U.S. patent application number 10/958400 was filed with the patent office on 2006-04-06 for combination of body and striking plate for golf club head.
This patent application is currently assigned to NELSON PRECISION CASTING CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Wen-Cheng Hsieh, Jung-Yao Tsai.
Application Number | 20060073912 10/958400 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36126250 |
Filed Date | 2006-04-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060073912 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hsieh; Wen-Cheng ; et
al. |
April 6, 2006 |
Combination of body and striking plate for golf club head
Abstract
A golf club head includes a body and a striking plate. The body
includes a front side having a recessed portion. The striking plate
includes a front side for striking golf balls and a rear side. At
least one groove is defined in one of the front side of the body
and the rear side of the striking plate. At least one plastic
protrusion is formed on the other of the front side of the body and
the rear side of the striking plate. When assembling the striking
plate and the body, the plastic protrusion deforms under pressure
to form an engaging portion that is engaged in the groove, thereby
securely engaging the striking plate with the body.
Inventors: |
Hsieh; Wen-Cheng; (Kaohsiung
Hsien, TW) ; Tsai; Jung-Yao; (Kaohsiung Hsien,
TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BIRCH STEWART KOLASCH & BIRCH
PO BOX 747
FALLS CHURCH
VA
22040-0747
US
|
Assignee: |
NELSON PRECISION CASTING CO.,
LTD.
|
Family ID: |
36126250 |
Appl. No.: |
10/958400 |
Filed: |
October 6, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
473/350 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 53/047 20130101;
A63B 53/0466 20130101; A63B 60/00 20151001; A63B 53/0487 20130101;
A63B 53/04 20130101; A63B 53/0416 20200801 |
Class at
Publication: |
473/350 |
International
Class: |
A63B 53/04 20060101
A63B053/04 |
Claims
1. A golf club head comprising: a body comprising a front side
including a recessed portion; a striking plate including a front
side for striking golf balls and a rear side; at least one groove
defined in one of the front side of the body and the rear side of
the striking plate; and at least one plastic protrusion formed on
the other of the front side of the body and the rear side of the
striking plate; wherein when assembling the striking plate and the
body, said at least one plastic protrusion deforms under pressure
to form an engaging portion that is engaged in said at least one
groove, thereby securely engaging the striking plate with the
body.
2. The golf club head as claimed in claim 1 wherein said at least
one groove is slantingly V-shaped.
3. The golf club head as claimed in claim 1 wherein said at least
one plastic protrusion is slantingly V-shaped.
4. The golf club head as claimed in claim 1 wherein said at least
one plastic protrusion includes a pointed section located in an
opening of said at least one groove when assembling the striking
plate with the body.
5. The golf club head as claimed in claim 1 wherein said at least
one groove is defined in the front side of the body and said at
least one plastic protrusion is formed on the rear side of the
striking plate.
6. The golf club head as claimed in claim 1 wherein said at least
one groove is defined in the rear side of the striking plate and
said at least one plastic protrusion is formed on the front side of
the body.
7. The golf club head as claimed in claim 6 wherein the body
further includes a positioning groove and a positioning flange, the
rear side of the striking plate including a positioning flange that
is engaged in the positioning groove of the body, and the
positioning flange of the striking plate being securely held in
place by the positioning flange of the body.
8. The golf club head as claimed in claim 1 further including an
auxiliary plastic protrusion formed on said one of the front side
of the body and the rear side of the striking plate, the auxiliary
plastic protrusion being adjacent to and extends along an outer
perimeter of said one of the front side of the body and the rear
side of the striking plate, the auxiliary plastic protrusion being
deformable to form a gap-filling portion for filling gaps between
the body and the striking plate.
9. The golf club head as claimed in claim 8 wherein the auxiliary
plastic protrusion is located on an outer side of said at least one
plastic protrusion.
10. The golf club head as claimed in claim 8 wherein said at least
one plastic protrusion extends to an extent greater than the
auxiliary plastic protrusion.
11. The golf club head as claimed in claim 1 wherein said at least
one plastic protrusion and said at least one groove extend
continuously.
12. The golf club head as claimed in claim 1 wherein said at least
one plastic protrusion and said at least one groove extend
discontinuously.
