Golf club head or other ball striking device having impact-influencing body features

• US 10,245,474 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2015
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation, Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
• Inventors: Boggs, Joshua M., Harper, Kevin, Larson, Eric A., Prichard, Michael T., Akiyama, Hiromitsu, Fujita, Yoshimasa
• Primary Examiner(s): Dennis, Michael
• Application Number:
  US14/968,513
• Publication Number:
  US 20160096082A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,205 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/045 Strengthening ribs
• 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

Abstract

A ball striking device, such as a golf club head, has a face with a striking surface configured for striking a ball where the face has multiple thickness regions. The face has a center region, an upper region, a lower region, a toe region, and a heel region. The upper and lower regions have a ramped thickness extending from a center region to an upper and lower edge of the face. The heel and toe regions have a constant face thickness and have a thickness less than the other regions. Additionally, the club head body has a flange where the face is welded to the club head body. The flange has a thickness that is greater than the thickness of the heel and toe regions of the face.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a face having a striking surface configured for striking a ball,

an upper edge, a lower edge, a heel edge, and a toe edge;

a body connected to the face and extending rearwardly from the face,

the body having a crown, a sole, a heel side, a toe side, and a flange that forms a portion of the striking surface;

wherein the flange of the body and the face are welded at a joint to form an interior cavity and the upper edge, the lower edge, the heel edge, and the toe edge of the face are defined by the joint;

wherein the face has a first region having a first thickness, a second region having a second thickness, a third region having a third thickness, a fourth region having a fourth thickness, a fifth region having a fifth thickness; and

wherein the first region is positioned in a center region of the face,

wherein the center region has rectangular shape with rounded corners,

wherein the center region has a width in a range of 34 mm to 42 mm and a height within a range of 15 mm to 19 mm,

wherein the first thickness is a uniform thickness,

the second region is positioned on the toe side,

the third region is positioned on the heel side,

the fourth region is positioned between the first region and the upper edge of the face, and

the fifth region is positioned between the first region and the lower edge of the face;

wherein a toe side transitional region is positioned between toe side boundaries of the first region, the fourth region, the fifth region and a heel side boundary of the second region, wherein a heel side transitional region is positioned between heel side boundaries of the first region, the fourth region, the fifth region and a toe side boundary of the third region,

wherein the toe side transitional region and the heel side transition region have a variable thickness from boundaries with the first region, the fourth region, and the fifth region to blend into the thickness of the second and third regions, respectively,

wherein the fourth thickness has a variable thickness with a linear slope that decreases in thickness from the first thickness to the upper edge of the face at the joint and the fifth thickness has a variable thickness that that decreases with a linear slope from the first thickness to the lower edge of the face at the joint;

wherein the flange has a sixth thickness defined by a thickness at the heel edge of the joint,

wherein the sixth thickness is greater than the second thickness and the third thickness; and

wherein the flange does not extend inward beyond the joint.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the first region has a center point that is located within a range between 1 mm and 4 mm above a face center location in a crown-to-sole direction.

3. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the first thickness is greater than the second thickness, the third thickness, the fourth thickness, and the fifth thickness.

4. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the second thickness and the third thickness have the same thickness and the second thickness and the third thickness are less than the first thickness, the fourth thickness, and the fifth thickness.

5. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the linear slope of the fourth thickness is greater than the linear slope of the fifth thickness.

6. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the second thickness is in a range of 2.3 mm to 2.6 mm.