Patent Grant
10343037
It is a goal for golfers to reduce the total number of swings needed to complete a round of golf, thus reducing their total score. To achieve that goal, golfers may often desire to hit a golf ball a long distance. The distance the golf ball travels depends on both the skill of the golfer and the equipment used by the golfer. With respect to the golf club, the construction of a striking face, along with other elements of the club, has an effect on the outgoing speed of a ball when struck by the club. For example, as the striking face contacts the golf ball, the striking face may provide a spring-like effect, adding to the speed of the golf ball as it leaves the club face.
In one aspect, the technology relates to a golf club head having a striking face; a club head body having a perimeter contact rim and a ledge extending from the perimeter contact rim, wherein the striking face is secured to the club head body proximate the perimeter contact rim, and wherein the ledge is spaced from a rear surface of the striking face so as to define a gap therebetween; and an inner wall has a perimeter edge, wherein at least a portion of the perimeter edge is disposed in the gap and in contact with the ledge, and wherein the rear surface of the striking face is in contact with a portion of the inner wall. In an example, the ledge extends inward from the perimeter contact rim, and wherein the ledge is offset from the perimeter contact rim, and wherein the inner wall is substantially parallel to the striking face. In another example, the perimeter edge is tapered. In yet another example, the club head body further includes a sole, a topline, a heel, and a toe, and wherein the ledge is disposed proximate at least one of the sole, the topline, the heel, and the toe. In still another example, the perimeter edge is in contact with a portion of the ledge disposed proximate the topline and the sole.
In another example of the above aspect, a heel portion of the perimeter edge is unsupported by the ledge when the striking face is in a neutral position. In an example, the heel portion of the perimeter edge is in contact with a lip when the striking face is in a deflected position. In another example, the perimeter edge of the inner wall has a shape substantially similar to a perimeter edge of the striking face.
In another aspect, the technology relates to a golf club head having: a body portion having a perimeter contact rim and a ledge extending inward from the at least a portion of the perimeter contact rim, wherein the ledge is discrete from the perimeter contact rim; an inner plate having an edge and a central portion, wherein at least a portion of the edge is in contact with the ledge; and a striking face secured to the perimeter contact rim, wherein a rear surface of the striking face is in contact with the central portion of the inner plate when the striking face is in a neutral position. In an example, the rear surface of the striking face is in contact with the central portion of the inner plate when the striking surface is in a deflected position. In another example, the edge of the inner plate is tapered and wherein when in the deflected position, the rear surface of the striking face and the perimeter edge of the inner plate define a space therebetween. In yet another example, the inner plate includes a topline edge, a sole edge, and a heel edge, and wherein when the striking surface is in a neutral position, the topline edge and the sole edge are in contact with the ledge. In still another example, when the striking surface is in a deflected position, (a) the topline edge and the sole edge are in contact with the ledge, and (b) the heel edge is in contact with a lip extending from the club head body.
In another example of the above aspect, the striking face is secured about the perimeter contact rim. In an example, the body portion includes a topline edge, a sole edge, a heel edge, and a toe edge, and wherein the ledge extends along substantially the entire length of at least one of the topline edge, the sole edge, the heel edge, and the toe edge. In another example, the ledge has two ledges, wherein the two ledges are disposed proximate opposing edges of the perimeter contact rim.
In another aspect, the technology relates to a golf club head having: a club head body having a perimeter contact rim and a ledge extending inward from at least two opposing edges of the perimeter contact rim; a striking face connected to the club head body proximate the perimeter contact rim; and an inner wall having a central portion defining a central area and an edge surrounding the central portion and defining an edge area less than the central area, wherein the edge is in contact with the ledge, and wherein a rear surface of the striking face contacts the central portion and is spaced apart from the edge when the striking face is in both a neutral position and a deflected position. In an example, a distance between the edge and the rear surface of the striking face in the neutral position is greater than a distance between the edge and the rear surface of the striking face in the deflected position. In another example, the central area includes an area approximately 78% of the a total area of the inner wall. In yet another example, the striking face and the inner wall have substantially similar perimeter shapes.
In another aspect, the technology relates to a golf club wherein the club head body creates a sole groove wherein the inner wall is inserted into the club head body via the sole groove, and a sole cap is adapted to capture and retain the inner wall by enclosing the sole groove.
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.
Non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples are described with reference to the following Figures.
