Longitudinally adjustable golf club including head with high moment of inertia abouttwo axes

• US 3,305,235 A
• Filed: 07/28/1965
• Issued: 02/21/1967
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/1965
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Albert J. Williams Jr
• Original Assignee: Albert J. Williams Jr
• Inventors: Williams, Albert J. Jr.
• Application Number:
  US04/477,651
• Time in Patent Office: 573 Days
• US Class Current: 473/247
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/026 loft angle only, i.e. relative angular adjustment between the shaft and the club head about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the intended line of play when the club is in its normal address position
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0437 with special crown configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/06 adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/0085 Telescopic shafts
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/7058 Split or slotted bushing

Claims

2. AN ADJUSTABLE GOLF CLUB ADAPTED TO REDUCE THE EXTENT OF SPOILAGE OF OFF-CENTER HITS COMPRISING:

A SHAFT ADJUSTABLE AS TO LENGTH AND HAVING AT THE LOWER END THEREOF A HEAD ADJUSTABLY CONNECTED THERETO, SAID HEAD COMPRISING A BLADE HAVING A STRIKING FACE AND A SOLE EXTENDING AT AN ACUTE ANGLE TO SAID STRIKING FACE SO AS TO FORM THE LEADING EDGE OF SAID BLADE, THE BODY STRUCTURE OF SAID BLADE BEING OF RELATIVELY LIGHTWEIGHT MATERIAL, WEIGHT STRUCTURE OF MORE THAN TWICE THE DENSITY OF SAID BODY STRUCTURE POSITIONED TO FORM THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID LEADING EDGE AND TO KEEP THE CENTER OF MASS OF THE CLUB HEAD CLOSE TO SAID STRIKING FACE, SAID WEIGHT STRUCTURE PROVIDING SAID CLUB HEAD WITH A MOMENT OF INERTIA ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS LARGER THAN THE NORMAL MOMENT OF INERTIA OF A CLUB HEAD OF SIMILAR SIZE AND WEIGHT WITH SAID WEIGHT STRUCTURE OTHERWISE POSITIONED SO AS NOT TO FORM THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID LEADING EDGE, THEREBY REDUCING THE CLUB HEAD SPIN RESULTING FROM OFF-CENTER HITS, MEANS FOR ADJUSTING THE ANGULAR POSITION OF SAID STRIKING FACE RELATIVE TO SAID SHAFT TO CHANGE THE LOFT OF SAID GOLF CLUB FOR DIFFERENT SHOTS, AND WHEREIN SAID ADJUSTABLE SHAFT COMPRISES A SHAFT SECTION HAVING AT THE LOWER END THEREOF MEANS OF ATTACHING SAID HEAD, THE UPPER END OF SAID SHAFT SECTION INCLUDING A VERY GRADUALLY SLOPING PORTION AND TERMINATING IN A THREADED PORTION, A THREADED NUT NUMBER CARRIED BY THE THREADED END OF SAID SHAFT SECTION, A HOLLOW HANDLE SECTION SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFT SECTION, SAID HANDLE SECTION HAVING A CROSS-SECTION IN THE SHAPE OF A POLYGON AND CORRESPONDING TO THE SHAPE OF SAID NUT MEMBER WHICH IS RECEIVED THEREIN, SAID THREADED NUT MEMBER BEING SO CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED TO BE TIGHTENED AND LOOSENED ON SAID THREADED PORTION OF SAID SHAFT UPON RELATIVE ROTATION BETWEEN SAID SHAFT AND HANDLE SECTIONS SO VERY GRADUALLY AS TO REQUIRE RELATIVE MOTION THROUGH AN ANGLE IN THE ORDER OF 45* OR MORE SO AS TO BE ABLE TO AVOID UNINTENTIONAL LOOSENING OF THE HANDLE AND TO BE ABLE TO ABSORB THE REDUCED CLUB HEAD SPIN RESULTING FROM OFFCENTER HITS, SAID NUT MEMBER INCLUDING A SOLID PORTION AND INTEGRAL EXPANDABLE PORTIONS EXTENDING AXIALLY FROM SAID SOLID PORTION OF SAID NUT MEMBER WHICH UPON TURNING OF SAID NUT MEMBER ON SAID THREADED PORTION OF SAID SHAFT SECTION CAUSES SAID EXPANDABLE PORTIONS TO MOVE ON SAID SLOPING PORTION AND SO TO EXPAND OUTWARDLY VERY GRADUALLY AGAINST THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID HANDLE SECTION FOR FRICTIONALLY INTERLOCKING SAID HANDLE AND SHAFT SECTIONS AT A SELECTED OVERALL LENGTH.