Abstract:
The present invention relates to apparatus and methods for affixing a veneer to the crown of a golf club head so as to give the golf club head the appearance of being a classic wood club head when viewed from the ball address position, but having the advantages of technically advanced materials. A veneer inlay is adhered to the recession in the crown of a Wood whereby the recession is filled by the veneer inlay, or a veneer is adhered to the crown of a golf club head.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/348,620, filed Jan. 11, 2002. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    This invention pertains to an apparatus and method for affixing veneers to golf club heads. In particular, the present invention relates to adhering wood and wood-looking veneers to the compound curved top surface of certain golf club heads, known as Woods, and to an accommodating recession in newly manufactured Woods.  
         BACKGROUND OF INVENTION  
         [0003]    Originating in Scotland in the 15 th  century, golf has been a popular sport played throughout the world. Without going into the details of the game, golf generally requires two pieces of equipment, a golf ball and a golf club. Both the ball and the club have experienced technological improvements throughout the years.  
           [0004]    Golf clubs typically fall into one of two general categories, “Irons” or “Woods.” Irons have a distinctly different shape than Woods, in that they are smaller, more thin and somewhat blade-shaped. Woods, on the other hand, are larger bodied clubs that have a large bottom surface, or sole, and a large top surface, also known in the art as a crown. Woods are typically used when a longer shot is required, such as Driving off the tee. Up through the early 1980&#39;s, Woods were primarily carved out of wood. For most of the 19 th  century, the wood of choice for Woods came from the persimmon tree. Persimmon wood had the necessary characteristics for making a golf club head that would make the ball go farther when struck. Woods, made out of wood, have a classic and timeless look, and are the type of club heads that a significant portion of the golfing population grew up using. Accordingly, the look of a wooden Wood appeals to a number of golfers today.  
           [0005]    As metal alloy and composite material technology developed, Woods began to be manufactured out of materials other than wood, such as titanium and graphite. Metal Woods and composite Woods have allowed golfers of all skill levels to hit the ball longer and are designed such that they allow more room for error, without resulting in an errant shot. Since their introduction, metal Woods have consistently gown in popularity and gained market share. Today, the vast majority of golfers use metal Woods. As such, only small percentage of golfers remain true to the clubs of old and still use Woods made out of wood.  
           [0006]    As much of the golfing population has grown up with wooden Woods, there exists a desire for the classic look of wood golf clubs. The prevailing desire, however, is for metal or composite Woods made out of technically advanced materials, such as titanium, for their delivery of maximum performance. Until now, these desires have been mutually exclusive of one another. As such, it would be advantageous to develop a method and apparatus for making Woods, made out of the latest and technologically advanced materials and yet give them the timeless look of classic wooden golf club heads.  
         SUMMARY OF INVENTION  
         [0007]    The preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a method for affixing a wood or wood-looking veneer to the compound curved top surface of the non-wood club head, and alternatively includes a non-wood golf club head that has a recessed crown, which is filled with a wood veneer or wood-looking veneer. These and other variations as well as the invention itself will become more readily apparent upon reference to the following detailed description that follows. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS  
       [0008]    [0008]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a golf club head depicting a veneer inlaid and adhered to a recession in the crown of a golf club head;  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the golf club head of FIG. 1 depicting a crown recession adapted to receive the veneer;  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a golf club head taken on view lines  3 - 3  of FIG. 1;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the invention depicting a veneer adhered to the top surface of the crown of a golf club;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the golf club head of FIG. 4 as taken on view lines  5 - 5 ; and  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross section of a portion of the golf club head of FIG. 4 depicting the veneer edge and protective border. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0014]    In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the following detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 1 shows a golf club head, known as a Wood, with a veneer affixed to the top surface of the Wood. A Wood is made up of a top surface or crown  10 , a bottom surface or sole  12 , a front surface or face  14 , and a side and rear band  16 . The crown  10 , sole  12 , face  14  and side and rear band  16  are formed such that they define an interior cavity. The crown  10  is the portion of the club head that the golfer sees when he or she addresses a ball. The crown  10  is typically formed as a compound curve, highest in the center and curving downward and outward toward the edges. The face  14  is the surface that strikes the ball when the golfer swings the club. Sole  12  is the portion of the Wood that is designed to contact the ground when swinging at the ball.  
