U.S. patent application number 12/417885 was filed with the patent office on 2010-01-14 for aerodynamically enhanced golf club head.
Invention is credited to Ronald E. Newcomer.
Application Number | 20100009771 12/417885 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41505644 |
Filed Date | 2010-01-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100009771 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Newcomer; Ronald E. |
January 14, 2010 |
Aerodynamically Enhanced Golf Club Head
Abstract
This present invention is a golf club head that has a concave
shaped crown directly downwardly from behind the striking face
toward the read edge of the club head. The rearwardly directed side
portions of the club head include rudder elements extending along
both sides at the same height as the club face, much like the
rudder of an airplane. The rudders are connected across the
respective top rear portions of the side elements of the club head,
with an optional aero stabilizer that is roughly one quarter of the
front to rear dimension of the club head. One or more removable
fins can be inserted into the channel shaped slots between the side
rudders to act as additional rudders for additional influence to
the club head. The rear of the club head is open between the
rudders and below the optional stabilizer for directing the flow of
air.
Inventors: |
Newcomer; Ronald E.; (Lenoir
City, TN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BERENATO & WHITE, LLC
6550 ROCK SPRING DRIVE, SUITE 240
BETHESDA
MD
20817
US
|
Family ID: |
41505644 |
Appl. No.: |
12/417885 |
Filed: |
April 3, 2009 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61080407 |
Jul 14, 2008 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
473/327 ;
473/334 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 53/0454 20200801;
A63B 53/06 20130101; A63B 60/50 20151001; A63B 53/0441 20200801;
A63B 53/0437 20200801; A63B 2225/01 20130101; A63B 60/52 20151001;
A63B 53/0466 20130101; A63B 2053/0491 20130101; A63B 60/00
20151001 |
Class at
Publication: |
473/327 ;
473/334 |
International
Class: |
A63B 53/06 20060101
A63B053/06 |
Claims
1. A golf club head, comprising: a ball striking face including a
forwardly directed front surface and respective side, top, and
bottom edges, and a housel for connecting said club head to a
shaft; side elements extending from each of said respective side
edges of said face to a rear extent of said club head; a bottom
surface extending from said bottom edge of said front face to said
rear extent of said club head, said bottom surface connecting
between said side elements at lower respective edges thereof; a
crown surface extending from said top of said front face to said
rear extent of the said club, said crown surface being steeply and
downwardly sloped toward said bottom surface and connecting to said
bottom surface at a rearward edge thereof so as to form a channel
on an upper side of said golf club head bounded by said respective
side elements and said crown; and, an aero stabilizer connecting
across said channel on said upper side of said golf club head at
said rearward extent of said club head between respective upper
edges of said side elements.
2. A golf club head as in claim 1, further comprising: at least one
removable fin mounted within said channel, and engaged in
complementary slots located in said aero stabilizer and on said
crown, so as to divide said channel into multiple channels on said
upper side of said golf club head.
3. A golf club head as in claim 1, further comprising: at least one
cavity located in at least one of said side elements for accepting
weights to influence a trajectory of said club head during a golf
swing.
4. A golf club head as in claim 1, wherein: said aero stabilizer
has a front to rear dimension that is 1/3 to 1/4 of the overall
front to rear dimension of the golf club head.
5. A golf club head, comprising: a ball striking face including a
forwardly directed front surface and respective side, top, and
bottom edges, and a housel for connecting said club head to a
shaft; side elements extending from each of said respective side
edges of said face to a rear extent of said club head; a bottom
surface extending from said bottom edge of said front face to said
rear extent of said club head, said bottom surface connecting
between said side elements at lower respective edges thereof; a
crown surface extending from said top of said front face to said
rear extent of the said club, said crown surface being steeply and
downwardly sloped toward said bottom surface and connecting to said
bottom surface at a rearward edge thereof so as to form a channel
on an upper side of said golf club head bounded by said respective
side elements and said crown.
6. A golf club head as in claim 5, further comprising: at least one
removable fin mounted within said channel, and engaged in
complementary slots located on said crown, so as to divide said
channel into multiple channels on said upper side of said golf club
head.
7. A golf club head as in claim 6, further comprising: an aero
stabilizer element mounted on said club and above said crown so as
to extend side to side between said respective side elements and
containing on an underside thereof complementary slots to further
secure said at least one removable fin.
8. A golf club head as in claim 5, further comprising: at least one
cavity located in at least one of said side elements for accepting
weights to influence a trajectory of said club head during a golf
swing.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of earlier priority
based upon the filing of a provisional application Ser. No.
