Golf club head

• US 10,463,932 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2018
• Issued: 11/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Inventors: Sargent, Nathan T., Nielson, Joseph Reeve, Johnson, Matthew David, Greensmith, Matthew, Beach, Todd P., Franz, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Blau, Stephen L
• Application Number:
  US16/179,689
• Publication Number:
  US 20190175999A1
• Time in Patent Office: 368 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• 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 53/0408 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 53/0454 Strengthening ribs on the rear surface of the impact face plate
• 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 53/06 adjustable
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/02 Ballast means for adjusting the centre of mass A63B60/24, A63B60/54 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/04 Movable ballast means A63B15/005 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/52 with slits

Abstract

A golf club head comprises a sole, a recessed sole port in the sole; and a rotatably adjustable sole piece adapted to be at least partially received within the sole port and comprising a central body having a plurality of contact surfaces adapted to contact the sole port and being offset from each other along a central axis extending through the central body of the sole piece. The sole piece can be positioned at least partially within the sole port at five or more rotational and axial positions with respect to the central axis, wherein at each rotational position, at least one of said contact surfaces of the central body contacts the sole port to set the axial position of the sole piece. The sole port and/or the sole piece can be generally pentagonal in shape.

Claims

1. A golf club head, comprising:

a body, comprising a face, a crown, a sole, a skirt region, and a body interior surface defining an interior cavity;

a channel formed in the body along the sole of the body, wherein the channel is elongate in a lengthwise direction and has a channel interior surface that partially defines the interior cavity of the body;

at least one weight member slidably engaged with and positioned at least partially within the channel; and

a plurality of ribs protruding from the body interior surface and fixed directly to the channel interior surface, wherein the plurality of ribs are oriented in several different directions and wherein at least one rib of the plurality of ribs ties the channel to the hosel.

2. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the channel extends from a heel-ward portion of the body to a toe-ward portion of the body.

3. The golf club head according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of ribs are co-formed with the body and the channel.

4. The golf club head according to claim 3, wherein:

the channel comprises at least one ledge extending lengthwise along the channel; and

the at least one weight member is configured to clamp onto the at least one ledge.

5. The golf club head according to claim 4, wherein:

the at least one weight member comprises an outer member, an inner member, and a threaded fastener; and

wherein the at least one weight member is configured to clamp the at least one ledge between the outer member and the inner member.

6. The golf club head according to claim 5, wherein the threaded fastener comprising an enlarged head portion and a threaded shaft extending from the head portion, wherein the shaft of the threaded fastener is configured to be inserted through a non-threaded bore of the outer member and tightened into a threaded bore of the inner member to cause the inner member and the outer member to clamp onto the at least one ledge.

7. The golf club head according to claim 4, wherein at least one rib of the plurality of ribs ties the channel to the skirt region.

8. The golf club head according to claim 4, wherein at least 50 percent of the crown has an areal weight less than 0.4 g/cm².

9. The golf club head according to claim 4, further comprising a head-shaft connection system configured to allow the golf club head to be adjustably attachable to a golf club shaft in a plurality of different positions resulting in an adjustability range of different combinations of loft angle, face angle, or lie angle.

10. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein at least one rib of the plurality of ribs is fixed directly to and protrudes from the body interior surface adjacent a first side of the channel and adjacent a second side of the channel, opposite the first side of the channel.

11. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the lengthwise direction is curved.

12. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein at least one rib of the plurality of ribs has a thickness between 0.5 mm and 1.5 mm.

13. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the channel has a length of at least 30 mm.

14. The golf club head according to claim 13, wherein the channel has a width of at least 8 mm.

15. The golf club head according to claim 14, wherein the channel has a depth of at least 6 mm.

16. The golf club head according to claim 15, wherein at least 50 percent of the crown has an areal weight less than 0.4 g/cm².

17. A golf club head, comprising:

a body, comprising a face, a crown, a sole, a skirt region, and a body interior surface defining an interior cavity;

a channel formed in the body along the sole of the body, wherein the channel is elongate in a lengthwise direction and has a channel interior surface that partially defines the interior cavity of the body;

at least one weight member slidably engaged with and positioned at least partially within the channel; and

three or more ribs protruding from the body interior surface and fixed directly to the channel interior surface and wherein at least one rib of the three or more ribs ties the channel to the hosel;

a head-shaft connection system configured to allow the golf club head to be adjustably attachable to a golf club shaft in a plurality of different positions resulting in an adjustability range of different combinations of loft angle, face angle, or lie angle;

wherein at least 50 percent of the crown has an areal weight less than 0.4 g/cm²;

wherein the channel comprises at least one ledge extending lengthwise along the channel; and

the at least one weight member is configured to clamp onto the at least one ledge;

wherein the at least one weight member comprises an outer member, an inner member, and a threaded fastener; and

wherein the at least one weight member is configured to clamp the at least one ledge between the outer member and the inner member.

18. The golf club head according to claim 17, wherein the three or more ribs are oriented in several different directions.

19. The golf club head according to claim 18, wherein the lengthwise direction is curved.