Patent Publication Number: US-9844716-B2

Title: Putter with adjustable alignment features

Description:
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/210,133, filed on Jul. 14, 2016, and issued on May 30, 2017, as U.S. Pat. No. 9,662,544, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/702,478, filed on May 1, 2015, and issued on Aug. 16, 2016, as U.S. Pat. No. 9,415,279, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/988,729, filed on May 5, 2014, the disclosure of which is 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 putter type golf club head comprising alignment markings. The present invention more specifically relates to a putter-type golf club head having adjustable alignment markings on its top surface to help a golfer line up the golf club head with a golf ball. 
     Description of the Related Art 
     The golf industry routinely develops putters that are intended make the game of golf easier for the high handicap player. One such putter is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,688,798 to David Pelz, which discloses a putter with an alignment means to assist a golfer in aiming a golf ball toward a hole during putting. The Pelz patent discloses using two or three golf ball shaped indicators as the alignment means. The golf ball shaped indicators may be circles, hemispheres, or complete spheres. The Pelz patent discloses positioning the indicators along a line extending rearward from the center of percussion. 
     Another patent that discloses an alignment means is U.S. Pat. No. 4,659,083 to Szczepanski. The Szczepanski patent discloses a group of lines that converge toward the center of the face of the putter. The large number of converging lines taught by Szczepanski can be distracting to a golfer, however. 
     A further patent that discloses an alignment means is U.S. Pat. No. 7,371,184 to Tao. The Tao patent also discloses a group of lines that converge at the center of the face of a putter. 
     Although these inventions have provided putters for making the game of golf more enjoyable for high handicap players, the prior art has not optimized an adjustable putter alignment feature for high handicap players. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     One aspect of the present invention is a putter head comprising a removable alignment feature. Another aspect of the present invention is a putter head comprising a metal body, a lightweight divider piece, and an adjustable alignment feature. 
     Another aspect of the present invention is a putter comprising a body comprising a face portion and a sole portion, a divider piece comprising an opening, and an alignment piece comprising a planar portion and a first protrusion extending perpendicular to the planar portion, wherein the planar portion comprises an alignment feature, wherein the sole portion comprises a through bore, and wherein the first protrusion extends through the opening and is received within the through bore. In some embodiments, the first protrusion may comprise a threaded bore. In another embodiment, the first protrusion may have a skeletal structure, and the threaded bore may be disposed within a hollow portion of the first protrusion and held in place by a plurality of struts. 
     In other embodiments, the alignment feature may comprise at least two circles, and also line bisecting each of the two circles or a pair of converging lines that extend across the two circles. In another embodiment, the sole portion may comprise a second protrusion, and the through bore may extend through the second protrusion. In a further embodiment, the putter may comprise a screw having a head and a threaded portion, the through bore may extend from an opening in a lower surface of the sole to an opening in the upper surface of the sole, the first protrusion may comprise a threaded bore, and the threaded portion may extend through the through bore and engage the threaded bore of the first protrusion to removably fix the alignment piece to the body. In other embodiments, the divider piece may conform to at least a portion of a shape of the sole. In another embodiment, the sole portion may extend rearwards from a lower edge of the face portion, and the body may have an L shape. 
     Another aspect of the present invention is an adjustable putter head comprising a body comprising a face portion comprising an upper surface, a striking surface, and a lower surface, a sole portion comprising an upper surface, a lower surface, a first protrusion extending from the upper surface, and a through bore extending from an opening in the lower surface to an opening in the first protrusion, a divider piece comprising an opening, an alignment piece comprising a planar portion comprising an alignment feature and a thickness and a second protrusion comprising a threaded bore, and a screw comprising a threaded portion and a head, wherein the second protrusion extends perpendicular to the planar portion, wherein the second protrusion extends through the opening in the first protrusion and is received within the through bore, and wherein the threaded portion of the screw extends through the through bore and engages the threaded bore of the first protrusion to removably fix the alignment piece to the body. 
     In one embodiment, the alignment feature may comprise at least two circles. In a further embodiment, the upper surface of the face may comprise a recess sized to receive a portion of one of the two circles. In yet another, further embodiment, the recess may have a depth that is equivalent to the thickness of the alignment feature. In an alternative embodiment, the alignment feature may comprise at least one line extending across the two circles, which may comprise a pair of converging lines. In still another embodiment, the divider piece may comprise a first color, wherein the alignment feature comprises a second color, wherein the first color is dark, and wherein the second color is light. In another embodiment, each of the alignment piece and the divider piece may be composed of a material selected from the group consisting of composite, plastic, and aluminum. 
