Patent Publication Number: US-6334818-B1

Title: Golf club head with an insert on the striking surface

Description:
This application is a continuation in part of application Ser. No. 09/220,089, filed Dec. 23, 1998, and a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 08/711,337, filed Sep. 6, 1996, U.S. Pat. No. 5,944,619 the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to golf clubs and, more particularly, to a golf club that has an insert on the strike surface of the club. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Golf clubs have long been developed to improve the “touch and feel” of the club, most particularly with, but not limited to, the clubs used on and around the green. One approach to improve the touch and feel of a club is to modify either the grip, the shaft, or the strike face of the golf club. For example, modifications to the club head could include an insert that is placed on the club strike surface to affect the impact of the club with the golf ball and to improve the feedback to the golfer after impact. 
     It is desired that the present invention provided an improved golf club head with better touch and feel as a result of modifying the strike face of the golf club head. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a golf club with an improved “touch and feel” on and around the green. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a golf club with an insert on the strike face that affects the rebound of the golf ball at impact with the strike face. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a golf club that dampens vibrations and improves the feedback to the golfer at impact of the golf club with the golf ball. 
     The present invention includes a golf club head having a toe and an opposite heel, a sole portion and an opposite top portion, a forwardly facing exposed strike face and an opposite rearwardly facing exposed back face portion. The club head includes a recess in the strike face, an insert disposed within the recess, and a vibration dampening material that extends continuously from the strike face to the back face portion. In one embodiment, the vibration dampening material extends through the insert. 
     According to another embodiment of the present invention, a golf club includes a strike surface and an opposite back face portion. The strike face includes a recess with a bottom surface and a side wall surface. The club head further includes an insert which is disposed in the recess. The insert has a first portion, a second portion, and a back face. The first portion includes a front surface spaced from the strike face, and a first passageway extending from the upper surface to the back face of the insert. The second portion forms a portion of the strike face. A vibration dampening material is located in the first passageway. 
     In one embodiment, the insert is configured so that it has a peripheral edge spaced from the side wall surface to form a peripheral groove on the strike face, and the vibration dampening material located in the groove. 
     In another embodiment the club head further includes first apertures that extend from the back face portion to the bottom surface, and the vibration dampening material is located in the first aperture. 
     In yet another embodiment, the first passageway further includes second apertures through the first portion of the flange and a cutout extending between the second apertures into at least partial alignment with the first apertures. 
     Thus, the present invention provides a club head with an insert and vibration dampening material that is continuous from the strike face to the back face portion. 
     The configuration of the insert and club head vary the amount of vibration dampening material within the club to vary the feel of the club. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a golf club head of the present invention showing an insert located on a strike face with a vibration dampening material there around. 
     FIG. 2 is a rear view of the golf club head of FIG. 1 showing a plurality of apertures spaced apart on a back face of a club head with the vibration dampening material within the apertures. 
     FIG. 3 is an exploded front perspective view of the golf club head shown in FIG. 1 showing the club head before assembly. 
     FIG. 4 is a front view of the club head of FIG. 3, showing the club head after assembly but prior to injecting the vibration dampening material therein. 
     FIG. 4A is an enlarged partial front view of the portion of the club head within the circle  4 A— 4 A of FIG.  4 . 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken from line  5 — 5  of FIG. 4 showing the golf club head with the vibration dampening material therein. 
     FIG. 6 is an enlarged, front perspective view of another embodiment of the insert for use with the club head of the present invention. 
     FIG. 7 is a front view of the club head of FIG. 6, showing the club head after assembly but prior to injecting the vibration dampening material therein. 
     FIG. 6A is an enlarged, front perspective view of another embodiment of the insert for use with the club head of the present invention. 
     FIG. 7A is a front view of the club head of FIG. 6A, showing the club head after assembly but prior to injecting the vibration dampening material therein. 
     FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken from line  8 — 8  of FIG. 7 showing the golf club head with the vibration dampening material therein. 
     FIG. 9 is an enlarged, front view of a golf club head with the insert removed. 
     FIG. 9 a  is an enlarged, front view of another embodiment of the insert for use with the club head shown in FIG.  9 A. 
     FIG. 10 is an enlarged, back view of the insert shown in FIG.  9 . 
     FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken from line  11 — 11  of FIG. 9 showing the golf club head with the insert of FIGS. 9-10 and the vibration dampening material therein. 
     FIG. 12 is an enlarged, back view of another embodiment of the insert for use with the club head shown in FIG.  9 A. 
     FIG. 13 is an enlarged perspective view of another embodiment of the insert for use with the club head shown in FIGS. 1-4. 
     FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view along the line  14 — 14  of FIG. 13 showing the insert of FIG. 13 assembled in a club head and the vibration dampening material therein. 
     FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view along the line  15 — 15  of FIG. 13 showing the insert of FIG. 13 assembled in a club head and the vibration dampening material therein. 
     FIG. 16 is an enlarged, front perspective view of another embodiment of the insert for use with the club head shown in FIGS. 1-4. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     According to the present invention and referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a golf club  10  has a shaft  12  (only partially shown) attached to a club head  14 . A putter-type club head is shown in FIG.  1 . The club head  14  has a hosel  16  that accepts the shaft  12  with a heel  18  at the hosel end of the club head  14  and a toe  20  opposite of the heel  18 . The club head  14  also has a sole portion  26  and an opposite top portion  28 . Extending between the heel  18  and the toe  20  is a strike face  22 , which is the surface that contacts the golf ball (not shown) upon impact between the golf club  10  and the ball. The strike face  22  includes a “sweet spot,” or the center of gravity in the toe to heel direction, which is covered with an insert  24 . The insert  24  is made of a material that is different than the rest of the club head. In the preferred embodiment, the insert is made of a tellurium copper alloy, which is a relatively soft alloy that improves the touch and feel of the club. In the preferred embodiment, the tellurium copper alloy includes a minimum of 99.4% copper, a maximum of 0.004-0.012 ppm of phosphorus and a maximum of 0.4-0.7 ppm of tellurium, and has a hardness of approximately 80 HB. 
     Referring to FIG. 3, the strike face  22  defines a recess  30  having a bottom surface  32  and a side wall surface  34  surrounding the bottom surface  32 . The side wall surface  34  includes a plurality of portions  36 - 40 . The pair of horizontal side wall portions  36  are substantially parallel to one another, and generally horizontal. The pair of vertical side wall portions  38  are substantially parallel to one another, and generally vertical. The four corner side wall portions  40  extend between adjacent horizontal and vertical side wall portions to form angled surfaces. 
     As shown in FIG. 2, the club head  14  has an essentially flat back face portion  42  that extends partially between the heel  18  and the toe  20  and partially between the top portion  28  and the sole portion  26 . The back face portion  42  has a plurality of apertures  44  that are preferably evenly spaced apart in relation to each other. The apertures also follow the contour of the back face portion  42  and are essentially perpendicular to the strike face  22  (as shown in FIG.  1 ). 
     Turning to FIG. 3, the apertures  44  extend from the back face  42  toward the insert  24 . Preferably more than five apertures are used, more preferably there are greater than 20 apertures, and most preferably there are 32 apertures. A vibration dampening material  46 , such as an elastomeric material, that is deformable is located in each aperture  44 . In the preferred embodiment, which will be described in detail below, the elastomeric material is a silicone material, Stock No. GE281, available from General Electric Company in Waterford, N.Y. 
     Referring to FIG. 3, the integrally formed insert  24  includes a first portion or projections  48  and a second or platform portion  50 . The projections  48  are spaced apart and extend radially outwardly from the platform portion  50 . The projections  48  define the spaces  51  there between. The insert  24  further includes a back face  52 . Each projection  48  includes a front surface  53  spaced from the front surface  55  of the platform portion  50 . The projections  48  are sized to fit within the recess  30 . When the insert  24  is inserted in the recess  30 , the back face  52  is in contact with the bottom surface  32  of the recess  30 . 
     Furthermore, the projections  48  are disposed adjacent and in contact with the bottom surface  32  and the side wall surface portions  36 - 40 . In the installed position, the platform portion  50  includes an outer peripheral edge, which is spaced from at least a portion of the side wall surface, to define a peripheral groove  54  (as shown in FIGS. 3-5) between the platform portion  50  and the side wall surfaces  36 - 40 . The projections  48  center the insert within the recess. The peripheral groove  54  surrounds the platform portion  50  of the insert. The groove has a width, designated by the arrow w in FIG.  1 . 
     Referring now to FIGS. 2-4, the apertures  44   a-e  receive a fastening means  58   a-e . The outermost apertures  44   a-d  has complementary counterbores. The aperture  44   e  is a central aperture that receives a center fastener  44   e . The insert back face  52  includes five threaded holes  60   a-e  (shown in phantom) that are complimentary to the apertures  44   a - 44   e  in the club head  10 . The five fasteners  58   a - 58   e  are fastened into the insert holes  60   a-e . The fasteners  58   a-e  connect the insert  24  to the club head. 
