U.S. patent application number 17/675554 was filed with the patent office on 2022-07-14 for multi-material golf club head.
This patent application is currently assigned to Acushnet Company. The applicant listed for this patent is Acushnet Company. Invention is credited to Richard L. Cleghorn, Hiroshi Kawaguchi, Peter Larsen, Ryuichi Sugimae.
Application Number | 20220219049 17/675554 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000006260446 |
Filed Date | 2022-07-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20220219049 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Cleghorn; Richard L. ; et
al. |
July 14, 2022 |
MULTI-MATERIAL GOLF CLUB HEAD
Abstract
A multi-material golf club head having an improved performance
is disclosed. More specifically, the present invention relates to a
multi-material golf club head having a metallic frontal portion and
a lightweight aft portion with an addition of an internal ribbon
support member. The lightweight aft portion could be formed of a
multi-layered sandwich material with at least one layer having low
damping properties. The lightweight aft portion may be formed out
of a lightweight crown sub-shell and a lightweight sole sub-shell,
both of which combine to receive a weighting system.
Inventors: |
Cleghorn; Richard L.;
(Oceanside, CA) ; Sugimae; Ryuichi; (San Diego,
CA) ; Larsen; Peter; (San Marcos, CA) ;
Kawaguchi; Hiroshi; (Aliso Viejo, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Acushnet Company |
Fairhaven |
MA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Acushnet Company
Fairhaven
MA
|
Family ID: |
1000006260446 |
Appl. No.: |
17/675554 |
Filed: |
February 18, 2022 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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17225862 |
Apr 8, 2021 |
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17675554 |
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17205678 |
Mar 18, 2021 |
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17225862 |
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17205376 |
Mar 18, 2021 |
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17205678 |
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63106248 |
Oct 27, 2020 |
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63112551 |
Nov 11, 2020 |
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63119121 |
Nov 30, 2020 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 2053/0491 20130101;
A63B 53/042 20200801; A63B 53/0437 20200801; A63B 53/0433
20200801 |
International
Class: |
A63B 53/04 20060101
A63B053/04 |
Claims
1. A golf club head comprising: a frontal striking face portion
located at a frontal portion of said golf club head; and an aft
body portion, attached to the rear of said striking face portion;
wherein the aft body portion further comprises a lightweight shell,
wherein said lightweight shell further comprises, a lightweight
crown sub-shell, and a lightweight sole sub-shell, wherein a said
lightweight crown sub-shell and said lightweight sole sub-shell are
joined together via a lap joint, wherein said lap joint is located
away from a skirt portion of said golf club head.
2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said skirt portion is
located at a geometric pinch point of said golf club head.
3. The golf club head of claim 2, wherein said lap joint is located
below said geometric pinch point of said golf club head.
4. The golf club head of claim 2, wherein said lightweight crown
sub-shell forms an internal wall of said lap joint.
5. The golf club head of said claim 4, wherein said lightweight
sole sub-shell forms an external wall of said lap joint.
6. The golf club head of claim 2, wherein said lightweight crown
sub-shell has a first thickness, said lightweight sole sub-shell
has a second thickness, and wherein a portion of said lightweight
shell having a greater thickness forms an external wall of said lap
joint.
7. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein a portion of said
lightweight shell having a lesser thickness forms an internal wall
of said lap joint.
8. The golf club head of claim 2, wherein said lightweight crown
sub-shell further comprises a crown recessed skirt and said
lightweight sole sub-shell further comprises a sole recessed skirt,
wherein said crown recessed skirt and said sole recessed skirt
combine to create a recessed skirt, wherein said golf club head
further comprises a weighting system sandwiching both an internal
surface and an external surface of said recessed skirt.
9. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein said weighting system
further comprises; an internal weight housing, an external weight
housing, and a high density weight, wherein said external surface
of said internal weight housing mates with said internal surface of
said recessed skirt, wherein said internal surface of said external
weight housing mates with said external surface of said recessed
skirt.
10. A golf club head comprising: a frontal striking face portion
located at a frontal portion of said golf club head; and an aft
body portion, attached to the rear of said striking face portion;
wherein the aft body portion further comprises a lightweight shell,
wherein said lightweight shell further comprises, a lightweight
crown sub-shell having a crown recessed skirt, and a lightweight
sole sub-shell having a sole recessed skirt, wherein said crown
recessed skirt and said sole recessed skirt combine to form a
recessed skirt of said golf club head, and a weighting system
attached to said recessed skirt.
11. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein said weighting system
further comprises; an internal weight housing, an external weight
housing, and a high density weight, wherein said external surface
of said internal weight housing mates with an internal surface of
said recessed skirt, wherein said internal surface of said external
weight housing mates with an external surface of said recessed
skirt.
12. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein a portion of said
external weight housing directly engages said internal weight
housing.
13. The golf club head of claim 12, further comprises; an adhesive
adapted to bond said internal weight housing, an external weight
housing, and said recessed skirt to one another.
14. The golf club head of claim 12, wherein said external weight
housing further comprises a female threaded receptacle adapted to
engage a male threaded protrusion of said high density weight.
15. The golf club head of claim 12, wherein a said lightweight
crown sub-shell and said lightweight sole sub-shell are joined
together via a lap joint, and wherein said lap joint is located
away from a geometric pinch point of said golf club head.
16. The golf club head of claim 15, wherein said lightweight crown
sub-shell has a first thickness, said lightweight sole sub-shell
has a second thickness, and wherein a portion of said lightweight
shell having a greater thickness forms an external wall of said lap
joint.
17. The golf club head of claim 16, wherein a portion of said
lightweight shell having a lesser thickness forms an internal wall
of said lap joint.
18. A golf club head comprising: a frontal striking face portion
located at a frontal portion of said golf club head; and an aft
body portion, attached to the rear of said striking face portion;
wherein the frontal striking face portion and said aft body portion
are joined via a first lap joint, wherein said frontal striking
face portion forms an external surface of said first lap joint and
said aft body portion forms an internal surface of said first lap
joint, wherein the aft body portion further comprises a lightweight
shell, wherein said lightweight shell further comprises, a
lightweight crown sub-shell having a crown recessed skirt, and a
lightweight sole sub-shell having a sole recessed skirt, wherein a
said lightweight crown sub-shell and said lightweight sole
sub-shell are joined together via a second lap joint, wherein said
second lap joint is located away from a skirt portion of said golf
club head. wherein said crown recessed skirt and said sole recessed
skirt combine to form a recessed skirt of said golf club head, and
a weighting system attached to said recessed skirt.
19. The golf club head of claim 18, wherein said lightweight crown
sub-shell has a first thickness, said lightweight sole sub-shell
has a second thickness, and wherein a portion of said lightweight
shell having a greater thickness forms an external wall of said lap
joint.
20. The golf club head of claim 19, wherein a portion of said
lightweight shell having a lesser thickness forms an internal wall
of said lap joint.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application is a Continuation-In-Part (CIP) of
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/255,862, filed on Apr. 8, 2021,
which is a CIP of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/205,678,
filed Mar. 18, 2021, which is a CIP of U.S. patent application Ser.
No. 17/205,376, filed Mar. 18, 2021, which claims the benefit of
U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/106,248 filed on Oct. 27,
2020, U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/112,551, filed Nov.
11, 2020, and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/119,121,
filed Nov. 30, 2020, the disclosure of which are all incorporated
by reference in their entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to a multi-material
golf club head with improved performance. More specifically, the
present invention relates to a multi-material golf club head having
a metallic frontal portion and a lightweight aft portion with an
addition of an internal ribbon support member. The internal ribbon
support member helps significantly improve the structural rigidity
of the lightweight aft portion and improve the acoustic performance
of the golf club head itself. The present invention may also
further be comprised of a weighting mechanism that is accessible
via an opening within the lightweight aft portion, but connects
directly to the metallic frontal portion to mitigate any of the
structural integrity issues associated with installing weights in
lightweight portions of a golf club head.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The utilization of weighting elements to improve the
performance of a golf club head has been known in the industry.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,692,306 to Glover filed in 1971 shows one of the
earliest golf club with a weighting mechanism. Using different
material with inherently different density and weighting properties
allows the performance of the golf club head to be improved.
[0004] Modern day golf club heads, especially metalwood type golf
club heads have continuously improved upon the ability to utilize
weighting to improve the performance of a golf club head. U.S. Pat.
No. 8,951,143 to Morales et al. illustrated one of the more modern
ideas that taught a weight attachment mechanism wherein a weight
member is coupled with a bracket.
[0005] The issues of adding weights to a golf club head becomes
even more complicated when a lightweight composite material is used
to form a portion of a golf club head. Lightweight composite
materials, although very strong in an orientation that is
perpendicular to their fibers, can often be weak when subjected to
forces in alternate orientations. Hence, adding weighting to a
lightweight composite golf club head can often be difficult. U.S.
Pat. No. 8,979,671 to DeMille et al. illustrates one of the
solutions to address this issue, by strengthening the material
around the weight and adding additional support members.
[0006] Hence it can be seen there is a need in the industry to
create a golf club that utilizes a lightweight composite aft body
that is capable of sufficient structural rigidity, good sounds, and
good performance.
[0007] Additionally, the addition of the thickness of the material
to strengthen the material around the weight and the addition of
support members can create the undesirable effect of adding in
weight at locations that is not desirable. Hence, based on the
above, there exists a need to help improve upon the weight
attachment mechanism of a golf club head that has a lightweight
second material to form a portion of the golf club head itself,
without any of the negative side effects associated with
traditional methods.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] One aspect of the present invention is a golf club head
comprising of a frontal striking face portion having one or more
threaded receptacles and an aft body attached to the rear of the
frontal striking face portion. The aft body portion further
comprises of a lightweight shell having one or more weight
openings, and internal ribbon support member that attaches to an
internal surface of the lightweight shell around a skirt of the
lightweight shell, wherein the internal ribbon support member
further comprises a secondary wall, separating an internal overall
volume of the golf club head into a frontal volumetric chamber and
a rear volumetric chamber, wherein the golf club head has a
Volumetric Ratio of between about 12.6 to about 19.1. The
Volumetric Ratio is defined as:
Volumetric .times. .times. Ratio = Frontal .times. .times.
Volumetric .times. .times. Chamber .times. .times. Volume Rear
.times. .times. Volumetric .times. .times. Chamber .times. .times.
