Iron club with captive third piece

• US 20030203768A1
• Filed: 04/25/2002
• Published: 10/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cobra Golf Company (Puma SE)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Best, Christopher B.
• Granted Patent: US 6,688,989 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/345
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/005 Club sets
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• 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 53/0437 with special crown configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/047 iron-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: A63B 60/54 with means for damping vibrations

Abstract

A golf club with improved vibration damping and weight distribution, the golf club comprising a shaft and a head comprising a body portion having a front portion and a back portion, wherein the body portion defines an upper aperture and a lower aperture extending through the body portion communicating with the front portion and the back portion.

Claims

1. A golf club with improved vibration damping and weight distribution, the golf club comprising:

a shaft; and

a head comprising a body portion having a front portion and a back portion;

wherein the body portion defines an upper aperture and a lower aperture extending through the body portion communicating with the front portion and the back portion.

2. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the front portion defines a front cavity therein.

3. The golf club of claim 2, wherein a strike face insert is attached within the front cavity.

4. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the back portion defines a back cavity therein.

5. The golf club of claim 2, wherein the upper aperture extends laterally across a substantial upper portion of the body portion.

6. The golf club of claim 2, wherein the lower aperture extends laterally across a substantial lower portion of the body portion.

7. The golf club of claim 2, wherein the front portion further defines a third cavity disposed within the front cavity below the upper aperture, and wherein the third cavity encompasses a recessed rim surrounding an entire front portion of the lower aperture.

8. The golf club of claim 7, wherein the third cavity extends laterally across substantially the entire lower portion of the body portion for eliminating material and weight generally from central portions of the club head.

9. The golf club of claim 1, wherein a vibration damping and/or acoustic attenuating member occupies essentially the entire lower aperture and a portion of the back cavity.

10. The golf club of claim 9, wherein the vibration damping and/or acoustic attenuating member is disposed immediately adjacent to a rear surface of the strike face insert and the recessed rim, occupying essentially the entire third cavity, the entire lower aperture and a portion of the back cavity.

11. The golf club of claim 9, wherein the vibration damping and/or acoustic attenuating member has a shear modulus of at least about 1 MPa over a temperature range of from about 10°

C. to about 40°

C. and a frequency range of from about 50 Hz to about 5000 Hz.

12. The golf club of claim 11, wherein the shear modulus is at least about 2 MPa.

13. The golf club of claim 9, wherein the vibration damping and/or acoustic attenuating member has a loss factor of at least about 0.05 over a temperature range of from about 10°

C. to about 40°

C. and a frequency range of from about 50 Hz to about 5000 Hz.

14. The golf club of claim 13, wherein the loss factor is at least about 0.1.

15. The golf club of claim 9, wherein the vibration damping and/or acoustic attenuating member comprises viscoelastic elastomers;

vinyl copolymers with or without inorganic fillers;

polyvinyl acetate with or without mineral fillers such as barium sulfate;

acrylics;

polyesters;

polyurethanes;

polyethers;

polyamides;

polybutadienes;

polystyrenes;

polyisoprenes;

polyethylenes;

polyolefins;

styrene/isoprene block copolymers;

metallized polyesters;

metallized acrylics;

epoxies;

epoxy and graphite composites;

natural and synthetic rubbers;

piezoelectric ceramics;

thermoset and thermoplastic rubbers;

foamed polymers;

ionomers;

low-density fiber glass;

bitumen;

air bladders;

liquid bladders;

acoustic absorbing materials;

Helmholtz resonators; and

mixtures thereof.

16. The golf club of claim 9, wherein the vibration damping and/or acoustic attenuating member comprises a low-density granular material comprising perlite;

vermiculite;

polyethylene beads;

glass microspheres;

expanded polystyrene;

nylon flock;

ceramics;

polymeric elastomers;

rubbers;

dendritic particles;

or a mixture thereof.

17. The golf club of claim 9, wherein the vibration damping and/or acoustic attenuating member comprises a plurality of layers and a plurality of materials.

18. The golf club of claim 9, wherein the vibration damping and/or acoustic attenuating member further contains a weight member therein having a specific gravity greater than the body portion.

19. The golf club of claim 9, wherein an indicia is scribed on a back surface of the vibration damping and/or acoustic attenuating member.

20. The golf club of claim 3, wherein the strike face insert comprises a first material, the body portion comprises a second material, and wherein the first material has a strength-to-weight ratio greater than that of the second material.

21. A golf club of the iron type with improved vibration damping and weight distribution, the golf club comprising:

a shaft; and

a head having a body, a strike face insert and a vibration damping and/or acoustic attenuating member;

wherein the body has a back cavity, a front cavity having a third cavity formed therein, an upper aperture formed therethrough communicating the back cavity and the front cavity, and a lower aperture formed therethrough communicating the back cavity and the third cavity;

wherein the strike face insert is disposed within the front cavity adjacent to the upper aperture and the third cavity;

wherein the vibration damping and/or acoustic attenuating member is disposed immediately adjacent to a rear surface of the strike face insert, occupying the entire third cavity, the entire lower aperture and a portion of the back cavity; and

wherein the strike face insert comprises a material having a strength-to-weight ratio greater than that of a material forming the body.

22. A set of golf clubs, comprising a plurality of clubs wherein each club comprises a shaft and a club head, the shaft of each club being shorter in length than the shaft of a preceding club in the set, wherein:

each of the plurality of club heads has a front portion and a back portion;

the front portion defines a front cavity therein;

the back portion defines a back cavity therein;

the front cavity has a third cavity formed within;

the back cavity has an upper aperture therein communicating with the front cavity;

the back cavity has a lower aperture therein communicating with the third cavity; and

a strike face insert is attached within the front cavity.

23. The set of golf clubs of claim 22, wherein a vertical position of a center of gravity of the club head progressively elevates for at least some clubs in the set.

24. The set of golf clubs of claim 22, wherein each of the plurality of club heads has a vibration dampening and/or acoustic attenuating member occupying the entire third cavity, the entire lower aperture and a portion of the back cavity.

25. The set of golf clubs of claim 24, wherein the vibration damping and/or acoustic attenuating member comprises a plurality of layers and a plurality of materials.

26. The set of golf clubs of claim 24, wherein the strike face insert is progressively larger for at least some clubs in the set.

27. The set of golf clubs of claim 24, wherein the upper aperture is surrounded by a shelf having a first volume of material, and wherein the first volume of material progressively increases for at least some clubs in the set.

28. The set of golf clubs of claim 24, wherein the lower aperture is surrounded by a rim having a second volume of material, and wherein the second volume of material progressively increases for at least some clubs in the set.

29. The set of golf clubs of claim 24, wherein a volume of the upper aperture progressively decreases for at least some clubs in the set.

30. The set of golf clubs of claim 24, wherein a volume of the third cavity progressively decreases for at least some clubs in the set.

31. The set of golf clubs of claim 24, wherein a volume of the lower aperture progressively decreases for at least some clubs in the set.

32. The set of golf clubs of claim 24, wherein a vertical position of the upper aperture progressively decreases for at least some clubs in the set.

33. The set of golf clubs of claim 24, wherein a vertical position of the third cavity progressively decreases for at least some clubs in the set.

34. The set of golf clubs of claim 24, wherein a vertical position of the lower aperture progressively decreases for at least some clubs in the set.

35. The set of golf clubs of claim 24, wherein a density of the vibration damping and/or acoustic attenuating member progressively increases for at least some clubs in the set.

36. The set of golf clubs of claim 24, wherein a volume of the vibration damping and/or acoustic attenuating member progressively increases for at least some clubs in the set.

37. The set of golf clubs of claim 24, wherein the vibration damping and/or acoustic attenuating member further contains a weight member therein.

38. The set of golf clubs of claim 28, wherein a volume of the weight member progressively increases to elevate a vertical position of a center of gravity of the club head for at least some clubs in the set.

39. The set of golf clubs of claim 28, wherein a density of the weight member progressively increases to elevate a vertical position of a center of gravity of the club head for at least some clubs in the set.

40. The set of golf clubs of claim 28, wherein a vertical position of the weight member progressively increases to elevate a vertical position of a center of gravity of the club head for at least some clubs in the set.