Golf club vibration dampening and sound attenuation system

• US 6,902,495 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2001
• Issued: 06/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Wilson Sporting Goods Company (Anta International Group Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Wilson Sporting Goods Company (Anta International Group Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Pergande, Jon C., Hulock, Richard P., Sheets, Jeffrey D., Garrett, Frank Jr., Lin, Mark W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Caldarola, Glenn
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUONG, THANH P
• Application Number:
  US09/916,450
• Publication Number:
  US 20030022729A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,411 Days
• Field of Search: 473/332, 473/350, 473/324, 473/329, 473/347, 473/330
• US Class Current: 473/332
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0625 Emitting sound, noise or music
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/08 with special arrangements for obtaining a variable impact
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/10 Non-metallic shafts
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/12 Metallic shafts
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/54 with means for damping vibrations

Abstract

A golf club vibration dampening and sound attenuation system including an elongated shaft, a club head, a resilient insert assembly, a dampener, and a grip. The shaft has a distal shaft end and a proximal shaft end. The club head is coupled to the distal shaft end, and includes a front wall and a sole portion. The front wall has a rearwardly sloped front strike side and a rear side. The sole portion rearwardly extends from a lower region of the rear side. The rear side and the sole portion define a cavity and a recess. The recess downwardly extends into the sole portion. A resilient insert assembly is positioned in and substantially fills the recess. The insert assembly is coupled to one or both of the sole portion and the lower region. The dampener is disposed within the shaft and has at least one annular radially extending projection.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a front wall including a rearwardly sloped front strike side and a rear side, the rear side having an upper region and a lower region which are generally coplanar with respect to each other;

a sole portion rearwardly extending from the lower region of the rear side, the sole portion including an upwardly extending rear wall having a forwardly facing inner surface, the rear side and the sole portion defining a forwardly extending cavity, the lower region of the rear side of the front wall and the sole portion, including the rear wall, defining a non-through sole portion recess, the recess downwardly extending into the sole portion and interconnected with the cavity, the recess being open in an upward direction and having variable rearward depth, the forwardly facing inner surface of the rear wall being substantially non-parallel, and rearwardly sloped with respect, to the lower region of the rear side of the front wall such that the rearward depth of recess is greatest at its upper open end; and

a resilient insert assembly positioned in and substantially filling the recess, the insert assembly coupled to at least one of the sole portion and the lower region of the rear side, the upper region of the rear side being generally uncovered, the insert assembly being fabricated of at least one material, the material having a durometer of between 20 on a Shore A hardness scale and 75 on a Shore D hardness scale.

2. The golf club head of claim 1 wherein the at least one material has a durometer of between 70 on a Shore A hardness scale and 60 on a Shore D hardness scale.

3. The golf club head of claim 1 wherein the insert assembly includes at least first and second inserts.

4. The golf club head of claim 3 wherein the first insert is positioned substantially forward of the second insert within the recess.

5. The golf club head of claim 3 wherein the first and second inserts are made of first and second materials respectively and wherein the second material has a durometer that is greater than the durometer of the first material.

6. The golf club head of claim 5 wherein the first material has a durometer of between 70 and 80 on a Shore A hardness scale and wherein the second material has a durometer of between 50 and 60 on a Shore D hardness scale.

7. The golf club head of claim 3, wherein the first insert includes a first rear surface and the second insert includes a second front surface and wherein the first rear surface engages the second front surface.

8. The golf club head of claim 7 wherein the first rear surface of the first insert has at least one rearwardly extending projection and defines at least one forwardly extending indentation and wherein the second front surface of the second insert has at least one corresponding forwardly extending projection and defines at least one corresponding rearwardly extending indentation.

9. The golf club head of claim 8 wherein the at least one rearwardly extending projection and the at least one forwardly extending projections each have an end shape selected from the group consisting of a squared end, a triangular end, an arcuate end, a polygonal end, irregular end and combinations thereof.

10. The golf club head of claim 3 wherein the first and second inserts are each formed of a material selected from the group consisting of a thermoplastic, a thermoset material, an elastomer, a urethane, a polyurethane, a plastic and combinations thereof.

11. The golf club head of claim 1 wherein the insert assembly is affixed to at least one of the sole portion and the lower region of the rear side.

