IP Library Granted Patent US 12,350,554
Granted Patent B2
US 12,350,554 · App. 17/862,876 · Granted Jul 8, 2025

Golf balls having sighting aid and methods of making same

Inventors: Matthew Hogge (Plymouth, MA); Michael Madson (Easton, MA); Steven Aoyama (Marion, MA); Vincent Simonds (Brimfield, MA); Courtney Engle (Fall River, MA)
Assignee: Acushnet Company
A63B37/0022A63B37/0074A63B2071/0694
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,350,554
App. No.
17/862,876
Granted
Jul 8, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Sighting aids for golf balls that allow a golfer to sight a direction in which to hit or putt a golf ball and a method of producing the same and golf balls having sighting aids that have a certain degree of wrap determined by a sighting equation and surface coverage determine by a surface coverage equation.

Claims (140)

1. A golf ball having a sighting aid comprising a plurality of characters continuously extending at least partially around a perimeter of the golf ball according to Equation 1:

Wrap

=

N

*

W

C

*

1

0

0

(

1

)

wherein N is the number of characters in the plurality, W is the cell width, and C=circumference of the golf ball, and wherein the characters in the plurality comprise alphanumeric characters, punctuation, national characters, special characters, math symbols, emojis, Greek alphabet letters, or combinations thereof.

2. The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein Wrap ranges about 10 percent and 100 percent.

3. The golf ball of claim 2 , wherein Wrap is about 40 percent to about 60 percent.

4. The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the sighting aid has a surface coverage according to Equation 2:

S

C

=

H

S

A

*

N

*

W

A

*

1

0

0

(

2

)

where H SA is the height of the sighting aid, N is the number of characters, W is the cell width, and A is the surface area of the golf ball.

5. The golf ball of claim 4 , wherein SC is about 0.5 percent to about 25 percent.

6. The golf ball of claim 5 , wherein SC is about 1 percent to about 4 percent.

7. The golf ball of claim 1 , further comprising a marking orthogonal to the sighting aid that is representative of the plurality of characters in the sighting aid.

8. A golf ball having a sighting aid comprising a plurality of characters extending at least partially around a perimeter of the golf ball according to Equation 1:

Wrap

=

N

*

W

C

*

1

0

0

(

1

)

wherein N is the number of characters in the plurality, W is the cell width, and C=circumference of the golf ball.

9. The golf ball of claim 8 , wherein Wrap ranges about 10 percent and 100 percent.

10. The golf ball of claim 8 , wherein the sighting aid has a surface coverage according to Equation 2:

S

C

=

H

S

A

*

N

*

W

A

*

1

0

0

(

2

)

where H SA is the height of the sighting aid, N is the number of characters, W is the cell width, and A is the surface area of the golf ball.

11. The golf ball of claim 10 , wherein SC is about 0.5 percent to about 25 percent.

12. The golf ball of claim 8 , wherein the characters in the plurality comprise alphanumeric characters, punctuation, national characters, special characters, math symbols, emojis, Greek alphabet letters, or combinations thereof.

13. The golf ball of claim 8 , comprising an inner subassembly and an outer layer disposed on the inner subassembly, wherein the sighting aid is applied to the outer layer.

14. The golf ball of claim 8 , comprising an inner subassembly and an outer layer disposed on the inner subassembly, wherein the outer layer is clear, and wherein the sighting aid is applied to the inner subassembly.

15. A golf ball comprising:

an inner subassembly;

an outer layer disposed on the inner subassembly; and

a sighting aid applied to one of the inner subassembly or outer layer, wherein the sighting aid comprises a plurality of characters extending at least partially around a perimeter of the golf ball according to Equation 1:

Wrap

=

N

*

W

C

*

1

0

0

(

1

)

wherein N is the number of characters in the plurality, W is the cell width, and C=circumference of the golf ball, and

wherein the sighting aid has a surface coverage according to Equation 2:

S

C

=

H

S

A

*

N

*

W

A

*

1

0

0

(

2

)

where H SA is the height of the sighting aid and A is the surface area of the golf ball.

16. The golf ball of claim 15 , wherein the characters in the plurality comprise alphanumeric characters, punctuation, national characters, special characters, math symbols, emojis, Greek alphabet letters, or combinations thereof.

17. The golf ball of claim 15 , wherein SC is about 0.5 percent to about 25 percent.

18. The golf ball of claim 15 , wherein Wrap ranges about 10 percent and 100 percent.

19. The golf ball of claim 15 , further comprising a marking orthogonal to the sighting aid that is representative of the plurality of characters in the sighting aid.

Assignments (4)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 22, 2025
From: ACUSHNET COMPANY
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 073689/0441 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 22, 2025
From: ACUSHNET COMPANY
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 073689/0528 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 19, 2022
From: HOGGE, MATTHEW; MADSON, MICHAEL; AOYAMA, STEVEN; SIMONDS, VINCENT; ENGLE, COURTNEY
To: ACUSHNET COMPANY
Reel/Frame 061138/0363 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Aug 3, 2022
From: ACUSHNET COMPANY
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 061099/0236 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240017128A1 · Jan 18, 2024
References Cited (15)
US 2504650A · Chessrown · 1950 [cited by examiner]
US 4546975A · Nims · 1985 [cited by examiner]
US 5160536A · Harris et al. · 1992 [cited by applicant]
US 6013330A · Lutz · 2000 [cited by applicant]
US 6099415A · Lutz · 2000 [cited by applicant]
US 6248804B1 · Lutz · 2001 [cited by applicant]
US 6500495B2 · Lutz · 2002 [cited by applicant]
US 6739980B2 · Scott · 2004 [cited by examiner]
US 6935240B2 · Gosetti · 2005 [cited by applicant]
US 8627768B2 · Smith · 2014 [cited by examiner]
US D811498S · Finley et al. · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US D811499S · Simonds et al. · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US D814578S · Finley et al. · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US D815219S · Simonds et al. · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US 20070207874A1 · Klein · 2007 [cited by examiner]