Golf club head

• US 8,591,352 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2010
• Issued: 11/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited
• Original Assignee: SRI Sports Limited (Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Hirano, Tomoya
• Primary Examiner(s): BLAU, STEPHEN LUTHER
• Application Number:
  US12/973,324
• Publication Number:
  US 20110152001A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,072 Days
• Field of Search: 473334-339, 473345-346
• US Class Current: 473/336
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0495 moving on impact, slidable, spring or otherwise elastically biased
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• 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 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0487 for putters A63B53/065 takes precedence
• 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 comprises: a hollow structure having an insertion-opening in the outer surface of the golf club head; a quick-release lid of the insertion-opening; a tubular part disposed in a hollow of the hollow structure and having a bottomed hole with which the insertion-opening communicates; and a gravity point adjuster. The gravity point adjuster comprises: a heavy-weight member having a specific gravity and a length L2; a light-weight member having a specific gravity less than that of the heavy-weight member and a length L1 more than the length L2; and an elastic member having a specific gravity less than that of the heavy-weight member, and an elastic modulus lower than those of the heavy-weight member and light-weight member. The heavy-weight member, light-weight member and elastic member are inserted in the bottomed hole by the use of the insertion-opening so that their relative positions relative to the bottomed hole can be changed easily by the golfer himself or herself.

Claims

1. A combination of a golf club head and a gravity point adjuster, wherein

the golf club head comprises

a hollow structure having an insertion-opening in the outer surface of the golf club head,

a quick-release lid of the insertion-opening, and

a tubular part disposed in a hollow of the hollow structure and having a bottomed hole with which the insertion-opening communicates, and

the gravity point adjuster comprises

a heavy-weight member having a specific gravity and a length L2,

a light-weight member having a specific gravity less than that of the heavy-weight member and a length L1 more than the length L2, and

an elastic member having a specific gravity less than that of the heavy-weight member, and an elastic modulus lower than those of the heavy-weight member and light-weight member, wherein

the heavy-weight member, the light-weight member and the elastic member are inserted in the bottomed hole by the use of the insertion-opening so that their relative positions relative to the bottomed hole can be changed and wherein a wall of the tubular part partitioning between the bottomed hole and the hollow is provided with one or more through-holes, and

a wall of the tubular part partitioning between the bottomed hole and the hollow is provided with one or more through-holes.

2. The combination according to claim 1, wherein the bottomed hole extends in a front-back direction of the golf club head.

3. The combination according to claim 1, wherein the bottomed hole extends in a toe-heel direction of the golf club head.

4. The combination according to claim 1, wherein the bottomed hole extends in a vertical direction of the golf club head.

5. The combination according to claim 1, wherein the golf club head is provided with plural sets of the tubular part having the bottomed hole, the insertion-opening communicating with the bottomed hole, and the quick-release lid of the insertion-opening.

6. The combination according to claim 1, wherein the golf club head is provided with plural sets of the tubular part having the bottomed hole, the insertion-opening communicating with the bottomed hole, and the quick-release lid of the insertion-opening, and the gravity point adjuster is disposed in each of the bottomed holes.

7. The combination according to claim 1, wherein the heavy-weight member and the light-weight member are separated parts.

8. The combination according to claim 7, wherein the light-weight member is provided with a closed hollow or an open hollow.

9. The combination according to claim 7, wherein the light-weight member is provided with a hollow extending along its length, and the cross sectional area Sk of the light-weight member is not less than 0.45 times and not more than 0.8 times the cross sectional area Sb of the bottomed hole.

10. The combination according to claim 7, wherein the length L1 of the light-weight member is not less than 2.0 times the length L2 of the heavy-weight member.

11. The combination according to claim 7, wherein

the heavy-weight member is composed of a first part and a second part made of two kinds of materials having different specific gravities each larger than the light-weight member and the elastic member,

the first part and second part having semicircular columnar forms which are complementary to each other so that, by combining these into one, the cylindrical heavy-weight member is formed, and

the division plane between the first part and second part includes the center axis of the cylindrical heavy-weight member, whereby

the center of gravity of the heavy-weight member shifts radially from its center axis.

12. The combination according to claim 1, wherein the heavy-weight member and the light-weight member are combined into one part in the form of a stick so that the center of gravity of the combined heavy-weight member and light-weight member shifts towards the heavy-weight member side from the middle point of the length of the combined heavy-weight member and light-weight member.

13. The combination according to claim 12, wherein the heavy-weight member is fixed to one end of the light-weight member.

14. The combination according to claim 12, wherein the heavy-weight member is fixed to one end of the light-weight member, and the length L1 of the light-weight member is not less than 2.0 times the length L2 of the heavy-weight member.

15. The combination according to claim 12, wherein the heavy-weight member is embedded in the light-weight member.

16. The combination according to claim 12, wherein the light-weight member is provided with a closed hollow or an open hollow.

17. The combination according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member has a shore A hardness of from 35 to 75.

18. The combination according to claim 17, wherein in the bottomed hole, the elastic member is compressed in the direction of the central axis of the bottomed hole, and the length of the elastic member in the compressed state is in a range of from 0.4 to 0.7 times the length of the elastic member in its free state.

19. The combination according to claim 17, wherein the elastic member in its free state has a size such that a small gap is formed between the inner surface of the bottomed hole and the outer surface of the elastic member in its free state inserted in the bottomed hole.

20. The combination according to claim 1, wherein the tubular part and the hollow structure are formed by integral molding.

21. The combination according to claim 1, wherein the tubular part is formed from a lightweight metal material and welded to the hollow structure.

22. The combination according to claim 1, wherein the tubular part is formed from a lightweight material and fixed to the hollow structure by means of adhesive or press fitting.