Games using tangible projectile – Golf – Club or club support
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-21
2001-08-28
Passaniti, Sebastiano (Department: 3711)
Games using tangible projectile
Golf
Club or club support
C473S349000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06280349
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present relates, in general, to metal fastening techniques and, more specifically, to methods for joining two metal components into a unitary structure.
2. Description of the Art
Various joining processes are available for unitarily joining two metal components or parts together into a unitary structure. Welding, adhesive bonding, and mechanical fasteners, such as screws, are widely employed to fixedly join two metal components or parts together.
Another metal joining technique utilizes a press fit or interference fit wherein one component or portion of one component has an outer dimension slightly larger or oversized with respect to a mating portion, such as a bore or recess, in another component. The two components are urged together to force the oversized portion of one component into the smaller sized portion of the second component to fixedly join the two components together. While effective in certain applications, a press fit or interference fit requires assembly equipment capable of generating and withstanding the high forces or pressures involved in creating the press fit between two components.
In certain applications, the aesthetic appearance of the assembled part requires that screw heads be covered thereby requiring additional assembly steps to finish the part. Similarly, welding two metal parts together along a joint between the two parts, while forming a secure joint, requires subsequent machining steps, such as grinding, to finish the joint to a smooth surface shape.
One example of a two-part metal component structure is a metal golf club head. Metal drivers have replaced older “wood” club head constructions. While it is possible to cast a hollow, one-piece golf club head, such fabrication techniques have presented difficulties in achieving high quality parts at a reasonable cost. Thus, a hollow metal golf club head is typically formed of two cast parts, such as a main body and a separate face plate or sole plate which are then welded together to form the complete golf club head. This is an expensive, time consuming process and requires additional finishing steps to smooth the weld bead to a smooth exterior surface shape on the golf club head.
Similar joinder techniques are employed in metal golf club irons wherein perimeter weights are mounted in recesses formed generally along the bottom edge of the iron to improve club head balance, to lower the center gravity of the club head and to enlarge the sweet spot on the club face. Such weights are mounted in recesses formed in the iron club body and then welded, brazed or soldered into place. Again, time consuming and the additional finishing steps are required to smooth the weld bead between the weight insert and the club body.
What is needed is a joinder technique or methodology for joining two metal component or parts together into a one-piece unitary structure which minimizes assembly steps of the one-piece structure, provides a secure joint between the two metal parts, and minimizes or preferably eliminates after-assembly finishing steps to lower the manufacturing cost of the one-piece structure or component. It would also be desirable to provide such a joinder methodology to the construction of golf club heads provided with a hollow driver configuration or perimeter weighted iron or putter configurations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a unique method for joining two metal parts into a unitary one-piece structure or member without welding, brazing, soldering, or the use of mechanical fasteners. The present invention also contemplates an article constructed to the inventive method.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a method of joining first and second parts with mating joint surfaces together into a unitary member comprises the steps of:
forming first and second parts with complementary mating surfaces;
forming the dimension of opposed portions of the mating surface of the first part oversized with respect to the corresponding dimension of the second part;
cooling the first part to sufficiently cause contraction in the dimension of the mating surface of the first part;
coupling the cooled first part with the second part at the mating surfaces; and
allowing the cooled first part to warm resulting in expansion of the first part to its original size and forming an interference fit between the complementary mating surfaces of the first and second parts.
The method also includes forming the first and second parts of the same material or dissimilar materials having different thermal expansion characteristics.
In one aspect, the method also forms the cooled first part of a material having a lower hardness than the hardness of the material forming the second part.
In another aspect, the inventive method forms surface irregularities on the mounting surface of the second part which forcibly engage the mating surface of the first part when the cooled first part expands its normal dimensions.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an article, such as a two-part golf club head, by example only, is constructed by the inventive method described herein. The golf club head comprises:
first and second separate portions having mating first and second mounting surfaces, respectively, to be joined together into a unitary one-piece member;
opposing portions of the first mounting surface of the first part having a normal dimension larger than the corresponding dimension of the mounting surface of the second part; and
an interference fit joining the first part to the second part at the mating first and second mounting surfaces by expansion of the first part to its normal dimensional shape after contraction caused by cooling.
In one aspect, the first and second parts are formed of dissimilar materials.
In another aspect, the material forming the second part is heavier and/or denser than the material forming the first part.
In another aspect, the second part is harder than the first part.
In yet another aspect, the second mounting surface of the second part has surface irregularities projecting outward therefrom which embed in the mounting surface of the first part as the first part expands.
The unique method and article formed by said method of the present invention provides joinder of two metal components into a unitary one-piece structure without the need for welding, brazing, or soldering operations which typically require subsequent surface finishing steps and a resultant increase in the manufacturing cost of the part as well as eliminating the need for mechanical fasteners to join the two parts together. By eliminating welding, brazing or soldering joinder operations, any possibility of heat tempering of either part is eliminated thereby minimizing any potential distortion in the shape or mating mounting surfaces of the two parts which could decrease the mechanical strength of the joint between the two joined parts. Thus, the method and article constructed according to the method of the present invention minimizes joinder failures due to inadequate joints.
When the article is a two-part golf club head constructed according to the inventive method, further advantages are obtained. When the bottom portion of the golf club head is formed of a heavier and harder material than a lighter weight top portion, the resulting golf club head, besides having a reduced manufacturing cost due to the elimination of surface finishing steps required by the prior art use of welding, etc., to join a two-part golf club head together, also has better weight distribution due to a low center of gravity since the bottom portion of the club is heavier than the top portion. This results in a better balance and higher performance of an inventive golf club head according to the present invention.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3661388 (1972-05-01), Leslie
patent: 5275399 (1994-01-01), Schmidt
patent: 5346216 (1994-09-01), Aizawa
patent: 5417419 (1995-05-01), Anderson et al.
patent: 5509659 (1996-04-01), Igarashi
patent: 5518240 (1996-05-01), Igarashi
patent: 5
Passaniti Sebastiano
Young & Basile PC
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