Patent Document

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/760,953, filed Apr. 15, 2010, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates generally to a golf club head with a face insert that is only partially connected to the body of the golf club head. More specifically, the present inventions relates to a golf club head with a face insert, wherein the face insert is only connected to the body of the golf club head at strategic engagement portions increasing the Coefficient Of Restitution (COR) of the golf club head as well as removing unnecessary weight around the perimeter of the face insert. Even more specifically, the present invention relates to a golf club head with a face insert wherein less than 100% of the external perimeter region of the face insert engages the body of the golf club head. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    In order to improve the performance of a golf club beyond the current design constraints, golf club designers are often required to think outside the box and experiment with unconventional golf club designs. One example of this type of forward thinking is the recent usage of a face insert that is made out of a different material to replace the striking plate portion of a golf club head. These face inserts can be made out of a completely different material than the remainder of the body, allowing a golf club designer to improve durability of the golf club head, increase COR of the golf club head, and generate more discretionary weight within the golf club head. More specifically, the face insert may be made out of a titanium material that is lighter and more durable, resulting in improved durability, increased COR, and better weight distribution. Durability, weight savings, and additional COR are all important performance factors of a golf club that need to be considered when designing a golf club head to properly incorporate such a face insert design. 
         [0004]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,362,055 to Rennie (&#39;055 patent) illustrates one of the earlier attempts to utilize a face insert manufactured independently of the body in a metal wood type golf club head. More specifically, the &#39;055 patent discloses a metal wood that has a nonmetallic insert secured to a cavity formed in the ball face insert and reinforced by ribs on the interior of the face and the walls of a cavity formed in the club face insert. The insert is secured in the cavity by adhesion which is enhanced by channels formed in the insert cavity and hollow columns formed in the insert. 
         [0005]    U.S. Pat. No. 3,970,236 to Rogers (&#39;236 patent) illustrates the same concept of utilizing a face insert that is manufactured independently of the remainder of the body, but in an iron type golf club head. More specifically, the &#39;236 patent discloses a method of manufacturing that comprises casting a head having a hosel, neck, and body dependent thereon and providing the body with an open cavity in its face that extends from at least one edge thereof across a substantial portion of the face and to a first depth therein. The plate is preferably fused to the head by an electron fusion step to produce a homogenous head having an internal cavity. 
         [0006]    In order to further push the envelope of the design constraints of a golf club, golf club designers have improved upon the usage of a face insert by creating inserts that have a variable face thickness. Having a face insert that has variable thicknesses is advantageous and desirable because it allows strategic areas of the face to deflect as a uniform body when impacting a golf ball, yielding a more evenly distributed ballspeed across a greater region of the face insert. 
         [0007]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,638,182 to Kosmatka (&#39;182 patent) illustrates one of these attempts to vary the thickness of the face insert by disclosing a golf club head having a thin face insert with a smooth exterior surface and a thin layer disposed on the exterior surface. The face insert has a thickness in the range of 0.010 inch to 0.200 inch, and the thin layer has a thickness in the range of 0.003 inch to 0.050 inch. The face insert may have a uniform thickness or a variable thickness. 
         [0008]    Despite all of the advantages of utilizing a face insert made out of a separate material independently and separately from the body of the golf club head, utilizing such a face insert comes with significant design challenges. More specifically, because the face insert of the golf club head is the part of the golf club head that is subjected to the most extreme stress, connecting a face insert to the body of the golf club head at such extreme stress areas requires a significant bond strength. U.S. Pat. No. 7,479,070 to Hirano (&#39;070 patent) discusses and confirms the extreme amount of stress at the face insert of the golf club head by indicating that the club face of a golf club head is the point of maximum stress. 
         [0009]    In order to address this issue of connecting a face insert to the body of the golf club head at an area that has the highest stress levels, it is not uncommon for golf club designers to utilize a strong bonding process such as perimeter welding to affix the face insert to the body of the golf club head. U.S. Pat. No. 6,669,577 to Hocknell et al. (&#39;577 patent) discloses such an approach by initially stating the premise that high performance drivers employ relatively thin, high strength face materials that need to be attached to the body of the golf club head. The &#39;577 patent then goes on to state that these faces are either formed into the curved face shape then are welded into a driver body component around the face perimeter or forged into a cup shape and connected to a body by either welding or adhesive bonding. 
