Patent Publication Number: US-6981922-B2

Title: Golf club

Description:
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/709,600, filed on May 17, 2004, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/519,501, filed on Nov. 12, 2003. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to a golf club. More specifically, the present invention relates to an assembly for securing a shaft to a golf club head without the use of an adhesive. 
   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. 
   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. In a through-bore golf club head, the tip end of the shaft extends through the bore in the sole of the golf club head and is cut during the assembly process. This attachment procedure is wasteful and may be detrimental to the operator if performed continuously throughout the day. Further, such an attachment procedure typically requires heating the golf club in an oven for two hours to cure the epoxy for securing the shaft to the golf club head. Such ovens require great amounts of floor space in a factory, and use excessive amounts of energy. Thus, there is a need for an improvement in the attachment of a shaft to a golf club head. 
   BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention provides a golf club that eliminates the need for an adhesive or epoxy to secure a shaft to a golf club head, which reduces production time while making the procedure easier for an operator. 
   One aspect of the present invention is a golf club that includes a shaft, a club head and a locking sleeve. The shaft has a wall defining a hollow interior, a tip end and a butt end. The club head includes a body having a heel end and a toe end. The body further includes a hosel having an open end and a hollow interior. The locking sleeve engages an exterior surface of the tip end of the shaft and an interior surface of the hosel to secure the shaft in the hosel of the club head. The locking sleeve has a body with a wall defining an aperture that extends from a first opening to a second opening. The locking sleeve body is tapered in diameter from the first opening to the second opening. A first slot is formed in the wall of the locking sleeve body, and the first slot extends from the first opening to the second opening. The locking sleeve may further include a second slot formed in the wall and extending from the second opening toward the first opening. The second slot, however, stops prior to reaching the first opening. The locking sleeve provides for an essentially adhesive free attachment of the shaft to the 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 THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a golf club of the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is an isolated view of a shaft illustrating the interior and placement of a shaft ring within the shaft. 
       FIG. 3  is an isolated cut-away view of the interior of a shaft to illustrate placement of a shaft ring within the shaft 
       FIG. 4  is an isolated top plan view of the shaft ring. 
       FIG. 5  is an isolated side view of the shaft ring. 
       FIG. 6  is a front plan view of a putter-type golf club head of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 7  is an isolated view of the hosel of the putter-type golf club head of  FIG. 6 . 
       FIG. 8  is a top plan view of the hosel of  FIG. 7 . 
       FIG. 9  is an isolated side view of the hosel of  FIG. 7 . 
       FIG. 10  is an isolated view of circle  10  of  FIG. 9 . 
       FIG. 11  is an exploded perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a golf club of the present invention. 
       FIG. 12  is a perspective view of the assembled golf club of  FIG. 11 . 
       FIG. 13  is a perspective view of the assembled golf club of  FIG. 11  illustrating the attachment assembly. 
       FIG. 14  is an isolated view of attachment assembly shown in  FIG. 13 . 
       FIG. 15  is an exploded perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a golf club of the present invention. 
       FIG. 16  is an isolated view of the shaft of the golf club of  FIG. 15 . 
       FIG. 17  is an isolated view of circle  17  of  FIG. 14 . 
       FIG. 18  is an isolated view of the sleeve of the golf club of  FIG. 15 . 
       FIG. 19  is a cross-sectional view of the sleeve of  FIG. 18 . 
       FIG. 20  is a top plan view of the sleeve  FIG. 18 . 
       FIG. 21  is an isolated view of the stub of the hosel of the golf club of  FIG. 15 . 
       FIG. 22  is a top plan view of the stub of  FIG. 21 . 
       FIG. 23  is a cross-sectional view of the stub of  FIG. 21  along lines  23 — 23 . 
       FIG. 24  is a side of the stub of  FIG. 21 . 
       FIG. 25  is an isolated view of circle  25  of  FIG. 21 . 
       FIG. 26  is an exploded perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a golf club of the present invention. 
       FIG. 27  is an isolated view of the sleeve of the golf club of  FIG. 26 . 
       FIG. 28  is a perspective view of the sleeve of  FIG. 27 . 
       FIG. 29  is a plan side view of the sleeve of  FIG. 27 . 
       FIG. 30  is a plan side view of the sleeve of  FIG. 27 . 
       FIG. 31  is a bottom plan view of the sleeve  FIG. 18 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   A golf club of the present invention is generally designated  20 . The primary components of the golf club  20  are a shaft  22 , a golf club head  24  with a hosel  26  and an attachment assembly  30 . The attachment assembly  30  secures the shaft to the hosel  26  of the golf club head  24  with a minimum amount of adhesive or preferably without any adhesive material. In a preferred embodiment, the golf club is a putter. Preferably the shaft  22  is composed of a metal material such as stainless steel, a titanium alloy, or a like metal material. 
