Golf club heads with turbulators and methods to manufacture golf club heads with turbulators

• US 9,555,294 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2015
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
• Original Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
• Inventors: Henrikson, Erik M., Wood, Paul D., Hart, John, Schweigert, Bradley D., Jertson, Marty R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US14/710,420
• Publication Number:
  US 20150238829A1
• Time in Patent Office: 630 Days
• Field of Search: 473287-292, 473324-350
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 53/0412 Volume
• 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 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0487 for putters A63B53/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/002 Resonance frequency related characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/006 Surfaces specially adapted for reducing air resistance
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/52 with slits
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49 Method of mechanical manufacture
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A golf club head includes a crown surface having an apex at a highest point and extending between the face, the rear, the heel and the toe of the golf club head. The golf club head also includes a plurality of crown turbulators projecting from the surface of the crown and located between the face and the apex, wherein each adjacent pair of crown turbulators is separate and spaced apart to define a space between the adjacent pair of crown turbulators.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a face portion defining a loft plane, a rear portion opposite to the face portion, a heel portion, a toe portion opposite to the heel portion, a crown portion having a crown surface extending between the face portion, the rear portion, the heel portion and the toe portion, a sole portion opposite to the crown portion and having a sole surface extending between the face portion, the rear portion, the heel portion and the toe portion, and a leading edge portion between the face portion and the crown portion, the leading edge portion defining a leading edge plane forming a leading edge angle with the loft plane; and

a plurality of crown turbulators projecting from the crown surface, each crown turbulator having a front portion defining a portion of the crown turbulator being closest to the face portion, the front portion of at least one of the plurality of crown turbulators being at least partly located on the leading edge portion and between the leading edge plane and the rear portion, but not extending beyond the leading edge plane;

wherein;

each adjacent pair of crown turbulators is separate and spaced apart to define a space between the adjacent pair of crown turbulators, and each crown turbulator extends between the heel portion and the toe portion to define a width and extends between the face portion and the rear portion to define a length;

the length is substantially greater than the width;

the space between each adjacent pair of crown turbulators is substantially greater than the width of each of the adjacent pair of crown turbulators that define the space; and

a height of at least one of the plurality of crown turbulators is greater than 0.02 inch but less than 0.5 inch.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the width of at least one of the plurality of crown turbulators varies along the length of the turbulator.

3. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the height of at least one of the plurality of crown turbulators varies along the length of the turbulator.

4. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the length of at least one of the plurality of crown turbulators is linear.

5. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the length of at least one of the plurality of crown turbulators is curved.

6. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein at least one adjacent pair of crown turbulators is located equidistant about a centerline extending from a center of the face portion to the rear portion such that the at least one adjacent pair of crown turbulators points toward the centerline.