U.S. patent application number 10/707098 was filed with the patent office on 2005-02-24 for golf club head and method of producing the same.
Invention is credited to Albert, Lyons-Leon, Tseng, Huan-Chiang.
Application Number | 20050043111 10/707098 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34155259 |
Filed Date | 2005-02-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050043111 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Albert, Lyons-Leon ; et
al. |
February 24, 2005 |
Golf Club Head and Method of Producing the Same
Abstract
The present invention relates to a golf club head and the method
for making the same. The golf club head in the present invention
comprise a recess which has a polymer insert composed of a
thermoplastic transparent polymer material in a thickness of 2 to
25 mm with a gloss and lustrous surface. The recess can be formed
in the striking plate of a putter head, the bakcside of an iron
head or the crown of a wood head. The thermoplastic transparent
polymer material can be selected from the group consisting of
polymethacrylate, polyacrylate, polycarbonate, polyethylene
terephthalate, transparent polypropylene, transparent polyethylene,
transparent polyvinyl chloride, transparent nylon, thermoplastic
polyurethane, and the mixtures thereof.
Inventors: |
Albert, Lyons-Leon;
(Dongguan, CN) ; Tseng, Huan-Chiang; (Taipei,
TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
PERKINS COIE LLP
POST OFFICE BOX 1208
SEATTLE
WA
98111-1208
US
|
Family ID: |
34155259 |
Appl. No.: |
10/707098 |
Filed: |
November 20, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
473/324 ;
473/342; 473/349 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 2209/00 20130101;
A63B 53/0416 20200801; A63B 53/042 20200801; A63B 53/047 20130101;
A63B 53/0466 20130101; A63B 60/00 20151001; A63B 53/04 20130101;
A63B 53/0437 20200801; A63B 60/54 20151001; A63B 53/0487
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
473/324 ;
473/342; 473/349 |
International
Class: |
A63B 053/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Aug 22, 2003 |
CN |
03140244.5 |
Claims
1. A golf club head comprising: a recess having a polymer insert,
said polymer insert composed of a thermoplastic transparent polymer
material in a thickness of 2 to 25 mm and having a gloss and
lustrous surface, said recess being formed in the striking plate of
a putter head, the bakcside of an iron head or the crown of a wood
head; wherein said thermoplastic transparent polymer material is
selected from the group consisting of polymethacrylate,
polyacrylate, polycarbonate, polyethylene terephthalate,
transparent polypropylene, transparent polyethylene, transparent
polyvinyl chloride, transparent nylon, thermoplastic polyurethane,
and the mixtures thereof.
2. The golf club head according to claim 1 wherein said polymer
insert has a pattern or logo under said polymer insert or inside
said polymer insert.
3. The golf club head according claim 1 wherein said thermoplastic
transparent polymer material is selected from the group consisting
of polymethacrylate, polyacrylate, polyethylene terephthalate,
thermoplastic polyurethane and the mixtures thereof.
4. The golf club head according claim 1 wherein said thermoplastic
transparent polymer material is polymethyl methacrylate.
5. The golf club head according to claim 1 wherein said golf club
head is a putter head and said polymer insert is in a thickness of
2 to 12 mm, preferably 4 to 10 mm.
6. The golf club head according to claim 1 wherein said golf club
head is an iron head and said polymer insert is in a thickness of 4
to 22 mm, preferably 10 to 18 mm.
7. The golf club head according to claim 1 wherein said golf club
head is a wood head and said polymer insert is in a thickness of 10
to 25 mm, preferably 15 to 20 mm.
8-13. (canceled)
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of Chinese Patent
Application No.03140244.5, filed Aug. 22, 2003.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a golf club head. More
specifically, the present invention relates to a golf club head
with a transparent polymer material and a method of producing the
same.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] A golf club can be a putter, an iron and a wood which has
different head in the shape and weight. A putter head is generally
made from metals. There is also a putter head substantially made
from thermosetting polymer, as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.
6,217,459. In the history there were putters with faces composed of
gutta percha. A iron head is typically made from metals. A wood
head was originally made from woods, and now for durability woods
are substituted by metals and polymer materials.
[0006] Various kinds of putter heads with polymer insert are known
from the prior art. One such example is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.
5,5757,472 to Magerman et al. This patent provides a putter head
with a recess into which is poured or inserted a resinous material
which cures and is subsequently milled to produce the putter.
[0007] Another example is disclosed in OLE_LINK1 U.S. Pat. No.
