Golf club head with audible vibration attenuation

• US 5,704,849 A
• Filed: 04/25/1995
• Issued: 01/06/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
• Original Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
• Inventors: Helmstetter, Richard C., Schmidt, Glenn H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Millin, Vincent
• Assistant Examiner(s): ANDERSON, CHARLES WENDELL
• Application Number:
  US08/428,319
• Time in Patent Office: 987 Days
• Field of Search: 273/167 H, 273/171, 273/78, 273/77 R, 473/324
• US Class Current: 473/324
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/005 Club sets
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/021 the shaft axis being forwardly offset relative to the striking face of the head
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/045 Strengthening ribs
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0454 Strengthening ribs on the rear surface of the impact face plate
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0458 with non-uniform thickness of the impact face plate
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/54 with means for damping vibrations

Abstract

A golf club head having a body defining a heel, toe, top wall, sole defining a bottom wall, and a front wall defining an upwardly and rearwardly inclined front face, and comprising the body defining a forwardly extending main recess located rearwardly of the front wall; and the body also defining an undercut recess located directly rearwardly of the front wall and extending outwardly from the main recess toward one or more of the following:

i) the top wall

ii) the bottom wall

iii) the toe

iv) the heel;

and structure on said front wall and located forwardly of the main recess for attenuating audible vibration created when a golf ball is struck by the front face. The front wall has a rear side, and the referenced structure on the front wall is attached to the front wall rear side and is everywhere spaced from the undercut recess, the undercut recess openly exposed to the main recess.

Claims

1. A golf club head having a body defining a heel, toe, top wall, sole defining a bottom wall, and a front wall defining an upwardly and rearwardly inclined front face, and comprising

a) said body defining a forwardly extending main recess located rearwardly of said front wall,

b) and said body also having metallic extent defining an undercut recess located directly rearwardly of said front wall and extending outwardly from said main recess toward at least one of the following:

i) said top wall

ii) said bottom wall

iii) said toe

iv) said heel,

c) and means on said front wall and located forwardly of said main recess for attenuating audible vibration created when a golf ball is struck by said front face,

d) said front wall having a rear side and said means being attached to said rear side and everywhere spaced from said undercut recess, said undercut recess openly exposed to said main recess.

2. The golf club head of claim 1 wherein said undercut recess extends at least part way about said means.

3. The golf club head of claim 1 wherein said means include a thin plate and adhesive material securing said plate to said rear side of the front wall.

4. The golf club head of claim 3 wherein said thin plate has a periphery, and said front wall has a shallow re-entrant recess at said rear side receiving said plate, closely adjacent said periphery.

8. The golf club head of claim 1 wherein said head has rearward projection with upward thickening between said bottom wall and said main recess.

9. The golf club had of claim 1 wherein said head has rearward projection with downward thickening between said top wall and said main recess.

14. The golf club head of claim 3 including indicia on the plate and facing said main recess.

5. The golf club head of 1 wherein said means has an enlarged central portion and two wings projecting oppositely generally toward the toe and heel respectively of the head.

6. A golf club head having a body defining a heel, toe, top wall, sole defining a bottom wall, and a front wall defining an upwardly and rearwardly inclined front face, and comprising

a) said body defining a forwardly extending main recess located rearwardly of said front wall,

b) and said body also having metallic extent defining an undercut recess located directly rearwardly of said front wall,

c) and means on said front wall and located forwardly of said main recess for attenuating audible vibration created when a golf ball is struck by said front face, said means exposed to said main recess,

d) said means including a thin plate and adhesive material securing said plate to said front wall,

e) and wherein said undercut recess extends outwardly from said main recess and adjacent said front wall in spaced relation to said thin plate toward at least three of the following:

i) said top wall

ii) said bottom wall

iii) said toe

iv) said heel,

f) said undercut recess openly exposed to said main recess.

7. A golf club head having a body defining a heel, toe, top wall, sole defining a bottom wall, and a front wall defining an upwardly and rearwardly inclined front face, and comprising

a) said body defining a forwardly extending main recess located rearwardly of said front wall,

b) and said body also having metallic extent defining an undercut recess located directly rearwardly of said front wall,

c) and means on said front wall and located forwardly of said main recess for attenuating audible vibration created when a golf ball is struck by said front face, said means exposed to said main recess,

d) said means including a thin plate and adhesive material securing said plate to said front wall,

e) and wherein said undercut recess extends outwardly from said main recess and in spaced relation to said thin plate toward all four of the following:

i) said top wall

ii) said bottom wall

iii) said toe

iv) said heel,

f) said undercut recess openly exposed to said main recess.

