Patent Application
20080004130
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:
Before the present invention is described in greater detail, it should be noted that like elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the disclosure.
Referring to
The striking plate member 6 includes a front plate 61 and a back plate 61′. The front plate 61 is made of a titanium alloy, has a striking face 65 adapted to strike a golf ball (not shown), and a thickness of about 0.5 mm. By using a titanium alloy, the front plate 61 not only is light in weight, but also is durable.
The back plate 61′ is connected face-to-face with the front plate 61, and has a back face 66. The back face 66 has an outer peripheral flange 665 that projects rearwardly from the back face 66 along an outer periphery of the back face 66, an annular reinforcing rib 664 formed on the back face 66 within the outer peripheral flange 665, a central boss 660 formed concentrically within the annular reinforcing rib 664, and a plurality of angularly spaced-apart diametral reinforcing ribs 662 extending diametrically through the central boss 660 and the annular reinforcing rib 664. The outer peripheral flange 665, the annular reinforcing rib 664, and the diametral reinforcing ribs 662 cooperate to define a plurality of receiving grooves 661.
The back plate 61′ is made of a light and high strength metal. In this embodiment, the back plate 61′ is made of a magnesium alloy. Alternatively, the back plate 61′ maybe made of an alloy selected from the group consisting of an aluminum-magnesium alloy, an aluminum alloy, and an aluminum-scandium alloy.
The front and back plates 61, 61′ have substantially identical outer profiles. In this embodiment, the front and back plates 61, 61′ are secured to each other through an adhesive. Alternatively, the front and back plates 61, 61′ may be welded to each other, or may be connected to each other using other conventional connecting methods.
The diametral reinforcing ribs 662 include a substantially vertical reinforcing rib 6621 and a substantially horizontal reinforcing rib 6622 that intersect each other perpendicularly. In an alternative embodiment, the vertical and horizontal reinforcing ribs 6621, 6622 may intersect each other obliquely. Each of the vertical and horizontal reinforcing ribs 6621, 6622 has two opposite ends connected to the outer peripheral flange 665.
The annular reinforcing rib 664 is located behind a striking zone or sweet spot of the striking face 65 so as to strengthen the structure of the striking zone and so as to absorb the vibration produced by the striking zone when hitting the golf ball. Alternatively, the area of the annular reinforcing rib 664 may be expanded so as to further protect areas outside the striking zone.
The vibration-absorbing elements 62 are disposed respectively in the receiving grooves 661. Each vibration-absorbing element 62 is made of a material selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic polyurethane, silicone, and natural rubber. Alternatively, each vibration-absorbing element 62 may be made of a non-alloyed metal selected from the group consisting of aluminum, magnesium, copper, zinc, and tin. As long as the material can achieve a sufficient vibration-absorbing effect, it is suitable for disposal in the corresponding receiving groove 661.
When the golf club head of the present invention strikes the golf ball, in addition to the reinforcement provided to the structure of the back plate 61′ by the vertical and horizontal reinforcing ribs 6621, 6622, the annular reinforcing rib 664, and the outer peripheral flange 665, the golf club head of the present invention further uses the vibration-absorbing elements 62 in the respective grooves 661 to absorb the vibration produced during hitting of the golf ball. Moreover, use of a magnesium alloy enhances the ability of the back plate 61′ to absorb an impact force produced when the striking face 65 hits the ball so that the impact force can be directly, quickly, and effectively absorbed by the vibration-absorbing elements 62. As such, the vibration that is transferred to the player's hands is minimized, and the player can stably and accurately strike the golf ball in a desired direction.
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In this embodiment, each stud 653 has an internally extending threaded hole. The fasteners 63 are configured as screws that engage respectively and threadedly the internally extending threaded holes in the studs 653, so that the back plate (61c′) is stably connected within the indentation 654 of the front plate (61c).
Referring to
From the aforementioned description, it is apparent that the golf club head of the present invention is provided with the vibration-absorbing elements (62, 62a, 62b, 62c, 62d) in the back face (66, 66a, 66b, 66c, 66d) of the back plate (61′, 61a′, 61b′, 61c′, 61d′), so that the vibration produced during striking of the golf ball by the player can be directly and quickly transmitted to the back face (66, 66a, 66b, 66c, 66d) and absorbed by the vibration-absorbing elements (62, 62a, 62b, 62c, 62d), thereby minimizing the effect of vibration on the accurate swinging of the golf club. Because the vibration that is transmitted to the player's hands is minimized, any feelings of discomfort given to the player are reduced. Further, because each vibration-absorbing element (62, 62a, 62b, 62c, 62d) of the present invention is made of a solid material, e.g., thermoplastic polyurethane, silicone, or natural rubber, the problem of leakage encountered in the aforementioned conventional golf club head does not occur in the present invention. Moreover, the overall structure of the golf club head of the present invention is simple, so that its production costs are minimized.
While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.
