Golf club face plates with internal cell lattices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9878217-B2
Application number	US-201615208760-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 13, 2016
Priority date	Sep 21, 2011
Publication date	Jan 30, 2018
Grant date	Jan 30, 2018

Abstract

Embodiments of golf club face plates with internal cell lattices are presented herein. Other examples and related methods are also disclosed herein.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A golf club head comprising:
a face plate having:
an inner skin;
an outer skin; and
a midsection between the inner skin and outer skin;

an inner midsection end of the midsection is coupled to the inner skin of the face plate;
an outer midsection end of the midsection is coupled to the outer skin of the face plate; and
the midsection comprises a cell lattice with a plurality of walls defining a plurality of cells bounded between the inner skin and the outer skin, wherein a density of the plurality of cells decreases towards a target strike region of the face plate; and
the inner skin, the outer skin, and the midsection consist of at least one of:
a titanium 8-1-1 material; or
a titanium 6-4 material.

2. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein:
the plurality of cells comprise a first cell having a greatest cell width of the plurality of cells;
the greatest cell width is measured substantially parallel to the outer midsection end;
the cell lattice is in a midsection central area of the midsection;
the midsection central area is bounded by a midsection perimeter of the midsection and is devoid of the cell lattice; and
the midsection perimeter comprises a midsection perimeter width, measured from an outer edge of the midsection to the midsection central area, of at least twice the greatest cell width.

3. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein:
one or more of the plurality of cells comprise at least one of a hexagon shape, a rhombus shape, a straight triangle shape, or a Reuleaux triangle shape.

4. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein:
the cell lattice comprises:
a first set of cells of the plurality of cells comprise a first geometric shape; and
a second set of cells of the plurality of cells comprise a second geometric shape different than the first geometric shape; and
the first set of cells of the plurality of cells are interspersed with the second set of cells of the plurality of cells.

5. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein:
the cell lattice comprises one or more subcells within a first cell of the plurality of cells, the one or more subcells comprising a geometric shape type different than a geometric shape type of the first cell.

6. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein:
the cell lattice comprises the plurality of cells in an isogrid pattern.

7. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein:
a first wall of the plurality of walls comprises:
a wall width measured substantially parallel to the outer midsection end; and
a wall thickness measured substantially perpendicular to the outer midsection end,
the wall thickness varying between the inner midsection end and the outer midsection end.

8. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein:
the cell lattice comprises the plurality of cells in a pattern where a size of the plurality of cells decreases towards the target strike region of the face plate.

9. A golf club head comprising:
a face plate having:
an inner skin;
an outer skin; and
a midsection between the inner skin and outer skin;

an inner midsection end of the midsection is coupled to the inner skin of the face plate;
an outer midsection end of the midsection is coupled to the outer skin of the face plate; and
the midsection comprises a cell lattice with a plurality of walls defining a plurality of cells bounded between the inner skin and the outer skin;
the inner skin comprises an inner crystal structure;
the outer skin comprises an outer crystal structure;
the midsection comprises a midsection crystal structure; and
the inner crystal structure and the midsection crystal structure are intermeshed together into a beta-type structure; and
the outer crystal structure and the midsection crystal structure are intermeshed together into a beta-type structure.

10. The golf club head of claim 9 , wherein:
the cell lattice comprises a cell junction where two or more of the plurality of walls couple together; and
the cell junction comprises a first junction channel extending from the inner midsection end to the outer midsection end.

11. The golf club head of claim 10 , wherein the first junction channel comprises a first junction channel diameter of approximately 0.2 mm to approximately 0.66 mm.

12. The golf club head of claim 9 , wherein:
the plurality of cells comprise a first cell having a greatest cell width of the plurality of cells;
the greatest cell width is measured substantially parallel to the outer midsection end;
the cell lattice is in a midsection central area of the midsection;
the midsection central area is bounded by a midsection perimeter of the midsection and is devoid of the cell lattice; and
the midsection perimeter comprises a midsection perimeter width, measured from an outer edge of the midsection to the midsection central area, of at least twice the greatest cell width.

13. The golf club head of claim 9 , wherein:
one or more of the plurality of cells comprise at least one of a hexagon shape, a rhombus shape, a straight triangle shape, or a Reuleaux triangle shape.

14. The golf club head of claim 9 , wherein:
providing the cell lattice comprises:
a first set of cells of the plurality of cells comprise a first geometric shape; and
a second set of cells of the plurality of cells comprise a second geometric shape different than the first geometric shape; and
the first set of cells of the plurality of cells are interspersed with the second set of cells of the plurality of cells.

15. A golf club head comprising:
a face plate having:
an inner skin;
an outer skin; and
a midsection between the inner skin and outer skin;

an inner midsection end of the midsection is coupled to the inner skin of the face plate;
an outer midsection end of the midsection is coupled to the outer skin of the face plate; and
the midsection comprises a cell lattice with a plurality of walls defining a plurality of cells bounded between the inner skin and the outer skin;
a first wall of the plurality of walls comprises a transverse passageway between adjacent cells of the plurality of cells.

16. The golf club head of claim 15 , wherein:
the cell lattice comprises one or more subcells within a first cell of the plurality of cells, the one or more subcells comprising a geometric shape type different than a geometric shape type of the first cell.

17. The golf club head of claim 15 , wherein:
the cell lattice comprises the plurality of cells in an isogrid pattern.

18. The golf club head of claim 15 , wherein:
a first wall of the plurality of walls comprises:
a wall width measured substantially parallel to the outer midsection end; and
a wall thickness measured substantially perpendicular to the outer midsection end, the wall thickness varying between the inner midsection end and the outer midsection end.

19. The golf club head of claim 15 , wherein:
the cell lattice comprises the plurality of cells in a pattern where a density of the plurality of cells decreases towards a target strike region of the face plate.

20. A golf club head comprising:
a face plate having:
an inner skin;
an outer skin; and
a midsection between the inner skin and outer skin;

an inner midsection end of the midsection is coupled to the inner skin of the face plate;
an outer midsection end of the midsection is coupled to the outer skin of the face plate; and
the midsection comprises a cell lattice with a plurality of walls defining a plurality of cells bounded between the inner skin and the outer skin, where

Assignees

• Karsten Mfg Corp

Inventors

• Morales Eric J
• Henrikson Erik M

Classifications

• B23K20/233

  without ferrous layer · CPC title

• B23K20/023

  Thermo-compression bonding · CPC title

• A63B53/0466 Primary

  wood-type · CPC title

• B23K20/021

  Isostatic pressure welding · CPC title

• A63B60/00

  Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like · CPC title