Slotted golf club head

• US 20020173375A1
• Filed: 02/25/2002
• Published: 11/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brakeout Technology, LLC
• Original Assignee: Brakeout Technology, LLC
• Inventors: Salm, Peter, Asplund, Brad
• Granted Patent: US 6,846,246 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/328
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/01 Special aerodynamic features, e.g. airfoil shapes, wings or air passages
• 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 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/006 Surfaces specially adapted for reducing air resistance
• 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 slotted golf club head for reducing the obstruction of an obstacle such as sand, water, or grass when striking a golf ball. The slotted golf club head having: i.) a wide club sole that prevents the golf club head from being encumbered by the hazard or obstacle and for providing mass and a lower center of gravity for the golf club head; and ii.) a club face having a) an un-slotted upper portion adapted to provide an un-slotted striking surface for the golf ball and additional mass and balance to the golf club head; and b) a slotted lower portion having a plurality of slots for allowing an obstacle to pass through the golf club head. The slots extend from the club face through the club body. The slot bottoms of that extend through the sole allowing the slot bottoms to be straight and substantially level with the club sole.

Claims

1. A golf club head for use in connection with a golf ball, the golf club head comprising:

a club body; and

a club face adapted for striking the golf ball, said club face comprising;

an un-slotted upper portion comprising at least one fifth of the total area of said club face;

a slotted lower portion configured to allow an obstruction to pass through the golf club head, said lower portion having a plurality of slots extending from said club face through the golf club head wherein the width of said slots changes from said club face through the golf club head.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said obstruction is one of sand, water, grass, turf, or mud.

3. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the width of said slots increases from said club face through said club body.

4. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the width of the slots decreases from the club face through said club body

5. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said un-slotted upper portion is configured to provide an un-slotted striking surface for hitting the golf ball.

6. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said un-slotted upper portion is configured to provide additional mass and balance to the golf club head.

7. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said un-slotted upper portion is configured to provide additional strength to said club face.

8. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said club face includes a series of grooves for creating backspin on the golf ball.

9. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein said grooves form unbroken straight lines across said upper unslotted portion of said club face.

10. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein said lower portion of said club face includes a plurality of contacting portions and wherein said grooves are intermittent across said plurality of contacting portions.

11. A golf club head for use in connection with a golf ball, the golf club head comprising:

a club face adapted for striking the golf ball, said club face having a leading edge, an un-slotted upper portion, and a lower portion having a plurality of slots wherein said slots have a slot bottom and a slot top and wherein said plurality of slots extend from said lower portion of said club face through the golf club head; and

a sole extending from said leading edge of said club face to a rear portion of the golf club head wherein said sole has a sole bottom that prevents the golf club head from being encumbered by an obstruction and wherein said plurality of slots extend through the golf club head such that said slot bottoms are more than twice as long as said slot tops.

12. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein said obstruction comprises sand.

13. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein said obstruction comprises water.

14. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein said obstruction comprises turf.

15. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein said obstruction comprises grass.

16. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein said sole is cambered to reduce the drag of said obstruction.

17. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein said sole provides additional mass to the golf club head.

18. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein said sole provides a lower center of gravity to the golf club head.

19. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein said sole includes a ramp on a rear portion of said sole.

20. The golf club head of claim 19, wherein said ramp allows sand to slide off said rear portion of said sole.

21. The golf club head of claim 19, wherein said ramp provides mass for achieving a desired swing weight.

22. A golf club head for reducing the obstruction of an obstruction when striking a golf ball, the golf club head comprising:

(a) a club face adapted for striking the golf ball, said club face comprising;

(i) an un-slotted upper portion adapted to provide an un-slotted striking surface for the golf ball and additional strength, mass, and balance to the golf club head wherein said un-slotted upper portion comprises at least one fifth of the total area of said club face;

(ii) a slotted lower portion having a plurality of contacting portions, wherein said slotted lower portion is configured to provide a slotted striking surface for hitting the golf ball and to allow the obstruction to pass through the golf club head; and

