Golf club head

• US 10,124,219 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2017
• Issued: 11/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Inventors: Sargent, Nathan T., Nielson, Joseph Reeve, Johnson, Matthew David, Greensmith, Matthew, Beach, Todd P., Franz, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Blau, Stephen
• Application Number:
  US15/707,798
• Publication Number:
  US 20180065009A1
• Time in Patent Office: 421 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/02 Joint structures between the head and the shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/023 adjustable angular orientation
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole 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 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0487 for putters A63B53/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/06 adjustable
• 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 60/04 Movable ballast means A63B15/005 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/52 with slits

Abstract

A golf club head comprises a sole, a recessed sole port in the sole; and a rotatably adjustable sole piece adapted to be at least partially received within the sole port and comprising a central body having a plurality of contact surfaces adapted to contact the sole port and being offset from each other along a central axis extending through the central body of the sole piece. The sole piece can be positioned at least partially within the sole port at five or more rotational and axial positions with respect to the central axis, wherein at each rotational position, at least one of said contact surfaces of the central body contacts the sole port to set the axial position of the sole piece. The sole port and/or the sole piece can be generally pentagonal in shape.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a body having a face, a crown and a sole together defining an interior cavity, the body having a channel with first and second opposing ledges extending within the channel; and

a weight assembly configured to clamp the first and second ledges at selected locations along the channel;

wherein the weight assembly comprises an outer member, an inner member, and a fastening member that extends between the outer member and the inner member and is configured to cause the inner member and the outer member to clamp onto opposite sides of the first and second ledges;

wherein the outer member comprises a central protrusion that extends into a space between the first and second ledges, the outer member further comprising first and second recessed surfaces on opposite sides of the central protrusion, the first recessed surface being configured to contact the first ledge and the second recessed surface being configured to contact the second ledge.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the outer member includes an aperture in the central protrusion and the fastening member extends into the aperture.

3. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the fastening member is secured against removal from the inner member in a direction toward the outer member.

4. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the fastening member is a separate fastening member.

5. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the outer member is non-circular in shape to prevent rotation within the channel.

6. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the central protrusion comprises first and second opposing and parallel sides that extend into the space between the first and second ledges.

7. The golf club head of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of projections located at spaced apart locations on the first ledge, wherein the plurality of projections have a size and shape adapted to help locate the weight assembly.

8. The golf club head of claim 7, wherein the outer member comprises a plurality of recesses adapted to engage the projections.

9. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein the projections have a width that is smaller than a width of the recesses such that the outer member can move a limited amount relative to the channel when the outer member is placed within the channel with one of the projections extending into one of the recesses.

11. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein over at least a portion of the channel a width of the channel is between about 8 mm and about 20 mm, and a depth of the channel is be between about 6 mm and about 20 mm.

12. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the face includes a center face location that defines the origin of a coordinate system in which an x-axis is tangential to the face at the center face location and is parallel to a ground plane when the body is in a normal address position, a y-axis extends perpendicular to the x-axis and is also parallel to the ground plane, and a z-axis extends perpendicular to the ground plane, wherein a positive x-axis extends toward the heel end of the body from the origin, a positive y-axis extends rearwardly from the origin toward the interior cavity, and a positive z-axis extends upwardly from the origin toward the crown;

wherein adjustment of the weight assembly provides a maximum x-axis adjustment range of the position of the center of gravity (Max Δ

CGx) that is greater than 2 mm;

wherein the weight assembly has a mass (M_WA) and wherein the product of M_WA*Max Δ

x is between 250 g·

mm and 4950 g·

mm;

wherein the product of M_WA*Max Δ

y is between 0 g·

mm and 1800 g·

mm; and

wherein the center of gravity of the club head has a z-axis coordinate (CGz) that is less than 0 mm.

10. The golf club head 2, wherein movement of the weight assembly along the channel produces a change in the head origin z-axis (CGz) coordinate of less than 1.1 mm.

13. A golf club head comprising:

a body having a face, a crown and a sole together defining an interior cavity, the body having a channel with first and second opposing ledges extending within the channel; and

a weight assembly configured to clamp the first and second ledges at selected locations along the channel;

wherein the weight assembly comprises an outer member and an inner member, which are configured to be clamped onto opposite sides of the first and second ledges;

wherein the outer member comprises a central protrusion that extends into a space between the first and second ledges, the outer member further comprising first and second recessed surfaces on opposite sides of the central protrusion, the first recessed surface being configured to contact the first ledge and the second recessed surface being configured to contact the second ledge;

wherein the central protrusion comprises first and second opposing and parallel sides that extend into the space between the first and second ledges.

14. The golf club head of claim 13, wherein the central protrusion includes a central opening between the first and second sides and the golf club head further comprises a fastening member that extends from inner member into the central opening in the outer member to secure the outer member and inner member against the opposite sides of the first and second ledges.

15. The golf club head of claim 14, wherein the fastening member is a separate fastening member.

16. The golf club head of claim 13, wherein the outer member is non-circular in shape to prevent rotation within the channel.

17. The golf club head of claim 13, further comprising a weight installation cavity configured to allow insertion of the inner member within the channel.

18. A golf club head comprising:

a body having a face, a crown and a sole together defining an interior cavity, the body having a channel with first and second opposing ledges extending within the channel; and

a weight assembly configured to clamp the first and second ledges at selected locations along the channel;

wherein the weight assembly comprises an outer member, an inner member, and a threaded shaft that extends between the outer member and the inner member and is configured to cause the inner member and the outer member to clamp onto opposite sides of the first and second ledges;

wherein the outer member comprises a central protrusion that extends into a space between the first and second ledges, the outer member further comprising first and second recessed surfaces on opposite sides of the central protrusion, the first recessed surface being configured to contact the first ledge and the second recessed surface being configured to contact the second ledge.

19. The golf club head of claim 18, wherein the threaded shaft is secured against removal from the inner member in a direction toward the outer member.

20. The golf club head of claim 18, wherein the outer member includes an aperture in the central protrusion and the threaded shaft extends into the aperture.