Abstract:
The method and apparatus of the present invention includes an alignment base for receiving a golf club head, an injector for injecting an adhesive material into a bore of the golf club head, and a rotating mechanism for holding and rotating a shaft for attachment to the golf club head. The present invention allows for greater efficiency in the amount of adhesive material that is used to attach the shaft to the golf club head, and reduces the assembly time.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/559,875, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,332,945 B1 which was filed on Apr. 25, 2000. 
    
    
     FEDERAL RESEARCH STATEMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to assembling shafts to golf club heads. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for automatically assembling a shaft to a golf club head. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     The game of golf has benefited greatly from technological advancements throughout its glorious history. Examples include the progression of golf ball from a leather featherie version to the gutta percha version to the dimpled version to the two-piece and three piece versions of today. Another example of the technological advancement of golf is the progression of the shaft from wood to metal to graphite to the hybrid versions of today. Yet another example of the technological advancement of golf is the progression of woods from persimmon to steel to titanium to the advanced materials of today. All of these advancements have greatly improved the game of golf for golfers everywhere. However, the game of golf still requires a shaft connected to a golf club head in order to strike a golf ball. 
     The attachment of the shaft to the golf club head requires securing the shaft to the golf club head in a manner that withstands the tremendous forces exerted during swinging and impact with a golf ball. The attachment mechanism could encompass compressive forces, chemical adhesion and/or mechanical means. One preferred manner for attaching a shaft to a metal wood has been the use of an epoxy to secure the shaft within a hosel. This attachment procedure is usually performed manually, with an operator overcoating a tip end of a shaft with epoxy, and then inserting the shaft into the hosel wherein excess epoxy (2 to 4 grams) is flushed onto the golf club head. This procedure is wasteful and detrimental to the operator if performed continuously throughout the day. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a solution to the wastefulness and other problems of attaching a shaft to a golf club head. The present invention is able to accomplish this by providing a method and apparatus that automates most of the procedure thereby eliminating the wastefulness and reducing production time while making the procedure easier for an operator. 
     One aspect of the present invention is an apparatus for assembling a shaft to a golf club head. The golf club head has a bore therethrough with a crown opening and a sole opening. The shaft has a tip end and a butt end. The apparatus includes a frame, an alignment base, an injector, a rotator and a plunger. The frame has an upper section and a lower section. The alignment base is disposed on a lower section of the frame and has a recess generally configured to receive the golf club. The recess has an aperture therethrough. The injector is aligned with the aperture of the recess of the alignment base and is capable of oscillation along a path through the aperture. The rotator is disposed on the upper section of the frame for holding and rotating the shaft. The plunger moves the shaft through the bore of the golf club head. 
     Another aspect of the present invention is a method for assembling a shaft to a golf club head. The golf club head has a bore therethrough with a crown opening and a sole opening. The shaft has a tip end and a butt end. The method includes positioning the golf club head in an alignment base with the sole opening aligning with an aperture in the alignment base. Next, an injector nozzle is positioned in the bore of the golf club head through the aperture in the alignment base and through the sole opening of the bore of the golf club head. Next, the tip end of the shaft positioned into the bore of the golf club head through the crown opening. The pressure of the shaft expands a multiple of O-rings on the nozzle thereby creating a sealed area about the nozzle within the bore. Next, an adhesive material is injected from the injector nozzle into the bore of the golf club head. Next, the shaft is rotated within the bore of the golf club head to enter the sealed area and to disperse the adhesive material. Next, the shaft is moved further into the bore of the golf club head to remove the nozzle from the bore of the golf club head. 
     Yet another aspect of the present invention is an apparatus for assembling a shaft to a golf club head having a bore therethrough with a crown opening and a sole opening. The shaft has a tip end and a butt end. The apparatus includes a frame, a plurality of interchangeable alignment bases, an injector, a rotator and a plunger. The frame has an upper section, a lower section and a lateral extension. Each of the plurality of interchangeable alignment bases has a recess generally configured to receive a specific golf club head. The recess of each of the plurality of interchangeable alignment bases has an aperture therethrough. Each of the plurality of interchangeable alignment bases is substitutable within the lateral extension. The injector is disposed on the lower section of the frame and is capable of oscillation along a longitudinal path. The rotator is disposed on the upper section of the frame for holding and rotating the shaft. The plunger moves the shaft through the bore of the golf club head. 
