Patent Grant
9220957
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a golf club head. More specifically, the present invention relates to a golf club head having a plurality of adjustable features that allow the club head's center of gravity to be moved along multiple axes.
2. Description of the Related Art
The ability to adjust center of gravity location and weight in the head of golf clubs is useful for controlling performance of the golf club, particularly in wood-type golf clubs such as drivers. The prior art includes several different solutions for adjustable weighting, but these solutions do not optimize weight adjustment because they typically allow for center of gravity (CG) adjustment along only one axis. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,611,424 and 8,016,694. Therefore, there is a need for a weighting mechanism that allows for simple and flexible center of gravity and moment of inertia (MOI) adjustability along more than one axis.
The present invention is a novel way of working with adjustable products. The present invention allows consumers to adjust the center of gravity of a golf club head along both vertical and horizontal axes. The objective of this invention is to provide a plurality of adjustable weights with minimal or no effect on appearance at address while maximizing the ability of the weight to adjust center of gravity height. Additional goals include adjusting a loft, lie, and/or face angle of the golf club head.
Yet another aspect of the present invention is a golf club head comprising a body comprising a face, a sole, and a hosel, means for adjusting a center of gravity along a horizontal axis, means for adjusting the center of gravity along a vertical axis, and means for adjusting at least one of a characteristic selected from the group consisting of face angle, loft angle, and lie angle.
Another aspect of the present invention is a golf club head comprising a body comprising a face, a crown, a sole, an interior cavity, and a hosel, at least one weight bar comprising a first end, a second end, and a first plurality of holes disposed in the first end, and a sole member comprising a lower surface and a plurality of pegs extending from the lower surface, each of the plurality of pegs sized to fit within the plurality of holes, wherein the sole member removably affixes the first end of the at least one weight bar to the sole when one or more of the plurality of pegs is engaged with one or more of the first plurality of holes. In some embodiments, the sole member may comprise a first setting having a first height, a second setting having a second height, and a third setting having a third height, the first height may be greater than the second height, and the second height may be greater than the third height. In other embodiments, the at least one weight bar may comprise a polymeric material, which may be co-molded over at least a portion of an exterior surface of the at least one weight bar.
In some embodiments, the golf club head may further comprise a weight port and a weight screw sized to fit within the weight port. In such embodiments, the sole member may comprise a through bore sized to receive the weight screw, a portion of the weight screw may extend through the through bore, and the sole member may be disposed between the at least one weight bar and a portion of the weight screw when the weight screw is fully engaged with the weight port. In other embodiments, the at least one weight bar may comprise first and second weight bars. In some embodiments, the at least one weight bar may have a shape selected from the group consisting of rectangular and T-shaped. In other embodiments, the at least one weight bar may be composed of more than one material.
In one embodiment, the second end of the at least one weight bar may be a separate, removable piece. In a further embodiment, the first end of the at least one weight bar may be composed of a first material having a first density, the second end of the at least one weight bar may be composed of a second material having a second density, and the second density may be greater than the first density.
In another embodiment, the golf club head of claim may further comprise a guide ring, and at least a portion of the at least one weight bar may hook over the guide ring. In a further embodiment, the guide ring may comprise a second plurality of holes disposed in an upper surface of the guide ring, the first plurality of holes may extend completely through the first end of the at least one weight bar, the second plurality of holes may line up with the first plurality of holes, the second plurality of holes may line up with the plurality of pegs, and one or more of the plurality of pegs may be engaged with one or more of the second plurality of holes when the one or more of the plurality of pegs is engaged with one or more of the first plurality of holes. In some embodiments, the guide ring may comprise a plurality of teeth extending from a lower surface of the guide ring, the at least one weight bar may comprise a plurality of prongs, and the plurality of prongs may engage at least one of the plurality of teeth when the at least one weight bar is hooked over the guide ring.
