Golf club head with composite weight port

• US 8,753,226 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2012
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
• Original Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
• Inventors: Rice, Bradley C., Watson, William C., Dawson, Patrick, Ivanova, Irina
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US13/629,391
• Publication Number:
  US 20130023355A1
• Time in Patent Office: 628 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350, 473287-292
• US Class Current: 473/334
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/02 with reinforcing fibres, e.g. carbon, polyamide fibres
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0437 with special crown configurations
• 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 60/02 Ballast means for adjusting the centre of mass A63B60/24, A63B60/54 take precedence

Abstract

A golf club head having a face component, a crown, and a composite sole or a composite body patch with one or more weight ports for receiving one or more weight inserts is disclosed herein. At least part of each of the weight ports is integrally formed in the composite sole or composite body patch, and each of the weight ports includes an upper edge, a lower edge, and a wall having a variable thickness and varying radius.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a face component; and

a composite sole,

wherein the composite sole comprises at least one weight port comprising an upper edge, a lower edge, and a wall,

wherein the wall comprises a thickness that changes gradually from the upper edge to the lower edge and is thickest at a point located between the upper edge and the lower edge,

wherein the wall comprises multiple radii,

wherein the wall comprises a generally conical shape, and

wherein the at least one weight port is integrally formed with the composite sole.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the wall further comprises a concave surface.

3. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the golf club head further comprises at least one removable weight sized to fit within and make direct contact with the at least one weight port.

4. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the sole comprises a heel section and a toe section, and wherein the at least one weight port is disposed in the toe section.

5. The golf club head of claim 4, wherein the sole further comprises a second weight port, and wherein the second weight port is located in the heel section.

6. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein a thickest point of the wall is located at a midpoint between the upper edge and the lower edge.

7. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the weight port further comprises a weight receiving region having a first diameter and a first bore having a second diameter, and wherein the first diameter is greater than the second diameter.

8. The golf club head of claim 7, wherein the first bore comprises threads.

9. The golf club head of claim 7, further comprising a screw-receiving component comprising a second bore, wherein the screw-receiving component is affixed to the weight port such that the first bore aligns with the second bore.

10. The golf club head of claim 9, wherein the screw-receiving component is composed of a metal material.

11. A driver-type golf club head comprising:

a metal face component;

an aft body comprising a crown and a sole; and

at least one removable weight,

wherein the sole comprises at least one weight port comprising an upper edge, a lower edge, a wall, a weight receiving region having a first diameter, and a first bore having a second diameter,

wherein the first diameter is greater than the second diameter,

wherein the wall comprises multiple radii, a concave surface, and a thickness that changes gradually from the upper edge to the lower edge and is thickest at a point located at a midpoint between the upper edge and the lower edge,

wherein the at least one removable weight is sized to fit within and make direct contact with the at least one weight port,

wherein the at least one weight port is integrally formed with the sole from a non-metal material, and

wherein the golf club head has a volume of at least 400 and no more than 500 cubic centimeters.

12. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein the first bore comprises threads.

13. The golf club head of claim 11, further comprising a screw-receiving component comprising a second bore, wherein the screw-receiving component is affixed to the weight port such that the first bore aligns with the second bore, and wherein the second bore comprises threads.

14. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein the sole comprises at least two weight ports.

15. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein at least one weight port is located in each of the crown and the sole.

16. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein the non-metal material is a composite material.

17. A wood-type golf club head comprising:

a face component comprising a striking surface and a return portion, the face component composed of a metal alloy;

a composite sole comprising at least one weight port, the at least one weight port integrally formed with the sole; and

at least one removable weight screw comprising a head portion and a threaded extension portion,

wherein the at least one weight port comprises an upper edge, a lower edge, a wall, a weight receiving region having a first diameter, and a bore having a second diameter,

wherein the first diameter is greater than the second diameter,

wherein the head portion is sized to fit within the weight receiving region,

wherein the bore comprises threads sized to mate with the threaded extension portion,

wherein the wall comprises multiple radii and a thickness that changes gradually from the upper edge to the lower edge and is thickest at a point located at a midpoint between the upper edge and the lower edge, and

wherein the wall comprises a generally conical shape.

18. The wood-type golf club head of claim 17, wherein the golf club head has a volume of no less than 120 cubic centimeters and no more than 500 cubic centimeters.

19. The wood-type golf club head of claim 17, wherein the wall comprises a concave surface.