Multiple material golf head

• US 6,471,604 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2002
• Issued: 10/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
• Original Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
• Inventors: Rollinson, Augustin W., Soracco, Peter L., Galloway, J. Andrew, Cackett, Matthew T., Hocknell, Alan, Murphy, James M., Deshmukh, Uday V., Helmstetter, Richard C., Reyes, Herebert
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Assistant Examiner(s): Varma, Sneh
• Application Number:
  US10/063,266
• Publication Number:
  US 20020094884A1
• Time in Patent Office: 208 Days
• Field of Search: 473/334, 473/329, 473/342, 473/345, 473/349, 473/350, 473/291, 473/324, 473/332, 473/340, 473/341, 473/346, 473/347, 473/348, 473/327, 273/77.R, 273/77.A, 273/167.R, 273/167.J
• US Class Current: 473/334
• 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 2209/023 Long, oriented fibres, e.g. wound filaments, woven fabrics, mats
• 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 53/0441 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 53/0462 characterised by tapering 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

A golf club (40) having a club head (42) with a face component (60) and an aft body (61) is disclosed herein. The face component (60) has a striking plate portion (72) and a return portion (74). The aft-body (61) is composed of a crown portion (62), a sole portion (64) and optionally a ribbon section (90). The face component (60) is composed of an amorphous metal material, and the aft-body (61) is composed of a non-metal material such as a composite material or a thermoplastic material. The club head (42) has a volume in the range of 290 cubic centimeters to 600 cubic centimeters, a weight in the range of 165 grams to 300 grams, and a striking plate portion (72) surface area in the range of 4.00 square inches to 7.50 square inches.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a face component composed of an amorphous metal, the face component having striking plate portion and a return portion, the striking plate portion having a thickness in the range of 0.060 inch to 0.120 inch, the return portion extending a distance ranging 0.25 inch to 1.5 inches from a perimeter of the striking plate portion; and

an aft-body composed of a non-metal material, the aft body having a crown portion, a sole portion and a ribbon portion, the aft-body attached to the return portion of the face component;

wherein the golf club head has a coefficient of restitution of 0.80 to 0.94.

2. The golf club head according to claim 1 wherein the striking plate portion has a thickness in the range of 0.080 inch to 0.110 inch.

3. The golf club head according to claim 1 wherein the amorphous metal of the face component has a density ranging from 2 g/cc to 6 g/cc.

4. The golf club head according to claim 1 wherein the aft-body is composed of a plurality of plies of pre-preg material.

5. The golf club head according to claim 1 wherein the striking plate portion has an aspect ratio no greater than 1.7.

6. The golf club head according to claim 1 wherein the striking plate portion has concentric regions of varying thickness with the thickest region in about the center.

7. The golf club head according to claim 1 wherein the striking plate portion comprises a central elliptical region having a base thickness, 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.

8. The golf club head according to claim 1 wherein the return portion has a thickness ranging from 0.080 inch to 0.150 inch.

9. The golf club head according to claim 1 wherein the golf club head has a volume ranging from 290 cubic centimeters to 600 cubic centimeters.

10. The golf club head according to claim 1 wherein the moment of inertia about the Izz axis of the golf club head is greater than 3000 grams-centimeter squared.

11. A golf club head comprising:

a face component composed of an amorphous metal, the face component having striking plate portion and a return portion, the striking plate portion having a thickness in the range of 0.060 inch to 0.120 inch, the return portion extending a distance ranging 0.25 inch to 1.5 inches from a perimeter of the striking plate portion; and

an aft-body composed of a plurality of plies of pre-preg, the aft body having a crown portion, a sole portion and a ribbon portion, the aft-body attached to the return portion of the face component, the aft body having a thickness ranging from 0.015 inch to 0.100 inch;

a weighting member disposed within the ribbon of the aft-body, the weighting member having a mass ranging from 10 grams to 100 grams;

wherein the moment of inertia about the Izz axis through the center of gravity is greater than 3000 grams-centimeter squared, and the moment of inertia about the Iyy axis through the center of gravity is greater than 1900 grams-centimeter squared.

12. A golf club head comprising:

a face component composed of an amorphous metal and comprising a return portion and a striking plate portion, the striking plate portion having concentric regions of varying thickness with the thickest region about the center of the striking plate portion, the striking plate portion extending from a heel section of the golf club head to a toe section of the golf club head and having an aspect ratio no greater than 1.7, the return portion extending laterally rearward at least 0.50 inch from a perimeter of the striking plate portion, the return portion extending laterally inward 360 degrees of the perimeter of the striking plate portion, and an interior tubing for receiving a shaft, the interior tubing engaging an upper section of the return portion and a lower section of the return portion; and

an aft body composed of a plurality of plies of pre-preg and having a thickness ranging from 0.010 inch to 0.100 inch, the aft body comprising crown portion, a ribbon portion, a sole portion and an inward recessed portion, the return portion overlapping the inward recessed portion and attached to the inward recessed portion with an adhesive, the crown portion, the sole portion, the ribbon portion and the return portion defining a gap, the gap also defined by an exterior surface of the inward recessed portion, the gap having a distance from an edge of the return portion to an exposed edge of the aft-body ranging from 0.02 inch to 0.09 inch.

13. The golf club head according to claim 12 wherein the return portion overlaps the inward recessed portion a distance ranging from 0.05 inch to 0.75 inch.

14. The golf club head according to claim 12 wherein the aft-body further comprises an interior projection extending from the inward recess portion to the interior surface of the return portion, the interior projection extending from 0.005 inch to 0.035 inch to define a bond thickness for the adhesive.

15. A golf club head comprising:

a face component composed of an amorphous metal, the face component having striking plate portion and a return portion, the striking plate portion having a central elliptical region having a base thickness less than 0.120 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, the return portion extending a distance ranging 0.25 inch to 1.5 inches from a perimeter of the striking plate portion, the return portion having a first face weight member at an upper section and a second weight member at a lower section; and

an aft-body composed of a plurality of plies of pre-preg, the aft body having a crown portion and a sole portion, the aft-body attached to the return portion of the face component;

wherein the golf club head has a volume ranging from 330 cubic centimeters to 500 cubic centimeters.