Golf club having removable sole weight using custom and interchangeable panels

• US 8,105,175 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2009
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Breier, Joshua G., Clausen, Karl A., Roberts, Douglas E., Soracco, Peter L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US12/408,894
• Publication Number:
  US 20090221380A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,044 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350, 473287-292
• US Class Current: 473/244
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/02 with reinforcing fibres, e.g. carbon, polyamide fibres
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0416 Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/02 Ballast means for adjusting the centre of mass A63B60/24, A63B60/54 take precedence

Abstract

A golf club head is presented comprising a sole including a removable panel secured to the sole via a non-threaded attachment assembly. Further, the removable panel may have a large surface area relative to its thickness, resulting in a chip-like or wafer-like weight member. This design allows the mass of the removable panel to be spread substantially along the surface of the sole as opposed to in the interior of the club head. The golf club head may comprise more than one removable panel. A removable panel of the present invention may generally comprise one or more discrete areas of higher basis weight or higher density. Even further, the removable panel may generally be releasably attached via a quick disconnect mechanism that allows easy interchangeability.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a hosel, a face, a crown, a skirt, and a sole combine to define a hollow cavity;

wherein said sole further comprises a removable panel releasably attached to said sole;

wherein said removable panel is connected to said sole utilizing a quick disconnect mechanism, and

wherein said quick disconnect mechanism is a non-threaded attachment mechanism; and

wherein said quick disconnect mechanism further comprises;

a bore shaft protruding from said sole of said golf club head;

a plurality of teeth providing a male component between said sole and said removable panel; and

a score line providing a female component between said sole and said removable panel;

wherein said plurality of teeth and said score line engage one another to resist withdrawal of said removable panel from said golf club head.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, further comprising a vibration dampening layer interposed between said removable panel and said sole of said golf club head.

3. The golf club head of claim 2, wherein said plurality of teeth is located on said removable panel and said score line is located on said bore shaft.

4. The golf club head of claim 3, wherein said plurality of teeth is angularly disposed with respect to said bore shaft.

5. The golf club head of claim 4, wherein said score line is horizontally disposed with respect to said bore shaft.

6. The golf club head of claim 2, wherein said plurality of teeth is located on said bore shaft and said score line is located on said removable panel.

7. The golf club head of claim 6, further comprising:

a bore shaft spring connected to a base of said bore shaft;

wherein said bore shaft spring allows said bore shaft to compress when subjected to subjected to an external force.

8. The golf club head of claim 2, wherein said quick disconnect mechanism further comprises of a release tool and wherein said release tool is adapted to disengage said plurality of teeth from said score line.

9. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein said removable panel has a chip ratio, defined as a plan area of said removable panel divided by an effective thickness of said removable panel, of greater than about 8, and

wherein said plan area is a maximum amount of two-dimensional surface that can be projected on to a plane defined by a longitudinal axis and a width axis of said removable panel and the effective thickness is the volume of said removable panel divided by said plane area.

10. A golf club head comprising:

a face providing an area for impact; and

an aft section connected to said face;

wherein at least a portion of said aft section is comprised of a removable panel;

wherein said removable panel is connected to said aft section utilizing a quick disconnect mechanism; and

wherein said quick disconnect mechanism is further comprising;

a bore shaft protruding from said aft section;

a plurality of teeth providing a male component between said golf club head and said removable panel;

a score line providing a female component with said plurality of teeth between said golf club head and said removable panel; and

wherein said plurality of teeth and said score line engage one another to resist withdrawal of said removable panel from said golf club head.

11. The golf club head of claim 10, further comprising a vibration dampening layer interposed between said removable panel and said aft section of said golf club head.

12. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein said plurality of teeth is located on said removable panel and said score line are located on said bore shaft.

13. The golf club head of claim 12, wherein said plurality of teeth is angularly disposed with respect to said bore shaft.

14. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein said plurality of teeth is located on said bore shaft and said score line are located on said removable panel.

15. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein said quick disconnect mechanism further comprises of a release tool and wherein said release tool is adapted to disengage said plurality of teeth from said score line.

16. An interchangeable golf club head system comprising:

a golf club head defining a hollow cavity containing a first portion of a quick disconnect mechanism; and

a plurality of removable panels each containing a second portion of said quick disconnect mechanism;

wherein a first removable panel is selected from said plurality of removable panels and connected to said golf club head utilizing said quick disconnect mechanism, and

wherein said quick disconnect mechanism is a non-threaded attachment mechanism; and

wherein said quick disconnect mechanism is further comprising;

a bore shaft protruding from said sole of said golf club head;

a plurality of teeth providing a male component between said sole and said removable panel; and

a score line providing a female component between said sole and said removable panel;

wherein said plurality of teeth and said score line engage one another to resist withdrawal of said removable panel from said golf club head.

17. The interchangeable golf club head system of claim 16, further comprising a vibration dampening layer interposed between said first removable panel and said golf club head.

18. The interchangeable golf club head system of claim 17, wherein said first removable panel is selected from said plurality of removable panels based on a weight property of said first removable panel.

19. The interchangeable golf club head system of claim 17, wherein said first removable panel is selected from said plurality of removable panels based on an aesthetic property of said first removable panel.