     Another aspect of the present invention is a kit comprising a putter body comprising a front portion and a sole portion, a first divider piece comprising a first shape, a first opening, and a first material, a second divider piece comprising a second shape, a second opening, and a second material, a first alignment piece comprising a first alignment feature, a first protrusion, and a third material, a second alignment piece comprising a second alignment feature, a second protrusion, and a fourth material, and a screw comprising a threaded portion and a head, wherein the first protrusion comprises a first threaded bore and the second protrusion comprises a second threaded bore, wherein the first material is different from the second material and the third material is different from the fourth material, and wherein the threaded portion of the screw is sized to fit within and engage the first and second threaded bores. 
     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 plan view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a side perspective view of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , with the divider piece shown in partially transparent form to illustrate the other parts of the embodiment. 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a view of the adjustable alignment feature shown in  FIG. 3  along lines  4 - 4 . 
         FIG. 5  is a top plan view of an alternative adjustable alignment feature for engagement with the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 6  is a top plan view of an alternative divider piece for engagement with the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     A preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in  FIGS. 1-4 . In this embodiment, a putter-type club head  10  comprises a body  15  having a front portion  20  with a striking face  25  and a sole  30  extending rearwards from a lower edge  22  of the front portion  20 , such that the body  15  has an L-shaped structure. The body  15  also includes a protrusion  40  extending from a central area  35  of the upper surface  32  of the sole  30 . The protrusion  40  has a through bore  45  that extends through the sole  30  and ends at an opening in a lower surface (not shown) of the sole  30 . The through bore  45  may be threaded, but preferably has a smooth interior surface. The body  15  preferably is composed of a metal material such as steel, tungsten, or titanium, and its L-shaped structure positions the center of gravity at a low, forward position on the head  10 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , the head  10  includes a divider piece  50 , which preferably is composed of a lightweight material such as composite, plastic, or another type of polymer, and which includes an opening  55  sized to receive the protrusion  40 , which preferably extends through the opening  55 . The divider piece  50  preferably has a color that contrasts with the other parts of the head, as shown in the Figures, and is shaped such that it is visible to a user when the putter head  10  is viewed from the top. The divider piece  50  is removable, and thus can be swapped with divider pieces  50  having different shapes, colors, and/or material compositions to adjust the cosmetics and mass properties of the putter head  10 . An alternative divider piece  50  having a slightly different shape, which conforms to the shape of the upper surface  32  of the sole  30 , is shown in  FIG. 6 . 
     The head  10  also includes a removable alignment piece  60  comprising a planar alignment feature  62  and a protrusion  64  that extends perpendicular to the alignment feature. At least a part of the protrusion  64  is sized to be received within the through bore  45  of the protrusion  40  extending from the sole  30 . The protrusion  64  includes a threaded bore  66  that aligns with the through bore  45  of the protrusion  40 , and is sized to receive the threads of a screw  70  that removably fixes the alignment piece  60  and the divider piece  50  to the sole  30  of the body  15 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , the protrusion  64  preferably comprises a skeletal structure, with the threaded bore  66  suspended inside a hollow portion  65  and held in place by a plurality of struts  67 . The alignment piece  60  preferably is composed of a non-metal material, such as a polymer or composite, but can be formed of a metal material if a user wishes to raise the center of gravity location or otherwise adjust the mass properties of the putter head  10 . 
     The alignment feature  62  of the preferred embodiment comprises a pair of circles  63   a ,  63   b  having the same approximate size as a golf ball and a straight line  61   a  bisecting the two circles  63   a ,  63   b  and extending perpendicular to the striking face  25 . In an alternative embodiment, shown in  FIG. 5 , the alignment feature  62  may comprise a pair of converging lines  61   b ,  61   c  that extend across the pair of circles  63   a ,  63   b  towards the striking face  25 . The alignment feature  62  preferably has a light color, and the divider piece  50  preferably has a contrasting dark color. As discussed herein, the divider piece  50  can be swapped for a different divider piece  50  having a different contrasting color and/or shape to better draw the golfer&#39;s eyes to the alignment feature  62 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the front portion  20  of the body  15  includes an upper surface  21 , which has a recess  24  shaped to receive a portion of one of the circles  63   a ,  63   b  of the alignment feature  62 . The recess  24  has a depth that is equivalent to the thickness of the alignment feature  62 , such that the upper surface of the alignment feature  62 , when engaged with the body  15 , is flush with the upper surface  21  of the front portion  20  and provides a continuous sighting plane for a golfer. 
     In another embodiment, the putter head  10  may be sold as a kit to consumers, with a single body  15  and multiple divider pieces  50 , alignment pieces  60 , and screws  70  having different shapes, colors, alignment features  62 , and/or material compositions to allow a consumer to customize the putter head  10  for optimal performance. 
     The embodiments disclosed herein may include any of the features of the golf club heads disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,244,191 and 8,480,504, the disclosure of each of which is hereby incorporated by reference 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.