Golf club with polymeric insert and removeable weight

• US 10,668,335 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2018
• Issued: 06/02/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
• Original Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
• Inventors: Boggs, Joshua
• Primary Examiner(s): Pierce, William M
• Application Number:
  US16/169,732
• Publication Number:
  US 20190054352A1
• Time in Patent Office: 587 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0694 Visual indication, e.g. Indicia
• 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 53/04 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 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/06 adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/54 with means for damping vibrations

Abstract

A golf club head includes a face, a crown, a sole, and defines a bore that is configured to receive and to selectively retain an elongate weight. The bore is aligned on a longitudinal axis that intersects the face. An elongate weight is insertable into the bore. The elongate weight is rotatable between a first angular position and a second angular position. The golf club head can further include a compliant stop positioned to contact a protrusion of the elongate weight, such that a torque threshold must be overcome to rotate the elongate weight.

Claims

1. A golf club comprising:

a golf club head including a metal portion adhered to a polymeric portion to define a closed internal volume therebetween, the golf club head having a sole, a crown, and a face, wherein the polymeric portion includes an internal wall that defines a bore having both an open end and a closed end;

an elongate member including a body portion and a protrusion extending radially outward from the body portion, wherein;

the elongate member is insertable within the open end of the bore and rotatable within the bore between a first angular position and a second angular position that are between about 90 degrees and about 180 degrees apart,

the elongate member is freely removable from the bore when in the first angular position and is restrained from being withdrawn from the bore when in the second angular position, and

a compliant stop extending radially inward into the bore from the internal wall, wherein the compliant stop is positioned such that the protrusion contacts the compliant stop as the elongate member is rotated between the first angular position and the second angular position, and wherein the contact between the compliant stop and the protrusion inhibits rotational motion of the elongate member between the first and second angular positions only up to a torque threshold that is within the range of from about 10 inch-pounds to about 40 inch-pounds;

wherein the bore defines a longitudinal axis that extends between the open end and the closed end; and

wherein the bore is aligned such that the longitudinal axis of the bore intersects the face.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein at least one of the protrusion and the compliant stop elastically deforms to permit the rotation of the elongate member between the first and second angular positions in response to an applied torque above the torque threshold.

3. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the internal wall comprises a polymer, and

wherein the internal wall elastically deforms to permit the rotation of the elongate member between the first and second angular positions in response to an applied torque above the torque threshold.

4. The golf club of claim 1, further comprising a non-compliant stop extending radially inward from the internal wall, wherein:

the non-compliant stop is disposed on an opposite side of the protrusion from the compliant stop when the elongate member is in the second angular position, and

the non-compliant stop inhibits rotation of the elongate member up to a torque, applied to the elongate member, of at least 40 inch-pounds.

5. The golf club of claim 4, wherein the non-compliant stop extends radially inward from the internal wall by a greater distance than the compliant stop.

6. The golf club of claim 1, further comprising:

an elastomeric dampening member disposed at the closed end of the bore, wherein the dampening member applies an elastic biasing force to the elongate member when the elongate member is in the second angular position; and

a cinching ramp extending radially inward from the internal wall and positioned such that the protrusion contacts the cinching ramp as the elongate member is rotated between the first angular position and the second angular position; and

wherein the contact between the protrusion and the cinching ramp urges the elongate member against the dampening member.

7. The golf club of claim 6, wherein the dampening member has a hardness, measured on the Shore A scale, of from about 70 A to about 90 A.

8. The golf club head of claim 1, further comprising a protrusion extending radially inward from the internal wall and positioned such that the protrusion provides an interference that restrains the elongate member from being withdrawn from the bore when in the second angular position.

9. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein the protrusion extending radially inward from the internal wall is a cinching ramp that is positioned such that the protrusion of the elongate member contacts the cinching ramp as the elongate member is rotated between the first angular position and the second angular position;

and

wherein the contact between the protrusion of the elongate member and the cinching ramp urges the elongate member further into the bore.

10. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the elongate member includes a recess configured to receive a tool;

wherein the tool can apply a torque to the elongate member, via the recess, sufficient to transition the elongate member between the first angular position and the second angular position.

11. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the polymeric portion defines at least a portion of the sole.

12. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein transitioning from the first angular position to the second angular position requires a first torque to overcome the contact between the compliant stop and the protrusion;

wherein transitioning from the second angular position to the first angular position requires a second torque to overcome the contact between the compliant stop and the protrusion; and

wherein the first torque is different than the second torque.

13. The golf club head of claim 1,

wherein the elongate member is freely translatable within the bore, along the longitudinal axis when in the first angular position.

14. A golf club comprising:

a golf club head having a sole, a crown, and a face, and a wall that defines a bore having both an open end and a closed end;

an elastomeric dampening member disposed within the bore at the closed end;

a cinching ramp extending from the wall into the bore;

an elongate member including a body portion and a protrusion extending radially outward from the body portion;

wherein the elongate member is slidably insertable within the open end of the bore and rotatable within the bore between a first angular position and a second angular position, wherein the elongate member is configured to be freely withdrawn from the bore when in the first angular position and is restrained from being withdrawn from the bore via contact between the protrusion and the cinching ramp when in the second angular position, and wherein the elongate member can transition from the first angular position to the second angular position via a rotation of from about 90 degrees to about 180 degrees;

wherein the dampening member and cinching ramp cooperate to apply an elastic biasing force to the elongate member when the elongate member is in the second angular position.

15. The golf club of claim 14, wherein the wall is formed from a polymeric material;

the golf club further comprising a compliant stop extending from the wall into the bore, wherein the compliant stop inhibits rotational motion of the elongate member between the first and second angular positions only up to a torque threshold that is within the range of from about 10 inch-pounds to about 40 inch-pounds; and

wherein the compliant stop is positioned such that it is at least partially disposed in a path of the protrusion as the elongate member is rotated between the first angular position and the second angular position; and

wherein at least one of the protrusion, the compliant stop, and the wall elastically deforms to permit the rotation of the elongate member in response to an applied torque above the torque threshold.

16. The golf club head of claim 14, wherein the bore defines a longitudinal axis between the open end and the closed end;

and

wherein the elongate member is freely translatable within the bore, along the longitudinal axis when in the first angular position.

17. The golf club head of claim 16, wherein the longitudinal axis intersects the face.

18. The golf club head of claim 14, wherein the wall is formed from a polymeric material.