Not Applicable
The present invention relates to a golf club head. More specifically, the present invention relates to a golf club head with stress-reducing features connecting a crown portion with a sole portion via a hollow interior and disposed proximate a striking face section.
The prior art discloses various golf club heads having interior structures. For example, Kosmatka, U.S. Pat. No. 6,299,547 for a Golf Club Head With an Internal Striking Plate Brace, discloses a golf club head with a brace to limit the deflection of the striking plate, Yabu, U.S. Pat. No. 6,852,038 for a Golf Club Head And Method of Making The Same, discloses a golf club head with a sound bar, Galloway, U.S. Pat. No. 7,118,493 for a Multiple Material Golf Club Head, discloses a golf club head with a composite aft body having an interior sound component extending upward from a sole section of a metal face component, Seluga et al., U.S. Pat. No. 8,834,294 for a Golf Club Head With Center Of Gravity Adjustability, discloses a golf club head with a tube having a mass for adjusting the CG of a golf club head, and Dawson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 8,900,070 for a Weighted Golf Club Head discloses a golf club head with an interior weight lip extending from the sole towards the face. However, the prior art fails to disclose an interior structure that increases ball speed through reducing stress in the striking face section at impact, with a minimal increase in mass to the golf club head.
The golf club head comprises interior structures connecting a crown section to a sole section to reduce the stress in a striking face section during impact with a golf ball. In some embodiments, the interior structures are hollow tubes or solid rods composed of a titanium alloy.
One aspect of the present invention is a golf club head comprising a cast metal body. The cast metal body comprises a toe structural connector, a heel structural connector, a striking face section, a crown return portion and a sole section. The toe structural connector comprises a body with a crown end, a sole end, a forward surface, a rearward surface, a heel surface and a toe surface. The heel structural connector comprises a body with a crown end, a sole end, a forward surface, a rearward surface, a heel surface and a toe surface. The striking face section has an exterior surface, an interior surface, an upper perimeter and a lower perimeter. The crown return portion extends rearward from the upper perimeter of the striking face section. The sole section portion extends rearward from the lower perimeter of the striking face section. The crown end of the toe structural connector is connected to the crown return portion. The crown end of the heel structural connector is connected to the crown return portion. The sole end of the toe structural connector is connected to the sole section. The sole end of the heel structural connector is connected to the sole section. A contact surface area between the crown return portion and both of the crown end of the toe structural connector and the crown end of the heel structural connector ranges from 1% to 5% of the surface area of the crown return portion. The toe structural connector and the heel structural connector attenuate movement of the crown return portion and the sole section when the striking face section impacts a golf ball.
In some embodiments, each of the structural connectors comprises a structure selected from the group consisting of a solid rod and a hollow tube. In another, further embodiment, each of the structural connectors is a solid rod composed of a metal material selected from the group consisting of titanium alloy and steel. In an alternative embodiment, each of the structural connectors is located no more than 0.25 inch from the rear face surface along the vertical plane extending through the face center perpendicular to the striking face section.
Another aspect of the current invention is golf club head comprising a metal body comprising a striking face section, a sole section extending from a lower edge of the striking face section, and a return section extending from an upper edge of the striking face section, the return section and sole section defining an upper opening, and the striking face section, sole section, and return section defining a hollow body interior, and first and second structural connectors disposed within the hollow body interior and extending from the return section to the sole section, wherein each of the first and second structural connectors is a solid metal rod, wherein no portion of either the first or second structural connectors makes contact with the striking face section, wherein the golf club head satisfies the equation Vballnorm≧0.0356x+140.82, and wherein
In a further embodiment, the golf club head may comprise a crown insert that may be permanently affixed to the body to close the upper opening. In some embodiments, the crown insert may be composed of a carbon composite material, and each of the first and second stiffening members may be integrally cast with the body.
