Patent Grant
9155943
Not Applicable
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a golf club head having an adjustable shaft and hosel assembly. More specifically, the present invention relates to a golf club shaft and hosel connection assembly that allows a user to adjust the loft, lie, and face angle of the golf club head, either dependently or independently without requiring the user to remove the shaft from the hosel completely.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known that changing the angle of a golf club shaft with respect to the golf club head will change certain club specifications, including loft angle, lie angle, and face angle. Several types of adjustable golf clubs are currently available on the market. These models allow the user to adjust loft, lie and face angle by adjusting certain golf club components, which themselves rotate the shaft in a cone-shaped path about a reference axis.
Current adjustable golf club models include rotatable component features that are used for angle indexing and for transmitting torque forces between the club body and shaft, and vice-versa. These component features limit the number of shaft angle adjustments, however. The maximum angular range of these designs has been found to be approximately ±2.0° from the reference axis. None of the currently available adjustable golf clubs permit a 0° angle adjustment with respect to the reference axis.
The adjustable golf club models currently on the market have other drawbacks in addition to limited shaft angle adjustability. Because the shaft is fixed to the standard rotating features of these golf clubs, which operate on a fixed cone range of movement, the shaft graphics and grip reminder rotate out of orientation with the club head body when angles are adjusted. This can frustrate golfers who rely on grip reminders or asymmetric grips while using their clubs.
Furthermore, in many cases a user has to remove certain shaft components to make angle adjustments, thus increasing the difficulty of making adjustments as well as increasing the likelihood that the user will lose important pieces of the adjustable golf club head. For example, with current designs, shaft interchangeability is achieved by removing mechanical fastener(s) that attach the shaft component to the club head body. A different shafted component can then be added and the mechanical fastener(s) can be re-used to attach the shaft component to the club head body. Golfers run the risk of losing the mechanical fastener(s) when they make desired adjustments.
The present invention relates to wood golf club heads that have angular adjustable shaft and hosel assemblies. In particular, the present invention relates to an adjustable hosel system having a feedback mechanism that indicates to a user that an adjustment is occurring without hindering the adjustment itself. The present invention also relates to an adjustable hosel system having machine-readable markings that allow a golfer to use an electronic device to interpret loft and lie settings, thus simplifying the adjustment experience.
One aspect of the present invention is an adjustable golf club comprising a shaft sleeve with a shaft-receiving bore and an external surface having a first reference marking, a first tubular adjustment piece comprising an external surface having a first positional marking extending at least part way around the circumference of the first tubular adjustment piece, and non-parallel upper and lower surfaces, the first tubular adjustment piece encircling at least a portion of the shaft sleeve, a second tubular adjustment piece comprising an external surface having a second positional marking extending at least part way around the circumference of the second tubular adjustment piece, and non-parallel upper and lower surfaces, the second tubular adjustment piece encircling at least a portion of the shaft sleeve, and a golf club head comprising a hosel, the hosel comprising a hosel bore and an external surface having a second reference marking, at least part of the hosel bore having a diameter sized to receive at least a part of the shaft sleeve, wherein when at least part of the shaft sleeve is disposed within the hosel bore, rotating at least one of the first and second tubular adjustment pieces around the shaft sleeve changes an angle of the shaft sleeve with respect to the hosel, creating a plurality of different angular settings, wherein the first reference marking and the second reference marking create a readable reference frame, and wherein each angular setting correlates to a unique readable code formed by the first reference marking, first positional marking, second positional marking, and second reference marking when viewed within the reference frame.
In one embodiment, rotating the first tubular adjustment piece around the shaft sleeve may change a first distance between the first reference marking and the first positional marking within the reference frame and a second distance between the first positional marking and the second positional marking within the reference frame, rotating the second tubular adjustment piece around the shaft sleeve may change the second distance and a third distance between the second positional marking and the second reference marking within the reference frame, and each unique readable code may have a different combination of first, second, and third distances. In some embodiments, the readable code may be readable by an electronic device, such as a scanner or a mobile phone with a scanner application, which may be configured to analyze the readable code, associate the readable code with its correlated angular setting, and display the loft and lie angle of the golf club head. In some embodiments, the first positional marking may be a line that extends around the entire circumference of the first tubular adjustment piece, and the second positional marking may also be a line that extends around the entire circumference of the second tubular adjustment piece. In a further embodiment, the adjustable golf club may comprise a fastener to removably fix the shaft sleeve within the hosel, and tightening the fastener may prevent the first and second tubular adjustment pieces from moving around the shaft sleeve.
