Structure and method of fastening a weight body to a golf club head

• US 6,379,265 B1
• Filed: 12/17/1999
• Issued: 04/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Uchida, Atsushi, Hirakawa, Tatsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US09/466,102
• Time in Patent Office: 865 Days
• Field of Search: 473/324, 473/291, 473/334, 473/335, 473/336, 473/337, 473/338, 473/339, 473/345, 473/346, 473/349, 473/347, 473/348, 473/344
• US Class Current: 473/338
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like

Abstract

A metal wood golf club head including a sole plate and a weight body which is fastened to this sole plate via a spacer. A recess which accommodates the spacer and weight body is formed in a portion of the sole plate, an undercut part is formed in the inside circumferential portion of the recess, and a circumferential groove is formed in the outer circumferential portion of the weight body. When the weight body is press-fitted in the recess with the spacer in between, the spacer is forcibly engaged with the undercut part and circumferential groove, thus allowing the weight body to be firmly fastened to the recess of the sole plate of the club head.

Claims

1. A metal golf club head with an elongated weight body which is provided within an accommodating section of said golf club head by means of a fastening structure, wherein said fastening structure comprises a first engaging part formed in said accommodating section, a second engaging part formed in said weight body, and a resilient spacer engaged with said first and second engaging parts when said weight body is press-fitted in said accommodating section with said spacer in between, and wherein said first and second engaging parts are formed respectively at different positions displaced from each other.

2. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein said first engaging part is a groove which is formed in an inner circumferential portion of said accommodating section.

3. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein said first engaging part is an undercut which is formed in an inner circumferential portion of said accommodating section.

4. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein said second engaging part is a groove which is formed in an outer circumferential portion of said weight body.

5. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein said second engaging part is a recess which is formed in an outer circumferential portion of said weight body.

6. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein said spacer is formed from a material that has an elongation of 10% or greater.

7. The golf club head according to claim 6, wherein said spacer is a hollow cylinder having an inner diameter and an outer diameter of a predetermined size, said accommodating section has an inner diameter larger than said outer diameter of said hollow cylinder, and said weight body is a solid cylidrical body having an outer diameter larger than said diameter of said spacer.

8. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein said spacer is a hollow cylinder having an inner diameter and an outer diameter of a predetermined size, said accommodating section has an inner diameter larger than said outer diameter of said hollow cylinder, and said weight body is a solid cylindrical body having an outer diameter larger than said inner diameter of said spacer.

9. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein said accommodating section comprises a stepped cylinder provided in a sole plate of said golf club head and a bottom member closing a bottom of said stepped cylinder and wherein said first engaging part is a circumferential groove provided around a bottom of a first step of said stepped cylinder, said spacer is cylindrical in shape with a height of said spacer substantially equal to a depth of said first step, said second engaging part is another circumferential groove provided in said weight body adjacent a top of said first step of said stepped cylinder and said weight body is provided entirely within said stepped cylinder.