Golf club

• US 7,611,419 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2008
• Issued: 11/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Australian Putter Co. Pty., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Australian Putter Co. Pty., Ltd.
• Inventors: O'Neill, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti; Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US12/099,805
• Publication Number:
  US 20080261718A1
• Time in Patent Office: 573 Days
• Field of Search: 473219-256, D21736-746
• US Class Current: 473/242
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0441 with visual indicators for aligning the golf club
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0487 for putters A63B53/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/50 with through-holes A63B60/18 takes precedence; for stringing purposes A63B49/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/52 with slits

Abstract

A golf club comprising: a shaft; a head affixed to a distal end of the shaft and having a ball striking face, the head comprising spaced apart lower and upper portions which have respectively: lower and upper primary alignment guides extending substantially perpendicular to the ball striking face, the lower primary alignment guide provided by at least one lower slot portion in the lower portion and the upper primary alignment guide provided by at least one upper slot portion in the upper portion; and lower and upper secondary alignment guides extending substantially parallel to the ball striking face, the lower secondary alignment guide provided by at least one further lower slot portion in the lower portion and the upper secondary alignment guide provided by at least one further upper slot portion in the upper portion, the primary and secondary alignment guides being positioned relative to one another so that a golfer'"'"'s eyes are correctly aligned relative to the golf club head when the primary and secondary alignment guides are respectively perceived as being superposed.

Claims

1. A golf club comprising:

a shaft;

a head affixed to a distal end of the shaft and having a ball striking face, the head comprising spaced apart lower and upper portions defining a cavity therebetween and a pair of open sides to allow light to penetrate into the interior of the head, the lower and upper portions having;

lower and upper primary alignment guides extending substantially perpendicular to the ball striking face, the lower primary alignment guide provided by at least one lower slot portion extending through the lower portion and the upper primary alignment guide provided by at least one upper slot portion extending through the upper portion; and

lower and upper secondary alignment guides extending substantially parallel to the ball striking face, the lower secondary alignment guide provided by at least one further lower slot portion extending through the lower portion and the upper secondary alignment guide provided by at least one further upper slot portion extending through the upper portion,

the primary and secondary alignment guides being positioned relative to one another so that in an aligned position, the lower primary and secondary alignment guides are visible through the upper primary and secondary alignment guides.

2. A golf club as claimed in claim 1, wherein the secondary alignment guides are perpendicular to the primary alignment guides.

3. A golf club as claimed in claim 2, wherein the golf club is a putter.

4. A golf club as claimed in claim 1, wherein the slot portions are provided by cross-shaped slots.

5. A golf club as claimed in claim 1, wherein the upper and lower portions are joined by at least one arcuate portion.

6. A golf club as claimed in claim 5, wherein the upper and lower portions are joined by a pair of spaced apart arcuate portions.

7. A golf club as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least the lower primary alignment guide comprises a plurality of slot portions.

8. A golf club as claimed in claim 7, wherein the plurality of slot portions of the lower primary alignment guide comprises a plurality of holes.

9. A golf club as claimed in claim 1, wherein each upper slot portion is provided by an aperture in the upper portion and each lower slot portion is provided by an aperture in the lower portion.

10. A golf club head adapted to be affixed to a distal end of a shaft and having a ball striking face, the head comprising spaced apart lower and upper portions defining a cavity therebetween and a pair of open sides to allow light to penetrate into the interior of the head, the lower and upper portions having:

lower and upper primary alignment guides extending substantially perpendicular to the ball striking face, the lower primary alignment guide provided by at least one lower slot portion extending through the lower portion and the upper primary alignment guide provided by at least one upper slot portion extending through the upper portion; and

lower and upper secondary alignment guides extending substantially parallel to the ball striking face, the lower secondary alignment guide provided by at least one further lower slot portion extending through the lower portion and the upper secondary alignment guide provided by at least one further upper slot portion extending through the upper portion,

the primary and secondary alignment guides being positioned relative to one another so that in an aligned position, the lower primary and secondary alignment guides are visible through the upper primary and secondary alignment guides.

11. A golf club comprising:

a shaft;

a head affixed to a distal end of the shaft and having a ball striking face, the head comprising spaced apart lower and upper portions defining a cavity therebetween and a pair of open sides to allow light to penetrate into the interior of the head;

upper primary and secondary alignment guides formed by an upper cross-shaped aperture in the upper portion, the upper primary alignment guide extending substantially perpendicular to the ball striking face and the upper secondary alignment guide extending substantially parallel to the ball striking face; and

lower primary and secondary alignment guides formed by a plurality of lower apertures in the lower portion, the primary alignment guide extending substantially perpendicular to the ball striking face and the lower secondary alignment guide extending substantially parallel to the ball striking face to the ball striking face,

and wherein the primary and secondary alignment guides are positioned relative to one another so that in an aligned position, the lower primary and secondary alignment guides are visible through the upper primary and secondary alignment guides.

12. A golf club as claimed in claim 11, wherein the plurality of lower apertures comprise a plurality of circular holes.