Patent Application
20140274445
The invention relates generally to ball striking devices, such as golf clubs and heads. Certain aspects of this invention relate to golf clubs and other ball striking devices having a ball striking head that is configured to be removably connected to a handle or shaft.
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 seek to improve their performance, lower their golf scores, and reach that next performance “level.” Manufacturers of all types of golf equipment have responded to these demands, and recent years have seen dramatic changes and improvements in golf equipment. For example, a wide range of different golf ball models now are available, with some balls designed to fly farther and straighter, provide higher or flatter trajectory, provide more spin, control, and feel (particularly around the greens), etc.
Being the sole instrument that sets a golf ball in motion during play, the golf club also has been the subject of much technological research and advancement in recent years. For example, the market has seen improvements in golf club heads, shafts, and grips in recent years. Additionally, other technological advancements have been made in an effort to better match the various elements of the golf club and characteristics of a golf ball to a particular user's swing features or characteristics (e.g., club fitting technology, ball launch angle measurement technology, etc.).
Despite the various technological improvements, golf remains a difficult game to play at a high level. For a golf ball to reliably fly straight and in the desired direction, a golf club should meet the golf ball square (or substantially square) to the desired target path. Moreover, the golf club should meet the golf ball at or close to a desired location on the club head face (i.e., on or near a “desired” or “optimal” ball contact location) to reliably fly straight, in the desired direction, and for a desired distance. Off-center hits that deviate from squared contact and/or are located away from the club's desired ball contact location may tend to “twist” the club face when it contacts the ball, thereby sending the ball in the wrong direction, often imparting undesired hook or slice spin, and/or robbing the shot of distance. The weighting and weight distribution of a golf club head may influence the moment of inertia and the center of gravity of the club head, as well as the energy and velocity transferred to the ball by the impact. The moment of inertia of the head can be increased, for example, by distributing a greater amount of weight around the perimeter of the head. This, in turn, can reduce the amount of twisting of the club head that occurs on off-center hits, and increase the distance and accuracy of shots on off-center hits. Likewise, the location of the center of gravity of the head can be influenced by the weight distribution of the head. Generally, the desired contact area of the face is aligned with the center of gravity of the head. However, it may be desirable to shift the location of the center of gravity of the head, such as to adjust for common off-center hitting patterns by a golfer, or to produce a certain shot characteristic (e.g., to induce a hook, slice, draw, fade, etc.). For example, a center of gravity that is lower and/or farther backward can produce higher loft and lower spin on the shot, while a center of gravity that is higher and/or farther forward may produce lower loft, greater distance, and higher spin on the shot and/or greater control, each of which may be desirable in certain clubs or for certain golfers. Accordingly, club head features that can permit the weighting and weight distribution of the head to be adjusted or customized may provide improved performance in several ways.
Golf shots occasionally leave the fairway and come to rest on playing surfaces that are capable of damaging a golf club head during a swing, such as a paved or rocky road, cart path, parking lot, or other surfaces that are hard, rough, abrasive, or otherwise capable of damaging the club head. A player may wish to strike the ball while the ball is resting on such a surface, but may risk scratching or other damage to the golf club while doing so. Accordingly, club head features that can minimize the risks of hitting on such a surface may provide desirable performance characteristics. Other types of balls in other sports or activities may similarly be hit while resting on or above surfaces that are hard, rough, abrasive, etc., and devices for striking such balls may encounter similar challenges.
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 ball striking devices, such as golf clubs, with a head that includes a face having a striking surface configured for striking a ball, an iron-type golf club head body connected to the face and extending rearward from the face, a hosel having a proximal end connected to the body and a distal end extending away from the body, and a post member connected to the distal end of the hosel and extending away from the hosel. The post member has a non-circular cross-section and is configured for insertion into a shaft to connect the golf club head to the shaft. A shaft may be provided having complementary connecting structure, such as a bore receiving the post member therein. The face, the body, the hosel, and the connection member are formed of a polymer material, and may be formed of a single, integral piece of the polymer material. In one embodiment, the post member may have a square or other rectangular cross section.