13. The golf club head as claimed in claim 1 wherein the golf club
head is one of an iron club head, a wooden club head, and a
putter.
14. The golf club head as claimed in claim 13 wherein the striking
plate is substantially U-shaped in section and bent to form an
annular supporting wall to improve elastic deformability of the
striking plate.
15. The golf club head as claimed in claim 14 wherein said at least
one groove is defined in one of the front side of the body and a
bottom face of the annular supporting wall, and wherein said at
least one plastic protrusion is formed on the other of the front
side of the body and the bottom face of the annular supporting
wall.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a golf club head. In
particular, the present invention relates to a combination of a
body and a striking plate for a golf club head.
[0003] 2. Description of Related Art
[0004] FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional golf club head comprising
a body 11 and a striking plate 12. The body 11 includes a recessed
portion 13 in a front side thereof. The recessed portion 13
includes an annular flange 14 and a shoulder 15 outside the annular
flange 14. The striking plate 12 is substantially U-shaped in
section and includes an annular abutting section 16. In assembly,
the annular abutting section 16 of the striking plate 12 abuts
against the shoulder 15 of the body 11 and engages with the annular
flange 14. Then, welding is carried out to bond the annular
abutting section 16 and the shoulder 15 together, forming a golf
club head.
[0005] The striking plate 12 and the body 11 must be manufactured
with high precision to avoid generation of gaps after bonding.
Nevertheless, if the striking plate 12 and the body 11 are
manufactured with a low-cost casting procedure, the precision
tolerances of castings of the striking plate 12 and the body 11 are
easily affected by temperature change. Troublesome CNC mechanical
milling on the annular abutting section 16 and the shoulder 15 is
required for precise engagement before bonding. The golf club head
cannot be produced economically.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a golf club
head including a body and a striking plate that can be manufactured
with a lower precision requirement.
[0007] Another object of the present invention is to provide a golf
club head that can be manufactured with a simplified process.
[0008] A further object of the present invention is to provide a
golf club head that can be manufactured at a low cost.
[0009] Still another object of the present invention is to provide
a golf club head with improved bonding quality.
[0010] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a
golf club head with lowered striking noise.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a
golf club head comprises a body and a striking plate. The body
includes a front side having a recessed portion. The striking plate
includes a front side for striking golf balls and a rear side. At
least one groove is defined in one of the front side of the body
and the rear side of the striking plate. At least one plastic
protrusion is formed on the other of the front side of the body and
the rear side of the striking plate. When assembling the striking
plate and the body, the plastic protrusion deforms under pressure
to form an engaging portion that is engaged in the groove, thereby
securely engaging the striking plate with the body.
[0012] The groove and the plastic protrusion are preferably
slantingly V-shaped. Preferably, the protrusion includes a pointed
section located in an opening of the groove when assembling the
striking plate with the body.
[0013] In an embodiment, the groove is defined in the front side of
the body and the plastic protrusion is formed on the rear side of
the striking plate.
[0014] In another embodiment, the groove is defined in the rear
side of the striking plate and the plastic protrusion is formed on
the front side of the body. The body further includes a positioning
groove and a positioning flange. The rear side of the striking
plate includes a positioning flange that is engaged in the
positioning groove of the body. The positioning flange of the
striking plate is securely held in place by the positioning flange
of the body.
[0015] An auxiliary plastic protrusion is formed on one of the
front side of the body and the rear side of the striking plate. The
auxiliary plastic protrusion is adjacent to and extends along an
outer perimeter of one of the front side of the body and the rear
side of the striking plate. The auxiliary plastic protrusion is
deformable to form a gap-filling portion for filling gaps between
the body and the striking plate. The auxiliary plastic protrusion
is located on an outer side of the plastic protrusion. The plastic
protrusion extends to an extent greater than the auxiliary plastic
protrusion.
[0016] The plastic protrusion and the groove extend continuously or
discontinuously.
[0017] The golf club head may be an iron club head, a wooden club
head, or a putter.
[0018] In an embodiment, the striking plate is substantially
U-shaped in section and bent to form an annular supporting wall to
improve elastic deformability of the striking plate. In this case,
the groove is defined in one of the front side of the body and a
bottom face of the annular supporting wall, and wherein the plastic
protrusion is formed on the other of the front side of the body and
the bottom face of the annular supporting wall.
