Adjustable golf club and system and associated golf club heads and shafts

• US 10,245,487 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2016
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
• Original Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
• Inventors: Arluna, Robert, Boyd, Robert, Kawaguchi, Hiroshi, Larson, Eric A., Lukasiewicz, Jr., Robert, Moody, Jr., George W., Oldknow, Andrew G. V., Sander, Raymond J., Stites, John T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dennis, Michael
• Application Number:
  US15/231,151
• Publication Number:
  US 20170028276A1
• Time in Patent Office: 967 Days
• 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 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• 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 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

In general, aspects of this invention relate to golf clubs or golf club components incorporating adjustment members that permit ready adjustability of golf club parameters and/or interchangeability of golf club components to change a golf club configuration, and methods for providing golf clubs. According to aspects of this invention, an adjustment member may be utilized to allow the adjustability of a golf club parameter to change a golf club configuration, while ensuring there is substantially no change to other club or club head variables, parameters or characteristics. According to another aspect of this invention, an adjustment member may be utilized to allow the adjustability of two golf club parameters independently to change a golf club configuration, while ensuring there is substantially no change to other club or club head variables, parameters or characteristics.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a body defining a ball striking surface, a crown, a sole, a hosel, a heel, and a toe; and

an adjustment member engaged with the body and having a hosel adapter, wherein the hosel adapter comprises a first rotation inhibiting structure and an off-axis bore hole;

a shaft adapter with a second rotation inhibiting structure that engages the first rotation inhibiting structure, a spherical member, an off-axis bore hole, and a shaft adapter axis, the spherical member of the shaft adapter operably connected to the hosel adapter and rotatable about the shaft adapter axis, and

wherein the body and adjustment member are structured such that the adjustment member independently adjusts a specific combination of a loft angle and a face angle, with the loft angle among a first plurality of positions and the face angle among a second plurality of positions wherein in response to the independent adjustment of the loft angle and the face angle, a parameter associated with the body remains substantially unchanged within a predetermined tolerance, wherein the parameter is one of the following;

the golf club head'"'"'s location of a center of gravity, a face center, or a sole contact point, wherein each location is measured from a hosel origin point located at an intersection of the shaft adapter axis and an uppermost edge the shaft adapter, wherein the off-axis bore hole engagement between the hosel adapter and shaft adapter allows for independent adjustment of the loft angle or the face angle and

further wherein when the parameter is the location of a center of gravity of the golf club head, and the predetermined tolerance for the location of the center of gravity is approximately 3 mm from a reference center of gravity determined before the independent adjustment of the loft angle and the face angle, and

wherein when the parameter is a location of the face center of the golf club head, and the predetermined tolerance for the location of the face center is approximately 3 mm from a reference face center determined before the independent adjustment of the loft angle and the face angle, and

wherein when the parameter is the sole contact point, the predetermined tolerance for the location of the sole contact point is 4 mm from a reference sole contact point determined before the independent adjustment of the loft angle and the face angle.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the loft angle is adjusted among a plurality of positions in 1 degree increments.

3. The golf club head of claim 2, wherein the loft angle is adjustable from 8.5 degrees to 12.5 degrees.

4. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the face angle is adjustable from a neutral position, an open position, and a closed position.

5. The golf club head of claim 1, further comprising a shaft connected to the golf club head wherein the shaft is selected from the group consisting of:

senior (A) flex, regular (R) flex, stiff (S) flex, or extra stiff (X) flex.

