Patent Application
20130053169
The invention relates generally to ball striking devices, such as golf clubs and golf club heads, having a component that is colored a desired color. Certain aspects of this invention relate to golf club heads having a ball striking face that has a color that may be integrally formed on the face.
Golf is enjoyed by a wide variety of players—players of different genders, and players of dramatically different ages and skill levels. Golf is somewhat unique in the sporting world in that such diverse collections of players can play together in golf outings or events, even in direct competition with one another (e.g., using handicapped scoring, different tee boxes, etc.), and still enjoy the golf outing or competition. These factors, together with increased golf programming on television (e.g., golf tournaments, golf news, golf history, and/or other golf programming) and the rise of well-known golf superstars, at least in part, have increased golfs popularity in recent years, both in the United States and across the world.
Golfers at all skill levels may desire golf clubs with more pleasing and/or interesting visual appearance. A greater variety of different visual appearances may likewise be desirable. Current techniques for coloring or otherwise altering the visual appearance of a golf club or golf club head have limitations such that different types of visual appearances cannot be created on at least some portions of the club head without unsuitably altering the functional performance of the club head. In one example, current techniques do not provide the ability to apply many desired visual appearances to the face of a club head without unsuitably altering the performance of the face, such as impact characteristics, durability, etc. Other such examples exist.
The present device and method are provided to address the problems discussed above and other problems, and to provide advantages and aspects not provided by prior ball striking devices of this type. A full discussion of the features and advantages of the present invention is deferred to the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The following presents a general summary of aspects of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is not intended to identify key or critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. The following summary merely presents some concepts of the invention in a general form as a prelude to the more detailed description provided below.
Aspects of the invention relate to a head for a ball striking device that includes a face having an outer periphery, a striking surface configured for striking a ball, and a rear surface opposite the striking surface, and a body connected to at least a portion of the outer periphery of the face and extending rearwardly from the face. The head has an outer surface including an exterior surface of the body and the striking surface of the face. Additionally, at least a majority of the face is formed of a first material. A second material is integrally connected to the outer surface and covers at least a portion of the outer surface. The second material forms a coloring on the outer surface, such that the coloring has a different visual appearance from the first material. The coloring may have a different visual appearance than the first material in an un-colored state, in one example. The club head may be a wood-type head, an iron-type head, a putter head, or other golf club head type, in various embodiments.
According to one aspect, the first material is a metallic material and the second material is an anodized oxide layer, and the coloring is formed by a dye applied to the anodized oxide layer.
According to another aspect, the first material is a first metallic material and the second material is a second metallic material that is integrally connected to the first metallic material to form a layer. The layer has a thickness that is substantially lower than the thickness of the first material. For example, the first material may be a titanium material and the second material may be an aluminum material that is integrally connected to the titanium material by an explosion welding technique. The aluminum layer may further be anodized.
According to a further aspect, the second material is integrally connected by one or more of the following techniques: anodizing, welding, thin film deposition techniques, and surface composition modification.
According to yet another aspect, the second material is at least partially coated with a third material having at least a greater durability and/or a different surface texture than the second material. The third material may be a polymer based material that is at least partially transparent.
Additional aspects of the invention relate to a head for a ball striking device that includes a face having an outer periphery, a striking surface configured for striking a ball, and a rear surface opposite the striking surface, and a body connected to at least a portion of the outer periphery of the face and extending rearwardly from the face. A coloring material is applied to at least a portion of the striking surface and covers at least a portion of the striking surface, and the coloring material applies a coloring to the striking surface, such that the coloring has a different visual appearance from the first material. A coating material is applied to at least a portion of the coloring material and covers the at least a portion of the coloring material. The coating material may be a polymer based material that is at least partially transparent so that the coloring can be viewed through the coating material, and the coating material may have at least a greater durability and/or a different surface texture than the coloring material.
