Golf club head having a variable loft angle

• US 20060183564A1
• Filed: 06/14/2005
• Published: 08/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nine & Nine Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nine & Nine Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Byeong Yeol
• Granted Patent: US 7,291,073 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/245
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0479 Wedge-type clubs, details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/02 Joint structures between the head and the shaft
• 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 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0487 for putters A63B53/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/06 adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like

Abstract

The present invention discloses a golf club head having a variable loft angle that is designed to rotate thereby to allow selective variation of the loft angle of the club. The golf club head is connected to a shaft of a golf club and includes a head portion having a head body for striking a golf ball and a head heel extending upwardly from one side of the head body and bent at a given angle, and a fastening portion extending to the shaft and having a rotary assembly rotating with respect to the head portion and a fixing assembly for fixing the head portion to a position at which a given loft angle is selected.

Claims

1. A golf club head having a variable loft angle, connected to a shaft of a golf club, the golf club head comprising:

a head portion having a head body for striking a golf ball and a head heel extending upwardly from one side of the head body and bent at a given angle; and

a fastening portion extending to the shaft and having a rotary assembly rotating with respect to the head portion and a fixing assembly for fixing the head portion to a position at which a given loft angle is selected.

2. A golf club head having a variable loft angle according to claim 1, wherein the head heel comprises:

a guide recess extended to left and right directions from a central portion of the end portion thereof;

a pair of head heel pieces formed by placing the guide recess therebetween; and

a pair of rotary holes formed on the pair of head heel pieces to communicate with the guide recess, having a pair of inner gears along the outer peripheral surfaces thereof, one of the pair of rotary holes opened to the outside and the other having a given diameter of shaft hole formed on the bottom surface thereof, and the fastening portion comprises;

a rotary body formed of a hollow cylindrical body and provided with an insertion recess formed at the side portion thereof, a pair of outer gear pieces formed at the both sides of the insertion recess to be engaged with the inner gears, and a first through hole formed in a length direction thereof to be passed through the both end portions thereof, the first through hole having a height higher than each of the inner gears;

a fastening bar having a second through hole formed to correspond with the first through hole at one end portion thereof, the second through hole fittably inserted into the insertion recess of the rotary body, and having a male screw portion formed at the other end portion thereof;

a hollow fastening tube disposed around the outer periphery of the fastening bar, the hollow fastening tube having a given length where the male screw portion of the fastening bar is exposed; and

an adjusting tube having a female screw coupled to the male screw portion formed on the inner periphery thereof, the adjusting tube disposed on the outer periphery of the fastening bar, located to be adjacent to the hollow fastening tube, and connected to the shaft of the golf club, whereby the head portion and the fastening portion are rotated with respect to each other by means of the shaft pin that is passed through the shaft hole, the first through hole and the second through hole.

3. A golf club head having a variable loft angle according to claim 2, wherein the head heel further comprises a cover provided with a shaft hole having the same size as the shaft hole of the rotary hole at a central portion thereof.

4. A golf club head having a variable loft angle according to claim 2, wherein the fastening bar is provided with a spring formed on the outer periphery thereof and with a spring fixing member located at one section of the fastening bar, for fixing the position of the spring.

5. A golf club head having a variable loft angle according to claim 4, wherein the end portions of the head heel pieces are rounded such that an end portion of the hollow fastening tube located to the head heel side is rounded concavely, facing the rounded end portions of the head heel pieces.

6. A golf club head having a variable loft angle according to claim 5, wherein the hollow fastening tube comprises a pair of guide protrusions fittably disposed to the guide recess at one end portion thereof located to the head heel side, for facilitating the rotation of the fastening portion on the head portion.

7. A golf club head having a variable loft angle according to claim 6, wherein each of the head heel pieces has the marks indicating the angles of the head portion on the outer surface thereof.

8. A golf club head having a variable loft angle according to claim 7, wherein the male screw portion is formed of a left screw.

9. A golf club head having a variable loft angle according to claim 8, wherein the fastening portion comprises a protecting band disposed along the inner peripheral surface of the guide recess, for preventing dusts and foreign materials from gathering into the guide recess.

10. A golf club head having a variable loft angle according to claim 11, wherein the fastening portion comprises a washer located between the adjusting tube and the hollow fastening tube.

11. A golf club head having a variable loft angle according to claim 2, wherein the rotary body comprises at least one or more fixing holes that are passed through the both end portions thereof in a perpendicular direction to the insertion recess, the fastening bar comprises fixing grooves that are formed correspondingly to the fixing holes at the end portion thereof located to the rotary body side, and the rotary body comprises fixing pins that are passed through the fixing holes of the rotary body and the fixing grooves of the fastening bar, for connecting the rotary body and the fastening bar.

12. A golf club head having a variable loft angle according to claim 2, wherein the rotary body comprises:

a coupling pin formed of a post body having a cross section in a polygonal shape and having a first through hole formed axially to be passed through the both end portions thereof at the central portion thereof, the first through hole having a higher height than each of the inner gears; and

a pair of rotary pieces formed of a generally round ring having a given thickness and protruded outwardly from one side thereof and provided at the central portion thereof with first coupling holes through which the coupling pin is forcedly fitted and with outer gear pieces formed at the end portion of the protruded sides thereof, for engaging with the inner gears, and the fastening bar comprises a second coupling hole formed at one end portion thereof, the second coupling hole having the same shape as the first coupling hole, such that the connection of the rotary body and the fastening bar is made by means of the coupling pin that is passed through the first coupling hole and the second coupling hole.

13. A golf club head having a variable loft angle according to claim 12, wherein the rotary pieces comprise pin holes each having a large diameter (R) at the first coupling holes side and a smaller diameter (r) than the diameter (R) at the outer gear pieces side, small pins inserted into the pin holes and having head portions (h) larger than the smaller diameter (r) of the pin hole and bodies (B) located toward the outer gear pieces, and elastic members depressed against the head portions (h) of the small pins.

14. A golf club head having a variable loft angle according to claim 12, wherein each of the inner gears has about 72 gear threads, each of gear threads causing the rotation of about 5°

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