Golf club head and face insert

• US 20090005191A1
• Filed: 06/27/2007
• Published: 01/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Inventors: Lin, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 7,985,146 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/331
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/02 with reinforcing fibres, e.g. carbon, polyamide fibres
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0416 Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/042 the face insert consisting of a material different from that of the head
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0425 the face insert comprising two or more different materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0441 with visual indicators for aligning the golf club
• 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 53/0462 characterised by tapering 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
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3632 Clubs or attachments on clubs, e.g. for measuring, aligning A63B69/3614 takes precedence; clubs for swinging exercises in general A63B15/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49764 with testing or indicating

Abstract

A face insert for golf club head in one embodiment can comprise a substrate comprising a score line groove-free front surface. A cover layer is provided at least on the front surface of the substrate. The cover layer can alternatively overlay at least a portion of the peripheral edge of the substrate. The cover layer comprises a ball-striking surface spaced by the cover layer from the substrate. Plural elongated score line grooves can extend into the polymer layer from the ball-striking surface. In addition, visible markings are interposed between the cover layer and the front surface of the substrate, the visible markings being visible through the cover layer. In one form the visible markings comprise elongated score line markings and target markings in a central portion of the substrate. The visible markings can be screen-printed markings, which are then protected by the cover layer from wear. The cover layer can be molded and can be a polymer layer. The score line grooves can be formed, for example, by molding during molding of the polymer layer.

Claims

1. A face insert for a golf club head comprising:

a substrate comprising a score line groove-free front surface;

a polymer layer on at least the front surface of the substrate, the polymer layer comprising a ball-striking surface spaced by the polymer layer from the substrate;

plural elongated score line grooves extending into the polymer layer from the ball-striking surface; and

visible markings interposed between the polymer layer and the front surface of the substrate, the visible markings being visible through the polymer layer and comprising elongated scores line markings.

2. A face insert for a golf club head according to claim 1 wherein said substrate comprises a heel portion and a toe portion wherein the elongated score line grooves comprise a first set of plural elongated grooves extending at least partially across the ball striking surface of the toe portion of the substrate and a second set of plural elongated grooves extending at least partially across the ball striking surface of the heel portion of the substrate.

3. A face insert for a golf club head according to claim 2 wherein the score line markings comprise a first set of plural score line markings extending at least partially across the toe portion of the substrate and a second set of plural score line markings extending at least partially across the heel portion of the substrate.

4. A face insert for a golf club head according to claim 3 wherein the visible markings further comprise target markings at a central portion of the substrate.

5. A face insert for a golf club head according to claim 4 wherein the target markings are spaced from the first and second sets of score line markings.

6. A face insert for a golf club head according to claim 4 wherein the first set of grooves overlies and is aligned with the first set of score line markings and wherein the second set of grooves overlies and is aligned with the second set of score line markings.

7. A face insert for a golf club head according to claim 4 wherein the substrate comprises a composite substrate for a face insert for a golf club head, the composite substrate having a layer of woven substrate material visible through the cured polymer layer.

8. A face insert for a golf club according to claim 1 wherein the substrate comprises a peripheral edge and the polymer layer overlays at least both the peripheral edge and the front surface of the substrate.

9. A face insert for a golf club head according to claim 1 wherein the visible markings are screen-printed markings.

10. A face insert for a golf club head according to claim 9 wherein the cured polymer layer and the elongated score line grooves are molded.

11. A face insert for a golf club head according to claim 1 in combination with a golf club head body.

12. A face insert for a golf club comprising:

a substrate having a front surface;

a cover layer molded onto the substrate, the cover layer having an exterior front ball striking surface, the cover layer being sufficiently transparent such that the substrate is at least partially visible through the cover layer;

visible score line markings beneath the cover layer and spaced from the ball striking surface; and

score line grooves in the ball striking surface.

