Iron-type golf club head having a sole stress reducing feature

• US 9,610,483 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2015
• Issued: 04/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Inventors: Burnett, Michael Scott, Seon, Bryan, Halstead, Jeffrey T., Girard, Justin
• Primary Examiner(s): HUNTER, ALVIN A
• Application Number:
  US14/701,962
• Publication Number:
  US 20150231455A1
• Time in Patent Office: 704 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350
• 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 53/0458 with non-uniform thickness of the impact face plate
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0475 with one or more enclosed cavities
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/48 with corrugated cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/50 with through-holes A63B60/18 takes precedence; for stringing purposes A63B49/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/52 with slits

Abstract

An iron-type golf club incorporating a stress reducing feature, which may include an aperture. The location and size of the stress reducing feature and aperture selectively increase deflection of the face.

Claims

1. An iron-type golf club head (400) comprising:

(i) a face (500) positioned at a front portion (402) of the golf club head (400) where the golf club head (400) impacts a golf ball, opposite a rear portion (404) of the golf club head (400), wherein the face (500) includes an engineered impact point (EIP), a face height, a top edge height (TEH), and a lower edge height (LEH), wherein the face (500) has a blade length (BL) measured horizontally from an origin point toward a toe side (408) of the golf club head (400) to the most distant point on the golf club head (400) in this direction, wherein the blade length (BL) includes a toe blade length section (Bbl) and a heel blade length section (Abl) measured in the same direction as the blade length (BL) from the origin point to the engineered impact point (EIP);

(ii) a sole (700) positioned at a bottom portion of the golf club head (400);

(iii) a bore having a center that defines a shaft axis (SA) which intersects with a horizontal ground plane (GP) to define the origin point, wherein the bore is located at a heel side (406) of the golf club head (400), and wherein the toe side (408) of the golf club head (400) is located opposite of the heel side (406);

(iv) a center of gravity (CG) located;

(a) vertically from the origin point a distance Ycg;

(b) horizontally from the origin point toward the toe side (408) of the golf club head (400) a distance Xcg; and

(c) a distance Zcg from the origin toward the rear portion (404) in a direction generally orthogonal to the vertical direction used to measure Ycg and generally orthogonal to the horizontal direction used to measure Xcg; and

(v) a stress reducing feature (1000) including a sole located SRF (1300) located at least partially on the sole (700), wherein the sole located SRF (1300) has a SSRF length (1310) that is at least as great as the heel blade length section (Abl), a SSRF leading edge (1320) having a SSRF leading edge offset (1322), a SSRF width (1340), a SSRF depth (1350, and a SSRF front wall spaced away from a rear surface of the face (500) by a void, wherein at least one point along the SSRF length (1310) has the SSRF width (1340) of at least ten percent of the Zcg distance and at least one point along the SSRF length (1310) has the SSRF depth (1350) of at least ten percent of the Ycg distance.

2. The iron-type golf club head (400) of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the SSRF leading edge (1320) is located behind a plane defined by the shaft axis (SA) and the Xcg direction.

3. The iron-type golf club head (400) of claim 1, wherein the sole located SRF (1300) has a SSRF cross-sectional area (1370), and the SSRF cross-sectional area (1370) is not constant over the SSRF length (1310).

4. The iron-type golf club head (400) of claim 1, wherein at least one point along the SSRF length (1310) has the SSRF depth (1350) of at least at least twenty percent of the face height.

5. The iron-type golf club head (400) of claim 1, wherein the sole located SRF (1300) has a SSRF aperture (1400) recessed from the sole (700) and extending through a portion of the sole located SRF (1300), wherein the SSRF aperture (1400) is located at a SSRF aperture depth (1450) measured vertically from the lower edge height (LEH) toward the center of gravity (CG), wherein at least one point of the SSRF aperture (1400) has the SSRF aperture depth (1450) of at least ten percent of the Ycg distance, and the SSRF aperture (1400) has a SSRF aperture length (1410), and a SSRF aperture width (1440).

6. The iron-type golf club head (400) of claim 5, the SSRF aperture length (1410) is at least fifty percent of the Xcg distance.

7. The iron-type golf club head (400) of claim 6, the SSRF aperture length (1410) is at least as great as the heel blade length section (Abl).

8. The iron-type golf club head (400) of claim 5, wherein at least one point of the SSRF aperture (1400) has the SSRF aperture depth (1450) of at least fifteen percent of the Ycg distance.

