Striking plate for a golf club head

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6800037
  • Patent Number
    6,800,037
  • Date Filed
    Wednesday, March 12, 2003
    21 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, October 5, 2004
    19 years ago
Abstract
A golf club having a club head with a striking plate that has an aspect ratio in excess of 0.575. The golf club head has a thin striking plate with a high aspect ratio in order to increase the deflection of the striking plate during impact with a golf ball. The striking plate may be composed of stainless steel, titanium, aluminum, amorphous metal, composites, or the like. The golf club head may be a wood or an iron.
Description




FEDERAL RESEARCH STATEMENT




[Not Applicable]




BACKGROUND OF INVENTION




1. Field of the Invention




The present invention relates to a golf club head. More specifically, the present invention relates to a golf club head with a striking plate having a more circular aspect ratio.




2. Description of the Related Art




When a golf club head strikes a golf ball, large impacts are produced that load the club head face and the golf ball. Most of the energy is transferred from the head to the golf ball, however, some energy is lost as a result of the collision. The golf ball is typically composed of polymer cover materials (such as ionomers) surrounding a rubber-like core. These softer polymer materials having damping (loss) properties that are strain and strain rate dependent which are on the order of 10-100 times larger than the damping properties of a metallic club face. Thus, during impact most of the energy is lost as a result of the high stresses and deformations of the golf ball (0.001 to 0.20 inches), as opposed to the small deformations of the metallic club face (0.025 to 0.050 inches). A more efficient energy transfer from the club head to the golf ball could lead to greater flight distances of the golf ball.




The generally accepted approach has been to increase the stiffness of the club head face to reduce metal or club head deformations. However, this leads to greater deformations in the golf ball, and thus increases in the energy transfer problem.




Some have recognized the problem and disclosed possible solutions. An example is Campau, U.S. Pat. No. 4,398,965, for a Method Of Making Iron Golf Clubs With Flexible Impact Surface, which discloses a club having a flexible and resilient face plate with a slot to allow for the flexing of the face plate. The face plate of Campau is composed of a ferrous material, such as stainless steel, and has a thickness in the range of 0.1 inches to 0.125 inches.




Another example is Eggiman, U.S. Pat. No. 5,863,261, for a Golf Club Head With Elastically Deforming Face And Back Plates, which discloses the use of a plurality of plates that act in concert to create a spring-like effect on a golf ball during impact. A fluid is disposed between at least two of the plates to act as a viscous coupler.




Yet another example is Jepson et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,937,474, for a Golf Club With A Polyurethane Insert. Jepson discloses that the polyurethane insert has a hardness between 40 and 75 shore D.




Still another example is Inamori, U.S. Pat. No. 3,975,023, for a Golf Club Head With Ceramic Face Plate, which discloses using a face plate composed of a ceramic material having a high energy transfer coefficient, although ceramics are usually harder materials. Chen et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,743,813 for a Golf Club Head, discloses using multiple layers in the face to absorb the shock of the golf ball. One of the materials is a non-metal material.




Lu, U.S. Pat. No. 5,499,814, for a Hollow Club Head With Deflecting Insert Face Plate, discloses a reinforcing element composed of a plastic or aluminum alloy that allows for minor deflecting of the face plate which has a thickness ranging from 0.01 to 0.30 inches for a variety of materials including stainless steel, titanium, KEVLAR®, and the like. Yet another Campau invention, U.S. Pat. No. 3,989,248, for a Golf Club Having Insert Capable Of Elastic Flexing, discloses a wood club composed of wood with a metal insert.




Although the prior art has disclosed many variations of golf club heads, the prior art has failed to provide a golf club head having a striking plate that increases the coefficient of restitution through increasing the depth of the striking plate.




SUMMARY OF INVENTION




The present invention provides a golf club head that is capable of imparting a very high coefficient of restitution. The present invention is able to accomplish this by using a striking plate having an increased depth, and a predetermined stiffness.




One aspect of the present invention is a golf club head with a striking plate that has an aspect ratio in excess of 0.575. The striking plate also has a depth within a certain range, and a width within a certain range. This allows the striking plate to have a greater deflection during impact with a golf ball thereby allowing for a greater transfer of energy to the golf ball. This energy transfer results in a golf club having a high coefficient of restitution. The coefficient of restitution is measured under test conditions, such as those specified by the USGA. The standard USGA conditions for measuring the coefficient of restitution is set forth in the


USGA Procedure for Measuring the Velocity Ratio of a Club Head for Conformance to Rule


4-1


e, Appendix II. Revision I, Aug.