Yet another aspect of the present invention is a golf club head comprising a metal body comprising a striking face section, a sole section extending from a lower edge of the striking face section, a return section extending from an upper edge of the striking face section, and an aft end opposite the striking face section, the return section and sole section defining an upper opening, and the striking face section, sole section, and return section defining a hollow body interior, first and second structural connectors disposed within the hollow body interior and extending from the return section to the sole section, and a carbon composite crown insert permanently affixed to the body to close the upper opening, wherein each of the first and second structural connectors is located closer to the striking face section than to the aft end within the hollow body interior, wherein the golf club head has a volume of 420 cubic centimeters to 470 cubic centimeters, wherein the golf club head satisfies the equation Vballnorm≧0.0356x+141.19, and wherein
In some embodiments, the first structural connector comprises an upper end proximate the return section and a lower end proximate the sole section, the upper end is spaced a first distance from the striking face section, and the lower end is spaced a second distance from the striking face section that is greater than the first distance. In a further embodiment, the first distance is 0.120 inch to 0.150 inch, and the second distance is 0.180 inch to 0.210 inch. In another embodiment, each of the first and second structural connectors has a length of 1.00 inch to 2.50 inches, the first structural connector extends approximately parallel with the second structural connector, and the first structural connector is spaced a distance of 0.75 inch to 1.50 inch from the second structural connector.
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.
A preferred embodiment of the golf club head 10 with structural connectors is shown in
Within the hollow interior 27, two structural connectors 50, 52 extend from the sole section 22 upward to the return section 32 approximately parallel with the rear surface 36 of the striking face section 30 and with each other. In an alternative embodiment, the structural connectors 50, 52 extend to the crown insert 42 instead; what is important is that the structural connectors 50, 52 connect the crown section 40 to the sole section 22 proximate the striking face section 30, without making contact with any portion of the striking face section 30, even when the striking face section 30 impacts a golf ball. The structural connectors 50, 52 must, in any event, be closer to the striking face section 30 than to the aft end 28 of the body 20.
As shown in
In the preferred embodiment, each of the structural connectors 50, 52 has a diameter of 0.050 inch to 0.200 inch and a length of 1 to 2.5 inches. The structural connectors 50, 52 are both preferably located within 1 inch of the rear surface 36 of the striking face section 30 measured along a vertical plane 60 extending through the face center 34 perpendicular to the striking face section 30. No portion of any structural connectors 50, 52 should be located outside of this 1-inch range; in fact, it is more preferable for each structural connector 50, 52 to be located even closer to the rear surface 36 of the striking face section 30. In the preferred embodiment, the structural connectors are spaced 0.136 inch to 0.210 inch from the rear surface 36, with the upper end 50a, 52a of each structural connector 50, 52 spaced a distance D1 that is slightly closer to the rear surface 36 than the spacing D2 of the lower end 50b, 52b. In the preferred embodiment, D1 ranges from 0.120 inch to 0.150 inch, while D2 ranges from 0.180 inch to 0.210 inch. The structural connectors 50, 52 are also spaced from one another by a distance D3 of 0.500 to 2.00 inch, more preferably approximately 0.75 to 1.50 inch, and most preferably approximately 1.00 inch. This positioning of the structural connectors 50, 52 optimizes the normalized ball speed relationship to Characteristic Time (CT), as measured in μs by the U.S. Golf Association (USGA) CT test.
Normalized ball speed removes the variable effect of a golf club head's mass and loft, and the construction of a particular golf ball, from testing the speed of a golf ball upon impact with any given golf club head, including the golf club head 10 of the present invention; in other words, it allows an apples-to-apples comparison of golf club head performance. Normalized ball speed can be determined for a golf club head using the following steps, which are also outlined in the flow chart of
First, provide a titanium 6-4 calibration plate 90 with a mass of approximately 190 grams, a diameter D4 of approximately 4 inches, a minimum thickness T1 of approximately 0.100-0.150 inch, and a maximum thickness T2 of approximately 0.200-0.400 inch, as shown in
In this equation, Vinh is 100 and mh is 200.