   A preferred embodiment of the golf club  20  is illustrated in  FIG. 1 . The shaft  22  has a tip end  41  and a butt end  43 , not shown. At the tip end  41  is an opening  47  to the hollow interior  38  of the shaft  22 . A shaft wall  40  defines the hollow interior  38 . In a preferred embodiment, the diameter of the shaft  22  tapers from the butt end  43  to the tip end  41 , with the tip end  41  of the shaft  22  having a smaller diameter than the butt end  43 . A typical shaft diameter at the tip end is approximately 0.335 inch. Preferably the shaft  22  has a notch  80  at the opening  47 . Typically, the shaft  22  has a length of thirty to forty inches, with longer length shafts available for unconventional golf clubs such as “belly putters.” 
   The golf club head  24  preferably has a body  25  with a face  31 , a crown  33  and a sole  35 . A putter-type golf club head is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,471,600, entitled Putter Head, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. The hosel  26  is positioned at a heel end  27  of the club head  24  with a toe end  29  opposite the heel end  27 . The hosel  26  is generally defined as a means for connecting the shaft  22  to the club head  24 . A preferred hosel  26  is a cylindrical extension extending outward from the crown  33  of the body  25 . Other hosels include interior hosels, which are generally cylindrical tubes within a club head. In the embodiment shown in FIGS.  1  and  6 – 10 , the hosel  26  extends outward from the crown  33  a length, Lh, of preferably between 0.5 inch and 1.5 inches, and most preferably 0.625 inch. The hosel  26  preferably has an opening  49  and a threaded bore  53 . The hosel  26  preferably has a diameter, Rh, ranging from 0.15 inch to 0.20 inch, and most preferably has a diameter, Rh, of 0.171 inch. A protuberance  82  is preferably located on an exterior surface  56  of the hosel  26  to engage the notch  80  of the shaft  22 . The notch  80 /protuberance  82  engagement provides an alignment mechanism for the shaft  22  and provides an initial engagement of the shaft  22  to the club head  24  prior to a final connection by the attachment assembly  30 . 
   In the preferred embodiment, the attachment assembly  30  is composed of a shaft ring  32  which is secured to the wall  40  of the shaft  22 , and a screw  34 . As shown in  FIGS. 2–5 , the shaft ring  32  is preferably welded to the wall  40  of the shaft  22 , preferably a distance, Dr, from the opening  47  ranging from 0.25 inch to 2.5 inches, and most preferably 0.750 inches from the opening  47  at the tip end  41  of the shaft  22 . The screw ring  32  is preferably composed of a metal material similar to the shaft  22  such as stainless steel or a titanium alloy. The screw ring preferably has a length, Lr, ranging from 0.1 inch to 1.0 inch, and most preferably a length of 0.250 inch. The screw ring preferably has a diameter of approximately 0.310 inch. The shaft ring  32  has a bore  44  with a diameter of preferably 0.218 inch. The bore  44  is preferably threaded. The screw  34  is preferably a 10-32×⅝ screw and has a screw head  46  and a screw body threaded body  48 . The screw  34  secures the shaft  22  to the club head  24  through threadingly engaging the threaded bore  53  of the hosel  26 . The screw  34  is placed through the butt end  43  of the shaft, through the bore  44  in the shaft ring  32  and into the threaded bore  53 . A screwdriver, not shown, is placed through the interior  38  of the shaft from the butt end  43  to turn the screw  34  to threadingly engage the threaded bore  53  of the hosel  26  thereby securing the shaft  22  to the club head  24  without the need of an adhesive. The screwdriver is then removed and a grip, not shown, is placed on the butt end  43  of the shaft  22 . 
     FIGS. 11–14  illustrate an alternative embodiment of the golf club of the present invention. This embodiment is similar to the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . However, the attachment assembly  30  includes a locking sleeve  50  to secure the shaft  22  to the club head  24 . Further, a washer  97  is used in place of the shaft ring  32 . The screw  34  is threaded into the threaded bore  53  of the hosel  26 . The locking sleeve  50  is placed within the hollow interior  38  of the shaft  22  to engage with the interior surface  45  of the wall  40  of the shaft  22 . 
   As shown in  FIGS. 18–20 , the locking sleeve  50  has a body  60  with a wall  62 . The locking sleeve  50  is preferably composed of a metal material, most preferably an aluminum material. The body  60  has an aperture  64  extending between a first opening  66  and a second opening  68 . The body  60  also has at least a first slot  70  in the wall  62  extending from the first opening  66  to the second opening  68 . The locking sleeve  50  preferably has a length, Ls, which ranges from 0.25 inch to 2.0 inches, and is most preferably 0.6 inch in length. The locking sleeve  50  preferably has an outer diameter ranging from 0.250 inch to 0.5 inch, and is most preferably 0.324 inch. Further, the locking sleeve  50  preferably tapers from the first opening  66  to the second opening from 1 to 4 degrees, and most preferably 1.5 degrees. The thickness of the wall  62  nearest the first opening  66  is preferably thicker than the thickness of the wall  62  nearest the second opening  68 . In a preferred embodiment, the thickness of the wall  62  near the first opening  66  is twice as thick as the thickness of the wall  62  near the second opening  68 . In a most preferred embodiment, the thickness of the wall  62  near the first opening  66 , T w , is 0.044 inch in thickness, and the thickness of the wall  62  near the second opening  68 , T w′ , is 0.027 inch. The first slot  70  preferably has a width ranging from 0.030 inch to 1.5 inches, and is most preferably 0.076 inch. The first slot  70  allows for the contraction and extension of the locking sleeve  50 . 