Volume . ##EQU00001##
[0009] In another aspect of the present invention is a golf club
head comprising of a frontal striking face portion having one or
more threaded receptacles and an aft body attached to the rear of
the frontal striking face portion. The aft body portion further
comprises of a lightweight shell having one or more weight
openings, and internal ribbon support member that attaches to an
internal surface of the lightweight shell around a skirt of the
lightweight shell, wherein the internal ribbon support member
further comprises a secondary wall, separating an internal overall
volume of the golf club head into a frontal volumetric chamber and
a rear volumetric chamber wherein the golf club head has a frontal
volumetric chamber that comprises of between about 82% to about 91%
of the internal overall volume of the golf club head.
[0010] In another aspect of the present invention is a golf club
head comprising of a frontal striking face portion having one or
more threaded receptacles and an aft body attached to the rear of
the frontal striking face portion. The aft body portion further
comprises of a lightweight shell having one or more weight
openings, and internal ribbon support member that attaches to an
internal surface of the lightweight shell around a skirt of the
lightweight shell, wherein the internal ribbon support member
further comprises a secondary wall, separating an internal overall
volume of the golf club head into a frontal volumetric chamber and
a rear volumetric chamber wherein the golf club head has a frontal
volumetric chamber that comprises of between about 82% to about 91%
of the internal overall volume of the golf club head and wherein
greater than about 15 percent of an overall mass of the golf club
head is located rearward of and behind the secondary wall.
[0011] In another aspect of the present invention is a golf club
head comprising of a frontal striking face portion having one or
more threaded receptacles and an aft body attached to the rear of
the frontal striking face portion. The aft body portion further
comprises of a lightweight shell having one or more weight
openings, and internal ribbon support member that attaches to an
internal surface of the lightweight shell around a skirt of the
lightweight shell, wherein the internal ribbon support member
further comprises of a plurality of cutouts, and wherein the
internal ribbon support member has a mass of less than about 5.0
grams.
[0012] In another aspect of the present invention the internal
ribbon support member further comprises of an internal component
and an external component.
[0013] In another aspect of the present invention, the internal
component and the external component combine to form a diamond
shaped internal ribbon support member.
[0014] In another aspect of the present invention is a golf club
head that produces a sound that has a Critical Time T.sub.critical
of greater than about 0.01 seconds and less than about 0.02
seconds; said Critical Time T.sub.critical is defined as the amount
of time it take said sound to oscillate from a peak amplitude
A.sub.max to a point of 10% of said peak amplitude A.sub.max.
[0015] In another aspect of the present invention is a golf club
head comprising of a frontal striking face portion having one or
more threaded receptacles and an aft body attached to the rear of
the frontal striking face portion. The aft body portion further
comprises of a lightweight shell having one or more weight
openings, and internal ribbon support member that attaches to an
internal surface of the lightweight shell around a skirt of the
lightweight shell, and one or more screw weights inserted through
the one or more weight opening to engage the one or more threaded
receptacle, wherein the lightweight shell and the internal ribbon
support member are both made from a fiber reinforced polymer.
[0016] In another aspect of the present invention is a golf club
head comprising of a frontal striking face portion having two or
more threaded receptacles, and an aft body portion attached to the
rear of the frontal striking face portion. The aft body portion
further comprises of a lightweight shell having two or more weigh
openings, an internal ribbon support member that attaches to an
internal surface of the lightweight shell around a skirt of the
lightweight shell, and two or more screw weights inserted through
the one or more weight openings to engage the two or more threaded
receptacle, wherein the two or more screw weights are separated by
a distance of between about 80 mm to about 120 mm.
[0017] In another aspect of the present invention the lightweight
shell further comprises of a lightweight crown sub-shell that is
further comprised of an outer layer, a central layer, and an
internal layer, wherein the central layer is made from a
polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) material that is a semi-crystalline
resin material. And wherein the outer layer and the internal layer
are both made from a polyetherimide (PEI) film.
[0018] In another aspect of the present invention, at least one of
a lightweight crown sub-shell, a lightweight sole sub-shell, and a
internal ribbon support member further comprises of an outer layer,
a central layer, and an internal layer, wherein the central layer
further comprises of between about 5 individual layers and about 13
individual layers.
[0019] In another aspect of the present invention, the aft body
portion of the golf club head is further comprised of a sole
plate.
[0020] In another aspect of the present invention wherein the
lightweight shell further comprises a lightweight crown sub-shell
and a lightweight sole sub-shell that are joined to one another via
a lap joint, and wherein the lap joint is located away from a skirt
portion of the golf club head.
[0021] In another aspect of the present invention the golf club
head further comprises a weighting system attached to a recessed
skirt portion of the golf club head, wherein the lightweight crown
sub-shell forms a crown recessed skirt and the lightweight sole
sub-shell forms a sole recessed skirt.
[0022] These and other features, aspects and advantages of the
present invention will become better understood with reference to
the following drawings, description and claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0023] The foregoing and other features and advantages of the
invention will be apparent from the following description of the
invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The
accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a
part of the specification, further serve to explain the principles
of the invention and to enable a person skilled in the pertinent
art to make and use the invention.
[0024] FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings shows a perspective view
of a golf club head in accordance with the present invention;
[0025] FIG. 2 of the accompanying drawings shows a frontal view of
a golf club head in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention;
[0026] FIG. 3 of the accompanying drawings shows a bottom sole view
of a golf club head in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention;
[0027] FIG. 4 of the accompanying drawings shows an exploded sole
perspective view of a golf club head in accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention;
[0028] FIG. 5 of the accompanying drawings shows a time sequence
diagram representing the amplitude of the sound of a golf club head
in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
[0029] FIG. 6 of the accompanying drawing shows a cross-sectional
view of a golf club head in accordance with an embodiment of the
present invention taken along cross-sectional line A-A' shown in
FIG. 2;
[0030] FIG. 7 of the accompanying drawings shows an enlarged
cross-sectional view of a golf club head in accordance with an
exemplary embodiment of the present invention taken along
cross-sectional line C-C' shown in FIG. 2;
[0031] FIG. 8 of the accompanying drawings shows a cross-sectional
view of a golf club head in accordance with an exemplary embodiment
of the present invention taken along cross-sectional line B-B'
shown in FIG. 2;
[0032] FIG. 9 of the accompanying drawings shows an enlarged
cross-sectional view of a golf club head in accordance with an
exemplary embodiment of the present invention taken along
cross-sectional line C-C' shown in FIG. 2;
[0033] FIG. 10 of the accompanying drawings shows a bottom sole
view of a golf club head in accordance with an embodiment of the
present invention;
[0034] FIG. 11 of the accompanying drawings shows an exploded sole
perspective view of a golf club head in accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention;
[0035] FIG. 12 of the accompanying drawings shows a cross-sectional
view of a golf club head in accordance with an embodiment of the
present invention taken along cross-sectional line A-A' as shown in
FIGS. 2 and 11;
[0036] FIG. 13 of the accompanying drawings shows a bottom sole
view of a golf club head in accordance with an embodiment of the
present invention;
[0037] FIG. 14 of the accompanying drawings shows a toe side view
of a golf club head in accordance with a further alternative
embodiment of the present invention;
[0038] FIG. 15 of the accompanying drawings shows an exploded toe
side view of a golf club head in accordance with a further
alternative embodiment of the present invention;
[0039] FIG. 16 of the accompanying drawings shows a cross-sectional
view of a golf club head in accordance with a further alternative
embodiment of the present invention taken along cross-sectional
line A-A' as shown in FIGS. 2 and 11;
[0040] FIG. 17 of the accompanying drawings shows an exploded toe
side view of a golf club head in accordance with an even further
alternative embodiment of the present invention;
[0041] FIG. 18 of the accompanying drawings shows a cross-sectional
view of a golf club head in accordance with an even further
alternative embodiment of the present invention taken along
cross-sectional line A-A' as shown in FIGS. 2 and 11;
[0042] FIG. 19 of the accompanying drawings shows an exploded
perspective view of a golf club head in accordance with an even
further alternative embodiment of the present invention;
[0043] FIG. 20 of the accompanying drawings shows an enlarged view
of a internal ribbon support member in accordance with the
alternative embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG.
19;
[0044] FIG. 21 of the accompanying drawings shows an exploded
perspective view of a golf club head in accordance with an even
further alternative embodiment of the present invention;
[0045] FIG. 22 of the accompanying drawings shows an enlarged view
of a internal ribbon support member in accordance with the
alternative embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG.
21;
[0046] FIG. 23 of the accompanying drawings shows an exploded
perspective view of a golf club head in accordance with an even
further alternative embodiment of the present invention;
[0047] FIG. 24 of the accompanying drawings shows an enlarged view
of a internal ribbon support member in accordance with the
alternative embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG.
23;
[0048] FIG. 25 of the accompanying drawings shows an exploded heel
side view of a golf club head in accordance with an even further
alternative embodiment of the present invention;
[0049] FIG. 26 of the accompanying drawings shows a cross-sectional
view of a golf club head in accordance with a further alternative
embodiment of the present invention, taken along cross-sectional
line A-A' as shown in FIGS. 2 and 11;
[0050] FIG. 27 of the accompanying drawings shows a exploded toe
side view of a golf club head in accordance with a further
alternative embodiment of the present invention;
[0051] FIG. 28 of the accompanying drawings shows a different
cross-sectional view of a golf club head in accordance with a
further alternative embodiment of the present invention, taken
perpendicular to cross-sectional line A-A';
[0052] FIG. 29 of the accompanying drawings shows an enlarged
partial cross-sectional view of a skirt portion of a golf club head
highlighted by circular region A shown in FIG. 28;
[0053] FIG. 30 of the accompanying drawings shows an exploded of a
rear aft portion of a golf club head in accordance with a further
alternative embodiment of the present invention;
[0054] FIG. 31 of the accompanying drawings shows a cross-sectional
view of a golf club head in accordance with a further alternative
embodiment of the present invention, taken along cross-sectional
line A-A' as shown in FIGS. 2 and 11;
[0055] FIG. 32 of the accompanying drawings shows a exploded toe
side view of a golf club head in accordance with a further
alternative embodiment of the present invention;
[0056] FIG. 33 of the accompanying drawings shows a cross-sectional
view of a golf club head in accordance with a further alternative
embodiment of the present invention, taken along cross-sectional
line A-A' as shown in FIGS. 2 and 11; and
[0057] FIG. 34 of the accompanying drawings shows a exploded toe
side view of a golf club head in accordance with a further
alternative embodiment of the present invention;
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0058] The following detailed description describes the best
currently contemplated modes of carrying out the invention. The
description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made
merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of
the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by
the appended claims.
