Granted Patent B2

US 12,673,245 · App. 18/511,843 · Granted Jul 7, 2026

Inventors: Eric J. Morales (Laveen, AZ); Ryan M. Stokke (Anthem, AZ); Martin R. Jertson (Phoenix, AZ); Clayson C. Spackman (Scottsdale, AZ); Cory S. Bacon (Cave Creek, AZ); Yujen Huang (Pingtung, TW); Travis D. Milleman (Portland, OR)

Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation

A63B53/0475A63B53/0466A63B60/02A63B53/04A63B53/0416A63B53/042A63B53/0433A63B53/0437A63B53/047A63B2053/0491A63B60/002A63B2209/00A63B2209/02A63B2209/023

Abstract

Claims (52)

1 . A golf club head comprising:

a striking face, a rear end, a toe end, a heel end, a crown, a skirt and a sole;

a metallic first component; and

a second component formed from a fiber reinforced composite coupled to the metallic first component to define a closed volume therebetween;

wherein the metallic first component comprises the striking face, a frame extending rearward from a perimeter of the striking face, and a sole extension projecting rearward from the frame;

wherein the second component comprises at least one panel forming at least a portion of the crown and a portion of the skirt;

wherein the at least one panel comprises a resilient layer comprising a fabric reinforced composite and a structural layer comprising a fiber-filled thermoplastic composite;

wherein the resilient layer comprises a first thermoplastic resin and the structural layer comprises a second thermoplastic resin;

wherein the first and second thermoplastic resins are miscible;

wherein the sole extension further comprises a weight assembly;

wherein the weight assembly is an integrally formed portion of the metallic first component and comprises a plurality of threaded receivers;

wherein the plurality of threaded receivers consists of a heel-side threaded receiver, a toe-side threaded receiver, and a central threaded receiver;

wherein a distance separating adjacent threaded receivers is between 0.5 inch and 0.6 inch;

wherein the club head further comprises a singular detachable weight configured to be received by the weight assembly and is insertable into any one of the plurality of threaded receivers;

wherein the singular detachable weight comprises a mass between 25 grams and 40 grams;

a crown brace extending between a rear end of the sole extension and a crown portion of the frame; and

wherein the crown brace is made of a polymeric material.

2 . The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the resilient layer comprises an outer shell of the at least one panel, wherein the outer shell forms at least a portion of an exterior surface of the golf club head.

3 . The golf club head of claim 2 , wherein the resilient layer and the structural layer are thermally fused together.

4 . The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the resilient layer and the structural layer comprise a common thermoplastic resin.

5 . The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the sole extension comprises a width that decreases in a front-to-rear direction along the sole.

6 . The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the metallic first component further comprises a sole extension heel-ward angle and a sole extension toe-ward angle, wherein the sole extension heel-ward angle and sole extension toe-ward angle are supplementary angles.

7 . The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the at least one panel wraps over a perimeter edge of the club head.

8 . The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the crown brace is recessed from an exterior surface of the golf club head.

9 . The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the at least one panel overlaps the crown brace.

10 . The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the structural layer forms at least a portion of an interior surface of the at least one panel facing the closed volume.

11 . A golf club head comprising:

a striking face, a rear end, a toe end, a heel end, a crown, a skirt and a sole;

a metallic first component; and

a second component formed from a fiber reinforced composite coupled to the metallic first component to define a closed volume therebetween;

wherein the metallic first component comprises the striking face, a frame extending rearward from a perimeter of the striking face, a sole extension projecting rearward from the frame, and a crown brace extending from a crown portion of the frame to a rear portion of the sole extension;

wherein the crown brace is made of a polymeric material;

wherein the second component comprises a first panel forming at least a portion of the crown and a toe side portion of the skirt and a second panel forming at least a portion of the crown and a heel side portion of the skirt;

wherein the first and second panels each comprise a resilient outer shell comprising a fabric reinforced composite and a structural inner shell comprising a fiber-filled thermoplastic composite;

wherein the resilient outer shell comprises a first thermoplastic resin and the structural inner shell comprises a second thermoplastic resin;

wherein the first and second thermoplastic resins are miscible;

wherein the sole extension further comprises a weight assembly;

wherein the weight assembly is an integrally formed portion of the metallic first component and comprises a plurality of threaded receivers;

wherein the plurality of threaded receivers consists of a heel-side threaded receiver, a toe-side threaded receiver, and a central threaded receiver;

wherein a distance separating adjacent threaded receivers is between 0.5 inch and 0.6 inch;

wherein the club head further comprises a singular detachable weight configured to be received by the weight assembly and is insertable into any one of the plurality of threaded receivers;

wherein the singular detachable weight comprises a mass between 25 grams and 40 grams.

12 . The golf club head of claim 11 , wherein the first panel extends from a toe side of the crown brace to a toe side of the sole extension; and

wherein the second panel extends from a heel side of the crown brace to a heel side of the sole extension.

13 . The golf club head of claim 11 , wherein the sole extension comprises a width that decreases in a front-to-rear direction along the sole.

14 . The golf club head of claim 11 , wherein the resilient outer shell and the structural inner shell comprise a common thermoplastic resin.

15 . The golf club head of claim 14 , wherein the resilient outer shell and the structural inner shell are thermally fused together; and

wherein there are no intermediate adhesives between the resilient outer shell and the structural inner shell.

16 . The golf club head of claim 11 , wherein the structural inner shell of each of the first and second panels extends around a perimeter edge of the respective panel.

17 . The golf club head of claim 11 , wherein each of the first and second panels forms at least a portion of the sole.

18 . The golf club head of claim 11 , wherein the first panel and the second panel each overlap the crown brace.

19 . The golf club head of claim 11 , wherein the crown brace comprises a bisecting lengthwise axis; and wherein the first panel and the second panel meet at a seam that is parallel to the bisecting lengthwise axis.

Continuity (33)

References Cited (272)