Granted Patent B2

US 9,174,101 · App. 14/449,252 · Granted Nov 3, 2015

Abstract

Claims (37)

1. A golf club head ( 400 ) comprising:

(i) a face ( 500 ) positioned at a front portion ( 402 ) of the golf club head ( 400 ) where the golf club head ( 400 ) impacts a golf ball, wherein the face ( 500 ) has a loft of at least 6 degrees, and wherein the face ( 400 ) includes an engineered impact point (EIP), a top edge height (TEH), and a lower edge height (LEH);

(ii) a sole ( 700 ) positioned at a bottom portion of the golf club head ( 400 );

(iii) a crown ( 600 ) positioned at a top portion of the golf club head ( 400 );

(iv) a skirt ( 800 ) positioned around a portion of a periphery of the golf club head ( 400 ) between the sole ( 700 ) and the crown ( 600 ), wherein the face ( 500 ), sole ( 700 ), crown ( 600 ), and skirt ( 800 ) define an outer shell that further defines a head volume, and wherein the golf club head ( 400 ) has a rear portion ( 404 ) opposite the face ( 500 );

(v) a bore having a center that defines a shaft axis (SA) which intersects with a horizontal ground plane (GP) to define an origin point, wherein the bore is located at a heel side ( 406 ) of the golf club head ( 400 ) and receives a shaft distal end ( 220 ) for attachment to the golf club head ( 400 ), and wherein a toe side ( 408 ) of the golf club head ( 400 ) is located opposite of the heel side ( 406 );

(vi) a club head mass of less than 310 grams;

(vii) a center of gravity (CG) located:

(a) vertically toward the crown ( 600 ) of the golf club head ( 400 ) from the origin point a distance Ycg;

(b) horizontally from the origin point toward the toe side ( 408 ) of the golf club head ( 400 ) a distance Xcg that is generally parallel to the face ( 500 ) and the ground plane (GP); and

(c) a distance Zcg from the origin toward the rear portion ( 404 ) in a direction generally orthogonal to the vertical direction used to measure Ycg and generally orthogonal to the horizontal direction used to measure Xcg;

(viii) the engineered impact point (EIP) located:

(a) vertically toward the crown ( 600 ) of the golf club head ( 400 ) from the origin point a distance Yeip;

(b) horizontally from the origin point toward the toe side ( 408 ) of the golf club head ( 400 ) a distance Xeip that is generally parallel to the face ( 500 ) and the ground plane (GP); and

(c) a distance Zeip from the origin toward the face ( 500 ) in a direction generally orthogonal to the vertical direction used to measure Ycg and generally orthogonal to the horizontal direction used to measure Xcg;

(ix) a stress reducing feature ( 1000 ) including at least a toe located SRF ( 1500 ) located at least partially on the skirt ( 800 ) on a toe portion of the club head ( 400 ), wherein the toe located SRF ( 1500 ) has a TSRF length ( 1510 ) between a TSRF crown-most point ( 1512 ) and a TSRF sole-most point ( 1516 ), a TSRF width ( 1540 ), a TSRF depth ( 1550 ) that is greater than a maximum face thickness ( 530 ), a TSRF wall thickness ( 1565 ), and a TSRF cross-sectional area ( 1570 ), wherein

(a) the TSRF crown-most point ( 1512 ) is at an elevation greater than the Ycg distance and the Yeip distance, and less than the maximum top edge height (TEH) of the face ( 500 ), and the TSRF sole-most point ( 1516 ) is at an elevation less than the Ycg distance and the Yeip distance; and

(b) the maximum TSRF width ( 1540 ) is at least ten percent of the Zcg distance, and the maximum TSRF depth ( 1550 ) is at least ten percent of the Ycg distance.

2. The golf club head ( 400 ) of claim 1 , wherein the maximum TSRF depth ( 1550 ) is at least twenty percent of the Ycg distance.

3. The golf club head ( 400 ) of claim 1 , wherein the toe located SRF ( 1500 ) has a maximum TSRF wall thickness ( 1565 ) of less than sixty percent of a maximum face thickness ( 530 ).

