Golf club head with a face insert

• US 6,902,497 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2002
• Issued: 06/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
• Original Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
• Inventors: Richardson, William D., Deshmukh, Uday V., Boyce, Ronald C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US10/065,712
• Publication Number:
  US 20040092333A1
• Time in Patent Office: 938 Days
• Field of Search: 473/324, 473/290, 473/291, 473/342, 473/345, 473/346, 473/349, 473/350
• US Class Current: 473/342
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• 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 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 14/00 Alloys based on titanium
• CPC Class Codes: C22F 1/183 of titanium or alloys based thereon

Abstract

A golf club head (20) having a body (22) with a front wall (30) with an opening (32) and a striking plate insert (40) is disclosed herein. The striking plate insert (40) is heat treated, and preferably has a microstructure with at least 40% alpha phase. The golf club head (20) has a volume between 200 cubic centimeters and 600 cubic centimeters. The golf club head (20) has a mass between 140 grams and 215 grams.

Claims

1. A wood-type golf club head comprising:

a body having a crown, a sole, a ribbon, and a front wall with an opening, the crown having a thickness of 0.030 inch to 0.050 inch, the sole having a thickness of 0.030 inch to 0.050 inch, the body composed of a cast titanium alloy material; and

a striking plate insert positioned within the opening and welded to the body, the striking plate insert having a uniform thickness in the range of 0.080 inch to 0.120 inch, the striking plate insert composed of a heat treated at above 1550°

F. formed titanium alloy material consisting essentially of titanium, aluminum, tin, chromium, molybdenum, zirconium and silicon, and having a microstructure of at least 40% alpha phase;

wherein the golf club head has a volume ranging from 350 cubic centimeters to 420 cubic centimeters and a mass ranging from 185 grams to 215 grams, a depth from 3.0 inches to 4.5 inches, a height from 2.0 inches to 3.5 inches and a width of 4.0 inches to 5.0 inches, and the golf club head has a coefficient of restitution ranging from 0.82 to 0.87;

whereby the striking plate insert has an inward face progression less than 0.01 inch after at least 500 hits of a golf ball at a swing speed of 110 miles per hour.

2. A wood-type golf club head comprising:

a body having a crown, a sole, a ribbon, and a front wall with an opening, the crown having a thickness of 0.030 inch to 0.050 inch, the sole having a thickness of 0.030 inch to 0.050 inch, the body composed of a cast titanium alloy material; and

a striking plate insert positioned within the opening and welded to the body, the striking plate insert having a uniform thickness of approximately 0.108 inch, the striking plate insert composed of a heat treated at above 1550°

F. formed titanium alloy material consisting essentially of 6 weight percent aluminum, 2 weight percent tin, 2 weight percent chromium, 2 weight percent molybdenum, 2 weight percent zirconium, 0.23 weight percent silicon and the remainder titanium, and having a microstructure of at least 40% alpha phase;

wherein the golf club head has a volume ranging from 200 cubic centimeters to 600 cubic centimeters and a mass ranging from 185 grams to 215 grams, a depth from 3.0 inches to 4.5 inches, a height from 2.0 inches to 3.5 inches and a width of 4.0 inches to 5.0 inches, and the golf club head has a coefficient of restitution ranging from 0.82 to 0.87;

whereby the striking plate insert has an inward face progression less than 0.01 inch after at least 500 hits of a golf ball at a swing speed of 110 miles per hour.