GOLF CLUB AND METHOD FOR MAINTENANCE THEREOF

• US 20100160062A1
• Filed: 12/15/2009
• Published: 06/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SMC Corporation (Alamo Group Incorporated), Aneeging Golf Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Aneeging Sports Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Teramoto, Seiichiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,025,586 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/251
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2055/605 by remote control
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/08 magnetic
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/20 with means for remote communication, e.g. internet or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0416 Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0425 the face insert comprising two or more different materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0487 for putters A63B53/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/02 Ballast means for adjusting the centre of mass A63B60/24, A63B60/54 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/42 Devices for measuring, verifying, correcting or customising the inherent characteristics of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like, e.g. measuring the maximum torque a batting shaft can withstand

Abstract

A golf club includes a golf club head including a golf club head including a head body and a pair of balance adjustment portions formed in the head body, a plurality of weights detachably retained in each balance adjustment portion so that a three-dimensional gravity center position of the golf club head is adjusted, the weights serving as balancers and differing from each other in density and mass, and an IC chip accommodating portion which is formed in the head body or one of the balance adjustment portions to house an IC chip which stores information on a three-dimensional gravity center position of the golf club head.

Claims

1. A golf club, comprising:

a golf club head including a head body and a pair of balance adjustment portions formed in the head body;

a plurality of weights detachably retained in each balance adjustment portion of the pair of balance adjustment portions so that a three-dimensional gravity center position of the golf club head is adjusted, the plurality of weights serving as balancers and differing from each other in density and mass; and

an Integrated Circuit (IC) chip accommodating portion that is formed in the head body or one of the balance adjustment portions to house an IC chip that stores information on the three-dimensional gravity center position of the golf club head.

2. The golf club according to claim 1, further comprising the IC chip accommodated in the IC chip accommodating portion.

3. The golf club according to claim 1, wherein each balance adjustment portion includes a clubface side balance adjustment portion having a clubface recess formed in a clubface side of the head body, a clubface plate covering the clubface recess, an inner plate made of a metal having a higher thermal conductivity than the head body and the clubface plate, located between the clubface plate and the clubface recess and detachably bonded to the clubface plate and the head body, a communication hole formed in a backface side of the head body and communicating with the clubface recess, and a cover plate detachably covering a backface side of the communication hole;

and the third-dimensional gravity center position information stored on the IC chip includes at least one of materials, densities and mass of the clubface plate, the inner plate and the cover plate.

4. The golf club according to claim 2, wherein each balance adjustment portion includes a clubface side balance adjustment portion having a clubface recess formed in a clubface side of the head body, a clubface plate covering the clubface recess, an inner plate made of a metal having a higher thermal conductivity than the head body and the clubface plate, located between the clubface plate and the clubface recess and detachably bonded to the clubface plate and the head body, a communication hole formed in a backface side of the head body and communicating with the clubface recess, and a cover plate detachably covering a backface side of the communication hole;

and the third-dimensional gravity center position information stored on the IC chip includes at least one of materials, densities and mass of the clubface plate, the inner plate and the cover plate.

5. The golf club according to claim 1, wherein the balance adjustment portions include respective backface side balance adjustment portions each of which has:

a balancer housing formed in a toe or heel side of a backface side of the head body;

a cover detachably covering the balancer housing;

a female screw accommodating recess formed in a clubface side of a clubface recess so as to correspond to a position of the balancer housing;

a female screw member detachably fitted into the female screw accommodating recess;

a connecting hole which connects the female screw accommodating recess and the balancer housing portion;

a balancer fixture inserted through insertion holes of the balancers and the connecting holes, being threadingly engaged with the female screw members, the balancers being housed in the balancer housings from a backface side of the head body, respectively;

at least one fitting recess which is formed in the backface side of the head body so as to be displaced upward or downward from a center of the connecting hole; and

a gravity center height adjustment balancer having an end which is fitted with the fitting recess so as to be removable,

and wherein the information on the third-dimensional gravity center position stored on the IC chip includes at least one of materials, densities and mass of each balancer and/or the gravity center height adjustment balancer and an arrangement of the balancer and gravity center adjustment balancer.