According to one aspect, the coloring material includes one or more of the following: paints, inks, dyes, anodized oxide coatings, color-polarizing layers, and colored polymer films.
According to another aspect, the coating material also includes a particulate material embedded in the polymer based material.
Further aspects of the invention relate to a head for a ball striking device that includes a face having an outer periphery, a striking surface configured for striking a ball, and a rear surface opposite the striking surface, and a body connected to at least a portion of the outer periphery of the face and extending rearwardly from the face, with the body having an exterior surface. A coloring material is applied to at least a portion of the exterior surface of the body and covers at least a portion of the exterior surface. The coloring material may include a cast vinyl film material having a coloring applied thereto, and the coloring material forms the coloring on the exterior surface, such that the coloring has a different visual appearance from the exterior surface. A coating material is applied to at least a portion of the coloring material and covers the at least a portion of the coloring material. The coating material may be a polymer based material and may be at least partially transparent so that the coloring can be viewed through the coating material. The coating material may also have at least a greater durability and/or a different surface texture than the cast vinyl film material.
According to one aspect, the cast vinyl film material is adhesively connected to the exterior surface of the body.
According to another aspect, the coloring material has a graphic design at least partially forming the different visual appearance from the exterior surface.
Other aspects of the invention relate to a method that includes providing a golf club head as described above, and connecting a coloring material or other second material to at least a portion of the outer surface of the head to create a different visual appearance, as described above.
Still other aspects of the invention relate to golf clubs that include a golf club head as described above and a shaft connected to the head, or a set of golf clubs including at least one golf club having a head as described above.
Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the attached drawings.
To allow for a more full understanding of the present invention, it will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
In the following description of various example structures according to the invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration various example devices, systems, and environments in which aspects of the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other specific arrangements of parts, example devices, systems, and environments may be utilized and structural and functional modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Also, while the terms “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “back,” “side,” “rear,” “primary,” “secondary,” and the like may be used in this specification to describe various example features and elements of the invention, these terms are used herein as a matter of convenience, e.g., based on the example orientations shown in the figures or the orientation during typical use. Additionally, the term “plurality,” as used herein, indicates any number greater than one, either disjunctively or conjunctively, as necessary, up to an infinite number. Nothing in this specification should be construed as requiring a specific three dimensional orientation of structures in order to fall within the scope of this invention. Also, the reader is advised that the attached drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.
The following terms are used in this specification, and unless otherwise noted or clear from the context, these terms have the meanings provided below.
“Ball striking device” means any device constructed and designed to strike a ball or other similar objects (such as a hockey puck). In addition to generically encompassing “ball striking heads,” which are described in more detail below, examples of “ball striking devices” include, but are not limited to: golf clubs, putters, croquet mallets, polo mallets, baseball or softball bats, cricket bats, tennis rackets, badminton rackets, field hockey sticks, ice hockey sticks, and the like.
“Ball striking head” means the portion of a “ball striking device” that includes and is located immediately adjacent (optionally surrounding) the portion of the ball striking device designed to contact the ball (or other object) in use. In some examples, such as many golf clubs and putters, the ball striking head may be a separate and independent entity from any shaft or handle member, and it may be attached to the shaft or handle in some manner.
The term “shaft” includes the portion of a ball striking device (if any) that the user holds during a swing of a ball striking device.
The term “integrally connected” means that two materials are connected together in a way that includes at least some penetration of at least one of the materials into the other material, which may be achieved by various welding techniques, anodizing, and various deposition techniques, including physical vapor deposition (PVD) and other techniques described herein. It is understood that more than two materials may be integrally connected together and that a bonding material may be used to integrally connect two materials together.