[0059] Various inventive features are described below, and each can
be used independently of one another or in combination with other
features. However, any single inventive feature may not address any
or all of the problems discussed above or may only address one of
the problems discussed above. Further, one or more of the problems
discussed above may not be fully addressed by any of the features
described below.
[0060] FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings shows a perspective view
of a golf club head 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the
present invention. This perspective view of the present invention,
although may not be immediately apparent in this view, shows the
golf club head being separated into two major sub-components, a
frontal striking face portion 102 having an actual striking face
insert 101, and an aft body portion 104. These components are
specifically identified because they are generally made from
different materials. The frontal striking face portion 102, may
generally be made from a metallic material such as titanium, while
the aft body portion 104 may generally be made from lightweight
material such as a fiber reinforced polymer. More details regarding
the fiber reinforced polymer material suitable for this aft body
portion 104 may be found in commonly owned U.S. Patent Publication
No. 2020/0023247 to Larsen et al. and U.S. Patent Publication No.
2020/0188746 to Sugimae et al., the disclosure of both are
incorporated by reference in their entirety.
[0061] FIG. 2 of the accompanying drawings shows a frontal view of
a golf club head 200 showing that the face insert 201 with a face
center 203 being a part of the frontal striking face portion 202.
FIG. 2 of the accompanying drawings shows a coordinate system 205
that the present invention uses to help identify the axis. The
x-axis is oriented in a heel to toe orientation, with the positive
x direction pointing towards the heel of the golf club head 200.
The y-axis is oriented in a crown to sole direction, with the
positive y-axis pointing towards the crown of the golf club head
200. Finally, the z-axis is orientated in a front to back
orientation, with the positive z direction pointing towards the
front of the golf club head 200. This frontal view provides some
reference point for which subsequent figures may be
cross-sectioned. Cross-sectional line A-A' provides the basis of
cross-sectioning the golf club head 200 at the face center 203, in
a crown to sole direction. Cross-sectional line B-B' provided the
basis for cross-sectioning the golf club head 200 at the face
center 203, in a heel to toe direction. Finally, Cross-sectional
line C-C' provides the basis for cross-sectioning the golf club
head 200 along one of the weighting systems unique to the present
invention.
[0062] In order to provide more context to the location of
cross-sectional line C-C' shown in FIG. 2, the sole view of a golf
club head 300 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention is shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 3 shows a sole view of a
golf club head 300 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of
the present invention, allowing the weight openings 310 to be shown
in more detail together with cross-sectional line C-C' passing
through the middle of the weight opening 310. More specifically, in
this embodiment of the present invention, the golf club head 300
has a toe side weight opening 310a and a heel side weight opening
310b to allow for multiple weighting systems to be installed in the
golf club head 300. In this exemplary embodiment of the present
invention, the location of the toe side weight opening 310a and
heel side weight opening 310b, corresponding with the location of
the toe side weight 438a and heel side weight 438b respectively
(shown in FIG. 4), may be separated by a distance D1 of between
about 80 mm to about 120 mm, more preferably between about 90 mm to
about 110 mm, and most preferably about 100 mm. Alternatively, it
can said that the location of the toe side screw weight 438a and
the location of the heel side screw weight 438b is separated by a
distance D1 of between about 80 mm to about 120 mm, more preferably
between about 90 mm to about 110 mm, and most preferably about 100
mm as well. In addition to the above, this sole view of the golf
club head 300 also allows a clearer visualization of the separation
between the frontal striking face portion 302 and an aft body
portion 304. Finally, FIG. 3 of the accompanying drawings shows a
joint cover 320 covering the joint between the frontal striking
face portion 302 and the aft body portion 304 and a sole plate 322
attached to the sole portion just behind the joint cover 320, the
details of both will be shown more clearly in subsequent
figures.
[0063] FIG. 4 of the accompanying drawings shows an exploded view
of a golf club head 400 in accordance with the present invention.
This exploded view not only allows the external components to be
shown but allows the internal components and their relationship to
the external components to be illustrated as well. Before diving
into the details of the specific components, it can be seen here
that golf club head 400 is still separated into a frontal striking
face portion 402 and an aft body portion 404. The frontal striking
face portion may further be comprised of a plurality of threaded
receptacles 439 that can be further identified as a toe threaded
receptacle 439a and a heel threaded receptacle 439b. The aft body
portion 404 may further be comprised out of an internal weight
cover 430, a weighting member 432, an internal ribbon support
member 434, a lightweight shell 436 having at least one weight
opening 410 (only the heel side weight opening 410b is shown in
FIG. 4), and two screw weights 438 that can be further identified
as a toe screw weight 438a and a heel screw weight 438b.
[0064] It should be noted here that the screw weight 438 of the
present invention, although spatially appears at the rear end of
the golf club head 400 by being inserted into the weight opening
410 on the lightweight shell 436 of the aft body portion 404,
actually engages a threaded receptacle 439 located on the frontal
striking face portion 402. The method of attachment here is
critical to the proper functioning of the present invention, as it
addresses some of the major drawbacks of conventional weight
attachment mechanisms. Traditionally, due to the utilization of
lightweight materials to form the lightweight shell 436, it is
difficult to attach high density weighting mechanisms directly onto
those materials, as those materials are not strong enough to endure
the vibration of high density weights when impacting a golf ball.
Alternatively, one can attach weights directly onto the generally
metallic frontal striking face portion 402, but it may not always
be desirable to have the weight located so close to the front of
the face. The present invention addresses both of those issues by
creating a weight opening 410 in the lightweight shell 436 to which
the screw weights 438 can be directly attached to the threaded
receptacles 439 in the metallic frontal striking face portion
402.
[0065] In addition to the above, the exploded view of the golf club
head 400 shown in FIG. 4 also shows the joint cover 420 as well as
the sole plate 422 to be spatially orientated between the frontal
striking face portion 402 and the aft body portion 404 of the golf
club head 400 to not only improve the bond between the two
components, but also to help protect the aft body portion 404 that
tends to be more susceptible to damage when impacting the ground
during a golf swing.
[0066] Finally, the internal weight cover 430, the weighting member
432, and the internal ribbon support member 434 are also critical
to the proper function of the present invention unrelated to the
weighting mechanism. Although invisible from the outside, the
internal ribbon support member 434 is a critical and one of the
most important components to achieve the improved performance of
the golf club head 400 in accordance with the present invention.
The internal ribbon support member 434 attaches to the internal
surface of the lightweight shell 436 around a skirt portion of said
lightweight shell 436. The skirt or ribbon of a golf club head 400
is a term of art in the industry that refers to the junction
between the crown of the golf club head 400 and the sole of the
golf club head 400. The internal ribbon support member 434, as
shown in this current embodiment of the present invention, may
generally also be made from fiber reinforced polymer, which can be
either glued or diffusion bonded to the lightweight shell 436.
However, it should be noted that the internal ribbon support member
434 can be made out of alternate material that is either
lightweight or non-lightweight all without departing from the scope
and content of the present invention, as long as it is capable of
increasing the structural rigidity of the aft body portion 404. The
internal ribbon support member has at least four identifiable
benefits in that it 1) allows the weighting member 432 to be
secured to the rear of the lightweight shell 436, 2) improves the
bond between the frontal striking face portion 402 and the aft body
portion 404, 3) increases structural rigidity of the aft body
portion to prevent failure when a fiber reinforced polymer is used
to form the lightweight shell 436, and 4) enhances the sound
characteristics of the golf club head 400 when it contacts a golf
ball.
[0067] First, the internal ribbon support member 434 allows the
weighting member 432 to be properly secured to the lightweight
shell 436 of the aft body portion 404 of the golf club head 400.
The weighting member 432 in this embodiment is located at the
rearmost portion of the golf club head 400 to help improve the
moment of inertia of the golf club head 400. This weighting member
432, generally made out of a high density metallic material such as
tungsten, may generally need to be bonded to the lightweight shell
436 via glue, especially if the lightweight shell 436 is made out
of fiber reinforced polymer as these types of golf club heads 400
generally are. In order to address the bonding issue generally
occurring when a heavy weighting member 432 is attached to a fiber
reinforced polymer, an internal weight cover 430 may be used to
help secure the weighting member 432 is secured to the lightweight
shell 436. Finally, due to the fact that the thickness of the
lightweight shell 436 being extremely thin to save weight, combined
with the geometry of the lightweight shell 436 at the rear of the
golf club head 400 converging into a small edge, the structural
rigidity of the lightweight shell 436 at the rear of the golf club
head 400 may generally not be strong enough to support the
vibration and movement of a high density weighting member 432
experiences when a golf club head 400 impacts a golf ball. In order
to address this issue, the present invention includes an internal
ribbon support member 434, generally made to be slightly thicker,
to further help the structural rigidity of the golf club head 400
around the portion of the weighting member 432. The present
invention does this by installing the internal ribbon support
member 434 around the internal ribbon portion of the lightweight
shell 436, thus providing a more robust are for which the high
density weighting member 432 and the weight cover 430 to be
attached to.
[0068] Secondly, in addition to providing additional structural
rigidity to the lightweight shell 436 relating to weight retention
as mentioned above, the internal ribbon support member 434 provides
even more benefit in helping the entire golf club head 400 stay
together by providing support to the entirety of the aft body
portion 404. Increasing the structural rigidity of the entirety of
the aft body portion 404 is just as important, if not more
important, than the weight retention feature of the internal ribbon
support member 434. Lightweight shells 436, as previously stated,
is generally made from fiber reinforced polymer. Fiber reinforced
polymer materials, for starters, can't be directly bonded to a
metallic material without the need of an adhesive. Adhesively
bonded materials can generally come lose when either of the bonded
materials vibrate and move too much, which fiber reinforced
polymers tend to do when subject to high impact forces. This
movement of the material can often make it difficult to bond to
solid metallic structures such as the titanium frontal striking
face portion 402 to a fiber reinforced polymer aft body portion
404, thus creating a significant design challenge. In order to
address this issue, the internal ribbon support member 434 provides
a solid surface around which the lightweight shell 436 may bond to,
thus reducing vibration of the parts, hence increasing the bond
between the frontal striking face portion 402 and the aft body
portion 404 that's often achieved via glue.
[0069] As a side note, the previously mentioned joint cover 420
also helps with the bond between the frontal striking face portion
402 and the aft body portion 404 by increasing the structural
rigidity of the bond area. The joint cover 420, although made out
of the same fiber reinforced polymer in this embodiment, may be
made out of any alternate material that can be glued to the
external surface of the bond region to improve structural rigidity
all without departing from the scope and content of the present
invention.
