Patent Publication Number: US-9849359-B2

Title: Golf club head with adjustable center of gravity

Description:
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/884,027, filed on Oct. 15, 2015, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/153,722, filed on Jan. 13, 2014, and issued on Dec. 1, 2015, as U.S. Pat. No. 9,199,145, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/033,218, filed on Sep. 20, 2013, and issued on Apr. 15, 2014, as U.S. Pat. No. 8,696,491, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/923,571, filed on Jun. 21, 2013, and issued on Jul. 21, 2015, as U.S. Pat. No. 9,084,921, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/778,958, filed on Feb. 27, 2013, and issued on Nov. 25, 2014, as U.S. Pat. No. 8,894,506, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/727,608, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, 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 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a golf club head. More specifically, the present invention relates to a weight for a golf club head that can be adjusted along a continuous channel. 
     Description of the Related Art 
     The ability to adjust center of gravity location and weight in the head of driving clubs is useful for controlling performance of the golf club. The prior art includes several different solutions for adjustable weighting, but these solutions do not optimize weight adjustment. There is a need for a weighting mechanism that allows for simple and flexible center of gravity (CG) and moment of inertia (MOI) adjustability. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a novel way of working with adjustable products. The present invention allows consumers to easily move and fix a weight at any location within a channel disposed in the golf club head in such a way to maximize aesthetic appearances while preserving the function of the movable weight. The objective of this invention is to provide an adjustable weight with minimal or no effect on appearance at address while maximizing the ability of the weight to adjust center of gravity height. Additional goals include minimizing the fixed component of the structure dedicated to the weighting system and also minimizing any potential effect on impact sound. Yet another object of the present invention is an adjustable weighting feature for lateral or vertical center of gravity control which is placed to maximize effectiveness and may be entirely concealed from view at address. 
     One aspect of the present invention is a golf club head comprising a body comprising a crown, a sole, a heel side, a toe side, a face portion, a rear side, an edge portion where the crown connects with the sole, a pocket, and a channel, and a weight comprising a base comprising a first threaded bore, a first cap comprising a through-bore, and a first bolt, wherein the channel comprises a first wall, a second wall, a floor, a first rail extending from the first wall, and a second rail extending from the second wall, wherein the weight is disposed within and movable to any location in the channel, wherein the base and the first cap sandwich a portion of each of the first and second rails, wherein tightening the bolt reversibly fixes the weight to the rails, wherein the pocket is sized to receive the first cap, and wherein moving the weight within the channel changes both a moment of inertia and a location of a center of gravity of the golf club head. 
     In some embodiments, the golf club head may comprise a second cap that fits within the pocket, and the first cap may be interchangeable with the second cap. In a further embodiment, the first cap may be composed of a first material having a first density, the second cap may be composed of a second material having a second density, and the first density may be greater than the second density. In another embodiment, the first cap may be a first color, the second cap may be a second color, and the first color may contrast with the second color. In another embodiment, the first cap may comprise a first sidewall protrusion and a second sidewall protrusion, and the pocket may comprise a floor having first and second depressions sized to receive the first and second sidewall protrusions. The bolt may connect the base to the first cap, and the base and the first cap may not make direct contact with one another. 
     In a further embodiment, the golf club head may comprise a second bolt, the pocket may comprise a plurality of walls, a floor, and a second threaded bore extending into the floor, and the second bolt may comprise a threaded portion sized to fit within the threaded bore. In other embodiments, each of the channel and the pocket may be disposed in the sole, and the pocket may be located proximate the face portion. The channel may, in another embodiment, be disposed proximate the rear side of the body and may extend proximate the edge portion. In another embodiment, the cap may comprise a lower cavity, and the base may be sized to fit within the lower cavity, so that the base may be hidden from view when the weight is disposed within the channel. 