     During machining of the loft in the putter, the fasteners aid in maintaining the connection between the insert and the club head. After machining, the center fastener  58   e  is removed from the insert hole  44   e . The purpose of the center fastener  44   e  is to aid in maintaining the connection between the insert and the club head during machining. 
     Referring to FIG. 4, the top row of apertures are designated  44   f . When the insert  24  is disposed within the recess  30 , the aperture or space  51  between the projections  48  is located so that it is partially aligned with the top row of apertures  44   f . As a result, as best shown in FIG. 4A, a portion of the top row apertures  44   f  are visible from the front of the club head within the groove  54  before the vibration dampening material is disposed within the club head. The portion of the apertures (shown in phantom) are covered by the platform portion  50  of the insert. 
     As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, once the vibration dampening material is disposed in the groove  54  and the apertures  44  and the space  51  provides a passageway for allowing the elastomeric material in the groove  54  to be in fluid communication with the elastomeric material in the apertures  44 . Thus, the vibration dampening material is continuous from the strike face  22  to the back face portion  42 . 
     Referring to FIGS. 3 and 5, also when the insert  24  is within the recess  30 , the front surface  53  of the projections  48  is spaced from the strike face  22  and the front surface  55  of the platform portion  50  forms a portion of the strike face  22 . As a result, the passageway in the insert is spaced from the strike face  22 . 
     In this embodiment the top row of apertures are aligned with the spaces between the projections. In other embodiments, the insert can be configured so that, for example, the top row and the bottom row of apertures are partially or fully aligned with associated spaces between the projections. 
     The contact between the insert and the club head creates a metal-to-metal contact between the insert and the recess surfaces. The size of the apertures  44  and the volume of the elastomeric material  46  located in the apertures and the grooves and spaces combine to reduce the amount of metal-to-metal contact between the insert  24  and the recess surfaces. Therefore, the “touch and the feel” of the putter may be altered by varying the amount of metal-to-metal contact and by proportionately varying the amount of elastomeric material located around the insert. 
     Referring to FIG. 6, the insert  124  has been modified to include a first portion which is a flange  148 . The flange  148  extends radially outwardly from the platform portion  150 . The flange is sized to fit within the recess  30  of the club head  10  shown in FIG.  7 . This club head is similar to the club head discussed above. The insert  124  is fastened within the club head as discussed previously. 
     Referring to FIG. 6, the flange  148  defines upper and lower notches or passageways  151   a  and  b , respectively. Referring to FIG. 7, the notches  151   a  and  b  are sized so that when the insert  124  is disposed within the recess  30 , a pair of the two center apertures  44   f  in the top and bottom rows of the apertures are completely aligned with the notches  151   a  and  51   b.    
     Referring to FIG. 8, it is shown that by completely aligning the notches  151   a  and  b  with the holes  44   f  the vibration dampening material in the groove  54  is in fluid communication with the vibration dampening material in the apertures, and the vibration dampening material is continuous from the strike face  22  to the back face portion  42 . 
     In this embodiment, the portion of the insert forming the apertures  151   a  and  b  is not in contact with the bottom surface  32  of the recess. The remaining portion of the back face  52  of the insert  124  is in contact with the bottom surface of the recess. The metal-to-metal contact of the insert and the recess surfaces is reduced by using the vibration dampening material. 
     In another embodiment, the flange can be configured so that the notches are partially aligned with various apertures in the club head. Furthermore, the shape, location, and number of the notches can be varied while still providing the passageway as desired. 
     Referring to FIG. 6A, the insert  124 ′ is similar to the insert  124  shown in FIG. 6, and similar features have the same reference numeral followed by a prime. The insert  124 ′ has been modified to include a flange  148 ′. The flange  148 ′ extends radially outwardly from the platform portion  150 ′. The flange is sized to fit within the recess  30  of the club head  10  shown in FIG.  7 A. This club head is similar to the club head discussed above. The insert  124 ′ is fastened within the club head as discussed previously. 
     Referring to FIG. 6A, the flange  148 ′ defines a pair of upper and lower notches or passageways  151   a  and  b , respectively. Referring to FIG. 7A, the notches  151   a  and  b  are sized so that when the insert  124  is disposed within the recess  30 , a pair of the apertures  44   f ′ at the toe side  18  and a pair of the apertures  44   f ′ at the heel side are completely aligned with the respective notches  151   a  and  51   b . This embodiment allows metal-to-metal contact of the insert  124 ′ with the bottom surface of the recess over the sweet spot and more vibration dampening toward the toe and heel. Thus, off-center hits should be provided more dampening. 
