Patent Application
20150335963
This present technology generally relates to systems, devices, and methods related to golf clubs, and more specifically to metal wood clubs including a hosel incorporating a hosel rib.
Multi-piece construction metal wood golf clubs generally include a plurality of pieces which are joined together to form a golf club head. One of those pieces includes the hosel, the portion of the golf club head configured to receive the shaft of the golf club. In some golf club heads, the plurality of pieces also includes a face cup, a crown, and a sole. The plurality of pieces can be welded together to form the golf club head. Lie angle, face angle, and loft angle, are a few characteristics of a golf club head which a manufacturer desires to keep within tolerance during manufacturing.
The lie angle of any golf club is the angle formed between the center of the shaft and the ground line of the golf club when the club is soled in its proper playing position. Face angle is the angle of the face of the club relative to the target. If the club head is “square,” the clubface will be directly facing the target on address. A “closed” face will be aligned to the left of the target (for right-handed players). If it is “open,” the face will be aligned to the right of the target. Loft angle is a measurement, in degrees, of the angle at which the face of the club lies relative to a perfectly vertical face. Using a club with a high loft angle will typically result in a golf shot with a high initial trajectory. In contrast, utilizing a club with a low loft angle will typically result in a golf shot with a low initial trajectory.
Devices have been developed for bending the hosel of the golf club head. The devices generally include some form of vise or clamp and may include a bending tool and/or gauge to measure the angle or bend in at least one axis or plane. U.S. Pat. No. 6,260,250 generally discloses a bending plate to be used in conjunction with a conventional clamping apparatus in order to apply force to the hosel region of the club head in order to vary the lie and/or loft angle of the golf club head. As discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,260,250, the force to the hosel is applied using a tool well known in the golf club manufacturing industry.
The systems, methods, and devices described herein have innovative aspects, no single one of which is indispensable or solely responsible for their desirable attributes. Without limiting the scope of the claims, some of the advantageous features will now be summarized.
One aspect of the present technology is the realization that during welding of the golf club head, portions of the golf club head can distort, causing face angle, loft, and lie angle to be out of specification. As a result, the hosel needs to be bent relative to the rest of the golf club head after welding in order for face angle, loft, and lie angle to fall within specification. In addition, some golf club head constructions can preferably include a hosel rib bridging the gap between a portion of the hosel and a portion of the golf club head. However, a hosel rib can limit the bending of the hosel relative to the golf club head after welding. Thus, there exists a need for an improved golf club head design incorporating a hosel rib but allowing for bending of the hosel relative to the rest of the golf club head after welding. The present technology is directed to systems, devices, and methods related to golf clubs, and more specifically to metal wood clubs including a hosel with a rib extending from a portion of the hosel. The construction of the golf club head incorporates a hosel rib construction providing the ability to bend the hosel relative to the rest of the golf club head after welding the multi-piece golf club head together.
One non-limiting embodiment of the present technology includes a method of constructing a golf club head, comprising affixing a hosel to a shell; wherein said shell comprises a striking face, a sole extending aftward from a lower edge of said ball striking face, and a crown extending aftward from an upper edge of said ball striking face; wherein said shell defines a golf club head interior within said shell; wherein said hosel is configured to receive a golf club shaft; wherein said hosel comprises an internal portion within said golf club head interior and an external portion extending outside said shell; wherein said golf club head comprises a hosel rib affixed to said internal portion of said hosel; manipulating the orientation of said hosel relative to said shell after affixing said hosel to said shell; and affixing said hosel rib to said shell after manipulating the orientation of said hosel.
In an additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology said shell comprises a rib window aligned with said hosel rib and configured to receive at least a portion of said hosel rib.
In an additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology at least a portion of said hosel rib extends into said rib window and affixing said hosel rib to said shell comprises affixing said portion of said hosel rib extending into said rib window to a portion of said shell adjacent said rib window.
In an additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology at least a portion of said hosel rib extends outside said shell of said golf club head and said method of constructing a golf club head further comprises removing said portion of said hosel rib extending outside said shell of said golf club head.
An additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology includes the marriage of a plurality of pieces to form said shell.
In an additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology said marriage comprises welding said plurality of pieces together, wherein affixing said hosel to said shell comprises welding said hosel to said shell, and wherein said marriage occurs prior to said manipulation of the orientation of said hosel relative to said shell.
In an additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology affixing said hosel rib to said shell comprises welding said hosel rib to said shell and wherein said method of constructing said golf club head further comprises a finishing process.
In an additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology said hosel rib substantially limits the orientation of said hosel from changing relative to said shell after said hosel rib is affixed to said shell.
In an additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology affixing said hosel rib to said shell comprises affixing said hosel rib to said sole.
In an additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology said hosel rib extends away from said hosel in a substantially heelward direction.
In an additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology said hosel rib is configured to manipulate the acoustic qualities of said golf club head.
In an additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology said hosel rib is substantially rectangular in cross section.
