Granted Patent B2

US 9,956,460 · App. 15/499,146 · Granted May 1, 2018

Abstract

Claims (43)

1. A golf club head ( 400 ) comprising:

(i) 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 wherein a toe side ( 408 ) of the golf club head ( 400 ) is located opposite of the heel side ( 406 );

(ii) 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, opposite a rear portion ( 404 ) of the golf club head ( 400 ), wherein the face ( 400 ) includes an engineered impact point (EIP), a blade length (BL) measured horizontally from the origin point toward the toe side ( 408 ) of the golf club head ( 400 ) to the most distant point on the golf club head in this direction, wherein the blade length (BL) includes a heel blade length section (Abl) measured in the same direction as the blade length (BL) from the origin point to the engineered impact point (EIP), and a toe blade length section (Bbl);

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

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

(v) 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;

(vi) a club moment arm from the CG to the engineered impact point (EIP);

(vii) 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 ) and having a socket depth ( 2040 ); and

(viii) a stress reducing feature ( 1000 ) extending across a portion of the golf club head ( 400 ) and having a length between a toe-most point and a heel-most point, and the length is at least as great as the Zcg distance, a leading edge having a leading edge offset, a trailing edge, a stress reducing feature width between the leading edge and the trailing edge, and a stress reducing feature depth, wherein the socket depth ( 2040 ) of at least a portion of the shaft connection system socket ( 2000 ) is larger than a greatest stress reducing feature depth.

2. The golf club head ( 400 ) of claim 1 , wherein the stress reducing feature ( 1000 ) has at least one of (a) the stress reducing feature width of at least a portion of the stress reducing feature ( 1000 ) is at least ten percent of the Zcg distance, and (b) the stress reducing feature depth of at least a portion of the stress reducing feature ( 1000 ) is at least ten percent of the Ycg distance.

3. The golf club head ( 400 ) of claim 2 , wherein the golf club head ( 400 ) defines a head volume that is less than 500 cubic centimeters, and the face ( 500 ) has a characteristic time of at least 220 microseconds.

4. The golf club head ( 400 ) of claim 3 , wherein the club moment arm is less than 1.3″.

5. The golf club head ( 400 ) of claim 4 , wherein the Ycg distance is 1.0″-1.4″ and a thickness of the face ( 500 ) varies.

6. The golf club head ( 400 ) of claim 4 , wherein the head volume is less than 300 cubic centimeters, and the club moment arm is less than 1.1″.

7. The golf club head ( 400 ) of claim 6 , wherein the golf club head ( 400 ) has a transfer distance that is least 10 percent greater than the club moment arm.

8. The golf club head ( 400 ) of claim 7 , wherein the transfer distance is no more than 40 percent greater than the club moment arm.

9. The golf club head ( 400 ) of claim 6 , wherein the Ycg distance is less than 0.65″, the club moment arm is less than 1.0″, and a portion of the stress reducing feature ( 1000 ) has both (a) the stress reducing feature width of at least a portion of the stress reducing feature ( 1000 ) is at least ten percent of the Zcg distance, and (b) the stress reducing feature depth of at least a portion of the stress reducing feature ( 1000 ) is at least ten percent of the Ycg distance.

10. The golf club head ( 400 ) of claim 6 , wherein the club moment arm is less than 0.95″, a face height is less than 1.50″, the Ycg distance is at least 0.40″, and the stress reducing feature width of at least a portion of the stress reducing feature ( 1000 ) is at least forty percent of the Zcg distance.

11. The golf club head ( 400 ) of claim 3 , wherein shaft connection system socket ( 2000 ) has a socket volume and the stress reducing feature ( 1000 ) has a stress reducing feature volume, and wherein the socket volume is less than the stress reducing feature volume.

12. The golf club head ( 400 ) of claim 3 , wherein the socket depth ( 2040 ) of at least a portion of the shaft connection system socket ( 2000 ) is at least twice the greatest stress reducing feature depth.