[0070] Thirdly, as a corollary to the ability of the structural
rigidity of the aft body portion's 404 ability to bond to a
metallic frontal striking face portion 402; the same type of
undesirable movement that prohibits proper bonding between the
frontal striking face portion 402 and the aft body portion 404
could cause the lightweight shell 436 to fail when subjected to
high impact forces. The present invention's utilization of the
internal ribbon support member 434 also helps address the issue of
the ability of the lightweight shell 436, that is made out of a
thin fiber reinforced polymer material, to withstand the impact
forces of a golf club head 400 with a golf ball. The internal
ribbon support member 434 achieves this by strengthening the weak
areas of the lightweight shell 436 that can often vibrate more than
normal upon impact with a golf ball, thus preventing the
lightweight shell 436 that is made from a fiber reinforced polymer
from cracking or delaminating.
[0071] Fourthly, and finally, the addition of the internal ribbon
support member 434 improves the acoustic of the golf club head 400,
as golf clubs that have a significant portion made purely out of
thin fiber reinforced polymer may result in an undesirable sound.
For a more detailed discussion regarding the sound in a golf club
head, including the methodology to test for sounds, please refer to
commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 10,653,927 to Murphy et al., the
disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
In summary, it can be said that the internal ribbon support member
434 allows the present golf club head 400 to achieve similar
desirable sound characteristics as the golf club in U.S. Pat. No.
10,653,927 described. Referring to FIG. 5 of the accompanying
drawings, it can be said that the current golf club head exhibits a
time it takes for the sound amplitude to oscillate from the peak
amplitude A.sub.max to an amplitude that is 10% of peak amplitude
A.sub.max is defined as the Critical Time T.sub.critical, and is
generally greater than about 0.01 seconds and less than about 0.02
seconds, more preferably greater than about 0.015 seconds and less
than about 0.02 seconds, and most preferably greater than about
0.0175 seconds and less than about 0.02 seconds. In addition to the
above, the current inventive golf club head 400 may, due in major
part to the addition of the internal ribbon support member 434,
generally have its own resonate frequency of greater than 3300 kHz,
more preferably greater than 3400 kHz, and most preferably greater
than 3500 kHz, all without departing from the scope and content of
the present invention.
[0072] It should also be noted here that the internal ribbon
support member 434 may also further comprise out of two recesses
433, to which they engage the two or more weight openings 410 to
create a space that allows the screw weights 438 to engage the
threaded receptacles 439.
[0073] Finally, the internal ribbon support member 434, in its
current embodiment as shown, may generally have a total mass of
between about 3.7 grams and about 4.1 grams, more preferably
between about 3.8 grams and about 4.0 grams, and most preferably
about 3.9 grams. However, it should be noted that the mass of the
internal ribbon support member 434 is also critical to the proper
functionality of the present golf club head 400, as an internal
ribbon support member 434 that is too robust and heavy may place
weight at undesirable locations of the golf club head 400, while
the mistake of making that same internal ribbon support member 434
too flimsy and lightweight may not offer sufficient structural
support to the golf club head 400 itself to achieve the desired
result.
[0074] FIG. 6 of the accompanying drawings shows a cross-sectional
view of a golf club head 600 in accordance with an embodiment of
the present invention, taken along cross-sectional line A-A' shown
in FIG. 2. This cross-sectional view of the golf club head 600
allows the relationship between the various components to be shown
more clearly in an assembled state, which sheds more lights on the
inner workings of the current inventive golf club head 600. Similar
to previous discussions, FIG. 6 consists mainly of a frontal
striking face portion 602 and an aft body portion 604. The frontal
striking face portion 602 has a threaded receptacle 639, more
specifically, only the heel threaded receptacle 639b is shown due
to the cross-section only showing the heel side of the golf club
head 600. Attached to the rear of the frontal striking face portion
602 is the aft body portion 604 that's mainly made from a
lightweight material generally unsuitable for direct weight
attachment.
[0075] Relating to the weighting mechanism, FIG. 6 of the
accompanying drawings shows the aft body portion 604 having a heel
weight opening 610b that allows the heel screw weight 638b to
mechanically secure the aft body portion 604 to the frontal
striking face portion 602. The location of the heel screw weight
638b, and the non-illustrated toe screw weight 638a may be located
at a distance D2 of between about 25 mm and about 35 mm rearward of
the face center 603, more preferably between about 27 mm and about
33 mm rearward of the face center 603, and most preferably between
about 28 mm and about 32 mm rearward of the face center 603. This
cross-sectional view of the golf club head 600 shown here also
shows the weighting member 632 being sandwiched between the
internal weight cover 630 and the internal ribbon support member
634 to help retain it. The location of the weighting member 632 may
be located at a distance D3 of greater than about 100 mm rearward
of face center 603, more preferably greater than about 105 mm
rearward of face center 603, and most preferably about 110 mm
rearward of face center.
[0076] The location and existence of the screw weights 638
weighting members 632 allows the current inventive golf club head
600 to have improved center of gravity and moment of inertia
properties. More specifically, the golf club head 600 may have a CG
depth, in the z-direction as shown in FIG. 2 of greater than about
32 mm, more preferably greater than about 33 mm, and most
preferably greater than about 34 mm. Additionally, the current
inventive golf club head 600 may have a moment of inertia about a
y-axis as shown in FIG. 2 of greater than about 5,200 g-cm.sup.2,
more preferably greater than about 5,300 g-cm.sup.2, and most
preferably greater than about 5,400 g-cm.sup.2.
[0077] Finally, this cross-sectional view of the golf club head 600
shows how the joint cover 620 wraps around the entire junction
between the frontal striking face portion 602 and the aft body
portion 604 to eliminate any step in the transition between the two
pieces, and the joint cover 620 further includes a sole plate 622
to protect the underside of the golf club head 600 as that portion
of the golf club head 600 is more easily prone to being scuffed up
when swinging the golf club head 600.
[0078] Generally speaking, when applying cosmetic paint to the golf
club head, the cosmetic paint may have a harder time adhering to
the surface of a composite type material, especially when compared
to its adhesion properties to a metallic material such as titanium.
Moreover, in addition to the strength of the adhesion, the cosmetic
paint, when applied to composite type material containing resin,
may generally be less resistant to scratches even after it's been
applied. Hence, to address this deficiency, sole plate 622 is added
to the present invention to provide a protective barrier.
[0079] Sole plate 622, and sole plate 322 (shown in FIG. 3) in
accordance with the present invention, in this exemplary embodiment
of the present invention may generally be constructed out of a high
abrasion resistant thermoplastic material with polyether ether
ketone (PEEK), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), or polyetherimide
(PEI). However, in alternative embodiments of the present
invention, the sole plate 622 could also be constructed out of a
metallic material that is subsequently adhesively bonded to the
bottom sole of the body portion 604 of the golf club head 600
without departing from the scope and content of the present
invention. The sole plate 622 in accordance with the present
invention may have a thickness of between about 0.2 mm and about
1.0 mm, more preferably between about 0.4 mm and about 0.8 mm, and
most preferably about 0.5 mm without departing from the scope and
content of the present invention.
[0080] FIG. 7 of the accompanying drawings shows an enlarged
cross-sectional view of a golf club head 700 taken along
cross-sectional line C-C' as shown in FIG. 3. This enlarged
cross-sectional view of the golf club head 700 allows the
relationship between the weight opening 710, the screw weight 738,
and the threaded receptacle 739 to be shown more clearly. Although
this cross-sectional view of the golf club head 700 is taken along
the toe weight opening 710a, the relationship between the various
components is the same with respect to the heel side weighting
components (not shown in FIG. 7). Although it has been previous
foreshadowed that the toe screw weight 738a can help mechanically
connect the aft body portion 704 to the frontal striking face
portion 702, that specific relationship is not specifically
illustrated until this FIG. 7. In FIG. 7, the toe weight opening
710a has an opening within its terminal end of the recess, which
the male threaded portion of the toe screw weight 738a protrudes
out of to engage a female portion of a threaded toe threaded
receptacle 739a. Alternatively, it can be said that the diameter of
the terminal opening of the toe weight opening 710a is smaller than
a head diameter of the toe screw weight 738a, thus creating the
mechanical retention. It should be noted here that although the toe
screw weight 738a can be used to help further secure the attachment
of the aft body portion 704 to the frontal striking face portion
702, the screw need not provide such a mechanical engagement, as
will be illustrated in subsequent figures.
[0081] FIG. 8 of the accompanying drawings shows a cross-sectional
view of a golf club head 800 taken across cross-sectional line B-B'
shown in FIG. 2. This cross-sectional view of the golf club head
allows both sets of the screw weights 838a and 838b to be shown
more clearly. The basic components of the screw weight 838a and
838b, the threaded receptacle 839a and 839b, and weight openings
810a and 810b have all been previously discussed and remains the
same in the current embodiment shown in FIG. 8. It should be noted
that although the current embodiments of the present invention
shows two sets of weighting members, three or more weighting
members, or maybe even 1 set of weighting member, may be used
without departing from the scope and content of the present
invention. Additionally, as the cross-sectional view of the golf
club head 800 shows, the height of the toe side weighting members
810a, 838a, and 839a are higher along the y-axis (as previously
discussed in FIG. 2) then the than the heel side weighting members
810b, 839b, and 839b. This type of arrangement not only allows for
adjustment of the center of gravity of the golf club head 800 in a
heel to toe orientation by installing screw weights 838 with mass
properties, but this variation in height allows for an adjustment
of the center of gravity in a crown to sole direction as well. In
this particular embodiment of the present invention, the toe side
screw weight 838a is located greater than about 8 mm higher than
the heel side screw weight 838b, more preferably greater than about
9 mm higher than the heel side screw weight 838b, and most
preferably greater than about 10 mm higher than the heel side screw
weight 838b. However, it should be noted that in alternative
embodiment of the present invention, the toe weighting members
810a, 838a, and 839a may be lower than the heel weighting members
810b, 883b, and 839b, or even be the same height all without
departing from the scope and content of the present invention.
[0082] FIG. 9 of the accompanying drawings shows an enlarged
cross-sectional view of a golf club head 900 in accordance with an
alternative embodiment of the present invention. In this
alternative embodiment of the present invention, a different screw
weighting mechanism is used, and this screw weighting mechanism
does not provide any mechanical lock between the frontal striking
face portion 902 and the aft body portion 904. The enlarged
cross-sectional view of the golf club head 900 illustrates the lack
of the overlap between the head of the screw weight 938a and the
inner wall of the weight opening 910a, as the screw weight 938a is
threaded into the threaded receptacle 939a. Alternatively, it can
be said that the terminal opening of the weight opening 910a may
have a diameter that is greater than a head diameter of the screw
weight 938a. This lack of an overlap means that the screw weight
938a is only attached to the frontal striking face portion 902 of
the golf club head 900 for the purpose of attaching weight to the
golf club head 900, and the bond between the frontal striking face
portion 902 and the aft body portion 904 is purely achieved via the
joint around the external perimeter joint, in the regions that's
covered by the joint cover 920.
