Visual indicator golf club head and golf clubs

• US 8,262,495 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2009
• Issued: 09/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Stites, John T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US12/566,275
• Publication Number:
  US 20110070964A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,083 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350, 473287-292, 473/256, 473/231, 473/238, 473/240, 473/242, 473/249, 473/226
• US Class Current: 473/226
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/005 Club sets
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/02 Ballast means for adjusting the centre of mass A63B60/24, A63B60/54 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/52 with slits

Abstract

A golf club head, golf club and a set of golf heads and clubs is provided with a center of gravity indicator mechanism housed on the rear side that may include a latitudinal strip and a center of gravity locator structure positioned on an axis transverse to the rear side and extending through the center of gravity of the body. The center of gravity locator structure may be fixed on a golf club head or may be variable. Additionally, a set of golf club heads is provided in which the center of gravity indicator mechanism is varied for each club in the set as the position of the center of gravity locator structure is varied for each of the golf club heads. The golf club heads may be coupled to shafts and grips and other features to form a golf club or golf club set.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a body including a toe end, a heel end, a top, a bottom, a front side, and a rear side;

a center of gravity indicator housed on the rear side and including a latitudinal strip and a center of gravity locator structure positioned on an axis transverse to the rear side and extending through the center of gravity of the body,

wherein the latitudinal strip is askew relative to the bottom of the golf club head,

wherein the center of gravity locator structure is housed completely within the latitudinal strip,

wherein the bottom of the club head body extends generally from the heel end to the toe end and the latitudinal strip has a longitudinal extent likewise extending in the heel-to-toe direction.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the latitudinal strip is pill-shaped.

3. The golf club head of claim 2, further comprising a cavity on the rear surface, wherein the center of gravity locator structure is housed in the cavity.

4. The golf club head of claim 3, wherein the center of gravity locator structure is disk shaped.

5. The golf club head of claim 4, wherein the center of gravity locator structure has a diameter equivalent to a distance from the bottom most portion of the latitudinal strip to the top most portion of the latitudinal strip.

6. The golf club head of claim 4, wherein the center of gravity locator structure has varied thickness such that portions of the center of gravity locator structure extend varying distances away from the rear side of the golf club head.

7. A golf club head comprising:

a body including a toe end, a heel end, a top, a bottom, a front side, and a rear side; and

a center of gravity indicator housed on the rear side and including a latitudinal strip and a center of gravity locator structure positioned to provide a visual indication of a location of a center of gravity of the body of the golf club head;

wherein the center of gravity locator structure is configured to be variable in position relative to the body of the golf club head,

wherein the latitudinal strip is askew relative to the bottom of the golf club head,

wherein the center of gravity locator structure is housed completely within the latitudinal strip,

wherein the bottom of the club head body extends generally from the heel end to the toe end and the latitudinal strip has a longitudinal extent likewise extending in the heel-to-toe direction.

8. The golf club head of claim 7, wherein the center of gravity locator structure is configured to translate back and forth in a linear direction.

9. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein the center of gravity locator structure is configured to be slidable within the latitudinal strip along a length of the latitudinal strip.

10. The golf club head of claim 9, wherein the center of gravity locator structure is resistively coupled to the latitudinal strip.

11. The golf club head of claim 9, where the center of gravity locator structure includes a grooved edge configured to house one of a top and bottom internal edge of the latitudinal strip so as to facilitate guided translation of the center of gravity locator structure.

12. The golf club head of claim 9, wherein opposing ends of the latitudinal strip are configured to be complementary in shape and size to the center of gravity locator structure such that when the center of gravity locator structure is positioned at one of the opposing ends of the latitudinal strip, the entire opposing end of the latitudinal strip is covered by the center of gravity locator structure.

13. The golf club head of claim 7, wherein the center of gravity locator structure is configured such that an exposed surface of the center of gravity locator structure includes a visual perception enhancement feature including one of a reflective surface, a patterned surface, and a grooved surface.

14. A set of golf club heads comprising:

first, second, and third iron-type golf club heads, each of the first, second and third iron-type golf club heads including;

a body including a toe end, a heel end, a top, a bottom, a front side, and a rear side;

a distinct center of gravity indicator housed on the rear side of the iron-type golf club head and including a latitudinal strip and a center of gravity locator structure positioned on an axis transverse to the rear side and extending through the center of gravity of the body,

wherein the latitudinal strip is askew relative to the bottom of the golf club head,

wherein the center of gravity locator structure is housed completely within the latitudinal strip,

wherein the bottom of the club head body extends generally from the heel end to the toe end and the latitudinal strip has a longitudinal extent likewise extending in the heel-to-toe direction.

15. The set of golf club heads of claim 14, wherein the center of gravity indicator of each of the first, second, and third iron-type golf club heads includes a center of gravity locator structure and wherein the center of gravity indicators are distinct among the first, second, and third iron-type golf club heads in the position of the center of gravity locator structure.

16. The set of golf club heads of claim 14, wherein each of the first, second, and third iron-type golf club heads is coupled to a shaft with a grip housed on an opposing end of the shaft.

17. The set of golf club heads of claim 14, further comprising fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth iron-type golf club heads, wherein each of the first through eighth iron-type golf club heads has a varied center of gravity and wherein each of the first through eighth iron-type golf club heads has a distinct center of gravity indicator.

18. The set of golf club heads of claim 17, wherein the center of gravity indicator of each of the first through eighth iron-type golf club heads includes a latitudinal strip and a center of gravity locator disk, the center of gravity indicator of the first through eighth iron-type golf club heads being varied by the position of each of the center of gravity locator disk.