Golf club head

• US 6,582,321 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2002
• Issued: 06/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
• Original Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
• Inventors: Galloway, J. Andrew, Hocknell, Alan, Helmstetter, Richard C., Aguinaldo, Homer E., Boyce, Ronald C., Woolley, Curtis S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sewell, Paul T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Duong, Thanh P
• Application Number:
  US09/683,906
• Publication Number:
  US 20020151379A1
• Time in Patent Office: 481 Days
• Field of Search: 473/324, 473/329, 473/330, 473/334, 473/335, 473/342, 473/345, 473/349, 473/350
• US Class Current: 473/329
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• 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 having a club head with a striking plate having a thickness in the range of 0.010 to 0.250 inch is disclosed herein. The club head may be composed of three pieces, a face, a sole and a crown. Each of the pieces may be composed of a titanium material. The striking plate of the club head may have an aspect ratio less than 1.7. The striking plate may also have concentric regions of thickness with the thickness portion in the center. The club head may be composed of a titanium material, have a volume in the range of 175 cubic centimeters to 400 cubic centimeters, a weight in the range of 165 grams to 300 grams, and a striking plate surface area in the range of 4.00 square inches to 7.50 square inches. The golf club head may also have a coefficient of restitution greater than 0.8 under test conditions such as the USGA test conditions specified pursuant to Rule 4-1e, Appendix II, of the Rules of Golf for 1998-1999.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a face member composed of a vitreous metal material, the face member comprising a face plate for striking a golf ball having an exterior surface and an interior surface, the face plate extending from a heel section of the golf club head to a toe section of the golf club head, a face extension extending laterally rearward from a perimeter of the face plate;

a crown secured to the upper portion of the face extension at a distance ranging from 0.2 inch to 1.0 inch from the perimeter of the face plate; and

a sole plate secured to the lower portion of the face extension at a distance ranging from 0.2 inch to 1.0 inch from the perimeter of the face plate.

2. The golf club head according to claim 1 wherein the vitreous metal is selected from the group consisting of iron-boron, nickel-copper, nickel-zirconium and nickel-phosphorous.

3. A golf club head comprising:

a face member composed of a vitreous metal material, the face member comprising a face plate for striking a golf ball having an exterior surface and an interior surface, the face plate extending from a heel section of the golf club head to a toe section of the golf club head, a face extension extending laterally rearward from a perimeter of the face plate;

a crown secured to the upper portion of the face extension at a distance ranging from 0.2 inch to 1.0 inch from the perimeter of the face plate; and

a sole plate secured to the lower portion of the face extension at a distance ranging from 0.2 inch to 1.0 inch from the perimeter of the face plate;

wherein the face plate comprises a central circular region having a base thickness ranging from 0.090 inch to 0.110 inch, a first concentric region having a first thickness ranging from 0.082 inch to 0.097 inch wherein the base thickness is greater than the first thickness, a second concentric region having a second thickness ranging from 0.070 inch to 0.94 inch wherein the first thickness is greater than the second thickness, a third concentric region having a third thickness ranging from 0.0.70 to 0.090 inch wherein the second thickness is greater than the third thickness, and a periphery region having a fourth thickness ranging from 0.061 inch to 0.069 inch wherein the fourth thickness is less than the third thickness.

4. A golf club head comprising:

a face member composed of a vitreous metal material, the face member comprising a face plate for striking a golf ball having an exterior surface and an interior surface, the face plate extending from a heel section of the golf club head to a toe section of the golf club head, a face extension extending laterally rearward from a perimeter of the face plate, and an interior tubing for receiving a shaft, the interior tubing engaging an upper portion of the face extension and a lower portion of the face extension;

a crown secured to the upper portion of the face extension at a distance ranging from 0.2 inch to 1.0 inch from the perimeter of the face plate; and

a sole plate secured to the lower portion of the face extension at a distance ranging from 0.2 inch to 1.0 inch from the perimeter of the face plate;

wherein the face plate has concentric regions of varying thickness with the thickest region in the center, and wherein the golf club head has a volume no greater than 400 cubic centimeters and a coefficient of restitution of ranging from 0.80 to 0.93 under standard USGA conditions.

5. A golf club head comprising:

a face member composed of a vitreous metal material, the face member comprising a face plate for striking a golf ball having an exterior surface and an interior surface, the face plate extending from a heel section of the golf club head to a toe section of the golf club head, a face extension extending laterally inward from a perimeter of the face plate, and an interior tubing for receiving a shaft, the interior tubing engaging an upper portion of the face extension and a lower portion of the face extension;

a crown secured to the upper portion of the face extension at a distance ranging from 0.2 inch to 1.0 inch from the perimeter of the face plate; and

a sole plate secured to the lower portion of the face extension at a distance ranging from 0.2 inch to 1.0 inch from the perimeter of the face plate;

wherein the lower portion of the face extension has a bore section extending about the interior tubing, the bore section having a width greater than the entirety of the lower portion of the face extension; and

wherein the golf club head has a volume no greater than 400 cubic centimeters and a coefficient of restitution of ranging from 0.80 to 0.93 under standard USGA conditions.