Games using tangible projectile – Golf – Club or club support
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-11
2001-07-31
Passaniti, Sebastiano (Department: 3711)
Games using tangible projectile
Golf
Club or club support
C473S332000, C473S350000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06267691
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a golf club head with impact control and improved flexing.
2. Description of the Related Art
Golf club heads generally comprise an inner end to be fastened to a shaft, an outer end, a front face and a back face, the front face and the back face being situated on opposite sides of a wall. The front face is an impact face adapted to hit a golf ball.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,595,552 issued to Wright et al. shows a golfclub head having a cavity adjacent the back face and surrounded by a perimeter frame. The frame, in particular along the bottom and the outer end of the head, has a relatively large thickness and serves as a weighting element. Ribs are formed on the back face which extend radially from a center of the wall to the perimeter frame. The purpose of these ribs is to eliminate undesirable vibrations in the golf club head during impact against a golf ball and to dampen other vibrations. Also, a ring encircling a projection may be formed on the back face at the center of gravity of the club head. These members, together with the ribs, constitute means for tuning the club head and for controlling vibrations in order to improve the sound and feel of the golf club during impact against a golf ball.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, it has been recognized that improved dampening of vibrations and a better feel can be achieved by providing a plurality of ribs on the back face extending along the wall. The ribs are mainly preferably parallel to the top of the club head. A particularly desirable effect is achieved by shaping one or more of the ribs in such a manner that their height from the back face is varied, being greatest near a lengthwise middle portion of each rib.
The ribs give the club head a larger “sweetspot” compared with prior art club heads and cause a particular flexing or bending of the club head wall during impact.
The parallel ribs result in particular properties for the club head. The bending stiffness of the club head is different in the lengthwise direction of the ribs relative to the transverse direction of the ribs. The bending of the club head wall during impact will take place in a larger degree along the transverse direction of the ribs than along the lengthwise direction of the ribs; i.e. the ribs will more or less resist bending of the club head wall in a first direction parallel to the ribs while permitting bending in a second direction mainly perpendicular to the first direction.
The above described result may be further increased by shaping the ribs with a varying height, as mentioned above. Ribs having such a varying height may be shaped similar to the deflection curve of a beam mounted at each end and subjected to a bending load at or near its midpoint.
The wall on which the ribs are situated can be made thinner than a corresponding wall without such ribs. The combined stiffness of the wall and the ribs should be adapted to particular users. Professional golf players may use club heads which have a greater stiffness than club heads suitable for amateur players.
The golf club head according to the present invention can be made, for example cast, from any suitable material used for golf club heads, such as steel or metal alloys.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3814437 (1974-06-01), Winquist
patent: 4511145 (1985-04-01), Schmidt
patent: 5377985 (1995-01-01), Ohnishi
patent: 5711722 (1998-01-01), Miyajima
Bacon & Thomas PLLC
Passaniti Sebastiano
Progolf Development AS
LandOfFree
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