Changes
===Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.===
The company traces its origins to 1909, when the Sumitomo Group made an investment in Dunlop Japan, the newly formed Japanese subsidiary of the British company Dunlop Rubber. Over the years Sumitomo and Dunlop developed a close business relationship, and in 1963 the Sumitomo Group acquired control of Dunlop Japan and renamed it Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd.<br>
'''SRI Sports Limited''' is the subsidiary of '''Sumitomo''' that specializes in sports equipment, with the main focus being tennis and golf. '''SRI Sports''' owns '''Srixon''', Cleveland Golf, its subsidiary, Never Compromise, as well as rights to the Dunlop name in Japan, Taiwan and Korea.<br>
Srixon produce tennis balls, golf balls, golf clubs, and a full range of golfing accessories. It holds several professional golfers under endorsement deals including Jim Furyk and Henrik Stenson.<br>
Cleveland Golf also make a full range of golf equipment, and have endorsement deals with Vijay Singh and Boo Weekley among others.<br>
Following the acquisition of Cleveland Golf, SRI Sports announced their intention to consolidate its operations, with Cleveland overseeing marketing and distribution across North America, with Srixon doing the same in Europe and Australia, and Dunlop taking over in Asia.<br>
==Golf==
'''Golf''' is a game in which a player, using many types of '''clubs''' including a '''driver''', a '''putter''', and '''irons''', hits a ball into each hole on a golf course in the lowest possible number of strokes. Golf is one of the few ball games that does not use a standardized playing area; rather, the game is played on golf "courses", each one of which has a unique design and typically consists of either 9 or 18 holes. Golf is defined in the Rules of Golf as "playing a ball with a club from the teeing ground into the hole by a stroke or successive strokes in accordance with the Rules."
[[Image:head parts.jpg|1000px|centre|thumb|Parts of Head]]
The head of the golf club has several parts: the '''Hosel''', where the head connects to the shaft; the '''Face''', which actually strikes the ball; the '''Sole''', which is the part closest to the ground; and the '''Back''', which is on the side opposite the face.
==Golf Club Head Taxonomy==
[[Image:Golf Club.jpg|750px|center|thumb|Golf Club Head Taxonomy]]
== Search History ==
=== Concept Table ===
{|border="2" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4" width="100%"
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''S.No'''</font>
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''Concept 1'''</font>
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''Concept 2'''</font>
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''Concept 3'''</font>
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''Concept 4'''</font>
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''Concept 5'''</font>
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''Assignee'''</font>
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''Control Patents'''</font>
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''Patent Class Code'''</font>
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''Defination'''</font>
|-
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''1'''</font>
|Golf
|Clubhead*
|Driver
|Hosel
|Impact
|Sumitomo Rubber
|US7066833B2
|473
|Games using tangible projectile
|-
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''2'''</font>
|Gouf
|Club Adj2 Head*
|Wood
|Face
|Projectil*
|Srixon
|US6932715B2
|340
|Putter
|-
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''3'''</font>
|
|Ball Adj 2 Strik*
|Iron
|Sole
|
|SRI Adj2 Sport*
|US6913546B2
|341
|Toe and heel weighting
|-
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''4'''</font>
|
|Putter Adj2 Head*
|Wedge
|
|
|
|US6875130B2
|305
|Head and shaft connection
|-
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''5'''</font>
|
|Head*
|Putter
|
|
|
|US6875126B2
|304
|One piece head and shaft:
|-
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''6'''</font>
|
|Strik* Adj2 Surface*
|Hybrid
|
|
|
|US6852038B2
|292
|Head, shaft, and handle having particular combined center of gravity:
|-
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''7'''</font>
|
|Crown
|
|
|
|
|US6849003B2
|290
|Particular correlated head characteristic:
|-
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''8'''</font>
|
|
|
|
|
|
|US6776726B2
|A63B*
|
|-
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''9'''</font>
|
|
|
|
|
|
|US6719645B2
|
|
|-
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''10'''</font>
|
|
|
|
|
|
|US6716114B2
|
|
|}
=== Search Strategy ===
{|border="2" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4" width="100%"
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''S.No'''</font>
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''Concepts'''</font>
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''Search String'''</font>
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''Scope'''</font>
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''Hits'''</font>
|-
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''1'''</font>
|Any Classification
|(A63B*) OR (473* OR D21759)
|align = "center"|Micropat - Full Text<br>US - Grant & Application<br>Date - 19981008 till date
|align = "center"|31141
|-
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''2'''</font>
|Keyword Set 1
|((GOlf OR Gouf) AND (Clubhead* OR (Club Adj2 Head*) OR Head* OR Crown*)) OR ((Putter OR Driver OR Wood OR Iron OR Hybrid) Adj2 Head*) OR (Strik* Adj Surface) OR (Strik* Adj Face)
