Golf club with removable weight

• US 9,731,171 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2014
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
• Original Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
• Inventors: Boggs, Joshua
• Primary Examiner(s): PIERCE, WILLIAM M
• Application Number:
  US14/493,495
• Publication Number:
  US 20150367192A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,057 Days
• Field of Search: 473334-339
• 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 that has an outer cylindrical portion and a stop extending radially inward from the outer cylindrical portion. An elongate member is insertable within the bore. The elongate member includes a body portion and a protrusion extending radially outward from the body portion. The elongate member is rotatable within the bore between a first angular position and a second angular position, where the elongate member can be freely withdrawn from the bore while in the first angular position and is restrained from being freely withdrawn from the bore while in the second angular position. 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.

Claims

1. A golf club comprising:

a golf club head having a sole, a crown, and a face, and defining a bore, wherein the bore has an open end and a closed end;

an elongate member including a body portion and a protrusion extending radially outward from the body portion;

wherein the elongate member is insertable within the open end of the bore, and rotatable within the bore between a first angular position and a second angular position, wherein the elongate member is configured to be freely withdrawn from the bore when in the first angular position and is restrained from being withdrawn from the bore when in the second angular position, and wherein the elongate member can transition from the first angular position to the second angular position via a rotation of from about 90 degrees to about 180 degrees;

a compliant stop extending radially inward into the bore, wherein the compliant stop inhibits rotational motion of the elongate member between the first and second angular positions only up to a torque threshold that is within the range of from about 10 inch-pounds to about 40 inch-pounds;

an elastomeric dampening member disposed at the closed end of the bore, wherein the dampening member applies an elastic biasing force to the elongate member when the elongate member is in the second angular position, and wherein the dampening member does not apply the elastic biasing force when the elongate member is in the first angular position; and

a cinching ramp extending radially inward from the cylindrical portion of the bore;

wherein the protrusion contacts the cinching ramp as the elongate member is rotated between the first angular position and the second angular position; and

wherein the cinching ramp urges the elongate member against the dampening member as the elongate member is rotated from the first angular position to the second angular position;

wherein the compliant 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;

wherein the compliant stop inhibits the rotation of the elongate member between the first angular position and the second angular position; and

wherein at least one of the protrusion and the compliant stop elastically deforms to permit the rotation of the elongate member in response to an applied torque above the torque threshold.

2. The golf club of claim 1, further comprising a non-compliant stop extending radially inward from the cylindrical portion of the bore;

wherein the non-compliant stop is disposed on an opposite side of the protrusion from the compliant stop when the elongate member is in the second angular position.

3. The golf club of claim 2, wherein the non-compliant stop inhibits rotation of the elongate member up to a torque, applied to the elongate member, of at least 40 inch-pounds.

4. The golf club of claim 2, wherein the non-compliant stop extends radially inward from the cylindrical portion by a greater distance than the compliant stop.

5. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the cinching ramp urges the elongate member to elastically compress the dampening member as the elongate member is rotated from the first angular position to the second angular position.

6. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the dampening member has a hardness, measured on the Shore A scale, of from about 70A to about 90A.

7. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the elongate member includes a recess configured to receive a tool;

wherein the tool can apply a torque to the elongate member, via the recess, sufficient to transition the elongate member between the first angular position and the second angular position.

8. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the golf club head includes a body formed from a metallic material, and an insert formed from a polymeric material;

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

wherein the bore is defined by the insert.

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

10. A golf club comprising:

a golf club head having a sole, a crown, and a face, and defining a bore, wherein the bore has a cylindrical portion and both a cinching ramp and a compliant stop that extend radially inward from the cylindrical portion;

a dampening member disposed at an end of the bore;

an elongate member that is insertable within the bore, wherein the elongate member includes a body portion and a protrusion extending radially outward from the body portion;

wherein the elongate member is rotatable within the bore between a first angular position and a second angular position;

wherein the elongate member is configured to be freely withdrawn from the bore while in the first angular position and is restrained from being withdrawn from the bore by the cinching ramp while in the second angular position;

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

wherein the compliant stop inhibits the elongate member from rotating between the first angular position and the second angular position only up to a torque, applied to the elongate member, that is from about 10 inch-pounds to about 40 inch-pounds;

wherein the protrusion contacts the cinching ramp as the elongate member is rotated between the first angular position and the second angular position;

wherein the cinching ramp urges the elongate member into the bore as the elongate member is rotated from the first angular position to the second angular position; and

wherein the cinching ramp urges the elongate member to elastically compress the dampening member as the elongate member is rotated from the first angular position to the second angular position.

11. The golf club of claim 10,

further comprising a non-compliant stop extending radially inward from the outer cylindrical portion of the bore;

wherein the non-compliant stop is disposed on an opposite side of the protrusion from the compliant stop when the elongate member is in the second angular position.

12. The golf club of claim 11, wherein the non-compliant stop inhibits rotation of the elongate member up to a torque, applied to the elongate member, of at least 40 inch-pounds.

13. The golf club of claim 11, wherein the non-compliant stop extends radially inward from the outer cylindrical portion by a greater distance than the compliant stop.

14. The golf club of claim 10, wherein the dampening member has a hardness, measured on the Shore A scale, of from about 70A to about 90A.

15. The golf club of claim 10, wherein the golf club head includes a body formed from a metallic material, and an insert formed from a polymeric material;

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

wherein the bore is defined by the insert; and

wherein the bore defines a longitudinal axis that intersects the face.

16. A golf club comprising:

a golf club head having a sole, a crown, and a face, and a wall formed from a polymeric material that defines a bore having both an open end and a closed end;

a compliant stop extending from the wall into the bore, wherein the compliant stop inhibits rotational motion of the elongate member between the first and second angular positions only up to a torque threshold that is within the range of from about 10 inch-pounds to about 40 inch-pounds

an elastomeric dampening member disposed within the bore at the closed end;

a cinching ramp extending from the wall into the bore;

an elongate member including a body portion and a protrusion extending radially outward from the body portion;

wherein the elongate member is slidably insertable within the open end of the bore and rotatable within the bore between a first angular position and a second angular position, wherein the elongate member is configured to be freely withdrawn from the bore when in the first angular position and is restrained from being withdrawn from the bore via contact between the protrusion and the cinching ramp when in the second angular position, and wherein the elongate member can transition from the first angular position to the second angular position via a rotation of from about 90 degrees to about 180 degrees;

wherein the dampening member and cinching ramp cooperate to apply an elastic biasing force to the elongate member when the elongate member is in the second angular position;

wherein the compliant 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;

wherein the compliant stop inhibits the rotation of the elongate member between the first angular position and the second angular position; and

wherein at least one of the protrusion and the compliant stop elastically deforms to permit the rotation of the elongate member in response to an applied torque above the torque threshold.