Golf club head

• US 7,442,132 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2006
• Issued: 10/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SRI Sports Limited (Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: SRI Sports Limited (Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Nishio, Masayoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim; Gene
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hunter; Alvin A
• Application Number:
  US11/342,575
• Publication Number:
  US 20060194644A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,001 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 473/342
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/045 Strengthening ribs
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0454 Strengthening ribs on the rear surface of the impact face plate
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0458 with non-uniform thickness of the impact face plate
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0462 characterised by tapering thickness of the impact face plate
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type

Abstract

A golf club head includes a face including a bulge formed at the center of a backside thereof and having a thickness of 2.0 or more times the thickness of the thinnest part, and a plurality of ribs extended from the bulge toward a circumference of the face. Six or more ribs are provided as the plural ribs and an angle θ(°) formed between extension directions of a respective pair of adjoining ribs is less than 90°. The maximum thickness of the bulge is not more than 3.5 times the thickness of the thinnest part.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising a face which includes a bulge formed at the center of a backside thereof and having a thickness of 2.0 or more times the thickness of the thinnest part, and a plurality of ribs extended from the bulge toward a circumference of the face,

wherein six or more ribs we provided as the plural ribs and an angle θ

(°

) formed between extension directions of a respective pair of adjoining ribs is less than 90°

,

wherein the maximum thickness of the bulge is not more than 3.5 times the thickness of the thinnest part, and

wherein the bulge is disposed at a place including a sweet spot and has an area percentage of 2 to 5% based on the overall area of the face backside.

2. A golf club head according to claim 1, wherein a cross-sectional area of a rib is in the range of 2.0 to 10.0 mm².

3. A golf club head according to claim 2, wherein a width of a rib is in the range of 3 to 14 mm whereas a height of a rib is in the range of 0.3 to 1.5 mm.

4. A golf club head according to claim 3, wherein a thickness of the face is in the range of 0.5 to 6.2 mm.

5. A golf club head according to claim 2, wherein a thickness of the face is in the range of 0.5 to 6.2 mm.

6. A golf club head according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the face is in the range of 0.5 to 6.2 mm.

7. A golf club head, comprising a face which includes a bulge formed at the center of a backside thereof and having a thickness of 2.0 or more times the thickness of the thinnest part, and a plurality of a ribs extended from the bulge toward a circumference of the face,

wherein six or more ribs are provided as the plural ribs and an angle θ

(°

) formed between extension directions of a respective pair of adjoining ribs is less than 90°

,

wherein the maximum thickness of the bulge is not more than 3.5 times the thickness of the thinnest part,

wherein the bulge is disposed at a place including a sweet spot and has an area percentage of 2 to 5% based on the overall area of the face backside, and

wherein a width of a rib is in the range of 3 to 14 mm whereas a height of a rib is in the range of 0.3 to 1.5 mm.

8. A golf club head according to claim 7, wherein a thickness of the face is in the range of 0.5 to 6.2 mm.

9. A golf club head, comprising a face which includes a bulge formed at the center of a backside thereof and having a thickness of 2.0 or more times the thickness of the thinnest part, and a plurality of ribs extended from the bulge toward a circumference of the face,

wherein six or more ribs are provided as the plural ribs and an angle θ

(°

) formed between extension directions of a respective air of adjoining ribs is less than 90°

,

wherein the maximum thickness of the bulge is not more than 3.5 times the thickness of the thinnest part,

wherein the bulge is disposed at a place including a sweet spot and has an area percentage of 2 to 5% based on the overall area of the face backside, and

wherein a value given by dividing a rib height by a rib width [(rib height)/(rib width)] is 0.05 or more and 0.20 or less.

10. A golf club head, comprising a face which includes a bulge formed at the center of a backside thereof and having a thickness of 2.0 or more times the thickness of the thinnest part, and a plurality of ribs extended from the bulge toward a circumference of the face,

wherein six or more ribs are provided as the plural ribs and an angle θ

(°

) formed between extension directions of a respective pair of adjoining ribs is less than 90°

,

wherein the maximum thickness of the bulge is not more than 3.5 times the thickness of the thinnest part,

wherein the bulge is disposed at a place including a sweet spot and has an area percentage of 2 to 5% based on the overall area of the face backside, and

wherein boundary lines dividing each of the ribs from non-rib portions exist on widthwise either side of each rib, and each intersection of the boundary lines of adjoining ribs is rounded to impart a roundness of a curvature radius R=1 to 15 mm.

11. A golf club head, comprising a face which includes a bulge formed at the center of a backside thereof and having a thickness of 2.0 or more times the thickness of the thinnest part, and a plurality of ribs extended from the bulge toward a circumference of the face,

wherein six or more ribs are provided as the plural ribs and an angle θ

(°

) formed between extension directions of a respective pair of adjoining ribs is less than 90°

,

wherein the maximum thickness of the bulge is not more than 3.5 times the thickness of the thinnest part,

wherein the bulge is disposed at a place including a sweet spot and has an area percentage of 2 to 5% based on the overall area of the face backside, and

wherein boundary lines dividing each of the ribs from non-rib portions exist on widthwise either side of each rib, and each intersection of the boundary lines of adjoining ribs is rounded to impart a roundness of a curvature radius R, and wherein a value of a ratio (θ

/R) between the curvature radius R(mm) and an angle θ

(°

) between the adjoining ribs is defined to range from 3 to 50.

12. A golf club head, comprising a face which includes bulge formed at the center of a backside thereof and having a thickness of 2.0 or more times the thickness of the thinnest part, and a plurality of ribs extended from the bulge toward a circumference of the face,

wherein six or more ribs are provided as the plural ribs and an angle θ

(°

) formed between extension directions of a respective pair of adjoining ribs is less than 90°

,

wherein the maximum thickness of the bulge is not more than 3.5 times the thickness of the thinnest part,

wherein the bulge is disposed at a place including a sweet spot and has an area percentage of 2 to 5% based on the overall area of the face backside, and

wherein boundary lines dividing each of the ribs from non-rib portions exist on widthwise either side of each rib, and each intersection of the boundary lines of adjoining ribs is rounded to impart a roundness of a curvature radius R, and wherein relationships R(1)≧

R2≧

. . .≧

R(m) and R(1)≧

R(m) are satisfied, provided that plural angles θ

, each of angles θ

being defined by respective pair of adjoining ribs, are represented by θ

(1), θ

(2), . . . , θ

(m) in the descending order of the values thereof, that an inter-rib curvature radius R with respect to the angle θ

(1) is represented by R(1), that an inter-rib curvature radius R with respect to the angle θ

(2) is represented by R(2), . . . , and that an inter-rib curvature radius R with respect to the angle θ

(m) is represented by R(m).

13. A golf club head comprising a face which includes a bulge formed at the center of a backside thereof a plurality of ribs extended from the bulge toward a circumference of the face, and non-rib portions each being arranged between adjacent ribs and each having a thickness smaller than that of the bulge and that of a rib, wherein six or more ribs are provided as the plural ribs and an angle θ

(°

) formed between extension directions of a respective pair of adjoining ribs is less than 90°

; and

wherein boundary lines dividing each of the ribs from non-rib portions exist on widthwise either side of each rib, and each intersection of the boundary lines of adjoining ribs is rounded to impart a roundness of a curvature radius R=1 to 15 mm.