Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/US20120165115A1/en
Timestamp: 2020-01-17 20:33:54
Document Index: 157138126

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 11', 'art 11', 'art 11', 'art 11', 'art 11', 'art 11', 'art 11', 'art 11', 'art 11', 'art 11', 'art 11', 'art 11', 'art.\n7', 'art.\n8', 'art.\n10']

US20120165115A1 - Golf club head - Google Patents
US20120165115A1
US20120165115A1 US13/325,457 US201113325457A US2012165115A1 US 20120165115 A1 US20120165115 A1 US 20120165115A1 US 201113325457 A US201113325457 A US 201113325457A US 2012165115 A1 US2012165115 A1 US 2012165115A1
US13/325,457
US8992339B2 (en
2010-12-24 Priority to JP2010288369A priority Critical patent/JP5746503B2/en
2010-12-24 Priority to JP2010-288369 priority
2011-12-14 Application filed by Dunlop Sports Co Ltd filed Critical Dunlop Sports Co Ltd
2011-12-16 Assigned to SRI SPORTS LIMITED reassignment SRI SPORTS LIMITED ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: MATSUNAGA, KIYOFUMI
2012-06-28 Publication of US20120165115A1 publication Critical patent/US20120165115A1/en
2015-03-31 Publication of US8992339B2 publication Critical patent/US8992339B2/en
A golf club head 1 comprising a hollow head body 1 b and a gravity center adjuster 14 fixed to the head body 1 b and comprising a first weight member 15 and a second weight member 16 having a lower specific gravity than the first weight member 15, wherein the first and second weight members are provided in the head body 1 b so that the locations thereof are exchangeable with each other, and a depth GL of the center of gravity which is a distance from the head's center of gravity G to a sweet spot SS of a face 2 can be changed by location exchange between the first and second weight members 15 and 16 without substantially changing a distance GK of the center of gravity which is the shortest distance from an axial center line of a shaft-inserting hole 7 a to the head's center of gravity G.
The present invention has achieved the above-mentioned object by interchanging locations of weight members which have different specific gravities from each other and which are to be fixed to a hollow head body of a golf club head
The golf club head 1 in this embodiment comprises a head body 1 a having a hollow structure, and a gravity center adjuster 14 fixed to the head body 1 a, as shown in a partially cutaway view of FIG. 4.
The head body 1 a includes a face portion 3 having a face 2 for hitting a golf ball on its front side, a crown portion 4 which extends from an upper edge 2 a of the face 2 and forming the upper surface of the head 1, a sole portion 5 which extends from an lower edge 2 b of the face 2 and forming the bottom surface of the head 1, a side portion 6 which extends between the crown portion 4 and the sole portion 5 to connect them from a toe side edge 2 c of the face 2 to a heel side edge 2 d of the face 2 through a back face BF of the head 1, and a hosel portion 7 which is disposed on a heel side of the crown portion 4 for inserting a shaft and which has a shaft inserting hole 7 a to attach a shaft (not shown). The head body 1 a has a hollow interior U. Since the axial center line of the shaft inserting hole 7 a substantially agrees with the axial center line CL of the shaft when the shaft is inserted into the hole 7 a, it is used as the axial center line CL of the shaft when no shaft is attached to the club head 1.
Preferably, the head body 1 a is formed to provide wood-type golf club heads such as driver (#1) and fairway woods.
The head body 1 a in this embodiment is made of a metallic material. The metallic material is not particularly limited. Examples of the metallic material are, for instance, an aluminum alloy, a titanium alloy, a stainless steel, and other metallic materials known to use in the production of golf club heads. The head body 1 a can be produced by known methods, for example, by joining a plurality of members or pieces in a known manner, e.g., welding, adhesion, swaging, or brazing. Each member or piece is formed by various molding methods, e.g., casting, forging and pressing.
