Golf club head and golf club equipped with said golf club head

• US 6,663,503 B1
• Filed: 05/23/2002
• Issued: 12/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Royal Collection Inc.
• Original Assignee: Royal Collection Inc.
• Inventors: Kenmi, Yoshinari
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US10/152,991
• Time in Patent Office: 572 Days
• Field of Search: 473/324, 473/345, 473/327, 473/328, 473/346, 473/349
• US Class Current: 473/328
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0437 with special crown configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/045 Strengthening ribs
• 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: A63B 60/02 Ballast means for adjusting the centre of mass A63B60/24, A63B60/54 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/52 with slits

Abstract

A metallic hollow golf club head includes a sole face gently downwardly curved from a heel portion toward a toe portion, a generally rectangular protrusion having a predetermined width, the protrusion being downwardly protruded from an intermediate region of the sole face between the heel portion and the toe portion and extending backward from a face, and a recess formed at a widthwise-central portion of the protrusion and extending backward straightly with a predetermined width from a position apart from the face by a predetermined distance, thereby forming a pair of parallel rail portions at both sides of the recess. The recess is opened at a back face.

Claims

1. A golf club head of a metal shell structure, comprising:

a sole face gently downwardly curved from a heel portion toward a toe portion;

a generally rectangular protrusion having a predetermined width, said protrusion being downwardly protruded from an intermediate region of said sole face between said heel portion and said toe portion and extending backward from a face; and

a recess formed at a widthwise-central portion of said protrusion and extending backward straightly with a predetermined width from a position apart from said face by a predetermined distance, thereby forming a pair of parallel rail portions at both sides of said recess, said recess being opened at a back face.

2. The golf club head as recited in claim 1, wherein each of said rail portions is provided with a straight guide groove at a widthwise-central portion thereof.

3. The golf club head as recited in claim 2, wherein said guide groove has a width falling within the range of from 1.5 mm to 3.0 mm and a depth falling within the range of from 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm.

4. The golf club head as recited in claim 1, wherein said protrusion is formed at a region having a width of about ½

to about ¼

of a length from said heel portion to said toe portion.

5. The golf club head as recited in claim 1, wherein said recess has a face-side tip portion having a semicircular shape.

6. The golf club head as recited in claim 1, wherein said recess includes a front straight portion having a generally constant width and a rear opening portion continued from said front straight portion, and wherein said rear opening portion gradually increases in width toward a back face and has a rear end opened at said back face.

7. The golf club head as recited in claim 1, wherein said front straight portion has a length falling within the range of from 10 to 40 mm, a width falling within the range of from 8 to 20 mm and a depth falling within the range of from 3 mm to ½

of a head height.

8. The golf club head as recited in claim 7, wherein said length of said front straight portion falls within the range of from 20 to 35 mm.

9. The golf club head as recited in claim 7, wherein said width of said front straight portion falls within the range of from 10 to 15 mm.

10. The golf club head as recited in claim 7, wherein said depth of said front straight portion falls within the range of from 5 to 15 mm.

11. The golf club head as recited in claim 1, wherein a weight of said protrusion lowers a center of gravity of said golf club head.

12. The golf club head as recited in claim 11, wherein said head includes a metal shell with a filler having a specific gravity lighter than that of the shell.

13. The golf club head as recited in claim 1, wherein said recess increases a depth of a center of gravity of the golf club head.

14. The golf club head as recited in claim 13, wherein a weight of side walls of said recess increases said depth of said center of gravity.

15. The golf club head as recited in claim 13, wherein said head includes a metal shell with a filler having a specific gravity lighter than that of the shell.

16. The golf club head as recited in claim 1, wherein said protrusion is of a means for lowering a center of gravity of said golf club head and said recess is of a means for increasing a depth of the center of gravity of the golf club head.

17. A golf club head of a metal shell structure, comprising:

a sole face gently downwardly curved from a heel portion toward a toe portion;

a generally rectangular protrusion having a predetermined width, said protrusion being downwardly protruded from an intermediate region of said sole face between said heel portion and said toe portion and extending backward from a face;

a recess formed at a widthwise-central portion of said protrusion and extending backward straightly with a predetermined width from a position apart from said face by a predetermined distance, thereby forming a pair of parallel rail portions at both sides of said recess, said recess being opened at a back face; and

a straight guide groove formed at a widthwise-central portion of each of said rail portions,

wherein said protrusion is formed at a region having a width of about ½

to about ½

of a length from said heel portion to said toe portion,

wherein said recess includes a front straight portion having a generally constant width and a rear opening portion continued from said front straight portion, and wherein said rear opening portion gradually increases in width toward a back face and has a rear end opened at said back face,

wherein said front straight portion has a length falling within the range of from 10 to 40 mm, a width falling within the range of from 8 to 20 mm and a depth falling within the range of from 3 mm to ½

of a head height, and

wherein said guide groove has a width falling within the range of from 1.5 mm to 3.0 mm and a depth falling within the range of from 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm.

18. A golf club with a golf club head of a metal shell structure, said golf club head comprising:

a sole face gently downwardly curved from a heel portion toward a toe portion;

a generally rectangular protrusion having a predetermined width, said protrusion being downwardly protruded from an intermediate region of said sole face between said heel portion and said toe portion and extending backward from a face; and

a recess formed at a widthwise-central portion of said protrusion and extending backward straightly with a predetermined width from a position apart from said face by a predetermined distance, thereby forming a pair of parallel rail portions at both sides of said recess, said recess being opened at a back face.

19. The golf club as recited in claim 18, wherein each of said rail portions is provided with a straight guide groove at a widthwise-central portion thereof.

20. The golf club as recited in claim 19, wherein said guide groove has a width falling within the range of from 1.5 mm to 3.0 mm and a depth falling within the range of from 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm.

21. The golf club as recited in claim 18, wherein said protrusion is formed at a region having a width of about ½

to about ½

of a length from said heel portion to said toe portion.

22. The golf club as recited in claim 18, wherein said recess has a face-side tip portion having a semicircular shape.

23. The golf club as recited in claim 18, wherein said recess includes a front straight portion having a generally constant width and a rear opening portion continued from said front straight portion, and wherein said rear opening portion gradually increases in width toward a back face and has a rear end opened at said back face.

24. The golf club as recited in claim 18, wherein said front straight portion has a length falling within the range of from 10 to 40 mm, a width falling within the range of from 8 to 20 mm and a depth falling within the range of from 3 mm to ½

of a head height.

25. The golf club as recited in claim 24, wherein said length of said front straight portion falls within the range of from 20 to 35 mm.

26. The golf club as recited in claim 24, wherein said width of said front straight portion falls within the range of from 10 to 15 mm.

27. The golf club as recited in claim 24, wherein said depth of said front straight portion falls within the range of from 5 to 15 mm.

28. A golf club as recited in claim 18, wherein a weight of said protrusion lowers a center of gravity of said golf club head.

29. The golf club as recited in claim 28, wherein said head includes a metal shell with a filler having a specific gravity lighter than that of the shell.

30. The golf club as recited in claim 18, wherein said recess increases a depth of a center of gravity of the golf club head.

31. The golf club as recited in claim 30, wherein a weight of side walls of said recess increases said depth of said center of gravity.

32. The golf club as recited in claim 30, wherein said head includes a metal shell with a filler having a specific gravity lighter than that of the shell.

33. The golf club head as recited in claim 18, wherein said protrusion is of a means for lowering a center of gravity of said golf club head and said recess is of a means for increasing a depth of the center of gravity of the golf club head.