CO-FORGED GOLF CLUB HEAD AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE

• US 20130288823A1
• Filed: 06/26/2013
• Published: 10/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Hebreo, Jonathan A.
• Application Number:
  US13/927,764
• Publication Number:
  US 20130288823A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/349
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• 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 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/02 Ballast means for adjusting the centre of mass A63B60/24, A63B60/54 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B21K 17/00 Making sport articles, e.g. skates

Abstract

A co-forged iron type golf club is disclosed. More specifically, the present invention discloses a co-forged iron type golf club with the body portion made out of a first material and at least one weight adjustment portion monolithically encased within the body portion of the co-forged iron type golf club head without the need for secondary attachment or machining operations. The present invention creates of an iron type golf club head from a pre-form billet that already contains two or more materials before the actual forging process resulting in a multi-material golf club head that doesn'"'"'t require any post manufacturing operations such as machining, welding, swaging, gluing, and the like.

Claims

1. A forged golf club head comprising:

a body portion made out of a first material having at least one cavity;

at least one weight adjustment portion made out of a second material encased within said body portion; and

a cap made out of said first material, at least partially enclosing said cavity;

wherein said at least one weight adjustment portion is encased monolithically within said body portion; and

wherein an outer surface area of said at least one weight adjustment portion equals an inner surface area of said at least one cavity.

2. The forged golf club head of claim 1, wherein said second material has a higher density than said first material.

3. The forged golf club head of claim 2, wherein said at least one weight adjustment portion is located near a sole of said golf club head.

4. The forged golf club head of claim 3, wherein said at least one weight adjustment portion is located near a heel portion of said sole of said golf club head.

5. The forged golf club head of claim 3, wherein said at least one weight adjustment portion is located near a toe portion of said sole of said golf club head.

6. The forged golf club head of claim 1, wherein said first material has a first thermal expansion coefficient, and the second material has a second thermal expansion coefficient;

wherein said first thermal expansion coefficient is greater than or equal to said second thermal expansion coefficient.

7. A method of forging a golf club head comprising:

forging a cylindrical billet to create a body portion of said golf club head, wherein said body portion of said golf club head comprises one or more cavities;

at least partially filling said one or more cavities with a second material to create a weight adjustment portion;

providing a cap to at least partially encase said weight adjustment portion within said one or more cavities;

forging said body portion of said club head containing said weight adjustment portion to create said golf club head.

8. The method of forging a golf club head of claim 7, wherein said weight adjustment portion is encased monolithically within said body portion.

9. The method of forging a golf club head of claim 8, wherein an outer surface area of said at least one weight adjustment portion equals an inner surface area of said at least one cavity.

10. The method of forging a golf club head of claim 8, wherein said first material has a first thermal expansion coefficient and said second material has a second thermal expansion coefficient;

wherein said first thermal expansion coefficient is greater than or equal to said second thermal expansion coefficient.

11. The method of forging a golf club head of claim 8, wherein said second material has a higher density than said first material.

12. The method of forging a golf club head of claim 11, wherein said at least one weight adjustment portion is located near a sole of said golf club head.

13. The method of forging a golf club head of claim 11, wherein said at least one weight adjustment portion is located near a heel portion of said sole of said golf club head.

14. The method of forging a golf club head of claim 11, wherein said at least one weight adjustment portion is located near a toe portion of said sole of said golf club head.

15. The method of forging a golf club head of claim 8, wherein said second material has a lower density than said first material.

16. The method of forging a golf club head of claim 15, wherein said at least one weight adjustment portion is located behind a striking face of said golf club head.

17. The method of forging a golf club head of claim 8, wherein said first material has a first thermal expansion coefficient and said second material has a second thermal expansion coefficient;

wherein said first thermal expansion coefficient is greater than or equal to said second thermal expansion coefficient.

18. A forged golf club head comprising:

a body portion made out of a first material;

at least one weight adjustment portion made out of a second material encased within said body portion; and

a cap made out of said first material enclosing said cavity;

wherein said second material has a higher density than said first material,

wherein said at least one weight adjustment portion is located near a sole of said golf club head, and

wherein said at least one weight adjustment portion is encased monolithically within said body portion.

19. The forged golf club head of claim 18, wherein said first material has a first thermal expansion coefficient and said second material has a second thermal expansion coefficient;

wherein said first thermal expansion coefficient is greater than or equal to said second thermal expansion coefficient.

20. The forged golf club head of claim 19, wherein an outer surface area of said at least one weight adjustment portion equals an inner surface area of said at least one cavity.