6. The golf club according to claim 2, wherein the balance adjustment portions include respective backface side balance adjustment portions each of which has:

a balancer housing formed in a toe or heel side of a backface side of the head body;

a cover detachably covering the balancer housing;

a female screw accommodating recess formed in a clubface side of a clubface recess so as to correspond to a position of the balancer housing;

a female screw member detachably fitted into the female screw accommodating recess;

a connecting hole which connects the female screw accommodating recess and the balancer housing portion;

a balancer fixture inserted through insertion holes of the balancers and the connecting holes, being threadingly engaged with the female screw members, the balancers being housed in the balancer housings from a backface side of the head body, respectively;

at least one fitting recess which is formed in the backface side of the head body so as to be displaced upward or downward from a center of the connecting hole; and

a gravity center height adjustment balancer having an end which is fitted with the fitting recess so as to be removable,

and wherein the information on the third-dimensional gravity center position stored on the IC chip includes at least one of materials, densities and mass of each balancer and/or the gravity center height adjustment balancer and an arrangement of the balancer and gravity center adjustment balancer.

7. The golf club according to claim 3, wherein the balance adjustment portions include respective backface side balance adjustment portions each of which has:

a balancer housing formed in a toe or heel side of a backface side of the head body;

a cover detachably covering the balancer housing;

a female screw accommodating recess formed in a clubface side of the clubface recess so as to correspond to a position of the balancer housing;

a female screw member detachably fitted into the female screw accommodating recess;

a connecting hole which connects the female screw accommodating recess and the balancer housing portion;

a balancer fixture inserted through insertion holes of the balancers and the connecting holes, being threadingly engaged with the female screw members, the balancers being housed in the balancer housings from a backface side of the head body, respectively;

at least one fitting recess which is formed in the backface side of the head body so as to be displaced upward or downward from a center of the connecting hole; and

a gravity center height adjustment balancer having an end which is fitted with the fitting recess so as to be removable,

and wherein the information on the third-dimensional gravity center position stored on the IC chip includes at least one of materials, densities and mass of each balancer and/or the gravity center height adjustment balancer and an arrangement of the balancer and gravity center adjustment balancer.

8. The golf club according to claim 4, wherein the balance adjustment portions include respective backface side balance adjustment portions each of which has:

a balancer housing formed in a toe or heel side of a backface side of the head body;

a cover detachably covering the balancer housing;

a female screw accommodating recess formed in a clubface side of the clubface recess so as to correspond to a position of the balancer housing;

a female screw member detachably fitted into the female screw accommodating recess;

a connecting hole which connects the female screw accommodating recess and the balancer housing portion;

a balancer fixture inserted through insertion holes of the balancers and the connecting holes, being threadingly engaged with the female screw members, the balancers being housed in the balancer housings from a backface side of the head body, respectively;

at least one fitting recess which is formed in the backface side of the head body so as to be displaced upward or downward from a center of the connecting hole; and

a gravity center height adjustment balancer having an end which is fitted with the fitting recess so as to be removable,

and wherein the information on the third-dimensional gravity center position stored on the IC chip includes at least one of materials, densities and mass of each balancer and/or the gravity center height adjustment balancer and an arrangement of the balancer and gravity center adjustment balancer.

9. The golf club according to claim 1, wherein user'"'"'s personal information and information on specification of the golf club head are stored on the IC chip.

10. The golf club according to claim 2, wherein user'"'"'s personal information and information on specification of the golf club head are stored on the IC chip.

11. The golf club according to claim 3, wherein user'"'"'s personal information and information on specification of the golf club head are stored on the IC chip.

12. The golf club according to claim 4, wherein user'"'"'s personal information and information on specification of the golf club head are stored on the IC chip.

13. The golf club according to claim 5, wherein user'"'"'s personal information and information on specification of the golf club head are stored on the IC chip.

14. The golf club according to claim 6, wherein user'"'"'s personal information and information on specification of the golf club head are stored on the IC chip.

15. The golf club according to claim 7, wherein user'"'"'s personal information and information on specification of the golf club head are stored on the IC chip.

16. The golf club according to claim 8, wherein user'"'"'s personal information and information on specification of the golf club head are stored on the IC chip.

17. A method for maintenance of a golf club that includes a golf club head including a head body and a plurality of balance adjustment portions formed in the head body and including weights that have different densities and mass and are detachably retained to adjust a third-dimensional gravity center position, wherein information on a three-dimensional gravity center position of the golf club head adjusted by the balance adjustment portions is stored on an Integrated Circuit (IC) chip accommodated in an IC chip accommodating portion, the method comprising:

updating the three-dimensional gravity center position stored on the IC chip when the three-dimensional gravity center position of the golf club head has been adjusted by the balance adjustment portions.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising displaying a three-dimensional gravity center position, which has been required by a user and adjusted.

19. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

reading into a microcomputer the three-dimensional gravity center position, the personal information, and the specification information; and

transmitting the updated three-dimensional gravity center position, personal information, and specification information.