Abstract:
A golf club putter has a putter head including a plurality offset surfaces, each of the offset surfaces containing a respective portion of an alignment figure that has a periphery enclosing an area. Each respective portion of the alignment figure includes respective sections of the periphery. Disorientation of the putter head may be detected by transposition of each portion of the alignment figure with respect to the other portions. Correct orientation of the putter head is indicated by precise alignment of the portions to present the alignment figure without apparent distortion.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention concerns a golf club putter with a putter head having an alignment figure disposed on two offset surfaces of the putter head which cause the alignment figure to separate in characteristic ways to indicate disorientation of the putter. 
     The prior art does provide for the placement of a mark on a putter to aid a golfer in aligning the sweet spot of the putter with a golf ball. Such a line may typically be disposed on one or more top surfaces of a putter. However, the alignment of a putter is a complex three-dimensional relationship in which pitch and roll angles of the putter play an important part. In this regard, the problem is to orient one particular surface of the putter—the striking face—with respect to the surface of a golf ball when the putt is lined up and the ball is struck by the putter. The single line marks of the prior art merely indicate proximity of the sweet spot to the ball; they do not provide effective indications to a golfer of three-dimensional orientation of the putter face. Therefore, the problem to be solved is that of providing a visual indication to a golfer of three-dimensional orientation of the striking face of a putter. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The problem is solved in this invention by provision of an alignment figure on a golf putter head having a periphery that encloses an area and is comprised of two or more portions, each portion including sections of the periphery. Each portion is disposed on a respective surface of the golf putter head in such a manner as to indicate the degree of orientation of the putter by the degree of alignment between the portions of the alignment figure. 
     An object of this invention is therefore to provide a putter having an alignment figure that permits a golfer to detect and correct three-dimensional disorientation of a putter while lining up the putter to strike the ball. 
     A second objective of this invention is to provide a putter having two or more separated surfaces on the putter in which a first portion of the alignment figure is disposed on a first of the surfaces and a second portion of the alignment figure is disposed on a second of the surfaces, with each portion in alignment with the other portion. 
     A third objective of this invention is to provide a putter having such an alignment figure in which the figure is a closed one. Symmetrical or non-symmetrical. 
     A further objective is to provide such a putter in which the figure is a triangle, a quadrilateral, a polygon, a circle, or an oval. 
     Other objects and advantages of this invention will manifest themselves when the following detailed description is read with reference to the below-described drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a putter according to this invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a top plan view drawing of the putter of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is a side elevation view drawing of the putter of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 4 is a sectional view drawing of the putter of FIG. 3 taken along A—A of FIG.  1 . 
     FIGS. 5A,  5 B,  5 C and  5 D illustrate use of the putter of FIG. 1 in orienting the striking face with a golf ball. 
     FIGS. 6A-6E illustrate respective embodiments of the alignment figure used in connection with a putter according to the invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The invention is used with a golf club putter (“putter”) that is illustrated, for example, in FIGS. 1 through 4. The putter includes a putter head  12 , a shaft  14 , and an attachment mechanism  16  that connects the shaft to the putter head  12 . The attachment mechanism is exemplified in the figures by a hosel. The invention may be embodied in a completely assembled putter; it may also be embodied in a putter head such as the putter head  12 . 
     The invention is presented in the following description in a preferred embodiment that splits or cleaves an alignment figure into two portions, with each portion disposed on a respective one of two offset surfaces. This is intended to illustrate the invention in a preferred embodiment. In fact, more than two alignment figure portions may be distributed over two or more surfaces without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. 
     The putter head  12  includes a wall  20  having a first side  22  and a second side  26 . The first and second sides  22  and  26  are planar, vertical and face in opposing directions. The first side  22  includes a striking face which strikes a golf ball when a golfer makes a putt. The wall  20  includes a first surface  24  that is transverse to the first and second sides  22  and  26 ; the first surface  24  meets the first side  22  at a first edge  28  and meets the second side  26  a second edge  30 . The putter head  12  includes a sole  32  disposed underneath the wall  20 . The first surface  24  and sole  32  face in opposite directions. From another aspect, the first surface is upwardly oriented with respect to the sole, which faces downwardly. The forward end portion of the putter head  12  forms a toe  34 . The back end portion of the putter head  12  forms a heel  36 . The wall  20  extends between the heel  36  and the toe  34 . 
     A second surface includes lateral ramped sections  40  and  42  and a concave center section  44 . The lateral ramped sections  40  and  42  ramp downwardly toward the center section  44  from the toe  34  and heel  36 , respectively. The concave center section  44  is symmetrical with and is oriented to face in the same direction as the first surface  24 , but is displaced therefrom in the direction of the sole  32 . The second surfaces is also upwardly oriented, with respect to the sole. 