5,524,331 to Pond. A graphite-epoxy composite insert is cast within
a recess in the metal faceplate of the club head of the U.S. Pat.
No. 5,524,331. Such an insert is directed at displacing the weight
away from the center and increasing the moment of inertia.
[0008] Another example is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,485,997 to
Schmidt et al. This patent provides a putter head with a faceplate
composed of a non-metallic material such as an elastomer, wherein
the putter has enlarged sweet spot and improved peripheral
weighting.[0010] Another example is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.
5,931,743 to Baker et al. A putter with an insert composed of a
thermoplastic polyurethane is provided in this patent.
[0009] Another example is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,458,332 to
Fisher and a set of golf putters is provided, each having an insert
composed of polyurethane with a hardness ranging from about 70
Shore A to about 80 Shore D.
[0010] Another example is that in U.S. Pat. No. 6,478,690 to
Helmsteter et al., in which a club head comprising a sole, a crown,
a toe section, a heel section, a rear section and a front face
having a recess is disclosed. An insert is disposed within the
recess. The insert is composed of a polymer material and has a
Shore D hardness in the range of 42 to 55 and a Bayshore rebound in
the range of 55 to 70. The polymer material used in the insert can
be a thermosetting polyurethane formed from a p-phenylene
diisocyanate prepolymer and a curing agent, a toluene diisocyanate
(TDI) based polyurethane prepolymer and a curing agent, or a
TDI-based polyurethane prepolymer, a PPDI-based polyurethane
prepolymer and a curing agent. The club head also has a weight body
composed of a tungsten alloy and an isolation layer which is
composed of a polymer material and disposed between the weight body
and the main body. The isolation layer is preferably composed of a
thermoplastic polyurethane. The thickness of the isolation layer 52
varies from 0.020 inch to 0.100 inch.
[0011] Another example is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,217,459
which describes a putter head made from a polymer material as a
one-piece unit. A golf ball-striking faceplate is mounted to the
putter head. The polymer material used in this patent can be a
thermosetting epoxy resin, polyester resin, acrylonitrile butadiene
styrene, acetal, polycarbonate, polyvinyl chloride, polysulfone
resin, fiberglass or vinyl esters, preferably a thermosetting epoxy
resin. The above polymer material may contain aligned or
randomly-oriented fibers for suitable use.
[0012] Another example is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,227 to
Okumoto et al. which describes a wood head comprising a hollow
metal head body and a core material filling the inside of the metal
head body, wherein the core material is an aggregate prepared by
fusing expandable beads comprising a microcapsule of a synthetic
polymer and an expanding gas enclosed therein to each other through
the expansion of the gas and has a bulk specific gravity of 0.05 to
0.15 g/cm
[0013] Another example is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,743,813 to
Chen et al. which describes a wood head comprising a hollow body
and a face consisting of a first (outer) layer made of stainless
steel, a second (intermediate) layer made of non-metal elastic and
shock-absorbing material, and a third (inner) layer made of
stainless steel.
[0014] U.S. Pat. No. 6,435,980 discloses a wood head composed of a
composite material with a textured coating on its striking plate
for better durability. The textured coating can be made from a
plurality of polymer resin particles, a carrier and a coupling
agent. The plurality of polymer resin particles are present in an
amount ranging from 5% to 30% of the volume of the texture coating.
The textured coating has a thickness of 0.0005 inch to 0.003
inch.
[0015] Yet another example is in Chinese Patent No. CN 93211978.6
which discloses a composite golf club head with a protection plate
on the face. There is a recess in the center of the faceplate,
within which there is a fibre reinforced resinous striking
layer.
[0016] Still another example is disclosed in Chinese Patent No. CN
93202806.3 in which a composite golf club head is provided
comprising an outer shell made from a metal material as a one-piece
unit, an inner shell attached to the inner wall of the outer shell
and made from carbon fibre reinforced epoxy resin, a plate and a
front wall for forming the faceplate of the club head. The front
wall is also composed of carbon fibre reinforced epoxy resin.
[0017] Although various golf club heads with polymer inserts or
comprising composite materials containing polymers have been
disclosed, polymer inserts provided in the prior art are generally
composed of thermosetting polyurethane, polyester resin or epoxy
resin. The production of such inserts requires chemical reactions
in the mold such as curing reaction and coupling reaction and
therefore it is difficult to control the production process.
