Golf club attachment mechanisms and methods to attach golf clubs

• US 7,736,243 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2008
• Issued: 06/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
• Original Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
• Inventors: Bac, Mitchell E., Sanchez, Richard R., Cole, Eric V., Schweigert, Bradley D.
• Primary Examiner(s): BLAU, STEPHEN LUTHER
• Application Number:
  US12/031,633
• Publication Number:
  US 20090181791A1
• Time in Patent Office: 852 Days
• Field of Search: 473/288, 473298-299, 473307-310, 473/315, 473/305
• US Class Current: 473/288
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/02 Joint structures between the head and the shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49895 Associating parts by use of aligning means [e.g., use of a drift pin or a "fixture"]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49964 At least one part nonmetallic

Abstract

In one embodiment, a golf club attachment mechanism comprises a hosel adapter with a first slot coupler across a top portion of the hosel adapter, and a shaft adapter with a second slot coupler across a bottom portion of the shaft adapter. The second slot coupler of the shaft adapter is complementary to the first slot coupler of the hosel adapter. The first slot coupler and the second slot coupler couple together to restrict a rotational movement of the hosel adapter relative to the shaft adapter. Other embodiments are disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A golf club attachment mechanism comprising:

a hosel adapter configured to be located at a bottom of a hosel of a golf club head, the hosel adapter comprising a first slot coupler across a top portion of the hosel adapter;

a shaft adapter configured to be located at an end of a golf club shaft, the shaft adapter comprising a second slot coupler, complementary to the first slot coupler, across a bottom portion of the shaft adapter; and

a cap configured to circumscribe an exterior perimeter of a golf club shaft;

wherein;

the first slot coupler tapers across a top end of the hosel adapter, from a first end to a second end narrower than the first end of the first slot coupler;

the second slot coupler tapers across a bottom end of the shaft adapter, from a first end to a second end narrower than the first end of the second slot coupler, and is complementary to the first slot coupler;

the first slot coupler and the second slot coupler couple together within the hosel, when the shaft adapter is inserted into the hosel along a central-length axis of the hosel, to restrict a rotational movement of the hosel adapter relative to the shaft adapter;

the first slot coupler and the second slot coupler are configured to decouple from each other within the hosel, when the shaft adapter is removed along the central-length axis of the hosel, to permit a separation of the golf club shaft from the golf club head; and

the cap is configured to couple to a hosel of a golf club head, at least partially above the shaft adapter, to maintain the shaft adapter in a position within the hosel.

2. The mechanism of claim 1, wherein:

when coupled together, the first slot coupler and the second slot coupler maintain an alignment of the golf club shaft and the golf club head relative to each other.

3. The mechanism of claim 2, wherein:

the hosel adapter tapers complementary to the hosel.

4. The mechanism of claim 2, wherein:

the shaft adapter further comprises a bore to couple around an exterior perimeter of the end of the golf club shaft.

5. The mechanism of claim 2, wherein:

the shaft adapter further comprises a rod to couple within an interior perimeter of the end of the golf club shaft.

6. The mechanism of claim 1, wherein:

the first slot coupler comprises a slot; and

the second slot coupler comprises a tab complementary to the slot of the first slot coupler.

7. The mechanism of claim 1, wherein:

the second slot coupler comprises a slot; and

the first slot coupler comprises a tab complementary to the slot of the second slot coupler.

8. The mechanism of claim 1, wherein:

the first slot coupler comprises a first slope; and

the second slot coupler comprises a second slope complementary to the first slope of the first slot coupler.

9. The mechanism of claim 1, wherein:

the first slot coupler further comprises;

a first surface; and

a second surface non-planar with the first surface of the first slot coupler;

the second slot coupler further comprises;

a first surface; and

a second surface non-planar with the first surface of the second slot coupler;

the first surface of the first slot coupler engages the first surface of the second slot coupler; and

the second surface of the first slot coupler engages the second surface of the second slot coupler.

10. The mechanism of claim 1, wherein:

the hosel adapter further comprises a first groove at a perimeter of the hosel adapter.