     An alignment figure has first and second portions  50  and  52 . The first portion  50  of the alignment figure is disposed on the first surface  24 , while the second portion  52  of the alignment figure is disposed on the concave center section  44  of the second surface. The two portions  50  and  52 , when the putter head  12  is viewed in the manner illustrated in the top plan view of FIG. 2, form a closed figure having a periphery which traverses a border between the two portions  50  and  52  in at least two locations. As FIG. 2 illustrates, the border is contiguous with the second edge  30 . The first portion  50  of the alignment figure is disposed on the first surface  24  such that respective sections  51   a  and  51   b  of the periphery of the alignment figure extend to the edge  30 . The second portion  52  of the alignment figure is disposed on the center portion  44  of the second surface such that respective sections  53   a  and  53   b  of the periphery of the alignment figure extend to the vertical projection of the second edge  30  onto the center section  44  of the second surface. In this respect, the ends of the respective sections  51   a  and  51   b  align with corresponding ends of the respective sections  53   a  and  53   b . Here, “alignment” means that the ends of the respective sections extend to, or almost to, parallel lines  55   a  and  55   b  that are contained in the vertical projection of the edge  30  onto the second surface. 
     The putter head  12  further includes a recess  57  into the second side  26  of the wall  20 , between the first and second alignment figure portions  50  and  52 , that permit the concave center section  44  of the surface to extend into the wall  20 , underneath the first surface  24 . An elongated sweet spot indicating mark  56  may be provided on either, or both of the first and second surfaces to indicate the location of the sweet spot on the striking surface of the putter head  12 . In these figures, the mark  56  is placed on the concave center section  44  of the second surface. 
     The putter head may be molded by casting, or it may be machined; it may be formed from stainless steel, or any other appropriate material such as aluminum, cold rolled steel, brass, or bronze. The alignment FIGURE 50,  52  and the sweet spot mark  56  (if elected) may be formed by conventional means during casting or machining and then highlighted by addition of a color during a paint fill step. Alternatively, the figure portion can be provided on stickers or decals and applied thereby directly to the surfaces. 
     In use, a golfer observes the putter  12  by looking down to observe the first and second surfaces in top plan view. This is shown in FIG.  2 . Ideal alignment (FIG. 2) is illustrated by the projection  70  of the center of the striking face of the putter through the center  72  of a golf ball  74 . This may be referred to as “ideal orientation”. With ideal orientation, the alignment figure (in this case a circle) is closed, with the respective sections  51   a  and  51   b  of the periphery of the alignment figure portion  50  extending to and in alignment with the corresponding respective sections  53   a  and  53   b  of the periphery of the alignment figure portion  52 . Disorientation as may occur when the putter head  12  is rotated on the centerline  70  by raising the heel and lowering the toe. The effect with respect to the alignment figure is illustrated in FIG.  5 A: the alignment figure portions  50  and  52  are misaligned, with the portion  50  shifted forwardly, toward the toe, and the portion  52  shifted rearwardly, toward the heel. FIG. 5B shows misalignment between the portions  50  and  52  caused by a rotation on the centerline  70  by raising the toe and lowering the heel. FIG. 5C shows separation of the alignment figure portions  50  and  52  by rotation of the putter head  12  about a longitudinal axis with the direction of rotation being toward the top of the figure. FIG. 5D shows a misalignment of the alignment figure portions  50  and  52  by rotation about the longitudinal axis of the putter head  12  in a direction opposite that of FIG.  5 C. It should be realized that the misalignments just described may be caused either by movement of the putter head  12 , or by movement of a golfer&#39;s line of sight with respect to the first and second surfaces of the putter head. Misalignment can also be caused by compounding these error-inducing actions. In any event, misalignment of the putter head can be detected visually by the golfer using the alignment figure and corrected by restoring the ideal orientation of the putter, as indicated by correct alignment of the alignment figure portions  50  and  52  in FIG.  2 . 
     A closed alignment figure may be provided by any number of essential geometrical shapes, including the circle illustrated in FIG. 2, the triangle illustrated in FIG. 6A, the quadrilateral illustrated in FIG. 6B, the polygon illustrated in FIG. 6C, and the oval illustrated in FIG.  6 D. All of these figures illustrate an alignment figure with a continuous periphery that outlines an area. This is not to say that the area of the figure within the periphery may not be partially or entirely filled in. Further, the periphery may be discontinuous, particularly if election is made to include the sweet spot mark  56  on either or both of the first and second surfaces of the putter head. A discontinuous periphery may also define the alignment figure, as illustrated in the circular figure formed by the circular array of dots in FIG.  5 E. Lastly, the alignment figures shown and described are symmetrical; this is not intended to exclude nonsymmetrical or asymmetrical figures, which are included in the scope of the invention. 
     Clearly, other embodiments and modifications of this invention will occur readily to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of these teachings. Therefore, this invention is to be limited only by following claims, which include all such embodiments and modifications when viewed in conjunction with the above specification and accompanying drawings.