9. The iron-type golf club head (400) of claim 5, wherein at least one point of the SSRF aperture (1400) has a SSRF aperture width (1440) that is at least fifty percent of a minimum face thickness (530).

10. The iron-type golf club head (400) of claim 9, wherein the SSRF aperture (1400) has a maximum SSRF aperture width (1440) that is less than the maximum face thickness (530).

11. The iron-type golf club head (400) of claim 5, wherein at least one point of the SSRF aperture (1400) has the SSRF aperture width (1440) of at least twenty-five percent of the maximum SSRF aperture depth (1450).

12. The iron-type golf club head (400) of claim 5, wherein the maximum SSRF aperture width (1440) is less than the maximum SSRF aperture depth (1450).

13. The iron-type golf club head (400) of claim 5, wherein the SSRF aperture (1400) is located in the SSRF front wall.

14. The iron-type golf club head (400) of claim 5, wherein stress reducing feature (1000) has a SSRF bottom wall and the SSRF aperture (1400) is located in the SSRF bottom wall.

15. The iron-type golf club head (400) of claim 5, wherein stress reducing feature (1000) has a SSRF rear wall and the SSRF aperture (1400) is located in the SSRF rear wall.

16. An iron-type golf club head (400) comprising:

(i) a face (500) positioned at a front portion (402) of the golf club head (400) where the golf club head (400) impacts a golf ball, opposite a rear portion (404) of the golf club head (400), wherein the face (500) includes an engineered impact point (EIP), a face height, a top edge height (TEH), and a lower edge height (LEH), wherein the face (500) has a blade length (BL) measured horizontally from an origin point toward a toe side (408) of the golf club head (400) to the most distant point on the golf club head (400) in this direction, wherein the blade length (BL) includes a toe blade length section (Bbl) and a heel blade length section (Abl) measured in the same direction as the blade length (BL) from the origin point to the engineered impact point (EIP);

(ii) a sole (700) positioned at a bottom portion of the golf club head (400);

(iii) a bore having a center that defines a shaft axis (SA) which intersects with a horizontal ground plane (GP) to define the origin point, wherein the bore is located at a heel side (406) of the golf club head (400), and wherein the toe side (408) of the golf club head (400) is located opposite of the heel side (406);

(iv) a center of gravity (CG) located;

(a) vertically from the origin point a distance Ycg;

(b) horizontally from the origin point toward the toe side (408) of the golf club head (400) a distance Xcg; and

(c) a distance Zcg from the origin toward the rear portion (404) in a direction generally orthogonal to the vertical direction used to measure Ycg and generally orthogonal to the horizontal direction used to measure Xcg;

(v) a stress reducing feature (1000) including a sole located SRF (1300) located at least partially on the sole (700), wherein the sole located SRF (1300) has a SSRF length (1310) that is at least as great as the heel blade length section (Abl), a SSRF leading edge (1320) having a SSRF leading edge offset (1322), a SSRF width (1340), a SSRF depth (1350, and a SSRF front wall spaced away from a rear surface of the face (500) by a void, wherein at least one point along the SSRF length (1310) has the SSRF width (1340) of at least ten percent of the Zcg distance and at least one point along the SSRF length (1310) has the SSRF depth (1350) of at least ten percent of the Ycg distance; and

(vi) the sole located SRF (1300) has a SSRF aperture (1400) recessed from the sole (700) and extending through a portion of the sole located SRF (1300), wherein the SSRF aperture (1400) is located at a SSRF aperture depth (1450) measured vertically from the lower edge height (LEH) toward the center of gravity (CG), wherein at least one point of the SSRF aperture (1400) has the SSRF aperture depth (1450) of at least ten percent of the Ycg distance, and the SSRF aperture (1400) has a SSRF aperture length (1410), and a SSRF aperture width (1440).

17. The iron-type golf club head (400) of claim 16, wherein at least a portion of the SSRF leading edge (1320) is located behind a plane defined by the shaft axis (SA) and the Xcg direction.

18. The iron-type golf club head (400) of claim 16, wherein at least one point along the SSRF length (1310) has the SSRF depth (1350) of at least at least twenty percent of the face height.

19. The iron-type golf club head (400) of claim 16, the SSRF aperture length (1410) is at least fifty percent of the Xcg distance.

20. The iron-type golf club head (400) of claim 16, wherein at least one point of the SSRF aperture (1400) has a SSRF aperture width (1440) that is at least fifty percent of a minimum face thickness (530).