Golf club with multi-component construction

• US 8,734,265 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2010
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cobra Golf Company (Puma SE)
• Original Assignee: Cobra Golf Company (Puma SE)
• Inventors: Soracco, Peter L.
• Primary Examiner(s): HUNTER, ALVIN A
• Application Number:
  US12/761,377
• Publication Number:
  US 20110256954A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,503 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350, 473/245, 473/246, 473/247, 473/248
• US Class Current: 473/245
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/026 loft angle only, i.e. relative angular adjustment between the shaft and the club head about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the intended line of play when the club is in its normal address position
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• 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 53/045 Strengthening ribs
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0454 Strengthening ribs on the rear surface of the impact face plate
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0462 characterised by tapering thickness of the impact face plate
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/06 adjustable
• 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 with multi-component construction. The golf club head includes heel and toe portions that generally provide ground contacting surfaces and a raised central region. A center of gravity of the club is located outside of an envelope defined by the outer surface of the club head below the raised central region.

Claims

1. A golf club head, comprising:

a crown body including a heel portion and a toe portion;

a heel body extending downward from the heel portion of the crown;

a toe body extending downward from the toe portion of the crown;

a face body including a ball striking surface;

a hinge that couples the face body to a second body member; and

a hinge locking mechanism,

wherein the hinge locking mechanism is configured to retain the face body in a plurality of different angular orientations relative to the second body member via a tab extending from the face body that is slidably received in a tab cavity in at least one of the heel body and the toe body, and

wherein the second body member is one of the crown body, the heel body, and the toe body.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the hinge locking mechanism includes a pin that intersects the tab cavity and the tab and is configured to prevent relative motion between the tab and the tab cavity.

3. The club head of claim 1, wherein the hinge couples the face body to the crown body and defines an axis of rotation that extends in a heel to toe direction so that it is configured to provide a loft angle change.

4. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the hinge couples the face body to one of the heel body and the toe body and defines a vertical axis of rotation that extends in a crown to sole direction so that it is configured to provide a face angle change.

5. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein an axis of percussion does not intersect a raised central portion of a sole surface of the club head.

6. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein at least one of the heel body and the toe body has a portion having a maximum lateral dimension in a heel to toe direction that is spaced from the face body.

7. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the heel body and the toe body are separate components and the toe body is spaced laterally, in a heel to toe direction, from the heel body by a central portion of the crown.

8. A golf club head, comprising:

a main club head body comprising;

a crown body including a heel portion and a toe portion; and

a second body including a heel portion and a toe portion;

a face including a ball striking surface;

a hinge that couples the face to the main body; and

a hinge locking mechanism configured to retain the face in a plurality of different orientations relative to the main body, the different orientations provide a plurality of different face angle settings separated by an amount of incremental change, wherein the amount is between about 0.1° and

about 1°

.

9. The club head of claim 8, wherein the amount is about 1°

.

10. The club head of claim 8, wherein the heel portion of the second body comprises a heel body extending downward from the heel portion of the crown body and the toe portion of the second body comprises a toe body extending downward from the toe portion of the crown body.

11. The club head of claim 10, wherein toe body is spaced apart in a heel-toe direction from the heel body by a central portion of the crown body.

12. The club head of claim 10, wherein at least one of the heel body and the toe body has a maximum width in a heel-toe direction that is spaced away from the face body.

13. The club head of claim 8, wherein the hinge locking mechanism includes a tab that is slidably received in a tab cavity.

14. The club head of claim 8, wherein the hinge locking mechanism includes a pin that intersects a tab cavity and a tab to prevent relative motion between the tab and the tab cavity.

15. The club head of claim 8, wherein the hinge provides a plurality of different loft settings separated by an amount of incremental change.

16. A golf club head, comprising:

a main body comprising

a crown body including a heel portion and a toe portion and

a second body including a heel portion and a toe portion;

a hosel extending upwards from the main body;

a face including a ball striking surface; and

a hinge that couples the face to the main body wherein the hinge rotates about a crown-sole axis to provide a face angle change.

17. The club head of claim 16, further comprising a hinge locking mechanism configured to lock the face into a plurality of orientations relative to the main body.

18. The club head of claim 17, wherein the heel portion of the second body comprises a heel body extending downward from the heel portion of the crown body and the toe portion of the second body comprises a toe body extending downward from the toe portion of the crown body.

19. The golf club head of claim 18, wherein toe body is spaced apart in a heel-toe direction from the heel body by a central portion of the crown body.

20. A golf club head, comprising:

a main body comprising

a crown body including a heel portion and a toe portion and

a second body including a heel portion and a toe portion, the heel portion of the second body comprising a heel body extending downward from the heel portion of the crown body and the toe portion of the second body comprising a toe body extending downward from the toe portion of the crown body;

a hosel body extending upwards from the main body;

a face body including a ball striking surface;

a hinge that couples one of the crown body, the second body, the main body, the hosel body, and the face body to a remainder of the club head; and

a hinge locking mechanism configured to lock the club head in a plurality of different configurations.

21. The golf club head of claim 20, wherein toe body is spaced apart in a heel-toe direction from the heel body by a central portion of the crown body.

22. The golf club head of claim 20, wherein the hinge locking mechanism is configured to provide a ball striking surface of the face body with a plurality of different face angle settings.

23. The golf club head of claim 22, wherein the plurality of different face angle settings are separated by about 1°

.

24. A golf club head, comprising:

a main body comprising

a crown body including a heel portion and a toe portion and

a second body including a heel portion and a toe portion, the heel portion of the second body comprising a heel body extending downward from the heel portion of the crown body and the toe portion of the second body comprising a toe body extending downward from the toe portion of the crown body;

a hosel body extending upwards from the main body;

a face body including a ball striking surface;

a hinge that couples the face body to a remainder of the club head, the hinge couples the face body to one of the heel body and the toe body and defines a vertical axis of rotation that extends in a crown to sole direction so that it is configured to provide a face angle change; and

a hinge locking mechanism configured to retain the club head in a plurality of different configurations.

25. The golf club head of claim 24, wherein the hinge defines an axis of rotation that is vertical when the club head is at address so that it is configured to provide a face angle change.

26. The golf club head of claim 24, wherein the hinge defines an axis of rotation that extends in a crown to sole direction so that it is configured to provide a face angle change.

27. The golf club head of claim 24, wherein the hinge defines a vertical axis of rotation that is substantially parallel to an axis of the hosel body so that it is configured to provide a face angle change.

28. The golf club head of claim 24, wherein toe body is spaced apart in a heel-toe direction from the heel body by a central portion of the crown body.

29. The golf club head of claim 24, wherein the hinge locking mechanism is configured to provide the ball striking surface with a plurality of different face angle settings, and further wherein the plurality of different face angle settings are separated by an incremental change amount.

30. The golf club head of claim 29, wherein the incremental change amount is between about 0.1°

and about 1°

.

31. The golf club head of claim 29, wherein the incremental change amount is about 1°

.