In an additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology said plurality of pieces forming said shell comprise a face cup, a sole, and a crown, wherein said face cup comprises a striking face, an upper face cup return, and a lower face cup return.
An additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology includes a method of constructing a golf club head, comprising affixing a hosel to a shell; wherein said shell comprises a striking face, a sole extending aftward from a lower edge of said ball striking face, and a crown extending aftward from an upper edge of said ball striking face; wherein said shell defines a golf club head interior within said shell; wherein said hosel is configured to receive a golf club shaft; wherein said hosel comprises an internal portion within said golf club head interior and an external portion extending outside said shell; wherein said golf club head comprises a hosel rib affixed to said internal portion of said hosel; wherein said shell comprises a plurality of affixation ports, said affixation ports comprising holes passing through said shell; manipulating the orientation of said hosel relative to said shell after affixing said hosel to said shell; affixing said hosel rib to said shell after manipulating the orientation of said hosel; and wherein affixing said hosel rib to said shell comprises adding a spot weld to each affixation port, at least one of said spot welds engaging said hosel rib.
An additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology includes a golf club head, comprising a shell comprising a striking face; a sole extending aftward from a lower edge of said ball striking face; a crown extending aftward from an upper edge of said ball striking face; a golf club head interior within said shell; a hosel affixed to a heel side of said shell, said hosel configured to receive a golf club shaft; wherein said hosel comprises an internal portion extending into said golf club head interior and an external portion extending outside said shell; and a hosel rib affixed to said internal portion of said hosel and to said shell.
In an additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology said hosel rib substantially limits the orientation of said hosel from changing relative to said shell.
In an additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology said hosel rib is affixed to said sole.
In an additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology said shell comprises a plurality of pieces welded together and wherein said hosel is welded to said shell at a shell engaging hosel portion defining the border between said internal portion of said hosel and said external portion of said hosel.
In an additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology said hosel rib is welded to said shell.
In an additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology said internal portion of said hosel does not directly engage said shell, and wherein said internal portion of said hosel indirectly engages said shell via said hosel rib.
The accompanying drawings form a part of the specification and are to be read in conjunction therewith. The illustrated embodiments, however, are merely examples and are not intended to be limiting. Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements.
In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the present disclosure. The illustrative embodiments described in the detailed description, drawings, and claims are not meant to be limiting. Other embodiments may be utilized, and other changes may be made, without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matter presented herein. It will be readily understood that the aspects of the present disclosure, as generally described herein, and illustrated in the Figures, can be arranged, substituted, combined, and designed in a wide variety of different configurations, all of which are explicitly contemplated and form part of this disclosure. For example, a system or device may be implemented or a method may be practiced using any number of the aspects set forth herein. In addition, such a system or device may be implemented or such a method may be practiced using other structure, functionality, or structure and functionality in addition to or other than one or more of the aspects set forth herein. Alterations and further and further modifications of inventive features illustrated herein, and additional applications of the principles of the inventions as illustrated herein, which would occur to one skilled in the relevant art and having possession of this disclosure, are to be considered within the scope of the invention.
Other than in the operating examples, or unless otherwise expressly specified, all of the numerical ranges, amounts, values and percentages such as those for amounts of materials, moments of inertias, center of gravity locations, loft and draft angles, and others in the following portion of the specification may be read as if prefaced by the word “about” even though the term “about” may not expressly appear with the value, amount, or range. Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the following specification and attached claims are approximations that may vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by the present invention. At the very least, and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims, each numerical parameter should at least be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques.
Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of the invention are approximations, the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as possible. Any numerical value, however, inherently contains certain errors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in their respective testing measurements. Furthermore, when numerical ranges of varying scope are set forth herein, it is contemplated that any combination of these values inclusive of the recited values may be used.
In describing the present technology, the following terminology may have been used: The singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to an item includes reference to one or more items. The term “plurality” refers to two or more of an item. The term “substantially” means that the recited characteristic, parameter, or value need not be achieved exactly, but that deviations or variations, including for example, tolerances, measurement error, measurement accuracy limitations and other factors known to those of skill in the art, may occur in amounts that do not preclude the effect the characteristic was intended to provide. A plurality of items may be presented in a common list for convenience. However, these lists should be construed as though each member of the list is individually identified as a separate and unique member. Thus, no individual member of such list should be construed as a de facto equivalent of any other member of the same lists solely based on their presentation in a common group without indications to the contrary. Furthermore, where the terms “and” and “or” are used in conjunction with a list of items, they are to be interpreted broadly, in that any one or more of the listed items may be used alone or in combination with other listed items. The term “alternatively” refers to a selection of one of two or more alternatives, and is not intended to limit the selection of only those listed alternative or to only one of the listed alternatives at a time, unless the context clearly indicated otherwise.
Features of the present disclosure will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. After considering this discussion, and particularly after reading the section entitled “Detailed Description” one will understand how the illustrated features serve to explain certain principles of the present disclosure.