The technologies described herein contemplate a golf club head, such as an iron, fairway metal, driver, or other golf club head, that includes a double-walled striking face, e.g., a golf club head having an inner wall structure in contact with an outer striking face. In examples, such club heads may include a sole channel. One end of the inner wall structure is fixed to the golf club head, while another end of the inner wall structure is unfixed, allowing the inner wall structure to slide against a rear surface of the striking face. Such an inner wall structure contributes to a spring effect of the striking face, thus improving ball speed and launch characteristics from strikes near the center and top of the striking face. The golf club head may also include a sole channel that creates improved ball speed and launch characteristics for strikes near the center and bottom of the striking face. Accordingly, the use of the double-walled striking face and the sole channel in tandem provide improved launch characteristics, such as launch angles, spin characteristics, and ball speed, across the entire striking face, from the topline to the sole. Thus, both shots from the turf and off a tee produce improved launch characteristics.
The striking face 118 may also have multiple thicknesses, including a thick portion 119 and a thin portion 121. The thick portion 119 has a thickness greater than a thickness of the thin portion 121. Because the inner wall structure 102 provides additional support to the thin portion 121, the thin portion 121 may be thinner than it would otherwise be in the absence of the inner wall structure 102. In an example, the thick portion 119 has a thickness that is approximately double the thickness of the thin portion 121. In one example, the thin portion 121 may have a thickness of approximately 0.9 mm and the thick portion 119 may have a thickness of approximately 1.4 mm.
The thickness of the contact portion 103 and the thin portion 121 of the striking face 118 may also differ. For example, the contact portion 103 may have a thickness that is approximately double the thickness of the thin portion 121 of the striking face 118. In some examples, the ratio of the thickness of the contact portion 103 to the thickness of the thin portion 121 of the striking face 118 may be approximately 1.5:1, 2.5:1, or 3:1. In other examples, the thickness of the contact portion 103 may be approximately the same as that of the thick portion 119 of the striking face 118.
The types of materials used to create the inner wall structure 102 and the striking face 118 may also differ. As an example, the inner wall structure 102 may be made of a low-density material with a high strength, while the striking face 118 may be made of a material with a relatively higher density and a relatively lower strength. As another example, the striking face 118 may be made from a material having a low elastic modulus while the inner wall structure 102 may be made form a material having a relatively higher elastic modulus. For instance, the striking face 118 may be made from a steel material and the inner wall structure 102 may be made from a titanium material. In another instance, the inner wall structure 102 may be made from a high-strength steel, such as maraging C350 steel, and the striking face 118 may be made from a lower strength steel, such as maraging C300 steel. In the above examples using different types of materials, the thickness of the contact portion 103 may be approximately the same as the thickness of the thin portion 121 of the striking face 118. Such materials may also be coated with a polymer for damping vibration and managing friction between surfaces. For instance, the contact portion 103 could be coated with a low-friction polymer.
The golf club head 100 may also include a sole channel 105. The sole channel 105 includes a front edge 124 and a back edge 126. The sole channel 105 may extend from near the heel portion 110 to the toe portion 108 and may be substantially the same width as the striking face 118. In the example depicted, the sole channel 105 separates the back portion 112 from the sole portion 104. The fixed end 114 of the inner wall structure 102 is attached to the back portion 112 at the back edge 126. The sole channel 105 defines a through-hole into a second cavity 122 that is partially defined (in section) by the thick portion 119, the sole portion 104, and the inner wall structure 102. In some examples, the sole channel 105 is filled with or spanned by a polymer or other elastic material to prevent debris from entering the second cavity 122. The incorporation of the sole channel 105 allows for further deflection of lower portions of the striking face 118, thus providing additional ball speed from golf ball strikes occurring in lower regions of the striking face 118.
The sole channel 205 is located proximate to the striking face 218. By moving the sole channel 205 closer to the striking face 218, the deflection of the thick portion 219 of the striking face 218 is increased when striking a golf ball. The back edge 226 of the sole channel 205 is formed by a rear segment of the sole portion 204 and the front edge 224 of the sole channel 205 is formed by a front segment of the sole portion 204. Because less of the sole portion 204 is directly attached to the striking face 218, there is less resistance to deflection of the thick portion 219. Accordingly, the increased deflection may provide for increased ball speeds resulting from ball strikes occurring near the thick portion 219 of the striking face 218. The sole channel 205 may also run substantially parallel to the striking face 218, as shown in
The inner wall structure 302 includes a fixed end 314 and an unfixed end 316. The fixed end 314 is attached to a front edge of the sole portion 304 directly behind the striking face 318. The inner wall structure 302 may not include a support portion, as the entire inner wall structure 302 is in contact with the rear surface of the striking face 318. In some examples, however, the inner wall structure 302 may include a small support portion to allow for attachment to the sole portion 304 via welding or other fastening measures. Unlike the embodiments depicted above, only a single cavity 320 is present.