         [0016]    As discussed in the background section, prior to the introduction of metal and other composite Woods, solid wood golf club heads were the mainstays. The crown  10  of wooden club heads would have the appearance of wood, unless the crown was painted a solid color. Accordingly, the crown of metal Woods either have a metal looking finish or a painted surface. The preferred embodiment of the present invention contemplates affixing a wood veneer  20  to the crown of the non-wood club head, such that the Wood has the appearance of being a classic wood golf club head when viewed from the perspective of the golfer who is addressing the ball prior to hitting.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 2 depicts the preferred embodiment of the present invention, where the crown  10  is substantially evenly recessed  22  over a majority of the golf club&#39;s crown  10 . Recession  22  is designed such that it can accommodate a veneer inlay  20 . Recession  22  is bordered by a peripheral edge  26 . In the preferred embodiment, recession  22  takes on generally the same compound curved shape as the normal contour of the crown  10  would take without recession  22 .  
         [0018]    Peripheral edge  26  can either be part of the crown  10  or defined by the upstanding edges of side and rear band  16  and face  14 . One skilled in the art would appreciate that recession  22  can be formed in a number of ways, such as being stamped into the forged crown piece, or carved out of a thicker piece of stock material that becomes the crown. The depth of recession  22  is sized such that it can accommodate the thickness of veneer inlay  20 , the adhesive and a protective finish (discussed later with regard to this embodiment), such that the leading edge  28  of peripheral edge  26  is even with or slightly higher than the top of veneer  24 . FIG. 3 depicts a sectional view of the golf club head showing the thickness of the adhesive, veneer and finish to be substantially the same thickness as the leading edge  28  of peripheral edge  26  and to maintain the general contour curvature of the crown. This helps protect the veneer inlay  20  from abuse encountered by mis-hits of the ball and bumping against other clubs in the golf bag.  
         [0019]    As shown in FIG. 2, veneer inlay  20  is precut to fit the compound curve of recession  22  of crown  10 . In its dry state, veneer inlay  20  is generally flat. Accordingly, the size of veneer inlay  20  must be slightly larger than the lineal dimension of recession  22  to accommodate for the compound curvature of recession  22 , such that when veneer inlay  20  is inlaid, it assumes the domed shape of recession  22 , forming a tight seam without leaving substantial gaps between peripheral edge  26  and the edge of veneer inlay  20 .  
         [0020]    In the preferred embodiment, wood veneer is inlaid into recession  22 . In its generally flat and dry state, wood veneer may split or crack when attempting to conform its shape to the compound curve of recession  22 . To enable the veneer inlay  20  to be pliable enough to conform to the compound curve of recession  22  without cracking or splitting, veneer inlay  20  can be treated prior to inlay. A variety of treatments are available and known in the art. In the preferred embodiment, the top surface of the wood veneer is hydrated with water such that it can be shaped to conform to the domed shape of recession  22 . One skilled in the art would appreciate, however, that the wood veneer can be treated in other ways to make it pliable such as heating, steaming or chemically treating. Once pliable, the veneer is ready for shaping and bonding to the surface of recession  22  and will assume the domed shape of recession  22  with pressure being exerted on veneer inlay  20 .  
         [0021]    The veneer inlay  20  can also be pre-shaped to conform to the general compound curvature of recession  22 . Being pre-shaped, veneer inlay  20  can be placed on the surface of recession  22  without the need to apply pressure to the perimeter of the veneer inlay  20  to get it to conform to the domed shape of the recession  22  of crown  10 . Pre-shaping of the veneer inlay  20  can be completed in a number of ways. For example, once the veneer inlay is cut or stamped out of the veneer stock to the veneer blank size, the blank can be steamed and pressed into a mold or form that has the same general compound curvature of the recession  20 . The veneer inlay  20  can then be dried in the mold or form until the veneer inlay retains the shape compound curved shape of recession  22 .  
