Putter heads and putters including a ball striking face body member and a rear body member

• US 8,961,334 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2010
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Franklin, David N., Snyder, Jeremy N., Pinto, Michael R., Jonsson, Carl, Hinzmann, Gregory Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US12/961,799
• Publication Number:
  US 20120142449A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,540 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350, 473287-292, 473251-256, D21736-746
• US Class Current: 473/331
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/042 the face insert consisting of a material different from that of the head
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0425 the face insert comprising two or more different materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0441 with visual indicators for aligning the golf club
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0445 Details of grooves or the like on the impact surface
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0487 for putters A63B53/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/065 for putters
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/02 Ballast means for adjusting the centre of mass A63B60/24, A63B60/54 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

Putter heads have a ball striking face portion and a rear body portion (as one or more parts). These putter heads may have a D_CG/B ratio of at least 0.425 (where B is the overall breadth dimension and D_CG is the depth of the center of gravity). Some putter heads may include: (a) a ball striking face body member having a ball striking face with plural openings defined in its central portion; (b) a polymeric material mostly located behind an exterior surface of the ball striking face, wherein a portion of the polymeric material is exposed at the exterior surface of the ball striking face through the openings; and (c) a rear body member engaged with the ball striking face body member. Rear body members or portions thereof can be interchanged to allow for customization and/or better fitting of the putter to the user'"'"'s putting stroke and/or tastes.

Claims

1. A putter head, comprising:

a ball striking face body member including a ball striking face portion extending in a heel-to-toe direction, the ball striking face portion including a ball striking face, a toe side, and a heel side, the ball striking face body member further including an arm extending rearward at the heel side of the ball striking face portion at an obtuse angle with respect to the ball striking face; and

a separate rear body member engaged with the ball striking face body member, wherein the rear body member includes a first arm extending rearward at the toe side of the ball striking face portion and a second arm extending from the arm of the ball striking face body member in the heel-to-toe direction, wherein an open space is defined through the putter head between the rear body member and the ball striking face body member, and wherein the rear body member is removably engaged with the ball striking face body member via a first fastener that extends through the ball striking face and via a second fastener that extends through the arm of the ball striking face body member.

2. A putter head according to claim 1, wherein the ball striking face has a loft angle of 3°

or less.

3. A putter head according to claim 1, wherein the rear body member includes a central body portion and an outer cover material that covers at least a majority of the central body portion, wherein the outer cover material includes a rubber or polymer material doped with a weighting material having a higher density than the rubber or polymer material, and wherein the first fastener engages a first end of the central body portion and the second fastener engages a second end of the central body portion.

4. A putter head according to claim 1, wherein the obtuse angle is within a range of 120°

to 150°

.

5. A putter head according to claim 1, wherein the putter head has an overall breadth dimension B in a front-to-rear direction and a depth of a center of gravity in the front-to-rear direction DCG, wherein a ratio of DCG/B is at least 0.425.

6. A putter head according to claim 5, wherein the ratio of DCG/B is at least 0.48.

7. A putter head according to claim 5, wherein the ratio of DCG/B is at least 0.52.

8. A putter head according to claim 5, wherein the overall breadth dimension is at least 2 inches.

9. A putter head comprising:

a ball striking face body member including a ball striking face portion extending in a heel-to-toe direction, the ball striking face portion including a ball striking face, a toe side, a heel side, the ball striking face body member further including an arm extending rearward at the heel side of the ball striking face portion at an obtuse angle with respect to the ball striking face; and

a separate rear body member engaged with the ball striking face body member, wherein the rear body member includes a first arm extending rearward at the toe side of the ball striking face portion and a second arm extending from the arm of the ball striking face body member in the heel-to-toe direction, wherein an open space is defined through the putter head between the rear body member and the ball striking face body member, and wherein the rear body member has a non-symmetric shape with respect to a central front-to-rear direction thereof.

10. A putter head comprising:

a ball striking face body member including a ball striking face portion extending in a heel-to-toe direction, the ball striking face portion including a ball striking face, a toe side, and a heel side, the ball striking face body member further including an arm extending rearward at the heel side of the ball striking face portion at an obtuse angle with respect to the ball striking face; and

a separate rear body member engaged with the ball striking face body member, wherein the rear body member includes a first arm extending rearward at the toe side of the ball striking face portion and a second arm extending from the arm of the ball striking face body member in the heel-to-toe direction, wherein an open space is defined through the putter head between the rear body member and the ball striking face body member, and wherein, when engaged with the ball striking face body member, the rear body member has a non-symmetric shape with respect to a front-to-rear center line of the putter head.

