Golf club head with stiffening and sound tuning composite member

• US 8,353,783 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2011
• Issued: 01/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cobra Golf Company (Puma SE)
• Original Assignee: Cobra Golf Company (Puma SE)
• Inventors: Soracco, Peter L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US13/192,346
• Publication Number:
  US 20110281667A1
• Time in Patent Office: 538 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350, 473287-292
• US Class Current: 473/332
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/02 with reinforcing fibres, e.g. carbon, polyamide fibres
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0425 the face insert comprising two or more different materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0437 with special crown configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0462 characterised by tapering thickness of the impact face plate
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• 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 head with sound tuning composite members forming at least a portion of the surface of the golf club head is disclosed herein. The composite members being a composite layer made out of a sandwiched core layer that is interposed inside the midsection of the composite member to provide vibration damping and sound tuning characteristics.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a hitting face providing a surface area for striking a golf ball;

a body section including a crown section and a sole section, the body section extending from said hitting face, the hitting face, crown section, and sole section forming an interior cavity of the club head, the body section comprising a body material; and

a composite member forming a portion of an inside surface of the interior cavity, the composite member comprising;

two layers of lightweight material; and

a core layer of compressible material sandwiched between the two layers, wherein the body material, the lightweight material, and the compressible material are different materials.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the compressible material is selected from the group consisting of:

a plastic polymer, an aluminum polymer, a foam, a resin impregnated paper, balsa wood, bucky paper, filled vinyl polymer, a visco elastic polymer, rubber, cotton.

3. The golf club head of claim 2, wherein the compressible material is a foam composite.

4. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said sandwiched core layer comprises a sufficient thickness profile suitable for dampening a vibration of said golf club head.

5. The golf club head of claim 4, wherein said sandwiched core layer has a uniform thickness over said entire composite member.

6. The golf club head of claim 4, wherein said sandwiched core layer has a variable thickness over said entire composite member.

7. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said sandwiched core layer comprises a honeycomb, a hexagonal, a trapezoidal, a triangular, a pyramidal, a conic, a cylindrical, a spherical, a rectangular or a rhombus shape.

8. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the two layers comprise the same lightweight material.

9. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the two layers comprise different lightweight materials.

10. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the lightweight material is selected from the group consisting of:

plies of pre-peg material, a polyurethane, a polyester, a polyamide, an ionomer, a continuous fiber pre-peg material, an injection molded plastic, bucky paper, and a metallic material.

11. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein the lightweight material is carbon fiber.

12. A golf club head comprising:

a ball-striking face;

a body section comprising a metallic material and extending rearwards from the face to provide an external wall and define an interior cavity; and

a composite member facing and exposed to the interior cavity and comprising a core layer of compressible material sandwiched between two layers that comprise a lightweight material lighter than the metallic material and distinct from the compressible material.

13. The club head of claim 12, wherein the composite member fills in a gap in the external wall such that a portion of the external wall is not made out of the metallic material.

14. The club head of claim 12, wherein the composite member works in conjunction with the metallic section to form a club head that contains an overlapping profile wherein a portion of the external wall of the club head comprises more than one layer.

15. The club head of claim 12, wherein the lightweight material comprises one selected from the list consisting of plies of pre-peg material;

thermoplastic material; and

metallic material.

16. The club head of claim 12, wherein the lightweight material comprises carbon fiber.

17. The club head of claim 12, wherein the compressible material is one selected from the list consisting of rubber;

paper;

balsa wood;

foam;

a plastic polymer; and

a vinyl polymer.

18. The club head of claim 12, wherein the compressible material is a viscoelastic polymer.

19. The club head of claim 12, further comprising:

a volume ranging from 350 to 495 cc;

a length ranging from 3.5 to 5.0 inches; and

a width ranging from 4.0 to 5.0 inches.

20. A golf club head comprising:

a ball-striking face;

a body section comprising a metallic material and extending rearwards from the face to provide an external wall and defining an interior cavity; and

a composite member attached to the body section and comprising a core layer of a viscoelastic material sandwiched between two layers of a light-weight material,

wherein a portion of the light-weight material faces and is exposed to the interior cavity and further wherein at least a portion of the composite member overlaps the metallic material so that a portion of the body section has more than one layer and an overlapping profile.