Golf driver with variable weighting for changing center of gravity

• US 5,050,879 A
• Filed: 04/25/1990
• Issued: 09/24/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cipa Manufacturing Corporation
• Original Assignee: Cipa Manufacturing Corporation
• Inventors: Sun, Donald J. C., Tai, Wen J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Coven, Edward M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US07/514,142
• Time in Patent Office: 517 Days
• Field of Search: 273/167-175, 273/80 A
• US Class Current: 473/338
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0458 with non-uniform thickness of the impact face plate
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/02 Ballast means for adjusting the centre of mass A63B60/24, A63B60/54 take precedence

Abstract

A golf club head has three cavities spaced along the sole of the head. A set of weight members having various weights is provided. Such weight members are selectively installed in the cavities to vary the center of gravity of the club head horizontally, between the toe and heel of the head to modify the driving action of the club as may be desired.

Claims

1. In a golf club head having sole, toe and heel portions and a face plate, the improvement comprising:

three similarly dimensioned cavities including a central cavity, a cavity towards said toe portion, and a cavity towards said heel portion formed in said sole portion, said cavities being arranged in a line with adjacent cavities being spaced equidistantly from each other along said sole portion between the toe and heel portions, one of the ends of said cavities being open,

a set of weight members, all of said weight members having the same dimensions which enables any one of said weight members to be fitted into any one of said cavities, some of the weight members of said set being of different density materials and different weights,

cover plate means for removably covering the open ends of said cavities to retain the weights therein,

said weight members being selectively installable in said cavities to provide a variety of different centers of gravity for said club head, the center of gravity being variably located horizontally between the toe and heel portions of said club head, said center of gravity being located at a position at the center of said central cavity when the weights of the weight members in the cavities towards the toe and heel portions are equal in weight to each other, the center of gravity being laterally shiftable from said position in accordance with a calculated value equal to the difference between the weight of the weight member in the cavity towards the toe portion and the weight of the weight member in the cavity towards the heel portion times the center to center distance between any two of the said adjacent cavities divided by the total weight of the club head.

2. The golf club head of claim 1 wherein said weight members are cylindrical in shape, said cavities having cylindrical inner surfaces with a diameter substantially equal to the outside diameter of said weight members.

3. The club head of claim 1 wherein the materials of said weight members are selected from the class consisting of tungsten, lead, brass, steel, zinc, and aluminum.