The golf club head 10 of the present invention has a Vballnorm≧0.0356x+140.82, and more preferably a Vballnorm≧0.0356x+141.19. The positioning of the structural connectors 50, 52 allow the golf club head 10 to satisfy this equation; as shown in
In addition to optimizing the normalized ball speed of the golf club head 10, locating the structural connectors 50, 52 within the region of the golf club head 10 defined above has the greatest stress-reducing effect on the golf club head 10. If any of the structural connectors 50, 52 are placed more than 1 inch away from the rear surface 36 of the striking face section 30, they will not have a noticeable effect on the stress placed on the striking face section 30 when the golf club head 10 is in use, and will use discretionary mass without providing a significant performance benefit.
In one embodiment, shown in
A contact surface area 57a, 57b between the crown return portion 32 and both of the crown end 52a of the toe structural connector 52 and the crown end 50a of the heel structural connector 50a ranges from 1% to 5% of the surface area of the crown return portion 32. The surface area of the crown return portion ranges from 2.5 square inches to 4.0 square inches. The contact surface area 55a between the crown return portion 32 and the crown end 52a of the toe structural connector 52 preferably ranges from 0.02 square inches to 0.1 square inch, more preferably from 0.035 square inch to 0.075 square inch, and most preferably is 0.045 square inch. As shown in
The toe structural connector 52 and the heel structural connector 50 preferably attenuate movement of the crown return portion 32 and the sole section 22 when the striking face section 30 impacts a golf ball.
The toe structural connector 52 and the heel structural connector 50 each preferably have a length from the sole end 50b, 52b to the crown end 50a, 52a ranging from 1 inch to 2.5 inches. As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The plurality of structural connectors 50 preferably ranges from two structural connectors to eight structural connectors. Each of the plurality of structural connectors 50 preferably has a diameter ranging from 2 millimeters to 5 millimeters. Each of the plurality of structural connectors 50 preferably has a length ranging from 30 millimeters to 60 millimeters. Each of the plurality of structural connectors 50 is preferably positioned within 11 millimeters of an interior surface of the face component 230. The mass of each of the plurality of structural connectors 50 preferably ranges from 0.5 gram to 3 grams, more preferably from 1 gram to 2 grams, and most preferably each structural connectors 50 has a mass of 1.5 grams. The crown section 236 preferably comprises a plurality of apertures 242 with bosses 244 extending therefrom for support. Each of the plurality of apertures 42a, 42b, 42c and their respective bosses 244a, 244b, 244c preferably corresponds to a structural connector 50a, 50b, 50c of the plurality of structural connectors 50. The protrusion 260 preferably comprises a plurality of bosses 243a, 243b, 243c each of which preferably corresponds to a structural connector 50a, 50b, 50c of the plurality of structural connectors 50. The structural connectors 50a, 50b, 50c can be glued into the bosses 243a, 243b, 243c.
The face component 230 preferably comprises a striking plate section 230a and return sections 231a and 231b that are approximately perpendicular to the striking plate section 230a. The face component 230 is preferably welded over the opening 239 of the body 220. The face component 230 is preferably composed of a metal that is different from the metal of the body 220. The face component 230 is preferably composed of a high performance metal material such as SP700 titanium alloy, carpenter steel, or the like. The face component 230 preferably has a varying thickness. Alternatively, the face section has a uniform thickness.
In order to achieve a low, frontward center of gravity (CG) without affecting a weld seam, the protrusion 260 is located inside the hollow interior 240 and proximate the opening 239, and extends from the heel end 224 to the toe end 226. This construction avoids creating welding problems, but still allows for discretionary mass to be located mostly low and forward in the golf club head 200. The protrusion 260 preferably has a base section 260b and an extension section 260a. The structural connectors 50 are positioned on the extension section 260a of the protrusion 260. The protrusion 260, which preferably is cast into the body 220 but may, in alternative embodiments, be welded or affixed mechanically to the body 220, extends upwards from the sole section 238 and protrudes from the opening 239 of the body 220. When the golf club head 200 is assembled, the protrusion 260 extends towards the face component 230 without making contact with the striking plate section 230a. The protrusion 260 preferably comprises at least 20% of the mass of the body 220, and more preferably 30% of the mass of the body 220. The protrusion 260 preferably ranges in mass from 30 grams to 60 grams. U.S. Pat. No. 8,414,420 for a Weighted Golf Club Head to Erickson is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.