         [0010]    Hence, as it can be seen from above, despite all the advancement in utilization of face insert, the current art has been unable to sufficiently address this durability issue associated with the connectivity of the face insert with the body of the golf club head in a manner that does not involve excessive perimeter welding. The connection methods used by the current art involve extensive and excessive welding similar to those discussed in the &#39;577 patent, and these methods of excessive perimeter welding generate excessive weight that may hinder the performance of the golf club head itself. Ultimately, it can be deduced that there is a need in the art for a golf club wherein the face insert is connected to the body of the golf club in an unconventional method that is less clunky and burdensome. More specifically, there is a need in the art for a golf club with a face insert wherein the face insert can be connected to the body of the golf club in a way that eliminates the unnecessary bonding weight while at the same time maintain the strength and durability to withstand the impact of a golf ball. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    One aspect of the present invention is a golf club head comprising a body with an opening that defines an internal periphery region and a face insert adapted to be connected to a forward portion of the body around the internal periphery region. The internal periphery region further comprises an engagement portion and a non-engagement portion, wherein the face insert is adapted to be connected to the body around the internal periphery region only via the engagement portion, and wherein the engagement portion encompasses less than about 100% of the internal periphery region. 
         [0012]    In another aspect of the present invention is a golf club head comprising a body and a face insert adapted to be connected to a forward portion of the body. The face insert here further comprises an external periphery region, wherein less than 100% of the external periphery region of the face insert engages the body. 
         [0013]    In a further aspect of the present invention is a golf club head comprising a body and a face insert adapted to be connected to a forward portion of the body. The face insert further comprises an external periphery region, wherein the external periphery region further comprises an engagement portion and a non-engagement portion. The face insert is connected to the body in a way such that only the engagement portion of the external periphery region contacts the body, and the engagement portion encompasses less than 100% of the external periphery region of the face insert. Finally, the golf club head has an engagement ratio of less than about 1. The engagement ratio is calculated by dividing a percentage of the external periphery region covered by the engagement portion by a percentage of the external periphery region covered by the non-engagement portion. 
         [0014]    These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with references to the following drawings, description and claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0015]    The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a part of the specification, further serve to explain the principles of the invention and to enable a person skilled in the pertinent art to make and use the invention. 
           [0016]      FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a golf club head in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0017]      FIG. 2  shows an exploded perspective view of a golf club head in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0018]      FIG. 3  shows a perspective view of the back of a face insert of a golf club head in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0019]      FIG. 4  shows a frontal view of a golf club head in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0020]      FIG. 5  shows a frontal view of a golf club head in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0021]      FIG. 6  shows a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention taken along cross-sectional line A-A′ shown in  FIG. 4 ; 
           [0022]      FIG. 7  shows a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention taken along cross-sectional line A-A′ shown in  FIG. 4 ; 
           [0023]      FIG. 7A  shows a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention taken along cross sectional line A-A′ shown in  FIG. 4 ; 
           [0024]      FIG. 8  shows a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention taken along cross-sectional line B-B′ shown in  FIG. 4 ; 
           [0025]      FIG. 9  shows an exploded perspective view of a golf club head in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0026]      FIG. 10  shows a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention taken along cross-sectional line A-A′ shown in  FIG. 4 ; 
           [0027]      FIG. 11  shows a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention taken along cross-sectional line B-B′ shown in  FIG. 4 ; 
           [0028]      FIG. 12A  shows an exploded perspective view of a golf club head in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0029]      FIG. 12B  shows a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention taken along cross-sectional line A-A′ shown in  FIG. 4 ; 
           [0030]      FIG. 12C  shows a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention taken along cross-sectional line B-B′ shown in  FIG. 4 ; 
           [0031]      FIG. 13A  shows an exploded perspective view of a golf club head in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0032]      FIG. 13B  shows a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention taken along cross-sectional line A-A′ shown in  FIG. 4 ; and 
           [0033]      FIG. 13C  shows a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention taken along cross-sectional line B-B′ shown in  FIG. 4 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0034]    The following detailed description describes the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims. 
         [0035]    Various inventive features are described below and each can be used independently of one another or in combination with other features. However, any single inventive feature may not address any or all of the problems discussed above or may only address one of the problems discussed above. Further, one or more of the problems discussed above may not be fully addressed by any of the features described below. 
