Golf club head or other ball striking device having a reinforced or localized stiffened face portion
First Claim
1. A wood-type golf club head, comprising:
- a face configured for striking a ball with an outer surface thereof;
a body connected to the face, the body having a sole extending rearward from a bottom edge of the face; and
a brace extending from the sole to a contact point on an inner surface of the face, wherein the brace applies force to the face such that a stiffened area of the face surrounding the contact point has less flexibility relative to other areas of the face located away from the contact point,wherein the brace includes an end portion engaging the contact point, the end portion having an outermost peripheral boundary defining an elongated shape that is elongated along an axis of elongation and an entirety of the contact point between the end portion and the face is thereby elongated along the axis of elongation, such that the elongated shape and the contact point have a length along the axis of elongation that is greater than a width along a transverse axis that is perpendicular to the axis of elongation and extends along the inner surface of the face, the axis of elongation extending in a diagonal direction across the face, andwherein the stiffened area of the face is elongated along the axis of elongation, and wherein the face has one or more flexible areas located along the transverse axis on at least one side of the contact point that have greater flexibility relative to other areas of the face.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
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. A brace extends from an inner surface of the body or from a perimeter weight system to a contact point on the rear surface of the face. This brace may extend from the sole or a sole oriented perimeter weight member to the rear surface of the face. The brace applies force to the face (at least when the face is flexed by a threshold amount) such that the area of the face surrounding the contact point has less flexibility relative to other areas of the face located away from the contact point. The brace and club head may include structures that allow one to control and customize the force applied to the face.
130 Citations
30 Claims
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1. A wood-type golf club head, comprising:
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a face configured for striking a ball with an outer surface thereof; a body connected to the face, the body having a sole extending rearward from a bottom edge of the face; and a brace extending from the sole to a contact point on an inner surface of the face, wherein the brace applies force to the face such that a stiffened area of the face surrounding the contact point has less flexibility relative to other areas of the face located away from the contact point, wherein the brace includes an end portion engaging the contact point, the end portion having an outermost peripheral boundary defining an elongated shape that is elongated along an axis of elongation and an entirety of the contact point between the end portion and the face is thereby elongated along the axis of elongation, such that the elongated shape and the contact point have a length along the axis of elongation that is greater than a width along a transverse axis that is perpendicular to the axis of elongation and extends along the inner surface of the face, the axis of elongation extending in a diagonal direction across the face, and wherein the stiffened area of the face is elongated along the axis of elongation, and wherein the face has one or more flexible areas located along the transverse axis on at least one side of the contact point that have greater flexibility relative to other areas of the face. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 30)
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23. A wood-type golf club head, comprising:
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a face configured for striking a ball with an outer surface thereof; a body connected to the face, the body having a sole extending rearward from a bottom edge of the face; and a brace extending in a direction from an inner surface of the sole toward an inner surface of the face, the brace comprising a tube having an opening extending from an exterior surface of the sole to the inner surface of the sole, a contacting element connected to the inner surface of the face, a removable rod configured to be engaged and held by the tube such that a portion of the rod is received in the opening, and a cap configured to be connected to the tube at the exterior surface of the sole, such that the cap closes the opening and engages the rod to hold the rod in place, wherein the rod is fixedly engaged with respect to the sole by the tube and the cap, and wherein when the face flexes in response to contact with a golf ball by more than a threshold amount, the rod engages the contacting element and applies force to the face such that a stiffened area of the face surrounding a contact point between the contacting element and the face has less flexibility relative to other areas of the face located away from the contact point, wherein the rod is configured for removal by passing through the tube to an exterior of the body, wherein the contacting element has an outermost peripheral boundary defining an elongated shape that is elongated along an axis of elongation, such that the elongated shape has a length along the axis of elongation that is greater than a width along a transverse axis that is perpendicular to the axis of elongation and extends along the inner surface of the face, the axis of elongation extending in a diagonal direction across the face, and wherein the stiffened area of the face is elongated along the axis of elongation, and wherein the face has one or more flexible areas located along the transverse axis on at least one side of the contacting element that have greater flexibility relative to other areas of the face. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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Specification