Golf club head

• US 7,758,453 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2008
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited
• Original Assignee: SRI Sports Limited (Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Horacek, Robert J., Brekke, Dustin J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti; Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US12/071,462
• Publication Number:
  US 20080171615A1
• Time in Patent Office: 880 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350, 473287-292
• US Class Current: 473/345
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0625 Emitting sound, noise or music
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0437 with special crown configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/045 Strengthening ribs
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• 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

A golf club head according to one or more aspects of the present invention comprises a striking surface having a face center, a crown portion, and a sole portion, four quadrants, and a linear stiffening element coupled to at least one of the crown portion and the sole portion. The linear stiffening element may extend from the heel region to the toe region of the club head. The stiffening element is disposed in at least three of the four quadrants, at an angle between 50° and 85° relative to an imaginary vertical plane oriented substantially perpendicular to the striking surface and containing the face center. The stiffening element has a survey length, the ratio of the overall width to the survey length being less than 0.97.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a crown portion, a sole portion, and a striking surface having a face center, a center apex, and a top edge;

a hosel having a hosel centerline, wherein the club head is oriented relative to an imaginary horizontal ground plane so that the hosel centerline is in an imaginary vertical plane generally parallel to the top edge of the strike face and is at an angle of 60°

relative to the imaginary horizontal ground plane;

a furthest rearwardly projecting point;

an overall length defined by the shortest horizontal distance between an imaginary front vertical plane, generally parallel to the top edge and passing through the center apex, and an imaginary rear vertical plane that is parallel to the front vertical plane and passes through the furthest rearwardly projecting point of the club head;

a first quadrant, a second quadrant, a third quadrant, and a fourth quadrant, each defined by an imaginary longitudinal vertical plane, substantially perpendicular to the striking surface and passing through the face center, and an imaginary transverse vertical plane, orthogonal to the imaginary longitudinal vertical plane and bisecting the club head at one-half the overall length; and

a linear stiffening element coupled to the sole portion and not the crown portion, the stiffening element disposed in at least three of the four quadrants at an angle between 50° and

85°

to an imaginary vertical plane oriented substantially perpendicular to the striking surface and containing the face center.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the stiffening element is disposed at an angle between 60°

and 85°

to the imaginary vertical plane.

3. The golf club head of claim 2, wherein the stiffening element is disposed at an angle between 70°

and 85°

to an imaginary vertical plane.

4. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the stiffening element is disposed in the first quadrant, the second quadrant, and the third quadrant.

5. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the stiffening element is disposed in the second quadrant, the third quadrant, and the fourth quadrant.

6. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the stiffening element is disposed in the first quadrant, the third quadrant, and the fourth quadrant.

7. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the stiffening element is disposed in the first quadrant, the second quadrant, and the fourth quadrant.

8. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the stiffening element further comprises a thickness between about 0.5 mm and about 5 mm and a height between about 1 mm and about 25 mm.

9. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein the stiffening element comprises a height between about 3 mm and about 20 mm.

10. The golf club head of claim 9, wherein the stiffening element comprises a height between about 5 mm and about 15 mm.

11. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein the stiffening element comprises a height between about 8 mm and about 12 mm.

12. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the club head further comprises a first resonant frequency of vibration between about 1800 Hz and about 7500 Hz.

13. The golf club head of claim 12, wherein the first resonant frequency of vibration is between about 2500 Hz and about 6000 Hz.

14. The golf club head of claim 13, wherein the first resonant frequency of vibration is between about 3000 Hz and about 5000 Hz.

15. A golf club head comprising:

a striking surface having a face center, a top edge, a center apex;

a crown portion;

a sole portion;

a hosel having a hosel centerline, wherein the club head is oriented relative to an imaginary horizontal ground plane so that the hosel centerline is in an imaginary vertical plane generally parallel to the top edge of the strike face and is at an angle of 60°

relative to the imaginary horizontal ground plane;

a furthest laterally projecting toe point;

a furthest laterally projecting heel point, located at a vertical height of 0.75 inches relative the ground plane;

an overall width defined by the shortest horizontal distance between a imaginary toe-side vertical plane, substantially perpendicular to the striking surface and passing through the furthest laterally projecting toe point, and an imaginary heel-side vertical plane that is substantially perpendicular to the striking surface and passes through the furthest laterally projecting heel point; and

a linear stiffening element having a survey length denoting the maximum horizontal length of the stiffening element in a top plan view, the stiffening element being coupled to at least one of the crown portion and the sole portion at an angle between 50° and

85°

to an imaginary vertical plane that is substantially perpendicular to the striking surface and contains the face center, the ratio of the overall width to the survey length being less than 0.97.

