion most heelward edge measured parallel to the x-axis;
wherein a putter head height is defined as the maximum distance between a crown apex and the sole measured perpendicular to the y-axis when the mallet-style putter-type golf club head is in the address position;
wherein the mallet-style putter-type golf club head further comprises an alignment system comprising:
a central line;
wherein the central line extends rearward from the top edge toward the rear portion from the top edge centerpoint perpendicular to the strike face and parallel to the z-axis;
wherein the central line comprises a second color different from the first color; and

a focus element;
wherein the focus element comprises a first grouping of lines and a second grouping of lines surrounding the first grouping of lines;
wherein the first grouping of lines and the second grouping of lines extend rearward parallel to the central line, each having a base abutting the top edge;
wherein the first grouping of lines comprise the second color;
wherein the second grouping of lines comprise a third color different from the first color and the second color;
wherein the first grouping of lines and the second grouping of lines comprise a color saturation that changes as the first grouping of lines and the second grouping of lines extend rearward from the top edge parallel to the central line;
wherein the first grouping of lines comprise first line lengths and the second grouping of lines comprise second line lengths;
wherein the first line lengths and the second line lengths extend parallel to the z-axis;
wherein the first line lengths and the second line lengths decrease as they are distributed further from the central line;
wherein the color saturation is defined as an intensity of a color, wherein a completely saturated area appears purely a given color and a low saturation area fades from the given color into a surrounding color;
wherein at least one line of the first grouping of lines comprises a completely saturated second color area adjacent to the top edge that gradually transitions to a low saturation second color area as the line extends away from the top edge in a direction parallel to the z-axis;
wherein at least one line of the second grouping of lines comprises a completely saturated third color area adjacent to the low saturation second color area that gradually transitions to a low saturation third color area as the line extends away from the low saturation second color area in a direction parallel to the z-axis.

2. The mallet-style putter-type golf club head of claim 1 ,
wherein each line of the first grouping of lines comprises the completely saturated second color area adjacent to the top edge that gradually transitions to the low saturation second color area as the line extends away from the top edge in the direction parallel to the z-axis;
wherein the second color fades into the third color in the low saturation second color area;
wherein each line of the second grouping of lines comprises the completely saturated third color area adjacent to the low saturation second color area that gradually transitions to the low saturation third color area as the line extends away from the low saturation second color area in the direction parallel to the z-axis;
wherein the third color fades into the first color in the low saturation third color area.

3. The mallet-style putter-type golf club head of claim 1 ,
wherein the central line comprises a central line width;
wherein the central line width is in a range of 0.05 inch to 0.25 inch.

4. The mallet-style putter-type golf club head of claim 1 ,
wherein the alignment system has an alignment system width measured in a toe portion to heel portion direction;
wherein the alignment system width is in a range of 0.5 inch to 2.0 inches;
wherein the central line and the focus element are entirely within the alignment system width.

5. The mallet-style putter-type golf club head of claim 1 ,
wherein the first grouping of lines and the second grouping of lines are symmetric in a toe portion to heel portion direction about the central line.

6. The mallet-style putter-type golf club head of claim 1 ,
wherein the focus element is approximately triangular in shape.

7. The mallet-style putter-type golf club head of claim 1 ,
wherein at least a portion of the central line further comprises color breaks such that the second color is not visible, and the first color is visible in the color breaks;
wherein the at least a portion of the central line has a dashed-line appearance.

8. The mallet-style putter-type golf club head of claim 1 ,
wherein the focus element further comprises a second focus element comprising a center dot;
wherein the center dot comprises a fourth color;
wherein the center dot is placed over the central line directly adjacent to the top edge centerpoint such that the second color is not visible in the center dot;
wherein the center dot comprises a center dot length measured parallel to the z-axis and a center dot width measured parallel to the x-axis;
wherein the center dot length is in a range of 0.1 inch to 0.25 inch and the center dot width is in a range of 0.05 inch to 0.25 inch.

9. The mallet-style putter-type golf club head of claim 1 ,
wherein the first grouping of lines and the second grouping of lines comprise an apex line co-located on the central line.

10. A mallet-style putter-type golf club head, comprising:
a front portion having a strike face, a rear portion opposite the front portion; a crown comprising a first color, a sole opposite the crown, a toe portion, a heel portion opposite the toe portion, a top edge defined between the front portion and the crown and having a top edge centerpoint and a leading edge defined between the front portion and the sole;
wherein an x-axis is defined through the top edge centerpoint parallel to a ground plane in a heel-to-toe direction;
wherein the sole is oriented approximately parallel to the ground plane when the mallet-style putter-type golf club head is in an address position;
wherein a y-axis is defined through the top edge centerpoint perpendicular to the x-axis in a sole-to-crown direction;
wherein a z-axis is defined through the top edge centerpoint perpendicular to both the x-axis and the y-axis in a

Assignees

• Karsten Mfg Corp

Inventors

• Spackman Clayson C
• Higdon David A
• Wood Paul D
• Brown Jemma

Classifications

• A63B53/007 Primary

  Putters · CPC title

• A63B53/0441

  with visual indicators for aligning the golf club · CPC title

• A63B53/0408

  characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness · CPC title

• A63B53/0487 Primary

  for putters (A63B53/065 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A63B2071/0694

  Visual indication, e.g. Indicia · CPC title