10. A golf club head having a body defining a heel, toe, top wall, sole defining a bottom wall, and a front wall defining an upwardly and rearwardly inclined front face, and comprising

a) said body defining a forwardly extending main recess located rearwardly of said front wall,

b) and said body also having metallic extent defining an undercut recess located directly rearwardly of said front wall and extending outwardly from said main recess toward at least one of the following:

i) said top wall

ii) said bottom wall

iii) said toe

iv) said heel,

c) and means on said front wall and located forwardly of said main recess for attenuating audible vibration created when a golf ball is struck by said front face,

d) said means including a thin plate and adhesive material securing said plate to said front wall at the rear side thereof,

e) and wherein said means includes a tape, to adhere to said rear side of the front wall,

f) said undercut recess openly exposed to said main recess.

11. The golf club head of claim 10 including a re-entrant recess in said rear side of the front wall, the re-entrant recess and said plate and tape having corresponding peripheries.

12. The golf club head of claim 11 including a ridge on said rear side of the front wall and projecting rearwardly at least part way about the re-entrant recess.

13. The golf club head of claim 11 wherein the thin plate and tape define a medial enlarged portion, and wing portions projecting oppositely from said medial portions and toward the toe and heel, respectively, the plate being metallic.

15. A golf club head having a body defining a heel, toe, top wall, sole defining a bottom wall, and a front wall defining an upwardly and rearwardly inclined front face, and comprising

a) said body defining a forwardly extending main recess located rearwardly of said front wall,

b) and said body also having metallic extent defining an undercut recess located directly rearwardly of said front wall and extending outwardly from said main recess toward at least one of the following:

i) said top wall

ii) said bottom wall

iii) said toe

iv) said heel,

c) a thin plate at the rear side of said front wall and located forwardly of the main extent of said main recess, and adhesive material securing said plate to said rear side of said front wall,

d) said undercut recess openly exposed to said main recess, rearwardly of said plate.

16. The golf club head of claim 15 wherein said plate has an enlarged medial portion and two wings projecting oppositely generally toward the toe and heel, respectively, of the head.

17. A golf club head having a body defining a heel, toe, top wall, bottom wall, and curved corners between said top wall and toe, between said bottom wall and toe, and between said bottom wall and heel, and a front wall defining a front face, and comprising

a) said body defining a forwardly extending main recess located rearwardly of said front wall,

b) and said body also having metallic extent defining an undercut recess located directly rearwardly of said front wall and extending outwardly from said main recess toward at least two of the following:

i) said top wall

ii) said bottom wall

iii) said toe

iv) said heel

v) said curved corner between said top wall and toe

vi) said curved corner between said bottom wall and toe

vii) said curved corner between said bottom wall and heel,

c) part of said undercut recess extending toward one of v) through vii), and said undercut recess openly exposed to said main recess.

18. The combination of claim 17 wherein said front wall has a rear side, and including an insignia carrier attached to said rear side and openly exposed to said recesses.

19. The combination of claim 18 wherein said undercut recess extends at least part way about said carrier.

20. The combination of claim 18 wherein said carrier includes a thin sheet and adhesive material securing said sheet to said front wall rear side.

21. The combination of claim 19 wherein said carrier includes a thin sheet and adhesive material securing said sheet to said rear side of the front wall.

22. The combination of claim 21 wherein said thin sheet has a periphery, and said front wall has a shallow re-entrant recess at said rear side receiving said sheet, closely adjacent said periphery.

23. The combination of claim 21 wherein said thin sheet has an enlarged central portion and two wings projecting oppositely generally toward the toe and heel respectively of the head.

24. The golf club head of claim 21 wherein said carrier includes a tape, with said adhesive material at the side of the tape.

25. The golf club head of claim 24 including a re-entrant recess in said rear side of the front wall, the recess and said tape having corresponding peripheries.

26. The golf club head of claim 25 including a ridge on said rear side of the front wall and projecting rearwardly at said periphery of the recess.

27. The golf club head of claim 25 wherein the carrier defines a medial enlarged portion, and wing portions projecting oppositely from said medial portions and toward the head, toe, and heel, respectively, including a plate.

28. The golf club head of claim 25 including indicia on the medially enlarged portion and facing said main recess.