IP Library Granted Patent US 10,039,963
Granted Patent B2
US 10,039,963 · App. 15/342,822 · Granted Aug 7, 2018

Golf club head

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,039,963
App. No.
15/342,822
Granted
Aug 7, 2018
Kind
B2
Abstract

A golf club head includes a striking face having a face center and a virtual striking face plane generally parallel to the striking face. The golf club head further includes a sole portion, a top portion, a rear portion, and a loft L no less than 40°. A virtual vertical plane perpendicular to the striking face plane passes through the face center. A club head center of gravity is spaced from the virtual vertical plane in the heel-to-toe direction by a distance D 1 that is no greater than 6.0 mm. The golf club head further includes a hosel including an internal bore configured to receive a golf shaft. The internal bore includes a peripheral side wall and a shaft abutment surface configured to abut a tip end of the golf club shaft. The hosel further comprises an auxiliary recess extending sole-ward from the abutment surface of the internal bore.

Claims (89)

1. A golf club head that, when oriented in a reference position, comprises:

a striking face having a face center, a leading edge, and a virtual striking face plane generally parallel to the striking face;

a sole portion;

a top portion;

a rear portion;

a loft L no less than 40°;

a virtual vertical plane perpendicular to the striking face plane and passing through the face center;

a club head center of gravity spaced from the virtual vertical plane in a heel-to-toe direction by a distance D 1 that is no greater than 6.0 mm and spaced from the striking face plane by a minimum distance D 2 no greater than 2.0 mm; and

a hosel comprising a virtual hosel axis and an internal bore configured to receive a golf shaft, the internal bore including a peripheral side wall and a shaft abutment surface configured to abut a tip end of the golf club shaft, the hosel further comprising an auxiliary recess extending sole-ward from the abutment surface of the internal bore.

2. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the abutment surface comprises an annular ledge having a width measured radially of the hosel axis of no less than 1 mm.

3. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary recess comprises a depth, measured in a direction of the hosel axis, of no less than 5 mm.

4. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the distance D 1 is no greater than 5.5 mm.

5. The golf club head of claim 4 , wherein the distance D 1 is no greater than 5.0 mm.

6. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the distance D 2 is no greater than 1.0 mm.

7. The golf club head of claim 1 , further comprising:

a point P 1 located at an intersection of the leading edge and the virtual vertical plane,

wherein the center of gravity is vertically spaced from the point P 1 by a distance D 3 such that: D 3 ≥29.5 mm−(0.3 mm/°)×L.

8. The golf club head of claim 7 , wherein: D 3 ≥29.8 mm−(0.3 mm/°)×L.

9. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary recess is at least partially filled.

10. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary recess tapers in width in a sole-ward direction.

11. The golf club head of claim 1 , further comprising:

a hosel having a hosel upper end and a virtual hosel axis; and

a distance D 4 , measured from the hosel upper end to a virtual ground plane along the virtual hosel axis, no greater than 75 mm.

12. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the striking face further comprises a surface milled texture pattern.

13. The golf club head of claim 1 , further comprising a maximum top line thickness D 5 no greater than 5.70 mm.

14. A golf club head that, when oriented in a reference position, comprises:

a sole portion;

a top portion;

a heel portion;

a toe portion;

a striking face having a face center, a leading edge, a virtual striking face plane generally parallel to the striking face, and a plurality of scorelines having a heel-most extent and a toe-most extent;

a hosel portion having an internal bore configured to receive a golf shaft;

a first virtual vertical plane perpendicular to the striking face plane and passing through the heel-most extent of the plurality of scorelines;

a heel-most region defined as an entire portion of the club head located heelward of the first virtual vertical plane;

a recessed region delimiting a volume such that the majority of the volume is located in the heel-most region;

a loft L no less than 40°;

a second virtual vertical plane perpendicular to the striking face plane and passing through the face center; and

a club head center of gravity spaced from the second virtual vertical plane in the heel-to-toe direction by a distance D 1 that is no greater than 6.0 mm and spaced from the striking face plane by a minimum distance D 2 no greater than 2.0 mm.

15. The golf club head of claim 14 , wherein the recessed region, in its entirety, is located heelward of the first virtual vertical plane.

16. The golf club head of claim 14 , wherein the recessed region is in communication with the internal bore of the hosel portion.