         [0022]    A number of adhesive can be used to adhere veneer inlay  20  to recession  22  depending on the desired bond strength, drying time and compatibility with the veneer material. For wood veneers, contact cement is a compatible material that provides solid adhesion to the surface of recession  22 . When using contact cement, material must be applied to the top surface of recession  22  and the under surface of veneer inlay  20 . Other adhering materials such as epoxies, urea resin glues, hot melt glues, and a variety of other adhesive and glues can also be used to adhere the veneer to the surface of recession  22 . With such materials, only the under side of the veneer  20  or the top surface of recession  22  need be coated with material. Since epoxies and glues typically have a longer set up times, they are preferable to secure veneer inlay  20  into recession  22  because they can be shifted before the adhering material sets up or cures to ensure that the veneer inlay  20  is properly situated in recession  22 . Longer setup times, however, may require that a constant pressure be applied to the veneer inlay  20  for a period of time until the bond has sufficiently cured and the veneer inlay  20  will not delaminate from the recession  22  of crown  10 .  
         [0023]    After application of the adhering material, veneer inlay  20  can then be inlaid into recession  22  in a manner such that any bubbling or folds are worked out of the veneer by smoothing the veneer, which can include applying pressure in the center area of the veneer inlay  20  and applying pressure in a radial direction or by starting at one side and smoothing the veneer inlay  20  over the compound curved top surface of recession  22  to the other side.  
         [0024]    To improve the bond between the veneer inlay  20  and recession  22 , the top surface of recession  22  can be abraded. Abrading the top surface of recession  22  increases the surface bonding area. Though the veneer  20  does not regularly absorb the impact of the golf ball, it will encounter various stresses, including contact with other golf clubs, the ball (when the face of the club goes under the ball), and environments that vary dramatically in temperature and moisture content. Accordingly, the stronger the bond between the veneer inlay  20  and recession  22 , the more apt the veneer inlay  20  is to withstand the rigors encountered without delaminating, cracking or splitting.  
         [0025]    Once veneer inlay  20  is adhered to recession  22 , the top surface of veneer inlay  20  can be appropriately finished. For wood veneers, finishing should include applying a protective coat to the top surface of veneer inlay  20  to prevent abnormal wear or dilapidation due to exposure to weather extremes and other abuses. As with the adhesives, a variety of materials can be used to provide a protective coating to the veneer inlay  20 . In the preferred embodiment, a polyurethane is applied to the top surface of veneer inlay  20 , which makes the wood veneers impervious to moisture and helps prevent the effects of sun on the wood. It is preferred that the protective coat material cover the entire surface of veneer inlay  20  and at least contact the inside of peripheral edge  26 , allowing the protective coat material to fill or bridge any gaps between the outside edge of veneer inlay  20  and the inside edge of peripheral edge  26 . One skilled in the art would appreciate that other protective coat materials can be applied, including linseed oil, tongue oil, varnish, epoxy, deft acrylics and the like.  
         [0026]    As part of applying a finish, the veneer inlay  20  can be stained to give it a darker tint or a different color hue. Staining the veneer  24  should be done prior to or after the veneer is adhered to recession  22 , but prior to applying a separate protective material, such as polyurethane. It is understood by one skilled in the art, however, that the protective finish could be only the stain, or that the protective finish as described above could be colored to give the veneer inlay a different color hue.  
         [0027]    Though the preferred embodiment described above contemplates using a wood veneer as the inlay, one skilled in the art would appreciate that the veneer inlay  20  could be made out of a variety of materials, including plastic, which are made to look like wood, and would not necessarily require a protective coating be applied.  