61/080,407, which was filed on Jul. 14, 2008.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1) Field of the Invention
[0003] The invention relates generally to an aerodynamically
enhanced golf club head. More specifically, the invention relates
to a golf club head including rearwardly directed rudders that, in
conjunction with the concave crown, actively direct the trajectory
of a golf club head during a high speed swing.
[0004] 2) Background
[0005] The United States Golf Association (USGA) sets up guidelines
limiting the size and shape of a club head that can be used in
their sanctioned tournaments. Most golf companies design within
these guidelines with the main goals of beauty and distance. There
is no club that helps direct the swing.
[0006] The USGA regulates that the front-to-rear dimension may not
exceed 5'' and the width of the clubface is also limited to 5''. It
also states that the height may not be more than 2.8 inches.
Additionally, the club head must not exceed 460 cubic centimeters.
Staying within these dimensions does not guarantee USGA approval
but exceeding them causes automatic rejection.
[0007] Currently there are a number of golf club heads that fit
within the design parameters set forth by the USGA. Some of these
golf club heads attempt to locate the center of gravity at
different places to influence the ball flight, but these solutions
fail to meet the needs of the industry because regardless of the
location of the center of gravity if the club head is not exactly
square to the swing path the best results cannot be achieved. Other
golf club heads attempt to use perimeter weighting to get better
results on off center hits but these solutions are similarly unable
to meet the needs of the industry because even though perimeter
weighting may help with off center hits even more improvement can
be achieved by also improving the probability of hitting the ball
square to the path of the swing. Still other golf club heads seek
to vary the thickness around the surface of the club face to
increase the rebound of the ball at impact, but these solutions
also fail to meet industry needs because even though the rebound of
the ball can be improved it can be further improved by helping to
assure that the club head impacts the ball squarely at impact.
[0008] It would be desirable to have a golf club head that meets
the design parameters of the USGA and that more easily allows
golfers of all experience levels to hit a golf ball in a straight
line. It would also be desirable to have a training aid it will
help the golfer feel how the club should feel at impact with the
ball and the golfer will be able to try to replicate that same feel
and hand position throughout all the clubs in the bag.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The present invention advantageously fills the
aforementioned deficiencies by providing an aerodynamically
enhanced golf club head that meets the design parameters of the
USGA and that more easily allows golfers of all experience levels
to hit a golf ball in a straight line. The present invention also
provides a training aid it will help the golfer feel how the club
should feel at impact with the ball and the golfer will be able to
try to replicate that same feel and hand position throughout all
the clubs in the bag.
[0010] The present invention has a striking face similar to many of
the clubs on the current market, but the present invention departs
from the current industry standard design by providing a crown of
the club that dips down sharply and connects to the back edge of
the sole plate which is at the bottom of the clubface. The final
shape of this crown is aerodynamically designed and wind tunnel
tested to cause the least turbulence and most efficiency. The sides
of the clubface are rudders that extend to the rear of the clubface
at the same height as the face. There is an optional stabilizer
that is a horizontal member similar to the elevator of an airplane
and connecting the two rudders. This optional stabilizer is
approximately 1/4 to 1/3 the width of the front to rear dimension
of the club head.
[0011] To get the most leverage for the rudders and fins, the
present invention golf club head is designed to the USGA maximum
allowable width and depth. It is also designed at the maximum
height to get the greatest amount of surface area for the rudders
and fins. The rudders, fins and stabilizer are kept thin so as not
to use too much volume. The crown is lowered as much as required to
stay under the maximum volume. The crown will be shaped to get the
best aerodynamic response given the volume restriction. The basic
club has slots in the crown and underside of the stabilizer for the
insertion of optional fins. These fins may be placed at the center
and/or 1/3 points and/or 1/4 points. This allows for the golfer to
use just one fin or two fins or three fins or even five fins to
adjust the amount of influence needed. The fins can be fixed or
removable at the golfer's option. These fins add to the rudder
surface, thereby increasing the influence of the air pressure.
[0012] There are weight ports at the rear four corners that are
optional. They can be eliminated entirely or filled with
insignificant weight. They can be included at just the bottom or
top and they can be packaged with inserts of different amounts of
weight. The ports being at the extreme four corners of the rear of
the club are in the location of maximum leverage making it possible
to get the most amount of influence over the club while adding the
least amount of weight.
[0013] The present invention now will be described more fully
hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are
intended to be read in conjunction with both this summary, the
detailed description and any preferred and/or particular
embodiments specifically discussed or otherwise disclosed. This
invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and
should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth
herein; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of
illustration only and so that this disclosure will be thorough,
complete and will fully convey the full scope of the invention to
those skilled in the art.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention.