4, 1998


and Revision


0


, Jul.


6, 1998, available from the USGA.




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.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a front plan view of a golf club of the present invention.





FIG. 2

is a top plan view of the golf club head of FIG.


1


.





FIG. 3

is an isolated view of a striking plate for a golf club head of the present invention.





FIG. 4

is a cross-sectional view of the golf club head of

FIG. 2

along line


4





4


.





FIG. 5

is an isolated view of the striking plate of FIG.


3


.





FIG. 6

is an isolated view of a striking plate of the prior art.





FIG. 7

is an isolated view of an alternative embodiment of a striking plate of the present invention.





FIG. 8

is a front plan view of an alternative embodiment of a golf club of the present invention.





FIG. 9

is an isolated view of an alternative embodiment of a striking plate of the present invention.





FIG. 10

is an isolated view of an alternative embodiment of a striking plate of the present invention.





FIG. 11

is an isolated view of an alternative embodiment of a striking plate of the present invention.





FIG. 12

is a side view of a golf club head of the present invention immediately prior to impact with a golf ball.





FIG. 13

is a side view of a golf club head of the present invention during impact with a golf ball.





FIG. 14

is a side view of a golf club head of the present invention immediately after impact with a golf ball.





FIG. 15

is a cross-sectional view of a golf club head of the present invention.





FIG. 15A

is a representation of a striking plate simply supported to illustrate one extreme of striking plate deflection during impact with a golf ball.





FIG. 15B

is a representation of a striking plate fixedly supported to illustrate the other extreme of striking plate deflection during impact with a golf ball.





FIG. 16

is a representation of a striking plate to demonstrate the possible increases in depth relative to a fixed width.





FIG. 17

is a representation of a striking plate to demonstrate a golf ball's impact force with the striking plate.





FIG. 18

is a graph of aspect ratio versus face dimensions.





FIG. 19

is a graph of uniform face weight versus face dimensions.





FIG. 20

is a graph of face stiffness versus face dimensions.





FIG. 21

is a graph of uniform face thickness versus face dimensions.





FIG. 22

is a graph of figure of merit.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION




The present invention is directed at a golf club head having a striking plate that is thin and has a high coefficient of restitution thereby enabling for greater distance of a golf ball hit with the golf club head of the present invention. The coefficient of restitution (also referred to herein as “COR”) is determined by the following equation:








e=y




2




−y




1




/U




1




−U




2








wherein U


1


is the club head velocity prior to impact; U


2


is the golf ball velocity prior to impact which is zero; v


1


is the club head velocity just after separation of the golf ball from the face of the club head; v


2


is the golf ball velocity just after separation of the golf ball from the face of the club head; and e is the coefficient of restitution between the golf ball and the club face. The values of e are limited between zero and 1.0 for systems with no energy addition. The coefficient of restitution, e, for a material such as a soft clay or putty would be near zero, while for a perfectly elastic material, where no energy is lost as a result of deformation, the value of e would be 1.0. COR ranges refer to USGA test standards. The present invention provides a club head having a striking plate or face with a coefficient preferably in the range of 0.81 to 0.93, and more preferably in the range of 0.82 to 0.85 as measured under conventional USGA test conditions.




As shown in

FIGS. 1-4

, a preferred golf club is generally designated


20


. The golf club


20


has a club head


22


that is engaged with a shaft


24


. A ferrule


26


encircles the shaft


24


at an aperture


27


to a hosel


29


. The club head


22


has a body


28


and a striking plate


32


. The striking plate


32


has a plurality of scorelines


34


thereon. The striking plate


32


generally extends from a heel end


36


of the club head


22


to a toe end


38


of the club head


22


. The body


28


has a crown


40


and a sole


42


. As shown in

FIG. 4

, the body


28


has a hollow interior


44


. Positioned inside the hollow interior


44


is the hosel


29


. The club head body


28


has a volume preferably in the range of 250 cubic centimeters to 400 cubic centimeters and more preferably in the range of 300 cubic centimeters to 380 cubic centimeters.




