Golf club head or other ball striking device with face having modulus variance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11358036-B2
Application number	US-201916566741-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 10, 2019
Priority date	May 31, 2012
Publication date	Jun 14, 2022
Grant date	Jun 14, 2022

Abstract

A ball striking device, such as a golf club head, includes a face having a ball striking surface, an inner surface opposite the ball striking surface, and a thickness defined between the ball striking surface and the inner surface, and a body connected to the face and extending rearward from the face. The face has a modulus gradient across the thickness of the face, such that the modulus of the face varies at different distances from the ball striking surface. The face may also include at least one of an insert, a composite material, a multi-layered structure, and/or a portion treated by a surface treatment to contribute to the modulus gradient.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A golf club head comprising:
a face member including a face with a striking surface, an inner surface opposite the striking surface, and a thickness defined between the striking surface and the inner surface, and wherein the face further comprises a multi-layered structure extending across the thickness of the face;
a body member configured to be removably connected to the face member, and wherein the body member further forms an opening and comprises a lip or flange that extends around a periphery of the body member;
wherein the face member is received within the opening of the body member and rests against the lip or flange of the body member;
wherein the face member forms one or more holes that extends completely through the striking surface and the inner surface of the face member;
wherein the body member forms one or more holes that extends partially therethrough and configured to be aligned with the one or more holes of the face member;
wherein each hole of the face member and the body member are configured to receive one or more fasteners to connect the face member to the body member;
wherein each of the one or more fasteners has a first end comprising a head and a second end opposite the first end the fastener;
wherein the multi-layered structure includes a plurality of layers, wherein each layer of the plurality of layers comprises a different modulus, and wherein each layer of the plurality of layers has a different surface treatment to further increase a modulus gradient of the golf club head;
wherein the multi-layered structure includes a first layer, a second layer, and a third layer, wherein the first layer, the second laver, and the third layer comprises a different modulus; and
wherein each of the one or more fasteners extend through the one or more holes of the face member and the head of each fastener is in communication with the face member and the second end of each fastener is received in the one or more holes of the body member to removably connect the face member to the body member.

2. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the body member has a thickened portion, the thickened portion having a wall thickness that is greater than adjacent portions of the body member, and wherein the one or more holes of the body member are formed in the thickened portion.

3. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the multi-layered structure has a lower modulus than the striking surface.

4. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the face member and the body member are formed of different materials.

5. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the striking surface has a higher modulus than the multi-layered structure.

6. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the striking surface comprises a surface treatment.

7. The golf club head of claim 6 , wherein the surface treatment includes at least one technique selected from a group consisting of: carburizing or other case hardening technique, plasma etching, peening, electron-beam surface treatment, laser surface hardening, flame hardening, induction hardening, diffusion hardening, nitriding, quenching, precipitation strengthening, surface oxygen diffusion permeation, and coating.

8. The golf club head of claim 1 ; wherein the body member is formed of a fiber-reinforced polymer material.

9. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein a portion of the body member is formed of a composite material.

10. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein a portion of the face member is formed of a composite material.

11. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the face member is interchangeable with another face member to alter one or more properties of the golf club head.

12. A golf club head comprising:
a face member including a face with a striking surface, an inner surface opposite the striking surface, and a thickness defined between the striking surface and the inner surface, the face further comprises a multi-layered structure extending across the thickness of the face;
a body member configured to be removably connected to the face member, such that the body member forms an opening and comprises a lip or flange that extends around a periphery of the body member;
wherein the face member is received within the opening of the body member and rests against the lip or flange of the body member;
wherein the face member forms one or more holes that extends completely through the striking surface and the inner surface;
wherein the body member forms one or more holes that extends partially therethrough and configured to be aligned with the one or more holes of the face member;
wherein each hole of the face member and the body member are configured to receive a fastener to connect the face member to the body member;
wherein each fastener has a first end comprising a head and a second end opposite the first end the fastener;
wherein each fastener extends through the one or more holes of the face member and the head of each fastener is in communication with the face member and the second end of each fastener is received in the one or more holes of the body member to removably connect the face member to the body member; and
wherein the multi-layered structure includes a first laver, a second layer, and a third layer, wherein the first layer, the second layer, and the third layer comprises a different modulus.

13. The golf club head of claim 12 , wherein a surface treatment is applied to the striking surface of the face member.

14. The golf club head of claim 12 , wherein the first layer has the highest modulus, followed by the second layer, and the third layer has the lowest modulus.

15. The golf club head of claim 14 , wherein the multi-layered structure comprises a fourth layer.

16. The golf club head of claim 12 , wherein the face member and the body member are formed of different materials.

17. The golf club head of claim 12 , wherein the face member is interchangeable with another second face member to change one or more properties of the face member.

18. The golf club head of claim 17 , wherein the second face member comprises a different multi-layered structure.

19. The golf club head of claim 17 , wherein the second face member comprises a different face modulus.

20. The golf club head of claim 12 , wherein a golf shaft is connected to the body member.

Assignees

• Karsten Mfg Corp

Inventors

• Boyd Robert M
• Perry Mark J
• Sayre Jay R

Classifications

• A63B2209/023

  Long, oriented fibres, e.g. wound filaments, woven fabrics, mats · CPC title

• A63B53/0429

  the face insert comprising two or more layers of material · CPC title

• A63B53/047

  iron-type · CPC title

• A63B53/0487

  for putters (A63B53/065 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A63B53/0416

  Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert · CPC title