Golf club assembly and golf club with aerodynamic features

• US 8,821,311 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2013
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Tavares, Gary G., Boyd, Robert, Stites, John T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US13/740,394
• Publication Number:
  US 20140031140A1
• Time in Patent Office: 596 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350, 473287-292, 473/228, D21/752, D21/759
• US Class Current: 473/324
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/01 Special aerodynamic features, e.g. airfoil shapes, wings or air passages
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0445 Details of grooves or the like on the impact surface
• 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 60/52 with slits

Abstract

A golf club head includes a body member having a ball striking face, a crown, a toe, a heel, a sole, a back and a hosel region, located at the intersection of the ball striking face, the heel, the crown and the sole. The body member may have a first cross-section having a first airfoil-shaped surface in the heel. The first cross-section may be oriented at approximately 90° from the centerline of the club head. The body member may have a second cross-section having a second airfoil-shaped surface. The second cross-section may be oriented at approximately 45° or at approximately 70°. The airfoil-shaped surfaces may be defined by spline points or by equations. A golf club including the golf club head is also provided.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a body member having a ball striking face, a crown, a toe, a heel, a sole and a back,

wherein the body member is configured for attachment to a shaft having a longitudinal axis, the body member including an apex point located on the leading edge of the heel;

the body member having a first cross-section oriented generally parallel to a front face of the club head, the first cross-section including the apex point and an x₁-axis extending from the apex point at a predetermined angle relative to the ground surface, the first cross-section having a first quasi-parabolic crown-side surface defined relative to the x₁-axis;

the body member having a second cross-section oriented at an angle rearwardly from the first cross-section, the second cross-section including the apex point and an x₂-axis extending from the apex point at the same predetermined angle as the x₁-axis, the second cross-section having a second quasi-parabolic crown-side surface defined relative to the x₂-axis,

wherein the second quasi-parabolic crown-side surface is flatter than the first quasi-parabolic crown-side surface in the heel region.

2. The golf club head of claim 1,

wherein the first cross-section has a first quasi-parabolic sole-side surface defined relative to the x₁-axis, and

wherein the first quasi-parabolic crown-side surface is flatter than the first quasi-parabolic sole-side surface in the heel region.

3. The golf club head of claim 1,

wherein the second cross-section has a second quasi-parabolic sole-side surface defined relative to the x₂-axis, and

wherein the second quasi-parabolic crown-side surface is flatter than the second quasi-parabolic sole-side surface in the heel region.

4. The golf club head of claim 1,

wherein the first cross-section has a first quasi-parabolic sole-side surface defined relative to the x₁-axis,

wherein the second cross-section has a second quasi-parabolic sole-side surface defined relative to the x₂-axis, and

wherein the second quasi-parabolic sole-side surface is smaller than the first quasi-parabolic sole-side surface in the heel region.

5. The golf club head of claim 4,

wherein the coordinate values of the second quasi-parabolic sole-side surface are within 10% of the coordinate values of the first quasi-parabolic sole-side surface in the heel region.

6. The golf club head of claim 1,

wherein the first cross-section has a first quasi-parabolic sole-side surface defined relative to the x₁-axis,

wherein the second cross-section has a second quasi-parabolic sole-side surface defined relative to the x₂-axis, and

wherein the first quasi-parabolic crown-side surface is flatter than the first quasi-parabolic sole-side surface in the heel region, and

wherein the second quasi-parabolic crown-side surface is flatter than the second quasi-parabolic sole-side surface in the heel region.

8. The golf club head of claim 1,

wherein the body member has a third cross-section oriented at an angle rearwardly from the second cross-section, the third cross-section including the apex point and an x₃-axis extending from the apex point at the same predetermined angle as the x₁-axis, the third cross-section having a third quasi-parabolic crown-side surface defined relative to the x₃-axis,

wherein the third quasi-parabolic crown-side surface is flatter than the second quasi-parabolic crown-side surface in the heel region.

9. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the apex point is located approximately 10 mm to approximately 30 mm from the longitudinal axis of the shaft.

10. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the body member further includes a groove extending at least partially along a horizontal length of the toe and extending at least partially along a horizontal length of the back.

11. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the first cross-section has a first concave-shaped surface opposed to the leading edge in the heel.

12. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the sole includes a recess extending across the sole in a generally heel-to-toe direction at an angle that ranges from approximately 10°

to approximately 80°

from the centerline.

13. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the club head has a volume of 420 cc or greater, a club breadth-to-face length ratio of 0.92 or greater, and a face height of 53 mm or greater.

14. A golf club comprising:

a shaft; and

the golf club head according claim 1, wherein the golf club head is secured to a first end of the shaft.