In other embodiments, the sole may comprise a recessed region, and each of the guide ring, the sole member, and the at least one weight bar may be disposed within the recessed region. In a further embodiment, the golf club head may further comprise a hollow tube extending through the interior cavity between the crown and the sole. In this embodiment, the hollow tube may protrude from the recessed region, the guide ring may comprise a first through bore, the sole member may comprise a second through bore, and the hollow tube may extend through the first and second through bores. In yet another, further embodiment, the golf club head may further comprise a weight cartridge sized to fit within the hollow tube, and may also comprise a cap sized to retain the weight cartridge within the hollow tube. The cap may also retain the sole member on the sole.
Another aspect of the present invention is a golf club head comprising a body comprising a face, a crown, a sole, and a hosel, at least one weight bar comprising a first end, a second end, and a plurality of prongs extending from an underside of the second end, and a guide ring comprising a lower surface and a plurality of teeth extending from the lower surface, wherein at least a portion of the at least one weight bar hooks over the guide ring, and wherein the plurality of prongs engages at least one of the plurality of teeth. In some embodiments, the golf club head may further comprise a weight port in the sole and a removable weight member, and the removable weight member may retain the at least one weight bar and the guide ring on the sole when the removable weight member is engaged with the weight port. In another embodiment, the second end of the at least one weight bar may be a separate, removable piece.
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.
The design approaches described herein are based on a construction used in a driver head characterized by a composite crown adhesively bonded to a cast titanium body. This particular construction approach permits the crown configuration to be adapted to the inventive weighting scheme with minimal impact on weight and function. However, the weighting embodiments disclosed herein can be used with other constructions, including all titanium, all composite, and a composite body with metal face cup, and particularly with a skeletal metal/composite structure such as the one disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/162,633, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety herein. The weighting embodiments disclosed herein will also work in conjunction with at least one adjustable weight port on the crown of the driver head. Shifting weight as described herein allows for control of center of gravity location, and adjusting the adjustable sole member allows for adjustment of characteristics such as face angle, loft, and/or lie.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in
The preferred embodiment of the present invention allows for adjustment of multiple characteristics of the golf club head 10. As shown in
The weight bars 40, 45 preferably have one or more gaps or openings 43, 48 to ensure that more mass is disposed at the second end regions 42, 47 of the weight bars 40, 45, so that moving the weight bars 40, 45 within the recessed region 22 has a greater effect on the location of the golf club head's 10 center of gravity. These openings 43, 48 may be filled with secondary weights (not shown) to further affect the weight distribution of the weight bars 40, 45. In an alternative embodiment, shown in
The weight bars 40, 45 may be made of any material known to a person of ordinary skill in the art, but preferably are made of multiple materials such that the second end regions 42, 47 are formed from denser material than the first end regions 41, 46. In the preferred embodiment, the second end regions 42, 47 are formed from a tungsten alloy, while the first end regions 41, 46 are formed from an aluminum, titanium, or stainless steel alloy. In another embodiment, the second end regions 42, 47 are detachable from the first end regions 41, 46, such that they can be swapped out for other second end regions 42, 47 having different dimensions and/or mass properties. For example, as shown in
When the weight screw 75 or other fastener is loosened, the adjustable sole member 50 also can be rotated around the central axis. As shown in
The weight screw 75, which serves to removably but securely affix the adjustable sole member 50 and weight bars 40, 45 to the sole 20 in configurations selected by a user, may have any of the characteristics or features of any of the embodiments disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/410,127, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/412,395, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/754,373, and/or U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/705,498, the disclosure of each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety herein. In the preferred embodiment, the golf club head 10 is provided with multiple weight screws 75 having different compositions and/or densities, such that the user can adjust the vertical location of the golf club head 10 center of gravity by replacing one weight screw 75 with another weight screw 75 having a different density.
