IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,358,041

Granted Patent B2

US 11,358,041 · App. 17/101,136 · Granted Jun 14, 2022

Golf shaft system and golf shaft

Inventors: Byron H. Adams (Indian Wells, CA); Blair M. Philip (Dallas, TX); Jeffrey T. Halstead (Wylie, TX); Robert E. Stephens (Fort Worth, TX); Trever M. Napier (Plano, TX)

Assignee: BREAKTHROUGH GOLF TECHNOLOGY LLC

A63B53/10 A63B53/007 A63B53/12 A63B60/08 A63B60/26 A63B53/005 A63B2209/00

View Patent ↗

Loading inventors, assignments & file history…

Monitor This Case

Get email alerts when status or documents change.

Order Certified Copies

Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.

Order via The Patent Place →

Pre-filled with this patent's details

Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 11,358,041
App. No.: 17/101,136
Granted: Jun 14, 2022
Kind: B2

External Links

USPTO Patent Center↗ Full Patent PDF↗

Abstract

A golf club shaft system and golf club shaft possessing unique flexural and torsional rigidity profiles, while providing significant adjustability to fine tune the shaft to a particular golf swing.

Claims (58)

1. A golf club shaft system, comprising:

a shaft having a shaft distal end, a shaft proximal end, a shaft outer diameter, a shaft length, and a shaft mass, wherein each point along the shaft length has (i) a shaft flexural rigidity, and (ii) a shaft torsional rigidity;

the shaft having a butt portion releasably joined by a coupler to a tip portion selected from one of at least a first tip portion and at least a second tip portion, wherein the coupler has a coupler mass;

the butt portion having a butt portion distal end, a butt portion proximal end, and a butt portion length;

the first tip portion having a first tip portion distal end, a first tip portion proximal end, a first tip portion length that is less than the butt portion length, and a first tip portion mass;

the second tip portion having a second tip portion distal end, a second tip portion proximal end, a second tip portion length that is less than the butt portion length, and a second tip portion mass;

the butt portion formed of a butt portion material having a butt material density, a butt portion mass, a butt portion elastic modulus, a butt portion shear modulus, and each point along the butt portion length having (i) a butt portion area moment of inertia, (ii) a butt portion polar moment of inertia, (iii) a butt portion flexural rigidity, and (iv) a butt portion torsional rigidity;

the first tip portion formed of a first tip portion material having a first tip material density, a first tip portion elastic modulus, and a first tip portion shear modulus, and each point along the first tip portion length having (i) a first tip portion area moment of inertia, (ii) a first tip portion polar moment of inertia, (iii) a first tip portion flexural rigidity, and (iv) a first tip portion torsional rigidity;

the second tip portion formed of a second tip portion material having a second tip material density, a second tip portion elastic modulus, and a second tip portion shear modulus, and each point along the second tip portion length having (i) a second tip portion area moment of inertia, (ii) a second tip portion polar moment of inertia, (iii) a second tip portion flexural rigidity, and (iv) a second tip portion torsional rigidity;

wherein at least one of the following is true: (a) a maximum second tip portion flexural rigidity is at least 25% greater than a maximum first tip portion flexural rigidity, and (b) a maximum second tip portion torsional rigidity is at least 35% greater than a maximum first tip portion torsional rigidity;

wherein the second tip portion mass is no more than 50% greater than the first tip portion mass;

wherein an average first tip portion flexural rigidity is 10-50 N*m 2 and an average second tip portion flexural rigidity is 10-50 N*m 2 ; and

wherein an average first tip portion torsional rigidity is 5-40 N*m 2 and an average second tip portion torsional rigidity is 5-40 N*m 2 .

2. The golf club shaft system of claim 1 , wherein the maximum second tip portion flexural rigidity is at least 50% greater than the maximum first tip portion flexural rigidity, and the maximum second tip portion torsional rigidity is at least 75% greater than the maximum first tip portion torsional rigidity.

3. The golf club shaft system of claim 2 , wherein the maximum second tip portion flexural rigidity is 50-150% greater than the maximum first tip portion flexural rigidity, and the maximum second tip portion torsional rigidity is 75-350% greater than the maximum first tip portion torsional rigidity.

4. The golf club shaft system of claim 1 , wherein the coupler mass that is no more than the (a) the first tip portion mass, or (b) the second tip portion mass.

5. The golf club shaft system of claim 4 , wherein the coupler mass is at least 25% of the (a) the first tip portion mass, and (b) the second tip portion mass.

6. The golf club shaft system of claim 1 , wherein the first tip portion length is at least 25% less than the butt portion length, and the second tip portion length is at least 25% less than the butt portion length.

7. The golf shaft system of claim 1 , wherein the shaft has a first shaft center of gravity located a first shaft CG distance from the shaft proximal end when the first tip portion is installed and the first shaft CG distance is no more than 65% of the shaft length, and the shaft has a second shaft center of gravity located a second shaft CG distance from the shaft proximal end when the second tip portion is installed and the second shaft CG distance is no more than 65% of the shaft length.