The head body 1 a in this embodiment has a two piece structure and is produced from a face plate 1 b constituting a main part of the face portion 3, and an integrally formed head base body 1 c to which the face plate 1 b is welded. However, the present invention is not particularly limited to such an embodiment.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the head body 1 a includes a tubular member 10 having an insertion slot 12 opened at an outer surface 1A of the head, a bottom 11 b and a hollow part or hole 11 extending from the insertion slot 12 into the head's hollow interior U and terminating at the bottom 11 b; and a cover 13 attached to the insertion slot 12.
The tubular member 10 is in an approximately cylindrical shape extending straight in its longitudinal direction. It is fixed to head body 1 a, for example, to an inner surface of the sole portion 5 through a supporting member P. The tubular member 10 can be provided in the head body 1 a by various methods so long as it does not come off by impact received at the time of hitting a ball or the like. For example, the tubular member 10 may be integrally formed with the head body 1 a by casting. The tubular member 10 in this embodiment is disposed so that in the standard state, the height measured from the horizontal plane HP gradually increases from the inserting slot 12 to the bottom 11 b.
Further, as shown in FIG. 5A, a front end 10 a of the tubular member 10 is located in the hollow interior U of the head body 1 a without contacting a rear surface of the face 2. A rear end of the tubular member 10 extends toward a heel side of and a back face BF side of the side portion 6 and is opened at an outer surface of the side portion 6. Thus, the hollow part 11 inside the tubular member 10 extends from the insertion slot 12 opened at the head's outer surface 1A on the heel side of the side portion 6 toward a toe side of the face 2.
The hollow part 11 is a space in the form of an approximately circular column. The gravity center adjuster 14 is inserted into this space, i.e., hollow part 11 of the tubular member 10. The tubular member 10 has a smooth inner surface facing the hollow part 11, provided that a female screw portion 11 n for attaching the cover 13 may be formed in the inner surface within an area having an axial constant distance Li from the insertion slot 12.
The cover 13 has an approximately disc-like shape as shown in FIG. 4, but the shape is not limited thereto. A male screw portion 13 a to be fitted to the female screw portion 11 n of the tubular member 10 is formed in an outer peripheral surface 13 n of the cover 13. The gravity center adjuster 14 can be prevented from getting out of the tubular member 10 by screwing the cover 13 onto the tubular member 10. It is desirable to form a groove on a head's outer surface side of the cover 13 so that the cover 13 is easily detachable by a tool such as a screw driver or a special tool.
The first and second weight members 15 and 16 are disposed in the head body 1 a so that the locations thereof are exchangeable with each other in the hollow part 11 of the tubular member 10. Thus, the golf club head 1 of the present invention is constituted so that a depth GL of the center of gravity which is a distance from the center of gravity G of the head 1 to a sweet spot SS of the face 2 can be changed without substantially changing a distance GK of the center of gravity which is the shortest distance from an axial center line CL of the shaft-inserting hole 7 a to the center of gravity G of the head 1, by the location exchange between the first weight member 15 and the second weight member 16.
An embodiment of such a constitution for realizing the change of the gravity center depth GL without substantial change of the gravity center distance GK is shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B. By the way, FIGS. 5A, 5B, 6, 8A, 8B and 9 show cross sectional views along the line A-A of FIG. 1 wherein the head 1 is cut at a plane passing through the head's center of gravity G and being parallel to the horizontal plane HP in a state that the shaft-inserting hole 7 a is set up vertically with respect to the horizontal plane HP. FIG. 5A shows a state that the first weight member 15 is disposed in the hollow part 11 on its back face side BF and the second weight member 16 is disposed in the hollow part 11 on its face 2 side. FIG. 5B shows a state that location exchange has been made between the first weight member 15 and the second weight member 16 from the state shown in FIG. 5A. As apparent from FIGS. 5A and 5B, the center of gravity G of the head 1 shifts from a point Ga to a point Gb by the change of the location of the weight member 15. With this change, the depth GL of the center of gravity of the head 1 decreases from GL1 to GL2. Further, the distance GK of the center of gravity changes from GK1 to GK2, but no substantial change is found between the distance GK 1 before the location exchange and the distance GK2 after the location exchange. For convenience of explanation, the center of gravity Ga of the head 1 before the location exchange is also shown in FIG. 5B.