     Referring to FIG. 9, the insert  224  has been modified and includes a first portion which is a flange  248 . The flange  248  extends radially outwardly from the platform portion  250 . The flange is sized to fit within the recess  30  of the club head  10  shown in FIG.  9 A. The flange  248  defines a pair of upper and lower apertures  251   a  and  b , respectively. 
     Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, the back face  52  of the insert  224  further includes a plurality of cavities  252 . The cavities  252  are aligned to be complementary with the apertures  44  and  244 . Some of the apertures  44  receive the fasteners as previously discussed to secure the insert  224  to the club head. 
     Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, four of the cavities  252   a  are formed so that they include a counterbored portion  254  and a reduced diameter portion  256 . The counterbored portion  254  extends from the insert back face  52  to the reduced diameter portion  256 . The counterbored portion  254  is configured so that it forms the apertures  251   a  and  b  and a cutout  258  extending between the apertures  251   a  and  b  and the reduced portion of the cavities  256 . The cavities and counterbores which form the apertures  251   a  are located so that the apertures  251   a  are notches extending to the periphery of the flange. The cavities and counterbores which form the apertures  251   b  are located so that the apertures  251   b  extend through the flange spaced from the periphery of the flange. 
     Referring to FIG. 9A, when the insert  224  is disposed within the recess  30 , the cavities  252   a  are aligned with the apertures  244 . As shown in FIG. 11, the passageway from the groove  54  to the apertures  244  is formed by each aperture  251   a  and  b  and the associated the counterbores  254 . The vibration dampening material  46  is disposed within the groove  54 , the apertures  251   a  and  b , the cavities  252   a , and the apertures  44  and  244 . The vibration dampening material  46  in the apertures  244 , and the vibration dampening material  46  is continuous from the strike face  22  to the back face portion  42 . 
     In this embodiment, the portion of the insert forming the counterbores and cavities is spaced from the bottom surface  32  of the recess. The remaining portion of the insert  224  is in metal-to-metal contact with the bottom surface of the recess. The insert cavities  252  and  252   a  provide a more pronounced vibration dampening feature than the embodiment disclosed in FIGS. 3 and 6, since the amount of metal-to-metal contact will be decreased using the insert  224  versus the inserts  24  and  124 . This results from the elastomeric material  46  extending into the back face  52  of the insert  224  due to the cavities. So the elastomeric material encompasses more area on the back face of the insert  224 . 
     In another embodiment, the back face of the insert can be modified so that the cutouts have a different shape. Furthermore, the location and number of the apertures and cavities can be varied while still providing the passageway as desired. 
     Referring to FIG. 12, the insert  324  is similar to the insert  224  shown in FIGS. 9-11, and for use with the club head shown in FIG.  9 A. Similar portions of the insert  324  to the insert  224  begin the reference with a number “ 3 ” instead of “ 2 ”. The back face  52  of the insert  324  further includes a continuous passageway  360  or a matrix. The passageway  360  connects each of the insert cavities  352  and  352   a . The passageway is formed using conventional techniques so that the insert back face landings or areas  358  remain between portions of the passageway. In this embodiment, the depth of the passageway  360  does not equal the depth of the cavities  352  so the cavities  352  remain after the passageway is formed. 
     The front of the insert  324  is similar to that shown in FIG. 9 where the insert includes the flange and the platform portion. The counterbored portions  354  form apertures  351  and  b  in the flange. The insert  324  is fastened within the club head as discussed previously. 
     Once the insert  324  is disposed in a club head, the passageway from the groove  54  to the apertures  244  is formed by each aperture  351  in the flange and the associated cavities  352   a  with the counterbores. The vibration dampening material  46  is disposed within the groove  54 , the apertures  351  in the flange, the cavities  352 , and the apertures  44  and  244 . The vibration dampening material  46  is continuous from the strike face  22  to the back face portion  42 . 
     In this embodiment, the portion of the insert forming the counterbores and cavities is spaced from the bottom surface of the recess. The remaining portion of the insert  324  (i.e., the landings  358  and the remaining area of the back face  52 ) is in contact with the bottom surface of the recess. This is metal-to-metal contact. The continuous passageway  360  provides a more pronounced vibration dampening feature than the embodiment disclosed in FIG. 10 since the amount of metal-to-metal contact will be decreased using the insert  324  versus the insert  224 . 
     In another embodiment, the back face of the insert can be modified so that the cavities have a different shape and/or the passageway connects the cavities in a different arrangement. Furthermore, the location and number of the apertures and cavities can be varied while still providing the passageway as desired. In addition, the passageway can be continuous through the cavities so that separate lines or shapes are formed by the back face passageway. 