         [0036]      FIG. 1  of the accompanying drawings shows a perspective view of the inventive golf club head  100  in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. More specifically,  FIG. 1  shows a golf club head  100  with a face insert  102  and a body  104 ; wherein the face insert is adapted to be connected to a forward portion of the body  104 . One of the most important features to identify in  FIG. 1  is the gap between the face insert  102  and the body  104 , signifying that the face insert  102  is only partially connected to the body  104  of the golf club head  100 . This partial connection between the face insert  102  and the body  104 , may improve the performance of the golf club head  100  by increasing the COR while removing unnecessary weight between the face insert  102  and the body  104  of the golf club head  100  used for joining the two components together. 
         [0037]    This partial connection discussed above may be more clearly separated into an engagement portion  101  portion and a non-engagement portion  103 . The engagement portion  101  connects the face insert  102  with the body  104  while the non-engagement portion is shown here as an empty space between the face insert  102  and the body  104 . The engagement portions  101  may generally be formed through a welding process that joins the two separate components in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Engagement portion  101 , although most preferably formed by a welding process, could also be formed by a swaging process, a gluing process, a burning process, a soldering process, or even utilizing screws, all without departing from the scope and content of the present invention. The swaging process, as described in this current exemplary embodiment of the present invention may generally be accomplished using a forging process in which the dimensions of an item are altered using a die into which the item is forced. 
         [0038]      FIG. 1  also shows the face insert  102  being only partially connected to the body  104 , leaving the non-engagement portions  103  to occupy parts of the perimeter of the face insert  102  where the face insert  102  and the body  104  are not engaged with one another. The empty spaces formed by the plurality of non-engagement portions  103  may generally remain unsupported, resulting in significant weight savings around the periphery regions of the face insert  102 . However, in an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the non-engagement portions  103  may not be empty gaps but could be filled with a vibration dampening material that helps dampen the vibration between the face insert  102  and the body  104  without departing from the scope and content of the present invention. 
         [0039]    The vibration dampening material that could be used to fill in the non-engagement portion  103  gap between the face insert  102  and the body  104  may generally be a polymer type material for its vibration absorption properties; however, numerous other materials such as plastic, urethane, rubber, ceramic, or any other material capable of absorbing the vibration between the face insert  102  and the body  104  may all be used without departing from the scope and content of the present invention. In addition to providing vibration dampening, the vibration dampening material sandwiched between the face insert  102  and the body  104  may also provide structural rigidity and support to the face insert  102 , helping absorb and dissipate the forces that can result when the golf club head  100  hits a golf ball. 
         [0040]      FIG. 2  of the accompanying drawings shows an exploded perspective view of a golf club head  200  in accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The exploded view of the golf club head  200  shown in  FIG. 2  allows a better visualization of how the face insert  202  interfaces with the body  204  of the golf club head  200 . More specifically, the face insert  202  may generally be in the form of a plate that may be inserted into an opening  206  positioned near the forward portion of the body  204  of the golf club head  200 . The exploded view of the golf club  200  shown in  FIG. 2  allows the external periphery region  230  of the face insert  202  and the internal periphery region  205  of the body  204  be shown in more detail. The external periphery region  230  and the internal periphery region  205  are important to the assembly of the golf club head  200  because those regions may partially engage one another via an engagement portion  101  (shown in  FIG. 1 ) to secure the face insert  202  to the body  204  of the golf club head  200 . 
         [0041]    It should be noted that in one exemplary embodiment, the opening  206  of the body  204  may not contain any backing or structural support for the face insert  202 . This lack of a backing or structural support in the opening  206  portion of the body  204  leaves the engagement portion  101  (shown in  FIG. 1 ) as the only support between the face insert  202  and the body  204 , eliminating unnecessary weight around the perimeter of the face insert  204  traditionally reserved for bonding the external periphery region  205  and the internal periphery region  230 . Decreasing unnecessary weight within the golf club head  200  may generally be advantageous to the performance of a golf club because the weight savings could be used to improve the Center of Gravity (CG) and Moment of Inertia (MOI) properties of the golf club head  200  by shifting the discretionary weight towards a more strategically beneficial position. 
         [0042]      FIG. 3  of the accompanying drawings shows the perspective view of the back side of the face insert  302  and more clearly depicts the boundaries of the external periphery region  330  on the face insert  302 . External periphery region  330 , as shown in the current exemplary embodiment is the region that interfaces with the body  204  (shown in  FIG. 2 ), and may include several different surfaces in addition to what is visibly apparent in  FIG. 2 . More specifically, external periphery region  330  may include the outer region  334  of the back surface of the face insert as well as the side surface  332  of the face insert  302  as shown in  FIG. 3 . The external periphery region  330  of the face insert  302  may generally exclude the central region  336  of the back of the face insert  302  due to the fact that the central portion of the body  204  (shown in  FIG. 2 ) may have a hollow opening  206  (shown in  FIG. 2 ) prohibiting it from engaging the face insert  302 . 
