US 10,245,476 B2Granted

Golf club face insert

AssigneeCallaway Golf Company

InventorsCraig E. Abbott, Augustin W. Rollinson, Patrick Dawson, Sean Toulon

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Abstract

A resilient face insert for a golf club head, preferably a putter head, is disclosed herein. In particular, the face insert comprises a plurality of hinge features spaced from a striking surface to ensure consistent ball speed across the striking surface. At least a portion of each hinge feature extends parallel to the striking surface without making contact with the striking surface. In the preferred embodiment, each hinge feature comprises a tab portion that is spaced from the striking surface by a stem portion and that extends parallel to the striking surface. The hinge features may be co-molded with a polymeric backing material having a plurality of parallel grooves in order to further improve performance of the face insert.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A putter comprising:

a body comprising a top portion, a sole portion, a toe side, a heel side, a rear side, and a face side with a recess;
and
a face insert comprising a striking plate having a first average thickness and a backing portion having a second average thickness,
wherein the face insert is disposed within the recess so that at least a portion of the striking plate is exposed,
wherein a horizontal y-axis extends in a heel side to toe side direction parallel with the face side, a vertical z-axis extends perpendicular to the y-axis from the sole portion to the top portion, and a horizontal x-axis extends perpendicular to both the y- and z-axes from the face side to the rear side,
wherein the striking plate comprises a base portion, a first set of hinge features, a second set of hinge features, and third set of hinge features,
wherein the first set of hinge features comprises a plurality of first hinge features, each extending towards the sole portion parallel with the z-axis,
wherein the second set of hinge features comprises a plurality of second hinge features, each extending towards the heel side parallel with the y-axis,
wherein the third set of hinge features comprises a plurality of third hinge features, each extending towards the toe side parallel with the y-axis,
wherein each of the hinge features of the first, second, and third pluralities of hinge features comprises a stem portion that extends from the base portion at an angle of no less than 45 degrees and no more than 90 degrees with respect to the base portion, and a tab portion that is spaced from the base portion by the stem portion and extends from the stem portion approximately parallel with the base portion without making contact with the base portion, and
wherein each tab portion is at least partially disposed over a through-hole extending through the striking plate.

8 more elements

A putter comprising:

a body comprising a top portion, a sole portion, a toe side, a heel side, a rear side, and a face side with a recess;
and
a face insert comprising a striking plate having a first average thickness and a backing portion having a second average thickness,
wherein the face insert is disposed within the recess so that at least a portion of the striking plate is exposed,
wherein a horizontal y-axis extends in a heel side to toe side direction parallel with the face side, a vertical z-axis extends perpendicular to the y-axis from the sole portion to the top portion, and a horizontal x-axis extends perpendicular to both the y- and z-axes from the face side to the rear side,
wherein the striking plate comprises a base portion, a first set of hinge features disposed at a middle section of the striking plate, a second set of hinge features disposed at a heel side of the striking plate, and third set of hinge features disposed at a toe side of the striking plate,
wherein the first set of hinge features comprises a plurality of first hinge features, each extending towards the sole portion parallel with the z-axis,
wherein the second set of hinge features comprises a plurality of second hinge features, each extending towards the middle section at a first angle of no less than 10° and no more than 75° with respect to the y-axis,
wherein the third set of hinge features comprises a plurality of third hinge features, each extending towards the middle section at a second angle of no less than 10° and no more than 75° with respect to the y-axis,
wherein each of the hinge features of the first, second, and third pluralities of hinge features comprises a stem portion that extends from the base portion at a stem angle of no more than 90 degrees with respect to the base portion, and a tab portion that is spaced from the base portion by the stem portion and extends from the stem portion approximately parallel with the base portion without making contact with the base portion, and
wherein each tab portion is at least partially disposed over a through-hole extending through the striking plate.

8 more elements

A putter comprising:

a body comprising a top portion, a sole portion, a toe side, a heel side, a rear side, and a face side with a recess;
and
a face insert comprising a striking plate having a first average thickness and a backing portion having a second average thickness,
wherein the face insert is disposed within the recess so that at least a portion of the striking plate is exposed,
wherein a horizontal y-axis extends in a heel side to toe side direction parallel with the face side, a vertical z-axis extends perpendicular to the y-axis from the sole portion to the top portion, and a horizontal x-axis extends perpendicular to both the y- and z-axes from the face side to the rear side,
wherein the striking plate comprises a base portion, a first set of hinge features disposed at a middle section of the striking plate, a second set of hinge features disposed at a heel side of the striking plate, and third set of hinge features disposed at a toe side of the striking plate,
wherein the first set of hinge features comprises a plurality of first hinge features, each extending towards the sole portion parallel with the z-axis,
wherein the second set of hinge features comprises a plurality of second hinge features, each extending away from the middle section at a first angle of no less than 10° and no more than 75° with respect to the y-axis,
wherein the third set of hinge features comprises a plurality of third hinge features, each extending away from the middle section at a second angle of no less than 10° and no more than 75° with respect to the y-axis,
wherein each of the hinge features of the first, second, and third pluralities of hinge features comprises a stem portion that extends from the base portion at a stem angle of no more than 90 degrees with respect to the base portion, and a tab portion that is spaced from the base portion by the stem portion and extends from the stem portion approximately parallel with the base portion without making contact with the base portion, and
wherein each tab portion is at least partially disposed over a through-hole extending through the striking plate.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/059,898Filed 9 Aug 2018 · continuation
Priority: 28 Oct 2015
Published: US 2018/0001156 A16 Dec 2018
Granted: 2 Apr 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

A63B 53/04
Golf clubs: heads
A63B 53/007
Golf clubs: putters
A63B 53/0487
Heads: for putters
A63B 53/0408
Heads: characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness

Family

Application62/247,589Us provisional application · filed 28 Oct 2015
Application15/189,774Parent of this continuation · filed 22 Jun 2016
Application15/706,761Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 18 Sep 2017
US 9,776,051 B1Parent of this continuation · filed 3 Oct 2017
Application15/796,431Parent of this continuation · filed 27 Oct 2017
US 9,981,161 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 29 May 2018
US 2018/0345089 A1Pre-grant publication · published 6 Dec 2018
US 10,052,529 B1Parent of this continuation
Application15/796,431Parent of this continuation-in-part
Application15/706,761Parent of this continuation
US 2018/0001156 A1Published application
US 10,245,476 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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