Golf club striking plate having elliptical regions of thickness

• US 6,368,234 B1
• Filed: 01/12/2000
• Issued: 04/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
• Original Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
• Inventors: Galloway, J. Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Sewell, Paul T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): VARMA, SNEH K
• Application Number:
  US09/481,167
• Time in Patent Office: 818 Days
• Field of Search: 473/342, 473/345, 473/332, 473/346, 473/349, 473/290, 473/291, 473/329, 473/350
• US Class Current: 473/349
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/02 Joint structures between the head and the shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0412 Volume
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0416 Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0441 with visual indicators for aligning the golf club
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0458 with non-uniform thickness of the impact face plate
• 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 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B21J 5/00 Methods for forging, hammering, or pressing for working sheet-metal or metal tubes, rods, or profiles B21D; for working wire B21F; Special equipment or accessories therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B21K 17/00 Making sport articles, e.g. skates
• CPC Class Codes: C22F 1/183 of titanium or alloys based thereon
• CPC Class Codes: C23F 1/00 Etching metallic material by chemical means manufacture of printing surfaces B41C; manufacture of printed circuits H05K
• CPC Class Codes: C23F 1/26 for etching refractory metals

Abstract

A golf club head having a striking plate with concentric elliptical regions of varying thickness ranges is disclosed herein. A central elliptical region has a base thickness range that is thicker than the thickness range of any of the other elliptical regions. The thickness of the elliptical regions decreases outward from the center. The striking plate may be used on a wood-type golf club head or an iron-type golf club head. The striking plate is preferably composed of steel or titanium. The elliptical regions correspond to golf ball impact probability points on the striking plate.

Claims

1. A wood-type golf club head comprising:

a body having a crown, a sole, a heel end, a toe end, and

a striking plate comprising a central elliptical region having an uniform base thickness ranging from 0.122 inch to 0.117 inch, a first concentric elliptical region encompassing the central elliptical region, the first concentric elliptical region having an uniform first thickness ranging from 0.117 inch to 0.112 inch wherein the base thickness is greater than the first thickness, a second concentric elliptical region having an uniform second thickness ranging from 0.112 inch to 0.100 inch wherein the first thickness is greater than the second thickness, a third concentric region having an uniform third thickness ranging from 0.100 inch to 0.085 inch wherein the second thickness is greater than the third thickness, and a periphery region having a fourth thickness wherein the fourth thickness is less than the third thickness;

wherein the thickness of each of the elliptical regions of the striking plate is assigned according to the probability of impacts with a golf ball wherein the central elliptical region has the highest probability of impacts with a golf ball and is the thickest elliptical region of the elliptical regions of the striking plate.

2. The golf club head according to claim 1 wherein the striking plate is composed of a material selected from the group consisting of titanium, titanium alloys, steels, vitreous metals, ceramics, composites, carbon materials, carbon fiber materials, other fibrous materials and mixtures thereof.

3. The wood-type golf club head according to claim 1 wherein the striking plate further comprises:

a first heel end region and a first toe end region, the first heel end region and the first toe end region each having a fourth thickness range that is less than the third thickness range;

a second heel end region and a second toe end region, the second heel end region and the second toe end region each having a fifth thickness range that is less than the fourth thickness range; and

a third heel end region and a third toe end region, the third toe end region having a sixth thickness range that is less than the fifth thickness range and the third heel end region having a seventh thickness range that is greater than the base thickness.

4. The wood-type golf club head according to claim 1 wherein a geometric center of the central elliptical region is different than the geometric center of the striking plate.

5. The wood-type golf club head according to claim 1 wherein the striking plate is composed of titanium.

6. The wood-type golf club head according to claim 1 wherein the striking plate is composed of steel.

7. The wood-type golf club head according to claim 1 wherein the striking plate is composed of an amorphous metal.

8. The wood-type golf club head according to claim 1 wherein the third concentric elliptical region has an elliptical circumference that extends from a sole of the golf club head to a crown of the golf club head.