Embodiments described herein generally relate to systems, devices, and methods related to golf clubs, and more specifically to metal wood clubs including a hosel with a hosel rib extending from a portion of the hosel.
In some embodiments, the golf club head 1100 can comprise a multi-piece construction, meaning that the golf club head 1100 comprises a plurality of pieces, which may include for example a face cup 1700, sole 1300, crown, and hosel 1500, which are formed separately, and then joined together to form a golf club head 1100, which can be referred to as a marriage.
The various pieces of the golf club head 1100 can be made from a variety of materials which may include, for example, titanium, steel, aluminum, composite materials such as carbon fiber, etc. The various pieces of the golf club head 1100 can be formed using a variety of techniques which may include, for example, casting, forging, stamping, machining, sintering, vacuum infusion, autoclaving, etc. The marriage of the golf club head 1100 can comprise joining the various pieces of the club head together using a variety of techniques which may include, for example, welding, swaging, brazing, mechanical locking structures, bonding agents such as adhesives, epoxies, resins, etc. Welding, when utilized herein, refers to joining a plurality of structures via melting at least a portion of each structure forming a molten pool which becomes a strong joint once the pool cools. Welding can utilize various sources of heat which may include, for example, a gas flame, an electric arc, a laser, an electron beam, friction, ultrasound, etc.
One of the primary goals of golf club manufacturing is ensuring that characteristics of the golf club head 1100 which may include for example, lie angle, face angle, and loft angle, remain within tolerance during manufacturing. In some cases, during manufacture, the hosel 1500 may not be oriented within tolerance relative to the rest of the golf club head 1100. The rest of the golf club head 1100 can be referred to as the shell 1600 and can include the striking face 1400, sole 1300, and crown. Often, such errors are due to movement or deformation of the various pieces of the club head 1100 during their marriage to form the golf club head 1100. In some embodiments, the characteristics of the golf club head 1100 including lie angle, face angle, and loft angle, can move outside the tolerated range during the marriage of the various pieces of the golf club head, particularly when they are welded together. Thus, after the marriage of the various pieces of the golf club head 1100, the orientation of the hosel 1500 often must be manipulated relative to the shell 1600 of the golf club head 1100 to ensure the golf club head 1100 is within specification.
In some embodiments, as illustrated in
In some embodiments, as illustrated in
The hosel rib 1550 can be integrally formed with the hosel 1500. In other embodiments, the hosel rib 1550 can be affixed to the hosel 1500 by a variety of techniques which may include for example, welding, swaging, brazing, mechanical locking structures, bonding agents such as adhesives, epoxies, resins, etc. The hosel rib 1550 can be affixed to a portion of the shell 1600 of the golf club head 1100 as well, which may include for example, the sole 1300. In some embodiments, the hosel rib 1550 can be affixed to a portion of the shell 1600 of the golf club head 1100 during the same stage of construction as the marriage of the golf club head 1100. One problem with a hosel rib 1550 which is affixed to both the hosel 1500 and the shell 1600 of the golf club head 1100, is that adjusting the hosel 1500 orientation relative to the shell 1600 of the golf club head 1100 after joining the various pieces of the golf club head 1100 together, becomes difficult due to the inflexibility of the hosel 1500 relative to the shell 1600 of the golf club head 1100.
In some embodiments, the hosel rib 1550 is not affixed to the shell 1600 of the golf club head 1100 during the marriage of the golf club head 1100, thus maintaining some flexibility between the hosel 1500 and the shell 1600 of the golf club head 1100. The hosel 1500 can then be manipulated relative to the shell 1600 after the marriage to achieve the desired golf club characteristics. The problem then becomes, affixing the hosel rib 1550 to the shell 1600 of the golf club head 1100 after the marriage, as the marriage may have made it difficult or impossible to access the golf club head interior 1650.
In some embodiments, as illustrated in
In some embodiments, as illustrated in
Then, in some embodiments, as illustrated in
In some embodiments, as illustrated in
In some embodiments, as illustrated in
In other embodiments, affixing the hosel rib 1550 to the shell 1600 of the golf club head 1100 can include other means of fixation which may include for example, swaging, brazing, mechanical locking structures, bonding agents such as adhesives, epoxies, resins, etc. In some embodiments, one or more pieces of the golf club head 1100 including for example, the hosel 1500, the crown, the sole 1300, the striking face 1400, the hosel rib 1550, etc. can comprise a composite material which may include for example, carbon fiber. In some embodiments, the finishing process can include adding additional materials over the rib window 1800 area or affixation port 1900 area to further camouflage the existence of the rib window 1800 or affixation ports 1900.
In describing the present technology herein, certain features that are described in the context of separate implementations also can be implemented in combination in a single implementation. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single implementation also can be implemented in multiple implementations separately or in any suitable sub combination. Moreover, although features may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a sub combination or variation of a sub combination.
Various modifications to the implementations described in this disclosure may be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other implementations without departing from the spirit or scope of this disclosure. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the implementations shown herein, but are to be accorded the widest scope consistent with this disclosure as well as the principle and novel features disclosed herein.
