Golf club heads with ribs and related methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9700768-B2
Application number	US-201615076511-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 21, 2016
Priority date	Oct 2, 2013
Publication date	Jul 11, 2017
Grant date	Jul 11, 2017

Abstract

A golf club head including a first rib protruding from a rib surface of the body. The first rib comprises a first and second rib end and a first, second, and third rib portion. The third rib portion is located between the first rib portion and the second rib portion. The first, second, and third rib portions include a first, second, and third rib portion dimension, where the first and second rib portion dimensions are greater than the third rib portion dimension.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A golf club head comprising:
a body comprising:
a heel end, a toe end, a crown, a sole, a front end, and a rear end; and
at least one of a skirt or a hosel;

and
a first rib protruding from a rib surface of the body;
wherein:
the first rib comprises:
first and second first-rib ends opposite each other; and
first, second, and third first-rib portions protruded from the rib surface of the body;

the first first-rib portion is located between the first first-rib end and the third first-rib portion;
the second first-rib portion is located between the second first-rib end and the third first-rib portion;
the first first-rib portion comprises a first first-rib thickness substantially parallel to the rib surface;
the second first-rib portion comprises a second first-rib thickness substantially parallel to the rib surface;
the third first-rib portion comprises a third first-rib thickness substantially parallel to the rib surface;
and
the first and second first-rib thicknesses are greater than the third first-rib thickness.

2. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein:
the first first-rib portion further comprises a first first-rib height substantially orthogonal to the rib surface;
the second first-rib portion further comprises a second first-rib height substantially orthogonal to the rib surface;
the third first-rib portion further comprises a third first-rib height substantially orthogonal to the rib surface; and
the first and second first-rib heights are greater than the third first-rib height.

3. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein:
a maximum first-rib height of the first rib, measured orthogonal to the rib surface, is up to approximately 6 mm.

4. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein:
at least one of the first or second first-rib thickness is approximately 1.1 times to approximately 8 times greater than the third first-rib thickness.

5. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein:
the first rib protrudes from the rib surface along at least one of the crown or the sole of the body.

6. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein:
the first rib protrudes from the rib surface and extends continuously from the crown to the sole of the body.

7. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein:
a skirt is located between the crown and the sole; and
the first rib protrudes from the rib surface along at least a portion of the skirt.

8. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein:
the first rib comprises:
a first rib center section comprising 95% of a first rib length of the first rib and centered about a first rib centerpoint of the first rib length;

the first rib center section comprises:
the first first-rib thickness of the first first-rib portion;
the second first-rib thickness of the second first-rib portion; and
the third first-rib thickness of the third first-rib portion;

and
the third first-rib thickness protrudes from the rib surface between the first first-rib portion and the second first-rib portion.

9. The golf club head of claim 8 , wherein:
the third first-rib thickness is a minimum first-rib thickness of the first rib center section.

10. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein:
the rib surface comprises a first high amplitude zone at a first one of the crown, the sole, or the skirt;
the third first-rib portion is located at the first high amplitude zone; and
the first and second first-rib portions are located outside the first high amplitude zone.

11. The golf club head of claim 10 , wherein:
the first high amplitude zone comprises a location at the first one of the crown, the sole, or the skirt where a maximum oscillation amplitude of the body exists upon a golf shot impact between a golf ball and a strikeface of the front end of the body.

12. The golf club head of claim 11 , wherein:
the first high-amplitude zone, for the location of the third first-rib portion, is defined with respect to where the maximum oscillation amplitude is approximately 0.5 mm to approximately 4 mm, at a frequency of approximately 1000 Hz to approximately 5000 Hz, from the golf shot impact at an impact speed of approximately 25 m/s to approximately 75 m/s.

13. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein:
the first rib comprises a fourth first-rib portion located between the second first-rib end and the second first-rib portion;
the fourth first-rib portion comprises a fourth first-rib thickness substantially parallel to the rib surface;
and
the second first-rib thickness is greater than the fourth first-rib thickness.

14. The golf club head of claim 13 , wherein:
the rib surface comprises:
a first high amplitude zone of the first one of the crown, the sole, or the skirt; and
a second high amplitude zone of a second one of the crown, the sole, or the skirt;

the third first-rib portion is located at the first high amplitude zone;
the first and second first-rib portions are located outside the first high amplitude zone;
the fourth first-rib portion is located at the second high amplitude zone; and
the second first-rib portion is located outside the second high amplitude zone.

15. The golf club head of claim 13 , wherein:
the first rib comprises a fifth first-rib portion located between the second first-rib end and the fourth first-rib portion;
the fifth first-rib portion comprises a fifth first-rib thickness substantially parallel to the rib surface; and
the fifth first-rib thickness is greater than the fourth first-rib thickness.

16. A golf club head comprising:
a body comprising:
a heel end, a toe end, a crown, a sole, a front end, a rear end; and

a first rib protruding from a rib surface of the body;
wherein:
the first rib comprises:
first and second first-rib ends opposite each other; and
first, second, and third first-rib portions protruded from the rib surface of the body;

the first first-rib portion comprises a first first-rib height;
the second first-rib portion comprises a second first-rib height;
the third first-rib portion comprises a third first-rib height;
the first first-rib end is located at a first one of the crown or the sole;
the second first-rib end is located at a second one of the crown or the sole;
the first first-rib portion is located between the first first-rib end and the second first-rib portion, and along the first one of the crown or the sole;
the second first-rib portion is located between the second first-rib end and the first-rib portion, and along the second one of the crown or the sole;
the third first-rib portion is located between the first first-rib portion and the second first-rib portion; and
at least one of the first or second first-rib thickness is approximately 1.1 times to approximately 8 times greater than the third first-rib thickness.

17. The golf club head of claim 16 , wherein:
the body further comprises a skirt between the crown and the sole;
the third first rib portion extends from the first first-rib portion to the second first-rib portion; and
the third first-rib portion extends along the skirt.

18. The golf club head of claim 16 , wherein:
the rib surface comprises a first high amplitude zone at a first one of the crown, the sole, or the skirt;
the third first-rib dimension is located at the first high amplitude zone; and
the first and second first-rib portions are located outside the first high amplitude zone.

19. A method comprising:
providing a body of a golf club head, the body comprising:
a heel end, a toe end, a crown, a sole, a front end, and a rea

Assignees

• Karsten Mfg Corp

Inventors

• Cole Eric V
• Jertson Martin R

Classifications

• A63B2053/0437

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A63B2053/045

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A63B2060/002

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A63B2053/0408

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A63B2053/0433

  Human Necessities · mapped topic