The disclosure below may be subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the documents containing this disclosure, as they appear in the Patent and Trademark Office records, but otherwise reserves all applicable copyrights.
Iron-type golf club heads may generally be classified into “blade” and “perimeter-weighted” categories. Perimeter-weighted iron-type golf club heads may have a substantial concentration of mass distributed behind the striking surface in the form of at least one peripheral wall, sometimes called the perimeter-weighting element. A perimeter-weighted iron-type golf club head may also be referred to as a “cavity-back” iron head, or simply a “cavity-back”, because the perimeter-weighting element thereof generally delimits a cavity in the rear portion of the club head opposite the striking face.
Perimeter-weighted irons are typically more “forgiving” than those of the blade type because the elevated moment of inertia generally associated with perimeter-weighted designs results in decreased head rotation when a ball is mishit, or struck away from the point of orthogonal projection of the club head's center of gravity onto the striking surface of the iron. Diminished rotation of the club head at impact may increase the accuracy and distance of such mishit shots. Thus, perimeter-weighted irons may substantially benefit less skilled golfers, who are likely to mishit the ball.
Various improvements for cavity-back iron heads, such as localized mass concentrations along the perimeter-weighting element, have been proposed. For example, it is well known that lowering the club head's center of gravity generally increases ball-launch angle at impact, thus facilitating shots from a variety of lies. Accordingly, sole-weighted cavity-back iron heads help improve ball-launch conditions.
In addition to mass-distribution improvements, a variety of vibration-attenuation technologies have been proposed for cavity-back irons. Some examples comprise a constrained-layer damper positioned behind the striking face within the rear cavity. Others include a resilient insert centrally disposed in the rear cavity. Typically, such inserts are made from materials having vibration-damping characteristics and low density.
However, club heads comprising a resilient insert located in the rear cavity may lack sufficient tactile feedback for a player to distinguish a well-made shot from a mediocre one. In addition, even though club heads fitted with constrained-layer dampers provide abatement of undesirable dynamic-excitation-response modes for a range of mishit shots, unfavorable dynamic-excitation-response modes associated with, e.g., extreme heel and toe mishits for such club heads remain problematic.
The present invention, in one or more aspects thereof, may advantageously comprise a golf club head having improved forgiveness on mishit shots, enhanced tactile feedback, increased structural integrity, and reduced hook/slice tendencies.
In one example, a golf club head according to one or more aspects of the present invention may include a base surface located rearward of the striking surface and an insert associated with the base surface. The insert includes at least two contact elements and a bridge member disposed therebetween. At least a portion of each contact element of the insert may be associated with the base surface of the club head, whereas the bridge member of the insert may be dissociated from the base surface.
In another example, a golf club head according to one or more aspects of the present invention may include an insert and a main cavity comprising a first auxiliary cavity and a second auxiliary cavity. One portion of the insert may be disposed in the first auxiliary cavity and another portion of the insert may be disposed in the second auxiliary cavity.
In another example, a golf club head according to one or more aspects of the present invention may include a rear surface and a main cavity formed in the rear surface. The main cavity may comprise a base surface having an organic coating disposed on less than about 50% of the base surface. Additionally, an insert may be coupled to the base surface by an adhesive.
In yet another example, a golf club head according to one or more aspects of the present invention may be manufactured by providing a semi-finished club head with a rear surface comprising a main cavity including a base surface; placing a masking material on at least about 50% of the base surface; applying an organic to at least a portion of the base surface devoid of the masking material; removing the masking material; and bonding an insert to at least a portion of the base surface.
