Patent Publication Number: US-2002004427-A1

Title: Golf club head

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] 1. Field of the Invention  
       [0002] The present invention relates to a golf club head, and more particularly to an improved golf club head with a tapered weighting member formed inside the head so that the center of gravity of the golf club head is low and is able to maintain stability of the club when striking the ball.  
       [0003] 2. Description of Related Art  
       [0004] Three types of golf clubs are commonly used in a game of golf—a putter, an iron, and a wood club. Each type of club is designed to correspond to a certain field condition and a particular distance. A conventional iron golf club includes a shaft and a head. The head is formed with a striking face which is an inclined front face of the head that actually engages with a golf ball. To precisely hit the golf ball and increase the impact force exerted onto the ball by the head, a weighting member is usually formed inside the head or attached on a rear face of the head in order to increase weight and lower the center of gravity of the head.  
       [0005] However, the iron club head mentioned with the weighting member added has the following problems:  
       [0006] 1. If the weighting member is attached to the outside face of the head, the weighting member may undesiredly detach from the head after long-term use.  
       [0007] 2. Although forming the weighting member on a particular portion of the head is able to increase weight and lower the center of gravity of the head, still the weighting member is not evenly distributed and this will slightly impair the stability of the head during a full swing.  
       [0008] 3. If the weighting member is made of a material the same as the head, shock is not absorbed well because the rigidity is equal for the weighting member and the head.  
       [0009] 4. Forming the weighting member out of a different material from that of the head results in a better ability to absorb shock during hitting because the weighting member and the head each have a different rigidity. However, the weighting member is added only to a particular part of the head and not evenly distributed and thus the total improvement is still not satisfactory.  
       [0010] Therefore, it is an objective of the invention to provide an improved golf club head to mitigate and/or obviate the aforementioned problems.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0011] The primary objective of the present invention is to provide an improved golf club head with a tapered weighting member formed inside which is able to maintain stability of the club head when striking a ball.  
       [0012] Another objective of the present invention is to provide an improved golf club head with a tapered weighting member formed inside which has density higher and rigidity lower than those of the head, such that the weighting member is not only able to lower the center of gravity of the head but also able to provide shock absorbability.  
       [0013] Another objective of the present invention is to provide an improved golf club head with a tapered weighting formed inside which will not undesiredly detach after long-term use.  
       [0014] Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0015]FIG. 1 is a front side view of a golf club head in accordance with the present invention;  
     [0016]FIG. 2 is an exploded cross-sectional view of the golf club head;  
     [0017]FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the golf club head; and  
     [0018]FIG. 4 is a bottom side view of the golf club head. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
     [0019] With reference to FIGS. 1, 2,  3 , and  4 , a golf club head in accordance with the present has a tapered weighting member ( 15 ) formed inside a head body ( 10 ).  
     [0020] The head body ( 10 ) is formed by assembly of securely welding a front part ( 101 ) and a rear part ( 102 ) together. The front part ( 101 ) has an inclined front side which is a striking face ( 12 ) that actually engages with a golf ball during a successful swing. A neck ( 11 ) extends upward from the front part ( 101 ) to securely connect a shaft (not shown) and the head body ( 10 ) together. A chamber ( 14 ) is defined inside the head, and the chamber is tapered with a top portion having a thickness thinner than that of a bottom portion. The chamber ( 14 ) is filled with a metal having a density higher and rigidity lower than those of the head body ( 10 ). A slot ( 13 ) is defined in a bottom side of the rear part ( 102 ) of the head ( 10 ) to communicate the chamber ( 14 ) with surroundings. In manufacturing, the weighting member ( 15 ) and the head body ( 10 ) are securely and integrally combined by pouring the molten metal from which the weighting member ( 15 ) is composed into the chamber ( 14 ).  
     [0021] The weighting member ( 15 ) is tapered with a top portion having a thickness thinner than that of a bottom portion corresponding to the shape of the chamber ( 14 ). The tapered shape of the weighting member ( 15 ) is able to provide a low center of gravity which is defined towards a rear portion of the head body ( 10 ). The rear-based low center of gravity resulting from the weighting member ( 15 ) is vital in improving the stability of a golf club during a swing. Furthermore, the weighting member ( 15 ) is made of a metal which has density higher and rigidity lower than those of the head body ( 10 ). By this arrangement of even distribution of the weighting member ( 15 ) with the rigidity lower than that of the head body ( 10 ) behind the striking face ( 12 ), the head is able to well absorb shock generated by the impact between the golf ball and the striking face ( 12 ).  
     [0022] However, golf clubs may have different kinds of club heads in order to meet various circumstances. When adapting the present invention to different types of golf club, the center of gravity of the head body ( 10 ) with the weighting member ( 15 ) inside may vary. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, a No.3 iron club has a small head body ( 10 ), so the center of gravity is adapted to a position (a) near a toe of the head body ( 10 ) to increase inertia of the head body ( 10 ) thus extends the striking distance of the golf ball. If adapted to a No.  5  iron club which has a larger head body than that of a No.  3 , the center of gravity is changed to a position (b) near a heel of the head body ( 10 ) to improve the stability of the head body ( 10 ).  
     [0023] From the above description, it is noted that the invention has the following advantages:  
     [0024] 1. The weighting member ( 15 ) is securely and integrally formed inside the head body ( 10 ), such that the weighting member ( 15 ) and the head body ( 10 ) will not detach after long-term use;  
     [0025] 2. The tapered weighting member ( 15 ) has the top portion with a thickness thinner than that of the bottom portion whereby the center of gravity of the head body ( 10 ) with the weighting member ( 15 ) is close to the bottom and the rear portion of the head body ( 10 ), such that the stability of the golf club during a swing is good;  
     [0026] 3. The weighting member ( 15 ) is made of metal which has a density higher and a rigidity lower than those of the head body ( 10 ), and the weighting member ( 15 ) is formed behind the striking face ( 12 ), such that the golf head is able to absorb shock generated by the impact between the golf ball and the striking face ( 12 );  
     [0027] 4. The weighting member ( 15 ) is evenly formed behind striking face ( 12 ) to provide shock absorbing thoughout the entire striking face.  
     [0028] It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.