Granted Patent B2

US 10,463,929 · App. 16/015,593 · Granted Nov 5, 2019

Abstract

Claims (62)

1. A golf club head comprising:

a front portion comprising a striking face, a rear end, a toe, a heel, a crown, a sole, and a hosel;

wherein the crown comprises a front portion, a rear portion, and one or more stepped portions positioned between the front portion of the crown and the rear portion of the crown;

wherein the golf club head has an origin located at a geometric center of the striking face, the origin including:

an x-axis extending in a heel-toe direction and tangential to the striking face and generally parallel to a ground plane when the head is in an address position, with positive x-values being in the direction from the origin toward the heel of the golf club head;

a y-axis extending in a front-rear direction and perpendicular to the x-axis and generally parallel to the ground plane when the head is in the address position, with positive y-values being in the direction from the origin toward the rear end of the golf club head;

a z-axis extending in a sole-crown direction and perpendicular to the ground plane, perpendicular to the x-axis and perpendicular to the y-axis when the head is in the address position, with positive z-values being in the direction from the origin toward the crown of the golf club head;

wherein at least one stepped portion of the crown extends in a toeward and rearward direction and forms an average angle α of at least about 10° relative to a plane perpendicular to the y-axis;

wherein the golf club head has a height H 1 measured from the ground plane to the top of the face of no more than 45 mm as measured along the z-axis;

wherein a striking face width as measured along the x-axis is no more than 80 mm;

wherein the golf club head has a center of gravity having a z-coordinate of less than or equal to −3.5 mm;

wherein an aerodynamic drag of the club head is about 1000 grams or less when air speed is 120 mph at a pitch angle of 0° and a beta angle of 20°;

wherein a front to rear distance, Dsp, is less than 40 mm;

wherein the front portion of the crown comprises a rearwardly extending portion at a toe end of the crown, and the one or more stepped portions comprises a rearwardly extending stepped portion that forms a heel-to-toe transition between the rear portion of the crown and the rearwardly extending portion of the front portion of the crown; and

wherein the rearwardly extending portion decreases in z-axis height relative to the rear portion in a front-to-rear direction, such that the heel-to-toe transition between the rear portion of the crown and the rearwardly extending portion also decreases in z-axis height relative to the rear portion in a front-to-rear direction.

2. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein stepped portion of the crown extends in a toeward and rearward direction that forms an average angle α of at least about 20° relative to a plane perpendicular to the y-axis.

3. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein stepped portion of the crown extends in a toeward and rearward direction that forms an average angle α of at least about 30° relative to a plane perpendicular to the y-axis.

4. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the height H 1 of the face is no more than 40 mm as measured along the z-axis.

5. The golf club head of claim 1 , further comprising one or more adjustable weights.

6. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein, with the golf club head resting on a horizontal planar ground surface in the address position, a highest point of the striking face has a first height in the z-axis above the ground surface and a highest point of the crown has a second height in the z-axis above the ground surface, and the ratio of the second height divided by the first height is at least about 1.21.

7. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the external surfaces of the front portion of the crown and the rear portion of the crown are non-concave.

8. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein a front edge of the stepped portion of the crown at an x-coordinate of zero has a y-coordinate of at least about 20 mm.

9. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein an aerodynamic drag of the club head is about 800 grams or less when air speed is 120 mph at a pitch angle of 0° and a beta angle of 20°.

10. A golf club head comprising:

a front portion comprising a striking face, a rear end, a toe, a heel, a crown, a sole, and a hosel;

wherein the crown comprises a front portion, a rear portion, and one or more stepped portions positioned between the front portion of the crown and the rear portion of the crown;

wherein the golf club head has an origin located at a geometric center of the striking face, the origin including:

an x-axis extending in a heel-toe direction and tangential to the striking face and generally parallel to a ground plane when the head is in an address position, with positive x-values being in the direction from the origin toward the heel of the golf club head;

a y-axis extending in a front-rear direction and perpendicular to the x-axis and generally parallel to the ground plane when the head is in the address position, with positive y-values being in the direction from the origin toward the rear end of the golf club head;

a z-axis extending in a sole-crown direction and perpendicular to the ground plane, perpendicular to the x-axis and perpendicular to the y-axis when the head is in the address position, with positive z-values being in the direction from the origin toward the crown of the golf club head;

wherein one stepped portion of the crown extends in a toeward and rearward direction and forms an average angle α of at least about 10° relative to a plane perpendicular to the y-axis;

