Golf club head

• US 9,868,036 B1
• Filed: 08/10/2016
• Issued: 01/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Inventors: Kleinert, Justin David, Bovee, Mattieu J., Nielson, Joseph Reeve, Sargent, Nathan T., Harbert, Christopher John, Gardner, Rachel Elizabeth, Christian, Wester Reber
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US15/233,805
• Time in Patent Office: 524 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350, 473287-292
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0495 moving on impact, slidable, spring or otherwise elastically biased
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• 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 53/045 Strengthening ribs
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-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 60/04 Movable ballast means A63B15/005 takes precedence
• 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

A golf club head having two adjoining flush surfaces and method of manufacturing same is disclosed. In one embodiment, a golf club head includes a main body comprising an opening and a recessed flange formed along at least a portion of a peripheral edge defining the opening; at least one compressible shim disposed on a surface of the flange, the at least one compressible shim being compressible to at least 50% of its original uncompressed thickness; and a cover plate shaped and sized to fit within the opening, wherein a first portion of a mating surface of the cover plate is affixed to the surface of the flange and a second portion of the mating surface is disposed on top of the at least one compressible shim, wherein the compressible shim is in a compressed state such that an outer surface of the cover plate is flush with an adjacent surface of the main body.

Claims

1. A golf club head, comprising:

a shell made of a first material that is attached to a main body that is formed of a second material, the shell including a first mating section and the main body including a second mating section configured to mate with the first mating section;

wherein the main body includes a face portion, a sole plate portion coupled to the face portion, and a crown portion coupled to the face portion;

wherein the crown portion comprising an opening and a recessed flange formed along at least a portion of the opening;

wherein the recessed flange has an outwardly facing attachment surface generally between an outer surface and an inner surface of the crown portion and a first abutment surface extending between the attachment surface and the outer surface of the crown portion;

wherein at least a portion of the shell is coupled to the attachment surface, the shell having an outer surface, an inner surface, and a second abutment surface extending between the outer and inner facing surfaces of the shell;

wherein the inner surface of the shell is bonded to the attachment surface using a bonding material, and the first abutment surface is connected to the second abutment surface;

wherein a first cross-section through the golf club head includes the recessed flange, the bonding material, and the shell; and

wherein a second-cross section through the golf club head includes the recessed flange, the bonding material, at least one compressible shim, and the shell;

wherein the second-cross section is offset from the first cross-section.

3. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the recessed flange is located closer to the face portion of the main body than a rear portion of the main body.

4. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein a majority of the recessed flange is located less than 35 mm from the face portion of the main body.

5. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the at least one compressible shim is compressed at least 10% compared to its original uncompressed thickness.

6. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the at least one compressible shim is compressed at least 50% compared to its original uncompressed thickness.

7. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the at least one compressible shim comprises a plurality of discrete compressible shims disposed on a top surface of the recessed flange with a predetermined spacing between adjacent discrete compressible shims.

8. The golf club head of claim 7, wherein the plurality of discrete compressible shims comprises three to twenty discrete compressible shims each having a thickness of about 1.2 mm to 1.6 mm.

9. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the at least one compressible shim has a shim area that is 0.5% to 50% of the available area on a top surface of the recessed flange.

10. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the at least one compressible shim comprises a urethane material.

11. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein a thickness of the shell is 0.73 mm plus or minus 0.10 mm.

12. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the at least one compressible shim is compressed at least 0.15 mm.

13. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the first material density is less than the second material density.

14. The golf club head of claim 13, wherein the first material comprises a composite material and the second material comprises a metal material.

15. The golf club head of claim 14, wherein the first material comprises a carbon fiber composite material and the second material comprises a titanium alloy.

16. The golf club head of claim 14, wherein the shell comprises multiple plies.

2. The golf club head of 1, wherein the at least one shim being compressible to less than 50% of its original uncompressed thickness when a compression force is applied and rebounding to more than 90% of its original uncompressed thickness upon removal of the compression force.