Patent Publication Number: US-10773134-B1

Title: Golf club head with structural tension cable

Description:
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application claims priority to and is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/418,103, filed on May 21, 2019, and issued on Dec. 24, 2019, as U.S. Pat. No. 10,512,826, the disclosure 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 having a striking face and an adjustable, stress-reducing cable connecting an upper portion with a sole portion via a hollow interior proximate the striking face. 
     Description of the Related Art 
     The prior art discloses various golf club heads having interior structures. For example, Kosmatka, U.S. Pat. No. 6,299,547 for a Golf Club Head With an Internal Striking Plate Brace, discloses a golf club head with a brace to limit the deflection of the striking plate, Yabu, U.S. Pat. No. 6,852,038 for a Golf Club Head And Method of Making The Same, discloses a golf club head with a sound bar, Galloway, U.S. Pat. No. 7,118,493 for a Multiple Material Golf Club Head, discloses a golf club head with a composite aft body having an interior sound component extending upward from a sole section of a metal face component, Seluga et al., U.S. Pat. No. 8,834,294 for a Golf Club Head With Center Of Gravity Adjustability, discloses a golf club head with a tube having a mass for adjusting the CG of a golf club head, and Dawson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 8,900,070 for a Weighted Golf Club Head discloses a golf club head with an interior weight lip extending from the sole towards the face. However, the prior art fails to disclose an interior structure that increases ball speed through reducing stress in the striking face section at impact, with a minimal increase in mass to the golf club head. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The golf club head of the present invention comprises at least one cable connecting a return or crown section to a sole section to stiffen and reduce the stress in a striking face section during impact with a golf ball. The cable, which is placed in tension between the return or crown section and sole section, is looped through rings attached to, or openings disposed in, the return or crown section and sole section. When fully engaged with the golf club head, the cables form a woven stress reduction structure disposed proximate the striking face section. The stress reduction structure is spaced within 0.500 inch of the rear surface of the striking face section, and no portion of the cables make contact with the rear surface, even during impact with a golf ball. 
     One aspect of the present invention is a golf club head comprising a body comprising a striking face, a sole section extending from a lower edge of the striking face, a return section extending from an upper edge of the striking face, a heel side, a toe side, and a hollow interior, an elongated cable comprising a first end and a second end, and a set screw, wherein the return section comprises at least one upper through-opening, wherein the sole section comprises at least one lower through-opening and a threaded screw bore, wherein the first end of the elongated cable is secured to a fixed location on an inner surface of the body within the hollow interior, wherein the cable extends through the at least one upper through-opening and the at least one lower through-opening to connect the return section to the sole section, wherein the second end of the elongated cable is secured to the set screw, wherein the set screw is disposed within and engages with the threaded screw bore, and wherein adjusting the location of the set screw within the threaded screw bore changes the tension of the elongated cable within the body and a stiffness of the striking face. In some embodiments, the at least one upper through-opening may be supported by at least one upper boss, which may extend into the hollow interior from the return section, and the at least one lower through-opening may be supported by at least one lower boss, which may extend into the hollow interior from the sole section. 
     In other embodiments, the golf club head may further comprise a hosel and a heel side tube aligned with the hosel, and the threaded screw bore may extend from and be in communication with the heel side tube. In a further embodiment, the threaded screw bore may extend from the heel side towards the toe side approximately parallel with the striking face. In other embodiments, the fixed location may be on the toe side of the body, and in a further embodiment, the fixed location may be on the return section. In other embodiments, the elongated cable may be composed of a material selected from the group consisting of aramid, liquid crystal polymer, and ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene. In yet another embodiment, the return section may comprise six pairs of upper through-openings, and the sole section may comprise six pairs of lower through-openings. In a further embodiment, each pair of the upper and lower through-openings may be supported by a boss extending into the hollow interior from one of the sole section and return section. In any of these embodiments, the second end of the elongated cable may be secured to the set screw with a cable crimp. 
