Not Applicable
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a golf club head with stress-reducing stiffening members, the stress-reducing stiffening members 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 present invention is directed to a method of manufacturing a golf club head comprising interior structures connecting a return section to a sole section to reduce the stress in a striking face section during impact with a golf ball. The interior structures are a plate or one or more solid rods that are co-cast with a body portion of the golf club head via a wax-welding processes.
One aspect of the present invention is a method comprising the steps of preparing a wax of a golf club head body, the wax of the golf club head 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 striking face section, sole section, and return section defining a hollow body interior, the return section comprising an elongated through-hole, and the sole section comprising an elongated receiving pocket, preparing a wax of a plate comprising an upper end and a lower end, inserting the plate into the elongated through-hole and seating the lower end in the elongated receiving pocket, bonding the plate to the body with an adhesive material to form a combined wax mold, and casting a golf club head from the combined wax mold, wherein the through-hole is aligned with the receiving pocket, wherein the plate is has a variable thickness ranging from 0.020 inch to 0.160 inch, wherein the plate is located within 1 inch of a rear surface of the striking face section measured along a vertical plane extending through a face center perpendicular to the striking face section, and wherein no portion of the plate makes contact with the striking face section.
In some embodiments, the plate may be spaced a distance of no more than 0.210 inch from the rear surface. In other embodiments, the step of bonding the plate to the body may comprise applying glue around an entire circumference of each of the upper and lower ends of the plate. In still other embodiments, the method may further comprise the step of applying hot wax to the upper end of the plate to seal it to the return section after the step of bonding the plate to the body. In yet another embodiment, the step of casting a golf club head from the combined wax mold may comprise casting the golf club head from a titanium alloy. In any of these embodiments, the plate may comprise at least one cutout. In another embodiment, the plate may have a length of 1 inch to 2.5 inches. In some embodiments, the upper end may be spaced a first distance from the rear surface, the lower end may be spaced a second distance from the rear surface, and the second distance may be greater than the first distance. In a further embodiment, the first distance may be 0.120 inch to 0.150 inch, and the second distance may be 0.180 inch to 0.210 inch. In any of the embodiments, the plate may extend through the hollow body interior approximately parallel with the rear surface.
Another aspect of the present invention is a method comprising the steps of: preparing a wax of a golf club head body, the wax of the golf club head 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 striking face section, sole section, and return section defining a hollow body interior, the return section comprising an elongated receiving pocket, and the sole section comprising an elongated through-hole, preparing a wax of a plate comprising an upper end, a lower end, and at least one cutout, inserting the plate into the elongated through-hole and seating the upper end in the elongated receiving pocket so that the plate is located within 1 inch of a rear surface of the striking face section measured along a vertical plane extending through a face center perpendicular to the striking face section, bonding the plate to the body with an adhesive material to form a combined wax mold, and casting a golf club head from the combined wax mold, wherein the through-bore is aligned with the receiving pocket, wherein the plate is has a variable thickness ranging from 0.020 inch to 0.160 inch, and wherein no portion of the plate makes contact with the striking face section.
In some embodiments, the step of bonding the plate to the body may comprise applying glue around an entire circumference of each of the upper and lower ends of the plate. In another embodiment, the method may further comprise the step of applying hot wax to the lower end of the plate to seal it to the sole section after the step of bonding the plate to the body. In any of the embodiments, the step of casting a golf club head from the combined wax mold may comprise casting the golf club head from a titanium alloy. In still other embodiments, the plate may have a length of 1 inch to 2.5 inches, and the plate may extend through the hollow body interior approximately parallel with the rear surface.
Yet another aspect of the present invention is a method comprising the steps of preparing a wax of a golf club head body, the wax of the golf club head 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 striking face section, sole section, and return section defining a hollow body interior, the return section comprising an elongated receiving pocket, and the sole section comprising an elongated through-hole, preparing a wax of a plate comprising at least one cutout, an upper end, and a lower end, inserting the plate into the elongated through-hole and seating the upper end in the elongated receiving pocket so that the plate is located within 1 inch of a rear surface of the striking face section measured along a vertical plane extending through a face center perpendicular to the striking face section, bonding the plate to the body with an adhesive material to form a combined wax mold, applying hot wax to the lower end of the plate to seal the lower end of the plate to the sole section and casting a golf club head from the combined wax mold, wherein the through-bore is aligned with the receiving pocket, wherein the plate has a variable thickness ranging from 0.020 inch to 0.160 inch and a length of 1 inch to 2.5 inches, wherein the plate extends through the hollow body interior approximately parallel with the rear surface, and wherein no portion of the plate makes contact with the striking face section.
In some embodiments, the plate may comprise a flared region at the lower end sized to fill the elongated through-hole. In still another embodiment, the plate may comprise a plurality of cutouts. In yet another embodiment, the step of bonding the plate to the body may comprise applying glue around an entire circumference of each of the upper and lower ends of the plate.
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.
The present invention is directed to a method of manufacturing a body for a golf club head that includes structural members, also referred to as stiffening members, and particularly a pair of solid rods or a variable thickness plate with or without cutout portions, that extend between a return section and a sole section approximately parallel with a rear surface of a striking face section (and, in the case of multiple stiffening members, with each other) without touching the rear surface (or one another), even during impact with a golf ball. In particular, the present invention is a method of co-casting the stiffening member(s) with the body.
