Spin milled grooves for a golf club

• US 7,273,422 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2004
• Issued: 09/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Burnett, M. Scott, Gilbert, Peter J., Vokey, Robert W., Kays, Christopher R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti; Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US10/902,064
• Publication Number:
  US 20050130761A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,152 Days
• Field of Search: 473/330, 473/331, 473287-292
• US Class Current: 473/330
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0445 Details of grooves or the like on the impact surface
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49995 Shaping one-piece blank by removing material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49996 Successive distinct removal operations

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a golf club head with an improved striking surface. The grooves are machined into the strike surface with tight tolerances. The grooves have sharp edges, radiused ends, and a draft angle between about 2° and 12°. The striking face is machined such that it has a uniform texture with a roughness of more than 40 Ra.

Claims

1. A golf club head, comprising a face with a striking surface with grooves formed therein, said grooves including at least one groove having both an overall distance and a maximum depth distance that is at least 0.25 inch shorter than the overall distance, wherein the grooves contain longitudinal axes and the grooves are radiused at toe and heel portions of the golf club head about axes of rotation that are perpendicular to the longitudinal axes.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said grooves include a draft angle between about 0.5°

and 12°

.

3. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the grooves are about 0.02 inch deep at a geometric center of the face.

4. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the grooves are formed by a ⅜

inch to ¾

inch round cutter such that the grooves have end radii.

5. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein each of said grooves have both an overall distance and a maximum depth distance that is at least 0.25 inch shorter than the overall distance.

6. A golf club head, comprising a body having a strike face with grooves formed therein, said grooves having a draft angle from about 0.5°

to 12°

, said strike face including an area in the proximity of said grooves having a substantially uniform textured surface with a roughness greater than 40 Ra, wherein at least one of said grooves has a longitudinal axis and is radiused at toe and heel portions thereof about an axis of rotation that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.

7. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein said roughness is from about 75 Ra to 300 Ra.

8. The golf club head of claim 7, wherein said roughness is from about 100 Ra to 200 Ra.

9. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein said roughness is from about 120 Ra to 180 Ra.

10. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein said draft angle is from 4°

to 6°

.

11. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein said at least one groove is radiused from 0.125 inch to 5 inches.

12. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein said at least one groove is radiused from 0.25 inch to 2.5 inches.

13. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein said at least one groove has both an overall distance and a maximum depth distance that is at least 0.25 inch shorter than the overall distance.

14. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein each of said grooves have both an overall distance and a maximum depth distance that is at least 0.25 inch shorter than the overall distance.