Abstract:
A putter head is positioned to be even with the ball when the shaft is at the vertical plane of the ball. The lie of the shaft can be adjusted relative to the head between limits. An insert in the club head secures the tip of the crook of the shaft. A worm gear permits infinite adjustment of lie within a range. The insert can be of different weights to weight the club for various conditions.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to sporting equipment and in particular to golf clubs, and more specifically to putters. The invention is directed to a golf putter having a shaft and head in which the shaft has a shepherd&#39;s crook or gooseneck portion at its lower end, and this enters the body of the putter head horizontally. The invention is also concerned with a putter in which the lie of the club, i.e., the angle that the axis of the shaft makes in respect to the sole of the club head, can be adjusted over a range, and in which the same club can be set for right handed or left handed play. 
     Putters are golf clubs for use on the putting green, and are used for stroking the golf ball in a manner such that contact with the ball will roll the ball towards the hole, and hopefully into the hole. It is best if the putter can be individualized for each golfer, because each golfer has an individual stance and stature, and an individual swing plane, and for a given golfer the right eye may be the dominant eye while for another the left eye may be dominant. This is true for right-handed and left-handed players. Also, the golfer&#39;s preferences may change over time, and may vary from one course to another for any of a variety of reasons. 
     Some golf putters have been proposed that could be adjusted to the individual golfer, including selecting the lie of the club. These have invariably required incremental adjustment however, and so the adjustment for a given golfer could be approximate, at best. 
     Balance and weight of the club head are important factors also, as the swing of a golfer can vary between light and heavy, and the weight of the club can affect the travel of the ball across the green towards the hole. 
     OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved putter that better matches the golfer&#39;s preferences and characteristics, and improves the travel of the golf ball across the green, towards and into the hole. 
     Another object is to provide a golf club that can be easily changed between right hand and left hand configurations, and in which the lie, or angle of the shaft axis to the sole of the club head, can be infinitely adjusted within a range (e.g., 10° to about 35°). 
     It is another object of the invention to provide a putter in which the shaft axis is aligned with the zone of the club face that contacts the golf ball. 
     It is a further object to provide a putter in which the lower end of the shaft extends horizontally into the body of the club head, on a line with the zone of the club face that contacts the ball. 
     It is another object in which an insert that anchors the tip or end of the shaft to the club head can be interchanged or adjusted to optimize the weight of the putter head. 
     According to one aspect of the present invention, the head of the putter has a body, which may be generally rounded and elongated from front to back, with a sole or bottom surface, a face at a distal end (facing the ball) and a back at a proximal end (opposite the ball). The putter shaft has a main straight elongated shaft portion that defines a shaft axis, and a gooseneck or shepherd&#39;s crook portion at a lower end of the main shaft portion. The gooseneck portion turns proximally from the plane of the shaft axis at the lower end of the straight main shaft portion and then curves the other direction through more than 90 degrees to the distal direction, such that the lower end of the gooseneck portion lies in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the shaft axis. The body of the head portion has an insert cavity. An insert (in which the end of the gooseneck is anchored) is removably secured into the insert cavity. There is a generally C-profile trough that extends distally, from the back of the head to the insert cavity. The insert includes a mechanism that captures the tip of said gooseneck portion and holds the shaft so that the horizontal lower end of the gooseneck portion lies within the trough. The insert holds the gooseneck portion of the shaft such that the axis of the shaft lies substantially in the plane of the club face. The mechanism also permits adjustment of the lie of the shaft relative to the sole of the club head, within a continuous range between limits of substantially 10 degrees from vertical, relative to the sole and maximum angle between 10 degrees and horizontal (typically 35 degrees or 55 degrees from horizontal). In a favorable embodiment, the insert is in the form of a generally rectangular block fitted into a corresponding rectangular insert cavity. 
     The mechanism that captures the tip of the gooseneck portion and permits adjustment of the lie of the shaft can take the form of a worm drive incorporated into the insert, with a spur gear retained on the tip of the gooseneck portion and a worm gear that is transversely disposed in the insert and is accessible through a bore in the club head. An allen wrench or hex wrench can be inserted in that bore, and turned to make adjustments of lie angle. Favorably, there is a blocking device in the insert that preventing rotation of the gooseneck portion to an angle less than 10 degrees from vertical of the shaft axis relative to the club sole. The blocking device can be adjusted with the lie of the shaft set to either side of vertical, so that the putter can be adjusted for either right-handed or left-handed play. In the preferred embodiment, the insert is formed of a lower base portion and an upper clamp portion that releasably secures the tip of the gooseneck portion. The base and clamp portions define at least one limit cavity between them. The tip of the gooseneck portion has a limit pin that extends radially out and is situated within limit cavity. Two walls of the limit cavity defining rotational limits for the gooseneck portion of the shaft. 
