Contrast-enhanced golf club heads

• US 9,468,817 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2015
• Issued: 10/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Inventors: Beach, Todd P., Anderson, David, Price, Bill, Harper, Kevin, Vincent, Benoit, Wahl, Bret H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US14/638,829
• Publication Number:
  US 20150174460A1
• Time in Patent Office: 594 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350, 473219-256, 473287-292
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 2225/74 with powered illuminating means, e.g. lights
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0416 Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0437 with special crown configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0441 with visual indicators for aligning the golf club
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0487 for putters A63B53/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/50 with through-holes A63B60/18 takes precedence; for stringing purposes A63B49/00

Abstract

Golf club heads include white diffusing top surfaces to aid in club head alignment. Wood type club heads also include a dark diffusing club face so that a crown/face border is emphasized. Scorelines in wood type clubs can be provided with an intermediate contrast surface, and can be displaced from club face center to accommodate player perception when confronted with a white diffusing crown. Putter heads can include dark diffusing alignment lines, and iron-type club heads can include white diffusing surfaces at a sole portion of a club face, at a top line, or a top portion of a club face.

Claims

1. A golf club head, comprising:

a crown having at least an upward facing surface portion provided with a diffused surface treatment as viewed from an address orientation, wherein the diffused surface treatment defines a highest reflected intensity location on the crown in response to illumination from a light source situated within a cone of angular radius of about 30 degrees above the crown, wherein at least the upward facing surface portion of the crown has a chroma value of less than 10; and

a striking surface situated so as to define an interface with the crown.

2. The golf club head of claim 1 wherein at least a top portion of the striking surface adjacent the crown has a black surface treatment.

3. The golf club head of claim 2 wherein at least the top portion of the face surface has a gloss value of less than 50 gloss units.

4. The golf club head of claim 2 wherein the black surface treatment has a chroma of less than one and a brightness of less than 50.

5. The golf club head of claim 1 wherein the crown effective length is selected from a plurality of pixel radii having a 30 degree angular spacing and radiating from the highest reflected intensity location to an edge of the crown.

6. The golf club head of claim 1 wherein the crown effective length is associated with a toe-to-heel direction.

7. The golf club head of claim 1 wherein a zone of crown intensity is defined from the crown effective length in a direction of 30 degrees and negative 30 degrees from the crown effective length orientation, wherein the reflected intensity is at least 20% of the highest reflected intensity within a distance of at least 20% of the crown effective length from the highest reflected intensity location.

8. The golf club head of claim 1 wherein the secondary location is situated on the crown at a distance of at least 30% of the crown effective length from the highest reflected intensity location.

9. The golf club head of claim 1 wherein the secondary location is situated on the crown at a distance of at least 50% of the crown effective length from the highest reflected intensity location.

10. The golf club head of claim 1 wherein the secondary location is situated on the crown at a distance of at least 60% of the crown effective length from the highest reflected intensity location.

11. The golf club head of claim 1 wherein a plurality of secondary locations are situated on the crown at distances of at least 50% of the crown effective length along a respective plurality of pixel radii situated at angles of at least 30 degrees with respect to each other such that the secondary locations are situated on the crown at a distance of at least 50% of a respective pixel radii and are associated with reflected intensities of at least 50% of the highest reflected intensity.

12. The golf club head of claim 1 wherein the secondary locations are situated on the crown at a distance of at least 75% of the respective pixel radii and are associated with reflected intensities of at least 70% of the highest reflected intensity.

13. The golf club head of claim 1 wherein the diffused surface treatment is a white surface treatment associated with a gloss value of less than about 60.

14. The golf club head of claim 1 further comprising a transparent matte coating situated on at least the upward facing portion of the crown, wherein the transparent matte surface is a semigloss or low gloss surface.

15. The golf club head of claim 1 wherein the transparent matte coating has a gloss value of less than 60 gloss units.

16. The golf club head of claim 1 wherein the face surface has a black surface treatment having a chroma of less than 1.0 and a brightness of less than 50, and at least the upward facing portion of the crown surface has a chroma value of less than 5 and a brightness greater than 85.

17. A golf club head, comprising:

a crown having at least an upward facing surface portion provided with a diffused surface treatment as viewed from an address orientation, wherein the diffused surface treatment defines a highest reflected intensity location on the crown in response to illumination from a light source situated within a cone of angular radius of about 30 degrees above the crown; and

a striking surface situated so as to define an interface with the crown, wherein a top surface of the striking surface adjacent the crown has a black surface treatment.

18. A golf club head, comprising:

a crown having at least an upward facing surface portion provided with a diffused surface treatment as viewed from an address orientation, wherein the diffused surface treatment defines a highest reflected intensity location on the crown in response to illumination from a light source situated within a cone of angular radius of about 30 degrees above the crown, wherein a secondary location situated on the crown has a reflected intensity of at least 20% of the highest reflected intensity within a distance of at least 20% of a crown effective length from the highest reflected intensity location, wherein a zone of crown intensity is defined from the crown effective length in a direction of 30 degrees and negative 30 degrees from the crown effective length.