11. The mechanism of claim 10, wherein:

the hosel adapter further comprises a second groove substantially perpendicular to the first groove and located at the perimeter of the hosel adapter.

12. The mechanism of claim 10, further comprising:

an adhesive material located in the first groove to secure the hosel adapter to the hosel.

13. The mechanism of claim 1, wherein

a body of the hosel adapter tapers complementary to the hosel.

14. The mechanism of claim 1, wherein

a body of the shaft adapter tapers complementary to the hosel.

15. The mechanism of claim 1, wherein:

the hosel adapter and the shaft adapter remain entirely within the hosel while the cap couples to the hosel.

16. The mechanism of claim 1, wherein:

the hosel further comprises a hosel fastener at a top portion of the hosel;

the cap further comprises;

a cap flange; and

a cap fastener complementary to the hosel fastener; and

the cap flange pushes the shaft adapter against the hosel adapter while the cap fastener couples to the hosel fastener.

17. The mechanism of claim 16, wherein:

the cap flange comprises at least one of;

an interior flange at an inner perimeter of the cap;

or

a bottom of the cap.

18. The mechanism of claim 16, wherein:

the cap fastener and the hosel fastener comprise complementary screw threads.

19. The mechanism of claim 1, wherein:

the hosel adapter is integral with the bottom of the hosel;

the first slot coupler is located across the bottom of the hosel; and

when coupled together, the first slot coupler and the second slot coupler maintain an alignment of the golf club shaft and the golf club head relative to each other.

20. A mechanism for coupling together a golf club head and a golf club shaft, the mechanism comprising:

a shaft receiver plug with a trench at a top end of the shaft receiver plug;

a shaft sleeve with a protrusion at a bottom end of the shaft sleeve; and

a nut configured to couple at least partially above the shaft sleeve at an exterior perimeter of the golf club shaft;

wherein;

the shaft receiver plug is configured to couple at a bottom of a shaft receiver of the golf club head;

the shaft sleeve comprises a bore to couple to an exterior perimeter of an end of the golf club shaft;

the trench comprises a first wall and tapers in width, from a first plug end to a second plug end, across the top end of the shaft receiver plug;

the protrusion comprises a second wall and tapers in width, from a first sleeve end to a second sleeve end, across the bottom end of the shaft sleeve;

the protrusion is complementary to the trench and configured to;

couple inside the trench when the shaft sleeve is inserted into the shaft receiver along a central-length axis of the shaft receiver; and

decouple from the trench when the shaft sleeve is removed along the central-length axis of the shaft receiver;

the nut comprises;

a nut flange; and

a nut fastener complementary to a shaft receiver fastener at a top portion of the shaft receiver;

when the nut fastener and the shaft receiver fastener couple together, the nut flange pushes the shaft sleeve against the shaft receiver plug to maintain the protrusion within the trench; and

when the trench and the protrusion couple together, the first wall interacts with the second wall to predetermine an orientation of the golf club shaft relative to the golf club head.

21. The mechanism of claim 20, wherein:

the trench comprises a first slope; and

the protrusion comprises a second slope complementary to the first slope of the trench.

22. The mechanism of claim 20, wherein:

the trench comprises a first varying width; and

the protrusion comprises a second varying width complementary to the first varying width.

23. The mechanism of claim 20, wherein:

the shaft receiver plug further comprises at least one of;

a substantially horizontal groove circumscribing a perimeter of the shaft receiver plug; and

a substantially vertical groove at the perimeter of the shaft receiver plug.

24. The mechanism of claim 20, wherein:

an adhesive material secures the shaft receiver plug to a bottom portion of the shaft receiver.

25. The mechanism of claim 20, wherein:

the shaft receiver plug tapers complementary to an inner perimeter of the shaft receiver.

26. The mechanism of claim 20, wherein:

the shaft sleeve tapers complementary to an inner perimeter of the shaft receiver.

27. The mechanism of claim 20, wherein:

the protrusion comprises at least one of;

an oval-shaped protrusion;

a triangle-shaped protrusion;

a pentagon-shaped protrusion;

or

a trapezoid-shaped protrusion.