     The upper and lower parts of the insert can be made of various materials, some light-weight and some heavier, so that different inserts can be interchanged, to change the weight of the club head. 
     In the putters that embody this invention, the head is positioned to be even with the ball when the shaft is at the vertical plane of the ball, and the shaft angle can be adjusted relative to the head, either for small adjustments of angle or to swing over to the opposite side for use by left handed players. The block or insert that holds the head to the crook of the shaft can be made of any of a number of materials of different weight so the head can be adjusted as to weight for different conditions (wet green, fast green, etc.) prior to play. 
     Major novel features are as follows: 
     The crook of the shaft comes into the putter head parallel with the ground and is secured in the insert. The insert favorably includes a worm gear drive, rotated via a tool inserted into an opening in the club head, so the golfer can change the lie of the putter sole in relation to the shaft angle. The golfer can select an optimum angle (except for a forbidden interval between +10° and −10° from vertical) and can adjust the club for RH or LH play. In some implementations, there can be different inserts for right-hand and left-hand set up, while in others change over from right-hand to left-hand can be carried out by a simple adjustment in the insert. The requirement of a special tool for the rotating of the worm gear ensures that the club is only adjusted before play, and not during a match. In a favored embodiment a stop pin in a through hole in the shaft and a blocking element in the insert stop rotation at 80° from horizontal (10° from vertical) so shaft angle adjustment is limited from about 55° to 80°. By pushing this pin through for left hand settings, the shaft angle can be adjusted between 100° and 125°, symmetric with the RH configuration. The shaft angle is infinitely adjustable between these limits, on either side. 
     The upper, main part of the shaft is directly over the ball, and the crook lower end curves behind the putter head and then bends an arc at 90° at the bottom so the shaft is oriented directly into the face of the putter directed at the point of impact with the ball, while the vertical part of the shaft is exactly aligned with the top of the ball at the point of impact. 
     The insert that joins the shaft to the putter head can be made from various materials of different weight, e.g., plastic, aluminum, brass or stainless steel, to allow the golfer to change the weight of the putter head and the feel of the strike of the ball. The weight of the club can be adjusted prior to play so as to weight the club for different conditions, i.e., wet green, fast green, etc. 
     The putter can be used for either right- or left-handed use simply by rotating the shaft to the other side, and adjusting the grip (if necessary) where now almost all putters are made separately for right or left handed players. However, as this involves removing the insert from the club head, this is a procedure that would have to be performed prior to play, which conforms the putter to rules of golf that forbid changing the characteristics of the club on the course. 
     The above and many other objects, features, and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the ensuing description of an exemplary embodiment, which should be read in conjunction with the accompanying Drawing. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective assembly view of a putter according to one preferred embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a partly exploded perspective view thereof. 
         FIG. 3  is another perspective view of this embodiment. 
         FIG. 4  is a rear quarter perspective view of the putter head this embodiment. 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic view showing the lie adjustment ranges in this embodiment. 
         FIG. 6  is a more detailed exploded assembly view of this embodiment. 
         FIG. 7  is a partly cut-away view of the putter head of this embodiment. 
         FIG. 8  is a partly cut-away view of a the insert of this embodiment, showing the lie angle adjustment mechanism. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With reference to the Drawing,  FIGS. 1 to 4  show an improved putter according to one favorable embodiment of this invention. 
     The putter  10  is comprised of a shaft  12  and a head  14 . The shaft  12  has a main straight upper portion  16 , which defines the axis A of the shaft, with a wrap or grip  18  at its upper end, and with a curved gooseneck portion  20  at its lower end connecting the straight shaft portion  16  with the club head  14 . Here the gooseneck portion  20  and straight portion  16  are unitary and formed as a single piece, but in other implementations the gooseneck portion could be formed as a hosel fitted into the putter head  14  with the straight shaft portion  16  being fitted into the hosel. 
     The gooseneck portion has a first angled portion  22  that bends distally away from the lower end of the straight portion  16  and continues down to a recurve  24 , below which the gooseneck portion  20  continues distally, i.e., forward, and enters the club head  14 . 