When the golf club head 10 is designed as a driver, it preferably has a volume from 200 cubic centimeters to 600 cubic centimeters, more preferably from 300 cubic centimeters to 500 cubic centimeters, and most preferably from 420 cubic centimeters to 470 cubic centimeters, with a most preferred volume of 460 cubic centimeters. In the preferred embodiment, the golf club head 10 has a volume of approximately 450 cc to 460 cc.
The volume of the golf club head 10 also varies between fairway woods (preferably ranging from 3-woods to eleven woods) with smaller volumes than drivers. When designed as a driver, the golf club head 10 preferably has a mass of no more than 215 grams, and most preferably a mass of 180 to 215 grams; when designed as a fairway wood, the golf club head 10 preferably has a mass of 135 grams to 200 grams, and preferably from 140 grams to 165 grams.
In each of the embodiments disclosed herein, the striking face section 30 preferably has a varying thickness such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,448,960, for a Golf Club Head With Variable Face Thickness, which pertinent parts are hereby incorporated by reference. Other alternative embodiments of the thickness of the striking face section 30 are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,398,666, for a Golf Club Striking Plate With Variable Thickness, U.S. Pat. No. 6,471,603, for a Contoured Golf Club Face and U.S. Pat. No. 6,368,234, for a Golf Club Striking Plate Having Elliptical Regions Of Thickness, all of which are owned by Callaway Golf Company and which pertinent parts are hereby incorporated by reference. Alternatively, the striking face section 30 may have a uniform thickness.
In each of the embodiments disclosed herein, the body 20 is preferably cast from molten metal in a method such as the well-known lost-wax casting method. The metal for casting is preferably titanium or a titanium alloy such as 6-4 titanium alloy, alpha-beta titanium alloy or beta titanium alloy for forging, and 6-4 titanium for casting. Alternatively, the body 20 is composed of 17-4 steel alloy. Additional methods for manufacturing the body 20 include forming the body 20 from a flat sheet of metal, super-plastic forming the body from a flat sheet of metal, machining the body 20 from a solid block of metal, electrochemical milling the body 20 from a forged pre-form, casting the body using centrifugal casting, casting the body 20 using levitation casting, and like manufacturing methods.
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, 6,663,504, 6,669,578, 6,739,982, 6,758,763, 6,860,824, 6,994,637, 7,025,692, 7,070,517, 7,112,148, 7,118,493, 7,121,957, 7,125,344, 7,128,661, 7,163,470, 7,226,366, 7,252,600, 7,258,631, 7,314,418, 7,320,646, 7,387,577, 7,396,296, 7,402,112, 7,407,448, 7,413,520, 7,431,667, 7,438,647, 7,455,598, 7,476,161, 7,491,134, 7,497,787, 7,549,935, 7,578,751, 7,717,807, 7,749,096, and 7,749,097, the disclosure of each of which is hereby incorporated in its entirety herein.
