IP Library Granted Patent US 10,434,379
Granted Patent B2
US 10,434,379 · App. 15/379,077 · Granted Oct 8, 2019

Golf club head

Inventors: Jeff D. Brunski (Los Angeles, CA); Samuel G. Lacey (Huntington Beach, CA); Dan S. Nivanh (Long Beach, CA); Nathaniel J. Radcliffe (Huntington Beach, CA); John J. Rae (Westminster, CA); Mark Blumenkrantz (Huntington Beach, CA); Rory C. Stewart (Costa Mesa, CA); Michael J. Wallans (Huntington Beach, CA)
Assignee: SRI SPORTS LIMITED
A63B53/0466A63B2053/0408A63B2053/0416A63B2053/0458
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,434,379
App. No.
15/379,077
Granted
Oct 8, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

A golf club head according to one or more aspects of the present invention may include a face portion or strike-face wall comprising a top inner boundary, an intermediate inner boundary, and a bottom inner boundary having a bottom-inner-boundary toe portion and a bottom-inner-boundary heel portion. The strike-face wall may further include a first uniform-thickness region, adjoining the top inner boundary, and a variable-thickness region adjoining the uniform-thickness region and a majority of the bottom inner boundary. In another example, the variable-thickness may adjoin a majority of the top inner boundary and the uniform-thickness region may adjoin a majority of the bottom inner boundary.

Claims (34)

1. A wood-type golf club head comprising:

a strike-face wall comprising:

a front surface including a face center, an outer boundary, and an inner boundary defined by all points displaced, in a direction of the face center, from the outer boundary by a constant offset that is between about 0.5 mm and about 15 mm a face boundary, the inner boundary including a top boundary portion, a bottom boundary portion opposite the top boundary portion, a toe boundary portion, and a heel boundary portion opposite the toe boundary portion;

a rear surface;

a first continuous uniform-thickness region extending from the toe boundary portion and having a first thickness;

a second continuous uniform-thickness region extending from the heel boundary portion and having a second thickness;

a third continuous uniform-thickness region extending from the bottom boundary portion and having a third thickness; and

a variable-thickness region adjoining, and thickened relative to the first, second, and third uniform-thickness regions, the variable-thickness region contacting both the top boundary portion and the bottom boundary portion, the variable-thickness region separating the first continuous uniform-thickness region from the second continuous uniform-thickness region and separating each of the first continuous uniform-thickness region and the second continuous uniform-thickness region from the third continuous uniform-thickness region, wherein the variable-thickness has a fourth thickness greater than the first, second, and third thicknesses.

2. The wood-type golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the variable-thickness region is continuously variable.

3. The wood-type golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the first thickness, the second thickness, and the third thickness are each less than about 3 mm.

4. The wood-type golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the variable-thickness region includes a first segment extending from the bottom boundary portion near the toe boundary portion and distal the heel boundary portion and a second segment extending from the bottom boundary portion near the heel boundary portion and distal the toe boundary portion.

5. The wood-type golf club head of claim 4 , wherein the first segment and the second segment converge.

6. The wood-type golf club head of claim 5 , wherein the variable-thickness region further includes a third segment adjoining the top boundary portion, a fourth segment adjoining the top boundary portion, and a fifth segment contacting each of the first, second, third, and fourth segments.

7. The wood-type golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the variable-thickness thickness region extends between the top boundary portion and the bottom boundary portion and includes the face center.

8. The wood-type golf club head of claim 1 , wherein a maximum thickness dimension is located proximate the face center.

9. The wood-type golf club head of claim 7 , wherein the maximum thickness dimension is less than 5 mm.

10. The wood-type golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the fourth thickness is between 2 mm and 4 mm.

11. A wood-type golf club head comprising:

a strike-face wall comprising:

a front surface including a face center, an outer boundary, and an inner boundary defined by all points displaced, in a direction of the face center, from the outer boundary by a constant offset that is between about 0.5 mm and about 15 mm, the inner boundary including a top inner boundary portion, a bottom inner boundary portion opposite the top inner boundary portion, a toe inner boundary portion, and a heel inner boundary portion opposite the toe inner boundary portion;

a rear surface;

a first continuous uniform-thickness region adjoining the toe inner boundary and comprising a first thickness;

a second continuous uniform-thickness region adjoining the heel inner boundary and comprising a second thickness;

a third continuous uniform-thickness region adjoining the bottom inner boundary and comprising a third thickness; and

a variable-thickness region adjoining, and thinned relative to the first uniform-thickness region, the second uniform-thickness region, and the third uniform-thickness region and including the face center, wherein the variable-thickness region comprises a fourth thickness less than the first, second, and third thicknesses and extends between the top inner boundary portion and the bottom inner boundary portion.

12. The wood-type golf club head of claim 11 , wherein a minimum thickness dimension is located proximate the face center.

13. The wood-type golf club head of claim 11 , wherein a maximum thickness dimension is located in at least one of the first uniform-thickness region, the second uniform-thickness region, and the third uniform-thickness region.

14. The wood-type golf club head of claim 11 , wherein the variable-thickness region is continuously variable.

15. The wood-type golf club head of claim 11 , wherein the first thickness, the second thickness, and the third thickness are each less than about 5 mm.

16. The wood-type golf club head of claim 11 , wherein the variable-thickness region includes a first segment extending from the bottom inner boundary portion near the toe inner boundary portion and distal the heel inner boundary portion and a second segment extending from the bottom inner boundary portion near the heel inner boundary portion and distal the toe inner boundary portion.

17. The wood-type golf club head of claim 16 , wherein the first segment and the second segment converge.

18. The wood-type golf club head of claim 17 , wherein the variable-thickness region further includes a third segment adjoining the top inner boundary portion, a fourth segment adjoining the top inner boundary portion, and a fifth segment contacting each of the first, second, third, and fourth segments.

19. The wood-type golf club head of claim 11 , wherein the variable-thickness thickness region includes the face center.

20. The wood-type golf club head of claim 11 , wherein the fourth thickness is between 2 mm and 4 mm.

Assignments (2)
MERGER Recorded Jan 3, 2019
From: DUNLOP SPORTS CO., LTD.
To: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
Reel/Frame 048002/0320 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Sep 5, 2018
From: SRI SPORTS LIMITED
To: DUNLOP SPORTS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 047597/0660 →
Continuity (4)
Continuation 14222206 · Mar 21, 2014
Continuation 12900899 · Oct 8, 2010
Provisional Application 61258011 · Nov 4, 2009
Related Publication 20170087428A1 · Mar 30, 2017
Cited By (4)
US 12,370,420 US 12,377,325 US 12,599,821 US 12,691,341