In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 5A, 5B and 6, it is preferable that the center of gravity G15 of the first weight member 15 moves substantially on a tangent line “m” to a circle Ra having a radius “ra” whose center is an axial center line CL of the shaft-inserting hole 7 a by the location exchange between the first and second weight members. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the center of gravity G15 of the first weight member 15 moves from G15 a to G15 b. Since the center of gravity Gm of the club head 1 except the first weight member 15 is limited to a specific location depending on the shape of the club head 1, the center of gravity G of the head 1 to which the first weight member 15 is added is located at a position Ga or Gb allocating a straight line “n” connecting the center of gravity G15 of the first weight member 15 and the center of gravity Gm of the club head 1 except the first weight member 15 in a weight ratio of the both members, i.e., the first weight member 15 and the club head 1 except the first weight member 15. Symbol “na” denotes the line “n” before the location exchange, and symbol “nb” denotes the line “n” after the location exchange. When the location for disposing the first weight member 15 is set as shown in this embodiment in view of the relationship mentioned above, the center of gravity G of the head 1 moves from Ga to Gb on a circumference Rb of a circle having a radius “rb” (corresponding to the gravity center distance GK) whose center is an axial center line CL of the shaft-inserting hole 7 a. Thus, the golf club head 1 of the present invention can change the depth GL of the center of gravity without substantially changing the distance GK of the center of gravity. In FIG. 6 are shown two first weight members 15 for convenience sake, since the states before and after the location exchange of the first weight member 15 are shown in a single drawing.
As shown in FIG. 6, it is more preferable that the centers of gravity G15 a and G15 b of the first weight member 15 before and after the location exchange are located symmetrically with respect to a contact point Za between the tangent line “m” and the circle Ra. In such a preferable embodiment, the centers of gravity Ga and Gb of the club head 1 before and after the location exchange are more easy to locate on the circumference Rb of the circle having its center at the axial center line CL of the shaft-inserting hole 7 a.
From the viewpoint of securing the volume and rigidity of the club head, it is preferable that a specific gravity “ph” of the head body 1 a is at least 4.30, especially at least 4.35, and is at most 4.45, especially at most 4.43.
An axial length L of the hollow part 11 is preferably at least mm, more preferably at least 65 mm, and is preferably at most 100 mm, more preferably at most 90 mm. To sufficiently secure the length L of the hollow part 11 is effective for obtaining a large amount of adjustment for the gravity center depth of the head 1. The length L of the hollow part 11 denotes a length from the bottom 11 b of the tubular member 10 to a bottom end of the cover 13 inserted into the insertion slot 12, that is to say, an effective length capable of holding the gravity center adjuster 14, of the tubular member 10 except the female screw portion 11 n.
The shape of the second weight member 16 is not particularly limited. For example, a columnar shape as shown in FIG. 7A is suitable, wherein a plurality of grooves 16 g extending in the axial direction are formed in an outer surface of a columnar body. In this embodiment, the columnar weight member 16 has an approximately crisscross section. The second weight member 16 having such a shape is preferred in enabling use of a large first weight member 15 while securing more weight margin since such a second weight member 16 has a small volume and a light weight. Further, the second weight member 16 may be formed into a hollow body having a hollow portion “k” inside it, as shown in FIG. 7B. Such a weight member can also effectively realize a weight reduction.
A length L4 of the cover 13 along the axial direction of the hollow part 11 is not particularly limited. However, if the length L4 is too large, a large change in the center of gravity tends to be obtained with difficulty since the length of the gravity center adjuster 14 becomes relatively small. On the other hand, if the length L4 is too small, the cover 13 is hard to be attached to the female screw portion 11 n. From such points of view, it is preferable that the length L4 of the cover 13 is at least 4 mm, especially at least 4.7 mm, and is at most 10 mm, especially at most 9.3 mm. Further, even if the axial length or the like of the female screw portion 11 n is previously determined, the gravity center adjuster 14 to be inserted into the hollow part 11 is not excessively compressed by the cover 13.