These and other features and advantages of the golf club head according to the invention in its various aspects as provided by one or more of the examples described in detail below will become apparent after consideration of the ensuing description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims. The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
Exemplary implementations of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
a is a front perspective view of an exemplary golf club head in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention.
b is another front perspective view of the golf club head of
c is a rear perspective view of the golf club head of
d is another rear perspective view of the golf club head of
e is another rear perspective view of the golf club head of
a is a rear elevational view of an exemplary golf club head in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention.
b is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines VIIb-VIIb of
a is a cross-sectional view of a vibration-attenuating feature taken along the lines VIIIa-VIIIa of
b and 8c are cross-sectional views of exemplary vibration-attenuating features of an exemplary golf club head in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention.
a is an exploded rear perspective view of an exemplary golf club head in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention.
b is another rear perspective view of the golf club head of
Referring to
With reference to
With reference to
As shown in
Referring to
With reference to
As shown in
As shown in
Referring to
The constrained-layer damper 880a is provided to improve the dynamic-excitation response of a golf club head at ball impact. Referring to
Referring to
In another example, a constrained-layer damper 880c, shown in
The club head, according to one or more aspects of the invention, may be provided with additional features to improve the dynamic-excitation response for mishit shots. As shown in
In another example, a golf club head 1000, shown in
The insert 1020 may be made from a resilient material having a Shore hardness from about 50 A to about 75 D to provide a soft tactile sensation. In another example, the resilient material may have a Shore hardness from about 60 A to about 80 A. The tactilely perceptible softness of the insert may communicate to the golfer an improvement in the dynamic-response characteristics of the golf club head at ball impact, thus promoting increased player confidence in the equipment. Examples of the resilient materials suitable for fabricating the insert 1020 may include polyurethane, silicone, ABS, Nylon, polycarbonate (PC), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), thermoplastic rubber (TPR), thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV), thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), and natural rubber. In another example, the insert 1020 may be made from thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) having a Shore hardness between about 65 A and about 75 A. The specific gravity of the insert may depend on the material selected and may generally be between about 0.8 and about 2.0. Alternatively, the material selected may be densified by blending the resilient material with a higher-density powdered material, e.g., tungsten, prior to the formation of the insert 1020. The specific gravity of the densified insert may be in a range from about 0.8 to about 15. The insert may therefore be used to alter the weight distribution of the club head.
Referring again to
Referring to
In another aspect of the present invention, a golf club head 1200, shown in
According to the USGA Rules, all parts of a golf club head must be fixed. In other words, no part of a golf club head may exhibit movement relative to any other part thereof when subject to an external force. Absent additional underpinnings, the bridge members of the exemplary inserts, described above with reference to
With reference to
Referring again to
In another example, shown in
With reference to
It may also be desirable to enhance the cosmetic appeal of the club head, according to one or more aspects of the present invention, with the use of organic surface coatings, e.g., paint or the like. However, the application of such coatings to the club head may lead to a weak bond between the club head and any supplementary vibration-attenuation components, such as those described above. Thus, specific preparation of the club head surface is necessary for the durability of any adhesive bond between the club head and its bonded components. Such surface preparation may include cleaning the head with solvents or other chemicals and subsequently treating any surfaces that will have an adhesive and/or coating applied thereto with an abrasive medium. Organic surface coatings should be applied to the head prior to the attachment of any supplementary components to avoid staining the supplementary components with the coating.
Referring to
In the foregoing specification, the invention has been described with reference to specific exemplary aspects thereof. It will, however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.
This is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 13/728,036 filed on Dec. 27, 2012, which in turn is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 13/464,100 filed on May 4, 2012, which is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 12/837,806 filed Jul. 16, 2010, which is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 12/071,132 filed Feb. 15, 2008 (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,789,771). The prior applications, including the specifications, drawings and abstracts are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
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Sep. 13, 2013 Notice of Allowance issued in U.S. Appl. No. 13/728,036. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20140106904 A1 | Apr 2014 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 13728036 | Dec 2012 | US |
Child | 14105991 | US | |
Parent | 13464100 | May 2012 | US |
Child | 13728036 | US | |
Parent | 12837806 | Jul 2010 | US |
Child | 13464100 | US | |
Parent | 12071132 | Feb 2008 | US |
Child | 12837806 | US |