|align = "center"|Same as above
|align = "center"|20287
|-
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''3'''</font>
|Keyword Set 2
|(Hosel OR Face OR Sole) AND ((Golf adj2 Club adj2 Head*) OR (Clubhead* OR (Club Adj2 Head) OR Golfhead OR (Golf Adj2 Head)))
|align = "center"|Same as above
|align = "center"|5297
|-
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''4'''</font>
|Assignee/Applicant
|(Sumitomo Adj2 Rubber) Or (Srixon) Or (SRI Adj2 Sport*)
|align = "center"|Same as above
|align = "center"|1604
|-
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''5'''</font>
|Assignee/Applicant (non-std)
|(Sumitomo Adj2 Rubber) Or (Srixon) Or (SRI Adj2 Sport*)
|align = "center"|Same as above
|align = "center"|1594
|-
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''6'''</font>
|Filter
|(Golf Adj Ball)
|align = "center"|Micropat - English Title<br>US - Grant & Application<br>Date - 19981008 till date
|align = "center"|3644
|-
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''7'''</font>
|Combined
|align = "center"|2 OR 3
|align = "center"|
|align = "center"|20296
|-
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''8'''</font>
|Combined
|align = "center"|7 AND 1
|align = "center"|
|align = "center"|10057
|-
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''9'''</font>
|Combined
|align = "center"|4 OR 5
|align = "center"|
|align = "center"|1604
|-
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''10'''</font>
|Combined
|align = "center"|8 AND 9
|align = "center"|
|align = "center"|551
|-
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''11'''</font>
|Combined- Final Query
|align = "center"|10 NOT 6
|align = "center"|
|align = "center"|218 (187 excluding family patents) - 73% efficiency
|}
==Sample Analysis of Patents==
{|border="2" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4" width="100%"
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''S. No.'''</font>
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''Pat #'''</font>
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''Title '''</font>
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''Abstract'''</font>
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''Publication Year'''</font>
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''Assignee / Applicant'''</font>
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''Patent Focus '''</font>
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''Dolcera Summary'''</font>
|-
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''1'''</font>
|US7066833B2
|Golf club head
|A golf club head comprises a face portion having a front face defining a clubface for hitting a ball and a back face facing a hollow, wherein the clubface is provided along the edge thereof with a frontal groove having a groove width of not less than 0.5 mm, and the back face is provided with a backside groove extending along the frontal groove.
|2006
|Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
|Face with frontal groove
|Golf club head has face portion having club face provided with frontal groove having width of not less than 0.5 mm such that face portion also includes back face provided with backside groove extending along frontal groove.
|-
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''2'''</font>
|US6932715B2
|Golf club head
|A golf club head including a head base body which surface is formed with a coating film, the coating film including a topcoat layer consisting of an acrylic resin coating material containing polyethylene wax of 1.0 to 10.0 parts by weight with respect to acrylic resin solid content of 100 parts by weight. It is possible to improve abrasion resistance while making the best use of excellent impact resistance of the acrylic resin coating material, and thus, to effectively prevent peeling of the coating film. Further, it is possible to enhance the interlayer adhesion of inner layers with the topcoat layer.
|2005
|Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
|Topcoat layer coated head
|Golf club head comprises head base body whose surface is formed with coating film with topcoat layer consisting of acrylic resin coating material.
|-
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''3'''</font>
|US6913546B2
|Wood-type golf club head
|A wood-type golf club head comprises a club face provided with a high-resilience part whose Young<nowiki>’</nowiki>s modulus E is in a range of from 40 to 80 GPa. The head volume is in a range of from 270 to 420 cc. The horizontal inertial moment is in a range of from 3000 to 4500 (g•sq.cm), and the gravity point depth is in a range of from 15 to 25 mm.
|2005
|Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
|Design specification of head
|Wood-type golf club head for hitting golf ball when playing golf, has volume ranging from 270 to 420 cc, horizontal inertial moment ranging from 3000 to 4500 grams square centimeter, and gravity point depth ranging from 15 to 25 cm.
|-
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''4'''</font>
|US6875130B2
|Wood-type golf club head
|A wood-type golf club head which has a head volume of not less than 320 cc, a gravity point distance (C) in a range of from 25 to 35 mm, and a heel area width (A) in a range of from 30 to 52% of a clubhead width (B) .
|2005
|Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
|Projection of head center
|Wood golf-club head, sets center of gravity distance between point, which projects head center of gravity on vertical plane, and shaft axis to 25 to 35 millimeters.