     Referring to FIG. 13, the insert  424  is for use with a club head similar to that shown in FIG. 9A, and includes a flange  448  similar to that shown in FIG.  6 . However, the flange  448  defines a plurality of circumferentially spaced notches  451 . However, the back face  52  of the insert  424  further includes a plurality of projections  460  (shown in phantom) extending therefrom at spaced locations. The insert  424  is fastened within the club head as discussed previously. 
     Referring to FIGS. 14 and 15, when the insert  424  is disposed within the recess  30 , the free ends  462  of the projections  460  are portions of the back face that are in contact with the bottom surface  32  of the recess  30 . The remaining portion  464  of the back face is spaced from the bottom of the recess so that a gap  466  is defined there between. The vibration dampening material  46  within the gap  466  is in fluid communication with the vibration dampening  46  material within the apertures  44 . Referring to FIG. 15, the notches or apertures  451  define passageways between the groove  54  and the gap  466  and the apertures  44 . The vibration dampening material  46  is continuous from the strike face  22  to the back face portion  42 . 
     In this embodiment, the projections  460  provide metal-to-metal contact between the insert and the recess  30 . A club head with the insert  424  exhibits a different touch and feel than a club head with a similarly configured insert which does not have projections but defines a gap between the back face of the insert and the recess bottom. Co-pending application Ser. No. 09/220,083, filed Dec. 23, 1998 discloses such a club head in FIGS. 15,  16 ,  23 - 26  and the associated specification language. In addition, co-pending application Ser. No. 08/711,337, filed Sep. 6, 1996 discloses such a club head in FIGS. 15 and 16 and the associated specification language. The gap  466  may provide a more pronounced vibration dampening feature than the embodiment disclosed in FIGS. 1-12, since the amount of metal-to-metal contact will be decreased using the gap. 
     Referring to FIG. 16, the insert  524  is for use with a club head similar to that shown in FIG.  9 A. The insert  524  is similar to the insert  24  shown in FIG.  3 . However, the projections  548  have an increased thickness so that the portion  526  of the back face of each projection is spaced from the remaining portion  528  of the back face. Thus, the projection back face portion  526  is spaced a distance  530  from the remaining portion  528 . When the insert  524  is disposed in a club head similar to that described in FIG. 3, the portions  526  are in contact with the bottom surface  32  of the recess  30 . The remaining portion  528  of the back face is spaced from the bottom of the recess so that a gap similar to the gap  466  (shown in FIGS. 14 and 15) is defined there between. The vibration dampening material  46  within the gap is in fluid communication with the vibration dampening material within the apertures  44 . Similarly to FIG. 15, the spaces  551  between the projections  548  define passageways between the groove  54  and the gap and the apertures  44 . The vibration dampening material  46  is continuous from the strike face  22  to the back face portion  42 . 
     In this embodiment, the projections  548  provide metal-to-metal contact between the insert and the recess  30 . A club head with the insert  524  exhibits a different touch and feel than a club head with a similarly configured insert which does not have projections but defines a gap between the back face of the insert and the recess bottom, as discussed above. 
     In another embodiment, the back face of the inserts  424  and  524  can be modified to include notches of different sizes, locations, and shapes. Furthermore, the back faces can include cavities, counterbored portions and passageways as discussed above. 
     In another embodiment, the various portions of the golf club head can be filled with two or more different vibration dampening materials. For example, foam rubber or another elastomeric material can be used. 
     During manufacture, depending on the configuration of the insert and the apertures, in order to introduce the elastomeric material into the club head, it is injected into the apertures and it may flow from the back face portion to the strike face. The configuration may require that the material is injected in the groove and the apertures so that the material will be continuous from the back face portion to the strike face. A squeegee is scraped across the back face portion and the strike face to remove the excess silicone, leaving the silicone in each of the apertures and the groove. 
     The amount of vibration dampening material in the club head can be varied in a number of ways. For example, the number of apertures or number of apertures filled with the vibration dampening material can be varied. In addition, the geometry of the peripheral groove can be varied by changing the width w (as shown in FIG.  1 ), by changing the depth D (as shown in FIG.  5 ), by changing the geometry of the flange or projections, or by changing the size of the gap. 
     Varying the amount of vibration dampening material affects the feel of the club head and allows the club head to be custom fit to a particular player or group of players depending on their needs, preferences, and/or performance. If a player, such as a Tour player, prefers more metal-to-metal contact between the insert and recess bottom surface, the amount of vibration dampening material can be decreased. If as a group, ladies, seniors or juniors, for example, prefer less metal-to-metal contact the amount of vibration dampening material can be increased. Thus, the club head of the present invention allows the manufacturer to modify the club head to satisfy one player or a group of players, which is advantageous.