16. The golf club head of claim 15, wherein the ratio of the overall width to the survey length is less than 0.95.

17. The golf club head of claim 16, wherein the ratio of the overall width to the survey length is less than 0.90.

18. The golf club head of claim 15, wherein the ratio of the overall width to the survey length is between 0.85 and 0.97.

19. The golf club head of claim 15, wherein the overall width is greater than 100 mm.

20. The golf club head of claim 17, wherein the overall width is greater than 115 mm.

21. The golf club head of claim 15, further comprising

an overall length defined by the shortest horizontal distance between an imaginary front vertical plane, substantially parallel to the top edge and passing through the center apex, and an imaginary rear vertical plane that is parallel to the front vertical plane and passes through the furthest rearwardly projecting point of the club head, opposite the striking surface;

a first quadrant, a second quadrant, a third quadrant, and a fourth quadrant, each defined by an imaginary longitudinal vertical plane, substantially perpendicular to the striking surface and passing through the face center, and an imaginary transverse vertical plane, orthogonal to the imaginary longitudinal vertical plane and bisecting the club head at one-half the overall length, the stiffening element being disposed in at least three of the four quadrants.

22. The golf club head of claim 21, wherein the stiffening element is disposed in the first quadrant, the second quadrant, and the third quadrant.

23. The golf club head of claim 21, wherein the stiffening element is disposed in the second quadrant, the third quadrant, and the fourth quadrant.

24. The golf club head of claim 21, wherein the stiffening element is disposed in the first quadrant, the third quadrant, and the fourth quadrant.

25. The golf club head of claim 21, wherein the stiffening element is disposed in the first quadrant, the second quadrant, and the fourth quadrant.

26. A golf club head comprising:

a striking surface comprising a face center, a top edge, and a center apex;

a hosel having a hosel centerline, wherein the club head is oriented relative to an imaginary horizontal ground plane so that the hosel centerline is in an imaginary vertical plane generally parallel to the top edge of the strike face and is at an angle of 60°

relative to the imaginary horizontal ground plane;

a furthest laterally projecting toe point;

a furthest laterally projecting heel point, located at a vertical height of 0.75 inches relative the ground plane;

an overall width defined by the shortest horizontal distance between an imaginary toe-side vertical plane, substantially perpendicular to the striking surface and passing through the furthest laterally projecting toe point, and imaginary heel-side vertical plane that is substantially perpendicular to the striking surface and passes through the furthest laterally projecting heel point;

an overall length defined by the shortest horizontal distance between an imaginary front vertical plane, generally parallel to the top edge and passing through the center apex, and an imaginary rear vertical plane that is parallel to the front vertical plane and passes through the furthest rearwardly projecting point of the club head;

a crown portion, a sole portion, a toe region comprising a distance Y, and a heel region comprising a distance X, each of the distance Y and the distance X being less than about 20% of the overall width;

a first quadrant, a second quadrant, a third quadrant, and a fourth quadrant defined by an imaginary longitudinal vertical plane, substantially perpendicular to the striking surface and passing through the face center, and an imaginary transverse vertical plane, orthogonal to the imaginary longitudinal vertical plane and bisecting the club head at one-half the overall length;

a linear stiffening element coupled to at least one of the crown portion and the sole portion, the linear stiffening element disposed in at least three of the four quadrants and extending from the heel region to the toe region.

27. The golf club head of claim 26, wherein each of the distance Y and the distance X is less than about 15% of the overall width.

28. The golf club head of claim 27, wherein each of the distance Y and the distance X is less than about 10% of the overall width.

29. The golf club head of claim 26, wherein the stiffening element is disposed in the first quadrant, the second quadrant, and the third quadrant.

30. The golf club head of claim 26, wherein the stiffening element is disposed in the second quadrant, the third quadrant, and the fourth quadrant.

31. The golf club head of claim 26, wherein the stiffening element is disposed in the first quadrant, the third quadrant, and the fourth quadrant.

32. The golf club head of claim 26, wherein the stiffening element is disposed in the first quadrant, the second quadrant, and the fourth quadrant.