13. The golf club head ( 400 ) of claim 5 , wherein the shaft connection system socket ( 2000 ) has a socket crown-most point ( 2010 ) at an elevation less than a Yeip distance measuring the vertical elevation of the engineered impact point (EIP) above the horizontal ground plane (GP).

14. The golf club head ( 400 ) of claim 3 , wherein the stress reducing feature depth of at least a portion of the stress reducing feature ( 1000 ) is greater than a maximum face thickness.

15. The golf club head ( 400 ) of claim 14 , wherein the stress reducing feature depth of at least a portion of the stress reducing feature ( 1000 ) is at least twenty percent of the Ycg distance.

16. The golf club head ( 400 ) of claim 14 , wherein at least a portion of the stress reducing feature ( 1000 ) has a stress reducing feature wall thickness that is less than sixty percent of the maximum face thickness.

17. The golf club head ( 400 ) of claim 16 , wherein the shaft connection system socket ( 2000 ) has a socket wall thickness ( 2020 ), and the socket wall thickness ( 2020 ) of at least a portion of the shaft connection system socket ( 2000 ) is greater than a minimum stress reducing feature wall thickness.

18. The golf club head ( 400 ) of claim 16 , wherein the stress reducing feature depth of at least a portion of the stress reducing feature ( 1000 ) is greater than a maximum width of the stress reducing feature ( 1000 ).

19. The golf club head ( 400 ) of claim 16 , wherein a portion of the stress reducing feature ( 1000 ) is in contact with a portion of the shaft connection system socket ( 2000 ).

20. A golf club head ( 400 ) comprising:

(i) 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 wherein a toe side ( 408 ) of the golf club head ( 400 ) is located opposite of the heel side ( 406 );

(ii) a face ( 500 ), having a face thickness, positioned at a front portion ( 402 ) of the golf club head ( 400 ) where the golf club head ( 400 ) impacts a golf ball, opposite a rear portion ( 404 ) of the golf club head ( 400 ), wherein the face ( 400 ) includes an engineered impact point (EIP), a blade length (BL) measured horizontally from the origin point toward the toe side ( 408 ) of the golf club head ( 400 ) to the most distant point on the golf club head in this direction, wherein the blade length (BL) includes a heel blade length section (Abl) measured in the same direction as the blade length (BL) from the origin point to the engineered impact point (EIP), and a toe blade length section (Bbl);

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

(iv) a crown ( 600 ) positioned at a top portion of the golf club head ( 400 ) wherein at least a portion of the crown ( 600 ) made of a nonmetallic composite material having a density of less than 5 g/cc;

(v) 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;

(vi) a club moment arm from the CG to the engineered impact point (EIP);

(vii) a shaft connection system socket ( 2000 ), having a socket wall thickness ( 2020 ), 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 ) and having a socket depth ( 2040 );

(viii) a stress reducing feature ( 1000 ), having a stress reducing feature wall thickness, extending across a portion of the golf club head ( 400 ) and having a length between a toe-most point and a heel-most point, and the length is at least as great as the Zcg distance, a leading edge having a leading edge offset, a trailing edge, a stress reducing feature width between the leading edge and the trailing edge, and a stress reducing feature depth, wherein the stress reducing feature wall thickness of at least a portion of the stress reducing feature ( 1000 ) is less than sixty percent of a maximum face thickness, wherein the socket wall thickness ( 2020 ) of at least a portion of the shaft connection system socket ( 2000 ) is greater than a minimum stress reducing feature wall thickness, and wherein the stress reducing feature ( 1000 ) has at least one of (a) the stress reducing feature width of at least a portion of the stress reducing feature ( 1000 ) is at least ten percent of the Zcg distance, and (b) the stress reducing feature depth of at least a portion of the stress reducing feature ( 1000 ) is at least ten percent of the Ycg distance; and

(ix) the golf club head ( 400 ) defines a head volume that is less than 500 cubic centimeters, and the face ( 500 ) has a characteristic time of at least 220 microseconds.

Assignments (14)