     Another aspect of the present invention is a golf club head comprising a body comprising a striking face, a crown, a sole, a hosel, and a hollow interior, and a volume of at least 300 cubic centimeters, and a woven support structure connecting the crown to the sole, wherein the woven support structure comprises an elongated cable looped through a plurality of openings in the crown and the sole, wherein the woven support system is at least partially contained within the hollow interior and is disposed proximate the striking face, and wherein the tension of the elongated cable within the body is adjustable. In some embodiments, the elongated cable may extend from the crown to the sole at least twice. In other embodiments, the woven support structure may comprise at least four loops of cable. In still other embodiments, the body may be composed of a metal alloy, and the elongated cable may be composed of a non-metal material, which may be selected from the group consisting of aramid, liquid crystal polymer, and ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene. In yet another embodiment adjusting the tension of the elongated cable within the body may change the stiffness of at least a portion of the striking face, and in particular a boundary of the striking face. In any of these embodiments, no portion of the elongated cable may be in compression. 
     Yet another aspect of the present invention is a golf club head comprising a metal alloy body comprising a striking face, a sole section extending from a lower edge of the striking face, a return section extending from an upper edge of the striking face, a heel side, a toe side, a hosel, a heel side tube aligned with the hosel, a hollow interior, and an upper opening, a composite crown section sized to cover the upper opening, an elongated cable comprising a first end and a second end, and a set screw, wherein the return section comprises at least one upper through-opening, wherein the sole section comprises at least one lower through-opening and a threaded screw bore, wherein the threaded screw bore extends from and is in communication with the heel side tube, wherein the first end of the elongated cable is secured to a fixed location on an inner surface of the body within the hollow interior, wherein the cable extends through the at least one upper through-opening and the at least one lower through-opening to connect the return section to the sole section, wherein the elongated cable extends between the return section to the sole section at least twice, wherein the second end of the elongated cable is secured to the set screw, wherein the set screw is disposed within and engages with the threaded screw bore, wherein the elongated cable is composed of a non-metal material selected from the group consisting of aramid, liquid crystal polymer, and ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene, and wherein adjusting the location of the set screw within the threaded screw bore changes the tension of the elongated cable within the body and a stiffness of the striking face. In some embodiments, the second end of the elongated cable may be secured to the set screw with at least one of an adhesive and a mechanical connector. 
     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 the preferred embodiment of the golf club head of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a top perspective view of the golf club head shown in  FIG. 1  without its crown. 
         FIG. 3  is a side perspective view of the golf club head shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is a top elevational view of the golf club head shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 5  is a bottom perspective view of the golf club head shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 6  is a heel side perspective view of the golf club head shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of the golf club head shown in  FIG. 4  along lines  7 - 7 . 
         FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view of the golf club head shown in  FIG. 2  along lines  5 - 5 . 
         FIG. 9A  is a cross sectional view of the golf club head shown in  FIG. 5  with the cable in tension. 
         FIG. 9B  is a cross sectional view of the golf club head shown in  FIG. 5  with the cable in compression. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     A preferred embodiment of the golf club head  10  of the present invention is shown in  FIGS. 1-9 . The golf club head  10  includes a body  20  having a striking face section  30  with a geometric face center  32  and a rear surface  34 , a return section  40  extending away from an upper edge  31  of the striking face section  30  toward an aft end  28 , a sole section  50  extending away from a lower edge  33  of the striking face section  30  to the aft end  28 , a hosel  23  for engaging a shaft, a heel end  22 , a toe end  24 , an upper opening  26 , and a hollow interior  27 . A crown section  60  is comprised of the return section  32  and a crown insert  65  that is placed over the upper opening  26  and affixed to the body  20  to enclose the hollow interior  27 . 