The inner wall structure 302 and the striking face 318 are fixed, or effectively hinged, at opposite portions of the golf club head 300. More specifically, in the example depicted, the inner wall structure 302 has a fixed end 314 at the sole portion 304 and an unfixed end 316 near the topline 306, and the striking face 318 has a fixed end at the topline 306 and an unfixed end near the sole portion 304. Such a configuration allows the inner wall structure 302 to slide against the rear surface of the striking face 318 and also to deflect separately from the striking face 318. For example, upon a strike of a golf ball, the striking face 318 moves in an upward direction while the inner wall structure 302 moves downward.
In other examples, the fixed and unfixed ends of the inner wall structure 302 and the striking face 318 may be inverted from the example depicted in
Further, because substantially the entire rear surface of the striking face 318 is in contact with the inner wall structure 302, the thickness of the striking face 318 may be uniform. The thickness of the striking face 318 may also be less than the thickness of the inner wall structure 302, and the striking face 318 and the interior wall structure 302 may also be made of different materials.
The sole channel 405 is located near the front of the golf club head 400 and separates the inner wall structure 402 and the striking face 418 from the remainder of the sole portion 404. For instance, the front edge 424 of the sole channel 405 is defined by the fixed end 414 of the inner wall structure 402, and the back edge 426 is defined the sole portion 404. By locating the sole channel 405 further towards the front of the golf club head 400, the bottom portion of the striking face 418 is able to more easily deflect, further adding to the ball speed resulting from a strike on the lower portion of the striking face 418. The sole channel 405 may also be filled with or spanned by an elastic material. In some embodiments, a flexible coating may also coat the bottom of the golf club head 400 to cover the edges of the striking face 418 and any external edges of the inner wall structure 402, e.g., so as to prevent wear.
The sole channel 505 is incorporated into the sole portion 504. In the example depicted, the front edge 524 of the sole channel 505 is defined by a bottom edge of the striking face 518, and the back edge 526 of the sole channel 505 is defined by the sole portion 504. Accordingly, the sole channel 505 separates a portion of the striking face 518 from the sole portion 504. The sole channel 505 may have a width substantially the size of a golf ball diameter or larger. In some examples, the sole channel 505 may have a width more than double the size of a golf ball diameter. Many of the benefits and features from the sole channels and inner wall structures discussed above are also applicable to the golf club head 500. Further, while sole channel 505 and the inner wall structure 502 are shown in the golf club head 500 of a driver, such structures may be incorporated into other metal woods, such as fairway metal woods and hybrid clubs.
The inner wall 606 may be a thin plate, manufactured, for example, of high-strength steel and steel alloys. Example materials include Aermet 320, Aermet 340, and others. The inner wall 606 may have an outer perimeter shape substantially similar to that of the club head body 602 (more specifically, an opening 628 defined generally by the ledge 616 therein), and/or the striking face 604. The inner wall 606 has a central area 630 and an edge area 632 that bounds the central area 630, which is generally flat. The edge area 632 is tapered, such that the outer perimeter edge 620 of the inner wall 606 has a thickness less than that of the central area 630. In examples, the central area 630 may have a thickness of between about 1.75 mm to about 1.35 mm. Central area 630 thicknesses of about 1.75 mm, about 1.65 mm, or about 1.5 mm may be desirable, although other thicknesses are contemplated. The thickness of the inner wall 606 at the outer perimeter edge 620 may be between about 1.35 mm to about 0.8 mm. Perimeter edge 620 thicknesses may be about 1.3 mm, about 1.2 mm, or about 1.05 mm. Of course, the thickness at the outer perimeter edge 620 is less than that at the central portion 630. The tapered edge area 632 allows the inner wall 606 to deflect during striking of a golf ball, without applying a force to the striking face 604, thus preventing inadvertent separation thereof from the club body 602. This is depicted in more detail below in
Relative sizes of the central area 630 and the edge area 632 of the inner wall 606 may be modified as required or desired to affect performance of the golf club head 600. The central area 630 may be defined as the area of the inner wall 606 that contacts a rear surface of the striking face 604 when the golf club head 600 is in the neutral position. The edge area 632 may be defined as the area of the inner wall 606 that does not contact the rear surface of the striking face 604 when the golf club head 600 is in the neutral position. In examples, the central area 630 may represent about 75%, about 78% or about 80% of the total area of a front face of the inner wall 606 (with the edge area representing about 25%, about 22%, and about 20%, respectively, thereof). In general, the larger the central area 630 of the inner wall 606, the greater return force on the striking face 604 during deflection thereof.
