Games using tangible projectile – Golf – Club or club support
Reexamination Certificate
2001-07-16
2003-11-25
Sewell, Paul T. (Department: 3711)
Games using tangible projectile
Golf
Club or club support
C473S340000, C473S342000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06652390
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an extreme heel and toe weighted golf club. More particularly, the invention relates to a putter where material has been removed from the face surface and interior of the club head down along two rearwardly angled wings, to shift the club head weighting off the face and to the extreme heel and toe locations. Therefore, a the majority of the mass of the club head is located at the tips of the putter wings which are located behind and laterally spaced from the striking area of the club head.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, putters fall into two categories of clubs mallet-style and blade-style. The mallet-style putter has a relatively large, solid head that is often semi-circular in shape when viewed from above, while the blade-style putter has a relatively narrow or blade-like head. Each type of putter includes a generally flat strike face for hitting the golf ball and accuracy of the putt depends upon where the strike face impacts the ball, as well as on the orientation of the strike face at impact. Accuracy also depends on hitting the ball at a central area of the strike face, known in the art as the “sweet spot”. Generally, control of the direction of travel of the golf ball, and the distance traveled, decreases with the increase in distance away from the sweet spot from which the ball is struck. However, the effective hitting area or sweet spot may be expanded by appropriately weighting the putter head. Weighting may also be used to improve the feel and stability of the putter head during the putting stroke.
The balance, weight, and moment of inertia of a putter plays an important role in the effectiveness of the club. As such Applicant's design goal is to increase the effective striking area while maintaining a high moment of inertia and reduce the effect of torque created from an off-center golf stroke.
The traditional de-weighting process involved removing exterior weight. With this design, the hosel is typically located at the end of the club head. More recently, putter head manufacturers have removed the weight from the interior of the putter head. Once the heavier material is eliminated, a solid insert of lower density material connects to the head and creates a new striking surface.
Many golf putter designs have attempted to maximize the sweet spot provided by a golf club. However, a need continues to exist for a putter head to provide a center of gravity moved rearward from the striking face and extreme heal and toe spread weighting while not reducing the overall feel of the putter. The present invention provides a putter head with the majority of the putter head mass moved to the tips of the “wings”. The face surface and interior of the wings are tooled to create voids and reduce weight. An insert material is poured into the voids resulting in extreme heel and toe weighting and a center of gravity far removed from the striking face.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an extreme heel and toe weighted golf putter head wherein the weight is spread along the length of the head and outside of the effective hitting area. The putter includes a head having a front surface shaped and dimensioned for contacting a golf ball and a back surface shaped and dimensioned for placing the weight of the club at a relatively large distance from the striking face. The back surface has a toe wing, a shaft connection, and a heel wing so that a top view is generally appears “W”-shaped, with the wings angling back beyond and away from the centered shaft connection on either side. More specifically, the putter includes a body having a heel section, toe section, upper surface, lower surface and striking face. The toe section having a toe wing extending back and away from the striking face toward the toe section of the putter. The heel section having a heel wing extending back and away from the striking face toward the heel section of the putter. A recess formed in the body, the toe wing, and the heel wing and a shaft connection in the body located between the wings. An insert material filling the recess formed in the body, toe wing and heel wing forming a flat soft feel putter striking face.
It is also an object of the present invention to remove a portion of the heavy interior material from the striking surface and/or interior of the wings to create voids.
It is also an object of the present invention to fill the putter head voids with a lighter weight material, such as an elastomer co-polymer.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a putter head wherein the creation of spread extreme heel and toe weighting creates a shift in the center of gravity and a greater resistance to club head twisting by creating a larger moment of inertia to torque.
It is also an object of the present invention to create a de-weighted putter head that is more efficient and playable with better balance.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when viewed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which set forth certain embodiments of the invention.
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patent: D381382 (1997-07-01), Fenton, Jr.
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patent: 5842935 (1998-12-01), Nelson
patent: 5951412 (1999-09-01), Rose et al.
patent: D422041 (2000-03-01), Bradford
patent: 6238302 (2001-05-01), Helmstetter et al.
patent: 6273831 (2001-08-01), Dewanjee
Duong Tom
Sewell Paul T.
Welsh & Flaxman LLC
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