11. A putter head comprising:

a ball striking face body member including a ball striking face portion extending in a heel-to-toe direction, the ball striking face portion including a ball striking face, a toe side, and a heel side, the ball striking face body member further including an arm extending rearward at the heel side of the ball striking face portion at an obtuse angle with respect to the ball striking face; and

a separate rear body member engaged with the ball striking face body member, wherein the rear body member includes a first arm extending rearward at the toe side of the ball striking face portion and a second arm extending from the arm of the ball striking face body member in the heel-to-toe direction, wherein an open space is defined through the putter head between the rear body member and the ball striking face body member, and wherein the rear body member includes a central body portion and an outer cover material that covers at least a majority of the central body portion.

12. A putter head according to 11, wherein the outer cover material includes a rubber or polymer material doped with a weighting material having a higher density than the rubber or polymer material.

13. A putter head, comprising:

a putter head body including a ball striking face member and a separate rear body member engaged with the ball striking face member, wherein the putter head body has an overall breadth dimension B in a front-to-rear direction and a depth of a center of gravity in the front-to-rear direction DCG, wherein a ratio of DCG/B is at least 0.425, and wherein, when engaged with the ball striking face member, the rear body member has a non-symmetric shape with respect to a front-to-rear center line of the putter head.

14. A putter head according to claim 13, wherein the ratio of DCG/B is at least 0.48.

15. A putter head according to claim 13, wherein the ratio of DCG/B is at least 0.52.

16. A putter head according to claim 13, wherein the rear body member has a greater mass than the ball striking face member.

17. A putter head according to claim 16, wherein the ball striking face member extends in a heel-to-toe direction and includes a ball striking face, a toe side, a heel side, and an arm extending rearward at the heel side at an obtuse angle with respect to the ball striking face.

18. A putter head according to claim 17, wherein the obtuse angle is within a range of 100°

to 170°

.

19. A putter head according to claim 17, wherein the rear body member includes a first arm extending rearward at the toe side of the ball striking face member and a second arm extending from the arm of the ball striking face member in the heel-to-toe direction.

20. A putter head according to claim 17, wherein the rear body member is removably engaged with the ball striking face member via a first fastener that extends through the ball striking face and via a second fastener that extends through the arm.

21. A putter head according to claim 20, wherein the rear body member includes a central body portion and an outer cover material that covers at least a majority of the central body portion, wherein the outer cover material includes a rubber or polymer material doped with a weighting material having a higher density than the rubber or polymer material, and wherein the first fastener engages a first end of the central body portion and the second fastener engages a second end of the central body portion.

22. A putter head according to claim 16, wherein the rear body member includes a central body portion and an outer cover material that covers at least a majority of the central body portion, wherein the rear body member is engaged with the ball striking face member by engagement with the central body portion.

23. A putter head according to claim 16, wherein the rear body member includes a central body portion and an outer cover material that covers at least a majority of the central body portion, and wherein the outer cover material includes a rubber or polymer material doped with a weighting material having a higher density than the rubber or polymer material.

24. A putter head according to claim 13, wherein an open space is defined through the putter head between the rear body member and the ball striking face member.

25. A putter head according to claim 13, wherein the putter head body has a non-symmetric shape with respect to a front-to-rear center line of the putter head.

26. A putter head according to claim 13, wherein a ball striking face of the ball striking face member has a loft angle of 3°

or less.

27. A putter head according to claim 13, wherein the overall breadth dimension is at least 2 inches.

28. A method of making a putting device, comprising:

providing a ball striking face body member including a ball striking face portion extending in a heel-to-toe direction, the ball striking face portion including a ball striking face, a toe side, and a heel side, the ball striking face body member further including an arm extending rearward at the heel side of the ball striking face portion at an obtuse angle with respect to the ball striking face; and

engaging a rear body member with the ball striking face body member, wherein the rear body member includes a first arm extending rearward at the toe side of the ball striking face portion and a second arm extending from the arm of the ball striking face body member in the heel-to-toe direction, and wherein the rear body member and the ball striking face body member are engaged together in a manner such that an open space is defined through the putter head between the rear body member and the ball striking face body member, and wherein the rear body member is removably engaged with the ball striking face body member via a first fastener that extends through the ball striking face and via a second fastener that extends through the arm of the ball striking face body member.

29. A method of making a putting device, comprising:

providing a ball striking face body member including a ball striking face portion; and

engaging a rear body member with the ball striking face body member to produce a putter head body, wherein the putter head body has an overall breadth dimension B in a front-to-rear direction and a depth of a center of gravity in the front-to-rear direction DCG, wherein a ratio of DCG/B is at least 0.425, and wherein rear body member is shaped and engaged with the ball striking face member such that the rear body member has a non-symmetric shape with respect to a front-to-rear center line of the putter head.