According to one aspect, an adhesive material may be used to bond the shaft to the post member, wherein the adhesive material has a glass transition temperature that is lower than a glass transition temperature of the polymer material of the post member, and wherein the shaft is configured to be connected to and disconnected from the post member by heating the adhesive material to a temperature between the glass transition temperature of the adhesive material and the glass transition temperature of the polymer material to permit the adhesive material to be bonded or debonded without damage to the shaft or the post member.
Additional aspects of the invention relate to ball striking devices, such as golf clubs, with a ball striking head that includes a face having a striking surface configured for striking a ball, a body connected to the face and extending rearward from the face, a hosel having a proximal end connected to the body and a distal end extending away from the body, and a connection member connected to the distal end of the hosel. The face, the body, the hosel, and the connection member are formed of a polymer material, and may be formed of a single, integral piece of the polymer material. A shaft is removably connected to the connection member of the ball striking head, and an adhesive material bonds the shaft to the connection member of the ball striking head. The adhesive material has a glass transition temperature that is lower than a glass transition temperature of the polymer material of the connection member. The shaft is configured to be connected to and disconnected from the connection member by heating the adhesive material to a temperature between the glass transition temperature of the adhesive material and the glass transition temperature of the polymer material to permit the adhesive material to be bonded or debonded without damage to the shaft or the connection member.
According to one aspect, the connection member may include a post member extending from the distal end of the hosel and the shaft includes a bore receiving the post member therein. The post member may have a non-circular cross-section and the bore may have a complementary non-circular cross-section, such that the post member and the bore are rotationally locked. In one non-circular configuration, the post member and the bore have rectangular cross-sections.
Alternately, according to another aspect, the shaft includes a post member extending from an end of the shaft and the connection member has a bore within the distal end of the hosel and receiving the post member therein. The post member may have a non-circular cross-section, and the bore may have a complementary non-circular cross-section, such that the post member and the bore are rotationally locked. In one configuration, the post member and the bore may have a square or other rectangular shape.
Additional aspects of the invention relate to ball striking devices, such as golf clubs, with a ball striking head that includes a face having a striking surface configured for striking a ball, a body connected to the face and extending rearward from the face, and a hosel having a proximal end connected to the body and a distal end extending away from the body. The face, the body, the hosel, and the connection member are formed of a polymer material, and may be formed of a single, integral piece of the polymer material. A shaft is removably connected to the hosel of the ball striking head.
According to one aspect, the device may further include an adhesive material bonding the shaft to the hosel, where the adhesive material has a glass transition temperature that is lower than a glass transition temperature of the polymer material of the hosel, The shaft is configured to be connected to and disconnected from the hosel by heating the adhesive material to a temperature between the glass transition temperature of the adhesive material and the glass transition temperature of the polymer material to permit the adhesive material to be bonded or debonded without damage to the shaft or the hosel.
According to one aspect, the ball striking head further includes a post member extending from the distal end of the hosel and the shaft includes a bore receiving the post member therein. The post member has a non-circular cross-section and the bore has a complementary non-circular cross-section, such that the post member and the bore are rotationally locked. The post member and the bore may have square or other rectangular cross-sections in one configuration. The post member may also be formed of the polymer material, and may be integrally formed as part of the single piece of the polymer material. An adhesive material as described above may be used to bond the shaft to the post member.
Alternately, according to a further aspect, the shaft includes a post member extending from an end of the shaft and the ball striking head further includes a bore within the distal end of the hosel and receiving the post member therein. The post member has a non-circular cross-section and the bore has a complementary non-circular cross-section, such that the post member and the bore are rotationally locked. The post member and the bore may have square or other rectangular cross-sections in one configuration. An adhesive material as described above may be used to bond the shaft to the head.