         [0043]      FIG. 4  of the accompanying drawings shows a frontal view of a golf club head  400  in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention. The frontal view of the golf club head  400  shown in this alternative embodiment allows cross-sectional lines A-A′ and B-B′ to be shown more clearly. More specifically, cross-sectional lines A-A′ run vertically across the center of the golf club head  400  showing how the engagement portion  401  connects the face insert  402  to the body  404 . Cross-sectional lines B-B′ run vertically across the golf club head  400  at a location that is offset from the center of the golf club head  400 , showing how non-engagement portion  403  separates the face insert  402  and the body  404 . In addition to providing the cross-sectional lines A-A′ and B-B′,  FIG. 4  also shows the golf club head with six distinct engagement portions  401  separated by various non-engagement portions  403 . By examining the number of engagement portions  101  in  FIG. 1  in combination with the number of engagement portions  401  in  FIG. 4 , it can be concluded that the current invention is not limited by the exact number of engagement portions  404 , but can have any number of engagement portions  404  around the perimeter of the face insert  402  all without departing from the scope and content of the present invention; as long as there exists one non-engagement portion  403  leaving less than 100% of the perimeter of the face insert  402  touching the body  404 . 
         [0044]    The frontal view of golf club head  400  shown in  FIG. 4  also shows how the various engagement portions  401  may have different widths for the purpose of varying the structural support at different locations along the perimeter of the face plate  402  depending on the amount of impact stresses. Here in  FIG. 4 , we can see the engagement portion  401  near the sole of the golf club head  400  may be significantly wider than the engagement portion  401  near the top of the golf club head  400  to create a stronger bond near the bottom of the face insert  402 , a location where most golfers strike the golf ball. However, the various engagement portions  401  may all have different widths at different locations depending on the structural support needs of the golf club head  400  all without departing from the scope and content of the present invention. 
         [0045]      FIG. 5  of the accompanying drawings shows a frontal view of a golf club head  500  and illustrates a further alternative embodiment of the present invention wherein engagement portions  501  may encompass a significant portion of the perimeter of the face insert  502  without departing from the scope and content of the present invention. More specifically, engagement portion  501  shown in  FIG. 5  may completely cover the toe portion, the heel portion, and the sole portion of the perimeter of the face insert  502  while keeping the top portion relatively unattached, yielding a non-engagement portion  503  near the top perimeter region of the face insert. Having this arrangement may be beneficial to the performance and durability of the golf club head  500 , as a significant portion of the face insert  502  is rigidly supported to the body  504  of the golf club head  100 . However, the specific size and length of the engagement portion  501  shown in  FIG. 5  should not be limited to the configuration shown in  FIG. 5 ; various other numbers, length, and proportions of engagement portion  501  relative to non-engagement portion  503  may be used to achieve the same purpose all without departing from the scope and content of the present invention so long as the face insert  502  is only partially connected to the body  504  of the golf club head  500 . 
         [0046]    In one preferred embodiment, the engagement portion  501  may encompass less than about 100% of the external periphery region of the face insert  502 . In a more preferred embodiment of the present invention, the engagement portion  501  may encompass less than about 75% of the external periphery region of the face insert  502 . In an even more preferred embodiment of the present invention, the engagement portion  501  may encompass less than about 50% of the external periphery region of the face insert  502 . Finally, in a most preferred embodiment of the present invention, the engagement portion  501  may encompass less than about 25% of the external periphery region of the face insert  502 . 
         [0047]    Because the relationship between the engagement portion  501  and the non-engagement portion  503  helps determine the performance gains of a golf club head  500 , it is important to define that relationship in a quantifiable manner. Equation (1) below shows the relationship between the engagement portion  501  and the non-engagement portion  503  in a quantifiable manner creating an engagement ratio. 
