Laser-contrasted golf club head and manufacturing process

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12377321-B2
Application number	US-202218055204-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 14, 2022
Priority date	Jun 15, 2020
Publication date	Aug 5, 2025
Grant date	Aug 5, 2025

Abstract

A golf club head having a laser-generated features to create contrast on the club face of the golf club head. The club face includes a central region, a toe region, and a heel region. The central region includes a first plurality of laser-generated features that provide a height-intersection coverage of the central region, a width-intersection coverage of the central region, and a surface-area coverage of the central region. The toe region includes a second plurality of laser-generated features that provide a height-intersection coverage of the toe region, a width-intersection coverage of the toe region, and a surface-area coverage of the toe region. The heel region includes a third plurality of laser-generated features that provide a height-intersection coverage of the heel region, a width-intersection coverage of the heel region, and a surface-area coverage of the heel region.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A club face of a driver-type golf club head, comprising:
a coating that covers at least a portion of each of a central region of the club face, a toe region of the club face, and a heel region of the club face;
a first plurality of laser-generated features on the central region of the club face, wherein:
the first plurality of laser-generated features provides at least two of a height-intersection coverage of the central region of at least 80%, a width-intersection coverage of the central region of at least 80%, or a surface-area coverage of the central region of at least 25%; and
wherein the first plurality of laser-generated features has a maximum width between about 30% to 50% of a maximum width of the club face;

a second plurality of laser-generated features on the toe region of the club face, wherein the second plurality of laser-generated features are differently shaped from the first plurality of laser-generated features, do not overlap with the first plurality of laser-generated features, and a surface-area coverage of the toe region by the second plurality of laser-generated features is less than the surface-area coverage of the central region by the first plurality of laser-generated features; and
a third plurality of laser-generated features on the heel region of the club face, wherein the third plurality of laser-generated features are differently shaped from the first plurality of laser-generated features, do not overlap with the first plurality of laser-generated features, and a surface-area coverage of the heel region by the third plurality of laser-generated features is less than the surface-area coverage of the central region by the first plurality of laser-generated features.

2. The club face of claim 1 , wherein:
the second plurality of laser-generated features on the toe region of the club face are spaced apart, in a heel-to-toe direction, from the first plurality of laser-generated features; and
the third plurality of laser-generated features on the toe region of the club face are spaced apart, in the heel-to-toe direction, from the first plurality of laser-generated features.

3. The club face of claim 1 , wherein:
the second plurality of laser-generated features provides width-intersection coverage of the toe region of at least 80% and a surface-area coverage of the toe region of at least 10%; and
the third plurality of laser-generated features provides width-intersection coverage of the heel region of at least 80% and a surface-area coverage of the heel region of at least 10%.

4. The club face of claim 1 , wherein the central region has a maximum width that is between 30% to 50% of a maximum width of the club face.

5. The club face of claim 4 , wherein:
the second plurality of laser-generated features on the toe region of the club face extend in a heel-to-toe direction and do not extend into the central region of the club face; and
the third plurality of laser-generated features on the heel region extend in the heel-to-toe direction and do not extend into the central region of the club face.

6. The club face of claim 1 , wherein the width-intersection coverage of the central region by first plurality of laser-generated features is substantially the same as a width-intersection coverage of the toe region by the second plurality of laser-generated features and a width intersection coverage of the heel region by the third plurality of laser-generated features.

7. The club face of claim 1 , wherein the width-intersection coverage of the central region by the first plurality of laser-generated features is at least 90%.

8. The club face of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of laser-generated features, the second plurality of laser-generated features, and the third plurality of laser-generated features are offset from a lower perimeter of the club face by an offset distance between 2-5 mm.

9. The club face of claim 1 , wherein:
the second plurality of laser-generated features and the third plurality of laser-generated features have the same shape;
each of the first plurality of laser-generated features extend at least partially in a crown-to-sole direction;
each of the second plurality of laser-generated features extend in a heel-to-toe direction; and
each of the third plurality of laser-generated features extend in the heel-to-toe direction.

10. A club face of a driver-type golf club head, comprising:
a central region;
a toe region;
a heel region;
a coating that at least partially covers the central region, the toe region, and the heel region;
a first plurality of laser-generated features on the central region, wherein the first plurality of laser-generated features provide a width-intersection coverage of the central region of at least 80% and a surface-area coverage of the central region of at least 25%;
a second plurality of laser-generated features on the toe region, wherein the second plurality of laser-generated features are differently shaped from the first plurality of laser-generated features, do not overlap with the first plurality of laser-generated features, are spaced apart, in a heel-to-toe direction, from the first plurality of laser-generated features, and a height-intersection coverage of the toe region by the second plurality of laser-generated features is less than a height-intersection coverage of the central region by the first plurality of laser-generated features; and
a third plurality of laser-generated features on the heel region of the club face, wherein the third plurality of laser-generated features are differently shaped from the first plurality of laser-generated features, do not overlap with the first plurality of laser-generated features, are spaced apart, in the heel-to-toe direction, from the first plurality of laser-generated features, and a height-intersection coverage of the heel region by the third plurality of laser-generated features is less than the height-intersection coverage of the central region by the first plurality of laser-generated features;
wherein the first plurality of laser-generated features create a contrast with the second plurality of laser-generated features and the third-plurality of laser generated features.

11. The club face of claim 1 , wherein:
the second plurality of laser-generated features provides a width-intersection coverage of the toe region of at least 90%;
the second plurality of laser-generated features do not extend into the central region;
the third plurality of laser-generated features provides a width-intersection coverage of the heel region of at least 90%; and
the third plurality of laser-generated features do not extend into the central region.

12. The club face of claim 1 , further comprising a fourth plurality of laser-generated features on the toe region of the club face, wherein the fourth plurality of laser-generated features provides a width-intersection coverage of the toe region of at least 80%.

13. The club face of claim 1 , wherein the laser-generated features of the first plurality of laser-generated features are lines extending in both in a partially heel-to-toe direction and a partially crown-to-sole direction.

14. The club face of claim 1 , further comprising, in the central region, a continuous laser-generated band that is contoured to match a shape of a lower boundary of the club face, the band being offset from a perimeter of the club face by an offset distance between 2-5 mm.

15. A club face of a driver-type golf club head, comprising:
a central region;
a toe region;
a heel region;
a coating that at least partially covers the centra

Assignees

• Acushnet Co

Inventors

• Luttrell Stephanie
• Jacobson Vincent S
• Wolfe Kevin

Classifications

• A63B53/0441

  with visual indicators for aligning the golf club · CPC title

• C23C14/028

  Physical treatment to alter the texture of the substrate surface, e.g. grinding, polishing · CPC title

• A63B2209/00

  Characteristics of used materials · CPC title

• C09D5/00

  Coating compositions, e.g. paints, varnishes or lacquers, characterised by their physical nature or the effects produced {(electrically insulating plastics, resins or waxes H01B3/30)}; Filling pastes · CPC title

• A63B53/0445 Primary

  Details of grooves or the like on the impact surface · CPC title