Golf club head

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9561409-B2
Application number	US-201514619938-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 11, 2015
Priority date	Jan 25, 2013
Publication date	Feb 7, 2017
Grant date	Feb 7, 2017

Abstract

A wood-type golf club head includes a main body and a striking wall associated with the main body. The striking wall has a striking face including a face center, a first imaginary plane tangent to the face center, and a rear surface opposite the striking face. In a second imaginary plane perpendicular to the first imaginary plane and passing through the face center, the striking face includes a first point associated with a maximum thickness, t max , of the striking wall, and a second point associated with a minimum thickness, t min , of the striking wall, such that a ratio, t max /t min , is no less than 1.70. Also, in the second imaginary plane, the striking wall gradually tapers in thickness entirely from the first point to the second point.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wood-type golf club head comprising:
a main body; and
a striking wall associated with the main body, the striking wall defining a striking face that includes a face center, a striking face perimeter, and is substantially coplanar with a virtual striking face plane,
wherein, in a virtual plane passing through the face center and perpendicular to the virtual striking face plane:
the striking face has, specific to the virtual plane, a face length L;
the striking wall has, specific to the virtual plane, a minimum thickness, t min , a maximum thickness, t max , that corresponds with the face center, and a first thickness region being the locus of locations on the striking face that are each associated with a thickness no less than 0.92*t max ;
a ratio t max /t min is no less than 1.70;
the first thickness region extends outward from the face center by a maximum distance D 1 that is no greater than 0.13*L;
the striking face comprises a minimum thickness point corresponding to the minimum thickness, t min ; and
the striking wall gradually tapers in thickness entirely from the face center to the minimum thickness point.

2. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the ratio t max /t min is no less than 1.75.

3. The golf club head of claim 2 , wherein the ratio t max /t min is no greater than 2.20.

4. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein an intersection between the virtual plane and the virtual striking face plane forms a horizontal line when the club head is oriented in a reference position.

5. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the virtual plane is vertical when the club head is oriented in a reference position.

6. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein a first coefficient of restitution value, measured at the face center, is less than 0.83, and a second coefficient of restitution value, measured at a location spaced from the face center, is greater than the first coefficient of restitution value.

7. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein, in the virtual plane:
the striking wall further comprises a second thickness region being the locus of locations on the striking face that are each associated with a thickness no less than 0.87*t max ; and
the second thickness region extends outward from the face center by a maximum distance, D 2 , no greater than 0.13*L.

8. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein, in the virtual plane:
the striking wall further comprises a third thickness region being the locus of locations on the striking face that are each associated with a thickness no less than 0.80*t max ; and
the third thickness region extends outward from the face center by a maximum distance, D 3 , no greater than 0.26*L.

9. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the maximum thickness, t max , is no less than 4.25 mm.

10. The golf club head of claim 9 , wherein the maximum thickness, t max , is between 4.30 mm and 4.60 mm.

11. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the minimum thickness, t min , is no greater than 2.75 mm.

12. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the striking face further comprises a point associated with the minimum thickness, t min , that is spaced from the striking face perimeter.

13. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the main body is formed of a material having an elongation of at least about 10%.

14. A wood-type golf club head comprising:
a main body; and
a striking wall associated with the main body, the striking wall defining a striking face that includes a face center, a striking face perimeter, and is substantially coplanar with a virtual striking face plane,
wherein, in a virtual plane that passes through the face center and is perpendicular to the virtual striking face plane:
the striking face has a face length L;
the striking wall has a first thickness associated with the face center, t fc , that is no less than 4.25 mm and a second thickness, associated with a point on the striking face located no more than 0.16*L from the face center, that is no greater than 0.90*tfc, a maximum thickness, t max , that corresponds to t fc , and a minimum thickness, t min , such that a ratio t max /t min is no less than 1.75; and
the thickness of the striking wall gradually tapers entirely from the face center to the striking face perimeter.

15. The golf club head of claim 14 , wherein the ratio t max /t min is no less than 1.80.

16. The golf club head of claim 14 , wherein a first coefficient of restitution value, measured at the face center, is less than 0.83, and a second coefficient of restitution value, measured at a striking face location spaced from the face center, is greater than the first coefficient of restitution value.

17. The golf club head of claim 14 , wherein the minimum thickness t min is no greater than 2.50 mm.

18. A wood-type golf club head comprising:
a main body; and
a striking wall associated with the main body, the striking wall having a striking face including a face center, a first imaginary plane tangent to the striking face at the face center, and a rear surface opposite the striking face;
wherein, in a second imaginary plane perpendicular to the first imaginary plane and passing through the face center:
the striking face includes, specific to the second imaginary plane, a first point associated with a maximum thickness, t max , of the striking wall, and a second point associated with a minimum thickness, t min , of the striking wall, such that a ratio, t max /t min , is no less than 1.70, the first point corresponding to the face center; and
the striking wall gradually tapers in thickness entirely from the first point to the second point.

Assignees

• Dunlop Sports Co Ltd

Inventors

• Samson Mitchell
• Timmons Alex L

Classifications

• A63B2053/0458

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A63B53/04

  Heads · CPC title

• A63B2053/0416

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A63B2053/0462

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A63B53/0466 Primary

  wood-type · CPC title