Golf club head

• US 20050192117A1
• Filed: 03/30/2005
• Published: 09/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dean L. Knuth
• Original Assignee: Panda Golf, Inc.
• Inventors: Knuth, Dean Leslie
• Granted Patent: US 7,273,421 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/342
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• 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 53/0458 with non-uniform 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

Abstract

In one aspect, the invention provides a face for a golf club head. In one embodiment, the face includes an upper portion and a lower portion, wherein the lower portion has a lower toe portion located towards the toe of the golf club head, a lower heel portion located towards the heel of the golf club head, and a center portion extending from the lower toe portion to the lower heel portion, wherein the lower toe portion and the lower heel portion have a first substantially uniform thickness, the center portion and the upper portion have a second substantially uniform thickness, the second substantially uniform thickness is greater than the first substantially uniform thickness, the first substantially uniform thickness is in a range of about 0.055 uniform thickness is in a range of about 0.070 inches to about 0.13 inches.

Claims

1. A wood-type golf club head, comprising:

a crown a sole; and

a face connected to the sole and crown, wherein the face comprises;

an upper portion, a lower portion, a heel side edge, a toe side edge, a top center edge, and a bottom center edge, wherein, the lower portion comprises a lower toe portion located towards the toe of the golf club head, a lower heel portion located towards the heel of the golf club head, and a center portion disposed between the lower toe portion to the lower heel portion, wherein

the lower toe portion and the lower heel portion have a first substantially uniform thickness,

the center portion and the upper portion have a second substantially uniform thickness,

the second substantially uniform thickness is greater than the first substantially uniform thickness,

the first substantially uniform thickness is in a range of about 0.055 inches to about 0.09 inches, and

the second substantially uniform thickness is in a range of about 0.070 inches to about 0.13 inches.

2. The wood-type golf club head of claim 1, wherein the upper portion extends from the top center edge towards the bottom center edge a distance in a range of about one fourth to one half of the distance of the top center edge to the bottom center edge, and the upper portion extends substantially the entire length of the face portion.

3. The wood-type golf club head of claim 1, wherein the lower toe portion and the lower heel portion are each substantially oval in shape and have a side that is generally parabolic in shape.

4. The wood-type golf club head of claim 3, wherein:

the parabolic side of the lower toe portion extends from a point substantially on the toe side edge of the face to a first point substantially on a bottom edge of the face;

the parabolic side of the lower heel portion extends from a point substantially on the heel side edge of the face to a second point substantially on the bottom edge; and

the center portion has an upper side that coincides with at least a portion of a lower side of the upper portion.

5. The wood-type golf club head of claim 4, wherein the upper portion extends from the top center edge towards the bottom center edge a distance in a range of about one fourth to one half of the distance from the top center edge to the bottom center edge, and the upper portion extends substantially the entire length of the face portion.

6. The wood-type golf club head of 1, wherein the face consists of the upper portion and the lower portion, wherein the lower portion consists of the lower toe portion, the lower heel portion, the center portion, a first transition region disposed between the lower toe portion and the center portion, and a second transition region disposed between the lower heel portion and the center portion, wherein the transition portions have a non-uniform thickness so that there is a smooth transition between the lower toe portion and the center portion and between the lower heel portion and the center portion.

7. The wood-type golf club head of claim 6, wherein the upper portion extends from the top center edge towards the bottom center edge a distance in a range of about one fourth to one half of the distance from the top center edge to the bottom center edge, and the upper portion extends substantially the entire length of the face portion.

8. A method for making a wood-type golf club head, comprising:

creating a face portion for the golf club head, wherein the step of creating the face portion comprises;

obtaining a face blank from a sheet of metal consisting essentially of a titanium alloy, after obtaining the face blank, pressing the face blank into a die at about 70 tons psi, and after pressing the face blank, heat treating the face blank to increase the hardness of the face blank, and

attaching the face portion to a crown and a sole of the golf club head after heating the face blank, wherein

the sheet of metal from which the face blank is obtained has a substantially uniform thickness of between about 0.075 inches and about 0.13 inches so that the obtained face blank also has a substantially uniform thickness of between about 0.075 inches and about 0.13 inches.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of casting the crown and sole as one seamless and joined piece to form a cast body.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the face is attached to the crown and the sole by welding.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the heat treatment raises the Rockwell Hardness to at least about 45.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of machining the face blank to provide a variable thickness in the face blank.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of obtaining the face blank comprises laser cutting the sheet of metal.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the face portion comprises an upper portion, a lower portion, a toe side edge, a heel side edge, and a bottom edge, the lower portion having a lower toe portion located towards a toe of the golf club head, a lower heel portion located towards a heel of the golf club head, and a center portion located between the lower toe portion and the lower heel portion, the lower toe portion and the lower heel portion each (a) being substantially oval in shape, (b) having a side that is generally parabolic in shape, and (c) having a first substantially uniform thickness, the center portion and the upper portion having a second substantially uniform thickness, the second thickness being greater than the first thickness.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein:

the parabolic side of the lower toe portion extends from a point substantially on the toe side edge of the face to a first point substantially on the bottom edge of the face;

the parabolic side of the lower heel portion extends from a point substantially on the heel side edge of the face to a second point substantially on the bottom edge;

the center portion has an upper side that coincides with at least a portion of a lower side of the upper portion.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein the face consists of an upper portion and lower portion, wherein the lower portion consists of a lower toe portion located toward the toe of the golf club head, a lower heel portion located toward the heel of the golf club head, a center portion located between the lower toe portion and the lower heel portion, a first transition region disposed between the lower toe portion and the center portion, and a second transition region disposed between the lower heel portion and the center portion, the lower toe portion and the lower heel portion having a substantially parabolic curved side and having a uniform thickness in a range of about 0.055 inches to about 0.09 inches, and the center portion and the upper portion have a uniform thickness in a range of about 0.07 inches to about 0.13 inches, wherein the transition portions have a non-uniform thickness so that there is a smooth transition between the lower toe portion and the center portion and between the lower heel portion and the center portion.

17. The method of claim 8, wherein the face portion comprises:

an upper portion, a lower portion, a first side edge, a second side edge, a top center edge, and a bottom center edge, wherein, the lower portion has a lower toe portion located towards the toe of the golf club head, a lower heel portion located towards the heel of the golf club head, and a center portion disposed between the lower toe portion to the lower heel portion, wherein

the upper portion extends from the top center edge a distance in a range of about one fourth to one half of the distance from the top center edge to the bottom center edge,

the upper portion extends substantially the entire length of the face portion,

the lower toe portion and the lower heel portion having a first substantially uniform thickness,

the center portion and the upper portion have a second substantially uniform thickness, and

the second substantially uniform thickness is greater than the first substantially uniform thickness.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first substantially uniform thickness is in a range of about 0.070 inches to about 0.13 inches and the second substantially uniform thickness is in a range of about 0.055 inches to about 0.09 inches.

19. A wood-type golf club head made according to the method of claim 18.

20. A wood-type golf club head made according to the method of claim 8.