In general, aspects of this invention relate to ball striking devices, such as golf club heads, golf clubs, putter heads, putters, and the like. Such ball striking devices, according to at least some examples of the invention, may include a ball striking head and a ball striking surface. In the case of a golf club, the ball striking surface may constitute a substantially flat surface on one face of the ball striking head, although some curvature may be provided (e.g., “bulge” or “roll” characteristics). Some more specific aspects of this invention relate to wood-type golf clubs and golf club heads, including drivers, fairway woods, hybrid-type clubs, iron-type golf clubs, and the like, although aspects of this invention also may be practiced on other types of golf clubs or other ball striking devices, if desired.
According to various aspects of this invention, the ball striking device may be formed of one or more of a variety of materials, such as metals (including metal alloys), ceramics, polymers, composites, fiber-reinforced composites, and wood, and the devices may be formed in one of a variety of configurations, without departing from the scope of the invention. In one embodiment, some or all components of the head, including the face and at least a portion of the body of the head, are made of metal materials. It is understood that the head also may contain components made of several different materials. Additionally, the components may be formed by various forming methods. For example, metal components (such as titanium, aluminum, titanium alloys, aluminum alloys, steels (such as stainless steels), and the like) may be formed by forging, molding, casting, stamping, machining, and/or other known techniques. In another example, composite components, such as carbon fiber-polymer composites, can be manufactured by a variety of composite processing techniques, such as prepreg processing, powder-based techniques, mold infiltration, and/or other known techniques.
The various figures in this application illustrate examples of ball striking devices and portions thereof according to this invention. When the same reference number appears in more than one drawing, that reference number is used consistently in this specification and the drawings to refer to the same or similar parts throughout.
At least some examples of ball striking devices according to this invention relate to golf club head structures, including heads for wood-type golf clubs, including drivers. Such devices may include a one-piece construction or a multiple-piece construction. Example structures of ball striking devices according to this invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with
For reference, the head 102 generally has a top 116, a bottom or sole 118, a heel 120 proximate the hosel 109, a toe 122 distal from the hosel 109, a front 124, and a back or rear 126. The shape and design of the head 102 may be partially dictated by the intended use of the device 100. In the club 100 shown in
In the embodiment illustrated in
The face 112 is located at the front 124 of the head 102, and has a ball striking surface 110 located thereon and a rear or inner surface 111 opposite the ball striking surface 110. The ball striking surface 110 is configured to face a ball in use, and is adapted to strike the ball when the device 100 is set in motion, such as by swinging. As shown, the ball striking surface 110 occupies most of the face 112. The ball striking surface 110 may include grooves 121 (e.g., generally horizontal grooves 121 extending across portions of the face 112 in the illustrated example). For reference purposes, the portion of the face 112 near the top face edge 113 and the heel face edge 117 is referred to as the “high-heel area”; the portion of the face 112 near the top face edge 113 and the toe face edge 119 is referred to as the “high-toe area”; the portion of the face 112 near the bottom face edge 115 and the heel face edge 117 is referred to as the “low-heel area”; and the portion of the face 112 near the bottom face edge 115 and the toe face edge 119 is referred to as the “low-toe area”. Conceptually, these areas may be recognized as quadrants of substantially equal size (and/or quadrants extending from a geometrical center of the face 112), though not necessarily with symmetrical dimensions. The face 112 may include some curvature in the top to bottom and/or heel to toe directions (e.g., bulge and roll characteristics), as is known and is conventional in the art. In other embodiments, the surface 110 may occupy a different proportion of the face 112, or the body 108 may have multiple ball striking surfaces 110 thereon. In the embodiment shown in
It is understood that the face 112, the body 108, and/or the hosel 109 can be formed as a single piece or as separate pieces that are joined together. In one embodiment, the face 112 may be formed from a face member, such as a face member having a cup-face structure, an L-shaped structure, or another structure with a wall or walls extending transverse and rearward from the edges of the face 112. The face member may be a plate member in another embodiment. The body 108 can be formed at least partially as a separate piece or pieces joined to the face member, such as by an integral joining technique, e.g., welding, cementing, or adhesively joining, and extending rearwardly from the face member. Other known techniques for joining these parts can be used as well, including many mechanical joining techniques, such as releasable mechanical engagement techniques. If desired, the hosel 109 may be integrally formed as part of the body member or the face member.