The striking face 604 may also be generally flat, but also may include a rim 634 that may extend at least partially around a striking portion 636 of the striking face 604. In this case, the rim 634 is disposed along a topline edge 638, a sole edge 640, and a toe edge 642 of the striking face 604. These edges 638, 640, 642 are secured to a contact rim 644 on the club body 602, so as to secure the striking face 604 to the club body 602. The striking face 604 may be secured to the contact rim 644 via welding, chemical adhesive(s), friction interface(s), etc. In this example, a heel edge 646 of the striking face 604 does not include any portion of the rim 634 and, as such, may be secured to the flat rest 624. The ledge 616 may be generally discrete and extend inward from the contact rim 644. The striking face 604 may have a thickness of about 0.9 mm to about 1.25 mm.
Certain thickness relationships between the striking face 604 and inner wall 606 may produce particularly desirable results. Example thicknesses of each of these components are identified above. For example, it has been determined that particularly desirable models include a ratio of inner wall thickness to the front wall thickness of between about 1.2 and about 1.5. In one particular example, the inner wall 604 has a thickness of about 1.5 mm, while the front wall has a thickness of about 1.25 mm.
In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the back portion 1112 may be formed out of an industry standard material such as 17-4 stainless steel, striking face 1118 may be made out of a high strength steel such as Aeromet 340, and the inner wall structure 1102 could be made out of a carbon fiber, fiberglass, or composite type material. However, in alternative embodiments of the present invention, different types of material may be used so long as they are capable of achieving the goal of improving the performance of the golf club head 1100 without departing from the scope and content of the present invention. Due to the dynamic relationship between the striking face 1118 and the inner wall structure 1102, the thickness of both of the materials could be made significantly thinner than traditional methods. More specifically, the striking face 1118 in this embodiment may have a thickness of less than about 1.50 mm, more preferably less than about 1.40 mm, and most preferably less than about 1.25 mm. The inner wall structure 1102 in this embodiment may generally have a thinner material thickness of less than about 1.75 mm, more preferably less than about 1.60 mm, and most preferably less than about 1.50 mm. The inner wall structure in accordance with this embodiment of the present invention may be comprised out of a material with a stiffness of between 150 GPa and about 250 GPa, more preferably between about 180 GPa and about 200 GPa, and most preferably about 190 GPa.
The sole groove 1156, the details of which will be shown in more detail later in cross-sectional views, is formed at the frontal portion of the golf club head 1100. More specifically, the sole groove 1156 is formed at the interface between the striking face 1118 and the back portion 1112, allowing the inner wall structure 1102 to be inserted from the bottom of the golf club head 1100. This sole groove 1154 may generally have an opening that is slightly greater than the thickness of the inner wall structure 1102, which in this embodiment, is between about 1.3 mm to about 1.7 mm, more preferably between about 1.4 mm to about 1.6 mm, most preferably about 1.5 mm.
In addition to the sole cap 1154,
The sole cap 1154 shown in this embodiment of the present invention may generally be made out of steel type material. However, in alternative embodiments of the present invention, the sole cap 1154 could also be made out of different material that has a higher or lower density without departing from the scope and content of present invention if such an adjustability is desired. The sole cap 1154, in addition to being capable of being made out of different materials, could further alter the performance of the golf club head by adjusting the bounce of the golf club head via a variation in the sole angle. To achieve this, different sole caps 1154 may have different bounce angles to achieve the different bounce needs of the golf club head 1100 itself.
In order to illustrate the toe side contact rim 1144,
Finally,
Having the toe and heel portion of the striking face 1518 unsupported by a contact rim may be preferred in this embodiment in that is provides less structural support to the inner wall structure 1502 to allow more flexing of the striking face 1518 at the toe and heel portion of the golf club head 1500. The additional flexing that is allowed by removing the contact rim support will improve the performance of the golf club head 1500 by generating more ballspeed at off-center impact with a golf ball. This embodiment of the present invention achieves this by allowing the inner wall structure 1502 to flex more upon impact with a golf ball that is off center.
Although specific embodiments and aspects were described herein and specific examples were provided, the scope of the technology is not limited to those specific embodiments and examples. One skilled in the art will recognize other embodiments or improvements that are within the scope and spirit of the present technology. Therefore, the specific structure, acts, or media are disclosed only as illustrative embodiments. The scope of the technology is defined by the following claims and any equivalents therein.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/844,286, filed on Dec. 15, 2017, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/184,688, filed Jun. 16, 2016, the disclosures of which are all hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| Child | 15911710 | US | |
| Parent | 15184688 | Jun 2016 | US |
| Child | 15844286 | US |