[0015] FIG. 2a is a top perspective view of the invention shown
with a single removable center fin 22 for aerodynamics.
[0016] FIG. 2b is a top perspective view of the invention shown
with two removable center fins 22 for better aerodynamics.
[0017] FIG. 2c is a top perspective view of the invention shown
with three removable center fins 22 for even better
aerodynamics.
[0018] FIG. 3 is a side view for a right hand player.
[0019] FIG. 4 is a front view for a right hand player.
[0020] FIG. 5 is a rear view for a right hand player.
[0021] FIG. 6 is a cross section view taken along lines 6-6 of FIG.
1.
[0022] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an alternative version of
the club showing the optional stabilizer removed.
[0023] FIG. 8 is a partial section of the club shown in FIG. 7
showing the pin aligned mating of the stabilizer and the aero side
rudders.
[0024] FIG. 9 is a view of the club face of FIG. 7 showing the
optional stabilizer using a single center fin.
[0025] FIG. 10 is a view of the club face of FIG. 7 showing the
optional stabilizer in combination with 2 vertical fins.
[0026] FIG. 11 is a view of the club face of FIG. 7 showing the
optional stabilizer with 3 vertical fins in place.
[0027] FIG. 12 is a section of the club shown in FIG. 7 along 8-8,
with the optional stabilizer fixed in position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0028] The present invention is directed to an aerodynamically
enhanced golf club head.
[0029] Referring to the drawing figures: FIGS. 1 and 2a show a
perspective view and downwardly directed front view, respectively,
of the invention in its most basic form; including at least one
optional center fin (22). The club head 10 looks similar to a
traditional club head except with the crown 28 of the club
extending sharply downwardly in a recessed concave fashion behind
the club face 12. The club head 10 is attached in the usual housel
16 and shaft 14 manner to enable swinging of the club head 10. The
sides 24 of the club head 10 extend as aero rudders to the back of
the club head 10 at the full height of the front. A rearwardly
positioned optional stabilizer (20) connects the two sides
(rudders) (24). The center fin (22) divides the channel (29) formed
by the rudders 24 and fin 22 into two smaller channels (29).
[0030] FIG. 2b shows the club head 10 of FIG. 2a but with two fins
(22) inserted dividing the channel into three equal channels (29).
FIG. 2c shows the club head 10 with three fins (22) inserted
dividing the channel into four equal channels (29).
[0031] The basic club 10 has slots in the crown 28 and underside of
the aero stabilizer 20 for the insertion of optional fins 22. These
fins 22 may be placed at the center and/or at the 1/3 points and/or
1/4 points of the channel 29. This allows for the golfer to use
just one fin or two fins or three fins or even five fins to adjust
the amount of influence needed so as help direct the trajectory of
the swinging club head. The fins 22 can be fixed or removable at
the golfer's option. These fins add to the overall rudder surface,
thereby increasing the effectiveness and influence of the air
pressure created as the air passes through channel 29 and along
rudders 24, fins 22, and aero stabilizer 20.
[0032] Referring to the drawing FIGS. 7-12: FIG. 7 shows a
perspective view of the invention in its most basic form; including
zero optional center fins (122). The club head 110 again looks
similar to a traditional club head except with the crown of the
club extending sharply downwardly in a recessed concave fashion
behind the club face 112. The club head 110 is attached in the
usual housel 116 and shaft 114 manner to enable swinging of the
club head 110. The sides 124 of the club head 110 extend as aero
rudders to the back of the club head 110 at the full height of the
front. A rearwardly positioned optional stabilizer (120) connects
the two sides (rudders) (124). The replaceable fins (122) divide
the channel formed by the rudders 124 into two smaller channels.
FIG. 9 shows a single centrally positioned fin 122, held in
position by the optional stabilizer 120. FIG. 10 shows a pair of
fins 122 held in position by the optional stabilizer 120. FIG. 11
shows a set of three fins 122 held in position by the optional
stabilizer 120.
[0033] The fins 120 and pinned optional stabilizer 120 are held
with heat sensitive epoxy glue commonly used in golf club
construction (typically to attach the shaft 114 to the housel 116).
The fins 122 and stabilizer 120 may used alone or in any
combination to create the necessary aero effect to direct the club
for the individual user. Each of the stabilizer 120 and club crown
include fin matching slots to align and retain the respective fins.
Additionally, the stabilizer 120 may be pinned to the side aero
rudders 124 to maintain appropriate alignment.
[0034] The final shape of the club head 10, 110 and crown 28, is
aerodynamically designed and wind tunnel tested so as to cause the
least turbulence and most efficiency during a high speed swing.
