Golf club head or other ball striking device having impact-influencing body features

• US 9,643,064 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2015
• Issued: 05/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Boggs, Joshua M., Larson, Eric A., Oldknow, Andrew G. V., Prichard, Michael T., Radcliffe, Nathaniel J., Boyd, Robert M.
• Primary Examiner(s): DENNIS, MICHAEL DAVID
• Application Number:
  US14/593,762
• Publication Number:
  US 20150367202A1
• Time in Patent Office: 851 Days
• 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 53/04 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 53/045 Strengthening ribs
• 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 60/002 Resonance frequency related characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/52 with slits

Abstract

A ball striking device, such as a golf club head, has a face with a striking surface configured for striking a ball, a channel extending across a portion of the sole, wherein the channel is recessed from adjacent surfaces of the sole and/or a void defined on the sole of the body. The channel has width defined in a front to rear direction and a depth of recession from the adjacent surfaces of the sole at a vertical plane passing through the face center, wherein a ratio of the width to the depth is approximately 3.5:1 to 4.5:1.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a face having a striking surface configured for striking a ball and a face center;

a body connected to the face and extending rearwardly from the face, the body having a crown, a sole, a heel, and a toe;

an elongated channel extending across a portion of the sole between a first end located proximate the heel and a second end located proximate the toe, wherein the channel is recessed from adjacent surfaces of the sole; and

a void defined on the sole of the body, rearward of the channel, wherein the body comprises a first leg and a second leg extending rearwardly from a base portion of the body, with the void being defined between the first and second legs,

wherein the channel has a variable maximum width and a variable maximum depth of recession along a length of the channel, the variable maximum width defined in a front to rear direction and the variable maximum depth of recession defined from the adjacent surfaces of the sole at a vertical plane passing through the face center, wherein a ratio of the width to the depth is approximately 3.5;

1 to 4.5;

1,

wherein the channel comprises a center portion extending toward the heel and the toe from the vertical plane passing through the face center, a heel portion extending from a heel end of the center portion toward the heel, and a toe portion extending from a toe end of the center portion toward the toe, wherein the channel has a boundary that is defined by a front edge and a rear edge the extend between the first end and the second end of the channel, and the front edge and the rear edge at the heel portion and the toe portion are angled away from each other such that the channel width at the heel and toe portion gradually increase toward the heel and the toe respectively, and further wherein the depth of heel portion and the toe portion of the channel increase from the center portion toward the heel and the toe, respectively.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the width has no more than +/−

10% variance over the center portion.

3. The golf club head of claim 2, wherein the width of the channel is greater at the heel portion and the toe portion than at the center portion.

4. The golf club head of claim 2, wherein both the depth and the width of the channel have no more than +/−

10% variance over the center portion.

5. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the depth has no more than +/−

10% variance over the center portion.

6. The golf club head of claim 5, wherein the depth of the channel is greater at the heel portion and the toe portion than at the center portion.

7. A golf club head comprising:

a face having a striking surface configured for striking a ball and a face center;

a body connected to the face and extending rearwardly from the face, the body having a crown, a sole, a heel, and a toe;

an elongated channel extending across a portion of the sole between a first end located proximate the heel and a second end located proximate the toe, wherein the channel is recessed from adjacent surfaces of the sole; and

a void defined on the sole of the body, rearward of the channel, wherein the body comprises a first leg and a second leg extending rearwardly from a base portion of the body, with the void being defined between the first and second legs,

wherein the channel has a variable width and a variable depth of recession along a length of the channel, the variable width defined in a front to rear direction and the variable depth of recession defined from the adjacent surfaces of the sole and the channel further having a wall thickness at a vertical plane passing through the face center, wherein a ratio of the width to the wall thickness is approximately 8;

1 to 10;

1,

wherein the channel comprises a center portion extending toward the heel and the toe from the vertical plane passing through the face center, a heel portion extending from a heel end of the center portion toward the heel, and a toe portion extending from a toe end of the center portion toward the toe, wherein the channel has a boundary that is defined by a front edge and a rear edge the extend between the first end and the second end of the channel, and the front edge and the rear edge at the heel portion and the toe portion are angled away from each other such that the channel width at the heel and toe portion gradually increase toward the heel and the toe respectively, and further wherein the depth of heel portion and the toe portion of the channel increase from the center portion toward the heel and the toe, respectively.

8. The golf club head of claim 7, wherein the width has no more than +/−

10% variance over the center portion.

9. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein the width of the channel is greater at the heel portion and the toe portion than at the center portion.

10. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein both the width and the wall thickness of the channel have no more than +/−

10% variance over the center portion.

11. The golf club head of claim 7, wherein the wall thickness has no more than +/−

10% variance over the center portion.

12. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein the wall thickness of the channel is greater in the center portion than in at least one of the heel portion and the toe portion.

13. A golf club head comprising:

a face having a striking surface configured for striking a ball and a face center;

a body connected to the face and extending rearwardly from the face, the body having a crown, a sole, a heel, and a toe;

an elongated channel extending across a portion of the sole between a first end located proximate the heel and a second end located proximate the toe, wherein the channel is recessed from adjacent surfaces of the sole; and

a void defined on the sole of the body, rearward of the channel, wherein the body comprises a first leg and a second leg extending rearwardly from a base portion of the body, with the void being defined between the first and second legs,

wherein the channel has a variable width and a variable depth of recession along a length of the channel, the variable width defined in a front to rear direction and the variable depth of recession defined from the adjacent surfaces of the sole and the channel further having a wall thickness at a vertical plane passing through the face center, wherein a ratio of the depth to the wall thickness is approximately 2;

1 to 2.5;

1,

wherein the channel comprises a center portion extending toward the heel and the toe from the vertical plane passing through the face center, a heel portion extending from a heel end of the center portion toward the heel, and a toe portion extending from a toe end of the center portion toward the toe, wherein the channel has a boundary that is defined by a front edge and a rear edge the extend between the first end and the second end of the channel, and the front edge and the rear edge at the heel portion and the toe portion are angled away from each other such that the channel width at the heel and toe portion gradually increase toward the heel and the toe respectively, and further wherein the depth of heel portion and the toe portion of the channel increase from the center portion toward the heel and the toe, respectively.

14. The golf club head of claim 13, wherein the depth has no more than +/−

10% variance over the center portion.

15. The golf club head of claim 14, wherein the depth of the channel is greater at the heel portion and the toe portion than at the center portion.

16. The golf club head of claim 15, wherein both the depth and the wall thickness of the channel have no more than +/−

10% variance over the center portion.

17. The golf club head of claim 13, wherein the wall thickness has no more than +/−

10% variance over the center portion.

18. The golf club head of claim 17, wherein the wall thickness of the channel is greater in the center portion than in at least one of the heel portion and the toe portion.