Golf club head

• US 9,795,839 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2016
• Issued: 10/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Inventors: Greensmith, Matthew, Beach, Todd P., Sargent, Nathan T., Willett, Kraig Alan, Dipert, Joshua J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Layno, Benjamin
• Application Number:
  US15/190,588
• Publication Number:
  US 20160303436A1
• Time in Patent Office: 488 Days
• Field of Search: 473349, 473348, 473345, 473334-339, 473305, 473307
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/02 Joint structures between the head and the shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/022 allowing adjustable positioning of the head with respect to the shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/023 adjustable angular orientation
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/025 lie angle only, i.e. relative angular adjustment between the shaft and the club head about an axis parallel to the intended line of play when the club is in its normal address position
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/026 loft angle only, i.e. relative angular adjustment between the shaft and the club head about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the intended line of play when the club is in its normal address position
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/027 about the longitudinal axis of the shaft only
• 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 53/045 Strengthening ribs
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0454 Strengthening ribs on the rear surface of the impact face plate
• 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 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/002 Resonance frequency related characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/02 Ballast means for adjusting the centre of mass A63B60/24, A63B60/54 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/52 with slits

Abstract

A golf club head includes a body defining an interior cavity. The body includes a sole positioned at a bottom portion of the golf club head, a crown positioned at a top portion, and a skirt positioned around a periphery between the sole and crown. The body has a forward portion and a rearward portion. The club head includes a face positioned at the forward portion of the body. In some embodiments, the crown includes a lattice-like structure having thin regions surrounded by a web of relatively thicker regions. In some embodiments, the club head includes one or more stiffening tubes attached between the sole and the crown to improve the acoustic performance of the golf club head.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a club head body having a crown, a heel portion, a toe portion, a front portion, a rear portion, and a sole;

a face coupled to the club head body, such that the club head defines a hollow interior region between the face, the crown, and the sole; and

an adjustable head-shaft connection assembly that is operable to adjust at least one of the loft angle, lie angle, or face angle of a golf club when the golf club head is attached to a golf club shaft via a head-shaft connection assembly;

wherein the crown comprises a forward crown portion and a rearward crown, and the rearward crown portion comprises a lattice-like structure that includes a plurality of thin regions that are surrounded by a web of thick regions, the thick regions being relatively thicker than the thin regions; and

wherein the lattice-like structure extends substantially over the full width of the crown from the heel portion to the toe portion and the lattice-like structure extends between the forward crown portion and the rear portion of the club head.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, further comprising at least one weight member that is attachable and detachable to the club head body.

3. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the thin regions have a thickness of from about 0.3 mm to about 0.6 mm and the thick regions have a thickness of from about 0.5 mm to about 1.0 mm.

4. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the forward crown portion has a thickness of from about 0.6 mm to about 1.0 mm.

5. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the thick regions and the thin regions have a thickness differential of at least 0.05 mm, and the thick regions have a thickness of from about 0.5 mm to about 1.0 mm.

6. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the thick regions and the thin regions have a thickness differential of at least 0.10 mm.

7. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the thick regions and the thin regions have a thickness differential of at least 0.15 mm.

8. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the thin regions provides a mass savings of at least 2 grams compared to a rearward crown portion having a constant thickness that is substantially the same thickness as the thick regions of the lattice-like structure.

9. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the thin regions provides a mass savings of at least 4 grams compared to a rearward crown portion having a constant thickness that is substantially the same thickness as the thick regions of the lattice-like structure.

10. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the thin regions provides a mass savings of at least 6 grams compared to a rearward crown portion having a constant thickness that is substantially the same thickness as the thick regions of the lattice-like structure.

11. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the ratio of the total thin region surface area to the crown surface area is between 0.40 and 0.55.

12. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein a plurality of the thin regions comprise a major axis “

a” and

a minor axis “

b”

.

13. A golf club head comprising:

a body having a crown, a sole, a heel portion, a toe portion, a rear portion, and a striking face, with the body defining an interior cavity;

wherein the body is configured to receive one or more weights;

wherein the crown includes an internal surface defining an internal crown surface area and an external surface defining an external crown surface area, the crown having a thickness comprising a minimum distance between the internal surface and the external surface at a given location on the crown;

an adjustable head-shaft connection assembly that is operable to adjust at least one of the loft angle, lie angle, or face angle of a golf club when the golf club head is attached to a golf club shaft via a head-shaft connection assembly;

at least one weight member that is attachable and detachable to the club head body;

wherein the crown comprises a forward crown portion and a rearward crown portion, and the rearward crown portion comprises a lattice-like structure that includes a plurality of thin regions that are surrounded by a web of thick regions, wherein the thick regions have a thickness of from about 0.5 mm to about 1.0 mm;

wherein each thin region defines a thin region surface area, and wherein a sum of all of the thin region surface areas comprises the total thin region surface area;

wherein a ratio of the total thin region surface area to the crown surface area is between 0.40 and 0.55; and

wherein the lattice-like structure extends substantially over the full width of the crown from the heel portion to the toe portion and the lattice-like structure extends between the forward crown portion and the rear portion of the club head.

14. The golf club head of claim 13, wherein the ratio of the total thin region surface area to the crown surface area is between 0.40 and 0.50.

15. The golf club head of claim 13, wherein the ratio of the total thin region surface area to the external crown surface area is between 0.44 and 0.50.

16. The golf club head of claim 13, wherein the thick regions and the thin regions have a thickness differential of at least 0.10 mm.

17. The golf club head of claim 13, wherein the thick regions and the thin regions have a thickness differential of at least 0.15 mm.

18. The golf club head of claim 13, wherein the thick regions have a thickness of from about 0.6 mm to about 0.8 mm.

19. The golf club head of claim 13, wherein the thin regions provides a mass savings of at least 2 grams compared to a rearward crown portion having a constant thickness that is substantially the same thickness as the thick regions of the lattice-like structure.

20. The golf club head of claim 13, wherein the thin regions provides a mass savings of at least 4 grams compared to a rearward crown portion having a constant thickness that is substantially the same thickness as the thick regions of the lattice-like structure.

21. A golf club head comprising:

a club head body having a crown, a heel portion, a toe portion, a front portion, a rear portion, and a sole;

a face coupled to the club head body, such that the club head defines a hollow interior region between the face, the crown, and the sole; and

an adjustable head-shaft connection assembly that is operable to adjust at least one of the loft angle, lie angle, or face angle of a golf club when the golf club head is attached to a golf club shaft via a head-shaft connection assembly;

wherein the club head body comprises a lattice-like structure that includes a plurality of thin regions that are surrounded by a web of thick regions, the thick regions being relatively thicker than the thin regions;

wherein the thin regions are arranged in a plurality of rows on the club head body; and

wherein the plurality of thick regions define non-linear paths between adjacent rows of thin regions.

22. The golf club head of claim 21, wherein the crown has a metallic forward crown portion adjacent the striking face and having a forward crown portion thickness, and a non-metallic rearward crown portion adjacent the metallic forward crown portion and having an rearward crown portion thickness;

wherein the metallic forward crown portion has an average forward crown portion thickness between about 0.6 mm and about 1.0 mm, and wherein a portion of the non-metallic rearward crown portion has a rearward crown portion thickness between about 0.5 mm and about 0.8 mm; and

a portion of the sole is metallic including at least a metallic forward sole portion adjacent the striking face.