The ball striking device 100 may include a shaft 104 connected to or otherwise engaged with the ball striking head 102, as shown in
In general, the head 102 of the ball striking device 100 has at least one component or portion of the outer surface that is colored to give the component a different visual appearance. In one embodiment, a component may be considered to have a different visual appearance if the component appears differently than the material forming the component would normally have appeared (i.e. in an un-colored state). The component that is colored may be the face 112, the body 108, the hosel 109, the shaft 104, or another component, or smaller portions of such components. In one embodiment, the coloring is applied to at least a portion of the outer surface of the head 102, which is defined by the ball striking surface 110, the exterior surface 105 of the body 108, and possibly some other surfaces, such as surfaces of the hosel 109 or surfaces of other components (e.g. weights or inserts) that may be connected to the head 102. It is understood that the coloring may be a solid color, multiple or mixed colors, a pattern, etc., or combinations of such colorings. The coloring may be integrally formed with the outer surface of the component, such as by a technique described below.
The colorings of the face 112 in
Paints, inks, dyes, and other applied coatings can be utilized to create coloring, and may be organic or inorganic in nature. The surface may be treated before application of paint, ink, dye, etc., such as by anodizing (as described above), application of a primer, or other treatments that may enhance adhesion, etc. A variety of other coatings or layers may also be used, including various polymer/resin coatings, which may be transparent or translucent, or thin coatings of another metal or other material. One example of such a coating is a color-polarizing layer. A multi-layered structure can also be used, including a plurality of different layers with different optical properties. Such multi-layered structures can also be used to form different patterns and color shadings. Multi-layered structures may also be used to change surface texture, increase durability, or provide other properties, as described below. Nanofilms may be used in some embodiments. Decals or other applicable material may also be used to create layers. In an exemplary embodiment, the coloring is an integral portion of the club head such as the ball striking face.
Any of a variety of surface treatment techniques other than anodizing can be used to apply coloring to the surface of the component, and may be usable to integrally form the coloring. For example, atomic (i.e. thin-film) deposition techniques such as chemical vapor deposition or other chemical deposition; physical vapor deposition, sputtering, or other physical deposition; molecular beam epitaxy; and others. Such techniques may be used to form elemental thin films or molecular thin films such as oxides, nitrides (e.g. TiN), carbides, chromates, etc., which may result in coloring of the surface of the component. Techniques such as anodizing, PVD, and other deposition techniques can be used to create a coloring material that is integrally connected to the surface of the club head 102. Further, two different films can be deposited on top of one another, in order to give the surface a two-toned color, such as the ball striking surface 110 of the face 112 of
A different surface composition can also be used to create a coloring. For example, a component may have a composite surface that is created by adding a filler or secondary material to the matrix material at the surface of the component, with the secondary material imparting a color to the surface. It is understood that the component may have the secondary material throughout a larger portion of the component, including throughout the entirety of the component.
It is understood that the colorings of the faces 112 in
In one embodiment, the coloring of the component is sufficiently durable to withstand conditions of use. For example, if a face 112 of a golf club head 102 is colored, the coloring must be sufficiently durable to withstand thousands of ball strikes on the face 112 without cracking, fading, or other damage or destruction. Forming the coloring integrally with the face 112, such as by using an anodizing or PVD technique, may improve durability.