Another aspect of the present invention is an adjustable golf club comprising a shaft sleeve with a shaft-receiving bore and an external surface having a first reference marking, a tubular adjustment piece comprising an external surface having a positional marking extending completely around the circumference of the tubular adjustment piece, and non-parallel upper and lower surfaces, the tubular adjustment piece encircling at least a portion of the shaft sleeve, and a golf club head comprising a hosel, the hosel comprising a hosel bore and an external surface having a second reference marking, at least part of the hosel bore having a diameter sized to receive at least a part of the shaft sleeve, wherein when at least part of the shaft sleeve is disposed within the hosel bore, rotating the tubular adjustment piece around the shaft sleeve changes an angle of the shaft sleeve with respect to the hosel, creating a plurality of different angular settings, wherein the first reference marking and the second reference marking create a reference frame readable by an electronic device, wherein each angular setting correlates to a unique readable code formed by the first reference marking, the positional marking, and the second positional marking when viewed within the reference frame, and wherein the electronic device is configured to analyze the readable code, associate the readable code with its correlated angular setting, and display the loft and lie angle of the golf club head.
Yet another aspect of the present invention is an adjustable consumer product comprising a first movable part comprising a first line marking, a second movable part comprising a second line marking, and a third non-movable part comprising a third line marking, wherein the first and second movable parts can be moved to adjust a setting of the consumer product, wherein the consumer product has a plurality of different settings, wherein adjustment of the first and second movable parts changes the configuration of the first, second, and third line markings with respect to one another, wherein each configuration of the first, second, and third line markings forms a readable code, and wherein each of the plurality of different settings has a unique readable code.
Another aspect of the present invention is an adjustable golf club comprising a shaft sleeve comprising a shaft-receiving bore, a first tubular adjustment piece comprising non-parallel upper and lower surfaces, the first tubular adjustment piece encircling at least a portion of the shaft sleeve, a second tubular adjustment piece comprising non-parallel upper and lower surfaces, the second tubular adjustment piece encircling at least a portion of the shaft sleeve, a first indexing ring comprising a ring portion and a tang portion, the ring portion encircling at least a portion of the shaft sleeve and the tang portion extending away from the ring portion, and a golf club head comprising a hosel, the hosel comprising a hosel bore, at least part of the hosel bore having a diameter sized to receive at least a part of the shaft sleeve, wherein at least one of the first and second tubular adjustment pieces comprises an interior surface with an indexing feature extending away from the interior surface, wherein the first indexing ring is disposed proximate the tubular adjustment piece comprising the indexing feature such that the tang portion extends towards the indexing feature, wherein when at least part of the shaft sleeve is disposed within the hosel bore, rotating at least one of the first and second tubular adjustment pieces around the shaft sleeve changes the angle of the shaft sleeve with respect to the golf club head, and wherein rotating the tubular adjustment piece comprising the indexing feature causes the tang portion to make contact with the indexing feature and create a sound audible to the human ear as it moves across the indexing feature.
In some embodiments, the first tubular adjustment piece may comprise the indexing feature, and the first indexing ring may be disposed below the first tubular adjustment piece, while in other embodiments, the second tubular adjustment piece may comprise the indexing feature, and the first indexing ring may be disposed below the first tubular adjustment piece. In some embodiments, the indexing feature may comprise a plurality of ridges and valleys, and friction between the tang portion and the ridges creates the audible sound. In other embodiments, the indexing feature may comprise a plurality of teeth and gaps, and friction between the tang portion and the teeth creates the audible sound. In some embodiments, the first indexing ring may be disposed underneath the tubular adjustment piece comprising the indexing feature such that the tang portion extends underneath the indexing feature and retains the tubular adjustment piece on the shaft sleeve. In some embodiments, the first indexing ring may be permanently and non-rotatably affixed to the shaft sleeve, and may be composed of a lightweight material selected from the group consisting of composite, plastic, and aluminum alloy.
In a further embodiment, the adjustable golf club may comprise a second indexing ring having a ring portion and a tang portion. In this embodiment, each tubular adjustment piece may comprise an indexing feature, the first indexing ring may be disposed proximate the first tubular adjustment piece, the second indexing ring may be disposed proximate the second tubular adjustment piece, and rotating each of the first and second tubular adjustment pieces may create a sound audible to the human ear as the tang portion of each of the indexing rings interacts with the indexing feature of the most proximate tubular adjustment piece. Each of the first and second indexing rings may be permanently and non-rotatably affixed to the shaft sleeve, and may further be composed of a lightweight material selected from the group consisting of composite, plastic, and aluminum alloy.
Having briefly described the present invention, the above and further objects, features and advantages thereof will be recognized by those skilled in the pertinent art from the following detailed description of the invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Angular adjustability in a golf club head is achieved through universal movement of the golf club shaft with respect to the golf club head, which almost always requires the shaft to rotate around a reference axis. As shown in
In addition to having non-ideal adjustability features, many of the adjustable golf club heads currently available on the market are difficult to use because they require a user to make minute linear movements with respect to a pivot point to achieve the desired angular change. For example, a 1° change that is made using an adjustability feature located 1 inch from the pivot point requires the user to make a precise, 0.0174 inch linear movement. In contrast with the currently available technology, the present invention includes precise methods for setting and fixing the angular adjustments desired.
The present invention provides golfers with a structure that can be used to easily and quickly modify club specifications such as loft, lie and face angle of their golf club. This invention enables golfers to change these specifications at the practice range or golf course. The tools used to alter the club's specifications are few in number and can be carried in a pocket of the user's golf bag. Furthermore, the technical ability required to modify the club specifications with this invention is minimal and its approach is intuitive and easy to understand.
The present invention is also valuable because a golfer's swing often changes over time, which can require alterations to his clubs. A golfer may improve his game through lessons and may gain greater flexibility and strength through practice and exercise. As such, it is reasonable for a golfer to wish to change his club's face, lie, and/or loft angles to help improve his accuracy, distance, and feel as needed or desired. This applies to all types of golf clubs. In fact, though the Figures show the present invention in connection with a driver-type golf club head, the embodiments of the present invention disclosed herein may be used in connection with other wood-type golf club heads as well as with irons and putters.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in
As shown in
In the preferred embodiment, the shims 40, 50, the hosel 30, and the shaft sleeve 20 (or ferrule 150) each have positional markings 45, 55, 31, 24 as shown in
As shown in
This inventive feature simplifies the adjustment experience for the golfer and saves the golfer the difficulty of interpreting complex loft/lie adjustment charts or manually entering the current club setting information into an electronic device to understand the setting of his or her adjustable golf club. This feature can be applied to any of the embodiments disclosed or incorporated by reference herein, as well as other consumer adjustable products such as binder settings on skis and snowboards, and other adjustable sporting goods.
The positional markings 45, 55, 31, 24 may, in alternative embodiments, be QR codes or other types of electronically readable markings. In some further embodiments, electronically readable markings, particularly QR codes, can correlate to other features of the club head and its parts, such as the materials used in the shims 40, 50 or weight inserts (not shown), so the user can quickly determine weighting and other mass property features of the golf club head 100.
