Set of woods with face thickness variation based on loft angle

• US 6,435,977 B1
• Filed: 04/13/2000
• Issued: 08/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
• Original Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
• Inventors: Boyce, Ronald C, Galloway, J. Andrew, Hocknell, Alan, Helmstetter, Richard C., Aguinaldo, Homer E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sewell, Paul T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Legesse, Nini F.
• Application Number:
  US09/548,538
• Time in Patent Office: 859 Days
• Field of Search: 473/290, 473/329, 473/345, 473/342, 473/350, 473/291, 473/349
• US Class Current: 473/290
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/005 Club sets
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/02 Joint structures between the head and the shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0412 Volume
• 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 53/0441 with visual indicators for aligning the golf club
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0458 with non-uniform thickness of the impact face plate
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: B21J 5/00 Methods for forging, hammering, or pressing for working sheet-metal or metal tubes, rods, or profiles B21D; for working wire B21F; Special equipment or accessories therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B21K 17/00 Making sport articles, e.g. skates
• CPC Class Codes: C22F 1/183 of titanium or alloys based thereon
• CPC Class Codes: C23F 1/00 Etching metallic material by chemical means manufacture of printing surfaces B41C; manufacture of printed circuits H05K
• CPC Class Codes: C23F 1/26 for etching refractory metals

Abstract

The present invention is directed varying the thickness of a striking plate of a golf club head according to the loft angle of the golf club head. The thickness of the striking plate is greater for lower loft angles, such as seven, eight and nine degrees loft angle drivers, as compared to ten, eleven and twelve degrees loft angle drivers. The striking plate may have a variable face thickness with the thickest region near the center.

Claims

1. A set of wood golf club heads comprising:

a first plurality of drivers comprising drivers with a loft angle of ten degrees or greater, each of the first plurality of drivers having a body with a crown, a sole and a striking plate, the striking plate having a plurality of regions of different thickness the plurality of regions comprising a central region with a thickness in the range of 0.093 inch to 0.105 inch, the central region having greatest thickness of the plurality of regions of the striking plate; and

a second plurality of drivers comprising drivers with a loft angle of less than ten degrees, each of the second plurality of drivers having a body with a crown, a sole and a striking plate,the striking plate having a plurality of regions of different thickness the plurality of regions comprising a central region with a thickness greater than the thickness of the central region of the striking plate of each of the first plurality of drivers;

wherein each of the first plurality of drivers and each of the second plurality of drivers have a coefficient of restitution that ranges from 0.80 to 0.93 under standard USGA conditions.

2. The set of wood golf club heads according to claim 1 wherein the central region of the striking plate of each of the second plurality of drivers is at least 0.006 inch greater than the central region of the striking plate of each of the first plurality of drivers.

3. The set of wood golf club heads according to claim 1 wherein the central region of the striking plate of each of the second plurality of drivers is at least 0.010 inch greater than the central region of the striking plate of each of the first plurality of drivers.

4. The set of wood golf club heads according to claim 1 wherein the first plurality of drivers have loft angles of ten, eleven and twelve, and the second plurality of drivers have loft angles of seven, eight and nine.

5. The set of wood golf club heads according to claim 1 wherein the first plurality of drivers are the same or substantially the same to the second plurality of drivers in club head volume, striking plate surface area, shape and appearance.

6. The set of wood golf club heads according to claim 1 wherein the striking plate of each of the first plurality of drivers and second plurality of drivers is composed of a material selected from the group consisting of titanium, titanium alloys, steels, vitreous metals, ceramics, composites, carbon materials, carbon fiber materials, other fibrous materials and mixtures thereof.

7. The set of wood golf club heads according to claim 1 wherein the striking plate of each of the first plurality of drivers and second plurality of drivers has concentric regions of varying thickness with the thickest region in the center.

8. A set of wood golf club comprising:

a first plurality of drivers comprising drivers with a loft angle of ten degrees or greater, each of the first plurality of drivers having a body with a crown, a sole and a striking plate, the striking plate having a central circular region having a base thickness ranging from 0.093 inch to 0.105 inch, a first concentric region having a first thickness wherein the base thickness is greater than the first thickness, a second concentric region having a second thickness wherein the first thickness is greater than the second thickness, a third concentric region having a third thickness wherein the second thickness is greater than the third thickness, and a periphery region having a fourth thickness wherein the fourth thickness is less than the third thickness;

a second plurality of drivers comprising drivers with a loft angle of less than ten degrees, each of the second plurality of drivers having a body with a crown, a sole and a striking plate, the striking plate having a central circular region having a base thickness greater than 0.105 inch, a first concentric region having a first thickness wherein the base thickness is greater than the first thickness, a second concentric region having a second thickness wherein the first thickness is greater than the second thickness, a third concentric region having a third thickness wherein the second thickness is greater than the third thickness, and a periphery region having a fourth thickness wherein the fourth thickness is less than the third thickness;

wherein each of the first plurality of drivers and each of the second plurality of drivers have a coefficient of restitution that ranges from 0.80 to 0.93 under standard USGA conditions.

9. A set of wood golf club heads comprising:

a first plurality of drivers comprising drivers with a loft angle of ten degrees or greater, each of the first plurality of drivers having a body with a crown, a sole and a striking plate, the striking plate having a plurality of regions of different thickness the plurality of regions comprising a central region with a thickness in the range of 0.093 inch to 0.105 inch, the central region having greatest thickness of the plurality of regions of the striking plate; and

a second plurality of drivers comprising drivers with a loft angle of less than ten degrees, each of the second plurality of drivers having a body with a crown, a sole and a striking plate, the striking plate having a plurality of regions of different thickness the plurality of regions comprising a central region with a thickness greater than the thickness of the central region of the striking plate of each of the first plurality of drivers;

wherein the body of each of the first plurality of drivers and second plurality of drivers is composed of a titanium material and has a volume in the range of 300 cubic centimeters to 310 cubic centimeters, a weight in the range of 188 grams to 195 grams, and the striking plate of each of the first plurality of drivers and the second plurality of drivers has a surface area in the range of 4.00 square inches to 7.50 square inches and wherein each of the first plurality of drivers and each of the second plurality of drivers have a coefficient of restitution that ranges from 0.80 to 0.93 under standard USGA conditions.