wherein the golf club head has a center of gravity having a z-coordinate of less than or equal to −4 mm;

wherein a front to rear distance, Dsp, is greater than about 20 mm and less than 40 mm;

wherein a striking face width as measured along the x-axis is no more than 80 mm;

wherein an aerodynamic drag of the club head is about 1000 grams or less when air speed is 120 mph at a pitch angle of 0° and a beta angle of 20°;

wherein the front portion of the crown comprises a rearwardly extending portion at a toe end of the crown, and the one or more stepped portions of the crown comprises a rearwardly extending stepped portion that forms a heel-to-toe transition between the rear portion of the crown and the rearwardly extending portion of the front portion of the crown; and

wherein the rearwardly extending portion decreases in z-axis height relative to the rear portion in a front-to-rear direction, such that the heel-to-toe transition between the rear portion of the crown and the rearwardly extending portion also decreases in z-axis height relative to the rear portion in a front-to-rear direction.

11. The golf club head of claim 10 , wherein the golf club head has a height H 1 measured from the ground plane to the top of the face of no more than 45 mm as measured along the z-axis.

12. The golf club head of claim 10 , wherein a stepped portion of the crown extends in a toeward and rearward direction that forms an average angle α of at least about 20° relative to a plane perpendicular to the y-axis.

13. The golf club head of claim 10 , wherein the external surfaces of the front portion of the crown and the rear portion of the crown are non-concave.

14. The golf club head of claim 10 , wherein a front edge of the stepped portion of the crown at an x-coordinate of zero has a y-coordinate of at least about 20 mm.

15. The golf club head of claim 10 , wherein a front edge of the stepped portion of the crown at an x-coordinate of zero has a y-coordinate of at least about 40 mm.

16. The golf club head of claim 10 , wherein an aerodynamic drag of the club head is about 700 grams or less when air speed is 120 mph at a pitch angle of 0° and a beta angle of 20°.

17. A golf club head comprising:

a front portion comprising a striking face, a rear end, a toe, a heel, a crown, a sole, and a hosel;

wherein the crown comprises a front portion, a rear portion, and one or more stepped portions positioned between the front portion of the crown and the rear portion of the crown;

wherein the golf club head has an origin located at a geometric center of the striking face, the origin including:

an x-axis extending in a heel-toe direction and tangential to the striking face and generally parallel to a ground plane when the head is in an address position, with positive x-values being in the direction from the origin toward the heel of the golf club head;

a y-axis extending in a front-rear direction and perpendicular to the x-axis and generally parallel to the ground plane when the head is in the address position, with positive y-values being in the direction from the origin toward the rear end of the golf club head;

a z-axis extending in a sole-crown direction and perpendicular to the ground plane, perpendicular to the x-axis and perpendicular to the y-axis when the head is in the address position, with positive z-values being in the direction from the origin toward the crown of the golf club head;

wherein at least one stepped portion of the crown extends in a toeward and rearward direction and forms an average angle α of at least about 10° relative to a plane perpendicular to the y-axis;

wherein the golf club head has a center of gravity having a z-coordinate of less than or equal to −3.5 mm;

wherein an aerodynamic drag of the club head is about 800 grams or less when air speed is 120 mph at a pitch angle of 0° and a beta angle of 20°;

wherein a front to rear distance, Dsp, is from 20 mm to 40 mm;

wherein a striking face width as measured along the x-axis is no more than 80 mm;

wherein the front portion of the crown comprises a rearwardly extending portion at a toe end of the crown, and the one or more stepped portions comprises a rearwardly extending stepped portion that forms a heel-to-toe transition between the rear portion of the crown and the rearwardly extending portion of the front portion of the crown; and

wherein the rearwardly extending portion decreases in z-axis height relative to the rear portion in a front-to-rear direction, such that the heel-to-toe transition between the rear portion of the crown and the rearwardly extending portion also decreases in z-axis height relative to the rear portion in a front-to-rear direction.

18. The golf club head of claim 17 , wherein stepped portion of the crown extends in a toeward and rearward direction that forms an average angle α of at least about 30° relative to a plane perpendicular to the y-axis.

19. The golf club head of claim 17 , wherein the golf club head has a height H 1 measured from the ground plane to the top of the face of no more than 45 mm as measured along the z-axis.

20. The golf club head of claim 17 , wherein the external surfaces of the front portion of the crown and the rear portion of the crown are non-concave.

21. The golf club head of claim 11 , further comprising one or more adjustable weights.

22. The golf club head of claim 19 , further comprising one or more adjustable weights.

Assignments (7)