IP Library Granted Patent US 10,376,755
Granted Patent B2
US 10,376,755 · App. 15/793,538 · Granted Aug 13, 2019

Golf club head with textured striking face

Inventors: Patrick Ripp (Huntington Beach, CA); Jeff D. Brunski (Los Angeles, CA)
Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
A63B53/047A63B53/04A63B2053/0408A63B2053/0445A63B2053/0479
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,376,755
App. No.
15/793,538
Granted
Aug 13, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

A golf club head includes a striking face with a plurality of scorelines. A first virtual vertical plane is perpendicular to the striking face and passes through a toe-wardmost extent of the scorelines, and a second virtual vertical plane is parallel to the first virtual vertical plane and passes through a heel-wardmost extent of the scorelines. A central region bounded by the first virtual vertical plane, the second virtual vertical plane, and a striking face periphery has a first average surface roughness Ra1 of between about 40 μin and about 180 μin. And a majority of a toe region hounded by the first vertical plane and the striking face periphery is textured to have a second average surface roughness Ra2 no less than 1.5 times Ra1.

Claims (17)

1. A method of manufacturing a golf club head, the method comprising:

(a) providing an intermediate golf club head body that, when oriented in a reference position, has a heel portion, a toe portion, a top portion, a bottom portion, and a striking face having a striking face periphery;

(b) texturing a first portion of the striking face by surface milling in a first pass;

(c) texturing a second portion of the striking face subsequent to step (b), the second portion being non-coextensive with the first portion; and

(d) forming a plurality of scorelines in the striking face, wherein:

the steps (b) and (c) combine to form a textured striking face area including a first region exhibiting a first average surface roughness Ra1 no less than 270 μin and a second region exhibiting a second average surface roughness Ra2 that is less than Ra1;

a first virtual vertical plane perpendicular to the striking face passes through a toe-wardmost extent of the scorelines;

a second virtual vertical plane parallel to the first virtual vertical plane passes through a heel-wardmost extent of the scorelines;

the first region is located entirely toe-ward of the first vertical plane; and

the second region extends entirely over the region of the striking face delimited by the first and second virtual vertical planes.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step (d) of forming a plurality of scorelines occurs subsequent to the steps (a), (b), and (c).

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (c) comprises surface milling the second portion in a second pass.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising media blasting a portion of the striking face including at least the second portion.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein Ra1 is at least two times greater than Ra2.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein Ra2 is at least 90 μin less than Ra1.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein, subsequent to step (c), the second portion undergoes additional texturing such that the second region exhibits a final average surface roughness Ra3 of less than 180 μin.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first region extends from the first virtual vertical plane to a toe-ward-most extent of the golf club head body.

Assignments (1)
MERGER Recorded Jan 3, 2019
From: DUNLOP SPORTS CO., LTD.
To: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
Reel/Frame 048002/0320 →
Continuity (2)
Division 15219850 · Jul 26, 2016
Related Publication 20180056147A1 · Mar 1, 2018
Cited By (1)
US 12,521,610