Golf club head with ceramic layer

• US 20070004535A1
• Filed: 07/01/2005
• Published: 01/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Charles Hsu
• Original Assignee: Charles Hsu
• Inventors: Hsu, Charles
• Granted Patent: US 7,311,615 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 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0416 Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0487 for putters A63B53/065 takes precedence
• 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: C25D 15/02 Combined electrolytic and electrophoretic processes with charged materials
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 3/12 of nickel or cobalt

Abstract

The present invention provides a club head having a hard ceramic layer to obtain better endurance and practicality while the ball flies fare r and its flight trajectory is stabler.

Claims

1. A golf club head with a ceramic layer,

comprising a shaft and a club head, said club head comprised of a hosel, a crown section, a toe section, a bottom section, a hollow interior and a strike plate,

characterized in that:

(a) said club head is comprised of a base material and a hard material layer covered over said base material;

(b) said base material is made of aluminum alloy;

(c) said hard material layer is made of a compound material selected from a group consisting of Ni with hard ceramic granules and Ni/P with hard ceramic granules; and

(d) said hard material layer at said strike plate of said club head is thicker than said hard material layer at the other parts of said club head.

2. The golf club according to claim 1,

wherein said base material of said club head is made in a way selected from a group consisting of forging, atmospheric die-casting, vacuum casting and gravity casting.

3. The golf club according to claim 1,

wherein said hard ceramic granule has a hardness greater than Hv1500 (Vickers hardness) and an average granule diameter smaller than 10 μ

m (micron).

4. The golf club according to claim 1,

wherein said hard ceramic granule is a granule of a material selected from a group consisting of silicon carbide, boron nitride, tungsten carbide, aluminum oxide, titanium diborite and zirconium borites.

5. The golf club according to claim 1,

wherein said hard material layer is obtained through electroplating on said base material.

6. The golf club according to claim 5,

wherein said hard material layer obtained through electroplating has a hardness of Hv500 to Hv800 more preferably Hv600 to Hv750 and

wherein said hard material layer obtained through electroplating is processed with a thermal treatment to obtain a hardness of Hv500 to Hv1000, more preferably Hv700 to Hv900.

7. The golf club according to claim 5,

wherein said electroplating is processed through

(a) Connecting said club head with a cathode of a power supplier;

(b) Connecting a soluble nickel anode with an anode of said power supplier; and

(c) Obtaining an nickel sulphamate as an electroplating liquid in an electroplating trough, said electroplating liquid added with hard ceramic granule.

8. The golf club according to claim 7,

wherein said soluble nickel anode is selected from a group consisting of a nickel ball, a nickel slice, a nickel plate and a nickel strip.

9. The golf club according to claim 7,

wherein said electroplating liquid is made of nickel sulphate.

10. The golf club according to claim 7,

wherein said electroplating liquid is further added with compound of phosphorus.

11. The golf club according to claim 1,

wherein a thickness of said hard material layer at said strike plate of said club head is 30 μ

m to 500 μ

m, more preferably 50 μ

m to 250 μ

m.

12. The golf club according to claim 1,

wherein a thickness of said hard material layer at parts of said club head other than said strike plate is 10 μ

m to 100 μ

m, more preferably 20 μ

m to 30 μ

m.

13. The golf club according to claim 1, wherein said hard material layer has a consistency of phosphorus during 0.5 wt % to 10 wt %, more preferably 0.6 wt % to 3 wt %.

14. The golf club according to claim 1,

wherein said hard material layer has a consistency of said hard ceramic granules during 1 wt % to 10 wt %, more preferably 2 wt % to 4 wt %.