7. The golf club head of 1, wherein the second quasi-parabolic crown-side surface is flatter than the first quasi-parabolic crown-side surface within the first 24 mm from the apex point.

15. A golf club head comprising:

a body member having a ball striking face, a crown, a toe, a heel, a sole and a back,

wherein the body member is configured for attachment to a shaft having a longitudinal axis, the body member including an apex point located on a leading edge of the heel;

the body member having a first cross-section oriented at approximately 90°

from a centerline of the club head, wherein the first cross-section has a first airfoil-shaped curvature in the heel, wherein the first cross-section includes the apex point located in the heel, a first crown-side surface curve extending from the apex point and a first sole-side surface curve extending from the apex point, and wherein the apex point represents an origin of a first x₁- and z₁-coordinate system oriented in the plane of the first cross-section at a roll angle of approximately 15°

;

the body member having a second cross-section oriented at approximately 70°

from the centerline of the club head, wherein the second cross-section has a second airfoil-shaped curvature in the heel, wherein the second cross-section includes the apex point located in the heel, a second crown-side surface curve extending from the apex point and a second sole-side surface curve extending from the apex point, and wherein the apex point represents an origin of a second x₂- and z₂-coordinate system oriented in the plane of the second cross-section at a roll angle of approximately 15°

, and

wherein the second crown-side surface is flatter than the first crown-side surface over the x₁- and x₂-coordinate ranges of 0 mm to 48 mm.

16. The golf club head of claim 15, wherein the first crown-side surface z₁-coordinates over the x₁-coordinate range of 0 mm to 24 mm, are greater than or equal to the second crown-side surface z₂-coordinates over the x₂-coordinate range of 0 mm to 24 mm.

17. The golf club head of claim 15, wherein the first crown-side surface z₁-coordinates over the x₁-coordinate range of 0 mm to 24 mm are within approximately 10% of the second crown-side surface z₂-coordinates over the x₂-coordinate range of 0 mm to 24 mm.

18. The golf club head of claim 15, wherein the first crown-side surface is flatter than the first sole-side surface over the x₁-coordinate range of 0 mm to 48 mm.

19. The golf club head of claim 15, wherein the second sole-side surface is flatter than the first crown-side surface over the x₁- and x₂-coordinate ranges of 0 mm to 48 mm.

20. The golf club head of claim 15, wherein the second crown-side surface is flatter than the second sole-side surface over the x₂-coordinate range of 0 mm to 48 mm.

21. The golf club head of claim 15,

wherein the body member has a third cross-section oriented at approximately 45°

from a centerline of the club head, wherein the third cross-section has a third airfoil-shaped curvature in the heel, wherein the third cross-section includes the apex point located in the heel, a third crown-side surface curve extending from the apex point and a third sole-side surface curve extending from the apex point, and wherein the apex point represents an origin of a third x₃- and z₃-coordinate system oriented in the plane of the third cross-section at a roll angle of approximately 15°

,

wherein the third crown-side surface is flatter than the third sole-side surface over the x₃-coordinate range of 0 mm to 48 mm.

22. The golf club head of claim 21,

wherein the third crown-side surface is flatter than the first crown-side surface over the x₁- and x₃-coordinate ranges of 0 mm to 48 mm, and

wherein the third sole-side surface is flatter than the first crown-side surface over the x₁- and x₃-coordinate ranges of 0 mm to 48 mm.

23. The golf club head of claim 15, wherein the first sole-side surface z₁-coordinates over the x₁-coordinate range of 0 mm to 24 mm are greater than or equal to the second sole-side surface z₂-coordinates over the x₂-coordinate range of 0 mm to 24 mm.

24. The golf club head of claim 15, wherein the first sole-side surface z₁-coordinates over the x₁-coordinate range of 0 mm to 24 mm are within approximately 10% of the second sole-side surface z₂-coordinates over the x₂-coordinate range of 0 mm to 24 mm.

25. The golf club head of claim 15,

wherein the body member is configured for attachment to a shaft having a longitudinal axis, and

wherein the apex point is located approximately 10 mm to approximately 30 mm from the longitudinal axis of the shaft.

26. The golf club head of claim 15, wherein the body member further includes a groove extending at least partially along a horizontal length of the toe and extending at least partially along a horizontal length of the back.

27. The golf club head of claim 15, wherein the first cross-section has a first concave-shaped surface opposed to the first airfoil-shaped curvature in the heel.

28. The golf club head of claim 15, wherein the sole includes a recess extending across the sole in a generally heel-to-toe direction at an angle that ranges from approximately 10°

to approximately 80°

from the centerline.

29. A golf club comprising:

a shaft; and

the golf club head according to claim 15, wherein the golf club head is secured to a first end of the shaft.