Further, an insert produced in the prior art is unsatisfactory in
luster and transparency, and thus does not possess an
anesthetically pleasing appearance.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
[0018] One aspect of the present invention is a golf club head
having an polymer insert composed of thermoplastic transparent
polymer material or resin. The golf club head has a recess with the
polymer insert located therein. The polymer insert is composed of a
thermoplastic transparent polymer material and has a thickness from
2 to 25 mm and a gloss and lustrous surface. The recess can be
formed in the striking faceplate of a putter, the rear section of
an iron or the crown of a wood. A pattern or a logo can be placed
under the polymer insert. The thermoplastic transparent polymer
material can be selected from the group consisting of
polymethacrylate (PMA), polyacrylate (PA), polycarbonate,
polyethylene terephthalate (PET), transparent poly-propylene,
transparent polyethylene, transparent polyvinyl chloride,
transparent nylon, thermoplastic polyurethane, and the mixtures
thereof.
[0019] Preferably, the thermoplastic transparent polymer material
is selected from the group consisting of polymethacrylate,
polyacrylate, polyethylene terephthalate, thermoplastic
polyurethane and the mixtures thereof. More preferably, the
thermoplastic transparent material is organic glass, i.e.
polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA).
[0020] Another aspect of the present invention is a method of
producing a golf club head with a polymer insert. The method
comprises the steps:
[0021] (1) producing a coarse area or coarse areas within the
recess surface/surfaces of a golf club head by grinding or
abrasion,
[0022] (2) selecting a thermoplastic transparent polymer material
and applying heat on it until it melts into fluid,
[0023] (3) pouring the polymer fluid obtained in step (2) into the
abraded recess obtained in step (1),
[0024] (4) subsequently making the polymer fluid of step (3) dried
and hardened,
[0025] (5) abrading the completely dried polymer obtained in step
(5), and
[0026] (6) slowly polishing the abraded polymer obtained in step
(5) until a completely planar and transparent polymer insert is
obtained.
[0027] Preferably, a pattern or a logo can be placed into the
abraded recess obtained in the above step (1) before the above step
(3).
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0028] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a putter head with a abraded
recess in its faceplate.
[0029] FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the putter head of FIG. 1 with
a logo placed within the abraded recess.
[0030] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the putter head of FIG. 2 with
a transparent polymer insert in the recess.
[0031] FIG. 4 is a schematic view of an iron head with a abraded
recess in its backside.
[0032] FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the iron head of FIG. 4 with a
logo placed within the abraded recess.
[0033] FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the iron head of FIG. 5 with a
transparent polymer insert in the recess.
[0034] FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a wood head with a abraded
recess in its crown.
[0035] FIG. 8 is a schematic view of the wood head of FIG. 7 with a
logo placed within the abraded recess.
[0036] FIG. 9 is a schematic view of the wood head of FIG. 8 with a
transparent polymer insert in the recess.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0037] The present invention is directed at golf club heads with
pleasant appearance. Such an aim can be achieved by placing a
transparent polymer insert in the recess of a club head.
[0038] The polymer insert of the present invention has a gloss and
lustrous surface and is completely transparent. A pattern or logo
within or under the polymer insert is highly visible from its
exterior. The polymer insert is also capable of adjusting the
location of the center of gravity and thereby providing easy
strikes. In addition, the polymer insert is also capable of
dampening vibration. The pattern or logo can be made from
polyethylene, polyurethane, aluminum alloy, or the like.
[0039] If the golf club head is a putter head, the polymer insert
generally has a thickness of 2 to 12 mm, preferably 4 to 10 mm.
[0040] If the golf club head is an iron head, the polymer insert
generally has a thickness of 4 to 22 mm, preferably 10 to 18
mm.
[0041] If the golf club head is a wood head, the polymer insert
generally has a thickness of 10 to 25 mm, preferably 15 to 20
mm.
[0042] The present invention is also directed at a method of making
golf club heads with pleasant appearance. According to the present
invention, a transparent polymer insert can be placed in the recess
of a club head by using a method comprising substantially 6 steps
mentioned above. Such a method does not involve any curing reaction
coupling reaction and thus it can be easily realized.
[0043] The club head obtained after step (6) of the above method
can be put into an oven and baked at a temperature of about 60 to
80.degree. C. for several hours. Specific baking temperature and
baking time is dependent upon the type of polymer material
selected. Furthermore, a coating layer, e.g. a layer produced by
applying Polisher of 3M company, can be applied on the polymer
insert obtained in step (6) to enhance the glossiness and luster of
the polymer insert and protect polymer surface from scratches and
other damages.
[0044] According to the present invention, the course surface
within the recess produced by abrasion in step (1) can increase the
adhesion of the recess surface with the polymer insert disposed,
and thereby increase the life span of the club head. It is,
therefore, not necessary to use an adhesive.
