Striking face deflection structures in a golf club

• US 9,993,704 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2016
• Issued: 06/12/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Hebreo, Jonathan, Ines, Marni
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US15/220,107
• Publication Number:
  US 20180028882A1
• Time in Patent Office: 686 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350, 473287-292
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0445 Details of grooves or the like on the impact surface
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0454 Strengthening ribs on the rear surface of the impact face plate
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/08 with special arrangements for obtaining a variable impact
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like

Abstract

An iron-type golf club head has a club head body that includes a back portion, a topline, a sole portion, and a striking face. The golf club head also may include a rib that extends from the back portion of the club head body to a rear surface of the striking face. A symmetric portion of the striking face is defined by contact with the topline, the sole portion, and the rib. A second rib may also be included in the golf club head and the symmetric portion of the striking face is defined by contact with the topline, the sole portion, the first rib, and the second rib. A flex support structure may also be incorporated into the golf club head. The flex support structures may have multiple profiles that contact the rear surface of the striking face at differing deflection depths.

Claims

1. An iron-type golf club head, comprising:

a club head body having a back portion, a topline, a sole portion, a heel portion, and a striking face;

a rib extending from the back portion of the club head body to a rear surface of the striking face, wherein the striking face has a substantially symmetric portion and wherein a perimeter of the symmetric portion is defined by contact of the striking face with the topline, the sole portion, a face edge of the heel portion, and the rib; and

a flex support structure, wherein a portion of the flex support structure is not in contact with the rear surface of the striking face when the striking face is in a non-deflected position, and wherein the portion of the flex support structure is in contact with the rear surface of the striking face when the striking face is in a deflected position.

2. The iron-type golf club head of claim 1, wherein the rib, the striking face, and the back portion at least partially define a first cavity on a first side of the rib and a second cavity on a second side of the rib.

3. The iron-type golf club head of claim 1, wherein the rib extends from the sole portion to the topline.

4. The iron-type golf club head of claim 3, wherein a portion of the rib extends from the sole portion to the topline at an angle substantially orthogonal to the sole portion.

5. The iron-type golf club head of claim 3, wherein a portion of the rib extends from the sole portion to the topline at an angle substantially orthogonal to the topline.

6. The iron-type golf club head of claim 1, wherein the flex support structure has a first profile and a second profile, the first profile contacting the rear surface of the striking face at a first deflection depth and the second profile contacting the rear surface of the striking face at a second deflection depth but not contacting the rear surface of the striking face at the first deflection depth.

7. The iron-type golf club head of claim 6, wherein the first profile has a rate of change of curvature greater than a rate of change of curvature of the second profile.

8. The iron-type golf club head of claim 1, further comprising a second rib extending from the back portion of the club head body to the rear surface of the striking face.

9. The iron-type golf club of claim 1, wherein the symmetric portion of the striking face has different thickness than a remainder of the striking face.

10. An iron-type golf club head, comprising:

a club head body having a striking face, a back portion, a topline attached to the back portion, and a sole portion attached to the back portion;

a first rib extending from the back portion to a rear surface of the striking face, wherein the first rib extends from the topline to a toe portion connected to the topline and the sole portion;

a second rib extending from the back portion to the rear surface of the striking face; and

wherein the striking face has a substantially symmetric portion, wherein a perimeter of the symmetric portion is defined by contact of the striking face with the topline, the sole portion, the first rib, and the second rib.

11. The iron-type golf club head of claim 10, wherein the substantially symmetric portion of the striking face is substantially symmetric about a plane orthogonal to a plane defined by the striking face.

12. The iron-type golf club head of claim 10, wherein the substantially symmetric portion of the striking face is substantially pentagonal.

13. The iron-type golf club head of claim 10, wherein the second rib extends from the sole portion and intersects with the first rib.

14. The iron-type golf club head of claim 10, further comprising a flex support structure, wherein a portion of the flex support structure is not in contact with a rear surface of the striking face when the striking face is in a non-deflected position, and the portion of the flex support structure is in contact with the rear surface of the striking face when the striking face is in a deflected position.

15. The iron-type golf club of claim 10, wherein the striking face is a multi-thickness striking face formed from at least two pieces having different thicknesses.

16. An iron-type golf club head, comprising:

a club head body having a back portion, a topline attached to the back portion, a sole portion attached to the back portion, and a striking face;

a flex support structure attached to at least one of the topline and the sole portion, wherein a portion of the flex support structure is not in contact with a rear surface of the striking face when the striking face is in a non-deflected position, and the portion of the flex support structure is in contact with the rear surface of the striking face when the striking face is in a deflected position; and

wherein the flex support structure has a first profile and a second profile, a surface of the flex support structure having the first profile contacting the rear surface of the striking face at a first deflection depth and a surface of the flex support structure having the second profile contacting the rear surface of the striking face at a second deflection depth but not contacting the rear surface of the striking face at the first deflection depth.

17. The iron-type golf club head of claim 16, further comprising a first rib extending from the back portion to the rear surface of the striking face.

18. The iron-type golf club head of claim 17, wherein the first rib is disposed proximate a center of gravity of the golf club head.

19. The iron-type golf club head of claim 17, further comprising a second rib extending from the back portion to the rear surface of the striking face, wherein the striking face has a substantially symmetric portion, wherein a perimeter of the substantially symmetric portion is defined by contact between the striking face and each of the topline, the sole portion, the first rib, and the second rib.

20. The iron-type golf club head of claim 19, wherein the substantially symmetric portion of the striking face is substantially pentagonal.