Golf club head

• US 10,721,339 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2018
• Issued: 07/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited
• Inventors: Rae, John J., Radcliffe, Nathaniel J., Stone, Daniel J., Garner, Trent E., Hooley, Brad S., Horacek, Robert J., Lacey, Sam G., Brunski, Jeff D., Schaeffer, Kevin, Carlyle, Scott A., Chien, Stephen C., Schnell, Craig R., Roberts, Douglas E., Nivanh, Dan S., Wallans, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hunter, Alvin A
• Application Number:
  US15/908,196
• Publication Number:
  US 20180241854A1
• Time in Patent Office: 874 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/005 Club sets
• 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 53/0437 with special crown configurations
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/44 Raman spectrometry; Scattering spectrometry ; Fluorescence spectrometry
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/10 Streamlined, light-weight or high-speed protocols, e.g. express transfer protocol [XTP] or byte stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/164 Adaptation or special uses of UDP protocol

Abstract

An exemplary golf club head having an increased amount of discretionary mass may be realized by utilizing improved drop angles, an improved average crown height, and/or articulation points. The discretionary mass may be placed low and deep in the club head to improve the location of the center of gravity as well as the inertial properties. A preferred break length may also be utilized to further improve the depth of the center of gravity. In one example, the center of gravity may be positioned to substantially align the sweet spot with the face center of the club head.

Claims

1. A golf club head that, when oriented in a reference position, comprises:

a volume no less than 200 cm³;

a top portion;

a rear portion having an outer surface;

a strike face comprising;

an outer surface,

a top edge,

a face center, and

a center apex, wherein the center apex is a point of intersection between an imaginary vertical traversing plane, oriented substantially perpendicular to the strike face and passing through the face center, and the top edge of the strike face, the golf club head having a rearmost point specific to the imaginary vertical traversing plane;

a hosel having a hosel centerline, wherein the golf club head is oriented relative to an imaginary horizontal ground plane so that the hosel centerline is in an imaginary vertical hosel plane generally parallel to the top edge of the strike face, the hosel centerline oriented at an angle of 60°

relative to the imaginary horizontal ground plane;

a first imaginary vertical line extending from the center apex to the imaginary horizontal ground plane; and

a first horizontal distance, in a direction perpendicular to the imaginary vertical hosel plane, between the first imaginary vertical line and the outer surface of the rear portion of the golf club head, the first horizontal distance being measured at a height between about 1 mm and about 15 mm relative to the imaginary horizontal ground plane and vertically spaced from a rear-most point of the club head, the first horizontal distance being between about 96.5 mm and about 140 mm.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the first horizontal distance is between about 100 mm and about 130 mm.

3. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the volume is between about 300 cm³ and about 500 cm³.

4. The golf club head of claim 1, further comprising a center of gravity located a second horizontal distance, measured rearwardly from the imaginary vertical hosel plane, of between about 15 mm and about 36 mm and a first vertical distance of about 20 mm and about 30 mm upward from the imaginary horizontal ground plane.

5. The golf club head of claim 4, wherein the second horizontal distance is between about 25 mm and about 35 mm.

6. The golf club head of claim 4, wherein the first vertical distance is between about 25 mm and about 30 mm.

7. The golf club head of claim 1, further comprising an imaginary coordinate system having an origin located at the center of gravity of the golf club head, the coordinate system having an x-axis, a y-axis, and a z-axis, wherein the golf club head has a moment of inertia about the z-axis of at least about 3700 g*cm².

8. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the golf club head has a moment of inertia about the y-axis of at least about 2300 g*cm².

9. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein the moment of inertia about the y-axis is between about 2700 g*cm² and about 3300 g*cm².

10. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the strike face has a face height between about 43 mm and about 61 mm.

11. A golf club head that, when oriented in a reference position, comprises:

a volume no less than 200 cm³;

a top portion having a recessed portion recessed towards an imaginary horizontal ground plane;

a rear portion having an outer surface;

a strike face comprising;

an outer surface,

a top edge,

a face center, and

a center apex, wherein the center apex is a point of intersection between an imaginary vertical traversing plane, oriented substantially perpendicular to the strike face and passing through the face center, and the top edge of the strike face, the golf club head having a rearmost point specific to the imaginary vertical traversing plane;

a hosel having a hosel centerline, wherein the golf club head is oriented relative to the imaginary horizontal ground plane so that the hosel centerline is in an imaginary vertical hosel plane generally parallel to the top edge of the strike face, the hosel centerline oriented at an angle of 60°

relative to the imaginary horizontal ground plane;

a first imaginary vertical line extending from the center apex to the imaginary horizontal ground plane; and

a first horizontal distance, in a direction perpendicular to the imaginary vertical hosel plane, between the first imaginary vertical line and the outer surface of the rear portion of the golf club head, the first horizontal distance being measured at a height between about 1 mm and about 15 mm relative to the imaginary horizontal ground plane and vertically spaced from a rear-most point of the club head, the first horizontal distance being between about 96.5 mm and about 140 mm.

12. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein the first horizontal distance is between about 100 mm and about 130 mm.

13. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein the volume is between about 300 cm³ and about 500 cm³.

14. The golf club head of claim 11, further comprising a center of gravity located a second horizontal distance, measured rearwardly from the imaginary vertical hosel plane, of between about 15 mm and about 36 mm and a first vertical distance of about 20 mm and about 30 mm upward from the imaginary horizontal ground plane.

15. The golf club head of claim 14, wherein the second horizontal distance is between about 25 mm and about 35 mm.

16. The golf club head of claim 14, wherein the first vertical distance is between about 25 mm and about 30 mm.

17. The golf club head of claim 11, further comprising an imaginary coordinate system having an origin located at the center of gravity of the golf club head, the coordinate system having an x-axis, a y-axis, and a z-axis, wherein the golf club head has a moment of inertia about the z-axis of at least about 3700 g*cm².

18. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein the golf club head has a moment of inertia about the y-axis of at least about 2300 g*cm².

19. The golf club head of claim 18, wherein the moment of inertia about the y-axis is between about 2700 g*cm² and about 3300 g*cm².

20. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein the strike face has a face height between about 45 mm and about 58 mm and a face length between about 94 mm and about 115 mm.