Golf club head with accessible interior

• US 9,855,474 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2016
• Issued: 01/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cobra Golf Company (Puma SE)
• Original Assignee: Cobra Golf Company (Puma SE)
• Inventors: Beno, Tim A., Clausen, Karl A., Curtis, Andrew, Day, Cameron J., Kroloff, Caleb, Roberts, Douglas E., Sanchez, Richard Romo, Soracco, Peter L., Yagley, Michael S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US15/243,318
• Publication Number:
  US 20160354658A1
• Time in Patent Office: 498 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350, 473287-292, 473219-256
• 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 2209/08 magnetic
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/10 with adhesive type surfaces, i.e. hook and loop-type fastener
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/18 Inclination, slope or curvature
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/64 Frequency, e.g. of vibration oscillation
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/54 Transponders, e.g. RFID
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/023 adjustable angular orientation
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0416 Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert
• 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 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/06 adjustable
• 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 60/42 : Devices for measuring, verifying, correcting or customising the inherent characteristics of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like, e.g. measuring the maximum torque a batting shaft can withstand
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/52 : with slits
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/54 : with means for damping vibrations

Abstract

The invention provides a golf club head that includes a weight adjustment system inside of the club head. Preferably, when the club is played, no part of the adjustment system is directly accessible or exposed to an exterior of the club. The club head may include a panel that opens or is removable, or the club head may be disassembled to provide access to the internal weight adjustment system. A weight adjustment system generally includes at least one mechanism by which a mass distribution of the golf club head can be changed.

Claims

1. A golf club head assembly comprising:

a club head body comprising a ball-striking face, a sole, a crown, and a hosel that together form a hollow, interior cavity of the club head; and

a removable component configured to be removed from and re-attached to a mounting portion on the club head body, the removable component comprises;

a body comprising a substantially annular wall having external threading configured to engage internal threading of the mounting portion to releasably attach the removable component to the mounting portion; and

a translucent or transparent material coupled to the body through which the interior cavity of the club head body is viewable when the removable component is attached to the mounting portion;

an electronic device configured to be releasably positioned within the interior cavity of the club head body and is fully removable therefrom;

wherein, when the removable component is removed from the mounting portion, the interior cavity of the club head body is accessible and an interior surface of at least one of the sole, the crown, and the ball-striking face within the interior cavity is accessible for the placement or removal of the electronic device.

2. The golf club head assembly of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is configured to collect information related to at least one of club head characteristics and club head performance.

3. The golf club head assembly of claim 2, wherein the club head characteristics comprise at least one of club type and club settings.

4. The golf club head assembly of claim 2, wherein the collected information related to club head performance comprises data associated with motion of the club head throughout a swing of the club head and during impact between the ball-striking face and a golf ball.

5. The golf club head assembly of claim 4, wherein the data comprises at least one of club head acceleration, translation motion of club head, club head vibration, club head shock, club head tilt, club head rotation in downward swing and upward swing, impact of a ball with the club face, angle of impact between the ball and the club face, ball speed, launch angle, ball spin, ball trajectory, shot distance, and hit or impact pattern.

6. The golf club head assembly of claim 2, wherein the electronic device is selected from the group consisting of an RFID tag, a battery, a solenoid, a motion sensor, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a magnetometer, a switch, and a combination thereof.

7. The golf club head assembly of claim 2, wherein the electronic device is configured to wirelessly communicate and exchange collected data with a computing device.

8. The golf club head assembly of claim 1, wherein the mounting portion is positioned on the sole of the club head body.

9. The golf club head assembly of claim 1, wherein the mounting portion comprises an aperture.

10. The golf club head assembly of claim 9, wherein the aperture has an open area of at least 3 cm².

11. The golf club head assembly of claim 1, wherein, when the removable component is removed from the mounting portion, the interior cavity of the club head is accessible for the placement of or removal of an adjustment mechanism within the interior cavity.

12. The golf club head assembly of claim 11, wherein the adjustment mechanism is a mass adjustment mechanism configured for adjusting a mass distribution of the club head.

13. The golf club head assembly of claim 11, wherein the adjustment mechanism is a sound tuning member for adjusting sound properties of the club head.