Kansas Patent of the Month – November 2022

Baseball, tennis, soccer and most other sports have a standardized field which means the player’s can anticipate and build strategies. Golf, on the other hand, has varying courses and terrains. The player’s ability to cope with these varied terrains is crucial to their game strategy. A good golfer must know the distances that they hit with different clubs and varying terrains. 

Rangefinders help out with this need, allowing users to rapidly and accurately measure the distance of the ball or the distance to the next pin. Many versions of this technology attempt to indicate wind information. For instance, an arrow might indicate wind direction. Unfortunately, this can be difficult to work with as the wind impacts both shot distance and shot direction. Bushnell, Inc. has developed a new golf laser rangefinder that is easier to use and understand.

Bushnell is intimately familiar with golf. In fact, they have been an industry leader in high-performance sports optics for more than 65 years, developing solutions to help improve every outdoor pursuit from golf to hunting, birding to stargazing. 

The company’s rangefinder is equipped with a viewfinder, laser actuator, eyepiece, and a display viewable through the eyepiece. The software, and a series of sensors, track the distance, temperature, barometric pressure, and even slope. These individual parameters are all important to a reliable shot and getting feedback. By considering these parameters, golfers can achieve a more precise compensated distance.

Processors intake data and can output helpful information. For instance, the device direction and wind vector can be determined, calculating headwind velocity and crosswind velocity. This dense information is then easily conveyed to the user with user intuitive displays. There’s no more miscommunication or uncertainty in reading what the rangefinder is trying to tell you.

Bushnell’s constant commitment to innovation has allowed the company to grow from developing the first combo laser/GPS device to developing their revolutionary Pro X2 which features Slope-Switch Technology, Dual Display Technology, PinSeeker with JOLT Technology and 2nd Generation E.S.P. (Extreme. Speed. Precision.) to make it the world’s most technologically advanced laser rangefinder. It is this constant dedication to innovation that has made Bushnell Golf the #1 Rangefinder in Golf.

Are you developing new technology for an existing application? Did you know your development work could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? Even if your development isn’t successful your work may still qualify for R&D credits (i.e. you don’t need to have a patent to qualify). To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

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