In an alternative embodiment, a weight cartridge 80, such as the one shown in
Each end 82, 84 of the weight cartridge 80 also preferably includes external threads 83 and an opening 85 sized to receive an adjustment tool such as a hex wrench or screwdriver, such that the weight cartridge 80 can be removably secured within the weight port 70. In an alternative embodiment, another method of securing the weight cartridge 80 within the weight port 70 may be used, such as a cap 90 or clip features or any other means known to a person skilled in the art. A cap 90 is particularly useful because it can also be used to secure the adjustable sole member 50 to the sole 20. In each of the alternative embodiments employing a weight cartridge 80, the weight cartridge 80 and the weight port 70 or tube may have any of the features or characteristics of the embodiments disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 14/039,102 and 14/159,262, the disclosure of each of which is hereby incorporated in its entirety herein.
In another embodiment, the weight screw 75 (or weight cartridge 80 assembly) is not the only feature that is used to secure the adjustable sole member 50 to the recessed region 22 of the sole, and thus reversibly fix the weight bars 40, 45 to desired positions on the ring 24 and the recessed region 22 of the sole 20. When just a weight screw 75 or other similar feature is used to secure all of the pieces of the present invention together at a single point on the recessed region 22 of the sole 20, the adjustable features, including the weight bars 40, 45 and adjustable sole member 50, may rattle or even come loose during use. The pressure exerted by the weight screw 75 may not be sufficient to hold everything in place under the stressful conditions placed on the golf club head 10 when it makes contact with a golf ball at high speeds. This can be mitigated by co-molding a polymer material such as plastic or rubber over some or all of these pieces and/or over the ring 24, or by placing a polymeric washer underneath each of these pieces where they make contact with the recessed region 22 of the sole 20.
Alternatively, or in addition to these dampening features, the structures shown in
As shown in
As shown in
For each of the embodiments disclosed herein, the weight bars 40, 45, 150, 155 may be removed from the golf club head 10 and replaced with weight bars 40, 45, 150, 155 having different shapes, material compositions, and/or densities. Similarly, weight bars 40, 45, 150, 155 held on a single golf club head 10 may be removed and placed at different locations on the sole (e.g., swapped with each other) to adjust the mass properties of the golf club head 10. In each embodiment, the weight bars 40, 45, 150, 155 preferably are preloaded to eliminate or reduce unwanted vibrations when the golf club head 10 is in use.
Though the ring 24 is shown in
The golf club head 10 of the present invention also preferably includes an adjustable hosel assembly, such that loft, lie, and/or face angle can be changed by adjusting the position of a shaft (not shown) with respect to the hosel 16. The golf club head 10 may have any of the adjustable hosel assembly embodiments disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 13/311,319, 13/436,512, 13/368,569, 13/439,664, 13/367,045, 13/326,156, 13/332,846, 13/408,018, 13/544,037, and 13/660,882, the disclosure of each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety herein, or in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,083,529, 7,427,239, 7,465,239, 7,578,749, 8,002,644, 8,096,895, 8,235,840, 8,257,193, the disclosure of each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.
In other embodiments, the golf club head 10 may have a multi-material composition such as any of those 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 by reference in its entirety herein.
Each of the disclosures of U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,934,999, 8,012,034, 8,123,626, 8,221,258, and 8,262,496 to Cackett et al. is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety herein. The disclosure of U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2011/0165961 is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety herein. The disclosure of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/410,127 is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety herein. The disclosure of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/684,079 is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety herein. The disclosure of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/705,498 is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety herein. The disclosure of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/727,608 is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety herein. The disclosure of each of U.S. Pat. No. 7,147,573 to DiMarco and U.S. Pat. No. 7,166,041 to Evans is also hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
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 of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/326,307 filed on Jul. 8, 2014 now U.S. Pat. No. 8,968,166 which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/766,658, filed on Feb. 13, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,790,195 which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent No. 61/746,348, filed on Dec. 27, 2012, the disclosure of each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 14326307 | Jul 2014 | US |
| Child | 13766658 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 13766658 | Feb 2013 | US |
| Child | 14635890 | US |
