Sporting apparatus with monitoring device

• US 9,731,172 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2014
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dunlop Sports Co. Ltd. (Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Dunlop Sports Co. Ltd. (Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Carlyle, Scott, Kline, Michael J., Dolezel, Keith
• Primary Examiner(s): DENNIS, MICHAEL DAVID
• Application Number:
  US14/564,933
• Publication Number:
  US 20160158598A1
• Time in Patent Office: 980 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2069/0008 for batting
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/20 Distances or displacements
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/44 Angular acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/801 Contact switches
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/02 Ballast means for adjusting the centre of mass A63B60/24, A63B60/54 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/46 Measurement devices associated with golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like for measuring physical parameters relating to sporting activity, e.g. baseball bats with impact indicators or bracelets for measuring the golf swing
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/50 with through-holes A63B60/18 takes precedence; for stringing purposes A63B49/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/54 with means for damping vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0015 for cricket
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0017 for badminton
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0024 for hockey
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3632 Clubs or attachments on clubs, e.g. for measuring, aligning A63B69/3614 takes precedence; clubs for swinging exercises in general A63B15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/38 for tennis A63B61/006, A63B69/0073 and A63B69/0097 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0622 Visual, audio or audio-visual systems for entertaining, instructing or motivating the user
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/146 Golf gloves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2218/12 : Classification; Matching
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 : Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/23 : Recognition of whole body movements, e.g. for sport training
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/0038 : Sports
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 : relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 : using two-way short-range wireless interfaces

Abstract

A sporting apparatus includes a monitoring device. The monitoring device may add no weight to the sporting apparatus relative to a comparable sporting apparatus without the monitoring device. The monitoring device may have a center of gravity substantially aligning with the center of gravity of the sporting apparatus, resulting in a sporting apparatus with a monitor having substantially the same center of gravity as a comparable sporting apparatus without a monitor. The sporting apparatus monitor may be configured to trim unreliable post impact swing data and replace it with extrapolated pre-impact swing data and/or more reliable post impact swing data.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising a hollow, a monitoring device positioned in the hollow, the monitoring device having a first monitoring device end and a second monitoring device end, the hollow being elongate and having a first hollow end and a second hollow end, the first hollow end receiving a fastener to secure the first monitoring device end to the golf club head;

the second monitoring device end securing the second monitoring device end to the golf club head upon the fastener securing the first monitoring device end, wherein the second monitoring device end comprises an o-ring comprising a deformable material, wherein the o-ring is retained by a groove in the monitoring device, and wherein the monitoring device is configured to store and transmit data from one or more swings.

2. The golf club head of claim 1 wherein the second monitoring device end is configured to be secured to the golf club head via a friction fit.

3. The golf club head of claim 1 wherein the second monitoring device end comprises a generally frustoconical configuration.

4. The golf club head of claim 1 wherein the second monitoring device end comprises a wedge-shaped portion.

5. The golf club head of claim 4 wherein the wedge-shaped portion is configured to be slideably received within a groove in the hollow.

6. The golf club head of claim 1 wherein the second monitoring device end comprises a flange portion configured to be slideably received within a recess in the hollow.

7. The golf club head of claim 1 wherein the second monitoring device end comprises a recess or protuberance to engage a tool to install the monitoring device in the hollow.

8. The golf club head of claim 1 wherein the o-ring is retained by a groove in the hollow.

9. The golf club head of claim 2 wherein the second monitoring device end comprises a deformable material.

10. The golf club head of claim 1 wherein the golf club head proximate the first hollow end has a first club head contour, and the golf club head proximate the second hollow end has a second club head contour, and the second monitoring device end comprises a second monitoring device end contour that substantially complements the second club head contour when the monitoring device is secured within the golf club head.

11. The sporting apparatus of claim 1 wherein the monitoring device is configured to use the data from the one or more swings to normalize the post impact swing path of the sporting apparatus.

12. The sporting apparatus of claim 1 wherein the monitoring device is configured to use the data from the one or more swings to create a hypothetical post impact swing path of the sporting apparatus.

13. The sporting apparatus of claim 1 wherein the one or more swings are swings without a golf ball impact.

14. The sporting apparatus of claim 1 wherein the one or more swings are swings with a golf ball impact.

15. The golf club head of claim 1 wherein the second monitoring device end comprises a frustum that is semi-conical.

16. The golf club head of claim 1 wherein the second monitoring device end comprises a frustum that is square.

17. The golf club head of claim 1 wherein the second monitoring device end comprises a frustum that is pentagonal.

18. The golf club head of claim 1 wherein the second monitoring device end comprises a key that aligns with a keyed slot in the hollow.

19. The golf club head of claim 1 wherein the second monitoring device end comprises an external threaded section.

20. The golf club head of claim 1 wherein the first monitoring device end comprises an external threaded section.