         [0000]      ##EQU00001## 
         [0000]      Engagement Ratio=% of perimeter covered by Engagement Portion % of perimeter covered by Non-Engagement Portion   (Eq. 1)
 
         [0048]    In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention the % of the perimeter covered by the engagement portion  501  may be about 90 percent and the % of the perimeter covered by the non-engagement portion  503  may be about 10 percent, yielding an engagement ratio of less than about 9. In a more preferable embodiment of the present invention, the % of the perimeter covered by the engagement portion  501  may be about 75 percent and the % of the perimeter covered by the non-engagement portion  503  may be about 25 percent yielding an engagement ratio of less than about 3. In an even more preferable embodiment of the present invention, the % of the perimeter covered by the engagement portion  501  may be about 50 percent and the % of the perimeter covered by the non-engagement portion  503  may be about 50 percent, yielding an engagement ratio of less than about 1. Finally, in a most preferred embodiment of the present invention, the % of the perimeter covered by the engagement portion  501  may be about 25 percent and the % of the perimeter covered by the non-engagement portion  503  may be about 75 percent, yielding an engagement ratio of less than about 0.33. 
         [0049]      FIG. 6  of the accompanying drawings shows a cross-sectional view of a golf club head  600  taken along cross-sectional line A-A′ in  FIG. 4 . In the cross-sectional view shown in  FIG. 6 , it can be seen that the engagement portion  601  joins the face insert  602  to the body  604  of the golf club head  600 . The engagement portion  601 , as shown in this current exemplary embodiment, may generally be weld spots near the frontal surface of the face insert  602 . In addition to providing structural support, having the weld spots near the frontal surface of the face insert  602  may be desirable, as excessive weld can be easily removed from the frontal surface of the face insert  602 . Although the preferred bonding method shown in  FIG. 6  utilizes a welding process, numerous other processes already discussed above may be used to connect the face insert  602  to the body  604  at the engagement portion  601  all without departing from the scope and content of the present invention. 
         [0050]      FIG. 7  of the accompanying drawings shows a cross-sectional view of a golf club head  700  in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention taken along cross-sectional line A-A′ in  FIG. 4 . More specifically,  FIG. 7  shows an alternate location at the rear surface of the face insert  702  for the engagement portion  701  to connect the face insert  702  and the body  704 . Having the engagement portion  701  connecting the face insert  702  to the body  704  towards the rear surface of the face insert  702 , although less accessible for post machining operations, has the advantage in that the engagement portion  702  may be hidden from view. Having the engagement portion  702  hidden from view may be a preferred design alternative, as it could significantly save or completely eliminate the amount of post manufacturing processing and machining. 
         [0051]      FIG. 7A  of the accompanying drawings shows a cross-sectional view of a golf club head  700  in accordance with a further alternative embodiment of the present invention taken along cross-sectional line A-A′ in  FIG. 4 . More specifically,  FIG. 7A  shows an alternative attachment mechanism to secure the face insert  702  to the body  704  of the golf club head  700  utilizing a plurality of screws  711  for the engagement portion  701 . Utilizing a plurality of screws  711  for the engagement portion  701  may be preferred in certain situations wherein the face insert  702  can be easily changed out from its location within the body  704  of the golf club head  700 . It should be noted that although  FIG. 7A  only shows the usage of the plurality of screws  711  at one particular location, the actual location of the plurality of screws  711  that may be used to connect the face insert  702  with the body  704  is not limited to the locations depicted in  FIG. 7A . In fact, a plurality of screws  711  may be used to connect the face plate  702  to the body  704  at any engagement portion  701  described in the current specifications all without departing from the scope and content of the present invention. 
         [0052]      FIG. 8  of the accompanying drawings shows a cross-sectional view of a golf club head  800  taken along cross-sectional line B-B′ in  FIG. 4 . This cross-sectional view of the golf club head  800  allows the non-engagement portion  803  to be shown in a more clearly defined manner, further accentuating the fact that the face insert  802  is not connected to the body  804  of the golf club head  800  at the non-engagement portion  803 . Although the ability to fill the non-engagement portion  803  has already been discussed above, it is worth mentioning again here that the non-engagement portion  803  could very often be filled with a vibration dampening material  820  that helps absorb and dissipate some of the impact forces. Here, in this exemplary embodiment of the present invention shown in  FIG. 8 , the vibration dampening material  820  is only used to fill the non-engagement portion  803  near the sole portion of the perimeter of the face insert  802 . In certain situations, it may be desirable to have the vibration dampening material  820  only fill in the bottom sole portion of the non-engagement portion  803  to further eliminate unnecessary weight; especially in shorter irons wherein the impact forces are not as high. However, it should be noted that the vibration dampening material  820  could be focused at other portions of the perimeter of the face insert  802 , or even completely fill the non-engagement portion  803  without departing from the scope and content of the present invention. 
