Golf club head with sound tuning

• US 7,914,393 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2008
• Issued: 03/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cobra Golf Company (Puma SE)
• Original Assignee: Cobra Golf Company (Puma SE)
• Inventors: Breier, Joshua G., Hirsch, Robert D
• Primary Examiner(s): Hunter; Alvin A
• Application Number:
  US12/130,266
• Publication Number:
  US 20090298613A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,033 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350
• US Class Current: 473/332
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0625 Emitting sound, noise or music
• 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 60/54 with means for damping vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49716 Converting

Abstract

A golf club head with sound tuning. The golf club head includes a hollow body that defines an interior cavity and at least one tuning member extends across the interior cavity. The tuning member dimensions, stiffness and dampening characteristics are selected to alter the vibration behavior of the golf club head.

Claims

1. A golf club head, comprising:

a body including a crown portion and a sole portion and defining an interior cavity; and

a tuning member extending across the interior cavity, wherein a first end of the tuning member is attached to the crown portion at a first attachment location and a second end of the tuning member is attached to the sole portion at a second attachment location,

wherein the body includes a first distance between the first attachment location and the second attachment location when the body is in a free state, and the tuning member has a length that is greater than the first distance when the tuning member is in a free state, wherein the tuning member is constructed from a metallic material and a non-metallic material;

wherein the crown portion includes a concave dimple and the tuning member extends across the interior cavity between the dimple and the sole.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the tuning member includes a dampening member and a spring member.

3. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the non-metallic material is a viscoelastic polymer.

4. A golf club head, comprising:

a body including a crown portion and a sole portion and defining an interior cavity; and

a tuning member extending across the interior cavity, wherein a first end of the tuning member is attached to the crown portion at a first attachment location and a second end of the tuning member is attached to the sole portion at a second attachment location,

wherein the body includes a first distance between the first attachment location and the second attachment location when the body is in a free state, and the tuning member has a length that is greater than the first distance when the tuning member is in a free state, wherein the tuning member is constructed from a metallic material and a non-metallic material;

wherein at least one of the crown portion and the sole portion includes a boss, wherein the boss includes a mating surface that abuts an end surface of the tuning member and a locating member that abuts a side surface of the tuning member.

5. A golf club head, comprising:

a body including a crown portion, a sole portion, a toe portion extending between the crown portion and the sole portion and a heel portion extending between the crown portion and the sole portion and defining an interior cavity;

a curved tuning member extending across the interior cavity, wherein a first end of the tuning member is attached to the crown portion at a first attachment location and a second end of the tuning member is attached to the sole portion at a second attachment location; and

a planar tuning member extending across the interior cavity and attached to the crown portion and the sole portion,

wherein the curved tuning member is oriented so that it is curved away from the nearest of the toe portion and the heel portion;

wherein the crown portion includes a concave dimple and the first attachment location is disposed on the dimple.

6. The golf club head of claim 5, wherein the curved tuning member is disposed on a heel side of the body and the planar tuning member is disposed on a toe side of the body.

7. A golf club head, comprising:

a body including a crown portion and a sole portion and defining an interior cavity, wherein an aperture extends through the sole portion;

a cover removably coupled to the sole portion in the aperture; and

a tuning member extending across the interior cavity, wherein a first end of the tuning member is attached to the crown portion at a first attachment location and a second end of the tuning member is attached to the cover,

wherein the tuning member is constructed from a metallic material and a non-metallic material;

wherein the crown portion includes a boss located at the first attachment location and the first end of the tuning member is attached to the boss.

8. The golf club head of claim 7, wherein the tuning member includes a dampening member and a spring member.

9. The golf club head of claim 7, wherein the non-metallic material is a viscoelastic polymer.

10. A golf club head, comprising:

a body including a crown portion and a sole portion and defining an interior cavity, wherein an aperture extends through the sole portion;

a cover removably coupled to the sole portion in the aperture; and

a tuning member extending across the interior cavity, wherein a first end of the tuning member is attached to the crown portion at a first attachment location and a second end of the tuning member is attached to the cover,

wherein the tuning member is constructed from a metallic material and a non-metallic material;

wherein the sole portion includes a boss and the aperture extends through the boss.

11. A golf club head, comprising:

a body including a crown portion and a sole portion and defining an interior cavity, wherein an aperture extends through the sole portion;

a cover removably coupled to the sole portion in the aperture; and

a tuning member extending across the interior cavity, wherein a first end of the tuning member is attached to the crown portion at a first attachment location and a second end of the tuning member is attached to the cover,

wherein the tuning member is constructed from a metallic material and a non-metallic material;

wherein the cover includes a threaded outer surface that threadably engages a threaded surface of the aperture.

12. A golf club head, comprising:

a body including a crown portion and a sole portion and defining an interior cavity, wherein an aperture extends through the sole portion;

a cover removably coupled to the sole portion in the aperture; and

a tuning member extending across the interior cavity, wherein a first end of the tuning member is attached to the crown portion at a first attachment location and a second end of the tuning member is attached to the cover, wherein the tuning member is constructed from a metallic material and a non-metallic material;

wherein the crown portion includes a concave dimple and the tuning member extends across the interior cavity between the dimple and the sole.