Some golf swings easily exceed 100 mph. The sides 24 of the
clubface perform as rudders as they extend to the rear of the
clubface at approximately the same height as the face 12. Air wraps
around the back face of the club head and is directed by the
rudders 24 into the channel(s) 29 formed into the crown 28 of the
club head 10. The air then encounters aero stabilizer 20 that is a
horizontal member similar to the elevator of an airplane and
connects between the two rudders. The stabilizer depth is
approximately 1/4 to 1/3 the width of the overall front to rear
dimension of the club head 10.
[0035] FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the club head 10 and
shows the side nearest a right handed golfer.
[0036] FIG. 4 shows a partial transparent front view showing the
orientation of the stabilizer (20) and center fin (22) and dividing
the channel (29) with respect to the volume of the club head.
[0037] FIG. 5 shows the rear view looking into the channels (29)
and shows the location of the weight ports (18) at the extreme
corners. The weight ports 18 at the rear four corners that are
optional. They can be eliminated entirely, filled with
insignificant weight, or left hollow. Likewise, the ports 18 can be
included at just the bottom or top and they can be packaged with
inserts of different amounts of weight. The ports being at the
extreme four corners of the rear of the club are in the location of
maximum leverage making it possible to get the most amount of
influence over the club trajectory or pitch while adding the least
amount of overall weight to the club head 10.
[0038] FIG. 6 shows a cross section through the club head exposing
the shape of the crown 28 or channel 29 bottom covering the upper
face of the club head 10.
[0039] In general, in order to get the most leverage for the
rudders and fins, the present invention golf club head is designed
to the USGA maximum allowable width and depth. Clearly, smaller
dimensions may be used for ladies and junior golf equipment. It is
also designed at the maximum height to get the greatest amount of
surface area for the rudders and fins. The rudders, fins and
stabilizer are kept as thin so as not to use too much volume but to
still provide for the requisite strength to withstand repeated high
speed striking of the ball under all conditions. The crown is
likewise downwardly swept as much as required to stay under the
maximum volume. The crown will be shaped to get the best
aerodynamic response given the volume restriction imposed by USGA
or other sanctioning body.
[0040] The objective of the aerodynamically enhanced golf club head
is an invention that assists the golfer in delivering the club head
squarely into the back of the ball at impact. The faster the swing
the more influence the rudders, fins and stabilizer has over the
direction of the club head. The essence of this invention is to use
the air pressure developed by the club head traveling through the
air to direct the alignment of the club head relative to the swing
path. To wit: For those who want to hit the ball in a straight line
and are capable of swinging in line with their target this club
head will help accomplish their goal. Some golfers prefer to hit a
draw (a ball that curves slightly from right to left for a right
handed golfer) or a fade (a ball that curves slightly left to right
for a right handed golfer). The normal setting of the club face is
neutral or 90 degrees to the swing path but drawing or fading the
ball can be accomplished by offsetting or "pointing" the club face
either left or right respectfully as related to the swing path.
This is commonly done by manufactures of traditional golf clubs but
can accomplished more consistently with a club head incorporating
the aero features of the instant invention that assists the golfer
in squaring the club head at impact.
[0041] Additional fine tuning can be accomplished to assist golfers
that have a chronic problem such as hooking or slicing. For these
golfers the club head of the present invention can be made with the
rudders and fins slightly offset from square to help deliver the
club head with a slightly open (pointing slightly right for a right
handed golfer) or a closed face (one that points slightly left for
a right handed golfer). Additional fine tuning can be accomplished
by using aerodynamically designed airfoils on the rudders and fins.
This will add to the influence of the rudders and fins.
[0042] Golf swings range in speed from around 60 miles per hour to
over 120 miles per hour. This creates a considerable force that can
be used by the present invention to influence the direction a club
head "points" during a golf swing. The preferred golf swing uses a
relaxed fairly loose grip. In using the present invention to train,
however, unless the grip is held relatively tightly the average
golfer will not be able to feel the influence of the air pressure
on the swing. The training objective is to learn to "yield" to this
aerodynamic pressure and let the club head of the present invention
direct the swing. After learning the feel of the club guiding the
swing, a user will learn to replicate the hand position at impact
throughout all of the clubs in the set.
[0043] While the present invention has been described above in
terms of specific embodiments, it is to be understood that the
invention is not limited to these disclosed embodiments. Many
modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come to
mind of those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains,
and which are intended to be and are covered by both this
disclosure and the appended claims. It is indeed intended that the
scope of the invention should be determined by proper
interpretation and construction of the appended claims and their
legal equivalents, as understood by those of skill in the art
relying upon the disclosure in this specification and the attached
drawings.
* * * * *