Patent Application
20130150178
Not Applicable
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an iron-type golf club. More specifically, the present invention relates to an iron-type golf club with improved vibration damping.
2. Description of the Related Art
The prior art discloses various methods for vibration damping. One such example is U.S. Pat. No. 7,621,822 issued to Roach for Iron Golf Club with Improved Mass Properties and Vibration Damping. This patent discloses a golf club having a multiple material construction, wherein the center of gravity is located downward and rearward of the golf club head, while providing vibration damping.
Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 7,597,633 to Shimazaki, et at. for Golf Club Head, which discloses a golf club head with a spacer member formed of a viscoelastic body with vibration damping performance. Yet another example is U.S. Pat. No. 7,476,162 issued to Stites, et al. for Golf Club Head Having a Bridge Member and Damping Element. This patent discloses a golf club head comprising a damping element which reduces the vibration and sound of the golf club head upon impact with a golf ball.
Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 7,585,232 issued to Krumme for Golf Club Head, which discloses the use of a polyurethane elastomer to provide vibration damping. A further example of vibration damping is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,588,503 to Roach et al. for Multi-Piece Golf Club Head with Improved Inertia, This patent discloses the use of larger amount of viscoelastic material to achieve a greater variety of club head characteristics, including vibration damping.
The present invention provides an iron-type golf club head which has a low center of gravity, a high moment of inertia, reduced vibrations, and a solid feel and appearance. The golf club head includes a plurality of members. A body member includes a rear surface, a sole surface, a crown surface, and a front surface. The front surface has a central cavity disposed within, and the rear surface has an opening.
A damping member is disposed within the cavity of the front surface. The damping member has a mass that ranges from 5 grams to 30 grams and is preferably composed of an EPDM material. A face member is mounted in the central cavity of the front surface and the face member is preferably composed of a titanium alloy.
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.
FIG, 2 is a rear plan view of the iron club head of
As shown in
Disposed within the cavity 36 of the front surface 34 is a damping member 40, The damping member 40 is preferably composed of an EPDM material. Alternatively, the damping member 40 may be composed of a viseoelastic material. The damping member 40 is located directly behind the ball-striking surface 44, as well as around the perimeter of the face member 42, where significant vibration could occur. A face member 42 is mounted to the central cavity 36 of the front surface 34 and is disposed over the damping member 40. The face member 42 of the golf club head 20 is preferably composed of a titanium alloy. The ball-striking surface 44 of the face member 42 has a plurality of scorelines 46 formed therein. In a preferred embodiment the top of the hosel 30 is lower than the toe end 26 of the front wall 34, thereby lowering the center of gravity of the club head 20.
The golf club head 20 also has a crown surface 32, a sole surface 30, a heel wall 54, a toe wall 56 and a rear surface 28. The crown surface 32 extends rearward from the top end of the front wall 34, in a direction opposite the ball-striking surface 44, to the rear surface 28 of the body 22. The sole surface 30 extends rearward from the bottom end of the front wall 34 to the rear surface 28. The heel wall 54 extends rearward from the heel end 24 of the front wall 34 to the rear surface 28, and the toe wall 56 extends rearward from the toe end 26 of the front wall 34 to the rear surface 28. The rear surface 28, the crown surface 32, the sole surface 30, the heel wall 54 and the toe wall 56 define a central cavity 36 in the front surface 34 of the club head 20. The crown surface 32, the sole surface 30, the heel wall 54 and the toe wall 56 also provide the club head 20 with perimeter weighting to make the club head more forgiving and provide better performance for the typical golfer.
As best illustrated in
The axes of inertia are designated X, Y and Z. The X-axis extends from rear of the golf club head 20 through the center of gravity, CG, and to the front wall. The Y-axis extends from the heel end 24 of the golf club head 20 through the center of gravity, CG, and to the toe end 26 of the golf club head 20. The Z-axis extends from the bottom wall through the center of gravity, CG, and to the top wall.
As defined in Golf Club Design, Fitting Alteration & Repair, 4th Edition, by Ralph Maltby, the center of gravity, or center of mass, of the golf club head is a point inside of the club head determined by the vertical intersection of two or more points where the club head balances when suspended. A more thorough explanation of this definition of the center of gravity is provided in Golf Club Design, Fitting, Alteration & Repair.
The center of gravity and the moments of inertia of the golf club head 20 are preferably measured using a test frame (XT, YT, ZT), and then transformed to a head frame (XH, YH, ZH). The center of gravity of the golf club head 20 may be obtained using a center of gravity table having two weight scales thereon, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,607,452, entitled High Moment Of Inertia Composite Golf Club, and hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. If a shaft is present, the shaft is removed and replaced with a hosel cube that has a multitude of faces normal to the axes of the golf club head. Given the weight of the golf club head, the scales allow one to determine the weight distribution of the golf club head when the golf club head is placed on both scales simultaneously and weighed along a particular direction, the X, Y or Z direction.
In general, the moment of inertia, Izz, about the Z-axis for the golf club head 20 preferably ranges from 2100 g-cm2 to 2700 g-cm2. The moment of inertia, Iyy, about the Y-axis for the golf club head 20 preferably ranges from 400 g-cm2 to 800 g-cm2. The moment of inertia, Ixx, about the X-axis for the golf club head 20 preferably ranges from 2200 g-cm2 to 2800 g-cm2.
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 claims priority to and is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/632,675, filed on Dec. 7, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,366,566, issued on Feb. 5, 2013, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 12632675 | Dec 2009 | US |
| Child | 13759329 | US |