         [0028]    Creating a recession in the crown  10  of the golf club head and inlaying a veneer inlay is primarily directed toward newly manufactured clubs, where the creation of the recession is part of the manufacturing process. For existing composite and metal Woods, creation of a recession is impractical. A veneer can still be applied using generally the same application techniques as described for applying a veneer inlay  20  to recession  22  in crown  10 .  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 4 illustrates a veneer  24  affixed to the compound curved surface of crown  10 , without a recession formed therein. The head of the golf club has a crown  10 , a sole  12 , a face  14  and a side and rear band  16 . A veneer  24  is adhered to the surface of crown  10 . The veneer  24  can be precut to the appropriate size, such that the surface area of the veneer  24  is the same or less than the surface area of crown  10 , upon which the veneer will be adhered. This requires no further trimming of excess veneer. The veneer  24  can also be cut such that its surface area is larger than the surface area of crown  10 . Once adhered to crown  10 , the edges of the veneer  24  will overhang the peripheral edge defined by the junction of crown  10  and the top of face  14  and side and rear band  16 . The excess of veneer  24  that overhangs the peripheral edge of crown  10  must be trimmed so that the edge of veneer  24  is flush with or inside of the peripheral edge of crown  10  or the periphery defined by the top of face  14  and the top of side and rear band  16 .  
         [0030]    Whether using a precut exact fit veneer  24  or an oversized veneer  24  that needs to be trimmed back, the veneer  24  will be generally flat in its dry state. The veneer  24  can conform to the domed or compound curved shape of the crown  10  by treating the veneer  24  to make it pliable, as discussed above in regard to the crown recession embodiment, and adhering the veneer  24  to the top surface compound curved shape of crown  10 . Veneer  24  can also be pre-shaped to conform to the general compound curved shape of crown  10 . Pre-shaping of the veneer  24  is the same as described with regard to the crown recession embodiment discussed above.  
         [0031]    Again like the crown recession embodiment described above, a number of adhesives can be used to secure veneer  24  to the top of crown  10 . For non-pre-shaped oversized veneer  24 , contact cement is a preferred adhesive because of its relatively quick bonding properties and the fact that a lesser degree of precision is required to place veneer  24  on crown  10  due to the excess veneer that will overhang the peripheral edge of the crown  10 . The veneer can be treated and adhered without applying prolonged pressure to the veneer  24 . For pre-shaped or exact fit veneers  24 , other adhesives, such as epoxies and other glues are preferable due to their longer set up times, which allows the veneer  24  to be shifted into the proper position after the veneer  24  is placed on the crown  10 .  
         [0032]    Unlike the veneer inlaid in a recession  22  of crown  10 , as shown in FIG. 2, where the upstanding peripheral edge  26  provides a barrier to the exposed edge of the veneer  24 , the edge of the veneer, as shown in FIG. 4 is exposed and vulnerable to dilapidation and splitting after adhering to crown  10 . To prevent dilapidation, a protective border  30  is applied to the veneer around its periphery. As more clearly shown in FIG. 6, the protective border  30  bridges the transition from the edge of veneer  24  and the remaining exposed surface of crown  10 . In the preferred embodiment, a two part epoxy is the used as the protective border that covers the edge of the veneer  20  and bridges onto the exposed surface of the crown  10  or slightly over the face  14  and the side and rear band  16 . One skilled in the art would appreciate that other protective borders can be used, such as paints, tape, silicone and the like.  
         [0033]    A protective coating can the be applied to the top surface of the veneer  24  and the protective border  30  to protect the veneer from exposure to the elements. As with the recessed crown embodiment described above, polyurethane is an appropriate protective coating, and preferably should overlap the protective border  30  and onto the metal or composite surface surrounding the edge of the protective border  30 . This overlap also prevents moisture from getting underneath the protective border  30  or veneer  24 . Linseed oil, tongue oil and varnish are all suitable protective finishes. A stain can also be applied to the top surface of the veneer  24  either prior to or after adhering veneer 24  to crown  10 . Where the veneer needs treatment to make it sufficiently pliable to conform to the curve of crown  10 , as required for the non pre-shaped veneers, staining the veneer is more appropriate after bonding of the veneer  24  to crown  10  when pliability is no longer necessary.  
         [0034]    Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein for purposes of description of the preferred embodiment, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a wide variety of alternate and/or equivalent implementations calculated to achieve the same purposes may be substituted for the specific embodiment shown and described without departing from the scope of the present invention. Those with skill in the art will readily appreciate that the present invention may be implemented in a very wide variety of embodiments. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the embodiments discussed herein. Therefore, it is manifestly intended that this invention be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof.