Golf club head or other ball striking device having adjustable stiffened face portion
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A golf club head comprising:
- a face having an outer surface configured for striking a ball and an inner surface opposite the outer surface;
a body connected to the face, wherein the body and the face define an internal cavity;
a mounting member connected to the inner surface of the face; and
a moveable stiffening element moveably mounted at a point on the mounting member, the stiffening element comprising an arm extending outwardly from the point and an engaging member connected to the arm and spaced from the mounting member, the engaging member engaging a contact point on the inner surface of the face, wherein the engaging member is movable with respect to the mounting member by moving the stiffening element to change a location of the contact point on the inner surface of the face from a first location to a second location spaced from the first location.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A ball striking device, such as a golf club head, has a head that includes a face configured for striking a ball and a body connected to the face, the body being adapted for connection of a shaft thereto. The head may include one or more stiffening elements or other structures engaging the face to provide locally increased stiffness to particular areas of the face. The stiffening element can be movable to create regions of increased stiffness in desired locations, leaving other regions of the face to have increased flexibility as compared to the stiffened regions.
51 Citations
33 Claims
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1. A golf club head comprising:
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a face having an outer surface configured for striking a ball and an inner surface opposite the outer surface; a body connected to the face, wherein the body and the face define an internal cavity; a mounting member connected to the inner surface of the face; and a moveable stiffening element moveably mounted at a point on the mounting member, the stiffening element comprising an arm extending outwardly from the point and an engaging member connected to the arm and spaced from the mounting member, the engaging member engaging a contact point on the inner surface of the face, wherein the engaging member is movable with respect to the mounting member by moving the stiffening element to change a location of the contact point on the inner surface of the face from a first location to a second location spaced from the first location. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A face member for use in a ball striking device, comprising:
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a face having an outer surface configured for striking a ball and an inner surface located rearward and opposite of the outer surface; a wall extending rearward from an outer periphery of the face; and a mounting member connected to the inner surface of the face; and a moveable stiffening element moveably mounted at a point on the mounting member, the stiffening element comprising an arm extending outwardly from the point and an engaging member connected to the arm and spaced from the mounting member, the engaging member engaging a contact point on the inner surface of the face to provide increased stiffness to an area of the face proximate the contact point, wherein the engaging member is movable with respect to the mounting member by moving the stiffening element to change a location of the contact point on the inner surface of the face from a first location to a second location spaced from the first location. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A method comprising:
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providing a golf club head including a face having an outer surface configured for striking a ball and an inner surface opposite the outer surface, a body connected to the face, a mounting member connected to the inner surface of the face, and a moveable stiffening element moveably mounted at a point on the mounting member, the stiffening element comprising an arm extending outwardly from the point and an engaging member connected to the arm and spaced from the mounting member, the engaging member engaging a contact point on the inner surface of the face to provide increased stiffness to an area of the face proximate the contact point; attaching a shaft to the golf club head to form a golf club; and moving the stiffening element to move the engaging member with respect to the mounting member and change a location of the contact point on the inner surface of the face from a first location to a second location spaced from the first location, wherein when the contact point is located at the first location, the stiffening element provides increased stiffness to a first area of the face proximate the first location, and when the contact point is located at the second location, the stiffening element provides increased stiffness to a second area of the face proximate the second location. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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Specification