     Having briefly described the present invention, the above and further objects, features and advantages thereof will be recognized by those skilled in the pertinent art from the following detailed description of the invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a front view of the apparatus of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a side view of the apparatus of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is an isolated front view of an upper portion of the apparatus of the present invention. 
     FIG. 4 is a side view of the upper portion of the apparatus of the present invention. 
     FIG. 5 is a side view of a lower portion of the apparatus of the present invention. 
     FIG. 6 is an isolated view of a golf club head positioned on the apparatus of the present invention. 
     FIG. 7 is an isolated top plan view of an alignment base of the present invention. 
     FIG. 8 a cross-sectional view of the alignment base of FIG.  7 . 
     FIG. 9 is a side view of one step of the assembling process wherein an injector nozzle of the present invention is disposed within a golf club head. 
     FIG. 10 is a front view of FIG.  9 . 
     FIG. 11 is a side view of a second step of the assembling process wherein the injector nozzle and a shaft are disposed within the golf club head. 
     FIG. 12 is a front view of FIG.  11 . 
     FIG. 13 is a side view of a third step of the assembling process wherein the injector nozzle has been removed while the shaft is maintained within the golf club head. 
     FIG. 14 is a front view of FIG.  11 . 
     FIG. 15 is an isolated, partial cross-sectional view of the injector nozzle of the present invention. 
     FIG. 16 is an isolated, partial cross-sectional view of the injector nozzle of the present invention engaged with a metal shaft. 
     FIG. 17 is an isolated, partial cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the injector nozzle of the present invention. 
     FIG. 18 is an isolated, partial cross-sectional view of the alternative embodiment of the injector nozzle of the present invention engaged with a graphite shaft. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the apparatus of the present invention is generally designated  20 . The apparatus  20  has an upper section  22  and a lower section  24 . A frame  21  of the apparatus is attached to a base  23 . A plunger  26  is mounted on the frame  21  in the upper section  22  of the apparatus  20 . A rotator  28  is also mounted on the frame  21  in the upper section  22 . The operations of the rotator  28  and plunger  26  will be described in greater detail below. 
     An alignment base  30  is disposed on a lateral extension  32  of the frame  21  in the lower section  24  of the apparatus  20 . An injector  34  is mounted below the alignment base  30 . A pump  36  is also mounted on the frame  21  in the lower section  24 . A control actuator sensor  38  is also mounted on the frame  21  in the lower section  24 . The operations in the lower section  24  will be described in greater detail below. 
     The rotator  28  is shown in greater detail in FIG.  3 . The rotator  28  receives a shaft  40  nearest its butt end  44 . The shaft  40  is positioned within the rotator  28  and a shaft positioning sensor  42 . A plurality of rollers  46  of the rotator  28  hold the shaft  40  in place and also rotate the shaft  40  during the assembly process. At least one of the rollers  46  is connected to a gear  48  that is itself connected to a motor  50 . The motor  50  may be a servomotor, step motor, or the like. The length of the frame  21  and the distance between the alignment base  30  and the rotator  28  are dependent on the length of the shaft  40 . 
     The plunger  26  is shown in greater detail in FIG.  4 . The plunger  26  is composed of a shaft engagement member  52  that has a recess  54 , and a rod  56  that is connected to a drive mechanism  58 . The drive mechanism  58  is preferably a pneumatic cylinder, however, other means may be utilized to drive the rod  56  such as a servomotor or a stepper motor. The plunger  26  oscillates along longitudinal path  59  that is in alignment with the shaft  40  when the shaft  40  is placed within the plurality of rollers  46 . During the assembly operation, the recess  54  of the shaft engagement member  52  of the plunger  26  will engage the butt end  44  of the shaft  40 . The drive mechanism  58  lowers the rod  56  along the longitudinal path  59  to plunge the shaft  40  into a golf club head  60 , not shown. Once the shaft  40  is lowered, the drive mechanism  58  completes the oscillation by raising the rod  56  to an initial staging position. 
