Golf club head

• US 10,092,797 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2017
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Inventors: Greensmith, Matthew, Beach, Todd P., Sargent, Nathan T., Willett, Kraig Alan, Dipert, Joshua J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Layno, Benjamin
• Application Number:
  US15/711,818
• Publication Number:
  US 20180065001A1
• Time in Patent Office: 383 Days
• Field of Search: 473332, 473334, 473338, 473344, 473345, 473346, 473348, 473349, 473350
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/02 Joint structures between the head and the shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/022 allowing adjustable positioning of the head with respect to the shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/023 adjustable angular orientation
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/025 lie angle only, i.e. relative angular adjustment between the shaft and the club head about an axis parallel to the intended line of play when the club is in its normal address position
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/026 loft angle only, i.e. relative angular adjustment between the shaft and the club head about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the intended line of play when the club is in its normal address position
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/027 about the longitudinal axis of the shaft only
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0412 Volume
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0437 with special crown configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/045 Strengthening ribs
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0454 Strengthening ribs on the rear surface of the impact face plate
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0458 with non-uniform thickness of the impact face plate
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/002 Resonance frequency related characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/02 Ballast means for adjusting the centre of mass A63B60/24, A63B60/54 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/52 with slits

Abstract

A golf club head includes a body defining an interior cavity. The body includes a sole positioned at a bottom portion of the golf club head, a crown positioned at a top portion, and a skirt positioned around a periphery between the sole and crown. The body has a forward portion and a rearward portion. The club head includes a face positioned at the forward portion of the body. In some embodiments, the crown includes a lattice-like structure having thin regions surrounded by a web of relatively thicker regions. In some embodiments, the club head includes one or more stiffening tubes attached between the sole and the crown to improve the acoustic performance of the golf club head.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a club head body having an upper portion, a lower portion, a heel, a toe, a rear portion, and a striking face, with the club head body defining a cavity;

one or more elongated stiffening members positioned within the cavity and connecting the upper portion to the lower portion, wherein the one or more elongated stiffening members having a first end attached to a first internal surface and a second end attached to a second internal surface, and an elongated intermediate portion spanning across the cavity from the first end to the second end;

wherein the intermediate portion is suspended within the cavity such that the intermediate portion does not contact any portion of the upper portion of the club head body or the lower portion of the club head body, and the one or more elongated stiffening members do not contact the rear portion of the club head body;

wherein the one or more elongated stiffening members are permanently secured to the club head body;

wherein a majority of the upper portion is convex such that the upper portion bulges generally outward away from the cavity of the body;

wherein the one or more elongated stiffening members have a cross-sectional dimension that is between about 2 mm to about 7 mm;

wherein the golf club head has a CG with a head origin x-axis (CGx) coordinate between about −

10 mm and about 10 mm and a head origin y-axis (CGy) coordinate between about 10 mm and about 50 mm, and a head origin z-axis (CGz) less than 2 mm; and

wherein a combined mass of the one or more elongated stiffening members is approximately 8 grams or less.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the club head has a head mass of between 180 and 210 grams and a club head volume of at least 250 cm³;

and

wherein at least a portion of the upper portion is non-metallic.

3. The golf club head of claim 2, wherein a length between the first and second ends of the one or more elongated stiffening members is at least three times longer than a maximum cross-sectional dimension.

4. The golf club head of claim 3, wherein the first mode frequency of the golf club head, generated upon impact with a golf ball, is greater than 2247 Hz.

5. The golf club head of claim 3, further comprising an adjustable head-shaft connection assembly that is operable to adjust at least one of the loft angle or lie angle of a golf club formed when the golf club head is attached to a golf club shaft via the head-shaft connection assembly.

6. The golf club head of claim 5, wherein the upper portion has an average thickness between about 0.6 mm and about 1.0 mm.

7. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the one or more elongated stiffening members comprise two or more elongated stiffening members positioned within the cavity and connecting the upper portion to the lower portion, wherein the two or more elongated stiffening members each have a first end attached to a first internal surface and a second end attached to a second internal surface, and an elongated intermediate portion spanning across the cavity from the first end to the second end.

8. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the lower portion includes a recess for receiving a weight member, and wherein the recess has a threaded aperture for threadedly engaging a threaded member connected to the weight member.