Further aspects of the invention relate to a method that may be used in connection with any of the ball striking heads or ball striking devices described above. A ball striking head may be provided that includes at least a face having a striking surface configured for striking a ball, a body connected to the face and extending rearward from the face, a hosel having a proximal end connected to the body and a distal end extending away from the body, and a connection member connected to the distal end of the hosel. At least a portion of the head may be made from a polymer material. An adhesive material in communication with a surface of the connection member of the ball striking head, wherein the adhesive material has a glass transition temperature that is lower than a glass transition temperature of the polymer material of the head. The adhesive material is then heated to a temperature between the glass transition temperature of the adhesive material and the glass transition temperature of the polymer material, in order to permit bonding of the adhesive material. A shaft is then connected to the connection member of the ball striking head by placing a portion of the shaft in communication with the adhesive material, and the adhesive material is cooled after connecting the shaft to the connection member, such that the adhesive material bonds the shaft to the connection member of the ball striking head.
According to one aspect, the face, the body, and the hosel of the ball striking head may all be integrally formed of a single piece of the polymer material.
According to another aspect, the connection member of the ball striking head includes a post member extending from the distal end of the hosel and the shaft has a bore. The shaft is connected to the connection member by inserting the post member in the bore, and the adhesive material is located within the bore to bond the post member to the shaft. The post member has a non-circular cross-section and the bore has a complementary non-circular cross-section, such that the post member and the bore are rotationally locked after connection. The non-circular cross section may be square or another rectangular cross-section in one configuration.
According to a further aspect, the method may further include interchanging the head with a second ball striking head. In this method, the adhesive material is heated a second time to a temperature between the glass transition temperature of the adhesive material and the glass transition temperature of the polymer material, and the shaft is disconnected from the connection member of the ball striking head after heating the adhesive material the second time. The second head includes a face having a striking surface configured for striking a ball, a body connected to the face and extending rearward from the face, a hosel having a proximal end connected to the body and a distal end extending away from the body, and a connection member connected to the distal end of the hosel. At least a portion of the second head may be formed of a second polymer material (which may be substantially the same as the polymer material of the original head). The shaft is then connected to the connection member of the second ball striking head by placing a portion of the shaft in communication with the adhesive material, and the adhesive material is cooled after connecting the shaft to the connection member of the second ball striking head, such that the adhesive material bonds the shaft to the connection member of the second ball striking head. The face, the body, and the hosel of the second ball striking head may be integrally formed of a single piece of the second polymer material.
According to one aspect, the connection member of the ball striking head includes a post member extending from the distal end of the hosel and the shaft has a bore, and the shaft is connected to the connection member by inserting the post member in the bore. The adhesive material is located within the bore to bond the post member to the shaft. The post member has a non-circular cross-section and the bore has a complementary non-circular cross-section, such that the post member and the bore are rotationally locked after connection. The connection member of the second ball striking head likewise includes a post member extending from the distal end of the hosel and the shaft has a bore, the shaft of the second head is connected to the connection member by inserting the post member in the bore. The post member of the second head has the same non-circular cross-section of the post member of the ball striking head, such that the post member of the second ball striking head and the bore are rotationally locked after connection.
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,” 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 terms “shaft” and “handle” are used synonymously and interchangeably in this specification, and they include the portion of a ball striking device (if any) that the user holds during a swing of a ball striking device.
“Integral joining technique” means a technique for joining two or more pieces so that the pieces effectively become a single, integral piece, including, but not limited to, irreversible joining techniques, such as adhesively joining, cementing, and welding (including brazing, soldering, or the like), where separation of the joined pieces cannot be accomplished easily and/or without structural damage to at least one of the pieces.
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 is a substantially flat surface on one face of the ball striking head (although, in some structures, the face may include some curvature, e.g., known as “bulge” and/or “roll”). Some more specific aspects of this invention relate to iron-type golf clubs and golf club heads, including long irons, short irons, wedges, etc. Alternately, some aspects of this invention may be practiced with hybrid clubs, chippers, and the like, wood-type golf clubs and the like, or putters.
