Golf club having removeable weight

• US 9,700,770 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2015
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Cleghorn, Richard L., Bezilla, Stephanie, Galvan, Darryl C., Zimmerman, Gery M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US14/788,243
• Publication Number:
  US 20150297962A1
• Time in Patent Office: 742 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350, 473287-292, 411 44- 48, 411349
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• 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 53/06 adjustable

Abstract

A golf club head including a hosel, a ball striking face, a sole extending aftward from a lower edge of the ball striking face, a crown extending aftward from an upper edge of the ball striking face, a skirt extending between the sole and the crown, a weight mount disposed on at least one of the sole, the crown, and the skirt, a weight member configured to reside in the weight mount, a fastener, a retainer configured to rotatably couple the fastener to the weight member, wherein the fastener goes from an unlocked position to a locked position in less than one full turn of the fastener relative to the weight mount, wherein rotation of the fastener compresses the retainer.

Claims

1. A golf club head, comprising:

a hosel;

a ball striking face;

a sole extending aftward from a lower edge of said ball striking face;

a crown extending aftward from an upper edge of said ball striking face;

a skirt extending between said sole and said crown;

a weight mount including a fastening feature, wherein said weight mount is disposed on at least one of said sole, said crown, and said skirt;

a weight member configured to reside in said weight mount;

wherein said weight member comprises a bore;

a fastener configured to reside in said bore;

a retainer configured to rotatably couple said fastener to said weight member;

wherein said fastener comprises a shank, said shank comprising a longitudinal axis, said shank comprising projections oriented substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis;

wherein said fastening feature comprises circumferential ramps;

wherein rotation of said fastener about said longitudinal axis forces said projections along said circumferential ramps;

wherein said fastener goes from an unlocked position to a locked position in less than one full turn of said fastener relative to said weight mount;

wherein rotation of said fastener compresses said retainer;

wherein said circumferential ramps comprise detents, wherein said projections are configured to reside in said detents when said fastener is in said locked position.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said fastener goes from an unlocked position to a locked position in less than half of one full turn of said fastener relative to said weight mount.

3. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said fastener comprises a circumferential channel, said bore of said weight member comprises a circumferential channel, and said retainer resides in both said circumferential channel of said fastener and said circumferential channel of said weight member.

4. The golf club head of claim 3, wherein said retainer is a spring, and wherein said spring locks said projections in said detents.

5. The golf club head of claim 4, wherein said retainer is a wave washer.

6. A golf club head, comprising:

a hosel;

a ball striking face;

a sole extending aftward from a lower edge of said ball striking face;

a crown extending aftward from an upper edge of said ball striking face;

a skirt extending between said sole and said crown;

a weight mount disposed on at least one of said sole, said crown, and said skirt;

a weight member configured to reside in said weight mount;

a fastener;

a retainer configured to rotatably couple said fastener to said weight member;

wherein said fastener goes from an unlocked position to a locked position in less than one full turn of said fastener relative to said weight mount;

wherein rotation of said fastener compresses said retainer;

wherein said weight member comprises a bore, and wherein said fastener resides in said bore;

wherein said fastener comprises a circumferential channel, said bore of said weight member comprises a circumferential channel, and said retainer resides in both said circumferential channel of said fastener and said circumferential channel of said weight member.

7. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein said retainer is a wave washer.

8. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein said weight mount comprises a fastening feature comprising circumferential ramps.

9. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein said fastener comprises a shank, said shank comprising a longitudinal axis, said shank comprising projections oriented substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis.

10. The golf club head of claim 9, wherein rotation of said fastener about said longitudinal axis forces said projections along said circumferential ramps.

11. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein said circumferential ramps comprise detents, wherein said projections are configured to reside in said detents when said fastener is in said locked position.

12. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein said retainer is a spring, and wherein said spring locks said projections in said detents.

13. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein said weight mount is defined by a side wall and a base surface, wherein said side wall extends between said base surface and an adjacent portion of the sole of the golf club head, wherein at least a portion of said side wall is tapered, and wherein said weight member includes a lower surface and a side wall, wherein said lower surface and said side wall join at a tapered junction, wherein said tapered junction of said weight member slidably abuts said tapered side wall of said weight mount such that said weight member is self-centering relative to said weight mount.

14. A golf club head, comprising:

a hosel;

a ball striking face;

a sole extending aftward from a lower edge of said ball striking face;

a crown extending aftward from an upper edge of said ball striking face;

a skirt extending between said sole and said crown;

a weight mount disposed on at least one of said sole, said crown, and said skirt;

a weight member configured to reside in said weight mount;

a fastening nut;

a retainer configured to rotatably couple said fastening nut to said weight member;

wherein said fastening nut goes from an unlocked position to a locked position in less than one full turn of said fastener relative to said weight mount;

wherein rotation of said fastening nut compresses said retainer;

wherein said fastening nut comprises a circumferential channel, said bore of said weight member comprises a circumferential channel, and said retainer resides in both said circumferential channel of said fastening nut and said circumferential channel of said weight member.

15. The golf club head of claim 14, wherein said fastening nut goes from an unlocked position to a locked position in less than half of one full turn of said fastener nut relative to said weight mount.

16. The golf club head of claim 14, wherein said retainer is a spring, and rotation of said fastening nut compresses said retainer.

17. The golf club head of claim 16, wherein said fastening nut comprises circumferential ramps, wherein said circumferential ramps comprise detents, wherein said weight mount comprises a fastener, said fastener comprises projections, and wherein rotation of said fastener nut forces said circumferential ramps along said projections, and wherein said retainer locks said projections into said detents.