Golf club grip alignment using laser aligning device

A laser aligning device is mounted on the flat side of a putter grip or other cylindrically asymmetric surface of a club grip and emits a fan shaped light sheet. The light sheet is perpendicular to the flat side of the putter grip. The light sheet projects a visible laser line on a plane such as the ground when the head is on the same plane. The alignment of the grip relative to the putter head's face can be inspected by visually inspecting the orientation of the projected line on the plane relative to the head's face. The grip can be adjusted and fixed so that it is properly oriented to the face.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Reference is made to our U.S. Pat. No. 7,188,488, issued Oct. 10, 2006 on a putter aligning device.

BACKGROUND

This field is golf, specifically golf club grip alignment

2. Prior Art

Most golf clubs have a hand grip for ease of holding the club. Some grips are not perfectly cylindrical (circular cross-section), because they may have an oval cross-section or they may include a flat designed to assist the golfer in aligning the club with the golf ball to be hit. For example, an iron club has an oval-shaped grip, a putter has a grip with one flat side, and some clubs have raised or grooved patterns, dimples, or other relief on their grips. All these non-cylindrical structures provide tactile feedback in order to assist and assure the golfer's consistent and proper grip on the club. Such non-cylindrical grip designs create a need for reliable and uniform means of aligning the grip to the golf club's face during the installation of the grip, and for reliable and simple means of verifying alignment after the installation.

Most grips are a sleeve of rubber that is permanently attached to the shaft. It cannot be easily twisted after it is installed. However, the manufacturer or installer may imperfectly install the grip, so that the golfer cannot use the club properly. Even worst, the golfer may develop an incorrect way in using a golf club.

To assist the installer in aligning the grips, many grips have small alignment marks on the side of the grip facing upward when the club is held horizontally. The grip is aligned with the face of the golf club head, which contacts the golf ball when the golfer hits the ball. Since the alignment marks and the club head are quite a distance apart, misalignment during grip installation can and often does occur if the alignment is based on visual inspection.

Recognizing the limitation of visually aligning the face of the golf club head with the grip alignment marks, various devices to assist in the grip installation process have been proposed. U.S. Pat. No. 5,870,815 to Kamer at al. (Feb. 16, 1999), U.S. Pat. No. 6,415,502 to Gunshinan et al. (Jul. 9, 2002), and U.S. Pat. No. 6,877,201 to Gunshinan et al. (Apr. 12, 2005) disclose mechanical fixtures that can rotate the club head about the shaft axis until the club head is in a correct or desired position. After the golf club is in the correct position, it is ready to receive a grip in a desired, pre-selected position and alignment. A laser line projected by a laser device is superimposed along the shaft axis and passes through the desired position of the grip alignment mark. The installer then aligns the grip alignment mark along the visual laser line. However they use bulky mechanical stations and suffer from the following disadvantages:(a) the alignment station is not portable,(b) the alignment station is expensive, and(c) the alignment station is designed for use by manufacturers and is not for personal use.

SUMMARY

In accordance with one embodiment, a laser alignment device is mounted on the grip of a golf club while the golf club head is on the ground. The laser projects a line on the ground. When the grip is rotated about the axis of the shaft, the projected line on the ground rotates accordingly. Thus the orientation of the grip relative to the golf club head is clearly shown by the orientation of the line on the ground relative to the club head.

FIG. 1Ashows golf club (preferably a putter) comprises a shaft20, a club head22connected to shaft20, and a grip24mounted on shaft20. At the grip end, shaft20is cylindrical (i.e., it has a circular cross-section) and has a shaft axis26. As shown in FIG.1A′, the grip's cross-section27of a putter has a flat side28. Flat surface28of FIGS.1A and1A′ is perpendicular to the plane of paper. The face of club head22is parallel to the plane of the paper inFIG. 1A. Thus surface28is perpendicular to the face of club head22(ball-hitting surface).FIG. 1Bshows more detail of the grip portion of the club. In other golf clubs, grip24may have an oval cross-section30as shown inFIG. 1C. The alignment of oval-shaped grip will be discussed later.

FIGS. 2A and 2Bare diagrammatic views which illustrate some principles and geometry of laser aligning. A laser aligner32is positioned on a horizontal plane36. Aligner32has a light emitting unit33, which comprises a laser diode (not shown) energized by batteries (not shown) and an on-off switch (not shown). The laser diode emits a laser beam (not shown) inside unit33. Unit33contains optics (not shown), which shape the beam to form a fan-shaped light sheet34emitted from unit33. The optics can be a combination of a collimating lens and a cylindrical lens, a specially designed anamorphic lens, or a diffractive optical element. Unit33is similar to devices generally known as laser line generators, which are commercially available. For example, a laser diode module set (C59-464 and C59-469) from Edmund Optics, New Jersey (www.edmundoptics.com) emits a line with 75-degree fan angle.

