Iron head

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9079081-B2
Application number	US-201213443369-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 10, 2012
Priority date	Jul 22, 2009
Publication date	Jul 14, 2015
Grant date	Jul 14, 2015

Abstract

An iron head includes a striking face; a backside surface; a sole surface; a hosel; a recess portion provided in an upper portion of the backside surface; a protruding portion provided at a lower portion of the backside surface and projecting backward; a first hollow portion provided on a heel side of the protruding portion; and a second hollow portion disposed on a toe side and inside the protruding portion. The protruding portion includes a middle portion between the first hollow portion and the second hollow portion. The first hollow portion is disposed away from the second hollow portion by a distance gradually increasing from an upper surface of the protruding portion toward the sole surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An iron head comprising:
a striking face;
a backside surface;
a sole surface;
a hosel;
a recess portion provided in an upper portion of the backside surface;
a protruding portion provided at a lower portion of the backside surface and projecting backward;
a first hollow portion provided on a heel side of the protruding portion; and
a second hollow portion disposed on a toe side and inside the protruding portion, said protruding portion including a middle portion between the first hollow portion and the second hollow portion,
wherein said first hollow portion is disposed away from the second hollow portion so that a distance between the first hollow portion and the second hollow portion in a direction from the heel side to the toe side gradually increases from an upper surface of the protruding portion toward the sole surface, and
said cavity portion has a first maximum length in a vertical direction parallel with the striking face is set between 20% and 50% of a second maximum length of the striking face in the vertical direction.

2. The iron head according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of said first hollow portion and said second hollow portion penetrates from an upper surface of the protruding portion to the sole surface, and has a first lid to close the sole surface.

3. The iron head according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of said first hollow portion and said second hollow portion has a second lid to close an upper portion thereof.

4. The iron head according to claim 1 , wherein said first hollow portion is disposed away from the second hollow portion by the distance of 10 to 30 mm at the upper surface of the protruding portion.

5. The iron head according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of said first hollow portion and said second hollow portion is disposed not to reach the sole surface.

6. The iron head according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of said first hollow portion and said second hollow portion is filled with a shock absorber.

7. The iron head according to claim 6 , wherein said shock absorber is made of a rubber or an elastomer.

8. The iron head according to claim 1 , wherein said striking face includes a plurality of score lines including a longest score line, said middle portion being disposed so that a center line of the middle portion is aligned with a center line of the longest score line.

9. The iron head according to claim 1 , wherein said first hollow portion has a first length in a vertical direction, said second hollow portion having a second length in the vertical direction greater than the first length.

10. The iron head according to claim 1 , wherein each of said first hollow portion and said second hollow portion has a substantially triangle shape.

11. The iron head according to claim 1 , wherein each of said first hollow portion and said second hollow portion has a width between 10 mm and 20 mm at the upper surface of the protruding portion in the direction from the heel side to the toe side.

12. The iron head according to claim 1 , further comprising a weight portion disposed in the protruding portion.

13. The iron head according to claim 12 , wherein said weight is disposed between the first hollow portion and the second hollow portion in the direction from the heel side to the toe side.

14. The iron head according to claim 1 , further comprising a rib portion disposed at an upper edge of the recess portion.

15. An iron head comprising:
a striking face;
a backside surface;
a sole surface;
a hosel;
a recess portion provided in an upper portion of the backside surface;
a protruding portion provided at a lower portion of the backside surface and projecting backward:
a first hollow portion provided on a heel side of the protruding portion; and
a second hollow portion disposed on a toe side and inside the protruding portion, said protruding portion including a middle portion between the first hollow portion and the second hollow portion,
wherein said first hollow portion is disposed away from the second hollow portion so that a distance between the first hollow portion and the second hollow portion in a direction from the heel side to the toe side gradually increases from an upper surface of the protruding portion toward the sole surface, and
said protruding portion has a third maximum length in a vertical direction parallel with the striking face is set between 48% and 78% of a second maximum length of the striking face in the vertical direction.

16. The iron head according to claim 15 , wherein said first hollow portion is disposed away from the second hollow portion by the distance of 10 to 30 mm at the upper surface of the protruding portion.

Assignees

• Shimazaki Hideo
• Bridgestone Sports Co Ltd

Inventors

• Shimazaki Hideo

Classifications

• A63B53/047 Primary

  iron-type · CPC title

• A63B53/0475

  with one or more enclosed cavities · CPC title

• A63B53/04

  Heads · CPC title

• A63B60/54

  with means for damping vibrations · CPC title

• A63B60/02

  Ballast means for adjusting the centre of mass (A63B60/24, A63B60/54 take precedence) · CPC title