[0083] FIGS. 10, 11, and 12 shows a golf club head 1000 in
accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention,
More specifically, FIG. 10 shows a sole view of the golf club head
1000, FIG. 11 shows an exploded perspective view of the golf club
head 1000, and FIG. 12 shows a cross-sectional view of the golf
club head 1000. Discussing all three of these figures together, we
can see that in this embodiment of the present invention, the
location of the weight opening 1010 is located near the rear
central portion of the aft body portion 1004 of the golf club head
1000 adapted to receive the weighting system previously discussed.
This embodiment of the present invention may be preferred when the
need for heel to toe weighting adjustment is not needed, and a
heavier emphasis is placed on moving the center of gravity rearward
in the golf club head 1000. The exploded view of the golf club head
1000 shown in FIG. 11 once again further illustrates the internal
ribbon support member 1034 being located in the aft body portion
1004 of the golf club head 1000, which the previous discussion has
already shown to provide significant benefits to the present
invention. In addition to the above, FIG. 11 also shows the
internal components of the screw weight 1038 engaging the threaded
receptacle 1039, however, in this embodiment, the weighting member
1032 may be retained via the screw weight 1038 as shown in FIG. 11
instead of being held in place by internal ribbon support member
1034 as shown in previous embodiments.
[0084] FIG. 12 showing a cross-sectional view of a golf club head
1000 along cross-sectional line A-A' as shown in FIGS. 2 and 10
allows the newly introduced weighting mechanism to be explained
more clearly. In FIG. 12, we can see that the screw weight 1038
helps retain a weighting member 1032 near a rear portion of the
golf club head 1000 without actually attaching to the aft body
portion 1004. The extra-long screw weight 1038 retains the
weighting member 1032 near the rear of the weight opening 1010, and
threadedly engages the threaded receptacle 1039 that is located at
the metallic frontal striking face portion 1002. Finally, it is
worth noting that in this embodiment of the present invention, due
to the fact that the head of the screw weight 1038 is located
towards the rear of the golf club head 1000, the screw weight 1038
does not help with mechanically securing the aft body portion 1004
to the frontal striking face portion 1002 as some of the earlier
embodiments may show.
[0085] It should be noted here that although FIGS. 10, 11, and 12
shows a golf club head having one weighting systems with one weight
opening 1010 located on the rear of the golf club head 1000, two or
more weighting systems could be placed at the rear of the golf club
head without departing from the scope and content of the present
invention as shown in FIG. 13 of the accompanying drawings. FIG. 13
of the accompanying drawings shows a sole view of a golf club head
1300 having a heel weight opening 1310a and a toe weight opening
1310b capable of incorporating two weighting systems, as these
weighting configurations may be desirable in certain
situations.
[0086] FIGS. 14 through 16 shows a golf club head 1400 in
accordance with a further alternative embodiment of the present
invention utilizing a different weighting mechanism that does not
directly connect to the frontal striking face portion.
[0087] FIG. 14 of the accompanying drawings shows a heel side view
of a golf club head 1400 in accordance with this alternative
embodiment of the present invention. The golf club head 1400,
similar to previous embodiments, all have a frontal striking face
portion 1402 and an aft body portion 1406. The aft body portion
1406 in this embodiment may very slightly from the previous
embodiments in that it uses multiple pieces to form the lightweight
shell 1436, and it has a slightly different weighting system 1440.
The details of the weighting system will be discussed later.
[0088] The lightweight shell 1436 in this embodiment may be formed
out of two different pieces, a lightweight crown sub-shell 1436a
and a lightweight sole sub-shell 1436b, both of which combine to
form the lightweight shell 1436. These sub-components may generally
be formed independently of one another and joined as separate and
individual pieces after they have been formed. It should be noted
that since the entirety of the lightweight shell is generally made
from a fiber reinforced polymer, the lightweight crown sub-shell
1436a and the lightweight sole sub-shell 1436b may generally also
be formed out of the same fiber reinforced polymer. However, in an
alternative embodiment of the present invention, the lightweight
crown sub-shell 1436a and the lightweight sole shell 1436b could
each be made out of different fiber reinforced polymer, have only
one of the components be made out of a fiber reinforced polymer, or
even have both be made out of alternate lightweight materials
that's not a fiber reinforced polymer all without departing from
the scope and content of the present invention. Combining a
lightweight crown sub-shell 1436a and a lightweight sole sub-shell
1436b to form the lightweight shell 1436 itself may be preferred as
these substantially flat sub-components are easier to manufacture.
However, when joining multiple sub-component pieces together to
form the lightweight shell 1436, the structural integrity of the
aft body portion 1406 may suffer, thus making the internal ribbon
support member (not shown in FIG. 14) even more critical to the
present invention. In order to show the relationship between the
various component in accordance with this further alternative
embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 15 is provided below.
[0089] FIG. 15 of the accompanying drawings shows an exploded toe
side view of a golf club head 1400 in accordance with a further
alternative embodiment of the present invention. As previously
discussed, in this further alternative embodiment of the present
invention, the lightweight shell 1436 is split into two
sub-components, a lightweight crown sub-shell 1436a and a
lightweight sole sub-shell 1436b, that attaches to one another to
form the rear aft body portion 1406. The weighting system 1440
attaches to the rear of the rear aft body portion 1406 by engaging
an opening in the lightweight sole sub-shell 1436b. Finally, the
critical component in the present invention is the internal ribbon
support member 1434 shown in the exploded view of the golf club
head 1400 in FIG. 15.
[0090] The internal ribbon support member 1434 shown in FIG. 15
differs slightly from previous ribbon support member 1434 shown
previously in FIG. 4 in that it does not support the entirety of
the skirt portion across the entire lightweight shell 1436 because
of the existence of the weighting system 1440 located at the rear
of the aft body portion 1406. This internal ribbon support member
1434 provides makes up for that lack of connection at the rear of
the aft body portion 1406 by creating a secondary wall 1442 that
connects the lightweight crown sub-shell 1436a with the lightweight
sole sub-shell 1436b in a y-shaped structure as illustrated in FIG.
15. The secondary wall 1442, despite not contacting the rear skirt
portion of the lightweight shell 1436, makes up for that by
providing structural rigidity to the lightweight shell 1436 via the
connection between the lightweight crown sub-shell 1436a and the
lightweight sole sub-shell 1436b. The secondary wall 1442, as shown
in this embodiment of the present invention may generally have a
thickness of between about 0.5 mm to about 1.0 mm, more preferably
between about 0.6 mm to about 0.9 mm, and most preferably between
about 0.7 mm to about 0.8 mm. Although it won't be visible until
the cross-sectional view of the golf club head 1400 is provided in
FIG. 16, the secondary wall creates two separate volumetric
chambers within the golf club head 1400.
[0091] Finally, the weighting system 1440 may generally be a
weighting system that has a high density weight member made from a
metallic material attached to a chassis that is made from a
lightweight material. The utilization of the lightweight material
may generally be the same type of material as the lightweight shell
1436, however alternative materials may be used for the chassis of
the weighting system so long as it is capable of being bonded to
the remainder of the rear aft body 1406 all without departing from
the scope and content of the present invention.
[0092] It should be noted here that a significant portion of the
weighting system here in this embodiment is placed behind the
secondary wall 1442, and it makes up a significant portion of the
overall mass of the golf club head 1400. In this current exemplary
embodiment, the mass rearward of and behind the secondary wall 1442
may generally be greater than about 30 grams, more preferably
greater than about 35 grams, and most preferably greater than about
40 grams. Alternatively speaking, assuming that the overall golf
club head 1400 has a mass of about 200 grams, it can be said that
greater than about 15 percent of the overall mass of the golf club
head 1400 is located rearward of and behind the secondary wall
1442, more preferably greater than about 17.5 percent of the
overall mass of the golf club head 1400 is located rearward of and
behind the secondary wall 1442, and most preferably greater than
about 20 percent of the overall mass of the golf club head 1400 is
located rearward of and behind the secondary wall 1442.
[0093] In order to better see the two separate volumetric chambers
created by the secondary wall 1442 and the internal workings of the
weighting system 1440, a cross-sectional view of this golf club
head 1400 in accordance with this further alternative embodiment is
provided in FIG. 16. FIG. 16 of the accompanying drawings shows a
cross-sectional view of a golf club head 1400 take along a
cross-sectional line A-A' show in FIG. 2. In the cross-sectional
view of the golf club head 1400 shown in FIG. 16, it can be seen
that the secondary wall 1442 separates the golf club head 1400 into
two separate volumetric chambers, a frontal volumetric chamber 1446
and a rear volumetric chamber 1444. Because the secondary wall 1442
is located near the rear portion of the golf club head 1400, the
frontal volumetric chamber may generally have a volume of between
about 380 cc and about 420 cc, more preferably between about 390 cc
and about 410 cc, and most preferably about 400 cc. Given that the
overall size of a driver type golf club head is has an internal
overall volume of about 460 cc, it can also be said that the
frontal volumetric chamber comprises of between about 82% to about
91% of the internal overall volume, more preferably between about
84% to about 89% of the internal overall volume, and most
preferably about 87% of the internal overall volume. Conversely,
the rear volumetric chamber 1444 is created on the other side of
the secondary wall 1442. In this embodiment shown, due to the
existence of a track based weighting system 1440, the rear
volumetric chamber has a volume of between about 22 cc to about 30
cc, more preferably between about 24 cc to about 28 cc, and most
preferably about 26 cc. In this embodiment, the rear volumetric
chamber comprises of between about 4.7% to about 6.5% of the
internal overall volume, more preferably between about 5.2% to
about 6.0% of the internal overall volume, and most preferably
about 5.6% of the internal overall volume. However, it should be
noted that in alternative embodiments of the present invention, the
rear volumetric chamber 1444 may have a simple screw weight system,
or no weighting system at all, all without departing from the scope
and content of the present invention. In those alternative
embodiments, the rear volumetric chamber 1444 may have a
complimentary volume of about 40 cc to about 80 cc, more preferably
between about 50 cc to about 70 cc, and most preferably about 60
cc, resulting in a percentage of between about 9% to about 18%,
more preferably between about 11% to about 16%, and most preferably
about 13 percent of the internal overall volume respectively all
without departing from the scope and content of the present
invention.