Light sheet34intersects vertical plane38at line40. Plane38scatters light sheet34, forming a laser line40, which is visible to an observer42. Observer42cannot usually see light sheet34but can see line40because it represents incident light from sheet34reflected from surface38.

As shown inFIG. 2B, when vertical plane38is tilted so that its top moves away from unit33, light sheet34intersects titled plane38′ at line40′. Observer42will see tilted line40′.

One embodiment of the aligning device for a putter employing the principles ofFIGS. 2A and 2Bis illustrated inFIGS. 3,4, and5. The grip of a putter has a flat side as shown inFIG. 1B, which must be held generally vertical and aligned to be perpendicular to the generally vertical face of the putter head. Referring back toFIG. 1A, when the grip is properly aligned, the flat side of the grip is perpendicular to the plane of paper and the face of the putter head coplanar with the paper. Thus the flat side of the grip is perpendicular to the face of the putter head.

Laser aligner32(FIG. 3) has a flat base48that supports light emitting unit33. Aligner32is mounted on grip24by mounting means such as straps (not shown) so that the bottom of flat base48butts against and is in close contact with flat side28of grip24. Light sheet34is pre-aligned to be perpendicular to base48and surface28. Grip24is installed on shaft20. Shaft20connects to putter head50. Head50has a face52for hitting a golf ball (not shown).

Surface28of the grip must be perpendicular to face52of the putter head. If the putter grip is improperly installed, even it is off only a few degrees, the putter will be gripped in an open or closed stance and the golfer may not even be aware of such a condition.

There are three types of stances in golf: square, closed, and open. When a right-handed golfer positions their feet parallel to the line of flight which is the imaginary line between the ball and the target; the square stance is that in which both feet are equally distanced from the line of flight. This is the basic standard stance, which is recommended for overall compactness and control. The closed stance has left foot nearer than the right foot to the line of flight The open stance has the left foot drawn back farther away from the line of flight than the right foot.

When grip24is properly oriented, flat surface28of grip24will be perpendicular to the putter's face52. Light sheet34is perpendicular to the grip's flat surface28, and thus parallel to face52. Putter head50is placed on plane54(which could be ground as shown later inFIG. 7). Since flat surface28is a plane equivalent to plane36inFIG. 2B, plane54ofFIG. 3is equivalent to tilted plane38′ inFIG. 2B. Light sheet34intersects plane54at line56, which is parallel to face52. Light sheet34is coplanar with shaft axis26.

If aligner32is rotated about the aligner's axis58(FIG. 4), which is perpendicular to flat surface28, by rotation angle60, while grip24is still in proper orientation, light sheet34intersects plane54at line62, which is still parallel to putter head's face52, but moved from line56by distance64. Since line62is a laser line, it is highly visible to an operator (not shown).

When the grip installer visually inspects the orientation of visible laser line62relative to face52of the putter head on plane54, which can be simply the ground, the grip can be aligned to the proper or desired orientation. The installer does this by twisting grip24on shaft20and rechecking until line62and face52are aligned. The orientation of line62relative to face52indicates the alignment of grip24relative to face52of the putter head.

FIG. 6shows one embodiment of a mounting means for mounting aligner32on the putter grip (not shown). Aligner32comprises a flat base48, which must be in contact with the flat surface of the putter grip. Therefore, base48must be tightly held to the grip. Various mounting means are possible. One embodiment can use elastic strips or bands72to mount aligner32to the grip. Elastic bands72tightly wrap two sides of flat base48around the grip (not shown). For illustration, the left band is in a closed position, and the right band is in open position. One end of elastic band72is permanently attached to base48. For example, an end of band72goes through hole74in base48, flips over and is sewed or glued to the main part of band72, such that an end of band72is permanently attached to base48, and another end of band72is free. Alternatively, elastic band72passes two holes (not shown) in base48, and both ends of band72are free. A part of hook-and-loop tape76is permanently attached to band72, and another mating part of hook-and-loop tape78is permanently attached to the opposite side of band72, such that when band72is in closed position, the mating parts of the hook-and-loop tape face each other.

