Device for adjusting angle of golf club shaft

• US 7,624,612 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2007
• Issued: 12/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Japana Co., Ltd. (Alpen Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Japana Co., Ltd. (Alpen Company Limited)
• Inventors: Tani, Yukio, Yoshida, Katsunori, Toda, Haruhisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Jones; David B
• Application Number:
  US11/943,560
• Publication Number:
  US 20080202193A1
• Time in Patent Office: 742 Days
• Field of Search: 722/93, 723/891, 723/892, 723/898, 724/18, 724/58, 724/59, 724/79, 723/906
• US Class Current: 72/390.6
• CPC Class Codes: B21D 7/04 over a movably-arranged forming menber B21D7/02 takes precedence

Abstract

An angle adjuster for a golf club shaft includes a pressing part that can advance and retreat towards and away from a space between two pressing force receiving parts. The pressing force receiving parts include grooves configured to receive a golf club shaft. When the pressing part is advanced against the golf club shaft, a bending force is applied to the shaft at a bending location on the shaft that lies between the pressing force receiving parts. This occurs while the shaft is received in, the receiving grooves of the pressing force receiving parts.

Claims

1. An angle adjuster operable to adjust a bending angle of a bent part of a golf club shaft, the angle adjuster comprising:

a base;

two pressing force receiving parts mounted on the base, the two pressing force receiving parts being spaced apart with an intermediate space between them, wherein each of the two pressing force receiving parts is mounted on the base with structure that allows the pressing force receiving part to turn about an axis, and wherein each of the pressing force receiving parts includes structure defining an elongate groove configured to receive a portion of the golf club shaft, and wherein a length of that groove is out of parallel with a plane perpendicular to the axis about which that pressing force receiving part can rotate;

a first pressing part mounted on the base; and

an advancement mechanism operable to advance the first pressing part from a first position outside of the intermediate space between the two pressing force receiving parts to a second position inside the intermediate space between the two pressing force receiving parts and in contact with the golf club shaft received within the grooves of the two pressing force receiving parts.

2. The angle adjuster of claim 1, and further comprising:

a support part mounted on the base;

wherein the advancement mechanism includes a screw mechanism mounted on the support part, wherein the screw mechanism is threaded and operable to advance the first pressing part from the first position to the second position when the screw mechanism is rotated with respect to the support part.

3. The angle adjuster of claim 1, wherein each of the two pressing force receiving parts includes at least two faces, wherein each of the at least two faces of each pressing force receiving part includes structure defining an elongate groove, and wherein a length of at least one of the grooves on each of the two pressing farce receiving parts is out of parallel with the plane perpendicular to the axis about which that pressing force receiving part can rotate.

4. The angle adjuster of claim 1, wherein each of the two pressing force receiving parts is mounted on the base via a pin, and wherein each of the two pressing force receiving parts is movable along the length of its pin.

5. The angle adjuster of claim 4, and further comprising structure on the base defining a plurality of spaced apart pin receiving holes, wherein the intermediate space between the two pressing force receiving parts is adjustable by the movement of each of the pins into a different selected one of the pin receiving holes.

6. The angle adjuster of claim 1, and further comprising a second pressing part interchangeable with the first pressing part on the advancement mechanism, wherein the first pressing part has a curved pressing surface configured for contact with the golf club shaft, and wherein the second pressing part has a grooved pressing surface comprising structure defining grooves in an otherwise generally planar surface configured for contact with the golf club shaft.

7. An angle adjuster operable to adjust a bending angle of a bent part of a golf club shaft, the angle adjuster comprising:

a base;

two pressing force receiving parts mounted on the base and configured to bear against the golf club shaft, the two pressing force receiving parts being spaced apart with an intermediate space between them, wherein each of the two pressing force receiving parts is mounted on the base via a pin and wherein each of the two pressing force receiving parts is movable along a length of that pin;

a first pressing part mounted on the base; and

an advancement mechanism operable to advance the first pressing part from a first position outside of the intermediate space between the two pressing force receiving parts to a second position inside the intermediate space between the two pressing force receiving parts and in contact with the golf club shaft bearing against the two pressing force receiving parts.

8. The angle adjuster of claim 7, and further comprising:

a support part mounted on the base;

wherein the advancement mechanism includes a screw mechanism mounted on the support part, wherein the screw mechanism is threaded and operable to advance the first pressing part from the first position to the second position when the screw mechanism is rotated with respect to the support part.

9. The angle adjuster of claim 7, wherein each of the pressing force receiving parts includes structure defining an elongate groove configured to receive a portion of the golf club shaft, and wherein a length of that groove is out of parallel with a plane perpendicular to the length of its pin.

10. The angle adjuster of claim 9. wherein each of the two pressing force receiving parts includes at least two faces, wherein each of the at least two faces of each pressing force receiving part includes structure defining an elongate groove, and wherein a length of at least one of the grooves on each of the two pressing force receiving parts is out of parallel with the plane perpendicular to the length of its pin.

11. The angle adjuster of claim 7, and further comprising structure on the base defining a plurality of spaced apart pin receiving holes, wherein the intermediate space between the two pressing force receiving parts is adjustable by the movement of each of the pins into a different selected one of the pin receiving holes.

12. The angle adjuster of claim 7, and further comprising a second pressing part interchangeable with the first pressing part on the advancement mechanism, wherein the first pressing part has a curved pressing surface configured for contact with the golf club shaft, and wherein the second pressing part has a grooved pressing surface comprising structure defining grooves in an otherwise generally planar surface configured for contact with the golf club shaft.

13. An angle adjuster operable to adjust a bending angle of a bent part of a golf club shaft, the angle adjuster comprising:

a base;

two pressing force receiving pans mounted on the base and configured to bear against the golf club shaft, the two pressing force receiving pans being spaced apart with an intermediate space between them;

structure on the base defining a plurality of spaced apart pin receiving holes, wherein each of the two pressing force receiving parts is mounted on the base via a movable pin, and wherein the intermediate space between the two pressing force receiving pans is adjustable by the placement of each of the movable pins into a different selected one of the pin receiving holes, and wherein each of the two pressing force receiving pans is movable along a length of its pin;

a first pressing part mounted on the base; and

an advancement mechanism operable to advance the first pressing pan from a first position outside of the intermediate space between the two pressing force receiving parts to a second position inside the intermediate space between the two pressing force receiving pans and in contact with the golf club shaft bearing against the two pressing force receiving parts.

14. The angle adjuster of claim 13, and further comprising:

a support part mounted on the base;

wherein the advancement mechanism includes a screw mechanism mounted on the support pan, wherein the screw mechanism is threaded, and operable to advance the first pressing part from the first position to the second position when the screw mechanism is rotated with respect to the support part.

15. The angle adjuster of claim 13, wherein each of the pressing force receiving parts includes structure defining an elongate groove configured to receive a portion of the golf club shaft, and wherein a length of that groove is out of parallel with a plane perpendicular to a length of its pin.

16. The angle adjuster of claim 15, wherein each of the two pressing force receiving parts includes at least two faces, wherein each of the at least two faces of each pressing force receiving part includes structure defining an elongate groove, and wherein a length of at least one of the grooves on each of the two pressing force receiving parts is out of parallel with the plane perpendicular to the length of its pin.

17. The angle adjuster of claim 13, and further comprising a second pressing part interchangeable with the first pressing part on the advancement mechanism, wherein the first pressing part has a curved pressing surface configured for contact with the golf club shaft, and wherein the second pressing part has a grooved pressing surface comprising structure defining grooves in an otherwise generally planar surface configured for contact with the golf club shaft.