9. The golf club head of claim 1, further comprising one or more weights comprising tungsten and the one or more weights are secured to the lower portion of the club head body.

10. A golf club head comprising:

a club head body having an upper portion, a lower portion, a heel, a toe, and a striking face, with the club head body defining a cavity;

one or more elongated stiffening members positioned within the cavity and connecting the upper portion to the lower portion, wherein the one or more elongated stiffening members having a first end attached to a first internal surface and a second end attached to a second internal surface, and an elongated intermediate portion spanning across the cavity from the first end to the second end;

wherein the intermediate portion is suspended within the cavity such that the intermediate portion does not contact any portion of the upper portion or the lower portion and the one or more elongated stiffening members do not contact a rear portion of the club head body;

wherein the one or more elongated stiffening members are permanently secured to the club head body;

wherein a majority of the upper portion is convex such that the upper portion bulges generally outward away from the cavity of the body;

wherein the golf club head has a CG with a head origin x-axis (CGx) coordinate between about −

10 mm and about 10 mm and a head origin y-axis (CGy) coordinate between about 10 mm and about 50 mm, and a head origin z-axis (CGz) less than 2 mm; and

wherein a combined mass of the one or more elongated stiffening members is approximately 8 grams or less.

11. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein the golf club head has a first mode frequency, and wherein the one or more elongated stiffening members increase the first mode frequency of the golf club head.

12. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein the first mode frequency of the golf club head, generated upon impact with a golf ball, is greater than 2247 Hz.

13. The golf club head of claim 11, further comprising an adjustable head-shaft connection assembly that is operable to adjust at least one of the loft angle or lie angle of a golf club formed when the golf club head is attached to a golf club shaft via the head-shaft connection assembly.

14. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein the lower portion includes a recess for receiving a weight member, and wherein the recess has a threaded aperture for threadedly engaging a threaded member connected to the weight member.

15. The golf club head of claim 14, wherein the weight member has a mass between about 2 grams and 11 grams.

16. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein the one or more elongated stiffening members have a cross-sectional dimension that is between about 2 mm to about 7 mm.

17. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein the one or more elongated stiffening members are solid.

18. The golf club head of claim 17, wherein the one or more elongated stiffening members comprise two or more elongated stiffening members positioned within the cavity and connecting the upper portion to the lower portion, wherein the two or more elongated stiffening members each have a first end attached to a first internal surface and a second end attached to a second internal surface, and an elongated intermediate portion spanning across the cavity from the first end to the second end.

19. The golf club head of claim 17, further comprising one or more weights comprising tungsten and the one or more weights are secured to the lower portion of the club head body.

20. A golf club head comprising:

a club head body having an upper portion, a lower portion, a heel portion, a toe portion, and a striking face, with the club head body defining a cavity; and

one or more elongated stiffening members permanently secured within the cavity of the golf club head and having a first end coupled to the upper portion, a second end coupled to the lower portion, and an elongated intermediate portion spanning across the cavity from the first end to the second end;

wherein the one or more elongated stiffening members define a length between the first and second ends, and a maximum cross-sectional dimension perpendicular to the length, wherein the length of the one or more elongated stiffening members is at least three times longer than the maximum cross-sectional dimension;

wherein the one or more elongated stiffening members are solid and are the same material as the club head body;

wherein the golf club head has a first mode frequency, and wherein the one or more elongated stiffening members increase the first mode frequency of the golf club head;

wherein the first mode frequency of the golf club head, generated upon impact with a golf ball, is greater than 2247 Hz;

wherein the lower portion includes a recess for receiving a weight member, and wherein the recess has a threaded aperture for threadedly engaging a threaded member connected to the weight member; and

wherein the threaded aperture defining a central axis that extends through the lower portion and the upper portion.

21. The golf club head of claim 20, wherein a combined mass of the one or more elongated stiffening members is approximately 8 grams or less.

22. The golf club head of claim 20, wherein at least a portion of the striking face is welded to the club head body.

23. The golf club head of claim 20, further comprising one or more weights comprising tungsten and the one or more weights are secured to the lower portion of the club head body.

24. The golf club head of claim 20, wherein the one or more elongated stiffening members have a cross-sectional dimension that is between about 2 mm to about 7 mm.

25. The golf club head of claim 20, wherein the weight member has a mass between about 2 grams and 11 grams.