Wilson Sporting Goods Co.

Donald G Loeffler

William D Severa

Ronald R Rocchi

Tong Jin Kim

Po-Jen Cheng

Paul Terry

Ravi Itiravivong

Gerald J LeVault

Willie H McMillan

Antoine Ballon

Robert T Thurman

Cory R Boudreau

Ty B Goodwin

Sean S Epling

Jon C Pergande

John D Hartman

Richard P Hulock

James M Earley

Joey Gyomay Nakayama

Sean P Griffin

Jeremy H Yim

A golf club includes a face coupled to a body. A composite axis extends from a heel to a toe of the club and parallel to ground. The face is formed of a fiber composite material including at least first and second sets of ply arrangements. Each of the ply arrangements includes a pair of plies having first and second pluralities of fibers defining first and second angles with respect to the composite axis, respectively. The face has a ball contact surface, an rear surface, and a mid-zone positioned equidistant between the contact and rear surfaces. A majority of the first and second pluralities of fibers of the ply arrangements between the mid-zone and the contact surface are formed of glass fibers, and a majority of the first and second pluralities of ply arrangements between the mid-zone and the rear surface are formed of carbon fibers.

Golf club head having a composite face

A sports racquet including a frame, at least one grommet assembly. The frame includes a head portion coupled to a handle portion. The head portion includes a hoop having inner and outer peripheral walls. At least a first set of concave recesses and channels are formed into the outer peripheral wall. The hoop includes first, second and third groups of string openings. The second and third groups of string openings are aligned with the first set of concave recesses. The second group of string openings extends through the outer peripheral wall at the first set of concave recesses. The grommet assembly engages the outer peripheral wall. The grommet assembly includes at least three pivotable elements interconnected by torque transmitting arms, each pivotable element including a string passage. The pivotable elements and the torque transmitting arms are pivotable about an axis parallel to a string bed plane.

Racquet having articulating grommet assemblies

Sports racquet

Racquet

Central portion of a sports racquet

Hoop portions of a sports racquet

A game racquet includes head portion and a handle portion. The head and handle portions include one or both of a fiber-reinforced thermoset material and a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic material. The handle portion is coupled to the head portion by shock and/or vibration absorbing material.

Game racquet with separate head and handle portions for reducing vibration

Central side portions of a sports racquet

Throat portion of a sports racquet

A sports racquet including a frame, a string bed, and at least one cantilevered member. The frame includes a head portion coupled to a handle portion. The head portion includes a distal region, first and second side regions, and a proximal region. A string bed is formed of a plurality of cross string segments and a plurality of main string segments. The cantilevered member has a first section coupled to one of the regions, such that at least one point on the first section remains substantially fixed in relation to the region to which the first section is coupled, and a second section that is deflectable relative to the region to which the first section is coupled. At least one of the string segments is operably engaged with the member, such that when a ball impacts the string segment, the second section deflects inward toward the string bed.

Racquet having cantilevered hoop portions

A game racquet includes separate head and handle portions which are separated by shock and/or vibration absorbing material. Both the head portion and the handle portion are bonded to the absorbing material and are thereby connected to each other.

Growing community of inventors

Gilberts, IL, United States of America

Donald G Loeffler