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 (including fiber-reinforced composites), and wood, and may be formed in one of a variety of configurations, without departing from the scope of the invention. In one illustrative 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 a polymer material, which may include a reinforced polymer or other composite, as described in greater detail below. It is understood that the head 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 (including stainless steels), and the like) may be formed by forging, molding, casting, stamping, machining, and/or other known techniques. As another example, polymeric components may be manufactured using injection molding, blow molding, thermoforming, other types of molding, and/or other known techniques. In a further 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. It is understood that post-processing (e.g. machining) may be performed in conjunction with any of the above techniques.
The various figures in this application illustrate examples of ball striking devices 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 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, such as drivers, as well as long iron clubs (e.g., driving irons, zero irons through five irons), short iron clubs (e.g., six irons through pitching wedges, as well as sand wedges, lob wedges, gap wedges, and/or other wedges), hybrid clubs, and putters. 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
As shown in
The face 112 is located at the front 124 of the head 102, and has an outer surface or striking surface 110 configured for striking a ball (not shown), as well as an inner surface 111 located opposite the striking surface 110. The face 112 is defined by a plurality of peripheral edges, including a top edge 113, a bottom edge 115, a heel edge 117, and a toe edge 119. The face 112 also has a plurality of face grooves 121 on the striking surface 110. For reference purposes, the portion of the face 112 nearest the top face edge 113 and the heel 120 of the head 102 is referred to as the “high-heel area”; the portion of the face 112 nearest the top face edge 113 and toe 122 of the head 102 is referred to as the “high-toe area”; the portion of the face 112 nearest the bottom face edge 115 and heel 120 of the head 102 is referred to as the “low-heel area”; and the portion of the face 112 nearest the bottom face edge 115 and toe 122 of the head 102 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 112), though not necessarily with symmetrical dimensions. For at least some types of club heads, 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 for such clubs. As seen in the illustrative embodiments in
The ball striking device 100 may include a shaft 104 connected to or otherwise engaged with the ball striking head 102, as shown in
Generally, the ball striking devices described herein, such as the golf club 100 illustrated in
The shaft 104 has connecting structure that is complementary with the connecting structure of the head 102 to connect the head 102 to the shaft 104. In one embodiment, the shaft 104 may have a connection member 140 that is configured to engage the connection member 130 of the head 102 to create this connection. For example, in the embodiment illustrated in
It is understood that the non-circular shape of the post member 131 and the bore 141 cooperate to rotationally lock the post member 131 with respect to the bore 141 to resist rotation of the head 102. In one embodiment, at least a portion of the post member 131 may have a non-circular cross-section, and the post member 131 may have different length portions having different cross-sectional shapes. As one example, the post member 131 may have both a circular portion and a non-circular portion, with the non-circular portion providing rotational locking ability. Such a non-circular portion may be formed by tabs and/or recesses on the post member 131 that can engage complementary tabs and/or recesses in or around the bore 141. The bore 141 may likewise have circular and non-circular portions in one embodiment. Further configurations are possible in other embodiments, and other types of rotational locking structure between the connection members 130, 140 may be used to resist rotation of the head 102.
