Golf club head having a crown with thin regions

• US 7,798,203 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2008
• Issued: 09/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
• Original Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
• Inventors: Bliss, John C., Schweigert, Bradley D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kerns; Kevin P
• Application Number:
  US12/245,913
• Publication Number:
  US 20090031551A1
• Time in Patent Office: 715 Days
• Field of Search: 164/516, 164/47
• US Class Current: 164/516
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0437 with special crown configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/52 with slits
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49988 Metal casting

Abstract

A method of casting a hollow golf club head includes casting the crown with a plurality of thin regions having a thickness of less than 0.030 inch separated by a plurality of ribs. The ribs act as cast-in runners that enable the thin sections to be formed without voids despite the extremely thin cross-section. The crown may have an additional region of substantially uniform thickness that is substantially the same as the thickness of the ribs.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a golf club head comprising:

casting a golf club head body from a molten metallic alloy, the golf club head body comprising a hollow shell having a heel end, a toe end, a front wall, a sole and a unitary metallic crown having an inner surface and an outer surface, the unitary metallic crown comprising a first region having a plurality of thin regions and a plurality of ribs, wherein each thin region of the plurality of thin regions has a thickness of less than 0.030 inches measured between the inner surface and the outer surface, and wherein each thin region of the plurality of thin regions is separated from an adjacent thin region by one of the plurality of ribs, each rib of the plurality of ribs having a thickness greater than the thickness of each thin region of the plurality of thin regions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

casting the golf club head body comprises investment casting the golf club head body.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

each thin region of the plurality of thin regions has a thickness of less than 0.028 inch.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

each thin region of the plurality of thin regions has a thickness of from 0.016 to 0.028 inch.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the crown further comprises a second region disposed away from the plurality of thin regions, the second region having a substantially uniform thickness equal to the thickness of the plurality of ribs.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein,

the second region comprises a perimeter region surrounding the thin regions.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of thin regions are arranged to form a plurality of rows of thin regions and the plurality of ribs are arranged to form an arcuate rib separating each row of the plurality of rows of thin regions from an adjacent row and a substantially linear rib separating each thin region from an adjacent thin region.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the unitary metallic crown is substantially free of voids.

9. A method of manufacturing a golf club comprising:

casting a golf club head body from a molten metallic alloy, the golf club head body comprising a hollow shell having a heel end, a toe end, a front wall, a sole and a unitary metallic crown having an inner surface and an outer surface, the unitary metallic crown comprising a first region having a plurality of thin regions and a plurality of ribs, wherein each thin region of the plurality of thin regions has a thickness of less than 0.030 inches measured between the inner surface and the outer surface and wherein each thin region of the plurality of thin regions is separated from an adjacent thin region by one of the plurality of ribs, each rib of the plurality of ribs having a thickness greater than the thickness of each thin region of the plurality of thin regions; and

attaching a golf club shaft to the golf club head body.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein:

casting the golf club head body comprises investment casting the golf club head body.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein:

each thin region of the plurality of thin regions has a thickness of less than 0.028 inch.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein:

each thin region of the plurality of thin regions has a thickness of from 0.016 to 0.028 inch.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the crown further comprises a second region disposed away from the plurality of thin regions, the second region having a substantially uniform thickness equal to the thickness of the plurality of ribs.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein,

the second region comprises a perimeter region surrounding the thin regions.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the plurality of thin regions are arranged to form a plurality of rows of thin regions and the plurality of ribs are arranged to form an arcuate rib separating each row of the plurality of rows of thin regions from an adjacent row and a substantially linear rib separating each thin region from an adjacent thin region.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the unitary metallic crown is substantially free of voids.

17. A method of manufacturing a golf club head comprising:

casting a golf club head body from a molten metallic alloy, the golf club head body comprising a hollow shell having a heel end, a toe end, a front wall, a sole and a substantially solid, unitary metallic crown having an inner surface and an outer surface, the unitary metallic crown comprising a first region and a second region, the first region having a thickness of less than 0.030 inch measured between the inner surface and the outer surface and the second region having a thickness of at least 0.030 inch measured between the inner surface and the outer surface.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the second region intersects at least a portion of the first region.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the second region surrounds at least a portion of the first region.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the first region has a thickness of from 0.016 to 0.028 inch.