Abstract:
A manufacturing assembly and a method for locating a face insert in a golf club head during manufacture are disclosed herein. In particular, the manufacturing assembly comprises a face locating fixture sized to receive a golf club face insert and a pick fixture configured to removably attach to the face insert. The manufacturing assembly may further comprise a holding fixture sized to receive a golf club head and hold it in place while the face insert is aligned with the head during assembly.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/767,147, filed on Feb. 14, 2013, and issued on Oct. 27, 2015, as U.S. Pat. No. 9,168,618, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/748,404, filed on Jan. 2, 2013, the disclosure of each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety herein. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a manufacturing assembly and method for locating a face insert in a golf club head during manufacture. More specifically, the present invention relates to a manufacturing assembly that accurately centers a face insert in a front opening of a golf club head so that it can be welded in place. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Many golf club manufacturers build their golf clubs by forming a hollow golf club body having an opening in the face and welding, soldering, brazing, or otherwise permanently or semi permanently affixing a separate face insert into the opening in the face. There is a need to efficiently and accurately perform this step during manufacturing in a way that also permits mass production of the golf club heads. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a novel way of assembling a golf club head having a face opening with a face insert, and allows golf club manufacturers to mass produce heads using the fixtures described herein. 
     One aspect of the present invention is a manufacturing assembly comprising a face locating fixture, and a pick fixture, wherein the face locating fixture is sized to receive a golf club face insert, and wherein the pick fixture is configured to removably attach to the face insert. In some embodiments, the pick fixture may comprise at least one engagement mechanism, which may be at least one suction cup, or a plurality of suction cups. In some embodiments, the pick fixture may comprise a plurality of alignment prongs, such as at least three alignment prongs. In a further embodiment, the pick fixture may further comprise at least one engagement mechanism, and the plurality of alignment prongs may at least partially encircle the at least one engagement mechanism. 
     In yet a further embodiment, the pick fixture may comprise a base plate comprising a first extension, a second extension, and a third extension, a first alignment prong, a second alignment prong, a third alignment prong, a fourth alignment prong, a fifth alignment prong, and a sixth alignment prong, wherein the first alignment prong and the second alignment prong may extend perpendicularly from the first extension, wherein the third alignment prong and the fourth alignment prong may extend perpendicularly from the second extension, and wherein the fifth alignment prong and the sixth alignment prong may extend perpendicularly from the third extension. In some further embodiments, the face locating fixture may comprise a depression sized to receive the face insert, a first locating hole sized to receive the first alignment prong, a second locating hole sized to receive the third alignment prong, and a third locating hole sized to receive the fifth alignment prong. 
     In another embodiment, wherein the at least one engagement mechanism may be powered by a system selected from the group consisting of a pneumatic system and a hydraulic system. In other embodiments, the manufacturing assembly may further comprise a holding fixture sized to receive a golf club head. In some further embodiments, the holding fixture may comprise a frame and a plurality of clamping features, and the plurality of clamping features may be configured to securely retain a golf club head within the frame. In yet a further embodiment, the plurality of clamping features may be a plurality of screws. In other embodiments, the face locating fixture may be composed of a metal material. 
     Another aspect of the present invention is a method of assembling a golf club head, the method comprising securing a golf club head in a holding fixture, wherein the golf club head comprises an opening in a front wall, locating a golf club face insert in a face locating fixture, lifting the golf club face insert from the face locating fixture with a pick fixture, disposing the face insert within the opening, and welding the face insert to the golf club head. In a further embodiment, the holding fixture may comprise a frame and a plurality of clamping features, and the plurality of clamping features may be configured to securely retain a golf club head within the frame. In an alternative embodiment, the step of welding the face insert within the opening may comprise tack welding the face insert to the golf club head. In yet another alternative embodiment, the step of disposing the face insert within the opening may be performed using the pick fixture. In another embodiment, the pick fixture may comprise at least one engagement mechanism, which may be at least one suction cup. 