[0045] If there is not a recess in the club head, a recess should
first be formed before step (1).
[0046] If a pattern or log is placed into the abraded recess before
step (3) it shall not take up the entire abraded surface of the
recess, preferably not take up the entire bottom surface because
the contacting area of the recess with polymer material will affect
their adhesion.
[0047] Generally, the temperature for heating and melting the
polymer material used in step (2) is in the range between 80 to
150.degree. C. Specific temperature is dependent upon the polymer
material selected, the speed of processing, etc.
[0048] The drying process in step (4) is preferably vacuum drying
and lasts several hours to tens of hours.
[0049] During the abrading process in step (5), a special solvent,
such as an organic solvent which can solve the selected polymer
material in some extent, can be added (e.g. sprayed) onto the
polymer so as to avoid quality decreasing, such as developing of
cracks on the surface, which is caused by the rise of temperature
during the abrading process.
[0050] The surface obtained in step (5) generally has a foggy
appearance. Therefore, a further polishing step, i.e. step (6), is
needed. This polishing process may utilize another type of solvent,
such as an inorganic solvent. In addition, the solvent can be
introduced with pressure.
[0051] The method of the present invention is easy to monitor and
control. Products of superior quality are thereby produced at lower
costs.
[0052] Referring to FIGS. 1-3, in a preferred embodiment there is a
recess 12 in the striking faceplate 11 of a putter head 10. The
bottom surface 13 and/or other inner surfaces of the recess 12 are
abraded to form a coarse area or coarse areas.
[0053] An aluminum logo 14 is then placed into the abraded recess
12. Organic glass (PMMA) is heated until it melts into fluid, which
is subsequently poured into the abraded recess 12. The PMMA fluid
poured into the abraded recess 12 should be controlled in an amount
that after curing the solid PMMA extends slightly beyond or in the
same level with the edges of the abraded recess 12. The PMMA fluid
in the recess 12 is made dried and hardened in about 15 hours in a
vacuum state. With the existence of acetone, the completely dried
PMMA obtained is abraded by a 180# sand paper or sandcloth.
Subsequently, the PMMA is polished by a sandcloth with smaller
particles in the existence of high pressure water until a polymer
insert 15 with completely flat and transparent surface is
obtained.
[0054] Referring to FIGS. 4-6, in a preferred embodiment there is a
recess 22 in a backside 21 of an iron head 20. The bottom surface
23 and/or other inner surfaces of the recess 22 are abraded to form
a coarse area or coarse areas.
[0055] An aluminum logo 24 is then placed into the abraded recess
22. Organic glass (PMMA) is heated until it melts into fluid, which
is subsequently poured into the abraded recess 22. The PMMA fluid
poured into the abraded recess 22 should be controlled in an amount
that after curing the solid PMMA extends slightly beyond or in the
same level with the edges of the abraded recess 22. The PMMA fluid
in the recess 22 is made dried and hardened in about 20 hours in a
vacuum state. With the existence of acetone, the completely dried
PMMA obtained is abraded by a 180# sand paper or sandcloth.
Subsequently, the PMMA is polished by a sandcloth with smaller
particles in the existence of high pressure water until a polymer
insert 25 with completely flat and transparent surface is
obtained.
[0056] Referring to FIGS. 7-9, in a preferred embodiment a recess
32 is formed first in the crown 31 of a wood head 30. The bottom
surface 33 and/or other inner surfaces of the recess 32 are abraded
to form a coarse area or coarse areas.
[0057] An aluminum logo 34 is then placed into the abraded recess
32. Organic glass (PMMA) is heated until it melts into fluid, which
is subsequently poured into the abraded recess 32. The PMMA fluid
poured into the abraded recess 32 should be controlled in an amount
that after curing the solid PMMA extends slightly beyond or in the
same level with the edges of the abraded recess 32. The PMMA fluid
in the recess 32 is made dried and hardened in about 25 hours in a
vacuum state. With the existence of acetone, the completely dried
PMMA obtained is abraded by a 180# sand paper or sandcloth.
Subsequently, the PMMA is polished by a sandcloth with smaller
particles in the existence of high pressure water until a polymer
insert 35 with completely flat and transparent surface is
obtained.
[0058] It will be understood that the perferred embodiments of the
invention set forth above are shown by way of illustration and not
as limitations of the invention. Other modification and variation
can be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the
spirit and scope of the appended claims and equivalents
thereof.
* * * * *