Golf club head with an insert having integral tabs

• US 6,238,302 B1
• Filed: 09/03/1999
• Issued: 05/29/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
• Original Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
• Inventors: Rollinson, Augustin W., Guard, John G., Helmstetter, Richard C., Dooley, James F., Dennis, Victor S., Dewanjee, Pijush
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US09/389,798
• Time in Patent Office: 634 Days
• Field of Search: 473/324, 473/340, 473/341, 473/342, 473/345, 473/346, 473/347, 473/348, 473/349, 473/350, 473/313
• US Class Current: 473/340
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0416 Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0441 with visual indicators for aligning the golf club
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0487 for putters A63B53/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 273/08 Urethane
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 273/22 Ionomer

Abstract

A golf club head with a polymer insert is disclosed herein. The polymer insert is disposed in a recess of the club head in which the recess has a depth that is greater than the thickness of the insert. The polymer insert has a plurality of tabs on its perimeter to engage the recess walls to allow the insert to essentially float within the recess. An adhesive is disposed between the rear wall of the recess and an interior surface of the insert. Further, an adhesive is applied between the plurality of tabs, and preferably over the exterior surface of each of the plurality of tabs. The plurality of tabs allow for a uniform surface on the face of the club head TO without having the insert occupy the entire recess. The insert may occupy between 55% to 75% of the face of the club head. Further, the insert may occupy between 10% to 25% of the volume of the club head. Yet further, the insert may be 1% to 5% of the weight of the club head. The insert may be composed of a thermoset material. The insert is preferably laser cut from a sheet of the thermoset material. The cutting operation is performed by half-cutting and then full cutting.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a club head body having a front face with a recess therein;

an insert disposed within the recess, the insert comprising a body with an exterior surface, an interior surface and a perimeter defining the thickness of the body, the perimeter having a plurality of integral tabs extending therefrom that engage the club head body wherein each of the plurality of tabs is compressible, and each of the plurality of tabs has a straight portion and a curved portion, the straight portion disposed between the curved portion and the perimeter, and the curved portion extending further than the straight portion to define an undercut between the curved portion and the perimeter.

2. The golf club head according to claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of tabs is disposed a predetermined distance apart from each other and the golf club head further comprises an epoxy disposed between each of the plurality of tabs.

3. The golf club head according to claim 1 further comprising means for attaching the insert within the recess of the body.

4. The golf club head according to claim 3 wherein the attachment means is an epoxy adhesive applied to the interior surface of the insert.

5. The golf club head according to claim 1 further comprising an epoxy disposed between each of the plurality of tabs.

6. The golf head according to claim 1 further comprising a protective coating on the exterior surface of the insert.

7. The golf club head according to claim 1 wherein the insert has a trapezoidal shape.

8. The golf club head according to claim 1 wherein the club head is selected from the group consisting of a wood club head, a putter club head and an iron club head.

9. The golf club head according to claim 1 wherein the perimeter of the insert comprises a plurality of straight portions interconnected by a plurality of curved portions.

10. The golf club head according to claim 1 wherein the thickness of the insert is between 0.125 and 0.5 inch.

11. The golf club head according to claim 1 wherein the insert is between 10 to 25 percent of the volume of the club head.

12. The golf club head according to claim 1 wherein the insert is between 1 to 5 percent of the weight of the club head.

13. The golf club head according to claim 1 wherein the insert is between 55 to 75 percent of the area of the face of the club head.

14. A golf club head comprising:

a club head body having a front face with a recess therein;

an insert disposed within the recess, the insert comprising a body with an exterior surface, an interior surface and a perimeter defining the thickness of the body, the perimeter having a plurality of integral tabs extending therefrom that engage the club head body, wherein each of the plurality of tabs is compressible, and each of the plurality of tabs is a substantially hemispherical body projecting from the perimeter and spaced a predetermined distance apart from each other.

15. A golf club head comprising:

a club head body having a front face with a recess therein,

an insert disposed within the recess, the insert comprising a body with an exterior surface, an interior surface and a perimeter defining the thickness of the body, the perimeter having a plurality of integral tabs extending therefrom that engage the club head body, wherein the recess is defined by a frontal recess wall and an edge wall substantially perpendicular to the frontal recess wall, the edge wall defining the depth and area of the recess, wherein the depth of the recess is greater than the thickness of the insert.

16. The golf club head according to claim 15 wherein an adhesive is disposed between the interior surface of the insert and the frontal recess wall of the recess.

17. A putter club head comprising:

a club head body comprising a front face, a toe to one side of the front face and a heel to the other side of the front face, and a sole, the front face having a recess therein, the recess defined by a frontal recess wall and an edge wall substantially perpendicular to the frontal recess wall, the edge wall defining the depth and area of the recess, and wherein the club body is composed of a material selected from the group consisting of stainless steel, tungsten, titanium, aluminum, magnesium, bronze, zinc, alloys thereof and materials thereof;

an insert disposed within the recess, the insert comprising a body with an exterior surface, an interior surface and a perimeter defining the thickness of the body, the perimeter having a plurality of integral tabs extending therefrom that engage the edge wall of the club head body, each of the plurality of integral tabs spaced a predetermined distance from each other thereby defining openings between the integral tabs; and

an adhesive disposed within the openings between the integral tabs.

18. The putter club head according to claim 17 wherein the insert is composed of thermoset polymer material.

19. The putter club head according to claim 17 wherein each of the plurality of integral tabs is offset from the exterior surface of the insert, and the adhesive is disposed over each of the plurality of integral tabs.

20. The putter club head according to claim 18 wherein the thermoset polymer material is a polyurethane formed from reactants comprising a toluene diisocyanate based polyurethane prepolymer, a p-phenylene diisocyanate terminated polyether prepolymer, a p-phenylene diisocyanate polyester prepolymer, and a curing agent.

21. The putter club head according to claim 17 wherein the perimeter of the insert has two levels that vary in height.