Golf club head and method of manufacture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11907923-B2
Application number	US-202117516083-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 1, 2021
Priority date	Dec 31, 2016
Publication date	Feb 20, 2024
Grant date	Feb 20, 2024

Abstract

An iron-type golf club having selectively machined portions and attributes, including a machined sole portion and/or a machined leading edge portion. The machined portion(s) include continuous machining scallop lines having a scallop height and a step-over distance. The scallop height is 10-75% of a finished leading edge radius at a vertical midpoint demarcation plane, and the step-over distance is less than 150% of the finished leading edge radius at the vertical midpoint demarcation plane.

First claim

We claim:

1. An iron-type golf club, comprising:
a body including a hosel, a heel portion, a sole portion having a sole length, a toe portion, a top-line portion, a face portion having a loft angle of 17-60 degrees, and a leading edge joining the face portion and the sole portion and having a finished leading edge radius, wherein the sole portion extends rearwardly from the leading edge;
the sole portion having a machined sole portion area of at least 900 mm 2 ;
the leading edge having a machined leading edge portion area of at least 50 mm 2 , wherein the machined leading edge portion area extends throughout at least 25% of the sole length and contacts a vertical midpoint demarcation plane;
the face portion having a machined face portion area of at least 1800 mm 2 ;
wherein the machined leading edge portion area is adjacent the machined sole portion area and has a plurality of continuous machining scallop lines extending from the machined sole portion area to the machined leading edge portion area;
wherein the plurality of continuous machining scallop lines have a scallop height and a step-over distance between adjacent continuous machining scallop lines; and
wherein the scallop height is 10-75% of the finished leading edge radius at the vertical midpoint demarcation plane, and the step-over distance is less than 150% of the finished leading edge radius at the vertical midpoint demarcation plane.

2. The iron-type golf club of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of continuous machining scallop lines have a machine tool path defining a vertical tool path plane within a path angle from a vertical front-to-rear plane that is perpendicular to a vertical shaft axis plane, and the path angle is no more than 35 degrees.

3. The iron-type golf club of claim 2 , wherein the machined leading edge portion area extends throughout at least 50% of the sole length, the scallop height is less than 70% of the finished leading edge radius at the vertical midpoint demarcation plane, and the step-over distance is less than the finished leading edge radius at the vertical midpoint demarcation plane.

4. The iron-type golf club of claim 3 , wherein the path angle is no more than 25 degrees.

5. The iron-type golf club of claim 3 , wherein the machined leading edge portion area extends throughout at least 75% of the sole length, the scallop height is less than 50% of the finished leading edge radius at the vertical midpoint demarcation plane, and the step-over distance is less than 75% of the finished leading edge radius at the vertical midpoint demarcation plane.

6. The iron-type golf club of claim 5 , wherein the finished leading edge radius at the vertical midpoint demarcation plane is different than a finished leading edge radius at another point within the machined leading edge portion area.

7. The iron-type golf club of claim 6 , wherein the finished leading edge radius at the vertical midpoint demarcation plane is at least 10% greater than the finished leading edge radius at another point within the machined leading edge portion area.

8. The iron-type golf club of claim 5 , wherein the path angle is no more than 15 degrees.

9. The iron-type golf club of claim 5 , wherein the scallop height is less than 35% of the finished leading edge radius at the vertical midpoint demarcation plane, the finished leading edge radius at the vertical midpoint demarcation plane is 1.0-4.0 mm, and the machined leading edge portion area is at least 75 mm 2 .

10. The iron-type golf club of claim 2 , wherein the scallop height is less than 0.50 mm and the step-over distance is no more than 1.5 mm.

11. The iron-type golf club of claim 2 , wherein the machine tool path varies along the machined leading edge portion area.

12. The iron-type golf club of claim 2 , wherein the sole portion has a sole portion void having a void length that is at least 50% of the sole length.

13. The iron-type golf club of claim 12 , wherein the sole portion void is at least partially filled with a void insert.

14. An iron-type golf club, comprising:
a body including a hosel, a heel portion, a sole portion having a sole length, a toe portion, a top-line portion, a face portion having a loft angle of 17-60 degrees, and a leading edge joining the face portion and the sole portion and having a finished leading edge radius, wherein the sole portion extends rearwardly from the leading edge;
the sole portion having a machined sole portion area of at least 900 mm 2 ;
the face portion having a machined face portion area of at least 1800 mm 2 ;
wherein the machined sole portion area has a plurality of continuous machining scallop lines extending from a rear of the sole portion toward the face portion and having a scallop height and a step-over distance between adjacent continuous machining scallop lines;
wherein the scallop height is 10-75% of the finished leading edge radius at the vertical midpoint demarcation plane, and the step-over distance is less than 150% of the finished leading edge radius at the vertical midpoint demarcation plane;
wherein the plurality of continuous machining scallop lines have a machine tool path defining a vertical tool path plane within a path angle from a vertical front-to-rear plane that is perpendicular to a vertical shaft axis plane, and the path angle is no more than 35 degrees; and
wherein the machined sole portion area extends throughout at least 50% of the sole length.

15. The iron-type golf club of claim 14 , wherein, the scallop height is less than 70% of the finished leading edge radius at the vertical midpoint demarcation plane, and the step-over distance is less than the finished leading edge radius at the vertical midpoint demarcation plane.

16. The iron-type golf club of claim 15 , wherein the path angle is no more than 25 degrees, the machined sole portion area extends throughout at least 75% of the sole length, the scallop height is less than 50% of the finished leading edge radius at the vertical midpoint demarcation plane, and the step-over distance is less than 75% of the finished leading edge radius at the vertical midpoint demarcation plane.

17. The iron-type golf club of claim 16 , wherein the finished leading edge radius at the vertical midpoint demarcation plane is at least 10% greater than a finished leading edge radius at another point within the machined sole portion area.

18. The iron-type golf club of claim 16 , wherein the scallop height is less than 35% of the finished leading edge radius at the vertical midpoint demarcation plane, the finished leading edge radius at the vertical midpoint demarcation plane is 1.0-4.0 mm, and a machined leading edge portion area is at least 75 mm 2 .

19. The iron-type golf club of claim 14 , wherein the scallop height is less than 0.50 mm and the step-over distance is no more than 1.5 mm.

20. The iron-type golf club of claim 14 , wherein the machine tool path varies along the machined sole portion area.

Assignees

• Taylor Made Golf Co

Inventors

• Long D Clayton
• Barker Peter

Classifications

• G06Q20/18 Primary

  involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals · CPC title

• A63B53/04

  Heads · CPC title

• A63B53/047

  iron-type · CPC title

• A63B53/0475 Primary

  with one or more enclosed cavities · CPC title

• A63B60/42

  Devices for measuring, verifying, correcting or customising the inherent characteristics of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like, e.g. measuring the maximum torque a batting shaft can withstand · CPC title