Patent Grant
11426638
This invention generally relates to golf equipment and more specifically to connectors for interchangeable golf club heads and golf club shafts.
The typical way to connect a golf club shaft and a golf club head is to epoxy the tip end of the golf club shaft into a bore formed within the hosel portion of the golf club head. Many golf shops offer a broad range of exotic shafts and club heads to meet the standards of today's demanding golfer.
To facilitate the ease in which various combinations of shafts and heads may be evaluated by the golfer, some golf equipment makers, such as Adams Golf, Callaway, Cobra, Cleveland, Mizuno, Nike, Taylor Made, Titleist and many others have devised connectors that rapidly secure a shaft and a club head together thereby making such clubs are referred to as “adjustable” clubs. Because these connectors are releasable, if the customer doesn't like the existing shaft and head combination the connector is simply released and a different shaft and head combination is secured for evaluation by the golfer.
In such adjustable club configurations, the connector used thereby is typically mounted on the club head and contains brand specific mounting features thereon.
In recent years there has been an increase industry wide of such connectors. As a result, each manufacturer that utilizes adjustable connectors has elected to employ a proprietary connector configuration that is not interchangeable with other brands of equipment. Some have “squared keyways”, “hexagon keyways”, “splines”, etc., and as a result. The result of such a configuration limits a user to only interchanging club heads and club shafts that are of the same brand. However, there are many instances where a user may prefer one brand of club shafts that is not the same brand as that user's preferred brand of club heads. In such instances, such users have heretofore been prevented from utilizing such a preferred combination because the brand specific connector portion situated on the club head will not mate with the differing brand specific connector portion situated on the club shaft. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a universal connector for adjustable golf clubs.
The invention provides such a universal. These and other advantages of the invention, as well as additional inventive features, will be apparent from the description of the invention provided herein.
In one aspect, the invention provides a universal connector for connecting a golf club head having a hosel and a golf club shaft, regardless of the fact that the golf club head and shaft are of the adjustable construction and utilize a brand specific connector arrangement. Such a universal connector includes a first member having a head portion and a body portion and having a bore for receiving a terminal end of a shaft. The connector also includes a second member having a bore for receiving a portion of the first member therein. The second member has a head portion and a body portion. The body portion is sized to be received within a bore of the hosel. The first member includes a first anti-rotational member and the second member includes a second anti-rotational member. The first and second anti-rotational members are engageable with one another to prevent relative rotation of the first member relative to the second member about a longitudinal axis of the connector. The second member includes a third anti-rotational member, the third anti-rotational member configured to mate with an anti-rotational member of the golf club head to prevent relative rotation of the second member relative to the head.
In another aspect, the invention provides a universal connector for connecting a golf club head having a hosel and a golf club shaft, which such a connector providing a reduced part count and lower cost alternative than current designs. The connector includes a first member having a first anti-rotational member formed thereon and configured for connection to the shaft. The connector also includes a second member having a second anti-rotational member formed thereon and configured for being received within a bore of the hosel, the first and second anti-rotational members engageable with one another. The first member includes a threaded bore configured for receipt of a mounting screw extending through a portion of the club head, wherein tightening of the screw axially biases the first and second members together within the hosel.
In certain embodiments according to the foregoing aspects, the first anti-rotational member is a plurality of downwardly extending teeth formed at an axial extent of the head portion of the first member. The second anti-rotational member is a plurality of upwardly extending teeth formed at an axial extent of the head portion of the second member. The downwardly extending teeth are received within spaces formed between the upwardly extending teeth to rotational fix the first member relative to the second member.
In certain embodiments according to the foregoing aspects, the head portion of the first member has a maximum outer diameter which is greater than a maximum outer diameter of the body portion of the first member. The body portion of the first member includes a transition region and an extension region. A first axial abutment surface is formed at an interface of the transition region and the extension region. A second axial abutment surface is formed along the bore of the second member and is configured to axially abut the first axial abutment surface.
In certain embodiments according to these aspects, the third anti-rotational member is selected from the group consisting of: a plurality of radially outwardly extending ribs formed at an end of the body portion of the first member, a plurality of downwardly extending teeth formed at an interface of the head portion and the body portion of the first member, a plurality of radially outwardly facing facets formed at the interface between the head portion and the body portion of the first member, a plurality of downwardly extending teeth formed at an axial extent of the head portion of the first member, a plurality of outwardly extending ribs formed along an outer periphery of the body portion of the first member between the head portion and an end of the body portion.
In yet another aspect, the invention provides a method for installing a universal connector on a golf club having a head with a hosel and a shaft. The method includes inserting a portion of the shaft into a bore of a first member of the connector. The method also includes inserting a portion of a second member of the connector into a bore of the hosel. The method also includes inserting a portion of the first member into a bore of the second member such that a portion of the first member and a the portion of the shaft received in the bore of the first member are positioned within the bore of the second member. The method also includes rotationally fixing the second member relative to the club head and rotationally fixing the first member relative to the second member.
The method can also include securing the portion of the shaft within the bore of the first member using an adhesive.
In certain embodiments, the method can also include rotationally fixing the first member relative to the second member by bringing a first anti-rotational member of the first member into engagement with a second anti-rotational member of the second member.
