U.S. patent application number 11/003359 was filed with the patent office on 2006-06-08 for weight adjustable golf club head.
Invention is credited to Hsin-Hua Chen, Jung-Yu Yu.
Application Number | 20060122004 11/003359 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36575049 |
Filed Date | 2006-06-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060122004 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chen; Hsin-Hua ; et
al. |
June 8, 2006 |
Weight adjustable golf club head
Abstract
A weight adjustable golf club head is provided. The club head
has a trough at a lower part of the club head's back and a weight
positioned inside the trough. The trough is arranged to follow the
curvature of the club head's bottom. The trough has a tapered mouth
along the surface of the club head and a base. There is an
insertion hole at a position along the trough. The weight could be
inserted into the trough through the insertion hole, and then slid
along the trough. The weight contains a seat, a bolt, and a loading
ring. The seat has a locking rim and the positioning rim which are
inside the trough's base and mouth respectively when the weight is
slid into the trough. The seat's body and the locking rim have a
number of breaks so that the locking rim could be stretched. When
the bolt is screwed into or out of the seat, the locking rim would
be stretched or retracted, so that the weight could be locked or
un-locked in the trough. The loading ring is put around the seat
and could be made of various types of material. By adjusting the
position of the weight along the trough and changing the loading
ring, the club head's center of gravity could be adjusted to suit a
golfer's specific stance, habit, and the specific trajectory
required.
Inventors: |
Chen; Hsin-Hua; (Ping Tung
Hsien, TW) ; Yu; Jung-Yu; (Kaohsiung Hsien,
TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Hsin-Hua Chen
PO Box 82-144
Taipei
TW
|
Family ID: |
36575049 |
Appl. No.: |
11/003359 |
Filed: |
December 6, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
473/335 ;
473/338; 473/345 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 53/0433 20200801;
A63B 53/0466 20130101; A63B 60/02 20151001; A63B 2053/0491
20130101; A63B 53/0487 20130101; A63B 60/52 20151001; A63B 53/047
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
473/335 ;
473/338; 473/345 |
International
Class: |
A63B 53/06 20060101
A63B053/06 |
Claims
1. A weight adjustable golf club head comprising: a trough located
at a lower part in the back of said club head; and a weight
positioned inside said trough, wherein said trough is arranged to
follow the curvature of said club head's bottom edge, said trough
has an inverted T cross-sectional shape with a tapered trough
mouth, a narrow neck, and a trough base having a width larger than
said neck, an insertion hole having an aperture larger than the
diameter of said weight is at a position on said trough through
which said weight could be inserted into said trough, said weight
comprises a seat, a bolt, and a loading ring, said seat has a
locking rim at one end and a positioning rim around the middle of
said seat, said locking rim and said positioning rim are inside
said trough base and said trough mouth respectively when said
weight is slid into said trough, said seat has its inner surface
shrinks to form a tapered bulge at an end where said locking rim is
located, said locking rim and said seat's body between said locking
rim and said positioning rim have a plurality of breaks so as to
allow said locking rim to stretch outward and retract inward, said
seat has female threads along the inner surface at another end
opposite to said locking rim, said bolt has a circular bolt head at
one end and male threads at the other half of the bolt opposite to
said bolt head, said bolt is screwed into said seat, said bolt has
a pointed end pushing against said bulge and stretching said
locking rim outward so as to lock said weight to said trough, said
loading rim is put around said seat and is fixed between said
positioning rim and said bolt head.
2. The weight adjustable golf club head according to claim 1,
wherein said bolt has a length longer than that of said seat so
that, when said bolt is screwed into said seat, said bolt's pointed
end extends out of said seat and pushes against said trough base's
bottom, which locks said weight in said trough.
3. The weight adjustable golf club head according to claim 1,
wherein a plurality of weights are inserted in said trough.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] (a) Technical Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention generally relates to a golf club head,
and more particularly to a golf club head whose center of gravity
is adjustable.
[0003] (b) Description of the Prior Art
[0004] In recent years, as the manufacturing technologies for golf
club heads are continuously advancing, large varieties of club
heads of various forms and specifications are proposed. The only
purpose of all these new club head designs is nothing but to help
golfers to hit the balls farther and more accurately. However, a
golfer's performance still has a very large part related to the
golfer's stance and habit.
