Golf club head

• US 5,299,807 A
• Filed: 08/21/1992
• Issued: 04/05/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: SRI Sports Limited (Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Skis Rossignol SA (Chartreuse et Mont Blanc SAS)
• Inventors: Hutin, Patrice
• Primary Examiner(s): Millin, Vincent
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wong, Steven B.
• Application Number:
  US07/933,302
• Time in Patent Office: 592 Days
• Field of Search: 273/78, 273/167 BJ, 273/173, 273/167 R, 273/169, 273/171, 273/167 F, 273/167 H
• US Class Current: 473/329
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0416 Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0425 the face insert comprising two or more different materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0462 characterised by tapering thickness of the impact face plate
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0487 for putters A63B53/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/54 with means for damping vibrations

Abstract

A golf club head comprising a body 2, 30 with a face 3, 33 to which is mounted a striking plate 4, 31 and a thin, visco-elastic sheet 10, 32 sandwiched between the strike plate 4, 31 and the corresponding face 3, 33 of the body.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising a body having a substantially planar clubface surface, a grooved striking plate affixed to the clubface surface, and an elastic layer between the clubface surface and the striking plate, said elastic layer being a visco-elastic sheet having a thickness in the range of 0.1 to 0.5 mm and an ambient temperature damping factor in the range of 0.4 to 1.2.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the striking plate, elastic layer and clubface surface, respectively are affixed to each other with adhesive.

3. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the visco-elastic sheet is of substantially uniform thickness throughout its area.

4. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the visco-elastic sheet varies in different portions of its area.

5. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the body comprises wood.

6. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the body comprises metal.

7. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the visco-elastic sheet is less than that of the grooved striking plate.

8. A golf club head comprising a body having a substantially planar clubface surface, a grooved striking plate affixed to the clubface surface, and an elastic layer comprising a stack of a plurality of visco-elastic sheets having different damping properties which are at least one of (i) temperature offset for a given vibration frequency and (ii) vibration frequency offset for a given temperature, said stack having a thickness in the range of 0.1 to 0.5 mm and an ambient temperature damping factor in the range of 0.4 to 1.2.

9. A golf club head comprising a body having a substantially planar clubface, a grooved striking plate affixed to the clubface surface, and an elastic layer between the club face surface and the striking plate, said elastic layer being a visco-elastic sheet comprising a plurality of adjacent zones, at least one of said zones having different damping properties, said sheet having a thickness in the range of 0.1 to 0.5 mm and an ambient temperature damping factor in the range of 0.4 to 1.2.

10. The golf club head of claim 9, wherein at least some of said zones have different damping properties which are at least one of (i) temperature offset at a given vibrating frequency and (ii) vibration frequency offset at a given temperature.