[0019] Other objects, advantages and novel features of this
invention will become more apparent from the following detailed
description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a conventional golf club
head;
[0021] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a first embodiment
of a golf club head in accordance with the present invention;
[0022] FIG. 3 is an exploded partial sectional view of the first
embodiment of the golf club head in accordance with the present
invention before bonding;
[0023] FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view of the first embodiment
of the golf club head in accordance with the present invention
after bonding;
[0024] FIG. 5 is a partial sectional view of the first embodiment
of the golf club head after finishing;
[0025] FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a first embodiment
of the golf club head in accordance with the present invention;
[0026] FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a third embodiment
of the golf club head in accordance with the present invention;
[0027] FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a fourth
embodiment of the golf club head in accordance with the present
invention;
[0028] FIG. 9 is an exploded partial sectional view of the fourth
embodiment of the golf club head before bonding;
[0029] FIG. 10 is an exploded partial sectional view of a fifth
embodiment of the golf club head in accordance with the present
invention before bonding; and
[0030] FIG. 11 is a partial sectional view of the fifth embodiment
of the golf club head after bonding and finishing.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0031] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, a first embodiment of a golf
club head in accordance with the present invention comprises a body
2 and a striking plate 3. The body 2 is made of a metal material
with a relatively higher rigidity, such as stainless steel,
low-carbon steel, or alloy steel. The body 2 includes a front side
in which a recessed portion 22 is defined, with an engaging face 21
surrounding a front opening of the recessed portion 22. A
substantially slantingly V-shaped groove 211 is defined in the
engaging face 21. The V-shaped groove 211 is adjacent to and
extends along the outer perimeter of the body 2. The V-shaped
groove 211 inclines toward the recessed portion 22 or the outer
perimeter of the body 2. The recessed portion 22 provides a
buffering space for the striking plate 3 that deforms rearward when
striking a golf ball. A hosel 23 is provided on a side of the body
2 (preferably a side of the recessed portion 22) for engaging with
a shaft (not shown).
[0032] Still referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the striking plate 3 is
generally made of a metal or alloy with a high coefficient of
restitution and with a relatively lower rigidity, such as titanium
alloy or stainless steel. The striking plate 3 includes a front
side for striking golf balls and a rear side on which a plastic
protrusion 31 and an auxiliary plastic protrusion 32 are formed. As
illustrated in FIG. 3, the plastic protrusion 31 is located on an
inner side of the auxiliary plastic protrusion 32 that is adjacent
to and extends along an outer perimeter of the striking plate 3.
The plastic protrusion 31 and the auxiliary plastic protrusion 32
are substantially slantingly V-shaped. Further, the plastic
protrusion 31 extends to an extent greater than the auxiliary
plastic protrusion 32. The plastic protrusion 31 inclines inward or
outward to mate with the V-shaped groove 211 of the body 2. The
auxiliary protrusion 32 inclines toward the outer perimeter of the
body 2.
[0033] The plastic protrusion 31 and the auxiliary plastic
protrusion 32 are relatively small. Thus, the plastic protrusion 31
and the auxiliary plastic protrusion 32 plastically deform slightly
under pressure. Before bonding, a pointed section 311 of the
plastic protrusion 31 is located within an opening of the V-shaped
groove 211 of the body 2, and a pointed section 321 of the
auxiliary plastic protrusion 32 is located in an area of the
engaging face 21 between the V-shaped groove 211 and the outer
perimeter of the body 2.
[0034] During engagement, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the rear side
of the striking plate 3 is engaged with the front side of the body
2, with the plastic protrusion 31 aligning with the V-shaped groove
211 and with the auxiliary protrusion 32 aligning with the engaging
face 21. A downward force is then applied to the striking plate 3.
Since the pointed section 311 of the plastic protrusion 31 is
located within an opening of the V-shaped groove 211 of the body 2,
the plastic protrusion 31 enters the V-shaped groove 211 easily.
The plastic protrusion 31 deforms plastically, forming an engaging
portion 31' that is securely engaged in the V-shaped groove
211.
[0035] Further, since the pointed section 321 of the auxiliary
plastic protrusion 32 is located in the engaging face 21, the
auxiliary plastic protrusion 32 deforms plastically, forming a
gap-filling portion 32' to assure that no gap exists in a bonding
area between the striking plate 3 and the body 2.