     The club head  14  has a main body  16  which here has a generally semi-elliptical profile, viewed from above, formed with a generally flat face  28  on a distal (golf-ball facing) side and a sole  30  at its under side. The body  26  narrows to a rounded back end. The lower end of the gooseneck  20  is held in an insert  32  that is fitted into the body  26  of the club head. As shown better in  FIGS. 2 and 4 , the body has a elongated recess or trough  34  that extends from the rear or proximal end of the body  26  to an insert cavity  36  into which the insert  32  is seated. The lower end of the gooseneck  20  extends horizontally through the trough  34  to where it is gripped in the insert  32 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , the axis A of the shaft  12  aligns with the face  28  of the putter at the point where it contacts the golf ball B. 
     As shown in the exploded assembly view of  FIG. 2 , the insert  32  is generally formed of an upper clamp plate  40  that attaches to a lower insert body  42 , each of which has a generally rectangular profile to match the shape of the insert cavity  36 . These capture the tip of the shaft gooseneck portion  20  between them. As shown, a spur gear  44  is affixed to the tip to effect rotation of the shaft along the proximal-distal axis of the club head. A pair of screw fasteners  46  pass through holes (not shown) in the club sole  30 , through the lower insert body  42  and into the upper insert clamp plate  40 . 
     As illustrated schematically in  FIG. 5 , a worm gear drive (to be detailed shortly) is incorporated into the insert  32 , and can be manipulated by an allen wrench or hex wrench  50  that is inserted into a transverse bore  48  at one side of the body  26  of the club head  14 . This permits the lie of the axis of the shaft  12  relative to the sole  30  of the club to be adjusted over a continuous range, between +10° from vertical and +35° (for right-handed use) and between −10° and −35° (for left handed use). There is a stop or blocking mechanism in place in the insert such that there is a forbidden zone  52  between +10° and −10° from vertical, so the shaft axis A cannot be set closer than ten degrees from vertical. Also as shown here, the axis of rotation X of the shaft  12  is aligned with the center part of the club face  28  where the putter meets the golf ball B. 
     The construction of the insert  32  and the worm-drive adjustment feature of the preferred embodiment is shown in the exploded view of  FIG. 6  with further reference to the more detailed views of the club head  14  in  FIG. 7  and of the insert  32  in  FIG. 8 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , the spur gear  44  of the worm drive is fitted onto the tip (i.e., horizontal distal end) of the gooseneck portion  20 , and is secured to it by means of a pin  56 . A worm or helix  58  is supported on an axle  60  and these fit into a distal or forward recess  62  in the lower insert  42 , and a pin  64  locks the worm  58  to the axle  60 . There is a head at one end of the axle which has a hexagonal recess (see  FIGS. 7 and 8 ) to receive the allen wrench  50 . A limit pin  66  is fitted into a bore  68  just behind the tip  54  of the gooseneck, and this protrudes radially out, as shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 . There are limit cavities  70  formed on left and right sides of the insert  32  adjacent the gooseneck, and these each have an upper wall formed in the insert clamp plate  40  and a lower limit wall formed in the lower insert  42 . These walls interfere with limit pin  66  and keep it from revolving beyond the set rotational limits of 10° and 35° from vertical. By using the allen wrench to rotate the worm  58 , it is possible to set the angle of the shaft, i.e., the lie of the putter, at any place in between those limits. The lie is infinitely adjustable within this range, and not merely incrementally adjustable as with other adjustable putters. 
     The insert  32  can be removed from the club head and the gooseneck  20  can be lifted from it. Then, the limit pin  66  can be pushed though the shaft to the other side and reinstalled in the insert. The insert can then be replaced into the insert cavity  36  and attached with the screws  46 . Now the putter is set up for left-hand play, and the pin  66  limits rotation between the opposite angles of lie, i.e., between −10° and −35°. This can be easily carried out in the pro shop or in the store when the club is purchased. Normally, there is no need to reset the club between the LH and RH settings. However, later reconfiguration from LH back to RH is possible, following the same general procedures. The individual golfer can experiment with different lies, i.e., different shaft angles, and quickly arrive at the putter lie that is correct for him or her. 
     In other possible embodiments, the lie adjustment may be carried out with a different mechanism from the worm drive shown here, and still accomplish infinite adjustment within a range of angles. Also, the invention is not strictly limited to putters having the head of the same shape as is shown in connection with the described embodiment. A variety of mechanisms may be employed for limiting the rotation of the lower goosehead (or hosel in some cases) so that the club remains legal for play according to the established rules. 
     The club head body may be formed of a metal or of a synthetic resin material, or of a wide range of other suitable materials. 
     While the invention has been described here with reference to one specific preferred embodiment, it should be recognized that the invention is not limited to that embodiment, and that many modifications and variations would present themselves to those of skill in the art without departure from the scope of this invention, as defined in the appended claims.