Patent Grant
8715104
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.
The present invention relates to wood golf club heads that have angular adjustable shaft and hosel assemblies. One aspect of the present invention is an adjustable golf club head comprising a body comprising a face, a sole, and a crown, a shaft sleeve having a shaft sleeve axis and a shaft-receiving bore, a first tubular adjustment piece having non-parallel upper and lower surfaces, and a hosel having a hosel bore extending from an opening in the sole to an opening in the crown, wherein the first tubular adjustment piece encircles a section of the shaft sleeve, wherein the hosel bore receives at least a part of the shaft sleeve when that part is encircled by the first tubular adjustment piece, and wherein rotating the first tubular adjustment piece around the shaft sleeve changes the angle of the shaft sleeve, including the shaft sleeve axis, with respect to the face.
In some embodiments, the hosel may further comprise a flange proximate the crown, wherein the shaft sleeve may be inserted into the hosel bore through the opening in the sole, and wherein an upper surface of the shaft sleeve may abut a lower surface of the flange and prevent the shaft sleeve from leaving the hosel bore through the opening in the crown. The adjustable golf club head may also comprise a plug sized to fit within the opening in the sole, wherein an upper surface of the plug may abut a lower surface of the shaft sleeve and press the upper surface of the shaft sleeve against the lower surface of the flange to retain the shaft sleeve within the hosel bore.
In a further embodiment of the invention, the adjustable golf club head may comprise a screw comprising a head and a threaded extension, the plug may comprise a recess sized to receive the head of the screw and a first screw bore sized to receive the threaded extension, the opening in the sole may comprise a second screw bore sized to receive the threaded extension, and the screw may removably retain the plug within the opening in the sole. The shaft sleeve may comprise a ledge, and the upper surface of the first tubular adjustment piece may abut the ledge. The adjustable golf club head may further comprise a second tubular adjustment piece having non-parallel upper and lower surfaces encircling the shaft sleeve, the upper surface of the second tubular adjustment piece may abut the lower surface of the first tubular adjustment piece, and a lower surface of the second tubular adjustment piece may abut the upper surface of the plug. The ledge of the shaft sleeve may further comprise a first set of alignment features, the upper surface of the first tubular adjustment piece may comprise a second set of alignment features, and the first set of alignment features may mate with the second set of alignment features when the upper surface of the first tubular adjustment piece abuts the ledge of the shaft sleeve.
In some embodiments of this invention, the plug may be composed of a non-metal material selected from the group consisting of rubber, plastic, and composite. The shaft sleeve and the first tubular adjustment piece may be composed of a metal alloy material. In yet another embodiment, the hosel may comprise a side opening providing access to the hosel bore, and the first tubular adjustment piece may be rotated through the side opening. The first tubular adjustment piece may further comprise an exterior surface comprising texturing to facilitate movement of the first tubular adjustment piece within the hosel. In another embodiment, the shaft-receiving bore may comprise an axis that is coaxial with the shaft sleeve axis, the first tubular adjustment piece may provide a plurality of angular adjustments, and the shaft sleeve may not rotate around the bore axis more than 5 degrees for any of the plurality of angular adjustments.
Another aspect of the present invention is an adjustable driver comprising a body comprising a face, a sole, and a crown, a hosel comprising a hosel bore extending from an opening in the sole to an opening in the crown and a flange proximate the crown, wherein the opening in the sole comprises a first screw bore, a shaft sleeve comprising a shaft-receiving bore and a ledge portion, the ledge portion comprising upper and lower surfaces, a first tubular adjustment piece comprising non-parallel upper and lower surfaces, a plug comprising a second screw bore, a screw comprising a head and a threaded extension portion, and a shaft comprising a grip end and a tip end, wherein the shaft sleeve is inserted into the hosel bore through the opening in the sole, wherein the tip end of the shaft is secured within the shaft-receiving bore of the shaft sleeve, wherein the first tubular adjustment piece encircles at least a portion of the shaft sleeve, wherein the shaft sleeve fits within the hosel bore when it is encircled by the first tubular adjustment piece, wherein the upper surface of the ledge portion abuts the flange, wherein the upper surface of the first tubular adjustment piece abuts the lower surface of the ledge portion, wherein the plug fits within the opening in the sole such that the second screw bore lines up with the first screw bore, and wherein the threaded extension of the screw engages the first and second screw bores to retain the plug within the opening in the sole.
In some embodiments, the lower surface of the first tubular adjustment piece may abut an upper surface of the plug. The adjustable driver may further comprise a second tubular adjustment piece comprising non-parallel upper and lower surfaces encircling at least a portion of the shaft sleeve, wherein the lower surface of the first tubular adjustment piece may abut the upper surface of the second tubular adjustment piece, and wherein the lower surface of the second tubular adjustment piece may abut an upper surface of the plug, and wherein the plug may secure the first and second tubular adjustment pieces within the hosel bore. The lower surface of the ledge portion may further comprise a first set of alignment features, the upper surface of the first tubular adjustment piece may further comprise a second set of alignment features, and the first set of alignment features may mate with the second set of alignment features when the upper surface of the first tubular adjustment piece abuts the lower surface of the ledge portion.
In some embodiments of the adjustable driver, the face may be composed of a metal alloy material, the sole may be composed of a metal alloy material, and the crown may be a composed of a composite material. Some embodiments may further comprise a locking pin that may engage the plug and the hosel bore to align the plug within the opening in the sole. In some embodiments, the plug may be composed of a non-metal material selected from the group consisting of rubber, plastic, and composite. In some embodiments, each of the first and second tubular adjustment pieces may be composed of a metal alloy material.
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, hybrids, and putters.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in
The hosel assembly 600 includes a shaft sleeve 620, which has a bore (not shown) sized to receive the tip end of a shaft 610, an upper portion 621 having an upper edge surface 622 and a lower edge surface 624, and a cylindrical lower portion 625 having a smaller diameter than the diameter of the upper portion 621. The upper portion 621 may be keyed to fit within the keyed section of the hosel bore 540 to ensure that the shaft sleeve 620 is inserted into the hosel bore 540 in the proper orientation and to prevent slippage or twisting during use of the club. The hosel assembly 600 also has upper and lower shims 640, 650 similar to those disclosed with respect to the embodiments disclosed in parent U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 13/332,846 and 13/311,319, the disclosure of each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety herein, and shown in FIG. 7A of those applications. In particular, the shims 640, 650 are tubular and have non-parallel upper and lower edges 642, 644, 652, 654. The shims 640, 650 are slid over the cylindrical lower portion 625 so that each shim 640, 650 encircles the cylindrical lower portion 625.
As shown in
Once the shims 640, 650 have been adjusted so provide a desired shaft sleeve 620 angle, the shaft sleeve 620 is inserted into the sole opening 525 as shown in
When the shaft sleeve 620, together with the shaft 610 and shims 640, 650, is fully inserted into the hosel bore 540 such that the upper edge surface 622 rests against the flange 545, the plug 660 is inserted into the sole opening 525 to close the sole opening 525 and retain the shaft sleeve 620 and the shims 640, 650 within the hosel bore 540, as shown in
As shown in
A second embodiment of the present invention is shown in
In an alternative embodiment, these wheels 830, 840 may function in the same way as the wheels disclosed in parent U.S. application Ser. Nos. 13/311,319 and 13/332,846, specifically with reference to FIG. 12 of those applications. In this alternative embodiment, and like the embodiment shown in FIG. 12 of the parent applications referenced above and incorporated by reference in their entireties herein, each wheel has a bore that with a center point that is offset from the center point of the other wheel. The bore of the lower wheel 840 has a diameter that is larger than the diameter of the bore of the upper wheel 830, which creates a pivot surface for the shaft sleeve 820 holding the shaft 810. When the wheels 830, 840 are assembled with a shaft sleeve 820, rotating the upper wheel 830 causes the shaft sleeve 820 to move around the inner surface of the lower wheel 840 bore. The upper wheel 830 bore is sized so that it snugly receives the shaft sleeve 820 and guides the shaft sleeve 820 around the pivot surface as the wheels 830, 840 are turned.
Either of these alternative wheel structures may be disposed within the hosel bore 740 of the club head 700 of the fifth embodiment, and are accessible via a window 735 in the side of the hosel 730 as shown in
Once the golfer has adjusted the wheels 830, 840, a plug 860 having a projection 865 is inserted into the hosel bore 740 through the sole opening 725. As shown in
As shown in
Each of the shim and wheel embodiments disclosed herein may include alignment features so that the shims or wheels more securely lock in place when they are adjusted by a golfer, which prevents slippage or twisting during use of the club. For example, the shims and wheels may include locating pins, and sockets to receive said pins, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,027,452 to Rusing, the relevant disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein. Another option is grooves and ridges, as shown in combination with exemplary shims 910, 920, 930, 940 in
This embodiments disclosed herein provide many benefits when compared with other adjustable hosel assemblies. For example, instead of locating the shims 640, 650 or wheels 830, 840 of the assembly, and thus the rotation point of the shaft sleeve 620, 820, and shaft 610, 810 above or at the uppermost point of the hosel 530, 730 like in most commercial embodiments, in the embodiments of the hosel assembly 600, 800 disclosed herein, the point of rotation is moved inside the hosel 530, 730 by locating the shims 640, 650 or wheels 830, 840 inside the hosel bore 540, 740 which may have a larger average diameter than the hosel bores of other embodiments. This provides for greater overall stability of the hosel assembly 600, 800.
The configuration of the preferred embodiment also allows the golf club head 500, 700 to have a lower overall center of gravity because the weights of the various pieces of the assembly 600, 800 are moved inside the hosel 530, 730 instead of being located above the hosel 530, 730. Another feature that distinguishes the preferred embodiment from other adjustable hosel assemblies currently on the market is the insertion of the shaft sleeve 620, 820, and thus the shaft 610, 810, into the hosel 530, 730 from an opening in the sole 520, 720 of the golf club head 500, 700 instead of through an upper opening in the hosel 530, 730. The shaft sleeve 620, 820 is retained within the hosel with the plug 660, 860, which covers the opening in the sole 520, 720 and thus removes unwanted keel points and turf interaction that can be created by an opening in the sole 520, 720. As such, a golf club head 500, 700 having this assembly has better overall aerodynamics than golf club heads having openings in the sole and hosel adjustment assemblies located above the hosel.
The embodiments of the adjustable shaft and hosel assembly 10 described herein are also beneficial because they allow for universal angular adjustment. Preferably, for each of the embodiments, the angular adjustment range is a minimum of 0° to >2° from the reference axis 80. The assembly 10 of the present invention allows for torque forces to be transmitted between the body and the shaft, and visa-versa. The assembly 10 of the present invention also prevents shaft graphics and grip reminders on a golf club shaft from rotating out of orientation from the club head.
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 640, 650, 910, 920, 930, 940, 960, 970 and wheels 830, 840 may be composed of lightweight materials, such as plastic, composite, aluminum, titanium alloy, and/or other such materials. The plugs 660, 860 disclosed herein also may be made of lightweight materials, preferably non-metal materials such as plastics or rubbers.
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 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. 13/311,319, filed on Dec. 5, 2011, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/451,523, filed on Mar. 3, 2011, and to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/452,521, filed on Mar. 14, 2011, the disclosure of each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61451523 | Mar 2011 | US | |
| 61452521 | Mar 2011 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 13332846 | Dec 2011 | US |
| Child | 13436512 | US | |
| Parent | 13311319 | Dec 2011 | US |
| Child | 13332846 | US |
