Golf club

• US 7,967,696 B2
• Filed: 08/12/2008
• Issued: 06/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SRI Sports Limited (Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: SRI Sports Limited (Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Takeuchi, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): BLAU, STEPHEN LUTHER
• Application Number:
  US12/222,570
• Publication Number:
  US 20090069111A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,050 Days
• Field of Search: 473/256, 473/297, 473/318
• US Class Current: 473/318
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/00 Golf clubs
• 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 (2) includes a head (4), a shaft (6) and a grip (8). An elastic member (10) is attached to an external surface of the shaft (6). The elastic member (10) is ring-shaped and has no end. The elastic member (10) is externally fitted in the shaft (6) in a state in which an elastic contracting force is maintained. It is preferable that a fastening member for fastening the elastic member (10) from an outside should be provided. The fastening member is constituted to enable a mutual transition of a fastening state in which the elastic member is fastened and a removing state in which the fastening member is removed from the elastic member and is also removed from the golf club. It is preferable that the fastening member should be provided in no contact with the shaft (6) in the fastening state.

Claims

1. A golf club comprising a head, a shaft and a grip,

wherein an elastic member is attached to an external surface of the shaft,

the elastic member is ring-shaped and has no end,

the elastic member is externally fitted on the shaft in a state in which an elastic contracting force is maintained,

the elastic member can be elastically deformed in such a manner that an inside diameter thereof is greater than the maximum outside diameter of the grip,

an area ratio (S2/S1) of a sectional area S2 of a hollow portion of the elastic member to a sectional area S1 of the finest portion of the shaft is equal to or higher than 0.80 and equal to or lower than 1.1, and

the elastic member can be freely attached to and removed from an assembled club, wherein concavo-convex portions are provided on an internal surface of the elastic member.

2. The golf club according to claim 1, further comprising a fastening member for fastening the elastic member from an outside,

the fastening member being constituted to enable a mutual transition of a fastening state in which the elastic member is fastened and a removing state in which the fastening member is removed from the elastic member and is also removed from the golf club, and

the fastening member being provided is not in contact with the shaft in the fastening state.

3. The golf club according to claim 2, wherein the fastening member is ring-shaped in the fastening state, and

a circumference of the fastening member can be regulated.

4. The golf club according to claim 3, wherein the circumference regulating mechanism is a worm mechanism.

5. A golf club comprising a head, a shaft, a grip, an elastic member and a fastening member, wherein

the elastic member is attached to an external surface of the shaft,

the elastic member is ring-shaped and has no end,

the elastic member is externally fitted on the shaft in a state in which an elastic contracting force is maintained;

the fastening member fastens the elastic member from the outside,

the fastening member is constituted to enable a mutual transition of a fastening state in which the elastic member is fastened and a removing state in which the fastening member is removed from the elastic member and is also removed from the golf club,

the fastening member is not in contact with the shaft in the fastening state; and

a complex elastic modulus of the elastic member is equal to or higher than 1.4×

10⁷ (dyn/cm²) and is equal to or lower than 2.0×

10¹⁰ (dyn/cm²),

wherein the elastic member can be elastically deformed in such a manner that an inside diameter thereof is greater than the maximum outside diameter of the grip, wherein the elastic member can be freely attached to and removed from an assembled club.