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. 15/447,638, filed on Mar. 2, 2017, and issued on Jun. 27, 2017, as U.S. Pat. No. 9,687,702, which is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/279,188 filed on Sep. 28, 2016, and issued on Jun. 27, 2017, as U.S. Pat. No. 9,687,701, which is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/847,227 filed on Sep. 8, 2015, and issued on Nov. 8, 2016, as U.S. Pat. No. 9,486,677, which is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/285,479 filed on May 22, 2014, and issued on Dec. 15, 2015, as U.S. Pat. No. 9,211,451, which is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/788,173 filed on Mar. 7, 2013, and issued on Jan. 6, 2015, as U.S. Pat. No. 8,926,448, and also is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/788,326 filed on Jun. 30, 2015, and issued on Mar. 21, 2017, as U.S. Pat. No. 9,597,558, and also is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/794,578 filed on Jul. 8, 2015, and issued on Nov. 14, 2017, as U.S. Pat. No. 9,814,947, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/755,068, filed on Jun. 30, 2015, and issued on Apr. 18, 2017, as U.S. Pat. No. 9,623,302, which is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/498,843 filed on Sep. 26, 2014, and issued on Feb. 16, 2016, as U.S. Pat. No. 9,259,627, which is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/173,615 filed on Feb. 5, 2014, and issued on Nov. 10, 2015, as U.S. Pat. No. 9,180,349, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/898,956 filed on Nov. 1, 2013, and which is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/039,102 filed on Sep. 27, 2013, and issued on Sep. 16, 2014, as U.S. Pat. No. 8,834,294, which is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/797,404 filed on Mar. 12, 2013, now abandoned, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/665,203 filed on Jun. 27, 2012, and 61/684,079 filed on Aug. 16, 2012, the disclosure of each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
8257195 | Erickson | Sep 2012 | B1 |
8328661 | Erickson | Dec 2012 | B1 |
8414420 | Erickson | Apr 2013 | B1 |
8425346 | Erickson | Apr 2013 | B1 |
8690708 | Ehlers | Apr 2014 | B1 |
8834294 | Seluga | Sep 2014 | B1 |
8835294 | Chew | Sep 2014 | B2 |
8900070 | Dawson | Dec 2014 | B1 |
8926448 | Ivanova | Jan 2015 | B1 |
8956244 | Westrum | Feb 2015 | B1 |
9022881 | Ehlers | May 2015 | B1 |
9067110 | Seluga | Jun 2015 | B1 |
9072951 | Tang | Jul 2015 | B1 |
9101811 | Goudarzi | Aug 2015 | B1 |
9180349 | Seluga | Nov 2015 | B1 |
9211451 | Westrum | Dec 2015 | B1 |
9211453 | Foster | Dec 2015 | B1 |
9216332 | Ehlers | Dec 2015 | B1 |
9259627 | Myers | Feb 2016 | B1 |
9333390 | Manwaring | May 2016 | B1 |
9345936 | Westrum | May 2016 | B1 |
9352199 | Seluga | May 2016 | B2 |
9409069 | Ehlers | Aug 2016 | B2 |
9463361 | Goudarzi | Oct 2016 | B2 |
9486677 | Seluga | Nov 2016 | B1 |
9586105 | Westrum | Mar 2017 | B1 |
9597558 | Seluga | Mar 2017 | B1 |
9597561 | Seluga | Mar 2017 | B1 |
9623302 | Myers | Apr 2017 | B1 |
9687701 | Seluga | Jun 2017 | B1 |
9687702 | Seluga | Jun 2017 | B1 |
9694257 | Seluga | Jul 2017 | B1 |
9757629 | Seluga | Sep 2017 | B2 |
9776058 | Seluga | Oct 2017 | B2 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20170282022 A1 | Oct 2017 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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61898956 | Nov 2013 | US | |
61665203 | Jun 2012 | US | |
61684079 | Aug 2012 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 15447638 | Mar 2017 | US |
Child | 15628100 | US | |
Parent | 14847227 | Sep 2015 | US |
Child | 15279188 | US | |
Parent | 13797404 | Mar 2013 | US |
Child | 14039102 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 15279188 | Sep 2016 | US |
Child | 15447638 | US | |
Parent | 14285479 | May 2014 | US |
Child | 14847227 | US | |
Parent | 13788173 | Mar 2013 | US |
Child | 14285479 | US | |
Parent | 14794578 | Jul 2015 | US |
Child | 14847227 | US | |
Parent | 14788326 | Jun 2015 | US |
Child | 14794578 | US | |
Parent | 14755068 | Jun 2015 | US |
Child | 14794578 | US | |
Parent | 14498843 | Sep 2014 | US |
Child | 14755068 | US | |
Parent | 14173615 | Feb 2014 | US |
Child | 14498843 | US | |
Parent | 14039102 | Sep 2013 | US |
Child | 14173615 | US |