Application of a layer or layers 132 to the outside of the head 102 may alter the texture and/or friction properties of the surface. This may be of particular concern when applying materials to the face 112, because affecting the texture may affect the spin imparted to the ball on contact, and may also implicate applicable USGA rules. In one embodiment, a layer 132 may be applied to the face 112 to apply coloring, as discussed herein and shown in
In another embodiment, such as the embodiment shown in
As shown in
The face 212 is located at the front 224 of the head 202, and has a ball striking surface 210 located thereon and a rear or inner surface 211 opposite the ball striking surface 210. The head 202 has a rear cavity 206 that is defined by the rear surface 211 of the face 212, one or more walls 225 extending rearward from the face 212. The rear cavity 206 is open in this embodiment, however in other embodiments, the head 202 may include a rear wall that leaves the rear cavity 211 partially open or completely closed. In a further embodiment, the head 202 may include no rear cavity 206, such as in a blade-type iron. It is understood that in some embodiments of an iron-type golf club 200, the rear surface 211 of the face 212 may be a surface of the body 208, such as when the head 202 has no internal cavity.
The ball striking surface 210 is typically an outer surface of the face 212 configured to face a ball (not shown) in use, and is adapted to strike the ball when the device 200 is set in motion, such as by swinging. As shown, the ball striking surface 210 is relatively flat, occupying most of the face 212. The ball striking surface 210 may include grooves 221 (e.g., generally horizontal grooves 221 extending across the face 212 in the illustrated example) for the removal of water and grass from the face 212 during a ball strike. Of course, any number of grooves, desired groove patterns, and/or groove constructions may be provided (or even no groove pattern, if desired), including conventional groove patterns and/or constructions, without departing from this invention.
For reference purposes, the portion of the face 212 nearest the top face edge 213 and the heel face edge 217 is referred to as the “high-heel area”; the portion of the face 212 nearest the top face edge 213 and the toe face edge 219 is referred to as the “high-toe area”; the portion of the face 212 nearest the bottom face edge 215 and the heel face edge 217 is referred to as the “low-heel area”; and the portion of the face 212 nearest the bottom face edge 215 and the toe face edge 219 is referred to as the “low-toe area”. Conceptually, these areas may be recognized and referred to as quadrants of substantially equal size (and/or quadrants extending from a geometric center of the face 212), though not necessarily with symmetrical dimensions. The face 212 may include some curvature in the top to bottom and/or heel to toe directions (e.g., bulge and roll characteristics), as is known and is conventional in the art. In other embodiments, the surface 210 may occupy a different proportion of the face 212, or the body 208 may have multiple ball striking surfaces 210 thereon. In the illustrative embodiment shown in
The face 212, the body 208, and/or the hosel 209 can be formed as a single piece or as separate pieces that are joined together. For example, the face 212, the body 208, and the hosel 209 can be formed together as a single piece by forging, casting, or other integral forming techniques. As another example, the face 212, the body 208, and the hosel 209 can be formed as separate pieces, such as a face member and a body member, which can be joined together by an integral joining technique, such as welding, or other joining technique.
Any components of the head 202 of
It is understood that any of the embodiments of ball striking devices 100, 200, heads 102, 202, faces 112, 212, and other components described herein may include any of the features described herein with respect to other embodiments described herein, unless otherwise noted. It is understood that the specific sizes, shapes, orientations, and locations of various components of the ball striking devices 100, 200 and heads 102, 202 described herein are simply examples, and that any of these features or properties may be altered in other embodiments.
Heads 102, 202, incorporating the features disclosed herein may be used as a ball striking device or a part thereof. For example, a golf club 100, 200 as shown in
The techniques described herein can be used to create ball striking devices with distinct visual appearances, including coloring or other visual effects. Additionally, the coloring or other visual effect may be formed to be durable with the conditions of use of the head 102, 202, such as by using techniques to integrally form the coloring with the component(s) of the head 102, 202. Further, the coloring or other visual effect may be formed without unsuitably affecting the functional properties of the device. Still further benefits can be recognized and appreciated by those skilled in the art.
While the invention has been described with respect to specific examples including presently preferred modes of carrying out the invention, those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are numerous variations and permutations of the above described systems and methods. Thus, the spirit and scope of the invention should be construed broadly as set forth in the appended claims.
The present application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/526,323, filed Aug. 23, 2011, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61526323 | Aug 2011 | US |
