Golf club head with weighting member and method of manufacturing the same

• US 6,440,010 B1
• Filed: 11/29/2001
• Issued: 08/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Callaway Golf Company (Topgolf Callaway Brands Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Callaway Golf Company (Topgolf Callaway Brands Corp.)
• Inventors: Deshmukh, Uday V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US09/683,197
• Publication Number:
  US 20020042307A1
• Time in Patent Office: 271 Days
• Field of Search: 473/324, 473/290, 473/291, 473/334, 473/335, 473/336, 473/337, 473/338, 473/339, 473/340, 473/341, 473/342, 473/345, 473/346, 473/347, 473/348, 473/349, 473/350
• US Class Current: 473/335
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• 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 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0487 for putters A63B53/065 takes precedence

Abstract

The use of hot pressing for weighting of a golf club head is disclosed herein. The preferred weighting material is a multiple component material that includes a high-density component and a binding component. A preferred multiple component material includes tungsten and tin. The hot pressing process is performed in an open air environment at standard atmospheric conditions.

Claims

1. A golf club comprising:

a body with a striking plate, a heel end, a toe and a cavity; and

a weighting member formed in the cavity of the body, the weighting member composed of a pressed multiple component powder material consisting essentially of tungsten in an amount of 50 to 95% volume of the multiple component powder material and tin in an amount of 5 to 50% volume of the multiple component powder material, wherein the weighting member has a density ranging from 15.5 g/cm³ to 16.7 g/cm³, wherein the weighting member has a density that is 80% to 90% of the theoretical density of the multiple component powder material, wherein the weighting member has a porosity that is less than 10% of the volume of the weighting member.

2. The golf club head according to claim 1 wherein the golf club head is an iron.

3. The golf club head according to claim 1 wherein the golf club head is a driver, fairway wood or a putter.

4. The golf club head according to claim 1 wherein the golf club head is a blade iron and the weighting member is an annular structure about the rear wall of the blade iron opposite a striking plate of the blade iron.

5. The golf club head according to claim 1 wherein the tungsten component is 80-90 volume percent of the weight member and the tin is 10-20 volume percent of the weight member.

6. The golf club head according to claim 1 wherein the tungsten component is approximately 78 volume percent of the weight member and the tin is approximately 22 volume percent of the weight member, and the density is approximately 16.0 g/cm³.

7. An iron-type golf club head comprising:

a body having a striking plate, a toe end, a heel end, a main rear cavity opposite the striking plates the main rear cavity defined by a top wall, a bottom wall, a heel wall and a toe wall, the bottom wall having a second cavity with a predetermined configuration, and

a weighting member formed within the second cavity and occupying the entire cavity, the weighting member composed of a pressed multiple component powder material consisting essentially of tungsten in an amount of 80%-90% volume of the multiple component powder material and tin in an amount of 10%-20% volume of the multiple component powder material, where the weighting member has a density ranging from 15.5 g/cm³ to 16.7 g/cm³, wherein the weighting member has a density that is 80% to 99% of the theoretical density of the multiple component powder material, wherein the weighting member has a porosity that is less than 10% of the volume of the weighting member.

8. The golf club head according to claim 7 wherein the main rear cavity further comprises an undercut recess into at least one of the top wall, bottom wall, toe wall or heel wall.

9. The golf club head according to claim 7 wherein the body is composed of material selected from the group consisting of titanium, titanium alloy, steel, zirconium, zirconium alloy, nickel, nickel alloy, copper and copper alloy.