Golf club head

• US 20050272527A1
• Filed: 06/03/2005
• Published: 12/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SRI Sports Limited (Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: SRI Sports Limited (Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Sugimoto, Yasushi
• Granted Patent: US 7,435,190 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/345
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/023 Long, oriented fibres, e.g. wound filaments, woven fabrics, mats
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/026 Ratio fibres-total material
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0437 with special crown configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type

Abstract

A hollow golf club head comprises a main body made of at least one kind of metal material, said main body provided with an opening having a surface area projected onto the head surface in the range of from 15% to 70% of the entire surface area of the head, and a cover member attached to said main body so as to cover said opening, said cover member made of a fiber reinforced resin having a resin content in the range of from 25% to 60%.

Claims

1. A hollow golf club head comprising

a main body made of at least one kind of metal material, said main body provided with an opening having a surface area projected onto the head surface in the range of from 15% to 70% of the entire surface area of the head, and

a cover member attached to said main body so as to cover said opening, said cover member made of a fiber reinforced resin having a resin content in the range of from 25% to 60%.

2. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein

the golf club head has a volume in the range of from 300 cm³ to 500 cm³.

3. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein

said main body is provided with a plurality of openings covered with a plurality of cover members, and

a total area of the surface areas of said openings is in the range of from 15% to 70% of the entire surface area of the head.

4. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein

in a standard condition in which the golf club head is grounded on a horizontal surface at a prescribed lie and loft angles thereof, wherein

said opening is provided in at least two zones of a lower zone which is ⅙

or less of a maximum head height from the horizontal surface,

an upper zone which is ⅔

or more of the maximum head height from the horizontal surface, and

an middle zone which is a zone between the lower zone and the upper zone.

5. The golf club head according to claim 3, wherein

in a standard condition in which the golf club head is grounded on a horizontal surface at a prescribed lie and loft angles thereof, wherein

said openings are provided in at least two zones of a lower zone which is ⅙

or less of a maximum head height from the horizontal surface,

an upper zone which is ⅔

or more of the maximum head height from the horizontal surface, and

an middle zone which is a zone between the lower zone and the upper zone.

6. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein

the fiber reinforced resin has a resin content in the range of from 30% to 60%.

7. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein

the fiber reinforced resin has a resin content in the range of from 35% to 60%.

8. The golf club head according to claim 3, wherein

said main body is provided with at least three openings covered with at least three cover members.

9. The golf club head according to claims 1 or 8, wherein

the head comprises:

a face portion whose front face defines a club face for striking a ball;

a crown portion intersecting the club face at the upper edge thereof;

a sole portion intersecting the club face at the lower edge thereof, and

a side portion between the crown portion and the sole portion which extends from a toe-side edge to a heel-side edge of the club face through the back face of the club head;

wherein

said main body is provided with an upper opening in the crown portion, a lower opening in the sole portion and a middle opening in the side portion.

10. The golf club head according to claim 9, wherein

said each opening has the surface area in the range of from 3% to 40% of the entire surface area of the head.