Golf clubs and golf club heads

• US 9,409,073 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2013
• Issued: 08/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc., Nike USA (Nike, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Boyd, Robert, Stites, John T., Lafortune, Mario A., Hatton, Philip, Wallans, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Laneau, Ronald
• Application Number:
  US13/906,348
• Publication Number:
  US 20130267335A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,166 Days
• Field of Search: 473/213, 473221-225, 473/233, 473/234, 473/151, 473/219, 473/257, 473/405
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/16 Angular positions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/30 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/53 Force of an impact, e.g. blow or punch
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/803 Motion sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/833 Sensors arranged on the exercise apparatus or sports implement
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/15 with identification means that can be read by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/20 with means for remote communication, e.g. internet or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/005 Club sets
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0475 with one or more enclosed cavities
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0487 for putters A63B53/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/10 Non-metallic shafts
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/14 Handles
• 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 69/36 for golf
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/362 electrical or electronic
• 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 69/3685 : Putters or attachments on putters, e.g. for measuring, aligning A63B69/3614 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 : with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/0038 : Sports

Abstract

Golf clubs according to at least some example aspects of this disclosure may include a golf club head and a shaft configured to engage with the golf club head which includes a grip engaged with the shaft. Further, the golf club may include a monitoring device, which includes a sensor and a transmitter. Additionally, the monitoring device may be configured to determine data related to the characteristics of a golf swing. Further, the monitoring device may be configured to transmit the data related to the characteristics of a golf swing to a remote computer.

Claims

1. A system configured to determine aspects related to a golf swing, comprising:

a golf club including;

a golf club head; and

a shaft;

a monitoring device configured to be engaged with the golf club, comprising;

at least a first sensor configured to determine data related to at least one characteristic of a golf swing; and

a first transceiver configured to transmit the data related to the at least one characteristic of a golf swing;

a remote computer configured to receive the data related to the at least one characteristic of the golf swing from the first transceiver, including a second transceiver for receiving the data related to the at least one characteristic of the golf swing from the first transceiver; and

a network configured to receive the data related to the at least one characteristic of a golf swing from the remote computer, including;

a transceiver for receiving the data related to the at least one characteristic of a golf swing from the remote computer;

at least one database for storing one or more tables which correlate data of at least one characteristic of a golf swing with at least one of;

one or more products and one or more strategies or recommendations for improving a golfer'"'"'s swing;

at least one processor configured to compare the received data related to at least one characteristic of a golf swing with the one or more tables, and determine, based on the tables, whether the received data matches data regarding at least one of the one or more products and the one or more strategies or recommendations for improving a golfer'"'"'s swing,

wherein when the processor of the network determines that the received data matches data regarding at least of the one or more products and the one or more strategies or recommendations for improving a golfer'"'"'s swing, the processor transmits the data regarding at least one of the one or more products and the one or more strategies or recommendations for improving a golfer'"'"'s swing to the remote computer.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more strategies or recommendations for improving a golfer'"'"'s swing include one or more instructional videos or drills.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein, upon a user completing a first instructional video or drill, at least one of the remote computer and the processor is configured to register the completion of the first instructional video or drill and to provide one or more additional instructional videos or drills.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the remote computer is configured to determine when the user has completed the first instructional video or drill based on data received from the monitoring device.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the data received from the monitoring device includes at least one of a position or orientation of at least a portion of the golf club.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more strategies or recommendations for improving a golfer'"'"'s swing include a product recommendation.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the product recommendation 1s a recommendation for a particular golf club.

8. The system of claim according to claim 6, wherein the product recommendation is a recommendation for a golf club having a specified characteristic.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the specified characteristic is a shaft stiffness.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the received data includes a swing speed and the one or more tables includes a correlation between the swing speed and the shaft stiffness.

11. A set of golf clubs configured to determine aspects related to a golf swing, comprising:

a first golf club including;

a golf club head;

a shaft; and

a first monitoring device configured to be engaged with the shaft of the first golf club, including at least a first sensor configured to determine data related to at least one characteristic of a golf swing; and

a second golf club including;

a golf club head;

a shaft; and

a second monitoring device configured to be engaged with the shaft of the second golf club, including at least a second sensor configured to determine data related to at least one characteristic of a golf swing,

wherein the first golf club and the second golf club are configured to position their respective first and second sensors, such that the respective first and second sensors are offset by an identical predefined distance from a common reference point on each of the first and second golf clubs.

12. A set of golf clubs according to claim 11, where the common reference point is the center mass of each of the respective first golf club and second golf club.

13. A set of golf clubs according to claim 12, wherein the first golf club includes a first removable section configured to receive and secure the first monitoring device and the second golf club includes a second removable section configured to receive and secure the second monitoring device, wherein the lengths of the first removable section and the second removable section are different.

14. A set of golf clubs according to claim 12, wherein each golf club in the set includes a removable section configured to receive and secure its respective monitoring device and a length of the removable sections of each golf club are different.

15. A set of golf clubs according to claim 12, wherein the first monitoring device and the second monitoring device are configured to use a same first transformation matrix to process the respective data related to at least one characteristic of a golf swing.

16. A set of golf clubs according to claim 15, wherein the first transformation matrix is selected from a plurality of transformation matrices based on the predefined distance.

17. A set of golf clubs according to claim 15, further comprising a third golf club including:

a golf club head;

a shaft; and

a third monitoring device configured to be engaged with the shaft of the third golf club, including at least a third sensor configured to determine data related to at least one characteristic of a golf swing,

wherein the third sensor is offset by a distance, different from the predefined distance, from the common reference point on the third golf club.

18. A set of golf clubs according to claim 17, wherein the third monitoring device is configured to select and use a second transformation matrix to process the data related to the at least one characteristic of a golf swing.

19. A set of golf clubs according to claim 18, wherein the second transformation matrix is selected based on the distance by which the third sensor is offset from the common reference point.

20. A set of golf clubs according to claim 12, wherein the first monitoring device is configured to store a plurality of transformation matrices, each of the transformation matrices configured to process the data related to at least one characteristic of a golf swing.

21. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing instructions that, when executed, by a processor of an apparatus cause the apparatus to:

determine a first distance by which a first sensor of a golf club is offset from a reference point;

select a transformation matrix from a plurality of transformation matrices stored in the apparatus, wherein selecting the transformation matrix is performed based on the determined first distance; and

apply the selected transformation matrix to data received from the first sensor during a golf swing of the golf club; and

wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the apparatus to;

determine a second distance by which a second sensor of the golf club is offset from the reference point, the first distance being different from the second distance;

select another transformation matrix from the plurality of transformation matrices based on the determined second distance; and

apply the selected other transformation matrix to data received from the second sensor.

22. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 21, wherein the selected transformation matrix is specific to the golf club.

23. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 21, wherein the selected transformation matrix is configured to transform the data from the first sensor disposed in the golf club in a first orientation to data from the first sensor in a second orientation.