Golf club head having a displaced crown portion

• US 7,959,523 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2010
• Issued: 06/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SRI Sports Limited (Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: SRI Sports Limited (Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Rae, John J, Radcliffe, Nathaniel J., Garner, Trent E., Wallans, Michael J., Horacek, Robert J., Hooley, Brad S., Stone, Daniel J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hunter; Alvin A
• Application Number:
  US12/805,317
• Publication Number:
  US 20100292029A1
• Time in Patent Office: 323 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350
• US Class Current: 473/345
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/023 Long, oriented fibres, e.g. wound filaments, woven fabrics, mats
• 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

Abstract

A hollow wood-type golf club head having an increased weight budget and improved mass characteristics at minimum structural mass is disclosed. The club head has a striking face portion, a sole portion, a skirt portion, and a crown portion having a total surface area. A hosel portion joins the club head for connecting a shaft to the club head. The crown portion has a major crown portion and a minor crown portion, the major portion having greater surface area than the minor portion, and the major portion being displaced vertically lower relative to the minor crown portion. The major crown portion may have a generally concave curvature and the minor crown portion may have a generally convex curvature such that the major crown portion is in effect inverted with respect to the minor crown portion. The major crown portion may be upwardly inclined from the heel to the toe of the head. The head may exhibit a parabolic top view silhouette.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a first portion comprising a striking face portion, the striking face portion comprising;

a front striking surface; and

a return portion extending rearwardly about 1 cm to about 4 cm from the front striking surface, the return portion comprising a step portion including a first lap surface having a width between about 5 mm and about 20 mm, wherein a majority of the first portion is a metallic alloy;

a non-metallic second portion comprising;

a compression-molded carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic;

a wall thickness between about 0.6 mm and about 2 mm;

an abutment surface; and

a second lap surface substantially perpendicular to the abutment surface and having a width between about 5 mm and about 20 mm;

a joint between the first lap surface of the first portion and the second lap surface of the second portion, wherein the first lap surface of the first portion is adhesively bonded to the second lap surface of the second portion; and

a total surface area of the golf club head is between about 258 cm² and about 355 cm².

2. The golf club head of claim 1 further comprising a volume between about 330 cm³ and about 470 cm³.

3. The golf club head of claim 2, wherein the ratio of the total volume to the total surface area is between about 1.05 and about 1.15.

4. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the striking face portion comprises a face width between about 88.9 mm and about 114.3 mm.

5. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the striking face portion comprises a face height between about 45.7 mm and about 55.9 mm.

6. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the joint between the first lap surface and the second lap surface extends along only a portion of the interface between the first portion and the second portion.

7. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the joint between the first lap surface and the second lap surface is continuous along the entire interface between the first portion and the second portion.

8. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the joint is a reinforced lap joint.

9. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the joint is a scarf joint.

10. A golf club head comprising:

a first portion comprising a striking face portion, a sole portion, and a crown portion, the striking face portion comprising;

a front striking surface; and

a return portion extending rearward about 1 cm to about 4 cm, from the front striking surface the return portion comprising a step portion including a first lap surface having a width between about 5 mm and about 20 mm,

wherein a majority of the first portion is a metallic alloy;

a second portion comprising;

a specific strength of at least about 400 MPa/(g/cm³);

a wall thickness between about 0.6 mm and about 2 mm;

a second lap surface having a width between about 5 mm and about 20 mm;

a joint between the first lap surface of the first portion and the second lap surface of the second portion, wherein the first lap surface of the first portion is adhesively bonded to the second lap surface of the second portion, the joint having a bondline thickness between about 0.127 mm and about 0.254 mm; and

an internal rib coupled to the crown portion and the sole portion.

11. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein the second portion further comprises a non-metallic material.

12. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein the non-metallic material is a carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic.

13. The golf club head of claim 12, wherein the carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic is compression molded.

14. The golf club head of claim 12, wherein the specific strength is at least about 1000 Mpa/(g/cm³).

15. The golf club head of claim 14, wherein the specific strength of the second portion is greater than the specific strength of the striking face portion.

16. The golf club head of claim 15, wherein the joint is a reinforced step lap joint.

17. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein the joint between the first lap surface and the second lap surface extends along only a portion of the interface between the first portion and the second portion.

18. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein the joint between the first lap surface and the second lap surface is continuous along the entire interface between the first portion and the second portion.