     As shown in the Figures, the return section  40  includes six pairs of through openings  42   a ,  44   a ,  42   b ,  44   b ,  42   c ,  44   c : two pairs of through openings  42   a ,  44   a  disposed at the heel end  22 , two pairs of through openings  42   b ,  44   b  disposed at a center area  45  between the heel and toe ends  22 ,  24  and approximately aligned with a center of the striking face section  30 , and two pairs of through openings  42   c ,  44   c  disposed at the toe end  24  that are in communication with the hollow interior  27  of the body  20 . Three bosses  46   a ,  46   b ,  46   c  extend into the hollow interior  27  and support the through openings  42 ,  44 . One boss  46   a  is disposed at the heel end  22 , one boss  46   b  at the center, and one boss  46   c  at the toe end  24 . The sole section  50  includes another six pairs of through openings  52   a ,  54   a ,  52   b ,  54   b ,  52   c ,  54   c  and three bosses  56   a ,  56   b ,  56   c  supporting those through-openings  52 ,  54 . One set of through-openings  52   a ,  54   a  and one boss  56   a  are disposed at the heel end  22 , one set of through-openings  52   b ,  54   b  and one boss  56   b  are disposed at a center area  55  of the sole  50 , and the final set of through openings  52   c ,  54   c  and boss  56   c  are disposed at the toe end  24 . A single set of through-openings  58 , are disposed slightly rearward of the other through-openings  52 ,  54  and are supported by a third boss  56   d.    
     The body  20  comprises a heel side tube  25  disposed beneath the hosel  23  through which a mechanical fastener (not shown) can be affixed to a shaft sleeve (not shown), and a screw bore  70  supported by a wall  75  that intersects with the heel side tube  25  extends from the heel end  22  of the body  20  towards the toe end  24  approximately parallel with the striking face section  30 . The screw bore  70  comprises threads  72  that are sized to engage with external threads  81  on a set screw  80 . 
     A first end  102  of the cable  100  is attached to a fixed point within the body  20 , in the preferred embodiment at the toe end  24  of the return section  40  of the body  20 , and then the second end  104  of the cable  100  is threaded through each of the openings  42 ,  44 ,  52 ,  54  to create a woven support structure  150 . The woven support structure  150  preferably comprises at least two loops of cable  100  extending between the return section  40  and the sole section  50 , and more preferably (as shown in  FIGS. 2, 7, and 8 ) twelve loops. It is important is that the connectors of the woven support structure  150  connect the return section  40  to the sole section  50  proximate the striking face section  30 , without making contact with any portion of the striking face section  30 , even when the striking face section  30  impacts a golf ball. This proximity is critical for optimizing the normalized ball speed relationship to characteristic time (CT), as measured in μs by the U.S. Golf Association (USGA) CT test 
     Once the cable  100  has been woven through the openings  42 ,  44 ,  52 ,  54  to connect the return and sole sections  40 ,  50 , the cable  100  is cut to the desired length and the second end  104  of the cable  100  is secured to the set screw  80  with an adhesive and/or a mechanic connection. In the preferred embodiment, the second end is threaded through an end opening  82  in the set screw  80  and a cable crimp  110  or ball joint connector (such as the one disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/960,316, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety herein) is attached to the second end  104  to secure the cable  100  to the set screw  80 . 
     The set screw  80  is disposed within the screw bore  70 , and changing the location of the set screw  80  within the screw bore  70  affects the tension, or pre-load, of the cable  100 . For example, moving the set screw  80  heel-wards towards the heel side tube  25  tightens the cable  100  within the body  20 , while moving the set screw toe-wards away from the heel side tube  25  loosens the cable  100  within the body  20 . Tightening the cable  100  stiffens the face boundary  35 , while loosening the set screw  80  relaxes the face boundary  35 , and allows the user to adjust the stiffness of the striking face  30  to optimize its performance and, in particular, the normalized ball speed relationship to CT. 
     The cable  100  is composed of a lightweight, high strength material such as aramid, liquid crystal polymer (LCP), or ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), which lowers the overall weight of the assembly. The cable  100  cannot carry compression, which allows the striking face  30  to rebound unrestricted, as shown in  FIGS. 9A and 9B   
     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.