     In some embodiments, the base may be composed of a material with a density greater than 4 g/cc, and the first cap may be composed of a material with a density less than 4 g/cc. In other embodiments, the channel may extend from the heel side towards the toe side via the rear side along one of the crown and the sole, the channel may twist relative to a plane intersecting the golf club head at the edge portion as the channel extends around the body, the channel may comprise a channel axis that extends normal to the floor of the channel, and an angle between the channel axis and the plane may not remain constant along the channel. In some embodiments, an area of a cross-section of the channel taken in a direction normal to the edge portion may be constant along the channel. In some embodiments, a heel-most end of the channel may be closer to the face than a toe-most end of the channel, and in other embodiments, a distance between the edge portion and a midpoint of the channel may remain constant for at least 50% of the length of the channel. In yet another embodiment, the golf club head may further comprise an adjustable hosel assembly, the crown may be composed of a composite material, and the sole and the face may be composed of a titanium alloy. 
     Another aspect of the present invention is a driver-type golf club head comprising a composite crown, a metal body comprising a sole, a heel side, a toe side, a face portion, a rear side, a pocket, and a channel, a weight comprising a base comprising a first threaded bore, a first cap comprising a through-bore, and a first bolt, and a second cap, wherein each of the channel and the pocket is disposed in the sole, wherein the weight is disposed within and movable to any location in the channel, wherein tightening the bolt reversibly fixes the weight within the channel, wherein the pocket is located proximate the face portion, wherein the second cap is disposed within the pocket, and wherein the first cap and the second cap have the same dimensions and are interchangeable. In some embodiments, the channel may comprise a first wall, a second wall, a floor, a first rail extending from the first wall, and a second rail extending from the second wall, and the base and the first cap may sandwich a portion of each of the first and second rails. 
     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 elevational view of a golf club head of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a bottom elevational view of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1  with a weight cap in the pocket. 
         FIG. 3  is a bottom elevational view of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1  without the weight cap in the pocket. 
         FIG. 4  is a side elevational view of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is a rear perspective view of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2  along lines  6 - 6 . 
         FIG. 7  is a view of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 6  without the weight cap in the pocket. 
         FIG. 8  is an enlarged view of the circled portion of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 9  is a top elevational view of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1  without the crown. 
         FIG. 10  is an enlarged view of the encircled portion of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 9 . 
         FIG. 11  is a side elevational view of the weight cap shown in  FIGS. 2, 6, and 11  engaged with a bolt. 
         FIG. 12  is a bottom perspective view of the weight cap shown in  FIGS. 2, 6, and 11 . 
         FIG. 13  is a side elevational view of the fully assembled slidable weight. 
         FIG. 14  is a cross-sectional view of the slidable weight shown in  FIG. 13  along lines  14 - 14 . 
         FIG. 15  is a cross-sectional view of the slidable weight shown in  FIG. 13  engaged with the channel. 
         FIG. 16  is a transparent, wire-frame drawing of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1  including a solid shape representing the empty volume or negative space of the channel. 
         FIG. 17  is an enlarged view of the circled portion of the golf club head shown in  FIG. 16 , and focuses on the negative space of a small section of the channel. 
         FIG. 18  is a side perspective view of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1  without the crown. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The design approaches described herein are based on a construction used in a driver head characterized by a composite crown adhesively bonded to a cast titanium body. This particular construction approach permits the crown configuration to be adapted to the inventive weighting scheme with minimal impact on weight and function. However, the weighting embodiments disclosed herein can be used with other constructions, including all titanium, all composite, and a composite body with metal face cup. It can also work in conjunction with at least one adjustable weight port on the sole of the driver head. Shifting weight along the channel described herein allows for control of mass properties such as center of gravity location and moment of inertia. 
