Golf club with removable weight

• US 9,339,701 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2014
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Boggs, Joshua
• Primary Examiner(s): Layno, Benjamin
• Application Number:
  US14/493,502
• Publication Number:
  US 20150367193A1
• Time in Patent Office: 602 Days
• Field of Search: 473/337, 473/336, 473/335, 473/344, 473/345, 473/346, 473/349, 473/350
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0694 Visual indication, e.g. Indicia
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/02 with reinforcing fibres, e.g. carbon, polyamide fibres
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0412 Volume
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/06 adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/54 with means for damping vibrations

Abstract

A golf club includes a golf club head having a sole, a crown, and a face. The golf club head defines a bore and a viewing window in communication with the bore. An elongate member is insertable within the bore and rotatable within the bore between a first angular position and a second angular position. The elongate member further includes a first indicia, and a second indicia, both disposed on a portion of a circumference of the elongate member. When the elongate member is in the first angular position, the first indicia is visible through the viewing window and the second indicia is blocked from view. When the elongate member is in the second angular position, the second indicia is visible through the viewing window and the first indicia is blocked from view.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a sole, a crown, and a face, and defining a bore and a viewing window in communication with the bore;

an elongate member that is insertable within the bore and rotatable within the bore between a first angular position and a second angular position, wherein the elongate member can be freely withdrawn from the bore while in the first angular position and is restrained from being withdrawn from the bore while in the second angular position, and wherein the elongate member further includes;

a first indicia disposed on a first portion of a circumference of the elongate member;

a second indicia disposed on a second portion of the circumference of the elongate member;

wherein, when the elongate member is in the first angular position, the first indicia is visible through the viewing window and the second indicia is blocked from view; and

wherein, when the elongate member is in the second angular position, the second indicia is visible through the viewing window and the first indicia is blocked from view.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the elongate weight is insertable into the bore in either a first orientation or a second orientation;

wherein a first end of the weight makes initial entry into the bore when inserted in the first orientation;

wherein a second end of the weight makes initial entry into the bore when inserted in the second orientation; and

wherein a center of gravity for the elongate member is closer to the first end than the second end.

3. The golf club head of claim 2, wherein the first indicia is representative of an unlocked state of the elongate member;

and

wherein the second indicia is representative of at least one of the first orientation and the second orientation.

4. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the second angular position is rotated about 90 degrees from the first angular position.

5. The golf club head of claim 1, further comprising a body formed from a metallic material;

and

an insert formed from a polymeric material;

wherein the body and the insert cooperate to define a closed volume; and

wherein the insert defines the bore.

6. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the bore defines a longitudinal axis that intersects the face.

7. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the viewing window is a hole disposed through the golf club head.

8. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the viewing window is a recessed edge of the bore, and wherein a portion of the elongate member extends beyond the recessed edge when the elongate member is fully inserted within the bore.

9. The golf club head of claim 1, further comprising a locking mechanism including:

a stop extending radially inward from an outer cylindrical portion of the bore;

a protrusion extending radially outward from a body portion of the elongate member;

wherein the stop is at least partially disposed in a path of the protrusion as the elongate member is rotated between the first angular position and the second angular position; and

wherein the stop inhibits rotation of the elongate member only up to a torque, applied to the elongate member, that is between about 10 inch-pounds and about 40 inch-pounds.

10. The golf club head of claim 9, wherein the stop is a first stop, and

wherein the locking mechanism further includes:

a second stop extending radially inward from the outer cylindrical portion of the bore;

wherein the second stop is disposed on an opposite side of the protrusion from the first stop when the elongate member is in the second angular position; and

wherein the second stop inhibits rotation of the elongate member up to a torque, applied to the elongate member, of at least 40 inch-pounds.

11. A golf club head comprising:

a body formed from a metallic material, the body including a face, a crown, and a sole, wherein the sole at least partially defines an opening in the body;

an insert configured to be secured to the body across the opening such that the body and the insert cooperate to define a closed volume, wherein the insert defines a bore and a viewing window in communication with the bore;

an elongate weight that is insertable within the bore and rotatable within the bore between a first angular position and a second angular position, wherein the elongate weight further includes;

a first indicia disposed on a first portion of a circumference of the elongate weight;

a second indicia disposed on a second portion of the circumference of the elongate weight;

wherein, when the elongate weight is in the first angular position, the first indicia is visible through the viewing window and the second indicia is blocked from view by the insert; and

wherein, when the elongate weight is in the second angular position, the second indicia is visible through the viewing window and the first indicia is blocked from view by the insert.

12. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein the elongate weight can be freely withdrawn from the bore while in the first angular position and is restrained from being withdrawn from the bore while in the second angular position.

13. The golf club head of claim 12, wherein the second angular position is rotated about 90 degrees from the first angular position.

14. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein the elongate weight is insertable into the bore in either a first orientation or a second orientation;

wherein a first end of the weight makes initial entry into the bore when inserted in the first orientation;

wherein a second end of the weight makes initial entry into the bore when inserted in the second orientation; and

wherein a center of gravity for the elongate weight is closer to the first end than the second end.

15. The golf club head of claim 14, wherein the first indicia is representative of an unlocked state of the elongate weight;

and

wherein the second indicia is representative of at least one of the first orientation and the second orientation.

16. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein the bore defines a longitudinal axis that intersects the face.

17. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein the viewing window is a hole disposed through the insert.

18. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein the viewing window is a recessed edge of the bore, and wherein a portion of the elongate weight extends beyond the recessed edge when the elongate weight is fully inserted within the bore.

19. The golf club head of claim 11, further comprising a locking mechanism including:

a stop extending radially inward from an outer cylindrical portion of the bore;

a protrusion extending radially outward from a body portion of the elongate weight;

wherein the stop is at least partially disposed in a path of the protrusion as the elongate weight is rotated between the first angular position and the second angular position; and

wherein the stop inhibits rotation of the elongate weight only up to a torque, applied to the elongate member, that is between about 10 inch-pounds and about 40 inch-pounds.