     The lower section  24  of the apparatus  20  is shown in greater detail in FIG. 5. A golf club head  60  is positioned within the alignment base  30  during the assembly process to receive an injector nozzle  62  of the injector  34 . The nozzle  62  enters a bore  63  of the golf club head through a sole opening  66 . The bore  63  is preferably an internal hosel for the golf club head  60 . The shaft  40  is positioned through a crown opening  64  of the bore. As shown in FIG. 6, the golf club head  60  is preferably neckless, however, those skilled in the pertinent art will recognize that external hosel golf club heads are well within the scope and spirit of the present invention. One example of such a golf club head  60  is the GREAT BIG BERTHA® HAWK EYE® titanium driver available from the Callaway Golf Company of Carlsbad, Calif. 
     The injector nozzle  62  is in flow communication with a tube flow chamber  68  in which the precursor adhesive materials are mixed prior to injection into the bore  63 . A pair of tubes  78  and  80  are connected between inlets  70  and  72  and outlets  74  and  76 . The outlets  74  and  76  are in flow communication with sources of the precursor adhesive materials  82  and  84 , not shown. In a preferred embodiment, the-adhesive material  100  is an epoxy such as 9P460 from the 3M Company, and the precursor materials  82  and  84  are a resin and an accelerator. The adhesive material  100  is separated into precursor components to prevent clogging of the flow of adhesive material  100  to the injector nozzle  62 . The precursor adhesive materials  82  and  84  are pumped into the injector  34  by the pump  36 . Any conventional pump may be used in practicing the present invention. The precursor materials  82  and  84  are pumped into the nozzle  62  as the nozzle is raised by a drive mechanism  86  along a longitudinal path  88  into the sole opening  66  of the bore  63 . The drive mechanism  86  may be a servomotor, step motor, or the like. 
     The alignment base  30  is shown in greater detail in FIGS. 7 and 8. The alignment base  30  is removable from the apparatus  20 , and in a preferred embodiment a plurality of alignment bases  30  are utilized in the assembly process. The alignment base  30  has a body  90  that is preferably square, however, those skilled in the relevant art will recognize that any shape may be utilized without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. The body has a recess  92  that is configured to receive a golf club head  60 , and the recess  92  has an aperture  94  therethrough for insertion of the injector nozzle  62 . The recess  92  corresponds to the loft and lie of the golf club head  60 . Thus, each loft of a golf club head  60  preferably has its own alignment base  30  with a recess  92  configured to receive that particular golf club head  60 . For example, a driver that is available in 9 degrees, ten degrees, eleven degrees and twelve degrees would preferably have four different alignment bases  30 . Although not shown, those skilled in the art will recognize that the alignment base  30  could be configured to receive an iron golf club head or a putter golf club head without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. 
     FIGS. 9-14 illustrate the assembly process for attaching a shaft  40  to a golf club head  60  using the apparatus  20  of the present invention. FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate the insertion of the nozzle  62  into the bore  63  of the golf club head  60 . The golf club head  60  has been placed into the recess  92  of the alignment base, and aligned such that the bore  63  is aligned with the aperture  94 . The nozzle  62  is inserted into the bore through the aperture  94  and the sole opening  66 . The nozzle  62  does not occupy the entire volume of the bore  63  thereby allowing for the adhesive material  100  to occupy space within the bore  63 . The nozzle  63  may have a plurality of injection ports  109  for dispersion of the adhesive material  100  within the bore  63 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the shaft  40  is placed into the crown opening  64  and also placed within the plurality of rollers  46 . The shaft  40  is placed on the nozzle  62  within the bore  63 . The tip end  96  of the shaft  40  engages the nozzle  62  as explained in greater detail in reference to FIGS. 15-18. After the shaft  40  engages the nozzle  62 , the nozzle  62  injects a predetermined quantity of the adhesive material  100  into the bore  63 . Preferably, the predetermined amount of adhesive material  100  ranges from 0.2 to 0.6 grams. This amount is quite less than the prior art process that used between 2 to 4 grams of adhesive material. 