The striking plate


32


is generally composed of a single piece of metal, and is preferably composed of a forged metal material. More preferably, the forged metal material is a forged titanium material. Such titanium materials include pure titanium and titanium alloys. However, alternative embodiments including steel such as stainless steel or steel alloys may also be used. Those skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the face member may be composed of a number of alternative embodiments such as vitreous metals, ceramics, composites, carbon, carbon fibers and other fibrous materials without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. The striking plate


32


has a plurality of scorelines


34


thereon. The striking plate


32


may be cast with the body


28


, or it may be welded to the body


28


.




In an alternative embodiment, the striking plate


32


is composed of a vitreous metal such as iron-boron, nickel-copper, nickel-zirconium, nickel-phosphorous, and the like. These vitreous metals allow for the striking plate


32


to have a thickness as thin as 0.055 inches. Yet in further alternative embodiments, the striking plate


32


is composed of ceramics, composites or other metals. Additionally, the thinnest regions of the striking plate


32


may be as low as 0.010 inches allowing for greater compliance and thus a higher coefficient of restitution.




The striking plate


32


of the present invention has a larger aspect ratio than striking plates of the prior art. The aspect ratio as used herein is defined as the depth, “D”, of the striking plate


32


divided by the width, “W”, of the striking plate, as shown in FIG.


3


. The width, W, is measured between the farthest limits of the striking plate


32


from the heel end


36


to the toe end


38


. The measured width, W, does not include any portion of the body


28


that may be on the front of the club head


22


but not part of the striking plate


32


. The depth, D, is measured from between the farthest limits of the striking plate


32


from the crown


40


to the sole


42


. As with the width, W, the depth, D, does not include any portion of the body


28


that may be on the front of the club head


22


but not part of the striking plate


32


.




In one embodiment, the width W is 3.35 inches and the depth D is 2.0 inches giving an aspect ratio of 0.6. In conventional golf club heads, the aspect ratio is usually much lower than 0.6. For example, the original GREAT BIG BERTHA® driver had an aspect ratio of approximately 0.525 for its striking plate. The striking plate


32


of the present invention has an aspect ratio that is greater than 0.575. The aspect ratio of the present invention preferably ranges from 0.575 to 0.8, and is most preferably from 0.6 to 0.7. The aspect ratio of the striking plate


32


will be described in greater detail below.




As shown in

FIGS. 4

,


5


and


6


, the thickness, “T”, of the striking plate


32


may be uniform or it may be contoured as set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 6,007,432 for a Contoured Golf Club Face, which relevant parts are hereby incorporated by reference. However, unlike the striking plate


32


′ of the prior art (as shown in FIG.


6


), the striking plate


32


has a thickness, T, that is thinner providing for greater deflection of the striking plate


32


during impact with a golf ball. In a contoured striking plate


32


″, the thickness varies from a first thickness T


1


to at least a second thickness T


2


. The thickness, T, of the striking plate


32


in relation to the aspect ratio is preferably in the range of 0.050 inch to 0.130 inch and is more preferably in the range of 0.100 to 0.110.




A golf club head


22


′ is an alternative embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the striking plate


32




a


has a much more circular aspect ratio. In this embodiment, the aspect ratio is approximately 0.8.

FIGS. 9-10

illustrate various types of striking plates


32




b


,


32




c


and


32




d


, respectively, that may be utilized with the present invention. The striking plate


32




b


of

FIG. 9

has a traditional or conventional shape. The striking plate


32




c


of

FIG. 10

has a non-conventional oval shape with symmetry about an imaginary central axis through point


47


. The striking plate


32




d


of

FIG. 11

has an inverted shape from the conventional shape of FIG.


9


. Although several shapes of striking plates have been illustrated, those skilled in the pertinent art will recognize that striking plates having other shapes are within the scope and spirit of the present invention.




As shown in

FIGS. 12-14

, the flexibility of the striking plate


32


allows for a greater coefficient of restitution thereby increasing the performance of the golf club


20


. At

FIG. 12

, the striking plate


26


is immediately prior to striking a golf ball


140


. At

FIG. 13

, the striking plate


26


is engaging the golf ball


140


, and deformation of the golf ball


140


and striking plate


26


is illustrated. The striking plate


26


is allowed to deflect about the golf ball


140


thereby lessening the deformation of the golf ball


140


relative to prior art. The golf ball


140


is also engaged with the striking plate


26


for a longer period of time due to the deflection of the striking plate. This longer engagement period leads to a greater transfer of energy from the golf club to the golf ball thereby increasing the coefficient of restitution. At

FIG. 14

, the golf ball


140


has just been launched from the striking plate


26


.