8. The golf club shaft system of claim 7 , wherein the first tip portion length is 25-80% less than the butt portion length, and the second tip portion length is 25-80% less than the butt portion length.

9. The golf club shaft system of claim 7 , wherein the first shaft CG distance is no more than 5 mm from the second shaft CG distance.

10. The golf club shaft system of claim 1 , wherein (a) the maximum first tip portion torsional rigidity is greater than the maximum first tip portion flexural rigidity, and (b) the maximum second tip portion torsional rigidity is less than the maximum second tip portion flexural rigidity.

11. The golf club shaft system of claim 10 , wherein (a) the maximum first tip portion torsional rigidity is at least 30% greater than the maximum first tip portion flexural rigidity, and (b) the maximum second tip portion torsional rigidity is at least 50% less than the maximum second tip portion flexural rigidity.

12. The golf club shaft system of claim 11 , wherein the second tip portion mass is no more than 20% greater than the first tip portion mass, and the first tip portion mass is 35-85% of the butt portion mass and the second tip portion mass is 35-85% of the butt portion mass.

13. The golf club shaft system of claim 1 , wherein the shaft flexural rigidity exceeds 125 N*m 2 for a distance of no more than 15% of the shaft length, and the shaft torsional rigidity exceeds 100 N*m 2 for a distance of no more than 15% of the shaft length.

14. The golf club shaft system of claim 1 , wherein the butt portion material is non-metallic and at least one of the first tip portion material and the second tip portion material is non-metallic.

15. The golf club shaft system of claim 1 , wherein the butt portion mass that is 35-75% of the shaft mass, the first tip material density that is within 15% of the butt material density, and the second tip material density that is within 15% of the butt material density.

16. A golf club shaft system, comprising:

the butt portion having a butt portion distal end, a butt portion proximal end, and a butt portion length;

the first tip portion having a first tip portion distal end, a first tip portion proximal end, a first tip portion length that is less than the butt portion length, and a first tip portion mass;

the second tip portion having a second tip portion distal end, a second tip portion proximal end, a second tip portion length that is less than the butt portion length, and a second tip portion mass;

wherein the maximum second tip portion torsional rigidity is less than the maximum second tip portion flexural rigidity;

wherein the butt portion material is non-metallic and at least one of the first tip portion material and the second tip portion material is non-metallic;

wherein an average first tip portion flexural rigidity is 10-50 N*m 2 and an average second tip portion flexural rigidity is 10-50 N*m 2 ; and

wherein an average first tip portion torsional rigidity is 5-40 N*m 2 and an average second tip portion torsional rigidity is 5-40 N*m 2 .

17. The golf club shaft system of claim 16 , wherein (a) the maximum first tip portion torsional rigidity is at least 30% greater than the maximum first tip portion flexural rigidity, and (b) the maximum second tip portion torsional rigidity is at least 50% less than the maximum second tip portion flexural rigidity.

18. The golf club shaft system of claim 16 , wherein the first tip portion length is at least 25% less than the butt portion length, the second tip portion length is at least 25% less than the butt portion length, the shaft has a first shaft center of gravity located a first shaft CG distance from the shaft proximal end when the first tip portion is installed and the first shaft CG distance is no more than 65% of the shaft length, and the shaft has a second shaft center of gravity located a second shaft CG distance from the shaft proximal end when the second tip portion is installed and the second shaft CG distance is no more than 65% of the shaft length.

19. The golf club shaft system of claim 16 , wherein the first shaft CG distance is no more than 5 mm from the second shaft CG distance.

20. A golf club shaft system, comprising:

the butt portion having a butt portion distal end, a butt portion proximal end, and a butt portion length;

the first tip portion having a first tip portion distal end, a first tip portion proximal end, a first tip portion length that is less than the butt portion length, and a first tip portion mass;

the second tip portion having a second tip portion distal end, a second tip portion proximal end, a second tip portion length that is less than the butt portion length, and a second tip portion mass;

wherein a maximum second tip portion flexural rigidity is at least 25% greater than a maximum first tip portion flexural rigidity;

wherein the maximum first tip portion torsional rigidity is greater than the maximum first tip portion flexural rigidity;

wherein the butt portion material is non-metallic and at least one of the first tip portion material and the second tip portion material is non-metallic;

wherein an average first tip portion flexural rigidity is 10-50 N*m 2 and an average second tip portion flexural rigidity is 10-50 N*m 2 ; and

wherein an average first tip portion torsional rigidity is 5-40 N*m 2 and an average second tip portion torsional rigidity is 5-40 N*m 2 .

Assignments (1)

ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 4, 2022

From: ADAMS, BYRON H; HALSTEAD, JEFFREY T.; STEPHENS, ROBERT E; NAPIER, TREVER M.; PHILIP, BLAIR M.

To: BREAKTHROUGH GOLF TECHNOLOGY LLC

Reel/Frame 058606/0595 →

Continuity (4)

Continuation 16721025 · Dec 19, 2019

Continuation In Part 16237894 · Jan 2, 2019

Continuation 15884683 · Jan 31, 2018

Related Publication 20210086045A1 · Mar 25, 2021

Cited By (1)

US 12,201,883