Golf club head

• US 6,659,885 B1
• Filed: 07/05/2002
• Issued: 12/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dean L. Knuth
• Original Assignee: Panda Golf, Inc.
• Inventors: Knuth, Dean Leslie
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUONG, THANH P
• Application Number:
  US10/188,808
• Time in Patent Office: 522 Days
• Field of Search: 473/327, 473/329, 473/344, 473/345, 473/349, 473/324, 473/291, 473/342, 473/346, 473/350, D21/733
• US Class Current: 473/329
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0445 Details of grooves or the like on the impact surface
• 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

Abstract

A golf club head for hitting a golf ball farther than existing golf club heads and having a cast sole and a crown joined seamlessly as one piece with an opening for a face plate to be fitted into the body, and a face plate fabricated from sheet metal, precision cut by laser and precision formed in a die under extremely high pressure that includes a lower portion and an upper portion. The sole and crown part of the body are cast thinner than most other club heads to promote deformation when striking a golf ball. A parabolic shaped rise in both the crown and sole provide increased lateral strength while aiding in reducing the deformation of the ball at impact. The lower portion of the face has two end portions, and a center portion with the end portions having a first thickness. The center portion and the upper portion of the face have a second thickness that is thicker than the first thickness. In addition, the face plate is welded or bonded into a front opening of the cast body. The overall effect of this invention is to reduce deformation of the golf ball at impact, which reduces the energy lost as heat in the golf ball, resulting in farther drives.

Claims

1. A wood-type golf club head, comprising:

a crown

a sole; and

a face having an upper portion, a lower portion, a toe side edge, a heel side edge, and a bottom edge, said lower portion having a lower toe portion located towards a toe of the golf club head, a lower heel portion located towards a heel of the golf club head, and a center portion located between the lower toe portion and the lower heel portion and shaped substantially in the form of a trapezoid, said lower toe portion and said lower heel portion each (a) being substantially oval in shape, (b) having a side that is generally parabolic in shape, and (c) having a first substantially uniform thickness, said center portion and said upper portion having a second substantially uniform thickness, said second thickness being thicker than said first thickness, wherein

said parabolic side of the lower toe portion extends from a point substantially on the toe side edge of the face to a first point substantially on the bottom edge of the face;

said parabolic side of the lower heel portion extends from a point substantially on the heel side edge of the face to a second point substantially on the bottom edge;

said center portion has a heel side that coincides with the side of the lower heel portion that is generally parabolic in shape, a toe side that coincides with the side of the lower toe portion that is generally parabolic in shape, and an upper side that coincides with at least a portion of a lower side of the upper portion;

said crown and sole are joined to form a cast body; and

said face is attached onto said cast body.

2. The wood-type golf club head of claim 1, wherein the second thickness is greater than the first thickness by no more than about 0.025 inches and the second thickness is less than about 0.080 inches.

3. The wood-type golf club head of claim 1, wherein the width of said upper portion is between about {fraction (1/4 )}and ½

of the width of the face and the length of the upper portion is about equal to the length of the face.

4. A wood-type golf club head, comprising:

a sole portion;

a crown portion;

a face portion having;

an upper portion, a lower portion, a first side edge, a second side edge, a top center edge, and a bottom center edge, wherein, said lower portion has a lower toe portion located towards the toe of the golf club head, a lower heel portion located towards the heel of the golf club head, and a center portion located between the lower toe portion and the lower heel portion, wherein

said upper portion extends from said top center edge a distance in a range of about one fourth to one half of the distance from said top center edge to said bottom center edge,

said upper portion extends substantially the entire length of said face portion,

said lower toe portion and said lower heel portion having a substantially uniform thickness in a range of about 0.0575 inches to 0.0625 inches,

said center portion and said upper portion have a substantially uniform thickness in a range of about 0.725 inches to 0.0775 inches,

said crown and sole are joined to form a cast body, and

said face is attached onto said cast body.

5. A wood-type golf club head, comprising:

a sole portion;

a crown portion;

a face portion consisting of an upper portion and lower portion, wherein said lower portion consists of a lower toe portion located toward the toe of the golf club head, a lower heel portion located toward the heel of the golf club head, and a center portion located between the lower toe portion and the lower heel portion, said lower toe portion and said lower heel portion having a substantially parabolic curved side and having a thickness in a range of about 0.055 inches to 0.065 inches, and said center portion and said upper portion have a thickness in a range of about 0.070 inches to 0.080 inches, wherein

said crown and sole are joined to form a cast body; and

said face is attached onto said cast body.

6. The wood-type golf club head of claim 5, wherein said upper portion and said center portion of said lower portion have a thickness in a range of about 0.0725 inches to 0.0775 inches.

7. The wood-type golf club head of claim 5, wherein said lower toe portion and said lower heel portion have a thickness in a range of about 0.0575 inches to 0.0625 inches.

8. The wood-type golf club head of claim 5, wherein said upper portion includes substantially the entire upper half of said face portion.

9. The wood-type golf club head of claim 5, wherein said upper portion includes substantially the entire upper one third of said face portion.

10. The wood-type golf club head of claim 5, wherein said upper portion includes substantially the entire upper one fourth of said face portion.

11. The wood-type golf club head of claim 5, wherein said center portion includes a first side abutting said lower toe portion and a second side abutting said lower heel portion.

12. The wood-type golf club head of claim 11, wherein said first side and said second side are curved.

13. The wood-type golf club head of claim 11, wherein said first side and said second side of center portion are substantially parabolic in shape.

14. The wood-type golf club head of claim 5, wherein said lower toe portion and said lower heel portion are substantially elliptical in shape.

15. The wood-type golf club head of claim 5, wherein the golf club head further comprises a front side and a back side and said crown portion includes a ridge from said back side to said front side, and said ridge having a first and second side;

said first and second sides of said ridge being substantially parabolic in shape.

16. The wood-type golf club head of claim 5, wherein the golf club head further comprises a front side and a back side and said sole portion includes a rail from said back side to said front side, and said rail having a first and second side;

said first and second sides of said rail being substantially parabolic in shape.

17. The wood-type golf club head of claim 16, wherein said crown portion includes a ridge from said back side to said front side, and said ridge having a first and second side;

said first and second sides of said ridge being substantially parabolic in shape.

18. The wood-type golf club head of claim 5, wherein the golf club head further comprises a toe end and a heel end and said sole portion and said crown portion have a thickness greater at said heel end than at said toe end.

19. The wood-type golf club head of claim 5, wherein said crown portion is integral with said face portion, and said face portion includes an integral lip portion extending therefrom, said crown portion and said face portion thereby forming an upper assembly and said sole portion is welded to said upper assembly.

20. A wood-type golf club comprising the golf club head of claim 5.