FIG. 15

illustrates the striking plate


32


and the plurality of scorelines


34


. Each of the plurality of scorelines


34


may act as a stress concentrator during impact with a golf ball. Like other striking plates of the prior art, the striking plate


32


of the present invention is positioned between the crown


40


and sole


42


. During impact with a golf ball, the striking plate


32


will deflect depending upon the connection to the crown


40


and the sole


42


.

FIGS. 15



a


and


15


B illustrate the extremes of such connection, and thus every golf club striking plate that is connected to the crown and the sole should fall within these two extremes.

FIG. 15A

illustrates a striking plate


32




e


that is simply supported on two beams


51




a


and


51




b


. Such a simple support structure will allow each edge of the striking plate


32




e


to rotate during impact with a golf ball


140


and deflect as shown by dashed lines


32




e


′. However, each edge of the striking plate


32




e


is fixed from translation. At the other extreme is the striking plate


32




f


of

FIG. 15



b


, which is essentially clamped between beams


51




c


and


51




d


. Depending upon the speed at impact with a golf ball, the fixed striking plate


32




f


will deflect as shown by dashed lines


32




f


′. However, each edge of the striking plate


32




f


is fixed from translating and rotating. The striking plates


32


of the present invention are closer to the simple support structure than to the fixed structure.





FIG. 16

illustrates possible elliptical shapes


57


,


59


,


61


,


63


and


65


that a striking plate


32




g


may have by increasing the depth, D, along the y-axis while holding the width, W, constant. The half-width distance “a” (a=W/2) is usually constant for most golf clubs, however, the half-depth distance, “b” (b=D/2), has been limited to relatively small values. The present invention increases b relative to the prior art to create a striking plate


32


with a more circular aspect ratio. The aspect ratio, α=b/a, varies between zero and one, with one being a circle. The present invention, as mentioned previously, has a striking plate


32


with an aspect ratio of at least 0.575. The striking plate


32


of the present invention is able to achieve greater flexibility and thus improve energy transfer to the golf ball during impact by increasing the aspect ratio of the striking plate


32


.




The weight or mass of the striking plate


32


linearly increases as the aspect ratio increases as set forth in the following equation: mass=ρπTa


2


α wherein ρ is the weight or mass density of the material, T is the thickness of the striking plate


32


, a is the half-width of the striking plate


32


, and α is the aspect ratio. Thus, the striking plate


32


should be thinner as the aspect ratio increases in order to avoid a heavy golf club.





FIG. 17

illustrates the force against a striking plate


32


during impact with a golf ball. During impact with a golf ball, a uniform load, as shown by circle


99


, will be applied to the striking plate


32


, as shown by force lines


101


. The force circle


99


has a radius of r


o


, which ranges between 0.3 and 0.60 inches. Typical impacts of a driver with a golf ball will result in a force, F, ranging from 1500 to 2500 pounds per square inch. The force of impact is given by the equation:






F
=



0

2

π






0
*



gr







r








θ














where q is the pressure distribution over the impact area. The displacement of the simple support structure of

FIG. 15A

is given by the following equation: Δ=Fa


2


α


2


/Et


3


(0.76−0.18α) wherein E is the Young's Modulus for the material of the striking plate


32


. The displacement of the fixed support structure of

FIG. 15B

is given by the following equation: Δ=Fa


2


α


2


/Et


3


(0.326−0.104α) wherein E is the Young's Modulus for the material of the striking plate


32


. To increase the displacement, Δ, of the striking plate


32


during impact for a given golf ball impact load, F, one may increase a, reduce E, decrease t or increase α. Modifying t or α will have the greatest effect on the displacement, however, t is controlled by the materials as described below.




The effective stiffness at the center of the striking plate


32


is given by the equation: K


eff


=F


center





center


=Et


3


/a


2


α


2


(0.76−0.18α) for the simple structure, and K


eff


=F


center





center


=Et


3


/a


2


α


2


(0.326−0.104α) for the fixed structure. Therefore, to decrease stiffness, one should reduce T, increase a, use a material with a lower E, or increase α. Thus, the stiffness of the striking plate


32


is altered by increasing the aspect ratio thereby allowing for greater deflection of the striking plate during impact with a golf ball.