[0094] Based on the numbers and percentages outlined above, it can
be said that the golf club head 1400 may have a Volumetric Ratio of
between about 12.6 to about 19.1, more preferably between about
13.9 to about 17.1, and most preferably about 15.4 all without
departing from the scope and content of the present invention, with
the Volumetric Ratio defined by Equation (1) below:
Volumetric .times. .times. Ratio = Frontal .times. .times.
Volumetric .times. .times. Chamber .times. .times. Volume Rear
.times. .times. Volumetric .times. .times. Chamber .times. .times.
Volume Eq . .times. ( 1 ) ##EQU00002##
[0095] As a corollary to the volume measurements articulated above,
the location of the secondary wall 1442 may also be defined as a
measurement from the rearmost point of the golf club head 1400. In
the current exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the
second wall is angled at an angle .alpha. of between about
8.degree. to about 12.degree., more preferably between about
9.degree. to about 11.degree., and most preferably about 10.degree.
measured from a horizontal ground plane. Resultingly, the upper end
of the secondary wall 1442 is located at a distance D3 of between
about 20 mm to about 26 mm from the rearmost portion of the golf
club head 1400, more preferably between about 21 mm to about 25 mm
from the rearmost portion of the golf club head 1400, and most
preferably about 23 mm from the rearmost portion of the golf club
head 1400. The lower end of the secondary wall 1442 is located at a
distance D4 of between about 28 mm to about 34 mm from the rearmost
portion of the golf club head 1400, more preferably between about
29 mm to about 33 mm from the rearmost portion of the golf club
head 1400, and most preferably about 31 mm from the rearmost
portion of the golf club head 1400. Due to the positive angle
.alpha., the upper end of the secondary wall 1442 is always located
closer to the rearmost point of the golf club head 1400. It should
be noted that in an alternative embodiment, the angle .alpha. could
be a negative number, wherein the lower end of the secondary wall
1442 is located closer to the rearmost point of the golf club head
1400 as well, also without departing from the scope and content of
the present invention. Thus, regardless of whether the angle
.alpha. is positive or negative, it can be said that no portion of
the secondary wall 1442 is located within 26 mm from the rearmost
portion of the golf club head 1400, more preferably no portion of
the secondary wall 1442 is located within 25 mm from the rearmost
portion of the golf club head 1400, and most preferably no portion
of the secondary wall 1442 is located within 23 mm from the
rearmost portion of the golf club head 1400.
[0096] Finally, the cross-sectional view of golf club head 1400
shown in FIG. 16 illustrates a track type weighting system 1440.
More details regarding this type of track type weighting system
1440 may be found in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 10,695,628 to Yi
et al., the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its
entirety.
[0097] FIGS. 17 and 18 of the accompanying drawings shows an
exploded and cross-sectional view of a golf club head 1700 in
accordance with a further alternative embodiment of the present
invention. In this further alternative embodiment of the present
invention, all of the elements are similar to previous embodiment
shown, but the secondary wall 1643 of the internal ribbon support
member 1734 may have an opening 1743 to allow for an adjustment of
the acoustic properties of the golf club head 1700. The opening
1743 may help control the acoustic property of the golf club head
1700 by allowing the vibrational energy to travel between the
frontal volumetric chamber 1746 and the rear volumetric chamber
1744 to relieve any undesirable vibrations that cause bad
sound.
[0098] Other than the opening 1743 in the secondary wall 1643 of
the internal ribbon support member 1734, the remaining components
of the golf club head 1700 are essentially identical. The golf club
head 1700 is still comprised out of a frontal striking face portion
1702 and an aft body portion 1706. The lightweight shell 1736 in
this embodiment could be further split up into the lightweight
crown sub-shell 1736a and a lightweight sole sub-shell 1736b, and
the weighting system 1740 is still attached to the rear portion of
the aft body portion 1702.
[0099] FIG. 19 of the accompanying drawings shows an exploded
perspective view of a golf club head 1900 in accordance with a
further alternative embodiment of the present invention, wherein
the internal ribbon support member 1934 has additional features to
help improve the performance of the golf club head 1900 itself.
More specifically, only the outer surface 1950, and not the
internal component 1952 of the internal ribbon support member 1934
includes the additional features of a plurality of cutouts 1954 to
create a lattice structure. The lattice structure, in this current
exemplary embodiment of the present invention, may further increase
the structural rigidity of the internal ribbon support member 1934,
thus further allowing the lightweight shell 1936 to be made even
thinner and lighter. In this alternative embodiment of the present
invention, the internal ribbon support member may have a mass that
is less than between about 7.0 grams, more less than about 6.0
grams, and most preferably less than about 5.0 grams. Other than
the internal ribbon support member 1934 being different, all other
components of the golf club head 1900 such as the frontal striking
face portion 1902, the aft body portion 1904, the lightweight shell
1936, and the weighting system 1940 essentially remain the
same.
[0100] In order to show more details regarding the plurality of
cutouts 1954 on the external component 1950 of the internal ribbon
support member 1934, an enlarged perspective view of the internal
ribbon support member 1934 is shown in FIG. 20. In this enlarged
perspective view of the internal ribbon support member 1934 shown
in FIG. 20 from a different perspective view allows the difference
between the external component 1950 and the internal component 1952
to be shown more clearly. In this FIG. 20, it can be seen that the
plurality of cutouts 1954 is only on the external component 1950
and takes on a substantially triangular shape. The pattern of the
plurality of cutouts alternate in director lengthwise along the
internal ribbon support member 1934 and are mirror images of one
another above and below the hemispheric midpoint to create the
lattice structure previously mentioned. It should be noted that in
alternative embodiments of the present invention, different cutout
shapes may be used to form the plurality of cutouts 1954 such as
squares, rectangles, ovals, circles, or any other shapes all
without departing from the scope and content of the present
invention.
[0101] In addition to illustrating the plurality of cutouts 1954
along the external component 1954 of the internal ribbon support
member 1934, FIG. 20 of the accompanying drawings also illustrates
how the external component 1950 and the internal component 1952 of
the internal ribbon support member 1934 combine together to create
a diamond shaped support member. These types of shapes may
generally be preferred in engineering design, as it tends to
further increase the structural rigidity of the internal ribbon
support member 1934, maximizing the strength to weight ratio of the
internal ribbon support member 1934.
[0102] FIGS. 21 and 22 of the accompanying drawings shows an
exploded view of a golf club head 2100 and an enlarged perspective
view of an internal ribbon support member 2134 respectively to
illustrate a different alternative embodiment of the present
invention. In this alternative embodiment of the present invention,
the golf club head 2100 will still have a striking face portion
2102 and an aft body portion 2104. The aft boy portion 2104 will be
further comprised of a lightweight shell 2136, an internal ribbon
support member 2134, a weighting system 2140. However, a closer
examination of the internal component 2152 of the internal ribbon
support member 2134 will highlight the unique feature of this
embodiment wherein the internal component 2152 of the internal
ribbon support member 2134 will also have a plurality of cutouts
2154 to help further reduce the mass of the internal ribbon support
member. Alternatively, it can be said that both the internal
component 2152 and the external component 2150 of the internal
ribbon support member 2134 both further comprises of a plurality of
cutouts 2154. With the additional mass removed from the internal
component 2152 of the internal ribbon support member 2134, the
internal ribbon support member 2134 in accordance with this
embodiment of the present invention may have a total mass of less
than about 4.0 grams, more preferably less than about 3.9 grams,
and most preferably less than about 3.8 grams.
[0103] FIGS. 23 and 24 of the accompanying drawings shows an
exploded view of a golf club head 2300 and a perspective view of an
internal ribbon support member 2334 respectively to illustrate a
different alternative embodiment of the present invention. In this
alternative embodiment of the present invention, the golf club head
2300 will still have a striking face portion 2302 and an aft body
portion 2304. The aft boy portion 2304 will be further comprised of
a lightweight shell 2336, an internal ribbon support member 2334, a
weighting system 2340. However, in this embodiment, the internal
ribbon support member 2334 only has an external component 2350,
removing the internal component shown in previous embodiments
completely. This embodiment may be desired when a dramatic weight
reduction is desired, however, it does come at the expense of
reduced structural stiffness support. In this embodiment of the
present invention, the internal ribbon support member 2334 may have
a total mass less than about 2.8 grams, more preferably less than
about 2.7 grams, and most preferably less than about 2.6 grams.
[0104] FIG. 25 of the accompanying drawings shows an exploded heel
side view of a golf club head 2500 in accordance with an even
further alternative embodiment of the present invention. In this
further alternative embodiment of the present invention, the
lightweight crown sub-shell 2536a may be further comprised out of
three layers to further improve the performance of the golf club
head 2500. The golf club head 2500, is very similar to the previous
embodiments of the present invention, having a frontal striking
face portion 2502 and an aft body portion 2506, wherein the aft
body portion 2506 is further comprised of a lightweight crown
sub-shell 2536a, a lightweight sole sub-shell 2536b, an internal
ribbon support member 2534, and a weighting system 2540. As
previously discussed, the lightweight crown sub-shell 2536a in this
embodiment of the present invention is further comprised out of
three or more layers, having an outer layer 2536a-1, a central
layer 2536a-2, and an internal layer 2536a-3. The utilization of
the multi-layered construction helps improve the performance of the
golf club head 2500 because of the different materials selected to
form this lightweight crown sub-shell 2536a can take advantage of
each material's inherent properties.
[0105] Starting with the most critical layer in the lightweight
crown sub-shell 2536a, the central layer 2536a-2 in accordance with
this embodiment of the present invention is generally made out of a
semi-crystalline thermoplastic part for its ability to achieve
desirable acoustic properties with desirable sound when the golf
club head 2500 itself comes into contact with a golf ball. Such
semi-crystalline materials may be polyether ether ketone (PEEK),
polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), and polyacryletherketone (PEAK), and
as previously discussed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2020/0023247
to Larsen et al. and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2020/0188746 to
Sugimae et al., both of which have been previously incorporated by
reference in their entirety. Alternatively, the material of the
central layer 2536-a-2 could also be made out of amorphous
materials such as polyetherimide (PEI) polysulfone (PSU), or
polyvinyl chloride (PVC) also without departing from the scope and
content of the present invention. In this alternative embodiment of
the present invention, the central layer 2536a-2 comprises of at
least one layer of PPS resin having about 80 grams/m.sup.2 Fiber
Areal Weight (FAW) with about 40% resin content, having a thickness
of about 0.10 mm. In a preferred embodiment, the central layer
2536a-2 could have two or more layers of between about 5 layers to
about 13 layers of PPS resin materials for a total thickness of
between about 0.50 mm and 1.30 mm, all without departing from the
scope and content of the present invention. In a more preferred
embodiment of the present invention, the central layer 2536a-2
could have between about 7 layers to about 11 layers of PPS
semi-crystalline resin materials having a total thickness of
between about 0.70 mm to about 1.10 mm. However, it should be noted
that other types of polymer material may be used to form the
central layer 2536a-2 without departing from the scope and content
of the present invention as long as it is capable of producing the
desired acoustics frequencies of the golf club previously
described.