   In this embodiment, the locking sleeve  50  expands or contracts to tightly engage the interior surface  45  of the shaft  22  and the exterior surface  56  of the hosel  26 . The screw  34  and washer  97  prevent the vertical or lengthwise movement of the locking sleeve  50 . 
     FIG. 15  illustrates yet another embodiment of the golf club  20  of the present invention. In this embodiment, the hosel  26  includes a hosel extension arm  26   a , which extends the hosel  26  upward and positions the attachment of the shaft  22  to the club head  24  above the surface of the crown  33 . In this embodiment, the hosel  26  has an opening  49 , a hollow interior  51 , a hosel stud  52  with a threaded bore  53 ′, and a protuberance  82  on the exterior surface of the hosel stud  52 . 
   As shown in  FIGS. 21–25 , the hosel stud  52  preferably has a length, L hs , ranging from 0.25 inch to 1.0 inch, and most preferably 0.560 inch. The hosel stud  52  preferably has a diameter ranging from 0.150 inch to 0.5 inch, and most preferably 0.259 inch. The hosel stud  52  preferably has a taper of from 1–3 degrees and most preferably 1.5 degrees from a top to a bottom of the hosel stud  52 . 
   As shown in  FIGS. 16–17 , the shaft  22  preferably has a notch  80  at the opening  47 . In this embodiment, the notch engages with the protuberance  82  on the exterior surface of the stud  52  to prevent the rotational movement of the shaft  22  within the hollow interior  51  of the hosel  26 . 
   Similar to the embodiment of  FIG. 11 , the attachment assembly  30  includes the locking sleeve  50 , the screw  34  and the washer  97 . The screw  34  is threaded into the threaded bore  53 ′ of the hosel stud  52 . The locking sleeve  50  engages the exterior surface of the hosel stud  52  and the interior surface  45  of the shaft  22 . The exterior surface  55  of the shaft  22  engages the interior surface  57  of the hosel  26 . This embodiment also utilizes a screwdriver, not shown, which is placed through the interior  38  of the shaft from the butt end  43  to turn the screw  34  to threadingly engage the threaded bore  53 ′ of the hosel stud  52  to prevent movement of the locking sleeve  50  which engages the exterior surface of the hosel stud  52  and the interior surface  45  of the shaft  22  thereby securing the shaft  22  to the club head  24  without the need of an adhesive. 
     FIG. 26  illustrates yet another embodiment in which the attachment assembly  30  is the locking sleeve  50 ′. In this embodiment, the locking sleeve  50 ′ engages the exterior surface  55  of the shaft  22  and the interior surface  57  of the hosel  26  thereby securing the shaft  22  to the club head  24  without the use of an adhesive. 
   As shown in  FIGS. 27–31 , the locking sleeve  50 ′ has a body  60 ′ with a wall  62 ′. The locking sleeve  50 ′ is preferably composed of a metal material, most preferably an aluminum material. The body  60 ′ has an aperture  64 ′ extending between a first opening  66 ′ and a second opening  68 ′. The body  60 ′ also has at least a first slot  70 ′ in the wall  62 ′ extending from the first opening  66 ′ to the second opening  68 ′. The body  60 ′ also has a second slot  72  in the wall  62 ′ which extends from the second opening  68 ′ but ends prior to the first opening  66 ′, and the length L 2s , is preferably between 25% to 90% of the length of the locking sleeve  50 ′, and most preferably 66% of the length of the locking sleeve  50 ′. The locking sleeve  50 ′ preferably has a length, L s , which ranges from 0.25 inch to 2.0 inches, and is most preferably 0.6 inch in length. The locking sleeve  50 ′ preferably has a first diameter, D s1 , ranging from 0.250 inch to 0.75 inch, and is most preferably 0.438 inch. The locking sleeve  50 ′ preferably has a second diameter, D s2 , ranging from 0.200 inch to 0.70 inch, and is most preferably 0.407 inch. Further, the locking sleeve  50 ′ preferably tapers from the first opening  66 ′ to the second opening  68 ′ from 1 to 5 degrees, and most preferably 3 degrees. The first slot  70 ′ preferably has a width ranging from 0.020 inch to 0.15 inch, and is most preferably 0.034 inch. The second slot  72  preferably has a similar width as the first slot  70 ′. The first and second slots  70 ′ and  72  allow for the contraction and extension of the locking sleeve  50 ′. 
   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.