     The adhesive material  100  is also within the bore  63  and it covers the tip end  96  of the shaft  40  and the walls of the bore  63 . The shaft  40  is rotated within the bore  63  by the rotator  28 . The shaft  40  is preferably rotated at least one 360 degree rotation. However, the shaft  40  may undergo two or three 360 degree rotations to disperse the adhesive material  100 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the nozzle  62  is removed from the bore  63  through the sole opening  66 . The plunger  26  pushes the shaft  40  further into the bore  63 , and preferably through the sole opening  66 . The pressure of the plunger  26  forces the nozzle  62  from the bore  63  until the nozzle  62  reaches a point where an actuator signals the drive mechanism  86  to lower the nozzle  62 . A torus  98  may be used as a limiting device to prevent the shaft  40  from being inserted too far into the bore  63 . The torus  98  will limit the insertion of the shaft  40  through the bore  63 . The tip end  96  of the shaft  40  that extends beyond the sole opening  66  and will be removed during further processing on the golf club head  60 . 
     FIGS. 15-18 further illustrate the nozzle  62  of the injector  34  that is used to inject the adhesive material into the bore  63  of the golf club head  60 . FIGS. 15 and 16 are directed to an embodiment of the nozzle  62  that is used for shafts  40   a  that are composed of a metal, primarily stainless steel shafts, titanium shafts, hybrid shafts (part metal and part graphite) and the like. FIGS. 17 and 18 are directed to an embodiment of the nozzle  62  that is used for shafts  40   b  composed of graphite. As shown, the nozzle has a body  107  with a plurality of injections ports  109   a-d  (injection port  109   d  is not shown). The number of injection ports  109  may vary from one to ten depending on the size of the ports  109  and their placement on the nozzle  62 . The use of four injection ports  109   a-d  is preferred since it enables the adhesive material  100  to be uniformly dispersed within the bore  63 . 
     The nozzle  62  also has at least one lower O-ring  111  and at least one upper O-ring  113 . The lower and upper O-rings  111  and  113  prevent leakage of the adhesive material  100  during the assembly process. When the shaft  40   a  or  40   b  is placed on the nozzle  62 , as shown in FIGS. 16 and 18, the O-rings  111  and  113  are expanded outward to seal off the bore  63  to prevent leakage of the adhesive material  100 . The body  107  of the nozzle has different ends  115   a  and  115   b  depending on the shaft  40   a  or  40   b . Metal shafts  40   a  typically have a larger tip end diameter and thus the end  115   a  of the body  107  has an I-shape with an undercut  117  for placement of the O-rings  113  therein. Graphite shafts  40   b  typically have a smaller diameter and thus the end  115   b  of the body  107  has a projection with the O-rings  113  placed around it. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the number of O-rings may vary without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. Once the shaft  40  is rotated for adherence of the adhesive material  100  thereto and to break the seal of the upper O-rings  113 , the plunger  26  forces the nozzle  62  out of the bore  63 , even if the O-rings  111  and  113  are expanded and sealing the bore  63  to prevent leakage. Thus, the shaft  40  is attached to the golf club head  60  and the apparatus  20  is readied for the next shaft  40  and golf club head  60 . 
     From the foregoing it is believed that those skilled in the pertinent art will recognize the meritorious advancement of this invention and will readily understand that while the present invention has been described in association with a preferred embodiment thereof, and other embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings, numerous changes, modifications and substitutions of equivalents may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention which is intended to be unlimited by the foregoing except as may appear in the following appended claims. Therefore, the embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined in the following appended claims.