[0106] In addition to the number of layers used to form the central
layer 2536a-2, the fiber orientation of each of the specific layers
to form the central layer 2536a-2 may also be critical to the
performance of the golf club head.
[0107] In a 5 layered embodiment, the fiber orientation and layup
in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention
may be as follows, with the 1.sup.st layer being closest to the
inside of the central layer 2536a-2 resulting in that 1.sup.st
layer being closest to the inside of the golf club head 2500
itself.
TABLE-US-00001 1.sup.st Layer 2.sup.nd Layer 3.sup.rd Layer
4.sup.th Layer 5.sup.th Layer 0.degree. 45.degree. -90.degree.
-45.degree. 0.degree. 0.degree. 90.degree. 0.degree. 90.degree.
0.degree. 0.degree. 90.degree. -45.degree. 45.degree. 0.degree.
[0108] In a 7 layer embodiment, the fiber orientation and layer in
accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention may
be as follows, with the 1.sup.st layer being closes to the inside
of the central layer 2536a-2 resulting in that 1.sup.st layer being
closest to the inside of the golf club head 2500 itself.
TABLE-US-00002 1st Layer 2.sup.nd Layer 3.sup.rd Layer 4.sup.th
Layer 5.sup.th Layer 6.sup.th Layer 7.sup.th Layer 0.degree.
45.degree. 90.degree. -45.degree. 45.degree. 90.degree. 0.degree.
0.degree. 90.degree. 0.degree. 90.degree. 0.degree. 90.degree.
0.degree. 0.degree. 90.degree. 45.degree. -45.degree. 0.degree.
90.degree. 0.degree. 0.degree. 90.degree. 45.degree. -45.degree.
45.degree. 90.degree. 0.degree. 90.degree. 0.degree. 45.degree.
-45.degree. 45.degree. 0.degree. 90.degree. 90.degree. 0.degree.
45.degree. -45.degree. 90.degree. 0.degree. 90.degree.
[0109] In an 8 layer embodiment, the fiber orientation and layer in
accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention may
be as follows, with the 1.sup.st layer being closes to the inside
of the central layer 2536a-2 resulting in that 1.sup.st layer being
closest to the inside of the golf club head 2500 itself.
TABLE-US-00003 1.sup.st Layer 2.sup.nd Layer 3.sup.rd Layer
4.sup.th Layer 5.sup.th Layer 6.sup.th Layer 7.sup.th Layer
8.sup.th Layer 0.degree. 45.degree. 90.degree. -45.degree.
45.degree. 90.degree. -45.degree. 0.degree. 0.degree. 90.degree.
0.degree. 90.degree. 0.degree. 90.degree. 0.degree. 90.degree.
0.degree. 90.degree. 45.degree. 0.degree. -45.degree. 90.degree.
0.degree. 90.degree. 90.degree. 45.degree. 0.degree. -45.degree.
0.degree. 45.degree. -45.degree. 90.degree. 90.degree. 45.degree.
-45.degree. 0.degree. 0.degree. -45.degree. 45.degree.
90.degree.
[0110] In an 11 layer embodiment, the fiber orientation and layer
in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention
may be as follows, with the 1.sup.st layer being closest to the
inside of the central layer 2536a-2 resulting in that 1.sup.st
layer being closest to the inside of the golf club head 2500
itself.
TABLE-US-00004 1.sup.st 2.sup.nd 3.sup.rd 4.sup.th 5.sup.th
6.sup.th 7.sup.th 8.sup.th 9.sup.th 10.sup.th 11th 90.degree.
0.degree. 45.degree. -45.degree. 90.degree. 0.degree. 90.degree.
-45.degree. 45.degree. 0.degree. 90.degree.
[0111] In a 12 layer embodiment, the fiber orientation and layer in
accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention may
be as follows, with the 1.sup.st layer being closes to the inside
of the central layer 2536a-2 resulting in that 1.sup.st layer being
closest to the inside of the golf club head 2500 itself.
TABLE-US-00005 1.sup.st 2.sup.nd 3.sup.rd 4.sup.th 5.sup.th
6.sup.th 7.sup.th 8.sup.th 9.sup.th 10.sup.th 11.sup.th 12.sup.th
0.degree. 45.degree. 90.degree. -45.degree. 0.degree. 45.degree.
90.degree. -45.degree. 0.degree. 45.degree. 90.degree. -45.degree.
0.degree. -45.degree. 90.degree. 45.degree. 0.degree. -45.degree.
90.degree. 45.degree. 0.degree. -45.degree. 90.degree. 45.degree.
0.degree. 90.degree. 45.degree. 0.degree. -45.degree. 90.degree.
45.degree. 0.degree. -45.degree. 90.degree. 45.degree. 0.degree.
90.degree. 45.degree. 0.degree. -45.degree. 90.degree. 45.degree.
-45.degree. 90.degree. -45.degree. 0.degree. 45.degree.
90.degree.
[0112] The PPS material in accordance with the present invention
may be a filled PPS or unfilled PPS material that is a
semi-crystalline resin material. The filler material, if used, may
incorporate continuous or chopped reinforcing fiber. Alternatively,
the central layer may be filled or unfilled with the base material
in the polysulfides family such as PSU, PES, or PPSU all without
departing from the scope and content of the present invention.
[0113] Despite the tremendous acoustic benefit associated with
semi-crystalline thermoplastic type materials described above, the
problem with these types of material is it's inability to bond well
to non-resin based materials such as a titanium chassis of a golf
club head 2500. The inability to create a strong bond is at least
partially due to the fact that the resin of semi-crystalline
thermoplastic type material is generally chemically resistant to
solvents. Another downside of semi-crystalline thermoplastic type
material is that the resin is generally clear, thus allowing the
underlying fiber to be shown; and it tends to create a relatively
dull finish. In order to address these drawbacks, the present
invention utilizes a three layered construction, wherein the outer
layer 2536a-1 is made out of a material capable of addressing the
cosmetic deficiencies of the semi-crystalline thermoplastic type
material, and the internal layer 2536a-3 is made out of material
capable of addressing the bonding deficiencies of the
semi-crystalline thermoplastic type material.
[0114] Moving onto the outer layer 2536a-1 of the lightweight crown
sub-shell 2536a, it should be noted that the outer layer 2536a-1
shown here is generally made out of a polyetherimide (PEI) polymer
resin film having a thickness of less than about 0.10 mm, more
preferably less than about 0.08 mm, and most preferably less than
about 0.06 mm. This utilization of the PEI polymer resin film to
form the outer layer 2536a-1 can provide a finished product that is
cosmetically appealing, without the need to paint the lightweight
crown sub-shell 2536a in a secondary post processing step.
[0115] Finally, the inner layer 2536a-3 of the lightweight crown
sub-shell 2536a in accordance with the current embodiment of the
present invention may also be made out of a PEI polymer resin film
material having a thickness of less than about 0.10 mm, more
preferably less than about 0.08 mm, and most preferably less than
about 0.06 mm. This utilization of the PEI polymer resin film to
form the inner layer 2536a-3 can provide a nice intermediary
bonding layer between the multiple layers of PPS resin and other
non-resin based material used to form the chassis of the golf club
head 2500. In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a
DP420 NS type epoxy may be used to bond the entirety of the
lightweight crown sub-shell 2536 formed of the three layered
sandwiched material to the chassis without departing from the scope
and content of the present invention.
[0116] It should be noted that although FIG. 25 of the accompanying
drawings shows the lightweight crown sub-shell 2536a being a three
layered composition, the central layer 2536a-2 could be formed out
of multiple layers of PPS resin material with different fiber
orientations without departing from the scope and content of the
present invention. In addition to the above, this multi-layered
formation of the lightweight crown sub-shell 2536a could also be
used to form the lightweight sole sub-shell 2536b, or even the
internal ribbon support member 2534 also without departing from the
scope and content of the present invention.
[0117] FIGS. 26 through 30 show various cross-sectional views and
exploded views of a golf club head 2600 in accordance with a
further alternative embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 26 of
the accompanying drawings shows a cross-sectional view of a golf
club head 2600 take along a cross-sectional line A-A' show in FIG.
2. In the cross-sectional view of the golf club head 2600 shown in
FIG. 26, the striking face portion 2602, similar to previous
embodiments, attaches to an aft body portion 2606. It should be
noted here that although it has been previously shown in numerous
other embodiments, the joint between the striking face portion 2602
and the aft body portion 2606 is worth highlighting here, as this
type of lap joint is important to the proper functionality of the
present invention. In this embodiment of the present invention, it
is important to have the aft body portion 2606 taper inward at the
joint section to allow it to fit beneath the striking face portion
2602, as this type of relationship allows the relatively stiff
striking face portion 2602 to constrain any potential movement of
the aft body portion 2606. In an alternative embodiment of the
present invention, the joint between the frontal striking face
portion 2602 may be designed in a way to reduce the gap as shown in
FIG. 33 without departing from the scope and content of the present
invention. In the embodiment of the joint shown in FIG. 33, excess
material is added to the aft body portion 3606 around the bonding
ledge, creating a seamless fit without departing from the scope and
content of the present invention.
[0118] The cross-sectional view of golf club head 2600 shown in
FIG. 26, combined with the exploded view of the golf club head 2600
shown in FIG. 27 illustrates a striking face portion 2602 formed
out of a metallic material and may or may not have an additional
face insert attached to the frontal surface of the striking face
portion 2602. The striking face portion 2602 may also have a return
portion that extends rearward from the striking face plane, wherein
the return portion is adopted to engage the aft body portion 2606.
The aft body portion 2606 may generally be formed out of a
lightweight crown sub-shell 2636a and a lightweight sole sub-shell
2636b both of which combine to create the aft body portion 2606 all
while helping capture a weighting system 2640.
