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

• US 10,346,559 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2018
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
• Original Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
• Inventors: Sander, Raymond J., Boggs, Joshua M., Rubal, Matthew P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dennis, Michael D
• Application Number:
  US16/031,993
• Publication Number:
  US 20180336290A1
• Time in Patent Office: 364 Days
• Field of Search: 473349, 473345
• 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 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/06 adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

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 comprising:

a golf club head, a shaft, and a releasable adjustment member, wherein the golf club head comprises a hosel chamber, wherein the hosel chamber has an upper opening and a lower opening, wherein the releasable adjustment member comprises;

a shaft ring, a shaft adapter, a hosel adapter, a hosel ring, and a securing mechanism, wherein the shaft ring comprises a shaft ring upper portion, a shaft ring lower portion, a shaft ring inner surface, and a shaft ring outer surface, wherein the shaft adapter comprises a shaft adapter upper portion, a shaft adapter lower portion, a shaft adapter inner surface, a shaft adapter outer surface, an shaft adapter upper end, and a shaft adapter lower end, wherein the shaft adapter lower portion outer surface comprises a first rotation-inhibiting structure, wherein the shaft adapter lower end comprises a threaded recess, wherein the hosel adapter comprises a hosel adapter upper portion, a hosel adapter lower portion, a hosel adapter inner surface, a hosel adapter outer surface, an hosel adapter upper end, and a hosel adapter lower end, wherein the hosel adapter lower portion inner surface comprises a second rotation-inhibiting structure configured to engage the first-rotation inhibiting structure in an interlocking manner with respect to rotation, wherein the hosel adapter lower portion outer surface comprises a third rotation-inhibiting structure, wherein the hosel ring comprises a hosel ring inner surface and a hosel ring outer surface, wherein the hosel ring inner surface comprises a fourth rotation-inhibiting structure configured to engage the third rotation-inhibiting structure in an interlocking manner with respect to rotation, and wherein the securing member comprises a securing member head, a securing member spherical washer, a securing member screw retention device, and a securing member threaded portion, wherein the golf shaft inserts through the shaft ring into the inner surface of the shaft adapter, wherein the shaft ring lower portion is received into the shaft adapter top end, wherein the shaft adapter lower portion is received into the hosel adapter upper portion, wherein the hosel adapter lower portion is received into the hosel ring, wherein the hosel ring is received into the hosel chamber, wherein the hosel adapter lower portion is removably attached to the golf club head body with the securing member, wherein the releasable adjustment member is operably connected to the golf club head body, and the shaft, wherein the golf club head and adjustment member are structured such that the adjustment member adjusts a first parameter associated with the golf club head among a plurality of positions, wherein the first parameter is selected from a group consisting of a face center location, a loft angle, a face angle, or a lie angle, wherein in response to the adjustment of the first parameter, a second parameter associated with the golf club head remains constant within a predetermined tolerance, wherein the second parameter is selected from a group consisting of a center of gravity, a moment of inertia, a bulge curvature, or a roll curvature.

2. The golf club of claim 1,

wherein the golf club head further comprises a body defining a ball striking surface, a crown, a sole, a heel, a toe, a back, and

an interior void enclosed by the ball striking face, the crown, the sole, the toe, the heel, and the back, and

wherein the hosel chamber is separate from the interior void,

wherein the hosel chamber lower opening has smaller diameter than the hosel chamber upper opening,

wherein the sole comprises a sole recess,

wherein the sole recess is connected with and open to the hosel chamber through the lower opening,

wherein the sole recess is separate from the interior void.

3. The golf club of claim 1,

wherein the first parameter is a loft angle and the second parameter is a roll curvature of the golf club head,

wherein the roll curvature is defined as a radius defined from a roll curvature circle defined by the intersection of a roll plane and the ball striking surface,

wherein the roll plane is defined as a plane normal to a ground plane through a face center location,

wherein the predetermined tolerance for the roll curvature is approximately 4 mm from a reference roll curvature,

wherein the reference roll curvature is measured at a reference position of the golf club head prior to the adjustment of the first parameter, and

wherein the predetermined tolerance of the roll curvature is defined such that when the first parameter is adjusted, the roll curvature is no greater than 4 mm different than the reference roll curvature.

4. The golf club head of claim 3, wherein the loft angle is adjusted among a plurality of positions in 1 degree increments.

5. The golf club head of claim 4, wherein the loft angle is adjustable from 8.5 degrees to 13.5 degrees.

6. The golf club head of claim 4, wherein the loft angle is adjustable from 9.5 degrees to 11.5 degrees.

7. The golf club head of claim 3, wherein the predetermined tolerance for the roll curvature is approximately 3 mm from the reference roll curvature.

8. The golf club head of claim 3, wherein the adjustment member is operably associated with a hosel of the golf club head.

9. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the shaft is selected from a group having a flex consisting of one of:

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

10. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the shaft adapter further comprises a stop ring on a lower end configured to allow the hosel adapter to disengage from the shaft adapter without the hosel adapter being removed from the golf club head.

11. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the shaft adapter has a shaft adapter outer surface longitudinal axis and a shaft adapter inner surface longitudinal axis, and wherein the shaft adapter inner surface longitudinal axis is angled with respect to the shaft adapter outer surface longitudinal axis.

12. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the hosel adapter has a hosel adapter outer surface longitudinal axis and a hosel adapter inner surface longitudinal axis, and wherein the hosel adapter inner surface longitudinal axis is angled with respect to the hosel adapter outer surface longitudinal axis.

13. The golf club of claim 1 wherein the first rotation-inhibiting structure and the second rotation-inhibiting structure comprise longitudinal splines.

14. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the third rotation-inhibiting structure and the fourth rotation-inhibiting structure comprise longitudinal splines.

15. The golf club head of claim 1,

wherein the shaft adapter has a shaft adapter outer surface longitudinal axis and a shaft adapter inner surface longitudinal axis, and wherein the shaft adapter inner surface longitudinal axis is angled with respect to the shaft adapter outer surface longitudinal axis, and

wherein the hosel adapter has a hosel adapter outer surface longitudinal axis and a hosel adapter inner surface longitudinal axis, and wherein the hosel adapter inner surface longitudinal axis is angled with respect to the hosel adapter outer surface longitudinal axis.

16. The golf club of claim 1,

wherein the first rotation-inhibiting structure and the second rotation-inhibiting structure comprise longitudinal splines, and

wherein the third rotation-inhibiting structure and the fourth rotation-inhibiting structure comprise longitudinal splines.

17. The golf club of claim 10, wherein the lower end of the shaft adapter further comprises a channel extending radially around the lower end, and

wherein the stop ring comprises a separate compression o-ring,

wherein the separate compression o-ring is fitted in the channel at the lower end of the shaft adapter.

18. The golf club of claim 17, wherein the separate compression o-ring is rubber.

19. The golf club of claim 17, wherein the separate compression o-ring is a metal material.

20. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the securing member spherical washer has a convex surface,

wherein the securing member head has a concave surface,

wherein the securing member spherical washer convex surface mates or engages with the securing member head concave surface.