17. The golf club head of claim 14 , wherein the recessed region comprises a depth of no less than 5 mm.

18. The golf club head of claim 14 , wherein the distance D 1 is no greater than 5.5 mm.

19. The golf club head of claim 18 , wherein the distance D 1 is no greater than 5.0 mm.

20. The golf club head of claim 14 , wherein the distance D 2 is no greater than 1.0 mm.

21. The golf club head of claim 14 , further comprising:

a point P 1 located at an intersection of the leading edge and the virtual vertical plane,

wherein the center of gravity is vertically spaced from the point P 1 by a distance D 3 such that: D 3 ≥29.5 mm−(0.3 mm/°)×L.

22. The golf club head of claim 14 , wherein the recessed region is at least partially filled.

23. The golf club head of claim 14 , further comprising:

a hosel having a hosel upper end and a virtual hosel axis; and

a distance D 4 , measured from the hosel upper end to a virtual ground plane along the virtual hosel axis, no greater than 75 mm.

24. The golf club head of claim 14 , wherein the striking face further comprises a surface milled texture pattern.

25. The golf club head of claim 14 , further comprising a maximum top line thickness D 5 no greater than 5.70 mm.

26. A golf club head that, when oriented in a reference position relative to a virtual ground plane, comprises:

a striking face having a face center, a leading edge, and a virtual striking face plane generally parallel to the striking face;

a sole portion;

a top portion;

a rear portion;

a loft L no less than 40°;

a virtual vertical plane perpendicular to the striking face plane and passing through the face center;

a point P 1 located at an intersection of the leading edge and the virtual vertical plane; and

a center of gravity spaced from the virtual vertical plane in a heel-to-toe direction by a distance D 1 that is no greater than 5.5 mm, spaced from the striking face plane by a minimum distance D 2 such that: D 2 ≤3.58 mm−(0.053 mm/°)×L, and vertically spaced from the point P 1 by a distance D 3 such that: D 3 ≥29.5 mm−(0.3 mm/°)×L.

27. The golf club head of claim 26 , wherein the distance D 1 is no greater than 5.0 mm.

28. The golf club head of claim 26 , wherein the distance D 2 is no greater than 2.0 mm.

29. The golf club head of claim 28 , wherein the distance D 2 is no greater than 1.0 mm.

30. The golf club head of claim 26 , wherein: D 3 ≥29.8 mm−(0.3 mm/°)×L.

31. The golf club head of claim 26 , further comprising:

a hosel having a hosel upper end and a virtual hosel axis; and

a distance D 4 , measured from the hosel upper end to the ground plane along the virtual hosel axis, no greater than 75 mm.

32. The golf club head of claim 26 , wherein the striking face further comprises a surface milled texture pattern.

33. The golf club head of claim 26 , further comprising a maximum top line thickness D 5 no greater than 5.70 mm.

34. A golf club head that, when oriented in a reference position, comprises:

a striking face having a face center, a leading edge, and a virtual striking face plane generally parallel to the striking face;

a sole portion;

a top portion;

a rear portion;

a loft L no less than 40°;

a virtual vertical plane perpendicular to the striking face plane and passing through the face center;

a point P 1 located at an intersection of the leading edge and the virtual vertical plane; and

a center of gravity spaced from the virtual vertical plane in a heel-to-toe direction by a distance D 1 that is no greater than 5.0 mm, spaced from the striking face plane by a minimum distance D 2 no greater than 0.50 mm, and vertically spaced from the point P 1 by a distance D 3 such that: D 3 ≥29.5 mm−(0.3 mm/°)×L.

35. The golf club head of claim 34 , wherein the distance D 1 is no greater than 5.0 mm.

36. The golf club head of claim 34 , wherein the distance D 2 is no greater than 2.0 mm.

37. The golf club head of claim 36 , wherein the distance D 2 is no greater than 1.0 mm.

38. The golf club head of claim 34 , wherein: D 3 ≥29.8 mm−(0.3 mm/°)×L.

39. The golf club head of claim 34 , further comprising:

a hosel having a hosel upper end and a virtual hosel axis; and

a distance D 4 , measured from the hosel upper end to a virtual ground plane along the virtual hosel axis, no greater than 75 mm.

40. The golf club head of claim 34 , wherein the striking face further comprises a surface milled texture pattern.

41. The golf club head of claim 34 , further comprising a maximum top line thickness D 5 no greater than 5.70 mm.

Assignments (2)
MERGER Recorded Jan 3, 2019
From: DUNLOP SPORTS CO., LTD.
To: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
Reel/Frame 048002/0320 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 6, 2018
From: RIPP, PATRICK; HERR, BRIAN; BECKTOR, MIKA; DOLEZEL, KEITH
To: DUNLOP SPORTS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 046283/0178 →
Cited By (8)
US 1,074,889 US 1,090,745 US 1,128,821 US 1,137,477 US 1,139,750 US 12,194,350 US 12,350,557 US 12,434,114