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Golf putter with laserGolf putter with laser description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070167248, Golf putter with laser. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001]This is a formal application based on and claiming priority from U.S. provisional patent application No. 60/758,568, filed Jan. 13, 2006. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002]1. Field of the Invention [0003]This invention relates to golf equipment, and more particular to a putter which uses one or more light sources, preferably lasers, to assist in positioning and aiming. [0004]It is well known that poor putting loses many golf games. While many misses can be attributed to natural causes such as wind or terrain configuration, or to striking the putt too softly or too hard, many if not most missed putts are simply as a result of poor aiming. Simple physical analysis shows that an aiming error of just 1 degree at a distance of 3 meters or 10 feet is sufficient for the ball to miss the hole. [0005]Further analysis leads to the conclusion that there are at least two basic errors which contribute to missed putts: poor aiming and incorrect orientation of the putter head in relation to the direction of the putter swing. If the face of the putter is exactly perpendicular to the direction of movement of the putter, then the ball moves in the same direction of movement after it is struck, and any error in the ball direction is equal to the aiming error. The situation is worse when the face of the putter is not perpendicular to the swing direction when the ball is struck. In this case the rule of reflection applies, which means that the angular error of the direction of movement of the ball is twice as large as the putter head orientation error when the ball is struck. Thus an error in angular orientation of the face of the putter when the ball is struck has a larger impact than an aiming error, and furthermore is usually harder to control. Therefore an ideal aiming means would address both factors: the orientation of the face of the putter when the ball is struck, and the movement direction of the putter during the swing and particularly at the point of impact. [0006]2. Description of the Prior Art [0007]Various prior art devices using lasers to address this problem have been proposed. Many are in the form of an attachment to the shaft of an ordinary putter, However, normal putter shafts are not designed to carry any attachment, and therefore they do not possess any features to ensure reliable, precise, repeatable and reproducible alignment of the laser from putter to putter. Furthermore, any shaft-mounted system does not automatically guarantee proper alignment relative to the face of the putter, without careful calibration in every case. [0008]Other devices provide various laser arrangements in the head of the putter, including at least several which have dual laser beams. However, none of the prior art devices provide the combination of desirable features present in the current invention, which accordingly provides a superior solution. [0009]For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,354 (Falossi et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 5,707,296 (Hodgson et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,674 (Falossi et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 5,980,393 (Molinaroli et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 7,066,826 (Tsoi), show twin lasers on either side of a putter head, but do not show any vertical spreading of the laser beams. [0010]U.S. Pat. No. 5,169,150 (Tindale) shows a single laser over the top of the golf ball, but again with no vertical spread. [0011]Of patents known to the inventors, only U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,691 (Cook) appears to contemplate any laser beam other than a normal collimated one. Cook refers to a "rectangular" beam in one embodiment (see FIG. 3 thereof). It is not clear from the specification just what that means, but it appears to be something other than the vertically dispersed beam of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0012]In view of the preceding, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved putter which incorporates one or more light sources, preferably lasers, to assist in positioning, alignment and aiming. Throughout the following description, the word "laser" will be used for convenience and clarity, but it should be understood that other light sources are intended to be included, except where the context clearly indicates otherwise. [0013]Of course, use of any laser putter in competition would be against the current rules of golf. However, as a practice device, the putter is extremely useful in training the golfer to make a smooth, properly aligned putting stroke. [0014]In the invention, one or more lasers are mounted in the putter head, to avoid the above-mentioned problems of those prior art devices which have shaft-mounted lasers. At least one laser is mounted with its beam directed perpendicular to the face of the putter. (All directions stated herein assume that the putter is upright, in a normal playing position, with its face perpendicular to the ground.) [0015]In one embodiment, a single laser is centrally mounted, to project a beam over the top of a ball positioned at the desired impact point on the face of the putter. [0016]In another embodiment, two lasers are mounted to project parallel beams on either side of a ball positioned at the desired impact point on the face of the putter. [0017]In a preferred embodiment, there are three lasers, namely one projecting a beam over the top of the ball, and two projecting parallel beams on either side of the ball. [0018]In yet another embodiment, there is a single laser, but the beam therefrom is divided in conventional fashion to produce two or three separate beams as desired. [0019]In each embodiment, preferably the laser light is dispersed in a vertical plane by a lens, producing a vertical plane of laser light instead of a narrow beam. This results in a clearly visible line (or lines in the case of two or three lasers) extending across the ground or indoor surface. [0020]To reduce the likelihood of accidental triggering of the laser(s), preferably there are two switches in the handle or grip portion of the putter, preferably where the player's two thumbs should be positioned in a conventional grip, with the laser(s) being powered only when both switches are pressed. [0021]Additional details of the invention will be described or will become apparent in the course of the following detailed description and drawings of specific embodiments of the invention, as examples. Continue reading about Golf putter with laser... Full patent description for Golf putter with laser Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Golf putter with laser patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Golf putter with laser or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Method and systems using prediction of outcome for launched objects Next Patent Application: Systems and methods for fitting golf equipment Industry Class: Games using tangible projectile ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Golf putter with laser patent info. 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