Golf club having removeable weight

• US 10,137,342 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2016
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Hebreo, Jonathan, McCarthy, Andrew, de la Cruz, Noah, Martens, Grant M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Layno, Benjamin
• Application Number:
  US15/393,746
• Publication Number:
  US 20180117428A1
• Time in Patent Office: 698 Days
• Field of Search: 473334-339, 473341
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0495 moving on impact, slidable, spring or otherwise elastically biased
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0625 Emitting sound, noise or music
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0655 Tactile feedback
• 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 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/06 adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/52 with slits

Abstract

A golf club head includes a club head body and a weight member that is secured to the body in a weight mount. The weight member is constructed to utilize lateral forces to couple to the head body to minimize the structure required to retain the weight member. The weight member includes a spring feature that is movably coupled to a weight body so that it is movable between a first configuration and a second configuration. In the second configuration a portion of the spring feature extends outward from a side wall of the weight body. The weight mount includes an undercut and the spring feature extends into the undercut and is partially flexed by the abutment of the spring feature and a perimeter wall of weight mount when the weight member is disposed in the weight mount.

Claims

1. A golf club head including a weight member, comprising:

a club head body having a hollow construction defined by a face defining a ball-striking surface, a sole, a crown, and a skirt, wherein the sole extends aftward from a lower edge of the face, wherein the crown extends aftward from an upper edge of the face, and wherein the skirt extends between the sole and the crown around a perimeter of the body;

a weight mount disposed on at least one of the sole, the crown, and the skirt, wherein the weight mount defines a perimeter wall, wherein a portion of the perimeter wall defines an undercut having an undercut depth R_u; and

a weight member that includes a weight body defining a side wall, a bore, and a spring feature, wherein at least a portion of the spring feature is movably coupled to the weight body so that it is movable between a first configuration and a second configuration, wherein in the first configuration a portion of the spring feature extends outward from a side wall of the weight body by a first distance R₁, wherein in the second configuration a portion of the spring feature extends outward from a side wall of the weight body by a second distance R₂, wherein the spring feature is a cantilevered arm that includes a fixed end coupled to the weight body and a cantilevered end, wherein the bore of the weight body receives a portion of the cantilevered arm,

wherein the undercut depth R_u is less than the first distance R₁ and greater than the second distance R₂ so that the spring feature abuts the undercut of the perimeter wall of the weight mount, and wherein the spring feature is at least partially flexed by the abutment of the spring feature with the perimeter wall when the weight member is installed in the weight mount.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the first distance R₁ is between about 1.0 mm and about 4.0 mm, and wherein the second distance R₂ is less than 1.0 mm.

3. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the weight body is cylindrical and the bore is a diametric bore that receives the portion of the cantilevered arm.

4. The golf club head of claim 3, wherein the cantilevered end of the cantilevered arm extends into the diametric bore of the weight body.

5. The golf club head of claim 3, wherein the cantilevered arm further comprises a radial arm that extends radially from a location on the cantilevered arm that is closer to the cantilevered end than the fixed end, and wherein the radial arm extends into the diametric bore.

6. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the cantilevered arm is formed by a slot cut in the sidewall of a tubular member.

7. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein the weight body is a cylindrical member having a first portion having a first outer diameter and a second portion having a second outer diameter, wherein the first outer diameter is smaller than the second outer diameter, wherein the tubular member is coupled to the weight body on the first portion.

8. A golf club head including a weight member, comprising:

a club head body having a hollow construction defined by a face defining a ball-striking surface, a sole, a crown, and a skirt, wherein the sole extends aftward from a lower edge of the face, wherein the crown extends aftward from an upper edge of the face, and wherein the skirt extends between the sole and the crown around a perimeter of the body;

a weight mount disposed on at least one of the sole, the crown, and the skirt, wherein the weight mount defines a perimeter wall, wherein a portion of the perimeter wall defines an undercut having an undercut depth R_u; and

a weight member that includes a weight body defining a side wall and a spring feature, wherein at least a portion of the spring feature is movably coupled to the weight body so that it is movable between a first configuration and a second configuration, wherein in the first configuration a portion of the spring feature extends outward from a side wall of the weight body by a first distance R₁, wherein in the second configuration a portion of the spring feature extends outward from a side wall of the weight body by a second distance R₂,

wherein the undercut depth R_u is less than the first distance R₁ and greater than the second distance R₂ so that the spring feature abuts the undercut of the perimeter wall of the weight mount, wherein the spring feature is a cantilevered arm, wherein the cantilevered arm includes a fixed end and a cantilevered end, and the fixed end is coupled to the weight body, wherein the weight body includes a diametric bore that receives a portion of the cantilevered arm and the weight body includes a slot that intersects the diametric bore so that at least a portion of the cantilevered arm is exposed when the weight member is installed in a weight mount, and wherein the spring feature is at least partially flexed by the abutment of the spring feature with the perimeter wall when the weight member is installed in the weight mount.

9. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein the cantilevered arm is constructed as a separate component and mechanically coupled to the weight body.

10. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein the cantilevered arm is formed by a slot cut in the sidewall of a tubular member.

11. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein the weight body is a cylindrical member having a first portion having a first outer diameter and a second portion having a second outer diameter, wherein the first outer diameter is smaller than the second outer diameter, wherein the tubular member is coupled to the weight body on the first portion.

12. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein the first distance R₁ is between about 1.0 mm and about 4.0 mm, and wherein the second distance R₂ is less than 1.0 mm.

13. A golf club head including a weight member, comprising:

a club head body having a hollow construction defined by a face defining a ball-striking surface, a sole, a crown, and a skirt, wherein the sole extends aftward from a lower edge of the face, wherein the crown extends aftward from an upper edge of the face, and wherein the skirt extends between the sole and the crown around a perimeter of the body;

a weight mount disposed on at least one of the sole, the crown, and the skirt, wherein the weight mount defines a perimeter wall, wherein a portion of the perimeter wall defines an undercut having an undercut depth R_u; and

a weight member that includes a weight body defining a side wall and a spring feature, wherein at least a portion the spring feature is movably coupled to the weight body so that it is movable between a first configuration and a second configuration, wherein in the first configuration a portion of the spring feature extends outward from a side wall of the weight body by a first distance R₁, wherein in the second configuration a portion of the spring feature extends outward from a side wall of the weight body by a second distance R₂,

wherein the undercut depth R_u is less than the first distance R₁ and greater than the second distance R₂ so that the spring feature abuts the undercut of the perimeter wall of the weight mount when the weight member is installed in the weight mount, wherein the spring feature is a slide member that slides in the weight body between the first configuration and the second configuration, wherein the weight body includes a radial slot and side walls of the radial slot include grooves, wherein the slide member is disposed in the slot and portions of the slide member extend into the grooves, wherein in the second configuration an outer edge of the slide member is closer to flush with the weight body than the first configuration, and wherein the spring feature is at least partially flexed by the abutment of the spring feature with the perimeter wall when the weight member is installed in the weight mount.

14. The golf club head of claim 13, wherein weight member comprises a slide stop, the slide stop comprising a cantilevered arm and a locking tab disposed in a recess formed in the radial slot.

15. The golf club head of claim 14, wherein the weight body includes an access port that extends into the slot and that exposes a portion of the slide stop through the weight body.

16. The golf club head of claim 13, wherein the slide member includes a tool engagement feature that is formed by a recess on a surface of the slide member that is exposed externally when the weight member is installed in the weight mount on the golf club head.