12. The golf club head of claim 1 wherein the insert assembly has an exposed surface and wherein the insert assembly includes a cap covering at least a portion of the exposed surface.

13. A golf club head comprising:

a front wall including a rearwardly sloped front strike side and a rear side, the rear side having an upper region and a lower region which are generally coplanar with respect to each other;

a sole portion rearwardly extending from a lower region of the rear side, the sole portion having a lower surface that is substantially entirely continuous, the sole portion including an upwardly extending rear wall having a forwardly facing inner surface, the rear side and the sole portion defining a forwardly extending cavity, the lower region of the rear side of the front wall and the sole portion, including the rear wall, defining a recess, the recess interconnected with the cavity and downwardly extending into the sole portion, the recess being open in an upward direction and having variable rearward depth, the forwardly facing inner surface of the rear wall being substantially non-parallel, and rearwardly sloped with respect, to the lower region of the rear side of the front wall such that the rearward depth of recess is greatest at its upper open end;

a first insert; and

a second insert contacting the first insert, the first and second inserts positioned only in, and collectively substantially filling, the recess, at least one of the first and second inserts attached to at least one of the sole portion and the lower region of the rear side, the first and second inserts made of first and second elastomeric materials, respectively.

14. The golf club head of claim 13 wherein the first insert has a first rear surface, wherein the second insert has a second front surface, and wherein the first rear surface matably engages the second front surface.

15. The golf club head of claim 14 wherein the first rear surface of the first insert has at least one rearwardly extending projection and defines at least one forwardly extending indentation and wherein the second front surface of the second insert has at least one forwardly extending projection and defines at least one rearwardly extending indentation.

16. The golf club head of claim 15 wherein the at least one rearwardly extending projection and the at least one forwardly extending projections each have an end shape selected from the group consisting of a squared end, a triangular end, an arcuate end, a polygonal end, irregular end and combinations thereof.

17. The golf club head of claim 13 wherein the first and second inserts are each formed of a material selected from the group consisting of a thermoplastic, a thermoset material, an elastomer, a urethane, a polyurethane, a plastic and combinations thereof.

18. The golf club head of claim 13 wherein the insert assembly has an exposed surface and wherein the insert assembly includes a cap covering at least a portion of the exposed surface.

19. A golf club head comprising:

a front wall including a rearwardly sloped front strike side and a rear side, the rear side having an upper region and a lower region which are generally coplanar with respect to each other, the lower region of the rear side being substantially parallel to the front strike side;

a sole portion rearwardly extending from the lower region of the rear side, the sole portion including an upwardly extending rear wall having a forwardly facing inner surface, the rear side defining a forwardly extending cavity, the lower region of the rear side of the front wall, the forwardly facing inner surface of the rear wall of the sole portion and the sole portion defining a non-through sole portion recess, the recess interconnected with the cavity and being open only in an upward direction, the forwardly facing inner surface of the rear wall being substantially non-parallel, and rearwardly sloped with respect, to the lower region of the rear side of the front wall; and

a resilient insert assembly positioned in and substantially filling the recess, the insert assembly coupled to at least one of the sole portion and the lower region of the rear side, the upper region of the rear side be generally uncovered.

20. The golf club head of claim 19 wherein the insert assembly is fabricated of at least one material, and wherein the material has a durometer of between 20 on a Shore A hardness scale and 75 on a Shore D hardness scale.

21. The golf club head of claim 20 wherein the at least one material has a durometer of between 70 on a Shore A hardness scale and 60 on a Shore D hardness scale.

22. A The golf club head of claim 20 wherein the insert assembly includes first and second inserts, wherein the first and second inserts are made of first and second materials respectively, and wherein the second material has a durometer that is greater than the durometer of the first material.

23. The golf club head of claim 22 wherein the first material has a durometer of between 70 and 80 on a Shore A hardness scale and wherein the second material has a durometer of between 50 and 60 on a Shore D hardness scale.

24. The golf club head of claim 22 wherein the first and second inserts are each formed of a material selected from the group consisting of a thermoplastic, a thermoset material, an elastomer, a urethane, a polyurethane, a plastic and combinations thereof.

25. The golf club head of claim 19 wherein the insert assembly has an exposed surface and wherein the insert assembly includes a cap covering at least a portion of the exposed surface.