         [0053]      FIG. 9  of the accompanying drawings shows a further alternative embodiment of the present invention wherein the body may contain a plurality of backing tabs  940  to further provide structural rigidity for the face insert  902  once it has been assembled into the body  904 . More specifically, as it can be seen from  FIG. 9 , the plurality of backing tabs  940  may engage the external periphery region  930  at the back surface of the face insert  902  to provide additional structural support for the face insert  902 . However, in order to examine more closely the relationship between the face insert  902  and plurality of backing tabs  904 , one has to turn to a cross-sectional view of the golf club head  900  shown in  FIGS. 10-11  below. 
         [0054]      FIG. 10  shows a cross-sectional view of a golf club head  1000  in accordance with the alternative embodiment of the present invention shown in  FIG. 9 . More specifically, the cross-sectional view of the golf club head  1000  shown in  FIG. 10  is taken across the same cross-sectional line A-A′ shown in  FIG. 4 , illustrating the engagement portion  1001  between the face insert  1002  and the body  1004 . It should be noted that the engagement portion  1001  shown in  FIG. 10  may generally be at the rear surface of the face insert  1002  engaging the plurality of backing tabs  1040  instead of around the side surfaces of the face insert  1002 . Engagement portion  1001 , similar to the discussion above, may most preferably be formed by a welding process; however numerous other methodologies such as swaging, gluing, burning, soldering, or even utilization of screws may all be used without departing form the scope and content of the present invention. 
         [0055]      FIG. 11  of the accompanying drawings shows a cross-sectional view of a golf club head  1100  in accordance with the alternative embodiment of the present invention shown in  FIG. 9 . More specifically, the cross-sectional view of the golf club head  1100  shown in  FIG. 11  is taken across the same cross-sectional line B-B′ shown in  FIG. 4 , illustrating the non-engagement portion  1103  between the face insert  1102  and the body  1104 . In this alternative embodiment of the present invention a vibration dampening material  1120  may completely fill up the entire non-engagement portion  1103  of the perimeter of the face insert  1102 , maximizing the vibration dampening capability of the non-engagement portion  1103 . However, similar to the embodiments discussed above, the vibration dampening material  1120  need not completely fill the non-engagement portion  1103  and could partially fill the non-engagement portion  1103  at strategic locations without departing from the scope and content of the present invention. 
         [0056]      FIGS. 12A ,  12 B, and  12 C of the accompanying drawings shows a further alternative embodiment of the present invention wherein the plurality of backing tabs  1240  protrude out from the body  1204 , creating an engagement portion  1201  that connects the face insert  1202  to the body  1204 . This alternative embodiment may be preferred in situations where it is desirable to maintain a face insert  1202  shape that is relatively flat while providing an alternative way to connect the face insert  1202  to the body  1204 . It should be noted that although the current exemplary embodiment shows only three backing tabs  1240  to help distribute the impact forces of the face insert  1202 , any various number of backing tabs  1240  may be used around the perimeter of the body  1204  to provide support for the face insert  1202  without departing from the scope and content of the present invention. 
         [0057]      FIGS. 13A ,  13 B, and  13 C of the accompanying drawings shows a further alternative embodiment of the present invention wherein the plurality of backing tabs  1340  protrude out from the rear surface of the external engagement portion  1330  of the face insert  1302 , creating an engagement portion  1301  that connects the face insert  1302  to the body  1304 . This alternative embodiment may be preferred in situations wherein an alternative manufacturing technique mandates a flatter frontal surface for the body  1304 . Similar to above, the plurality of backing tabs  1340  is not limited to what can be shown in  FIGS. 13A ,  13 B, and  13 C, but could be any number of backing tabs  1340  so long as it leaves sufficient room for the non-engagement portion all without departing from the scope and content of the present invention. 
         [0058]    Other than in the operating example, or unless otherwise expressly specified, all of the numerical ranges, amounts, values and percentages such as those for amounts of materials, moment of inertias, center of gravity locations, loft, draft angles, various performance ratios, and others in the following portions of the specification may be read as if prefaced by the word “about” even though the term “about” may not expressly appear in the value, amount, or range. Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the above specification and attached claims are approximations that may vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by the present invention. At the very least, and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims, each numerical parameter should at least be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques. 
         [0059]    Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of the invention are approximations, the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as possible. Any numerical value, however, inherently contains certain errors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in their respective testing measurements. Furthermore, when numerical ranges of varying scope are set forth herein, it is contemplated that any combination of these values inclusive of the recited values may be used. 
         [0060]    It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the present invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

Technology Category: 1