6. A golf club head comprising:

a body defining a ball striking surface, a crown, a sole, a hosel, a heel, and a toe; and

an adjustment member engaged with the body and having a hosel adapter, wherein the hosel adapter comprises a first rotation inhibiting structure and an off-axis bore hole;

a shaft adapter with a second rotation inhibiting structure that engages the first rotation inhibiting structure, a spherical member, an off-axis bore hole, and a shaft adapter axis, the spherical member of the shaft adapter operably connected to the hosel adapter and rotatable about the shaft adapter axis, and

wherein the body and the adjustment member are structured such that the adjustment member independently adjusts a specific combination of a loft angle and a face angle of the body among a plurality of loft angles and a plurality of face angles, wherein in response to the independent adjustment of the loft angle and the face angle, a parameter associated with the body remains substantially unchanged within a predetermined tolerance, wherein the parameter is one of the following;

the golf club head'"'"'s location of a center of gravity, a face center, or a sole contact point, wherein each location is measured from a hosel origin point located at an intersection of the shaft adapter axis and an uppermost edge the shaft adapter, wherein the off-axis bore hole engagement between the hosel adapter and shaft adapter allows for independent adjustment of the loft angle or the face angle, and further wherein when the parameter is the location of a center of gravity of the golf club head, and the predetermined tolerance for the location of the center of gravity is approximately 3 mm from a reference center of gravity determined before the adjustment of the loft angle and the face angle, and

wherein when the parameter is a location of the face center of the golf club head, and the predetermined tolerance for the location of the face center is approximately 3 mm from a reference face center determined before the adjustment of the loft angle and the face angle, and wherein when the parameter is the sole contact point, the predetermined tolerance for the location of the sole contact point is 4 mm from a reference sole contact point determined before the adjustment of the loft angle and the face angle.

7. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein the loft angle is adjusted in 1 degree increments from 8.5 degrees to 12.5 degrees.

8. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein the face angle is adjusted between a neutral position, a closed position, and an open position.

9. The golf club head of claim 6, further comprising a shaft connected to the golf club head wherein the shaft is selected from the group consisting of:

senior (A) flex, regular (R) flex, stiff (S) flex, or extra stiff (X) flex.

10. A golf club comprising:

a golf club head that includes a body defining a ball striking surface, a crown, a sole, a hosel, a heel, and a toe;

an adjustment member engaged with the body and having a hosel adapter, wherein the hosel adapter comprises a first rotation inhibiting structure and an off-axis bore hole;

a shaft adapter with a second rotation inhibiting structure that engages the first rotation inhibiting structure, a spherical member, an off-axis bore hole, and a shaft adapter axis, the spherical member of the shaft adapter operably connected to the hosel adapter and rotatable about the shaft adapter axis; and

a shaft connected to shaft adapter and the golf club head,

wherein the body and the adjustment member are structured such that the adjustment member independently adjusts a specific combination of a loft angle and a face angle of the club head among a plurality of loft angles and a plurality of face angles, wherein the off-axis bore hole engagement between the hosel adapter and shaft adapter allows for independent adjustment of the loft angle or the face angle,

wherein in response to the independent adjustment of the loft angle and the face angle, one or more parameters associated with the body remain substantially unchanged within a predetermined tolerance,

wherein a first parameter is defined as a location of a center of gravity of the golf club head measured from a hosel origin point located at an intersection of the shaft adapter axis and an uppermost edge the shaft adapter and the predetermined tolerance for the location of the center of gravity is approximately 3 mm from a reference center of gravity determined before the adjustment of the loft angle and the face angle, and a second parameter is defined as a location of a face center of the golf club head measured from the hosel origin point, and the predetermined tolerance for the location of the face center is approximately 3 mm from a reference face center determined before the adjustment of the loft angle and the face angle, and a third parameter is defined as a moment of inertia of the golf club head about any one of an X-axis, Y-axis, or Z-axis, wherein the predetermined tolerance for the moment of inertia is approximately 10.0 KG-mm² from a reference moment of inertia.

11. The golf club head of claim 10 further wherein the shaft is selected from the group consisting of:

senior (A) flex, regular (R) flex, stiff (S) flex, or extra stiff (X) flex.

12. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein the loft angle is adjusted among a plurality of positions in 1 degree increments.

13. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein the loft angle is adjustable from 8.5 degrees to 12.5 degrees.

14. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein the face angle is adjustable from a neutral position, an open position, and a closed position.