The shims 40, 50 of the preferred embodiment of the present invention also include feedback features that audibly indicate to a user that the club head loft and/or lie is being adjusted without interfering with the adjustment. As shown in
In yet another embodiment, shown in
The indexing ring 170 and indexing features 53 of the present invention may be applied to any of the shim embodiments 40, 50 disclosed or incorporated by reference herein. For example, the indexing ring 170 may be included with a shaft sleeve 20 used in connection with convex and concave shims 40, 50, which are described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/544,037, that also have indexing features 53 as shown in
When the universal joint connection 25, fitting member 70, and hosel 30 are fully assembled with upper and lower shims 40, 50 described herein and shown in
Once the pieces of this embodiment are assembled, the shims 40, 50, shaft sleeve 20, fitting member 70, and hosel 30 of the golf club head 100 are held together by the fastener 60. The fastener 60, which in the preferred embodiment is a bolt or screw, is inserted through an opening 125 in the sole 120 of the golf club head 100 and engages the universal joint connection 25 of the shaft sleeve 20, which includes a hollow, threaded bore 22 sized to receive the fastener 60. In an alternative embodiment, the fastener 60 comprises one or more snap rings, which may or may not be permanently attached to the hosel assembly 10. In the preferred embodiment, the fastener 60 provides the preload force necessary to hold the other components of the embodiment together during use. The component sizes of these connections, and others described herein, are what limit the maximum angular adjustment. Removal of the shaft is not necessary for angular adjustment in this or in other embodiments described herein—instead, the fastener 60 needs only to be loosened from the shaft sleeve 20 so that the component parts can be rotated with respect to each other. As shown in
As shown in
The disclosure of each of U.S. application Ser. Nos. 13/311,319, 13/326,156, 13/332,846, 13/367,045, 13/368,569, 13/408,018, 13/436,412, 13/439,664, and 13/544,037 is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety herein, and the inventions disclosed herein may be applied to any of the embodiments disclosed in those applications. The embodiments disclosed herein may be made of any number of materials, including those material compositions disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,244,976, 6,332,847, 6,386,990, 6,406,378, 6,440,008, 6,471,604, 6,491,592, 6,527,650, 6,565,452, 6,575,845, 6,478,692, 6,582,323, 6,508,978, 6,592,466, 6,602,149, 6,607,452, 6,612,398, 6,663,504, 6,669,578, 6,739,982, 6,758,763, 6,860,824, 6,994,637, 7,025,692, 7,070,517, 7,112,148, 7,118,493, 7,121,957, 7,125,344, 7,128,661, 7,163,470, 7,226,366, 7,252,600, 7,258,631, 7,314,418, 7,320,646, 7,387,577, 7,396,296, 7,402,112, 7,407,448, 7,413,520, 7,431,667, 7,438,647, 7,455,598, 7,476,161, 7,491,134, 7,497,787, 7,549,935, 7,578,751, 7,717,807, 7,749,096, and 7,749,097, the disclosure of each of which is hereby incorporated in its entirety herein.
Furthermore, the shims 40, 50, the indexing ring 170, and the fitting member 70 may be composed of lightweight materials, such as plastic, composite, aluminum, titanium alloy, and/or other such materials. The shims 40, 50 and indexing ring 170 may each be made of a different material to allow for adjustments to overall club weight and center of gravity, or they may each be made of the same material. For example, the upper shim 40 can be made of a composite material and the lower shim 50 may be made of a titanium alloy. If a golfer wishes to add weight to the golf club, he can replace one of the shims 40, 50 with a shim 40, 50 made of tungsten or a metal having a greater density.
From the foregoing it is believed that those skilled in the pertinent art will recognize the meritorious advancement of this invention and will readily understand that while the present invention has been described in association with a preferred embodiment thereof, and other embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings, numerous changes, modifications and substitutions of equivalents may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention which is intended to be unlimited by the foregoing except as may appear in the following appended claims. Therefore, the embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined in the following appended claims.
The present application is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/660,882, filed on Oct. 25, 2012, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/544,037, filed on Jul. 9, 2012, and issued on May 20, 2014, as U.S. Pat. No. 8,727,906, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/408,018, filed on Feb. 29, 2012, and issued on May 6, 2014, as U.S. Pat. No. 8,715,103, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/332,846, filed on Dec. 21, 2011, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/326,156, filed on Dec. 14, 2011, and issued on May 6, 2014, as U.S. Pat. No. 8,715,102, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/311,319, filed on Dec. 5, 2011, and issued on Apr. 1, 2014, as U.S. Pat. No. 8,684,859, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/451,523, filed on Mar. 10, 2011, and to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/452,521, filed on Mar. 14, 2011, to each of which the present application also claims priority, and the disclosure of each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.
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| 20140315654 A1 | Oct 2014 | US |
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