(iii) a leading edge positioned at the bottom of said slotted lower portion of said golf club face; and

(b) a sole extending from said leading edge of said club face to a rear portion of the golf club head wherein said sole has a sole bottom that prevents the golf club head from being encumbered by the obstruction and wherein said sole provides mass and a lower center of gravity for balancing the golf club head; and

(c) a plurality of slots having slot bottoms and slot tops wherein said plurality of slots extend from said slotted lower portion of said club face through the golf club head wherein said slotted lower portion of said slots extend through said sole such that said slot bottoms are more than twice as long as said slot tops and wherein the width of said slots changes from said club face to said rear portion of the golf club head.

23. The golf club head of claim 22, wherein said slots at said club face have a width of 0.182 inches.

24. The golf club head of claim 22, wherein said contacting portions have a width of 0.130 inches.

25. The golf club head of claim 22, wherein the width of said slots and said contacting portions vary.

26. The golf club head of claim 22, wherein said un-slotted upper portion of said club face comprises between 0.45 inches and 1.2 inches of the total of said club face.

27. The golf club head of claim 22, wherein said plurality of slots are equidistant from said leading edge of said club face.

29. The golf club of claim 28, wherein said plurality of slots comprise between 5-25 slots.

30. The golf club of claim 28, wherein the plurality of slots comprise 8 slots.

31. The golf club of claim 28, wherein the width of said plurality of slots exceeds the width of said contacting portions.

32. The golf club of claim 28, wherein the width of said plurality of slots is less than the width of said contacting portions.

33. The golf club of claim 28 wherein the each of said plurality of contacting portions have edges bounded by said slots.

34. The golf club of claim 33, wherein said edges are champed to prevent scoring of said golf ball.

35. The golf club of claim 33, wherein said edges are beveled to prevent scoring of said golf ball.

36. The golf club of claim 28, wherein the height of said plurality of slots varies.

37. The golf club of claim 28, wherein the height of said slots positioned in the middle portion of the club face is greater than height of said slots positioned at said edges of said club face.

38. The golf club of claim 28, wherein said slots are perpendicular with said leading edge of said club face.

39. The golf club of claim 28, wherein said slots are not perpendicular with said leading edge of said club face.

40. The golf club of claim 28, wherein said slots are horizontal with said leading edge of said club face.

41. The golf club of claim 28, wherein said slots are diagonal with said leading edge of said club face.

28. A golf club comprising:

a club shaft adapted to allow a user to grip the golf club; and

a club head disposed at the distal end of said club shaft, said club head being adapted to hit a golf ball, said club head further comprising;

a club face for striking said golf ball, said club face having a leading edge, an un-slotted upper portion covering at least one fifth of the club face, and a slotted lower portion having a plurality of contacting portions;

a club body providing mass and a lower center of gravity to said club head; and

a club sole extending from said leading edge of said club face, said club sole having a sole bottom adapted to prevent said club head from penetrating excessively into a hazard or obstacle during the swing of the golf club, and

a plurality slots having slot bottoms and slot tops wherein said plurality of slots extend from said lower portion of said club face through said club body wherein said plurality of slots extend through said club sole such that said slot bottoms are more than twice as long as said slot tops.

42. A golf club head comprising:

a club face;

a club body for providing mass to the golf club head; and

a plurality of slots extending from said club face through said club body wherein each slot has a slot bottom configured such the angle formed by the slot bottom and the club face is between 25 and 60 degrees.

43. The golf club head of claim 42, wherein the angle formed by the slot bottom and the club face is approximately 30 degrees.

44. The golf club head of claim 42, wherein said plurality of slots are configured such that obstructions flowing through said plurality of slots squares the golf club head during a swing.

45. The golf club head of claim 44, wherein said plurality of slots are configured to square the golf club head during a swing due to the propensity of said plurality of slots to force the golf club head to flow through the hazard along the path of least resistance, the path of least resistance corresponding to a path in which said club face is square.