Golf club

• US 7,632,193 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2006
• Issued: 12/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Thielen Feinmechanik GmbH & Co. Fertigungs KG
• Original Assignee: Thielen Feinmechanik GmbH & Co. Fertigungs KG
• Inventors: Thielen, Klaus
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti; Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US11/463,512
• Publication Number:
  US 20070037633A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,224 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350, 473/256
• US Class Current: 473/334
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/02 with reinforcing fibres, e.g. carbon, polyamide fibres
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/01 Special aerodynamic features, e.g. airfoil shapes, wings or air passages
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0458 with non-uniform thickness of the impact face plate
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/02 Ballast means for adjusting the centre of mass A63B60/24, A63B60/54 take precedence

Abstract

A golf club is described having a club head which is fastened to a club shaft end and whose striking plate is connected at an edge side to a main body, with the main body made as a hollow body having a receiver and fixing for a central weight disposed opposite and centered with respect to the striking plate.

Claims

1. A golf club comprising a club head (1) having a striking plate (2) which club head (1) is fastened to a club shaft end and whose striking plate (2) is connected at its edge side to a main body (3) made as a hollow body, wherein a central weight is arranged in the rearward region of the main body wherein that the main body (3) connected to the striking plate (2) comprises a metallic support surface (10) being spaced from the striking plate and being positioned at least substantially centrally in an axial protection with respect to the striking plate in the most rearward region of the main body (3) in that the metallic support surface (10) is designed for the rear side fixing of said central weight (12) in that the striking plate (2), the main body (3) and the support surface (10) are made stiff with respect to bending and in that the support surface (10) and the central weight (12) fixed to it are covered by a cover part (19) completing the dome-shaped outer contour of the main body (3) and being fastenable to the support surface (10).

2. A golf club in accordance with claim 1, wherein the central weight (12) is screwed to the main body (3).

3. A golf club in accordance with claim 1, wherein the weight of the central weight (12) is greater than the weight of a golf ball.

4. A golf club in accordance with claim 1, wherein a weight of the central weight (12) lies in a range from approximately one-third of the weight of the striking plate to approximately two-thirds of the weight of the striking plate (2).

5. A golf club in accordance with claim 1, wherein the striking plate (2) comprises titanium and is made stiff with respect to bending.

6. A golf club in accordance with claim 1, wherein the striking plate (2) is forged and is provided with one of integral stiffening contours (9) and bead patterns at a rear of the striking plate.

7. A golf club in accordance with claim 1, wherein the main body (3) comprises a dome-shaped shell part that is outwardly arched in a throughgoing manner and that merges, remote from the striking plate (2), into the support surface (10), which is planar and smaller than the surface of the striking plate (2).

8. A golf club in accordance with claim 1, wherein the main body (3) comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of plastic, plastic reinforced by carbon fibers, metal and a composite of metal and plastic.

9. A golf club in accordance with claim 1, wherein the main body (3) comprises a plurality of mutually spaced apart flat braces (5) that are curved in accordance with a contour of the main body, at least in a region of the extent of the main body between the support surface (10) and the striking plate (2).

10. A golf club in accordance with claim 9, wherein the flat braces (5) extend from the support surface (10) up to the striking plate (2), engage into a peripheral fixing groove (7) of the striking plate and are adhesively bonded and pinned to the striking plate (2) in the fixing groove (7).

11. A golf club in accordance with claim 9, wherein the mutual spacing of the flat braces (5) over the periphery of the main body (3) is selected to be different.

12. A golf club in accordance with claim 1, wherein the main body (3) comprises hardened steel in the form of a plurality of flat braces, and is overmolded with plastic.

13. A golf club in accordance with claim 1, wherein the main body (3) comprises one of plastic reinforced with carbon fibers and a hollow body which has a jacket of plastic reinforced with carbon fibers.

14. A golf club in accordance with claim 13, wherein the carbon fibers are arranged in the plastic in a crossed position or a tangled position.

15. A golf club in accordance with claim 1, wherein a central receiver (11) in the support surface (10) is made of hardened steel and is made for the fixing of central weight (12) of different weight.

16. A golf club in accordance with claim 1, wherein the support surface (10) is provided with reinforcement beads (21), which extend substantially radially with respect to the central weight (12).

17. A golf club in accordance with claim 1, wherein a plurality of radially spaced apart receivers (13, 14, 15, 16) for said receiver (11) of the central weight (12) are provided in the support surface (10) for balance weights (18).

18. A golf club in accordance with claim 17, wherein the receivers (13, 14, 15, 16) of the support surface (10) comprise threaded holes into which at least one of central weights and balance weights can be screwed.

19. A golf club in accordance with claim 17, wherein the receivers (13, 14, 15, 16) for the balance weights (18) are arranged symmetrically with respect to main axes of the support surface (10), wherein the support surface is oval, and the receivers are positioned above and beneath the striking plate center in pairs in the projection onto the striking plate (2).

20. A golf club comprising a club head which is fastened to a club shaft end and whose striking plate is connected at its edge side to a main body made as a hollow body, wherein:

a central weight is arranged opposite to the striking plate in the rearward region of the main body,

said main body connected to the striking plate comprises a metallic support surface being spaced from the striking plate and being positioned at least substantially centrally in an axial projection with respect to the striking plate in the rearward region of said main body, said main body comprising a dome-shaped shell part which is outwardly arched in a throughgoing manner and that merges, remote from the striking plate, into the support surface, in that the metallic support surface is planar and smaller than the surface of the striking plate, and

the metallic support surface (10) is designed for the rear side fixing of said central weight; and

the striking plate, the main body and the support surface are made stiff with respect to bending, and

the support surface and the central weight fixed to it are covered by a cover part completing the dome-shaped outer contour of said main body and being fastenable to the support surface.