[0005] Therefore, so-called "weight tunable club heads" are
developed and claimed to be able to adjust the club head's center
of gravity to best suit a golfer's stance and habit. These "weight
tunable club heads" generally have a number of fixed positions
arranged on the club head and weights could be inserted or taken
out so as to adjust the club head's center of gravity. There are
also some "weight tunable club heads" allowing different weights to
be placed in a fixed position on the club head. As can be imagined,
these approaches based on fixed arrangements could only offer
limited choices for positioning the center of gravity and
trajectories, and cannot fit the needs of golfers of various skill
levels. In addition, changing the weights of these "weight tunable
club heads" is not convenient, and usually cannot be conducted
easily based on the previous ball's point of fall. Accordingly,
there is a need for a better club head design so that the change of
club head's center of gravity could be achieved easily and
conveniently.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The primary purpose of the present invention is to obviate
the shortcomings of conventional "weight tunable club heads," the
club head according to the present invention has a trough at the
club head's back. A weight could be placed in and slid along the
trough. The weight is an assembly containing a seat, a bolt, and a
loading ring. When the weight is moved to a position, the bolt is
screwed into the seat so as to lock the weight to that position.
The club head's center of gravity is thereby adjusted. The club
head according to the present invention is very easy to use as,
when changing the weight's position, only the bolt has to be
screwed loosed and the seat does not have to be taken out.
[0007] After a user use a club according to the present invention
to hit a golf ball, based on the ball's trajectory, flying angle,
and point of fall, the user could adjust the club head's center of
gravity accordingly. To adjust the club head's center of gravity,
the bolt is screwed loosed, and the weight is moved freely along
the trough to a position so that the club head's center of gravity
best suits the user's stance and habit. Then, the bolt is screwed
in again to fixedly lock the weight to that specific position. In
this process, if required, the loading ring could also be replaced
to change the weight, making the adjustment of the club head's
center of gravity and the choice of trajectories even more
flexible.
[0008] The foregoing object and summary provide only a brief
introduction to the present invention. To fully appreciate these
and other objects of the present invention as well as the invention
itself, all of which will become apparent to those skilled in the
art, the following detailed description of the invention and the
claims should be read in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings. Throughout the specification and drawings identical
reference numerals refer to identical or similar parts.
[0009] Many other advantages and features of the present invention
will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making
reference to the detailed description and the accompanying sheets
of drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment
incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by
way of illustrative example.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective explosion view showing the assembly
of the present invention on a wood head.
[0011] FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a wood head as depicted in
FIG. 1 after the assembly of the present invention.
[0012] FIG. 3 is an enlarged schematic view showing the
cross-section of the trough along the A-A line of FIG. 2 according
to the present invention.
[0013] FIG. 4 is an enlarged schematic view showing the weight
locked inside the trough according to the present invention.
[0014] FIG. 5 is a rear view showing an iron head according to an
embodiment of the present invention.
[0015] FIG. 6 is a rear view showing a putter head according to an
embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0016] The following descriptions are of exemplary embodiments
only, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability or
configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the following
description provides a convenient illustration for implementing
exemplary embodiments of the invention. Various changes to the
described embodiments may be made in the function and arrangement
of the elements described without departing from the scope of the
invention as set forth in the appended claims.
[0017] In the following, detailed description along with the
accompanied drawings is given to better explain preferred
embodiments of the present invention.
[0018] Please refer to FIGS. 1 and 2. The club head 1 according to
the present invention mainly contains troughs 11 in the back of the
club head 1, and a weight 2 whose position is adjustable along the
troughs 11. The troughs 11 are arranged so that they follow the
curvature of the club head 1 and cover the various positions for
adjusting the center of gravity of club head 1. Please also see
FIG. 3. The cross-section of the troughs 11 has an inverted T shape
(when the club is held with the club on top of the club head). The
troughs 11 have a tapered mouth 112 along the surface of the club
head 1, a narrow neck (not numbered), and a base 111 with a larger
width. There is an insertion hole 113 at a position along the
troughs 11. The insertion hole 113 has an aperture allowing the
weight 2 to pass through. The weigh 2, after being inserted into
the insertion hole 113, could be slid into and moved freely along
the troughs 11.
