Putter Heads And Putters Including Polymeric Material As Part Of The Ball Striking Face
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A golf club head, comprising:
- a golf club head body having a front face, a rear portion, a toe end and a heel end;
a recess formed in the front face of the golf club head body; and
a ball striking surface insert configured to be received in the recess formed in the front face of the golf club head body and forming at least a portion of a ball striking surface of the golf club head, the ball striking surface insert including;
a front plate portion formed of a first material and having a plurality of grooves formed in the first material;
a backing plate portion engaged with the front plate portion, the backing plate portion being formed of a second material different from the first material.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Golf clubs and golf club heads, such as putter heads, may include a putter body and an insert forming a ball striking face and engaged with the putter body. Portions of the insert may be formed of a metal material, while portions of the insert may be formed of a polymer material. The insert may include a base portion having grooves formed therein. This base may be joined with another material to form the insert. In some arrangements, the insert may be a two-sided, reversible construction and may have different performance characteristics associated with each side of the insert. Methods for making such putter devices are also described.
148 Citations
70 Claims
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1. A golf club head, comprising:
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a golf club head body having a front face, a rear portion, a toe end and a heel end; a recess formed in the front face of the golf club head body; and a ball striking surface insert configured to be received in the recess formed in the front face of the golf club head body and forming at least a portion of a ball striking surface of the golf club head, the ball striking surface insert including; a front plate portion formed of a first material and having a plurality of grooves formed in the first material; a backing plate portion engaged with the front plate portion, the backing plate portion being formed of a second material different from the first material. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A putter head, comprising:
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a putter body including a top surface, a bottom surface, a rear surface, a front surface, a toe edge and a heel edge; and a front face member extending from the toe edge to the heel edge of the putter body and engaged with the front surface of the putter body, the front face member including; a first metal material member having a plurality of grooves formed therein, and a polymer material engaged with the first metal material member, the polymer material at least partially filling the grooves of the first metal material member to form a portion of a ball striking surface of the putter head, and the polymer material extending along and forming a rear surface of the front face member. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A putter head, comprising:
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a putter body including a top surface, a bottom surface, a rear surface, and a front face, the putter body including an aperture extending through the putter body from the front face to the rear surface; and a ball striking surface insert received in the aperture of the putter body and engaged with the putter body, the ball striking surface insert including; a first surface plate formed of a first material, the first surface plate having a plurality of grooves formed therein, a second surface plate formed of a second material which may be the same as or different from the first material, the second surface plate having a plurality of grooves formed therein, and a first fill material provided between the first surface plate and the second surface plate, wherein a portion of the first fill material is exposed through the grooves of the first surface plate, wherein the first surface plate, the second surface plate, and the first fill material are engageable with the putter body such that (a) in a first configuration, the first surface plate forms a first side of the ball striking surface insert visible on the front face of the putter body and the second surface plate forms a second side of the ball striking surface insert visible on the rear surface of the putter body, and (b) in a second configuration, the second surface plate forms the first side of the ball striking surface insert visible on the front face of the putter body and the first surface plate forms the second side of the ball striking surface insert visible on the rear surface of the putter body. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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43. A putter head, comprising:
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a putter body including a top surface, a bottom surface, a rear surface, and a front face, the putter body including a recess extending at least partially through the putter body in a direction from the front face to the rear surface; and a ball striking surface insert received in the recess and engaged with the putter body, the ball striking surface insert including; a casing formed of a first material and having a plurality of grooves formed in an exterior surface of at least a first side of the casing, the casing defining an interior chamber; and a polymer material at least substantially filling the interior chamber defined by the casing, the polymer material at least partially filling the plurality of grooves formed in the casing and forming a portion of a ball striking surface of the putter head. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53)
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54. A putter head, comprising:
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a putter body including a front face and a recess formed in the front face; a ball striking surface insert configured to be received in the recess formed in the front face of the putter body, the ball striking surface insert formed of a polymer material and having a first plurality of grooves formed in a first surface thereof; and a first plurality of thin metal strips engaged within the first plurality of grooves to form a first ball striking face including the first surface of the ball striking surface insert and the first plurality of thin metal strips. - View Dependent Claims (55, 56, 57)
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58. A method of forming a putter head, comprising:
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providing a putter body having a front face; forming a recess in the front face of the putter body; forming a ball striking surface insert of a polymeric material; forming a plurality of grooves in a first side of the ball striking surface insert; providing a plurality of thin metal strips within at least a portion of the plurality of grooves; and engaging the ball striking surface insert with the recess formed in the front face of the putter body. - View Dependent Claims (59, 60, 61, 62)
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63. A putter head, comprising:
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a putter body having a front face, a rear surface, a top portion and a bottom portion, the putter body having a recess formed in the front face; and a multi-sided ball striking face insert including; a first side including a first side plate portion having a plurality of grooves formed therein, the first side plate portion being formed of a metal material that forms a majority of the first side plate portion, the first side further including a first backing portion formed of a polymer material and engaged with a rear surface of the first side plate portion, and a second side including a second side plate portion having a plurality of grooves formed therein, the second side plate portion being formed of a polymer material that forms a majority of the second side plate portion, the second side further a metal material within the plurality of grooves, wherein the multi-sided ball striking face insert is configured and engageable with the putter body such that either of the first side and the second side form a ball striking surface of the putter head. - View Dependent Claims (64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70)
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Specification