[0036] After initial engagement, adhering, brazing, or welding can
be carried out. Further, the protruded gap-filling portion 32' can
be removed by finishing, obtaining a golf club head. Thus, the
tolerance precision requirement can be lowered, as the minimum
requirement is to assure that the pointed section 311 of the
plastic protrusion 31 is located within an opening of the V-shaped
groove 211 of the body 2. The manufacturing process is simplified
and the manufacturing cost is cut.
[0037] FIG. 6 illustrates a second embodiment of the golf club head
in accordance with the present invention, wherein the V-shaped
groove 211 includes a plurality of spaced V-shaped groove sections,
and the plastic protrusion 31 includes a plurality of spaced
plastic protrusion sections. Nevertheless, the auxiliary plastic
protrusion 32 is continuous. Each plastic protrusion section of the
plastic protrusion 31 has a length slightly smaller than that of an
associated V-shaped groove section of the V-shaped groove 211. The
tolerance precision requirement is further reduced and the force
applied to the striking plate 3 may be reduced, providing improved
convenience for bonding. Similar to the first embodiment, the
auxiliary plastic protrusion 32 is provided to avoid generation of
gaps in the bonding area between the striking plate 3 and the body
2, thereby improving the bonding quality and improving the
qualified product rate.
[0038] FIG. 7 illustrates a third embodiment of the invention,
wherein the club head is a wooden club head while the club heads in
the first and second embodiments are iron club heads. Further, it
is noted that the combination of a body and a striking plate in
accordance with the present invention can be applied to a
putter.
[0039] In this embodiment, the striking plate 3 is substantially
U-shaped in section. Further, the striking plate 3 is bent to form
an annular supporting wall 33 for improving the elastic
deformability of the striking plate 3. Further, a plastic
protrusion 31 and an auxiliary plastic protrusion 32 are formed on
a bottom face of the annular supporting wall 33 for bonding with
the V-shaped grooves 211 and the engaging face 21 of the body 2.
Thus, the striking plate 3 can be reliably bonded with the body 2
by plastic deformation, simplifying the manufacturing procedure and
cutting the manufacturing cost.
[0040] FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate a fourth embodiment of the
invention modified from the first embodiment, wherein the striking
plate 3 is substantially U-shaped in section and bent to form an
annular supporting wall 33 for improving the elastic deformability
of the striking plate 3. Further, a plastic protrusion 31 and an
auxiliary plastic protrusion 32 are formed on a bottom face of the
annular supporting wall 33 for bonding with the V-shaped grooves
211 and the engaging face 21 of the body 2. Thus, the striking
plate 3 can be reliably bonded with the body 2 by plastic
deformation, simplifying the manufacturing procedure and cutting
the manufacturing cost.
[0041] FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate a fifth embodiment of the
invention. In this embodiment, the golf club head includes a body 4
and a striking plate 5. The body 4 includes a recessed portion 42,
a positioning groove 41 surrounding the recessed portion 42, a
positioning flange 43, a plastic protrusion 44, and an auxiliary
plastic protrusion 45. A positioning flange 51, an engaging face
52, and a groove 53 are formed on a rear side of the striking plate
5.
[0042] In assembly, the positioning flange 51 of the striking plate
5 is engaged with the positioning groove 41, with the positioning
flange 43 securely holding the positioning flange 51. A pointed
section 441 of the plastic protrusion 44 of the body 4 abuts
against a wall delimiting the groove 53. Next, the pointed section
441 of the plastic protrusion 44 deforms plastically and forms an
engaging portion 44' that is securely engaged in the groove 53. The
auxiliary plastic protrusion 45 plastically deforms and forms a
gap-filling portion, which is similar to the first embodiment.
Thus, the striking plate 5 can be reliably bonded with the body 4
by plastic deformation, simplifying the manufacturing procedure and
cutting the manufacturing cost.
[0043] While the principles of this invention have been disclosed
in connection with specific embodiments, it should be understood by
those skilled in the art that these descriptions are not intended
to limit the scope of the invention, and that any modification and
variation without departing the spirit of the invention is intended
to be covered by the scope of this invention defined only by the
appended claims.
* * * * *