Anodized aluminum golf club head and method of manufacturing same

• US 6,443,854 B1
• Filed: 03/26/1999
• Issued: 09/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: A R Wilfley & Sons Incorporated
• Original Assignee: A R Wilfley & Sons Incorporated
• Inventors: Calboreanu, George A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sewell, Paul T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): VARMA, SNEH K
• Application Number:
  US09/277,719
• Time in Patent Office: 1,257 Days
• Field of Search: 473/345, 473/349, 473/324, 473/346, 473/347, 473/348, 473/409, 427/376, 427/650, 427/253.394, 428/651, 428/629
• US Class Current: 473/324
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/54 with means for damping vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12736 Al-base component

Abstract

An aluminum alloy product of extremely high hardness is conformable for use in the manufacture of various products, such as, golf clubs and pump partshaving a body or first layer of an aluminum alloy treated by successive precipitation hardening and reverse quenching to produce a hardness exceeding 140 HBN, and an outer alumina layer or surface coating is applied by hard-anodizing to a predetermined thickness on the first layer and being of even greater hardness than the first layer.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising a hollow body composed of an aluminum alloy, said body having a ball-striking face, and an outer layer coated to and covering at least said ball-striking face, and wherein said outer layer is composed of a hard-anodized alumina.

2. A golf club head according to claim 1 wherein said body is precipitation hardened and reverse quenched prior to being coated by said outer layer.

3. A golf club head according to claim 1 wherein said body is thicker than said outer layer.

4. A golf club head according to claim 1 wherein an inner layer is coated to an internal surface of said body, said inner layer being composed of a hard-anodized alumina of a greater hardness than said body.

5. A golf club head according to claim 4 wherein said inner and outer layers are hard-anodized in a sulfuric acid bath.

6. A golf club head comprising a hollow body composed or an aluminum alloy, said body having internal and external surfaces and a ball-striking face on said external surface, and an outer layer coated to said external surface of said body, said outer layer being composed of a hard-anodized alumina of a greater hardness than said body.

7. A golf club head according to claim 6, wherein said body is thicker than said outer layer.

8. A golf club head according to claim 6, wherein said outer layer completely covers said body.

9. A golf club head according to claim 6, wherein said second layer covers internal and external surfaces of said body.