As illustrated in
The wax of the main body 20 in other embodiments, such as the second and third (preferred) embodiments shown in
The body 20 in all embodiments disclosed herein 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 450 to 460 cubic centimeters. The striking face section 30 or face insert (not shown) 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 is hereby incorporated by reference. Other alternative embodiments of the thickness of the striking face section 30 or face insert (not shown) 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 are hereby incorporated by reference. Alternatively, the striking face section 30 or face insert (not shown) may have a uniform thickness.
The second step 120, preparing a wax of one or more stiffening members, can be performed at the same time as the first step 110. As shown in the first embodiment, the stiffening members are solid rods 50, 52, each of which is cylindrical, has a diameter of 0.050 inch to 0.200 inch, and has a length of 1 to 2.5 inches. Each of the rods 50, 52 also has an upper end 50a, 52a and a lower end 50b, 52b. The solid rods 50, 52 have a variable diameter to reduce their overall mass, such that the upper ends 50a, 52a and lower ends 50b, 52b have diameters that are larger than, and taper towards, a midpoint 50c, 52c of the solid rods 50, 52, so that the solid rods 50, 52 each has an approximate hourglass shape. In the first embodiment, the upper ends 50a, 52a and lower ends 50b, 52b have a diameter of 0.140 to 0.170 inch, while the midpoints 50c, 52c have a diameter of 0.100 to 0.125 inch.
In the preferred embodiment, the stiffening member is a plate 90 with a variable thickness pattern. The variable thickness pattern may be designed using artificial intelligence or machine learning techniques. The plate has an upper end 91, a lower end 92 with a flared region 93, a vertical length L of 1 inch to 2.5 inches, and a front to back thickness T ranging from 0.020 inch to 0.160 inch. The plate 90 preferably has at least one cutout section 94 as shown in
Once the waxes of the main body 20 and the stiffening members (solid rods 50, 52 or plate 90) have been prepared, the third step 130 of the method is performed: with respect to the first embodiment, the first solid rod wax 50 is inserted through the first hole 40 until the lower end 50b seats in the first receiving pocket 44, and the second solid rod wax 52 is inserted through the second hole 42 until the lower end 52b seats in the second receiving pocket 46. With respect to the second and third embodiments, the wax plate 90 is inserted through the elongated hole 41 until the upper end 91 seats in the elongated receiving pocket 43. The holes 40, 41, 42 and receiving pockets 43, 44, 46 preferably are oriented such that, when engaged with the body 20, each stiffening member 50, 52, 90 is closer to the striking face section 30 than to an aft end 28 of the body 20.
More preferably, the stiffening members 50, 52, 90 are both 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 stiffening member 50, 52, 90 should be located outside of this 1-inch range; in fact, it is more preferable for each stiffening member 50, 52, 90 to be located even closer to the rear surface 36 of the striking face section 30, e.g., 0.136 inch to 0.210 inch from the rear surface 36, with the upper end 50a, 52a, 91 of each stiffening member 50, 52, 90 spaced a distance D1 that is slightly closer to the rear surface 36 than the spacing D2 of the lower end 50b, 52b, 92 as shown in
In the fourth step 140, the wax stiffening members 50, 52, 90 are bonded to the wax of the main body 20, preferably using a glue and hot wax. With respect to the first embodiment, the upper ends 50a, 52a of the solid rods 50, 52 should be flush with an upper surface 32a of the return section 32 as shown in
The resulting combined wax mold 80 is then used to cast the body via lost-wax casting 150. The metal used for this step preferably is 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.
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 application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/903,868, filed on Sep. 6, 2022, which is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/396,971, filed on Aug. 9, 2021, and issued on Sep. 6, 2022, as U.S. patent Ser. No. 11/433,282, which is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/742,743, filed on Jan. 14, 2020, and issued on Aug. 10, 2021, as U.S. patent Ser. No. 11/083,937, which is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/411,491, filed on May 14, 2019, and issued on Jan. 14, 2020, as U.S. patent Ser. No. 10/532,258, which is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/912,247, filed on Mar. 5, 2018, and issued on Jul. 2, 2019, as U.S. Pat. No. 10,335,647, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/808,025, filed on Nov. 9, 2017, and issued on Apr. 3, 2018, as U.S. Pat. No. 9,931,550, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/442,892, filed on Jan. 5, 2017, and is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/628,514, filed on Jun. 20, 2017, and issued on Mar. 6, 2018, as U.S. Pat. No. 9,908,017, which 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, the disclosure of each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety herein. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/808,025 is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/637,902, filed on Jun. 29, 2017, and issued on May 29, 2018, as U.S. Pat. No. 9,981,167, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/446,754, filed on Mar. 1, 2017, and issued on Jul. 4, 2017, as U.S. Pat. No. 9,694,257, the disclosure of each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety herein. Each of U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 15/446,754 and 15/447,638 is a continuation-in-part 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 of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/857,227, filed on Sep. 8, 2015, and issued Nov. 8, 2016, as U.S. Pat. No. 9,486,677, which is a continuation-in-part 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 which is also a continuation-in-part 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 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 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 is a continuation-in-part 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 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 incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62442892 | Jan 2017 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Child | 16411491 | US |
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Parent | 17396971 | Aug 2021 | US |
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Parent | 16411491 | May 2019 | US |
Child | 16742743 | US | |
Parent | 15628514 | Jun 2017 | US |
Child | 15808025 | US | |
Parent | 15637902 | Jun 2017 | US |
Child | 15808025 | US | |
Parent | 15279188 | Sep 2016 | US |
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Parent | 15279188 | Sep 2016 | US |
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Parent | 14788326 | Jun 2015 | US |
Child | 14847227 | US |