Golf club head

• US 7,156,750 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2004
• Issued: 01/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co Limited (Bridgestone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co Limited (Bridgestone Corporation)
• Inventors: Nishitani, Masafumi, Matsunaga, Hideo
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti; Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US10/765,566
• Publication Number:
  US 20040254030A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,070 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350
• US Class Current: 473/329
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/02 with reinforcing fibres, e.g. carbon, polyamide fibres
• 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 53/0466 wood-type

Abstract

A golf club head includes a front body, a middle body, a back body integrally. The middle body is disposed between the front body and the back body. The middle body includes a middle crown constituting a middle portion of a crown portion in back and forth directions, a middle side constituting middle portions of both side surfaces on a toe side and a heel side in the back and forth directions, a middle sole constituting a middle portion of a sole portion in the back and forth directions. The middle body may include aluminum alloy. The front body and the back body may include titanium alloy.

Claims

1. A hollow golf club head comprising:

a front body including a face portion;

a back body; and

a middle body disposed between the front body and the back body and extending from a toe side of a side portion to a heel side of the side portion through a crown portion bending upwardly, wherein;

the material of the middle body is lower in longitudinal elastic modulus and specific gravity than the material of the front body and the material of the back body.

2. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein:

the material of the front body includes at least one of titanium and titanium alloy;

the material of the back body includes at least one of titanium and titanium alloy; and

the material of the middle body includes at least one of metal and metal alloy.

3. The golf club head according to claim 2, wherein the at least one of the metal and the metal allow has a melt point equal to or lower than 7000°

C.

4. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein:

the material of the front body includes at least one of titanium and titanium alloy;

the material of the back body includes at least one of titanium and titanium alloy; and

the material of the middle body includes carbon fiber reinforced plastic.

5. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the middle body includes at least part of the crown portion, at least part of a sole portion, and at least part of the side portion.

6. The golf club head according to claim 5, wherein a ratio of an area of the middle body to an entire outer surface area of the golf club head is in a range of 8% to 35%.

7. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the middle body includes at least part of the crown portion and at least part of the side portion.

8. The golf club head according to claim 7, a ratio of an area of the middle body to an entire outer surface area of the golf club head is in a range of 5% to 33%.

9. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the middle portion has a greater width nearer the crown than nearer a sole of the golf club head.

10. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the middle portion has a substantially inverted triangular shape when viewed from a side of the golf club head.

11. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of an outer surface of the middle body forms a step with an outer surface of at least one of the front body and the back body.

12. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of an outer surface of the middle body is formed a step lower than an outer surface of at least one of the front body and the back body.

13. A hollow golf club head including at least one of titanium and titanium alloy, the golf club head comprising:

a front body including a face portion;

a back body; and

a middle body disposed between the front body and the back body and extending from a toe side of a side portion to a heel side of the side portion through a crown portion bending upwardly;

wherein the material of the middle body is thinner than the material of the front body and the material of the back body; and

wherein the material of the front body and the material of the middle body comprise metal.

14. The golf club head according to claim 13, wherein the material of the middle body is at least 80% as thick as the material of the front body and the material of the back body.

15. The golf club head according to claim 14, wherein the material of the middle body is 90–

95% as thick as the material of the front body and the material of the back body.

16. The golf club head according to claim 13, wherein the middle body also includes at least part of the side portion.

17. The golf club head according to claim 13, wherein at least a portion of an outer surface of the middle body forms a step with an outer surface of at least one of the front body and the back body.

18. The golf club head according to claim 13, wherein at least a portion of an outer surface of the middle body is formed a step lower than an outer surface of at least one of the front body and the back body.

19. The golf club head according to claim 13, wherein the middle body is also disposed in at least part of a sole portion of the club head.

20. The golf club head according to claim 13, wherein:

the front body comprises at least one of titanium, titanium alloy and magnesium alloy,

the back body comprises at least one of titanium, titanium alloy and magnesium alloy, and

the middle body comprises at least one of aluminum, aluminum alloy, titanium and titanium alloy.

21. A hollow golf club head including at least one of titanium and titanium alloy, the golf club head comprising:

a front body including a face portion;

a back body; and

a middle body disposed between the front body and the back body and extending from a toe side of a side portion to a heel side of the side portion through a crown portion bending upwardly, wherein;

the middle body is thinner than the front body and the back body;

the front body has a thickness in a range of 0.8 mm to 1.2 mm;

the back body has a thickness in a range of 0.8 mm to 1.2 mm;

the middle body has a thickness in a range of 0.6 mm to 1.2 mm; and

the a material of the middle body comprises metal.

22. The golf club head according to claim 21, wherein at least a portion of an outer surface of the middle body forms a step with an outer surface of at least one of the front body and the back body.

23. The golf club head according to claim 21, wherein at least a portion of an outer surface of the middle body is formed a step lower than an outer surface of at least one of the front body and the back body.

24. A hollow golf club head including at least one of titanium and titanium alloy, the golf club head comprising:

a front body including a face portion;

a back body; and

a middle body disposed between the front body and the back body and extending from a toe side of a side portion to a heel side of the side portion through a crown portion bending upwardly;

wherein the material of the middle body is thinner than the material of the front body and the material of the back body; and

wherein the middle body is also disposed in at least part of the side portion and tapers between a top and a bottom of the club head.