[0119] The weighting system 2640 shown in FIGS. 26 and 27 further
comprises of a high density mass 2660, an outer weight housing
2662, an inner weight housing 2664, and an inner threaded screw
2666, all combining to create a mass member at the rear of the golf
club head 2600. In this exemplary embodiment of the present
invention, the high density weight 2660 is threaded and attaches to
the outer weight housing 2662 via the threads. The high density
weight 2600 may generally be formed out of a tungsten type material
with a density of greater than about 17 g/cc, however other types
of lower density tungsten or steel type material may also be used
without departing from the scope and content of the present
invention so long as the material has a density greater than that
of the lightweight shell 2636. The outer weight housing 2662 in
this embodiment may be made out of a steel type material to allow
the threads of the high density weight 2600 to engage itself,
however, in alternative embodiments of the present invention,
numerous other types of material such as tungsten, aluminum, or
even some polymeric material can all be used without departing from
the scope and content of the present invention so long as it is
capable of creating durable threads to engage the high density
weight 2600 also all without departing from the scope and content
of the present invention. Both the high density weight 2600 and the
outer weight housing 2662 are located on the external surface of a
crown recessed skirt 2661a of the lightweight crown sub-shell 2636a
and a sole recessed skirt 2661b of the lightweight sole sub-shell
2636b. On the internal surface of the recessed skirt 2661 of the
lightweight crown sub-shell 2636a is the inner weight housing 2664
as well as the inner threaded screw 2666. The inner weight housing
2664 provides some support to the internal portion of the recessed
skirt 2661a and 2661b, and has openings that allows the one or more
inner threaded screws 2666 to engage the outer weight housing 2662
to secure the entirety of the weighting system 2640 to the aft
portion of the golf club head 2600. It should be noted that the
outward facing geometry of the combination of the recessed skirt
2661a and 2661b generally match the inward facing geometry of the
outer weight housing 2662 to facilitate this bond without departing
from the scope and content of the present invention. It is
important to note here that in this embodiment of the present
invention with the screws, the entirety of the weighting system
does not require any glue.
[0120] It is worth noting here that the current aft body portion
2606 no longer requires the utilization of a ribbon support member,
and the elimination of a ribbon support member is accomplished
through a unique overlap joint between the lightweight crown
sub-shell 2636a and the lightweight sole sub-shell 2636b, the
relationship is shown more clearly in a different cross-sectional
view of the golf club head 2600 taken in a heel to toe direction
shown in FIG. 28. In the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 28, it
can be seen that the joint between the lightweight crown sub-shell
2636a and the lightweight sole sub-shell 2636b is once again a lap
joint located towards the lower portion of the golf club head below
the geometric pinch point 2633 around the skirt of the golf club
head 2600, having the lightweight crown sub-shell 2636a bending
inward of the lightweight sole sub-shell 2636b. In order to provide
a better illustration of the bond, an enlarged view of circular
region A shown in FIG. 28 is provided as FIG. 29.
[0121] FIG. 29 of the accompanying drawings shows an enlarged
cross-sectional view of a golf club head 2600 shown as circular
region A in FIG. 28. In this enlarged cross-sectional view of the
golf club head 2600, it can be seen that the joint between the
lightweight crown sub-shell 2636a and the lightweight sole
sub-shell 2636b is moved away from the geometric pinch point 2633.
The geometric pinch point 2633 is generally a location that does
not lend itself well to joints, thus moving the joint between the
lightweight crown sub-shell 2636a and the lightweight sole
sub-shell 2636b away from the geometric pinch point 2633
significantly increases the bonding strength between the
lightweight crown sub-shell 2636a and the lightweight sole
sub-shell 2636b; thus eliminating the need of an internal ribbon
support member completely. Shifting the joint between the
lightweight crown sub-shell 2636a and the lightweight sole
sub-shell 2636b is critical to the structural rigidity of the rear
aft portion 2606, but it does come with some manufacturing
challenges.
[0122] The manufacturing challenge in shifting this joint stems
mainly from the need to form complex shapes via a generally flat
composite sheet material that is used to create the lightweight
crown sub-shell 2636a and the lightweight sole sub-shell 2636b and
how these pieces cannot be easily shaped using traditional curing
methods with a male and female cavity. In this embodiment of the
present invention. the complex shape of the lightweight crown
sub-shell 2636a can no longer be formed using traditional methods
is because now the shape creates multiple undercuts in multiple
orientations. In order to address these manufacturing challenges,
the present invention manufacturers the lightweight crown sub-shell
2636a using multiple male inserts to form the male portion of the
mold, allowing the male portion of the mold to be disassembled
after the mold opens. In an alternative embodiment of the present
invention, the lightweight crown sub-shell 2636a could be formed
using a bladder molded process to achieve the same geometry without
departing from the scope and content of the present invention. In
one example, the bladder could be made out of a silicone type
material that can withstand high temperatures without departing
from the scope and content of the present invention as well.
[0123] In addition to the shifting of the joint between the
lightweight crown sub-shell 2636a and the lightweight sole
sub-shell 2636b away from the geometric pinch point 2633, the
enlarged cross-sectional view of the circular region A shown in
FIG. 29 also illustrates the relative placement of the two
components. More specifically, it can be seen in FIG. 29 that the
thicker lightweight sole sub-shell 2636b may generally form the
outer ledge of the butt joint, while the thinner crown sub-shell
2636a may generally form the inner ledge of the butt joint. This
type of relationship is generally preferred in this embodiment of
the present invention, as having the thicker of the two components
constrain the thinner of the two components in helping minimizing
the movement of the entire aft body portion 2606 and keeping the
lightweight crown sub-shell 2636a and the lightweight sole
sub-shell 2636b together.
[0124] FIG. 30 of the accompanying drawings shows an exploded view
of the lightweight shell 2636 separated into the lightweight crown
sub-shell 2636a and the lightweight sole sub-shell 2636b. This
frontal exploded view of the lightweight shell 2636 shown in FIG.
30, not only shows the shape of the lightweight crown sub-shell
2636a and the lightweight sole sub-shell 2636b in their unassembled
state, it also allows the crown recessed skirt 2661a and the sole
recessed skirt 2661b to be shown with more clarity as well.
[0125] FIGS. 31 and 32 of the accompanying drawings shows a
cross-sectional view and an exploded view of a golf club head 3100
in accordance with a further alternative embodiment of the present
invention wherein the weighting system 3140 is mainly secured using
an adhesive rather than a threaded attachment mechanism. In this
embodiment of the present invention, the golf club head 3100 may
also be formed out of a striking face portion 3102 and an aft body
portion 3106. The aft body portion has a lightweight crown
sub-shell 3136a and a lightweight sole sub-shell 3136b, both of
which combine to help capture and retain a weighting system 3140 at
the rear portion of the golf club head 3100. The weighting system
3140 here is formed out of a high density weight 3160 that contains
a male threaded member, a female threaded receiver 3168, an
internal over-molded weight 3169, and an internal weight housing
3164. In this embodiment of the present invention, the internal
weight housing 3164 is made out of lightweight composite type
material and is formed with the internal over-molded weight 3169 as
well as the female threaded receiver 3168 to help capture these
components within the formation of the internal weight housing
3164. Once the internal weight housing 3164 is formed, it is then
glued to the internal surface of the combination of the crown
recessed skirt 3161a and the sole recessed skirt 3161b, exposing
the threads of the female threaded receiver 3168 to accommodate the
high density weight 3160.
[0126] FIGS. 33 and 34 of the accompanying drawings shows a
cross-sectional view and an exploded view of a golf club head 3300
in accordance with a further alternative embodiment of the present
invention wherein the weighting system 3340 is mainly secured using
an adhesive rather than a threaded attachment mechanism. However,
this embodiment of the present invention differs from a previous
embodiment by simplifying and combining the various component. In
this embodiment of the present invention, the golf club head 3300
still has a striking face portion 3302 and an aft body portion
3306, wherein the aft body portion 3306 is formed mainly out of a
lightweight crown sub-shell 3336a and a lightweight sole sub-shell
3336b. The main difference in this embodiment of the golf club head
3300 shown in FIGS. 33 and 34 is in the weighting system 3340. The
weighting system 3340 shown in this embodiment of the present
invention is has a high density weight 3360, an outer weight
housing 3362 and an inner weight housing 3364. The female end of
the threads that engages the male end of the threads of the high
density weight 3360 is generally built directly into the outer
weight housing 3362 itself.
[0127] The outer weight housing 3362 and the inner weight housing
3364 are adapted to fit along the external and internal contours of
the recessed skirt 3361 (formed by the combination of crown
recessed skirt 3361a and sole recessed skirt 3361b) respectively.
In this embodiment of the present invention, the outer weight
housing 3362 is generally adhesively glued to the external contours
of the recessed skirt 3361 while the inner weight housing 3364 is
glued to the internal contours of the recessed skirt 3361, and the
combination of the both of these components being attached to the
recessed skirt 3361 will not only provide a method to attach a
weighting mechanism to the rear of the golf club head 3300, it also
structural rigidity to the overall golf club head 3300 itself as
well. In addition to engaging the recessed skirt 3361, at least a
portion of said external weight housing 3362 is directly engaged
with the internal weight housing 3364 to further enhance the bond.
More specifically, in this embodiment of the present invention, the
external weight housing 3362 may have a protrusion that, even after
assembled in the skirt recess 3361, protrudes beyond the skirt
recess 3361 itself via an opening to engage a recess in the
internal weight housing 3364. This engagement between the external
weight housing 3362 and the internal weight housing 3364 may
generally be bonded to one another via an adhesive, thus further
enhancing the bond of the weighting system 3340 to the actual golf
club head 3200 itself.
[0128] Other than in the operating example, or unless otherwise
expressly specified, all of the numerical ranges, amounts, values
and percentages such as those for amounts of materials, moment of
inertias, center of gravity locations, loft, draft angles, various
performance ratios, and others in the aforementioned portions of
the specification may be read as if prefaced by the word "about"
even though the term "about" may not expressly appear in the value,
amount, or range. Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary,
the numerical parameters set forth in the above specification and
attached claims are approximations that may vary depending upon the
desired properties sought to be obtained by the present invention.
At the very least, and not as an attempt to limit the application
of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims, each
numerical parameter should at least be construed in light of the
number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary
rounding techniques.
[0129] Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters
setting forth the broad scope of the invention are approximations,
the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are
reported as precisely as possible. Any numerical value, however,
inherently contains certain errors necessarily resulting from the
standard deviation found in their respective testing measurements.
Furthermore, when numerical ranges of varying scope are set forth
herein, it is contemplated that any combination of these values
inclusive of the recited values may be used.
[0130] It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing
relates to exemplary embodiments of the present invention and that
modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and
scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.
* * * * *