Multi-material golf club head

• US 10,434,380 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2017
• Issued: 10/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Kawaguchi, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Legesse, Nini F
• Application Number:
  US15/721,142
• Publication Number:
  US 20180085644A1
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 473324, 473345, 473346, 473347, 473348, 473349
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/02 with reinforcing fibres, e.g. carbon, polyamide fibres
• 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 53/0437 with special crown configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/002 Resonance frequency related characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/50 with through-holes A63B60/18 takes precedence; for stringing purposes A63B49/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/52 with slits

Abstract

A golf club head made out of multi-material is disclosed herein. More specifically, the golf club head in accordance with the present invention has at least a portion of the body of the golf club head that is further comprised out of a base layer and a lightweight cover layer. The base layer may have a plurality of cutouts to help reduce unnecessary mass and the lightweight cover layer may be made out of an ultra-lightweight material to further reduce the unnecessary mass.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a striking face portion located at a frontal portion of said golf club head; and

a body portion attached to an aft portion of said striking face portion further comprising a crown portion and a sole portion;

wherein a portion of said body portion further comprises a base layer and a lightweight cover layer,

said base layer further comprises a plurality of cutouts, and

said lightweight cover layer wraps around a toe skirt portion of said golf club head, at least partially encompassing a majority of said crown and only a toe portion of said sole.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said lightweight cover layer does not encompass any portion of a heel portion of said sole.

3. The golf club head of claim 2, wherein said plurality of cutouts does not encompass any portion of said heel portion of said sole.

4. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said lightweight cover layer further comprises at least one notch around a skirt portion of said lightweight cover layer.

5. The golf club head of claim 4, wherein said at least one notch further comprises a frontal notch and a trailing notch.

6. The golf club head of claim 5, wherein said frontal notch is longer than said trailing notch.

7. The golf club head of claim 5, wherein said frontal notch is the same length as said trailing notch.

8. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said lightweight cover layer has an Internal Exposure Percentage of greater than about 15% and less than about 60%.

9. A golf club head comprising:

a striking face portion located at a frontal portion of said golf club head; and

a body portion attached to an aft portion of said striking face portion further comprising a crown portion and a sole portion;

wherein a portion of said body portion further comprises a base layer and a lightweight cover layer,

said lightweight cover layer wraps around a toe skirt portion of said golf club head, at least partially encompassing a majority of said crown and only a toe portion of said sole, and

wherein said lightweight cover layer further comprises at least one notch around a skirt portion of said lightweight cover layer.

10. The golf club head of claim 9, wherein said at least one notch further comprises a frontal notch and a trailing notch.

11. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein said frontal notch is longer than said trailing notch.

12. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein said frontal notch is the same length as said trailing notch.

13. The golf club head of claim 9, wherein said lightweight cover layer has an Internal Exposure Percentage of greater than about 15% and less than about 60%.

14. The golf club head of claim 13, wherein said lightweight cover layer has an Internal Exposure Percentage of greater than about 20% and less than about 50%.

15. The golf club head of claim 14, wherein said lightweight cover layer has an Internal Exposure Percentage of greater than about 25% and less than about 45%.

16. The golf club head of claim 13, wherein said plurality of cutouts in said base layer extends around onto said toe portion of said sole of said golf club head.

17. A golf club head comprising:

a striking face portion located at a frontal portion of said golf club head; and

a body portion attached to an aft portion of said striking face portion further comprising a crown portion and a sole portion;

wherein a portion of said body portion further comprises a base layer and a lightweight cover layer,

said base layer further comprises a plurality of cutouts, and

said lightweight cover layer wraps around a toe skirt portion of said golf club head, at least partially encompassing a majority of said crown and only a toe portion of said sole.

18. The golf club head of claim 17, wherein said base layer has a maximum thickness of less than about 0.50 mm, and said lightweight cover layer has a maximum thickness of less than about 0.30 mm.

19. The golf club head of claim 18, wherein said base layer has a maximum thickness of less than about 0.40 mm, and said lightweight cover layer has a maximum thickness of less than about 0.25 mm.

20. The golf club head of claim 19, wherein said base layer has a maximum thickness of less than about 0.35 mm, and said lightweight cover layer has a maximum thickness of less than about 0.20 mm.