In certain embodiments, the method can also include rotationally fixing the second member relative to the club head by bringing a third anti-rotational member of the second member into engagement with a club head anti-rotational member formed on the hosel of the club head.
Other aspects, objectives and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of the specification illustrate several aspects of the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings:
While the invention will be described in connection with certain preferred embodiments, there is no intent to limit it to those embodiments. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
Turning now to the illustrations, several embodiments of a connector for an adjustable golf club are illustrated. As will be explained in greater detail below, these embodiments overcome existing problems in the art discussed above by providing a universal connector that will readily work with a variety of differing brand specific connectors. Indeed, embodiments of the universal connector described herein allow a user to connect a club shaft of one brand with a club head of another brand, despite the fact that the originally provided connector componentry for the club shaft and the club head do not mate with one another.
Turning now to
With specific reference now to
First member 36 may be readily secured to club shaft 22 through the use of adhesives. Additionally, first member 36 may also include alignment indicia thereon for rotationally aligning first member 36 relative to connector axis 30 relative to club shaft 22.
First member 36 also includes a first anti-rotational member 52. Second member 38 includes a second anti-rotational member 54. The first and second anti-rotational members 52, 54 engage one another in the fully assembled state of connector 20 to prevent rotation of first member 36 relative to second member 38 and vice versa.
Additionally, second member 38 also includes a third anti-rotational member 56 which mates with a club head anti-rotational member 58 disposed on or within the hosel 28. Third anti-rotational member 56 and club head anti-rotational member 58 engage one another to prevent rotation of second member 38 relative to club head 24 rotationally about connector axis 30. As will be described in greater detail below, club head anti-rotational member 58 will vary depending upon the specific brand of club head. As such, the particular structural attributes of second member 38 will vary depending upon the particular club head 24. However, second member 38 will always provide a universal second anti-rotational member 54 and bore 46 to accommodate a single embodiment of a first member 36. As a result, a user may utilize the same first member with differing second members. As a practical result, a user may utilize a single set of preferred golf club shafts 22 which incorporate first member 36 with a plurality of club heads 24 of differing brands. All that is required to achieve this functionality is the utilization of the brand specific second member 38, and more particularly its specific configuration of a third anti-rotational member 56 designed to mate with the particular configuration of a club head anti-rotational member 58 of club head 24.
Indeed, first anti-rotational member 52 of first member 36 is embodied by a plurality of downwardly extending teeth 60 as shown in
In the particular embodiment illustrated, third anti-rotational member 56 is embodied by a plurality of radially outwardly extending ribs 64. These ribs 64 mate with radially inwardly extending ribs formed along the interior surface of bore 26 of hosel 28 which form the club head anti-rotational member. The engagement between the aforementioned ribs prevents rotation of second member 38 relative to club head 24 about connector axis 30.
Turning now to
Second member 38 includes a head portion 76 and a body portion 78. A seat 80 is defined at the interface of head portion 76 and body portion 78. Seat 80 engages a top surface 82 of hosel 28 when second member 38 is fully positioned within bore 26 of hosel 28. As can also be seen in
As shown in
Indeed, with reference to
As can be seen in
A third embodiment of a second connector 238 is illustrated in
However, in this embodiment, third anti-rotational member 256 takes the form of a plurality of facets which generally resemble the outer periphery of a nut. These facets 264 are designed to mate with facets formed within an interior bore of a club head such that rotation of second member 238 relative to club head is prevented. As can also be seen from inspection of
Another embodiment of a second member 338 is shown in
However, second member 338 includes a third anti-rotational member 356 formed directly on head portion 376. This third anti-rotational member 356 includes a plurality of downwardly extending teeth 364. These downwardly extending teeth 364 mate with corresponding upwardly extending teeth formed adjacent a top surface of a hosel. These teeth engage one another to prevent relative rotation of second member 338 relative to the club head. Also, second member 338 includes a bore 346 for receipt of first member 30 in the same manner as described above. Second member 338 also includes a second axial abutment surface 384 that functions in the same manner as second axial abutment surface 84 described above.
However, third anti-rotational member 456 of second member 438 is formed on body portion 478 and between head portion 476 and an end of body portion 478 along the outer periphery of body portion 478. This embodiment of a third anti-rotational member 456 includes a plurality of outwardly extending ribs 464. This plurality of outwardly extending ribs engages a plurality of inwardly extending ribs formed along an interior surface of a hosel of a club head to thereby prevent rotation of second member 438 relative to the club head. This embodiment also includes a bore 446 which receives first connector 38 in the same manner as described above. Although not illustrated, second member 438 may also include a second axial abutment surface that functions in the same manner as second axial abutment surface 84 described above.
As will be understood from the foregoing, each of the embodiments shown in
Those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the installation process for these varying embodiments of second members is essentially the same as that described above relative to
As a result, a user need only outfit a variety of clubs with a common style of first connector 36 as shown in
All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein.
The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) is to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention.
Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention. Variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend for the invention to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.
This patent application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/226,519, filed Mar. 26, 2014, the entire teachings and disclosure of which are incorporated herein by reference thereto.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| Parent | 14226519 | Mar 2014 | US |
| Child | 15639303 | US |