4. The golf club head ( 400 ) of claim 1 , wherein a TSRF crown-most point elevation ( 1514 ) is at least 25% greater than the Ycg distance.

5. The golf club head ( 400 ) of claim 1 , wherein a maximum TSRF depth ( 1550 ) is greater than a maximum TSRF width ( 1540 ).

6. The golf club head ( 400 ) of claim 1 , wherein the toe located SRF ( 1500 ) has a TSRF leading edge ( 1520 ) and a TSRF trailing edge ( 1530 ), and throughout the entire length of the toe located SRF ( 1500 ) are within a HT offset range distance of less than twenty-five percent of a club moment arm (CMA).

7. The golf club head ( 400 ) of claim 1 , wherein the maximum TSRF depth ( 1550 ) at an elevation greater than the Ycg distance is greater than the maximum TSRF depth ( 1550 ) taken at an elevation below the Ycg distance.

8. The golf club head ( 400 ) of claim 7 , wherein the maximum TSRF depth ( 1550 ) at an elevation greater than the Ycg distance is at least fifty percent greater than the maximum TSRF depth ( 1550 ) taken at an elevation below the Ycg distance.

9. The golf club head ( 400 ) of claim 1 , wherein the TSRF length ( 1510 ) is greater than the Xcg distance, the Ycg distance, and the Zcg distance.

10. The golf club head ( 400 ) of claim 9 , wherein the TSRF length ( 1510 ) is less than twice the Ycg distance.

11. The golf club head ( 400 ) of claim 1 , wherein at least one TSRF cross-sectional area ( 1570 ) taken at an elevation greater than the Ycg distance is greater than at least one TSRF cross-sectional area ( 1570 ) taken at an elevation below the Ycg distance.

12. The golf club head ( 400 ) of claim 1 , wherein the maximum TSRF width ( 1540 ) is at least forty percent of the Zcg distance.

13. The golf club head ( 400 ) of claim 1 , wherein the toe located SRF ( 1500 ) is located entirely in front of a shaft axis plane (SAP).

14. The golf club head ( 400 ) of claim 1 , wherein a shaft axis plane (SAP) passes through a portion of the toe located SRF ( 1500 ).

15. The golf club head ( 400 ) of claim 1 , wherein the stress reducing feature ( 600 ) further includes a heel located SRF ( 1700 ) located at least partially on the skirt ( 800 ) on a heel portion of the club head ( 400 ), wherein the heel located SRF ( 1700 ) has a HSRF length ( 1710 ) between a HSRF crown-most point ( 1712 ) and a HSRF sole-most point ( 1716 ), a HSRF width ( 1740 ), and a HSRF depth ( 1750 ), wherein the elevation of the HSRF crown-most point ( 1712 ) is greater than the Ycg distance.

16. The golf club head ( 400 ) of claim 15 , wherein a maximum TSRF depth ( 1550 ) is greater than a maximum HSRF depth ( 1750 ).

17. The golf club head ( 400 ) of claim 15 , further including a shaft connection system socket ( 2000 ) extending from the bottom portion of the golf club head ( 400 ) into the interior of the outer shell toward the top portion of the club head ( 400 ), wherein a portion of the shaft connection system socket ( 2000 ) connects to the heel located SRF ( 1700 ) at a socket-to-HSRF junction ( 2030 ).

18. The golf club head ( 400 ) of claim 17 , wherein the socket-to-HSRF junction ( 2030 ) has a lineal junction length ( 2035 ) that is at least twenty-five percent of the HSRF length ( 1710 ).

19. The golf club head ( 400 ) of claim 17 , wherein the shaft connection system socket ( 2000 ) has a socket depth ( 2040 ), and a maximum socket depth ( 2040 ) is greater than the maximum HSRF depth ( 1750 ).

20. The golf club head ( 400 ) of claim 17 , wherein the shaft connection system socket ( 2000 ) has a socket crown-most point ( 2010 ) at an elevation less than the elevation of the TSRF crown-most point ( 1512 ), and less than the elevation of the Yeip distance.

Assignments (14)