The stress at the center of the striking plate


32


during impact with a golf ball is given by the equations: σ=3F(1+v)/2πt


2


[{ln(2b/r0)−0.317α−0.376}] for the simple support structure and σ=3F/2πt


2


[{(1+v)ln(b/r0)+v(6.57−2.57α)}] for the fixed support structure, where (v) is the Poisson ratio of the striking plate


32


material. Solving for the minimum required thickness gives the following equations:







T
=




3

F
*


2


πσ
yield





[



(

1
+
v

)



ln


(

b

r
o


)



+

v


(

6.57
-

2.57

α


)



]




,










for the simply-supported case and







T
=




3

F
*

(

1
+
v

)



2


πσ
yield





[


ln


(


2

b


r
o


)


-

.317

α

-
.376

]




,










for the fixed edge support case, where (σ


yield


) is the strength of the striking plate


32


material, F* is the effective impact force that includes the effects of design safety factors and scoreline stress concentration factors and ranges between 2000 and 15,000 pounds for the striking plate


32


of the present invention. The half-width, a, is between 1.25 and 2.0 inches for the striking plate


32


of the present invention. The aspect ratio, α, is between 0.575 and 1.0 for the striking plate


32


of the present invention. Other values for materials of the striking plate


32


are set forth in Table One.

















TABLE ONE













ρ




ρ









σ




(weight




(mass







E





yield




density)




density)






Material




10


6


lb/in


2






ν




10


3


lb/in


2






lb/in


3






grams/in


3






























Stainless Steel




29




0.27




150




0.28




126.93






Titanium (6-4)




16.5




0.31




115




0.16




72.53






Aluminum




10




0.333




73




0.101




45.78






Maraging Steel




28.4




0.3




280




0.28




126.93






Liquid Metal




13.3




0.3




260




0.22




99.73















FIGS. 18-22

demonstrates the features of the striking plate


32


of the present invention in light of prior art. The boxes on the graphs represent the prior art, and where these prior art golf club striking plates are positioned in relation to each other and the striking plate


32


of the present invention. Persimmon is a persimmon wood golf club of the prior art. “GBB” is a GREAT BIG BERTHA® driver available from Callaway Golf, “BBB” is a BIGGEST BIG BERTHA® driver available from Callaway Golf, “Orlimar” is a driver from Orlimar Golf. Scud and Marumen represent drivers from these Japanese companies.





FIG. 18

illustrates the aspect ratio of the striking plate versus the face dimensions of the striking plate. Lines


200


-


204


represent aspect ratio lines. The prior art golf club striking plates lie below an aspect ratio line of 0.575. The striking plates


32


of the present lie at or above an aspect ratio line of 0.575.





FIG. 19

illustrates the weight or mass of a uniform thickness striking plate


32


versus the face dimensions. Lines


220


-


231


are lines of equal weight or mass. Generally, the striking plate of the present invention has a mass that is within lines


222


and


228


, or in other terms, between 35 grams and 70 grams.





FIG. 20

illustrates the face stiffness versus the face dimensions. Lines


240


-


245


represent lines of equal stiffness. The striking plate


32


of the present invention has a face stiffness between lines


244


and


245


.





FIG. 21

illustrates face thickness and scorelines versus face dimensions. Lines


250


-


255


represent equal lines of face thickness. The striking plate


32


has a thickness in the range of 0.135 inches and 0.145 inches.





FIG. 22

illustrates figure of merit which is face stiffness, multiplied by face mass versus the face dimensions. Lines


260


-


263


represent lines of equal merit. The present invention has a figure of merit less than 40×10


5


pound-grams per inch.




Thus, using aspect ratio, stiffness, material properties, and the like, a golf club head of the present invention is designed to have greater deflection which results in a greater transfer of energy to a golf ball during impact thereby increasing the coefficient of restitution of the golf club head, and allowing for the golf ball to travel further.




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.



