Many of the patents major OEMs apply for with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office take several months to a year to get published, or made public. In other words, companies begin working on a technology and apply for a patent (if it’s something unique enough that the parties in question believe they alone should profit from for the term of a patent) well before we, the general public, are able to hear about it.

Still, it’s interesting to examine the technologies that some of the highest-paid equipment wonks in the world are working on, even if these specific models never make it market.

Let’s take a look at major OEMs’ published patents from the month of January, starting with what they’ve been working on at Nike’s Oven.

Nike

On January 14th of last year, Nike filed a patent application for a drag-reducing driver head design, which features a series of airfoil surface sections. The design is supposed to improve the club’s aerodynamic performance, and the structures appear intended to reduce drag in the last third of the swing in particular. As the company states, it believes existing “drag-reducing” designs focus too much on the moment of impact, rather than the entirety of the swing in general, and moments of greatest acceleration, in particular.

Further, Nike seems to be paying particular attention to hosel design. As the filing states:

Reducing the drag of the club head not only at the point of impact, but also during the course of the entire downswing prior to the point of impact, would result in improved club head speed and increased distance of travel of the golf ball. When analyzing the swing of golfers, it has been noted that the heel/hosel region of the club head leads the swing during a significant portion of the downswing and that the ball striking face only leads the swing at (or immediately before) the point of impact with the golf ball.

Obviously, the square shape is notable, as well, and is reminiscent of the SasQuatch.

See the full patent filing here.

On April 22, Nike also filed for a patent related to a multi-piece driver head, as well as the method for making said club head. Although the SQ didn’t utilize the same multi-piece construction that Nike references in the patent filing, the design appears very similar to that club, well beyond just the square shape.

As you can see in the two illustrations, the driver is made of several component parts, including the face, and there appears to be additional technology in the sweet spot of the club.

See the full patent filing here.

Customization has been the dominant refrain in the world of golf club technology in the past decade. It’s not surprising then, that a major OEM is looking into technology that allows golfers to adjust the sound of their equipment. In one sense, the ability to adjust the sound of a driver is a new gimmick and a potential industry trend. However, it could be much more. Imagine you’re demoing a driver and love everything but the sound. Imagine, too, you could easily adjust the head to make the sound at impact something you enjoyed. From the company’s standpoint, your ability to do so could make or break a sale.

Nike’s patent, filed on September 3rd, includes technology by which “A user may change the vibrational characteristics associated with the club head when a golf ball is struck, thereby changing the sound emanating from the club head when a golf ball is struck.” The specific means for this adjustment appears to be two screws, indicated in 1520A/1520B in the sketch, and additional technology to occupy the hollow shaft area indicated in 1530A/1530B—possibly a screw of some sort.

See the full patent filing here.

Callaway

Callaway—recent challengers to TaylorMade’s dominance of all advertising mediums—was recently granted a patent for the golf club head design pictured below. The Carlsbad-based company applied for the club head-related patent on September 24th, and it seems acoustics are a primary concern for this clubmaker as well.

Callaway’s driver features a “a sound modifying sole and crown design,” as well as “club head with face component composed of a metal material for a more efficient transfer of energy to a golf ball at impact, a non-metallic aft-body to control the mass distribution, and a connection between the sole and crown at a location other than the periphery of the club head for altering the frequency, amplitude, and duration of the sound of the golf club head striking a golf ball, as well as improving the rigidity of the head.” In other words, substances joined to optimize distance and produce (for lack of a better term) a good sound.

See the full patent filing here.

Titleist

Tileist is pursuing removable weight technology in the form a cap and a slug. Further, “the slug includes an anti-rotation feature that prevents relative rotation between the slug and the receptacle and a lead-in portion.” The design seems to be for a pretty straightforward removable weight positioned in the center of the sole of the club, as well as a mechanism to hold the weight in place.

See the full patent filing here.

Cobra

This design from Cobra was one of the more interesting concepts from the January batch of major OEM patents. The company is pursuing a patent for a “golf club head with a top line insert.” What’s interesting about this patent application: It appears to be for an iron. In addition to a traditional cavity in the back of the club, and in contrast to a cavity in the sole of the club, which companies including TaylorMade have implemented recently, Cobra’s design features a filled cavity in the top line of the club.

So, what does this insert do? According to the filing:

The insert has a density that is less than the density of the club head body, and the insert preferably is a light-weight insert. The insert may include one or more damping materials. The recess removes material from the club head, which in turn may do one or more of the following: increase the overall size of the club head, expand the size of the club head sweet spot, lower the club head center of gravity, and/or produce a greater club head moment of inertia.

See the full patent filing here.

Ping

Phoenix, Arizona-based Ping was granted a patent for “golf club heads with ribs and related methods.” The company applied for the patent on September 4th.

As the filing indicates, “Ribs have commonly been employed in the crowns of club heads to enable the crowns to be as lightweight as possible while still providing sufficient stiffness in the fore and aft direction.”  However, the company also believes “The prior art fails to recognize that a club head having a crown with parallel ribs that uniformly reinforce the face of the club head is not an efficient structure since the club head face is not uniformly loaded but is subjected to essentially a point impact near its center.” Thus, Ping has developed the superior ribbed club head below.

See the full patent filing here.

If you liked this segment, let us know, as we’re considering making it a regular feature. All patent information was obtained through FreshPatents.com.