|-
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''5'''</font>
|US6875126B2
|Golf club head
|A golf club head containing a hollow main frame and a face plate; the hollow main frame is composed of a main body and a crown plate welded to the main body, the main body containing a hosel part, a sole part and a side part extending upwards from the periphery of the sole part except for a front edge of the sole part thereby providing an open top and an open front, and the crown plate covers said open top, whereby the main frame has an opening on the front thereof. The face plate is welded to the main frame to cover the front opening of the main frame; the face plate includes a face part defining a clubface, and a flange part extending backward from at least the upper edge of the face part; the main frame further including eaves extending from an upper edge of the opening to the inside of the flange part, wherein the thickness of crown plate is in the range of 0.3 to 1.5 mm.
|2005
|Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
|Crown plated head
|Golf club head has crown plate formed with thickness ranging from 0.3 to 1.5 mm and welded to main body of main frame to cover open top of main body.
|-
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''6'''</font>
|US6852038B2
|Golf club head and method of making the same
|A golf club head comprises a hollow body having a cavity, a plurality of rib-like walls provided on the inner surface of the hollow body so as to extend backward from a position near the face portion, and a sound bar disposed behind the face portion so as to extend along the back face of the face portion. A method of making a golf club head comprises making a wax model of the hollow main body having an opening, wherein in order to prevent deformation of the wax model during making a casting mold, the wax model is provided with a brace which extends across the opening and protruding walls which are disposed on the inner surface of the wax model and extend backwards from the opening.
|2005
|Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
|Club head with sound bar
|Golf club head has at least sound bar which is provided behind face portion of hollow body, on which rib-like walls are provided on inner surface, and extended at small distance from back face of face portion.
|-
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''7'''</font>
|US6849003B2
|Golf club head
|A golf club head made of a fiber reinforced resin, comprising: a face hitting a ball; a crown forming an upper surface of the head; a sole forming a bottom surface of the head; a side extending between the crown and the sole from an edge on a toe side of the face to an edge on a heel side through a back face; and a hosel into which a shaft is inserted, wherein the crown has a thickness of equal to or less than 2.2 mm, and includes at least partially a high elastic part made of a fiber reinforced resin reinforced by at least one kind of fiber having a tensile elasticity modulus between 380 and 900 (GPa), and the hosel is provided with a vibration absorbent having a loss tangent between 0.7 and 1.5 at a temperature of 10° C. in the vicinity thereof.
|2005
|Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
|Fiber reinforced resin club head
|Golf club head made of fiber reinforced resin, has hosel which is provided with vibration absorbent having loss tangent between 0.7 and 1.5 at temperature of 10 degrees Centigrade in vicinity.
|-
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''8'''</font>
|US6776726B2
|Golf club head
|A golf club head comprises a ball striking face provided with a central region having a surface hardness Hc and a peripheral region surrounding the central region and having a surface hardness Hp less than the surface hardness Hc.
|2004
|Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
|Surface hardness of head
|Golf club head has ball striking face provided with central region having surface hardness and peripheral region surrounding central region.
|-
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''9'''</font>
|US6719645B2
|Golf club head
|A golf club head comprises a main body and a face member attached to the main body. The face member comprises a main portion forming a ball striking face and an extended part. The extended part extends 5 to 30 mm backward from at least part of the edge of the ball striking face. The thickness of the extended part is less than the thickness of the main portion.
|2004
|Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
|Design specification of head
|Golf club head with ball striking surface and extension surface about 5-30 millimeters from edge of ball striking surface, such that thickness of extension surface is less than that of main portion.
|-
|align = "center" bgcolor = "#969696"|<font color="#CCFFCC">'''10'''</font>
|US6716114B2
|Wood-type golf club head
|A wood-type golf club head having a head volume of not less than 300 cc comprises a head main body having a club face for striking a golf ball and a hosel defining a shaft center line (CL) corresponding to the center line of a club shaft, wherein the center of gravity (G) of the club head is disposed at a distance (L) of from 26 to 36 mm from said shaft center line (CL), a sweet spot (s) on the club face is disposed at a distance of not more than 3 mm from a club face center (c) of the club face, the club face has a toe-side end (Fe) disposed at a distance (B) of from 13 to 30 mm in the toe-heel direction towards the heel from a toe-side end (Te) of the club head, and a heel end (He) of the club head is disposed at a distance (A) of from 10 to 16 mm from the shaft center line (CL).
|2004
|Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
|Design specification of head
|Wood type golf club head sets required distance from center of gravity of club head to shaft center line of hosel, as well as distance from sweet spot to center of club face.
|}