Claims
  • 1. A wood-type golf club head comprising:a body having a heel end and a toe end wherein a striking plate is disposed on the body and extends from the heel end to the toe end, wherein the striking plate is composed of a titanium alloy material having a depth, D, ranging from 1.45 inches to 2.50 inches and a width, W, ranging from 2.50 inches to 4.00 inches, and a striking plate thickness, T, ranging from 0.055 inch to 0.125 inch, and wherein the striking plate has a face stiffness ranging from 6×104 pounds per inch to 8×104 pounds per inch and an aspect ratio greater than 0.6 and less than 0.7; wherein the golf club head has a coefficient of restitution ranging from 0.82 to 0.85.
  • 2. A wood-type golf club head comprising:a body having a heel end and a toe end wherein a striking plate is disposed on the body and extends from the heel end to the toe end, wherein the striking plate is composed of a steel alloy material having a depth, D, ranging from 1.45 inches to 2.50 inches and a width, W, ranging from 2.50 inches to 4.00 inches, and a striking plate thickness, T, ranging from 0.055 inch to 0.125 inch, and wherein the striking plate has a face stiffness ranging from 6×104 pounds per inch to 8×104 pounds per inch and an aspect ratio greater than 0.6 and less than 0.7, wherein the golf club head has a volume ranging from 250 cubic centimeters to 400 cubic centimeters; wherein the golf club head has a coefficient of restitution ranging from 0.82 to 0.85.
  • 3. A golf club head comprising:a body having a heel end and a toe end wherein a striking plate is disposed on the body and extends from the heel end to the toe end, wherein the striking plate is composed of a vitreous metal material having a depth, D, ranging from 1.45 inches to 2.50 inches and a width, W, ranging from 2.50 inches to 4.00 inches, and a striking plate thickness, T, ranging from 0.055 inch to 0.125 inch, and wherein the striking plate has a face stiffness ranging from 6×104 pounds per inch to 8×104 pounds per inch; wherein the golf club head has a coefficient of restitution ranging from 0.82 to 0.85.
  • 4. A wood-type golf club head comprising:a body having a heel end and a toe end wherein a striking plate is disposed on the body and extends from the heel end to the toe end, wherein the striking plate is composed of a titanium alloy material having an aspect ratio greater than 0.6 and less than 0.7, and a striking plate thickness, T, ranging from 0.055 inch to 0.125 inch, and wherein the striking plate has a face stiffness ranging from 6×104 pounds per inch to 8×104 pounds per inch; wherein the golf club head has a coefficient of restitution ranging from 0.82 to 0.85.
  • 5. A wood-type golf club head comprising:a body having a heel end and a toe end wherein a striking plate is disposed on the body and extends from the heel end to the toe end, wherein the striking plate is composed of a titanium alloy material having an aspect ratio greater than 0.6 and less than 0.7, and a striking plate thickness, T, ranging from 0.055 inch to 0.125 inch, and wherein the striking plate has a figure of merit less than 40×105 pound-grams per inch; wherein the golf club head has a coefficient of restitution ranging from 0.82 to 0.85.
  • 6. A wood-type golf club head comprising:a body having a heel end and a toe end wherein a striking plate is disposed on the body and extends from the heel end to the toe end, wherein the striking plate is composed of a titanium alloy material, the striking plate has an aspect ratio of approximately 0.8 and has a thickness, T, ranging from 0.055 inch to 0.125 inch, and wherein the striking plate has a figure of merit less than 40×105 pound-grams per inch and a face stiffness ranging from 6×104 pounds per inch to 8×104 pounds per inch, wherein the golf club head has a volume ranging from 300 cubic centimeters to 380 cubic centimeters; wherein the golf club head has a coefficient of restitution ranging from 0.82 to 0.85.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/683,057, filed on Nov. 13, 2001 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,569,033, which is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/475,752, filed on Dec. 30, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,338,683, which is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/454,695, filed on Dec. 3, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,471,603, which is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/120,433 filed on Jul. 22, 1998 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,007,432, which is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/735,601, filed on Oct. 23, 1996, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,830,084.

US Referenced Citations (44)
Number Name Date Kind
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3751035 Lockwood Aug 1973 A
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Continuations (3)
Number Date Country
Parent 09/683057 Nov 2001 US
Child 10/249046 US
Parent 09/120433 Jul 1998 US
Child 09/454695 US
Parent 08/735601 Oct 1996 US
Child 09/120433 US
Continuation in Parts (2)
Number Date Country
Parent 09/475752 Dec 1999 US
Child 09/683057 US
Parent 09/454695 Dec 1999 US
Child 09/475752 US