Golf club heads and methods to manufacture golf club heads

• US 10,532,257 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2018
• Issued: 01/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Parsons Xtreme Golf, Llc
• Original Assignee: Parsons Xtreme Golf, Llc
• Inventors: Schweigert, Bradley D., Nicolette, Michael R., Kroloff, Caleb S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Layno, Benjamin
• Application Number:
  US16/198,128
• Publication Number:
  US 20190091525A1
• Time in Patent Office: 419 Days
• Field of Search: 473342, 473344, 473345, 473334, 473335
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 1/00 Horizontal bars
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/02 Tennis
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/22 Field hockey
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/24 Ice hockey
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2244/19 Skiing
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0412 Volume
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0416 Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0445 Details of grooves or the like on the impact surface
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0454 Strengthening ribs on the rear surface of the impact face plate
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0458 with non-uniform thickness of the impact face plate
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0462 characterised by tapering thickness of the impact face plate
• 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 60/02 Ballast means for adjusting the centre of mass A63B60/24, A63B60/54 take precedence

Abstract

Embodiments of golf club heads and methods to manufacture golf club heads are generally described herein. In one example, a golf club head may include a body portion having a front portion including a face portion, a rear portion, a toe portion, a heel portion, a top portion, and a bottom portion. The face portion may have a center portion, an outer wall portion surrounding the center portion, and a plurality of inner wall portions connecting the center portion to the outer wall portion. Other examples and embodiments may be described and claimed.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a body portion having a rear portion, a toe portion, a heel portion, a top portion, a bottom portion, and a front portion including a face portion, the face portion comprising;

a center portion projecting from an inner side of the face portion, the center portion having a first thickness;

an outer wall projecting from the inner side of the face portion and surrounding the center portion, the outer wall having a second thickness less than the first thickness;

a plurality of inner wall portions projecting from the inner side of the face portion and connecting the center portion to the outer wall portion; and

a plurality of back portion regions, each back portion region being surrounded by a portion of the outer wall portion, the center portion and adjacent inner wall portions, each back portion region of the plurality of back portion regions having a third thickness less than the first thickness and the second thickness.

2. A golf club head as defined in claim 1, wherein the thickness of each inner wall portion of the plurality of inner wall portions decreases from the first thickness to the second thickness in a direction from the center portion to the outer wall portion.

3. A golf club head as defined in claim 1, wherein the center portion has a substantially constant thickness defined by the first thickness.

4. A golf club head as defined in claim 1, wherein the outer wall portion is a loop that surrounds the center portion.

5. A golf club head as defined in claim 1, wherein the plurality of inner wall portions include a first inner wall portion extending horizontally from the center portion toward the toe portion, a second inner wall portion extending vertically from the center portion toward the bottom portion, a third inner wall portion extending horizontally from the center portion toward the heel portion, and a fourth inner wall portion extending vertically from the center portion toward the top portion.

6. A golf club head as defined in claim 1, wherein the plurality of inner wall portions include a first inner wall portion extending from the center portion toward the toe portion, a second inner wall portion extending from the center portion toward the bottom portion, a third inner wall portion extending from the center portion toward the heel portion, and a fourth inner wall portion extending from the center portion toward the top portion, wherein the second inner wall portion and the fourth inner wall portion are wider than the first inner wall portion and the third inner wall portion.

7. A golf club head as defined in claim 1, wherein the first thickness is between 0.1 inch and 0.2 inch, and the second thickness is between 0.05 inch and 0.15 inch.

8. A golf club head comprising:

a hollow body portion having a rear portion, a toe portion, a heel portion, a top portion, a bottom portion, and a front portion including a face portion, the face portion comprising;

a center portion extending into the hollow body portion from an inner side of the face portion to define a first thickness;

an outer wall portion surrounding the center portion and extending into the hollow body portion from the inner side of the face portion to define a second thickness less than the first thickness;

a plurality of inner wall portions connecting the center portion to the outer wall portion; and

a plurality of back portion regions, each back portion region being surrounded by a portion of the outer wall portion, a portion of the center portion and adjacent inner wall portions, each back portion region of the plurality of back portion regions having a third thickness less than the first thickness and the second thickness, the plurality of back portion regions comprising;

a first back portion region being closer to the toe portion than the heel portion and closer to the bottom portion than the top portion;

a second back portion region being closer to the heel portion than the toe portion and closer to the bottom portion than the top portion;

a third back portion region being closer to the heel portion than the toe portion and closer to the top portion than the bottom portion; and

a fourth back portion region being closer to the toe portion than the heel portion and closer to the top portion than the bottom portion.