     A preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in the Figures. The golf club head  10  comprises a metal body  20  with a face  22 , a sole  24 , a hosel  26 , and an upper opening  28 , and a composite crown  30  that is adhered to the body  20  and covers the upper opening  28 . The golf club head  10  preferably includes, or is compatible with, an adjustable hosel assembly, including any of the embodiments disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,002,644, 8,684,859, 8,696,486, 8,715,102, 8,715,103, 8,715,104, 8,727,906, and 8,801,537, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/452,157, the disclosure of each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety herein. The golf club head  10  also preferably includes carbon tubes extending vertically between upper and lower portions of the body  20  at a hinge region proximate the face  22 , as disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 14/847,227, 14/788,326, and 14/794,578, the disclosure of each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety herein. 
     A channel  40  is disposed at a rear portion  25  of the sole  24 , near an edge region  32  where the crown  30  connects to the sole  24 , but may, in alternative embodiments, be disposed within a side or ribbon portion of the golf club head, or in the crown  30 . The channel  40  extends from a toe side  16  to a heel side  18  of the rear portion  25 , and has an approximately square cross-sectional shape, with first and second side walls  42 ,  44 , a floor  46 , and a pair of rails  50 ,  55  extending from the side walls  42 ,  44  and across the length of the channel  40 . 
     A slidable weight  60  is disposed within the channel  40  and is movable to any location therein. As shown in  FIGS. 13-15 , the slidable weight  60  comprises a base portion  70 , a cap  80 , and a bolt  90  that connects the base portion  70  to the cap  80 . The base portion  70  comprises a threaded through-bore  72  sized to receive the threaded portion  92  of the bolt  90 , which extends through a central area  74  of the base portion  70 . The base portion  70  is sized to fit within a lower cavity  84  of the cap  80 , such that it is completely obscured from view when the weight  60  is engaged with the channel  40 . The cap  80  comprises a through-bore  82  sized to receive the threaded portion  92 , but not the head  94 , of the bolt  90 , and a lower cavity  84  created by two side wall extensions  85 ,  86  on opposite ends of the cap  80 . When the weight  60  is assembled within the channel  40 , as shown in  FIG. 15 , the base portion  70  is disposed below the rails  50 ,  55  and most of the cap  80  is disposed above the rails  50 ,  55 , such that the base portion  70  and cap  80  sandwich the rails  50 ,  55  between them. The rails  50 ,  55  prevent the cap  80  from making contact with the base portion  70  when the weight  60  is disposed within the channel  40 . While the base portion  70  and the cap  80  may have the same material composition, the base portion  70  preferably is composed of a denser material, such as steel or tungsten alloy, than the cap  80 , which preferably is composed of a lightweight material such as aluminum alloy, plastic, or composite. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 6-10 , the golf club head  10  of the present invention also includes a shallow pocket  100 , which preferably is disposed in a central location of the sole  24  proximate the face  22 . The pocket  100 , which is approximately rectangular in shape and comprises four walls  101 ,  102 ,  103 ,  104 , a floor  105 , a pair of depressions  106 ,  107 , and a threaded bore  110 , is sized to receive the cap  80 . When the cap  80  is placed within the pocket  100 , each side wall extension  85 ,  86  is received in a depression  106 ,  107 , the through-bore  82  lines up with the threaded bore  110 , and a bolt  90  is threaded through the through-bore  82  and into the threaded bore  110  to removably secure the cap  80  within the pocket  100 . 
     The pocket  100  provides an added element of adjustability to the golf club head  100  of the present invention, as it can hold an extra cap  80  that can be swapped out with the cap  80  used with the weight  60 . This alternative cap  80  can be made of a different material, or have a different density, than the cap  80  used with the weight  60 , and functions as weighting element, thus changing the mass properties of the golf club head  10  when disposed within the pocket  100 . The alternative cap  80  can also have a different color and/or markings than the cap  80  provided with the weight  60 , such that a user can distinguish between the two caps  80  and decide which to use with the slidable weight  60  and which to store in the pocket  100 . 
