Golf club head

• US 7,591,735 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2006
• Issued: 09/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co Limited (Bridgestone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co Limited (Bridgestone Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsunaga, Hideo, Shimazaki, Hideo, Ban, Wataru
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti; Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US11/435,984
• Publication Number:
  US 20070129168A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,223 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350, 473287-292
• US Class Current: 473/329
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• 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 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0416 Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0475 with one or more enclosed cavities
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/54 with means for damping vibrations

Abstract

This invention provides a golf club head having a viscoelastic body, wherein the viscoelastic body is made by mixing a plurality of types of viscoelastic materials with loss coefficients temperature dependences of which are different.

Claims

1. An iron type go if club head comprising:

a head main body having a front surface side and a rear surface side;

a face plate fixed to the front surface side of said head main body to form a face surface of said golf club head;

a cavity portion formed in said head main body, said cavity portion open to the front surface side and closed by the rear surface side; and

a viscoelastic body inserted in a compressed state in a space formed by said cavity portion,

wherein said viscoelastic body is made by mixing a plurality of types of viscoelastic materials with loss coefficients temperature dependences of which are different, and

wherein an axial edge on the front surface of a circumferential wall defining said cavity portion comprises;

a contacting portion that contacts a rear surface of said face plate; and

a non-contacting portion spaced apart from the rear surface of said face plate to form a gap between said non-contacting portion and the rear surface of said face plate, the gap communicating with said cavity portion and allowing extension of the viscoelastic body into itself.

2. The head according to claim 1, wherein peak value temperatures of the loss coefficients of the plurality of types of viscoelastic materials are different from each other.

3. The head according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of types of viscoelastic materials include two types of viscoelastic materials whose peak value temperatures of loss coefficients have a difference of not less than 15°

C.

4. The head according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of types of viscoelastic materials include a viscoelastic material with a loss coefficient a peak value temperature of which is less than −

30°

C. and a viscoelastic material with a loss coefficient a peak value temperature of which is not less than −

30°

C.

5. The head according to claim 1, wherein the loss coefficient of said viscoelastic body is not less than 0.3 in a range from −

40°

C. (inclusive) to −

10°

C. (inclusive).

6. The head according to claim 1, wherein a part of said viscoelastic body extends into the gap.

7. The head according to claim 1, wherein said non-contacting portion is formed at least in an upper portion of said axial edge.

8. The head according to claim 1, wherein each viscoelastic material comprises one of a butyl bromide composition, an acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber, a natural rubber, a silicone rubber, and a styrene-based rubber.