The connecting structure between the head 102 and the shaft 104 may further include an adhesive material that bonds the connection member 130 of the head 102 to the connection member 140 of the shaft 104. In the embodiment shown in
The body 108, the face 112, and/or the hosel 109 of the golf club head 102 may be constructed from a wide variety of different materials, including materials conventionally known and used in the art, such as steel, titanium, aluminum, tungsten, graphite, polymers, or composites, or combinations thereof. Also, if desired, the club head 102 may be made from any number of pieces (e.g., having a separate face mask, etc.) and/or by any construction technique, including, for example, casting, forging, welding, bonding, and/or other methods known and used in the art. In the embodiment shown in
As described above, the head 102 may be removably connected to the shaft 104 in various embodiments, to permit the head 102 to be removed and reconnected, as well as replaced or interchanged with another head 102 having a similar connecting structure. The replacement head may be shaped and/or configured similarly to the previously-removed head 102 or may have one or more different properties or performance characteristics, such as a different size, configuration, shape, weighting, loft angle, etc. The head 102 may be replaced for a variety of different reasons. In one embodiment, the head 102 may be used for hitting a ball that sits on a playing surface that is hard, rough, abrasive, or otherwise or otherwise capable of damaging the head 102, such as a cart path, road, parking lot, etc. The removable connecting structure allows the head 102 to be replaced easily and at low cost when the head 102 becomes damaged through use. The user may thereby avoid the risk of damaging clubs that may be more difficult and costly to repair or replace. In another embodiment, the head 102 may be replaced with another head that has a different performance characteristic, e.g. a different loft angle or a different weighting configuration. In further embodiments, the head 102 may be removed and replaced for a different reason.
In one embodiment the head 102 and the shaft 104 of
When the head 102 is to be removed from the shaft 104, the adhesive material 150 is heated a second time to a temperature above the glass transition temperature of the adhesive material to permit the post member 131 to be debonded and removed from the bore 141, as shown in
In one embodiment, the head 102 may include weights 160 that are connected to the head 102, which influence the weighting of the head 102, such as the center of gravity (CG), moment of inertia (MOI), total weight, etc.
One example of a dense doping material that can be used to form the weights 160 is tungsten powder, although other dense metals or other materials may be used, including stainless steel, brass, copper, lead, etc., as well as non-metals such as various oxides, sulfates, etc. Additionally, in one embodiment, doped or weighted portions having substantially identical sizes, but with densities that vary ten-fold, such as from 1.2-12.0 g/cc, can be created by using different doping materials and/or different volume fractions of doping materials in the doped portions. In a further embodiment, the weights 160 may be external weights that are removably connected to the club head body 108, such as by a threaded, snap-fit, or rotational locking connection, and the external weights 160 may be disconnected from a head 102 when removed and reconnected to the replacement head 102′. Still further weighting configurations may be used, including weighting configurations known in the art.
Several different embodiments have been described above, including the various embodiments of golf clubs 100 and heads 102 and portions thereof described herein. It is understood that any of the features of these various embodiments may be combined and/or interchanged. For example, as described above, various different combinations of connecting structures may be used, including the configurations described herein, variations or combinations of such configurations, or other configurations. Generally, the features described herein with respect to separate embodiments can be used in combination, although some such combinations may require modification from the depicted structures. In further embodiments, at least some of the features and techniques described herein, including the use of various connecting structures and weights may be utilized or incorporated within other types of golf club heads or other ball-striking devices. For example, these features can be used in a wood-type golf club, a hybrid-type golf club, a putter, or another type of golf club, golf club head, or other ball striking device.
A golf club 100 as shown in
Additionally, as described above, the head 102, et seq., golf club 100, or other ball striking device may be fitted or customized for a person by custom fitting, which may include selecting a specific head 102 and/or a specific shaft 104 with desired characteristics and connecting the head 102 to the shaft 104 to create the golf club 100. Various other different configurations are possible, and various other club heads may be designed for various performance characteristics.
The ball striking devices and heads therefor as described herein provide many benefits and advantages over existing products. For example, the head of the ball striking device can be removed and interchanged with other heads, which can permit the head to be replaced easily. A ball striking device having a replaceable head can thereby be provided for use in hitting a ball in situations where risk of damage to the head is significant, such as hitting a golf ball sitting on a damaging playing surface. The head can be replaced when it becomes damaged. Additionally, the use of a head made of a polymer material permits the head to be replaced at low cost. As another example, the interchangeability features permit a head to be replaced with another head having a different structure, configuration, performance characteristic, etc., as desired. As a further example, the weighting configurations described herein can provide different performance characteristics for the head. Still further benefits and advantages may be recognizable 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.