     The channel  40  of the preferred embodiment is novel because its curvature is not constrained to a planar arc, e.g., an arc entirely located within a single plane that intersects the golf club head. An example of a prior art club design having a channel that follows a planar arc is shown in FIG. 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 7,775,905 to Beach et al. Instead, the channel  40  of the present invention twists as it follows the contours of the golf club head body, a characteristic that is illustrated in  FIGS. 16 and 17 , each of which includes a representation of the empty (negative) space  140  of the channel  40 , defined by the channel walls  42 ,  44  in the sole  24 , and  FIG. 18 . As shown in these Figures, the inner portion  142  of the negative space  140  that represents the floor  46  of the channel  40  constantly changes the direction in which it faces. More specifically, at each location along the channel  40 , the channel  40  comprises an axis  143  that extends normal to the inner portion  142 . The orientation of this axis  143  with respect to a plane  200  that intersects the inner portion  142 , shown in  FIG. 18 , changes along the length of the channel  40 . For example, as shown in  FIG. 18  at the heel side  18  of the body  20 , the axis  143   a  is oriented at angle α 1  with respect to the plane  200 , while at the rear portion  25  of the body  20 , the axis  143   b  is oriented at smaller angle α 2  with respect to the plane  20 . This novel channel  40  orientation allows the channel  40  to closely follow the contours, and preserve the overall aesthetics, of the body  20  of the golf club head  10 . 
     The channel&#39;s  40  preferred dimensions are shown in more detail in  FIG. 17 . At any section taken normal to the channel  40 , the channel  40  has a diameter or depth D C  that ranges from 0.250 inch to 0.750 inch, more preferably from 0.400 to 0.600 inch, and most preferably approximately 0.450 inch, and a width W C  that preferably is approximately the same as the depth D C , but may differ from the depth and may range from 0.250 inch to 0.750 inch, more preferably from 0.400 to 0.600 inch, and most preferably approximately 0.450 inch. The channel  40  preferably has a midpoint  48  that is horizontally spaced from the edge region  32  by 0.200 inch to 0.500 inch, more preferably 0.300 to 0.400 inch, and most preferably approximately 0.385 inch. The midpoint  45  of the channel  40  also is vertically spaced from the edge region  32  by approximately 0.100 to 0.400 inch, more preferably 0.200 to 0.300 inch, and most preferably approximately 0.274 inch. These depth D C  and width W C  dimensions preferably remain constant across the channel  40 , such that a cross section of the channel  40  taken normal to the edge region  32  at any location along the channel  40  will have the same area. Similarly, the distance between the edge region  32  and the midpoint  45  of the channel  40  should be the same for at least 50% of the locations across the length of the channel  40 . In the cross-section of the channel  40  shown in  FIG. 17 , the floor  46  of the channel  40  has an angle α 3  of 113° with respect to the edge region  32 , though this value changes depending on where along the channel  40  the angle is measured. 
     In alternative embodiments, the channel  40  of the present invention may be disposed in the sole  24  perpendicular to the face  22 . In other embodiments, the channel  40  may extend from the sole  24  to the crown  30  or be disposed entirely on the crown  30 . 
     In other embodiments, the golf club head  10  may have a multi-material composition such as any of those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,244,976, 6,332,847, 6,386,990, 6,406,378, 6,440,008, 6,471,604, 6,491,592, 6,527,650, 6,565,452, 6,575,845, 6,478,692, 6,582,323, 6,508,978, 6,592,466, 6,602,149, 6,607,452, 6,612,398, 6,663,504, 6,669578, 6,739,982, 6,758,763, 6,860,824, 6,994,637, 7,025,692, 7,070,517, 7,112,148, 7,118,493, 7,121,957, 7,125,344, 7,128,661, 7,163,470, 7,226,366, 7,252,600, 7,258,631, 7,314,418, 7,320,646, 7,387,577, 7,396,296, 7,402,112, 7,407,448, 7,413,520, 7,431,667, 7,438,647, 7,455,598, 7,476,161, 7,491,134, 7,497,787, 7,549,935, 7,578,751, 7,717,807, 7,749,096, and 7,749,097, the disclosure of each of which is hereby incorporated in its entirety herein. 
     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.