Golf club head

• US 8,216,087 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2010
• Issued: 07/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cobra Golf Company (Puma SE)
• Original Assignee: Cobra Golf Company (Puma SE)
• Inventors: Breier, Joshua G., Soracco, Peter L., Rice, Scott A., Haralson, Gregory, Golden, Charles E., Morris, Thomas C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US12/870,724
• Publication Number:
  US 20110053706A1
• Time in Patent Office: 683 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350, 473287-292, 473/256
• US Class Current: 473/334
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/02 with reinforcing fibres, e.g. carbon, polyamide fibres
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/023 Long, oriented fibres, e.g. wound filaments, woven fabrics, mats
• 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 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0437 with special crown configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0458 with non-uniform 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: A63B 60/54 with means for damping vibrations

Abstract

A hollow golf club head with a concave portion is disclosed and claimed. The club head includes a metallic portion and a light-weight portion, which may be formed of plastic, composite, or the like. The concave portion allows the club designer to make a club head having very thin portions while still maintaining the requisite structural integrity. Convex bulges may optionally be provided to house weight inserts to enhance the playing characteristics of the golf club. The metallic portion of the club head may take on the appearance of a frame, into which several light-weight inserts are positioned. These light-weight inserts may be positioned in the crown, skirt, and sole of the club head. The club head may be formed by co-molding, eliminating the need for welding or adhesives, freeing mass to be used in more beneficial ways. The club head may be large to increase playability and forgiveness. The club head may include one or more light-weight inserts to manipulate the playing characteristics of the resulting golf club. These inserts may have attachment surfaces that are relatively angled such that the inserts are subjected to compressive forces rather than shear forces upon impact with a golf ball during a golf swing.

Claims

1. A golf club head, comprising:

a body having a striking face, a sole, a heel, and a toe;

a crown insert coupled to the body via a crown attachment perimeter, thereby defining a shell having an interior surface and an exterior surface;

a u-shaped internal groove comprising a portion of the crown attachment perimeter; and

an internal weight adjustably positioned within the internal groove.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said weight has a mass between 2 grams to 35 grams.

3. The golf club head of claim 2, further comprising a skirt insert coupled to the body via a skirt attachment perimeter, wherein a first and second portion of the skirt attachment perimeter are angled relative to each other at an angle α

.

4. The golf club head of claim 3, wherein alpha has a value between about 40 degrees and about 50 degrees.

5. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the internal groove extends from the heel to the toe on the interior surface.

6. The golf club head of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of u-shaped internal grooves, wherein each internal groove comprises a portion of the crown attachment perimeter.

7. A golf club head, comprising:

a body having a striking face, a sole, a crown, a heel, and a toe, the body defining a hollow interior volume, wherein the heel comprises a u-shaped internal groove extending from the heel to the toe, wherein at least a portion of the internal groove is exposed to the hollow interior volume; and

at least one weight positioned within the internal groove.

8. The golf club head of claim 7, wherein the weight has a mass from 2 grams to 35 grams.

9. The golf club head of claim 7, wherein the crown is a crown insert.

10. The golf club head of claim 9, wherein the crown insert is coupled to the body via an attachment perimeter, and further wherein at least a portion of the attachment perimeter defines at least a portion of an edge of the internal groove.

11. The golf club head of claim 9, wherein the crown insert is formed of a light-weight material.