9. A golf club head as defined in claim 8, wherein the thickness of each inner wall portion of the plurality of inner wall portions decreases from the first thickness to the second thickness in a direction from the center portion to the outer wall portion.

10. A golf club head as defined in claim 8, wherein the center portion has a substantially constant thickness defined by the first thickness.

11. A golf club head as defined in claim 8, wherein the first thickness is between 0.1 inch and 0.2 inch, the second thickness is between 0.05 inch and 0.15 inch, and the third thickness is between 0.03 inch and 0.14 inch.

12. A golf club head as defined in claim 8, wherein the plurality of inner wall portions include a first inner wall portion extending horizontally from the center portion toward the toe portion, a second inner wall portion extending vertically from the center portion toward the bottom portion, a third inner wall portion extending horizontally from the center portion toward the heel portion, and a fourth inner wall portion extending vertically from the center portion toward the top portion.

13. A golf club head as defined in claim 8, wherein the center portion has a radius of less than 0.84 inch.

14. A golf club head comprising:

a hollow body portion having a rear portion, a toe portion, a heel portion, a top portion, and a bottom portion, and a front portion including a face portion, the face portion comprising;

a center portion extending into the hollow body portion from an inner side of the face portion;

an outer wall portion surrounding the center portion and extending into the hollow body portion from the inner side of the face portion;

a plurality of inner wall portions connecting the center portion to the outer wall portion, the plurality of inner wall portions comprising;

a first inner wall portion extending from the center portion toward the toe portion and having a first width;

a second inner wall portion extending from the center portion toward the bottom portion and having a second width;

a third inner wall portion extending from the center portion toward the heel portion and having a third width; and

a fourth inner wall portion extending from the center portion toward the top portion and having a fourth width,

wherein the second width and the fourth width are greater than the first width and the third width.

15. A golf club head as defined in claim 14, wherein a thickness of each inner wall portion of the plurality of inner wall portions decreases from a first thickness to a second thickness in a direction from the center portion to the outer wall portion.

16. A golf club head as defined in claim 14, further comprising a plurality of back portion regions, each back portion region being surrounded by a portion of the outer wall portion, a portion of the center portion and adjacent inner wall portions.

17. A golf club head as defined in claim 14, further comprising a plurality of back portion regions, each back portion region being surrounded by a portion of the outer wall portion, a portion of the center portion and adjacent inner wall portions, wherein the plurality of back portion regions comprise:

a first back portion region being closer to the toe portion than the heel portion and closer to the bottom portion than the top portion;

a second back portion region being closer to the heel portion than the toe portion and closer to the bottom portion than the top portion;

a third back portion region being closer to the heel portion than the toe portion and closer to the top portion than the bottom portion, and

a fourth back portion region being closer to the toe portion than the heel portion and closer to the top portion than the bottom portion.

18. A golf club head as defined in claim 14, wherein at least one of the plurality of inner wall portions has a trapezoidal cross-section shape.

19. A golf club head as defined in claim 14, wherein the first inner wall portion extends horizontally from the center portion toward the toe portion, the second inner wall portion extends vertically from the center portion toward the bottom portion, the third inner wall portion extends horizontally from the center portion toward the heel portion, and the fourth inner wall portion extends vertically from the center portion toward the top portion.

20. A golf club head as defined in claim 14, wherein a first thickness of the center portion is between 0.1 inch and 0.2 inch, a second thickness of the outer wall portion is between 0.05 inch and 0.15 inch, and the first thickness is greater than the second thickness.