     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 THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a top perspective view of the face locating fixture of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a top perspective view of an exemplary face insert for use with the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a top perspective view of the face insert shown in  FIG. 2  engaged with the face locating fixture of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a top perspective view of a pick fixture engaged with the assembly shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 5  is a top perspective view of the pick fixture shown in  FIG. 4  engaged with the face insert shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 6  is a top perspective view of the assembly shown in  FIG. 5  engaged with an exemplary golf club head body. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     A preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in  FIGS. 1-6 . The manufacturing assembly of the present invention includes a face locating fixture  10 , shown in  FIGS. 1, 3, and 4 , which includes a depression  12  sized to receive a face insert  20  and three locating bores  14 ,  16 ,  18  proximate to and encircling the depression  12 . The face locating fixture  10  preferably is rectangular and is formed from an inelastic material such as metal, but may in alternative embodiments be composed of plastic and/or composite materials, and may have any shape that contributes to efficient mass production. 
     The manufacturing assembly further includes a pick fixture  30 , shown in  FIGS. 4-6  which in the preferred embodiment comprises a central region  40  and three extension regions  42 ,  44 ,  46  radiating horizontally from the central region  40 . The pick fixture  30  preferably is powered by a pneumatic system, comprising at least two air feed tubes  32 ,  34  and at least two suction cups  50 ,  52  sized to releasably grip the face insert  20 , but in alternative embodiments may comprise any type of engagement feature or system known to a person of skill in the art to securely, but removably, affix to a face insert  20 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , the pick fixture  30  also includes six alignment prongs  61 ,  62 ,  63 ,  64 ,  65 ,  66  extending perpendicularly from the extension regions  42 ,  44 ,  46  and generally encircling the suction cups  50 ,  52 . In particular, each extension region  42 ,  44 ,  46  includes two alignment prongs  61 ,  62 ,  63 ,  64 ,  65 ,  66 , one of which rests against the face insert  20  and the other which fits within the locating bores  14 ,  16 ,  18  of the face locating fixture  10 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , the alignment prongs  61 ,  63 ,  65  that engage with the locating bores  14 ,  16 ,  18  ensure that the pick fixture  30  is properly centered on the face insert  20  when the face insert  20  is disposed within the face locating fixture  10 , while the alignment prongs  62 ,  64 ,  66  that rest against the face insert  20  ensure that the face insert  20  is properly spaced from the central region  40  of the pick fixture  30 . 
     The manufacturing assembly also includes a holding fixture  70  sized to receive a golf club head  80 , which in  FIG. 6  is a driver-type golf club head but may, in alternative embodiments, be any type of golf club head known to a person skilled in the art. The holding fixture  70  preferably includes a frame  72 , a plurality of clamping features  74 , which in the preferred embodiment are screws that are threaded through the frame  72  to engage with the golf club head  80 , and a base  76  from which the frame extends. In alternative embodiments, the holding fixture  70  may have any type of clamping or holding features known to a person skilled in the art that will fix the golf club head  80  in place during assembly. 
     A face insert  20  may be assembled with a golf club head  80  using the manufacturing assembly disclosed herein via the following steps. First, a face insert  20  is placed within the depression  12  of a face locating fixture  10  such that it rests against a bottom surface  11  of the depression  12 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . The pick fixture  30  is then engaged with the face locating fixture  10  such that three of the alignment prongs  62 ,  64 ,  66  rest against the face insert  20  and the remaining alignment prongs  61 ,  63 ,  65  fit within the locating bores  14 ,  16 ,  18  of the face locating fixture  10 . The suction cups  50 ,  52  of the face locating fixture are then activated by adjusting the air pressure within the feed tubes  32 ,  34 , so that the suction cups  50 ,  52  are releasably affixed to the face insert  20 . The pick fixture  30  is then moved so that the face insert  20  is removed from the face locating fixture  10 , as shown in  FIG. 5 , and placed within an opening  82  in the golf club head  80  as shown in  FIG. 6 . In this configuration, the alignment prongs  61 ,  63 ,  65  rest against the golf club head  80 , which can prevent movement of the face insert  20  during assembly. The face insert  20  is then tack welded (or semi-permanently affixed via other means) to the golf club head  80  around the opening  82 , and the suction cups  50 ,  52  are released from the face insert  20  so that the pick fixture can be used to assemble another face insert with another golf club head. The golf club head  80  can then be moved to another workstation so the face insert  20  can be welded, soldered, brazed, or otherwise permanently affixed to the golf club head  80 . 
     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.