13. A face insert according to claim 12 wherein the substrate comprises a heel portion, a toe portion and a central portion between the heel portion and the to portion, the score line grooves comprising first and second sets of score line groove segments, the first set of score line groove segments being positioned to at least in part overlie the toe portion of the substrate, the second set of score line groove segments being positioned to at least in part overlie the heel portion of the substrate, and wherein the portion of the cover layer overlying the central portion of the substrate is score line groove-free.

14. A face insert according to claim 13 further comprising visible ball target markings beneath the cover layer and located at a central portion of the substrate.

15. A face insert according to claim 14 wherein the visible score line markings comprise a first set of score line markings at the toe portion of the substrate and a second set of score line markings at the heel portion of the substrate.

16. A face insert according to claim 15 wherein the first set of score line groove segments overlies and is aligned with the first set of score line markings and wherein the second set of score line groove segments overlies and is aligned with the second set of score line markings.

17. A face insert according to claim 16 wherein each segment of the first set of score line groove segments is coextensive in length with a corresponding score line marking of the first set of score line markings, and wherein each segment of the second set of score line groove segments is coextensive in length with a corresponding score line marking of the second set of score line markings.

18. A face insert according to claim 12 in combination with a golf club head body.

19. A face insert according to claim 12 wherein the substrate also comprises a peripheral edge and wherein the cover layer also comprises an exterior peripheral edge overlaying portion that overlays at least a portion of the peripheral edge of the substrate.

20. A face insert for a golf club head comprising:

a substrate having a front surface without score line groove indentations;

score lines indicia on the front surface of the substrate;

a cover layer overlying the score line indicia, the score line indicia being visible through the cover layer; and

the cover layer comprising score lines grooves formed in the surface of the cover layer.

21. A face insert according to claim 20 in combination with a golf club head.

22. A method of making a golf club head comprising:

applying visual indicia on the golf ball striking surface of a golf club head substrate; and

molding a cover layer on the golf club head substrate and over the visual indicia with the cover layer being a material through which the visual indicia are visible.

23. A method according to claim 22 wherein the visual indicia comprise score line indicia at least on portions of the heel and toe regions of the ball striking surface and wherein the method comprises forming score lines extending partially into the cover layer from the exterior surface of the cover layer at least in heel and toe regions of the cover layer.

24. A method according to claim 23 wherein the act of molding the cover layer also comprises simultaneously forming the score lines during molding of the cover.

25. A method according to claim 23 wherein each of the score lines is aligned with and overlies a respective one of the score line indicia.

26. A method according to claim 23 wherein the visual indicia also comprise target indicia in a central portion of the ball striking surface.

27. A method according to claim 26 wherein the target indicia comprise line segments surrounding an indicia-free centralmost portion of the ball striking surface.

28. A method according to claim 27 wherein two of such score line groove segments are in the same line as one of the score line indicia at the toe portion of the golf ball striking surface and as one of the score line indicia at the heel portion of the golf ball striking surface, and wherein score line grooves are not found in a central portion of the cover layer.

29. A method according to claim 22 wherein the act of applying visual indicia comprises screen-printing the visual indicia.

30. A method according to claim 22 wherein the substrate comprises a ball striking face insert for a golf club head, the method further comprising coupling the insert to a golf club head body.

31. A method according to claim 22 wherein the act of applying visual indicia comprises screen-printing score line visual indicia on heel and toe portions of the golf ball striking surface and screen-printing target visual indicia on a central portion of the golf ball striking surface;

and

wherein the act of molding a cover layer further comprises molding score line grooves extending partially into the cover layer from the exterior surface of the cover layer in heel and toe portions of the cover layer but not in portions of the cover layer overlying the target visual indicia, and wherein the molded score line grooves are aligned with and directly overlie corresponding visual lines of the score line visual indicia.

32. A method according to claim 22 wherein the act of molding a cover layer comprises molding a cover layer to overlay at least both the front surface and at least a portion of the peripheral edge of the substrate, wherein the substrate comprises a striking face insert for a golf club head, the method further comprising coupling the insert to a golf club head body.