[0019] As shown in FIG. 4, the weight 2 contains a seat 21, a bolt
22, and a loading ring 23. The seat 21 has a hollow cylindrical
body. On the curved surface of the seat 21, there are a locking rim
212 at one end and a positioning rim 213 in the middle of the seat
21. When the weight 2 is slide into the troughs 11, the locking rim
212, having an identical dimension as that of the trough base 111,
enters the trough base 111 and keeps the weight 2 from falling
apart from the troughs 11. The positioning rim 213, on the other
hand, would be around the narrow end of the trough mouth 112. The
positioning rim 213, having a roughly identical dimension as that
of the locking rim 212, helps the weight 2 to slide smoothly along
the troughs 11 by preventing the weight 2 from tilting and getting
stuck. The circumference of the locking rim 212 and the positioning
rim 213 is trimmed to have a number of straight edges and thereby
some corners. These corners could hold against the trough base 111
and the narrow end of the trough mouth 112 so as to prevent the
seat 21 form spinning. Starting from the end opposite to the
locking rim 212, there are female threads on the inner surface of
the seat 21 up to a certain length toward the end with the locking
rim 212 for screwing in the bolt 22. Also inside the seat 21, the
inner surface gradually shrinks from where the female threads stop
toward the end with the locking rim 212 and, thereby, forms a
tapered bulge 211. At the half of the seat 21 where the bulge 211
and locking rim 212 are located, the cylindrical body and the
locking rim 212 have a number of breaks 214. These breaks 214 allow
the locking rim 212 to stretch outward when the bolt 22 is screwed
in and pressure is exerted on the bulge 211. When the bolt 22 is
screwed loosed from the seat 21, the locking rim 212 would return
to its un-stretched position.
[0020] The bolt 22 has a length slightly longer than that of the
seat 21. The bolt 22 has a circular head 222 slightly larger than
the diameter of the seat 21 on one end and male threads 221 on the
other end's surface up to a certain length. Along the circumference
of the bolt head 222, there are a number of gaps 223 so that a tool
with a number of teeth at corresponding positions could be used to
screw the bolt 22 into or out of the seat 21. The bolt 22 has a
pointed end 224 below the male threads whose slope matches that of
the bulge 211. When the bolt 22 is screwed into the seat 21 for a
certain distance, the pointed end 224 would touch the bulge 211. As
the bolt 22 is screwed further, the pointed end 224 would push the
bulge 211 and the locking rim 212 to stretch outward. When the bolt
head 222 reaches the seat 21 and the bolt 22 cannot be screwed in
further, the bolt head 222 would be completely inside the trough
mouth 112, the pointed end 224 would extend out of the seat 21.
Both the pointed end 224 and the stretched locking rim 212 would,
thereby, lock the weight 2 in the troughs 11. In this way, to
adjust the center of gravity of the club head 1, the bolt 22 is
screwed loosed, the pressure on the bulge 211 is released, the
locking rim 212 returns to its un-stretched position, the weight 2
is moved freely along the troughs 11 to an appropriate position,
the bolt 22 is then screwed in again so as to lock the weight 2
tightly at that specific position.
[0021] The loading ring 23 is put around the seat 21's cylindrical
body and is fixed between the bolt head 222 and the positioning rim
213 when the bolt 22 is screwed into the seat 21. The loading ring
23 could be replaced easily and could be made of various kinds of
material. By changing the loading ring 23, the weight 2 could have
various weights for adjusting the club head 1's center of
gravity.
[0022] In addition to the wood head 1 depicted in FIG. 1 and
described above, the present invention could also be applied to
iron head 1a as shown in FIG. 5 and putter head 1b as shown in FIG.
6. The club heads 1a and 1b both have troughs 1a1 and 1b1 at a
lower part of the club head's back. The troughs 1a1 and 1b1 are
arranged so that they follow the curvature of the club head's
bottom edge. The troughs 1a1 and 1b1 have tapered mouths 1a12 and
1b12 along the surface of the club heads 1a and 1b and bases 1a1
and 1b11 with a larger width. There are insertion holes 1a13 and
1b13 at a position along the troughs 1a1 and 1b1. The weights 2a
and 2b could be inserted into the troughs 1a1 and 1b1 through the
insertion holes 1a13 and 1b13, and then slid along the troughs 1a1
and 1b1. The weights 2a and 2b also contain a seat, a bolt, and a
loading ring (all of them not numbered in FIGS. 5 and 6), which are
implemented identically to the previous embodiment so as to achieve
the same adjusting function. In other embodiments, multiple weights
could be inserted into the troughs if required.
[0023] It will be understood that each of the elements described
above, or two or more together may also find a useful application
in other types of methods differing from the type described
above.
[0024] While certain novel features of this invention have been
shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claim, it is
not intended to be limited to the details above, since it will be
understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and
changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in
its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without
departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.
* * * * *