Preferably, at least one opening 19, especially a plurality of openings 19, are provided in a wall 10 h facing the head's hollow portion U of the tubular member 10, whereby a weight increase of the head 1 caused by disposing the tubular member 10 can be minimized.
Another embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B. In this embodiment, the center of gravity G15 of the first weight member 15 moves on a circumference Rc of a circle having its center substantially at the axial center line CL of the shaft-inserting hole 7 a by the location exchange. In this embodiment, too, the depth GL of the center of gravity of the head can be changed without substantially changing the distance GK of the center of gravity of the head by exchanging the locations of the first and second weight members 15 and 16.
It is preferable in practicing the embodiment as shown in FIG. 8A that when viewed from above in the vertical state that the shaft-inserting hole 7 a is set up vertically with respect to the horizontal plane HP, the axial center line CN of the tubular member 10 is curved in a circular arc form so as to extend on the circumference Rc of a circle having a radius “rc” whose center is the axial center line CL of the shaft-inserting hole 7 a. In such a golf club head 1, since the center of gravity G 15 of the first weight member 15 easily moves on the circumference Rc, the center of gravity G of the head 1 also easily moves from Gc to Gd on a circumference Rd of a circle having its center at the axial center line CL of the shaft-inserting hole 7 a. The radius “rc” of the circumference Rc is preferably at least 36 mm, more preferably at least 38 mm, and is preferably at most 43 mm, more preferably at most 41 mm.
Still another embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 9. The tubular member 10 in this embodiment comprises two tubular members 10 a and 10 b each extending in the same direction as a tangent line “me” to a circle Re having its center at the axial center line CL and a tangent line “mf” to a circle Rf having its center at the axial center line CL and having a larger radius than the circle Re. Such a club head 1 can achieve a larger depth or smaller depth of the head's center of gravity without further changing the gravity center distance, since an arrangement pattern of the gravity center adjuster 14 can be changed in each of the tubular members 10 a and 10 b.
TABLE 1 Com. Com. Com. Com. Ex. 1 Ex. 2 Ex. 3 Ex. 4 Ex. 1 Ex. 2 Drawing showing structure of club head FIG. 10 FIG. 5 FIG. 5 FIG. 5 FIG. 5 FIG. 5 Amount of change in gravity center depth (mm) 6 8 8 8 2 5 Amount of change in gravity center distance (mm) 10 2 5 8 0 0 Radius of circumference on which the center — 34 34 34 34 34 of gravity of first weight member moves (mm) Hitting test E D D E C B Ex. 3 Ex. 4 Ex. 5 Ex. 6 Ex. 7 Ex. 8 Drawing showing structure of club head FIG. 5 FIG. 5 FIG. 5 FIG. 5 FIG. 8A FIG. 9 Amount of change in gravity center depth (mm) 8 5 8 8 8 8 Amount of change in gravity center distance (mm) 0 0 0 0 0 0 Radius of circumference on which the center 34 36 36 43 40 40 of gravity of first weight member moves (mm) Hitting test B B A A A B
1. A golf club head having a face for hitting a golf ball, a shaft-inserting hole to attach a shaft and a hollow interior, said golf club head comprising a hollow head body and a gravity center adjuster fixed to said hollow head body, said gravity center adjuster comprising a first weight member and a second weight member having a lower specific gravity than said first weight member, said first and second weight members being provided in said hollow head body so that the locations thereof are exchangeable with each other, whereby a depth of the center of gravity which is a distance from the center of gravity of said head to a sweet spot of said face can be changed without substantially changing a distance of the center of gravity which is the shortest distance from an axial center line of said shaft-inserting hole to the center of gravity of said head.
2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the center of gravity of said first weight member moves substantially on the circumference of a circle whose center is an axial center line of said shaft-inserting hole by the location exchange between said first and second weight members.
3. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the center of gravity of said first weight member moves substantially on a tangent line to a circle whose center is an axial center line of said shaft-inserting hole by the location exchange between said first and second weight members.
4. The golf club head of claim 2, wherein said circle has a radius of 36 to 43 mm.
5. The golf club head of claim 3, wherein said circle has a radius of 36 to 43 mm.
6. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said hollow head body includes a tubular member having an insertion slot opened at an outer surface of said head, a bottom and a hollow part for inserting said gravity center adjuster, said hollow part extending from said insertion slot into the head's hollow interior and terminating at said bottom; and a cover attached to said insertion slot for preventing said gravity center adjuster from falling out of said hollow part.
7. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein said tubular member has a wall facing said hollow interior of the head, and said wall is provided with at least one opening extending in an axial direction of said hollow part.
8. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein said gravity center adjuster further include an elastic member having a lower specific gravity and a lower elasticity than those of said first and second weight members, and said elastic member is disposed in said hollow part of said tubular member in a state of being compressed in an axial direction of said tubular member.
9. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein a length L2 of said first weight member having a larger specific gravity which is measured along an axial direction of said hollow part is smaller than a length L1 of said second weight member having a smaller specific gravity which is measured along the axial direction of said hollow part.
10. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein said tubular member is fixed to a sole portion of said head through a supporting member by welding, or by integral molding by means of casting.
11. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein said tubular member is formed from a material having a smaller specific gravity than a sole portion of said head, and is fixed to said sole portion by adhesion or mating.
12. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said gravity center adjuster is disposed in a tubular member comprising an insertion slot opened at an outer surface on a heel side of a side portion of said head, a bottom and a hollow part extending from said insertion slot into the head's hollow interior, and said tubular member is disposed so that its axis is located in a plane perpendicular to an axial center line of said shaft-inserting hole.
13. The golf club head of claim 12, wherein said hollow part extends straight along a tangent line to a circle having its center at the axial center line of said shaft-inserting hole.
14. The golf club head of claim 12, wherein said tubular member is in a curved tubular form, and said hollow part extends substantially on the circumference of a circle having its center at the axial center line of said shaft-inserting hole.
15. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said second weight member is divided into two pieces.
16. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said first weight member has a weight of 8.0 to 20.0 g and said second weight member has a weight of 2.5 to 4.5 g.
US13/325,457 2010-12-24 2011-12-14 Golf club head Active 2033-07-06 US8992339B2 (en)
JP2010288369A JP5746503B2 (en) 2010-12-24 2010-12-24 Golf club head
JP2010-288369 2010-12-24
US20120165115A1 true US20120165115A1 (en) 2012-06-28
US8992339B2 US8992339B2 (en) 2015-03-31
ID=46317819
US13/325,457 Active 2033-07-06 US8992339B2 (en) 2010-12-24 2011-12-14 Golf club head
US (1) US8992339B2 (en)
JP (1) JP5746503B2 (en)
WO2015195869A1 (en) * 2014-06-20 2015-12-23 Nike Innovate C.V. Golf club with polymeric insert and removable weight
JPS61177665U (en) * 1985-04-24 1986-11-06
2010-12-24 JP JP2010288369A patent/JP5746503B2/en active Active
2011-12-14 US US13/325,457 patent/US8992339B2/en active Active
GB2542537A (en) * 2014-06-20 2017-03-22 Nike Innovate Cv Golf club with polymeric insert and removable weight
GB2542105A (en) * 2014-06-20 2017-03-08 Nike Innovate Cv Golf club with removable weight
WO2015195867A1 (en) * 2014-06-20 2015-12-23 Nike Innovate C.V. Golf club with removable weight
JP2012135366A (en) 2012-07-19
US8992339B2 (en) 2015-03-31
JP5746503B2 (en) 2015-07-08
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:MATSUNAGA, KIYOFUMI;REEL/FRAME:027401/0954