To attach aligner32to the grip of the putter or other club, base48is placed or butted against flat surface28(FIG. 5) of the grip, and bands72are wrapped tightly around the grip, and hook-and-loop portions78and76are pressed together. Then the grip is aligned as explained below.

The manner of using the laser aligning device (aligner) to align the grip or test the alignment of grip is as follows. As stated, an operator mounts aligner32on grip24(FIG. 7) by butting flat base48of aligner32against the flat surface of grip24. Aligner32is tightly held by elastic bands72. The putter is placed on the ground and the aligner is turned on so that line62is projected onto the ground.

To visually inspect the orientation of line62relative to face52, aligner32is fine-rotated about device axis58, such that line62is not blocked by the putter head, and is in the proximity to face52. The orientation of line62relative to face52indicates the alignment of grip24relative to face52. This can be done by any golfer who wants to test the grip-face alignment of his or her putter. Although the golfer cannot change the alignment, he or she can test the alignment. If the alignment is incorrect, the golfer may take his or her putter to a golf club shop to correct the grip alignment.

To install the grip correctly in factory, the operator may rotate or twist grip24about shaft axis26until visible laser line62on the ground or a screen is parallel to face52, when the putter head is placed on the ground or a mechanical station.

Additionally, the putter head can be placed on a board86or paper with printed parallel lines88. The putter head's face is first aligned so it is parallel to the lines on the board. Then the alignment of the laser line on the board can be easily inspected by comparing it with the parallel lines on the board.

For a golf club grip24(FIG. 8A) having oval cross-section30instead of a flat side, the bottom side of base80of aligner32can be designed to match the oval shape, so base80can be properly placed on grip24. The light sheet (not shown) emitted from aligner32is coplanar with long axis84of oval-shaped cross-section30of grip24. In fact, various designs are possible, including one that may match universal oval-shaped cross-sections using base82, which comprises two symmetric supports centered at long axis84as illustrated inFIG. 8B. Base82may have a center mark (not shown), which can be aligned with the alignment mark (not shown) of the grip. Thus the principle disclosed above can be applied to grips, which have no flat surface.

Advantages

From the description above, a number of advantages of some embodiments of our laser aligning device become evident:(a) The device provides an objective method to verify the grip-face alignment, either in the factory or by the golfer—a user.(b) The device is compact, light weight, battery operated, and portable.(c) The device can be easily mounted on and removed from a golf club grip.(d) The device is easy to operate without using any mechanical station and tools.(e) A touring professional golfer can bring the device along with him or her, and test the grip alignment of any club during the trip.(f) A regular golfer can also use the device to test the grip alignment to prevent open or closed stance.(g) The device can be used on a PGA (Professional Golfers' Association) mobile club-fitting trailer.(h) A grip installer can use the device to test grip alignment during the alignment process that may use some mechanical tools. The laser line projected by the device on a plane in the proximity of the putter head's face shows the orientation of the grip. Thus it can be used for judging the grip orientation relative to the putting face. In contrast, laser line used in prior art devices is simply a visual line superimposed on the shaft axis, which has nothing to do with the grip orientation.

CONCLUSION, RAMIFICATIONS, AND SCOPE

Accordingly, the reader will see that the laser aligning device of the various embodiments can be used to test the alignment of a golf club grip relative to the club head's face without using bulky mechanical fixtures. The laser line projected on a plane in the proximity of the face of the club head shows the orientation of the grip. Therefore the grip can be aligned by rotating it until the projected laser line is at a desired orientation relative to the face of the club head. Further more embodiments of the laser aligning device has the additional advantages in thatit permits the alignment at any desired orientation, i.e., the angle formed by the laser line and the face of a golf club can be at any angle (0°-360°);it allows the alignment even the grip has no flat, i.e., the bottom side of the base of the aligning device can be designed to match the grip shape;it provides the alignment not only for putter but also various golf clubs;it provides an inexpensive production of the device, since the device comprises simply a laser diode, line generating optics, and batteries.

Although the description above contains many specificities of various aspects, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiment but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments. For example, the laser aligning device can be held by various mechanical clamps; the aligning device can be wrapped by rubber bands, non-elastic hook-and-loop bands, hook-and-loop bands having elastic and non-elastic parts, or other types of bands; the laser can be of any types of laser; the laser can be replaced by other light sources such as LED (light emitting diode), etc. Although shown on putter, the laser aligning device can be used on other clubs.

Thus the scope of the embodiment should be determined by the following claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the examples given.