Golf club head

• US 20070049407A1
• Filed: 12/22/2005
• Published: 03/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co Limited (Bridgestone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co Limited (Bridgestone Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsunaga, Hideo, Tateno, Atsuo
• Granted Patent: US 7,435,191 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 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0412 Volume
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0437 with special crown configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0462 characterised by tapering thickness of the impact face plate
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/02 Ballast means for adjusting the centre of mass A63B60/24, A63B60/54 take precedence

Abstract

A hollow golf club head includes a face part, a crown part, a sole part, a side part, and a hosel part. The head has a volume of 300 to 460 cm³ and a weight of 175 to 220 g. The crown part includes a large-thickness crown part formed along an overall edge thereof, and a small-thickness crown part which is formed inside the large-thickness crown part and has a thickness less than a thickness of the large-thickness crown part. The side part includes a heel-side small-thickness side part formed at a heel side, a toe-side small-thickness side part formed at a toe side, and a large-thickness side part which is formed at a portion of the side part other than the heel-side small-thickness side part and the toe-side small-thickness side part and has a thickness greater than thickness of the side parts.

Claims

1. A hollow golf club head comprising:

a face part;

a crown part;

a sole part;

a side part; and

a hosel part,

wherein the head has a volume of 300 to 460 cm³ and a weight of 175 to 220 g,

the crown part includes;

a large-thickness crown part formed along an overall edge thereof; and

a small-thickness crown part which is formed inside the large-thickness crown part and has a thickness less than a thickness of the large-thickness crown part, and

the side part includes;

a heel-side small-thickness side part formed at a heel side;

a toe-side small-thickness side part formed at a toe side; and

I a large-thickness side part which is formed at a portion of the side part other than the heel-side small-thickness side part and the toe-side small-thickness side part and has a thickness greater than thickness of the heel-side small-thickness side part and the toe-side small-thickness side part.

2. The golf club head according to claim 1,

wherein the large-thickness crown part has a thickness of 0.65 to 5.0 mm, and

the small-thickness crown part has a thickness of 0.1 to 0.65 mm.

3. The golf club head according to claim 1,

wherein the heel-side small-thickness side part has a thickness of 0.1 to 0.65 mm,

the toe-side small-thickness side part has a thickness of 0.1 to 0.65 mm, and

the large-thickness side part has a thickness of 0.65 to 5.0 mm.

4. The golf club head according to claim 1,

wherein the sole part includes:

a face-side large-thickness sole part formed at a face side; and

a small-thickness sole part which is formed adjacent to a back-side end of the face-side large-thickness sole part and has a thickness less than a thickness of the face-side large-thickness sole part.

5. The golf club head according to claim 4,

wherein the face-side large-thickness sole part has a thickness of 0.7 to 10.0 mm.

6. The golf club head according to claim 1,

wherein the sole part includes:

a back-side large-thickness sole part formed at a back side; and

a small-thickness sole part which is formed adjacent to a face-side end of the back-side large-thickness sole part and has a thickness less than a thickness of the back-side large-thickness sole part.

7. The golf club head according to claim 6,

wherein the back-side large-thickness sole part has a thickness of 0.7 to 10.0 mm.

8. The golf club head according to claim 1,

wherein the side part further includes:

a weighted large-thickness side part which is formed at a back side of the large-thickness side part and has a thickness greater than a thickness of an other portion of the large-thickness side part.

9. The golf club head according to claim 8,

wherein the weighted large-thickness side part has a thickness of 0.65 to 10.0 mm.

10. The golf club head according to claim 1, further comprising:

one or more screws attached to the sole part, the screws being made of a material having specific gravity different from a specific gravity of a material of the sole part.

11. The golf club head according to claim 1, further comprising:

one or more screws attached to the side part, the screws being made of a material having specific gravity different from a specific gravity of a material of the side part.

12. The golf club head according to claim 10,

wherein the screw has a weight of 0.5 to 50 g.

13. The golf club head according to claim 1,

wherein the sole part has rigidity greater than a rigidity of the crown part.

14. The golf club head according to claim 1,

wherein the crown part and the side part are manufactured by a casting method.

15. The golf club head according to claim 1,

wherein the face part includes:

a section having a maximum thickness at a center thereof; and

an incline part which is formed outside the section having the maximum thickness and is gradually decreased.

16. The golf club head according to claim 1,

wherein the face member is fixedly attached to a body of the head by plasma welding.