Golf club head or other ball striking device having impact-influencing body features

• US 9,925,428 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2015
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
• Original Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
• Inventors: Akiyama, Hiromitsu
• Primary Examiner(s): WONG, STEVEN B
• Application Number:
  US14/725,841
• Publication Number:
  US 20160346641A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,033 Days
• 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 53/0425 the face insert comprising two or more different materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0437 with special crown configurations
• 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

Abstract

A ball striking device, such as a golf club head, has a face member with a striking surface configured for striking a ball and a flange that comprises a portion of the crown. The flange being made of at least two members that are made of different materials, where a second material has a lower modulus of elasticity than the first material. The second member has a length, a width, a thickness and a location proximate to the ball striking surface to improve the impact efficiency of a collision with a golf ball.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a club head body member made of at least a first material comprising a heel, a toe, a portion of a crown, a sole, and a portion of a ball striking surface; and

a face member made of a plurality of materials comprising a portion of the ball striking surface and a portion of the crown,

wherein the plurality of materials of the face member comprises at least a second material and a third material,

wherein the third material is located entirely on the crown of the club head;

wherein the third material is entirely surrounded by the second material;

wherein the third material has a modulus of elasticity that is lower than the second material; and

wherein the third material has a density that is higher than a density of both the first material and the second material.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the third material is gum metal.

3. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the face member is made from at least a first member made of the second material comprising a portion of the ball striking surface and a portion of the crown and a second member made of the third material comprising a portion of the crown, wherein the second member has a length of at least 65 percent of a longest dimension of the crown portion of the face member in a heel-to-toe direction.

4. The golf club head of claim 3, wherein a ratio of a center width of the second member measured in a front-to-back direction of the golf club head compared to a breadth dimension of the golf club head is between 1:

8 and 1;

26.

5. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the third material has a modulus of elasticity that is at least 10 percent lower than a modulus of elasticity of the first material.

6. A golf club head comprising:

a club head body made of a first material comprising a heel, a toe, a portion of a crown, a sole, and a portion of a ball striking surface extending from the heel and the toe; and

a face member made of a first member and a second member,

wherein the first member made of a second material comprises a portion of the ball striking surface and a portion of the crown adjacent to the ball striking surface and the second member made of a third material located entirely on the portion of the crown of the first member,

wherein the third material has a modulus of elasticity that is less than a modulus of elasticity of either of the first material or the second material, and wherein the third material has a density that is higher than a density of both the first material and the second material; and

wherein the second member is adjacent to the first member on at least four sides.

7. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein the first material and the second material are the same material.

8. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein the first material is a titanium alloy.

9. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein the third material is gum metal.

10. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein the second member has a length of at least 65 percent of a longest dimension of the crown portion of the face member in a heel-to-toe direction.

11. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein a ratio of a size of the second member measured in a front-to-back direction of the golf club head compared to a breadth dimension of the golf club head is between 1:

8 and 1;

26.

12. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein the second member has a thickness less than or equal to a thickness of the first member adjacent to it.

13. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein the second member has a constant width.

14. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein the second member has a forward most edge located between 2 mm and 25 mm from a face-crown intersection point measured in a Y-Axis direction.

15. A golf club head comprising:

a club head body comprising a plurality of materials where a toe, a heel, a sole, and a portion of a crown is made of a first material and a region comprising a portion of the crown made of a third material; and

a face member made of a second material comprising a ball striking surface,

wherein the third material has a modulus of elasticity that is less than a modulus of elasticity of either of the first material or the second material; and

wherein the third material is entirely surrounded by the first material, and wherein the third material has a density that is higher than a density of both the first material and the second material.

16. The golf club head of claim 15, wherein the third material is gum metal.

17. The golf club head of claim 15, wherein the region has a forward most edge located between 5 mm and 15 mm of a face-crown intersection point measured in a front to back direction.

18. A method of forming a golf club head, comprising:

forming a golf club head body of a first material comprising a heel, a toe, a sole, a portion of a crown, and a portion of a ball striking surface;

forming a face member comprising a portion of the ball striking surface and a portion of the crown from a second material;

forming a crown member comprising a third material entirely within the crown portion of the face member wherein the third material has a modulus of elasticity that is less than a modulus of elasticity of the second material, and wherein the third material has a density that is higher than a density of both the first material and the second material;

connecting the golf club head body, the face member, and the crown member using an integral joining technique.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the third material has a modulus of elasticity lower than a modulus of elasticity of the first material.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the first material is a titanium alloy.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the third material is a beta-titanium alloy.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the third material is gum metal.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the golf club head body and the face member are welded together.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein the golf club head body and the face member are adhesively joined together.

25. A golf club head comprising:

a club head body member made of at least a first material comprising a heel, a toe, a portion of a crown, a sole; and

a face member made of at least a first member made of a second material comprising a portion of a ball striking surface and a portion of the crown and at least a second member made of a third material located entirely on the crown of the club head,

wherein the second member has a substantially constant width when measured in a Y-Axis direction and has a forward most edge located between 2 mm and 25 mm from a face-crown intersection point measured in the Y-Axis direction,

wherein the third material has a modulus of elasticity that is lower than a modulus of elasticity than the first material and the second material, and wherein the third material has a density that is higher than a density of both the first material and the second material; and

wherein the second member is entirely surrounded by the first member.