# US 10,307,648 B2 · Golf club head or other ball striking device having stiffened face portion > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,307,648 B2 - Document ID: US10307648B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/973,275 - Filed: 2018-05-07 - Published: 2018-09-06 - Granted: 2019-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2008-11-21 - Assignees: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation - Applicants: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation - Inventors: Robert M. Boyd; Jeremy N. Snyder; Hiroshi Kawaguchi; James S. Thomas; Raymond J. Sander; Rick S. Wahlin; Akira Shimozuuma - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10307648B2 ## CPC - A63B 53/0466: {wood-type} - A63B 53/04: Heads - A63B 53/047: {iron-type} - A63B 60/00: Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like - A63B 53/0408: {characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness} - A63B 53/0412: {Volume} - A63B 53/0416: {Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert} - A63B 53/0433: {with special sole configurations} - A63B 53/045: {Strengthening ribs} - A63B 53/0458: {with non-uniform thickness of the impact face plate} - A63B 53/0462: {characterised by tapering thickness of the impact face plate} - A63B 2102/02: Tennis - A63B 2102/18: Baseball, rounders or similar games - A63B 2102/182: {Softball} - A63B 2102/20: Cricket - A63B 2102/22: {Field} hockey - A63B 2102/24: Ice hockey - A63B: APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT (apparatus for passive exercising, massage A61H) ## Abstract A ball striking device, such as a golf club head, has a head that includes a face configured for striking a ball and a body connected to the face, the body being adapted for connection of a shaft proximate a heel thereof. The face has a thickened portion including an annular tapered area that tapers in thickness between an upper boundary and a lower boundary and encloses an elevated area bounded by the upper boundary. The upper and/or lower boundary defines a shape having two lobes, each with an outer edge with a convex profile, and a connecting portion extending between the lobes, such that the connecting portion is defined by two outer edges extending between the outer edges of the lobes, wherein at least one of the outer edges of the connecting portion has a concave outer profile. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A golf club head comprising: a face having a striking surface configured for striking a ball, an inner surface opposite the striking surface, and a face thickness defined between the striking surface and the inner surface, the face further having a geometric center and peripheral edges; a body connected to the peripheral edges of the face and extending rearwardly from the face, the body having a crown, a sole, a heel, and a toe; wherein the face comprises a thickened portion that forms a protrusion extending rearwardly from the inner surface of the face, the thickened portion comprising an annular tapered area that tapers in thickness between an upper boundary and a lower boundary and encloses an elevated area bounded by the upper boundary, wherein at least one of the upper and lower boundaries defines a shape comprising a first lobe on a heel side of the thickened portion having a first outer edge with a convex outer profile, a second lobe on a toe side of the thickened portion having a second outer edge with a convex outer profile, and a connecting portion extending between the first lobe and the second lobe, wherein the shape is elongated to have a maximum dimension along a first axis, and wherein the first lobe has a first dimension along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis, the second lobe has a second dimension along the second axis, and the connecting portion has a third dimension along the second axis that is smaller than the first and second dimensions, and wherein the first dimension is larger than the second dimension, such that the connecting portion is defined by third and fourth outer edges on crown and sole sides of the thickened portion, respectively, the third and fourth outer edges extending in a heel-to-toe direction between the first and second outer edges, wherein at least the third outer edge has a concave profile; wherein the elevated area is multi-tiered and comprises a first plateau area having a first generally constant face thickness, a second plateau area having a second generally constant face thickness, and a tapered area extending between the first and second plateau areas and further consisting of a single elongated channel extending across the sole of the body spaced rearwardly from a bottom peripheral edge of the face, wherein the single elongated channel is recessed from adjacent portions of the body. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the single elongated channel comprises two boundary edges extending generally parallel to the bottom peripheral edge of the face and two walls extending inwardly into the body from the boundary edges to form a recessed trough, and wherein the channel extends across a front-to-rear geometric centerline of the sole. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The golf club head of claim 2, wherein the recessed trough has a curvilinear cross sectional shape. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the body has a thin-wall construction and an internal cavity, such that the single elongated channel is recessed and creates a raised area on an inner surface of the face that protrudes into the internal cavity. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the face thickness is greatest at an area surrounding the geometric center of the face and decreases to a smallest thickness at the peripheral edges. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the face thickness is greatest at the point proximate the geometric center of the face and decreases to a smallest thickness at the peripheral edges. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) A golf club comprising the golf club head of claim 1 and a shaft connected to the golf club head and configured for gripping by a user. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The golf club head of claim 1, wherein a shape of the thickened portion includes a concave contour on both the crown side and the sole side of the thickened portion. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The golf club head of claim 1, wherein a shape of the thickened portion includes a concave contour on only the crown side of the thickened portion. ### Claim 10 A golf club head comprising: a face having a striking surface configured for striking a ball, an inner surface opposite the striking surface, and a face thickness defined between the striking surface and the inner surface, the face further having a geometric center and peripheral edges; a body connected to the peripheral edges of the face and extending rearwardly from the face, the body having a crown, a sole, a heel, and a toe; wherein the face comprises a thickened portion that forms a protrusion extending rearwardly from the inner surface of the face, the thickened portion comprising an annular tapered area that tapers in thickness between an upper boundary and a lower boundary and encloses an elevated area bounded by the upper boundary, wherein at least one of the upper and lower boundaries defines a shape comprising a first lobe on a heel side of the thickened portion having a first outer edge with a convex outer profile, a second lobe on a toe side of the thickened portion having a second outer edge with a convex outer profile, and a connecting portion extending between the first lobe and the second lobe, such that the connecting portion is defined by third and fourth outer edges on a crown and sole sides of the thickened portion, respectively, wherein the shape is elongated to have a maximum dimension along a first axis, and wherein the first lobe has a first dimension along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis, the second lobe has a second dimension along the second axis, and the connecting portion has a third dimension along the second axis that is smaller than the first and second dimensions, and wherein the second dimension is larger than the first dimension, the third and fourth outer edges extending in a heel-to-toe direction between the first and second outer edges, wherein the elevated area is multi-tiered and comprises a first plateau area having a first generally constant face thickness, a second plateau area having a second generally constant face thickness, and a tapered area extending between the first and second plateau areas; and wherein the thickened portion of the face has a shape that is elongated in a heel-to-toe direction and includes a concave contour at least on a crown side of the thickened portion; further consisting of a single elongated channel extending across the sole of the body and being spaced rearwardly from a bottom peripheral edge of the face, wherein the single elongated channel is recessed from adjacent portions of the body. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The golf club head of claim 10, wherein the thickened portion creates a greater face thickness proximate the geometric center of the face compared to the peripheral edges. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The golf club head of claim 10, wherein the single elongated channel comprises two boundary edges extending generally parallel to the bottom edge of the face and two walls extending inwardly into the body from the boundary edges to form a recessed trough, and wherein the single elongated channel extends across a front-to-rear geometric centerline of the sole. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The golf club head of claim 12, wherein the recessed trough has a curvilinear cross sectional shape. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The golf club head of claim 10, wherein the body has a thin-wall construction and an internal cavity, such that the single elongated channel is recessed and creates a raised area on an inner surface of the face that protrudes into the internal cavity. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The golf club head of claim 10, wherein the face thickness is greatest at the thickened portion and decreases to a smallest thickness at the peripheral edges. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) A golf club comprising the golf club head of claim 10 and a shaft connected to the golf club head and configured for gripping by a user. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The golf club head of claim 10, wherein the shape of the thickened portion includes the concave contour on both the crown side and the sole side of the thickened portion. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) The golf club head of claim 10, wherein the shape of the thickened portion includes the concave contour on only the crown side of the thickened portion. ### Claim 19 A golf club head comprising: a face having a striking surface configured for striking a ball, an inner surface opposite the striking surface, and a face thickness defined between the striking surface and the inner surface, a body connected to peripheral edges of the face and extending rearwardly from the face, the body having a crown, a sole, a heel, and a toe, the body further combining with the face to define an internal cavity; wherein the face comprises a thickened portion that forms a protrusion extending rearwardly from the inner surface of the face, the thickened portion comprising an annular tapered area that tapers in thickness between an upper boundary and a lower boundary and encloses an elevated area bounded by the upper boundary, wherein at least one of the upper and lower boundaries defines a shape comprising a first lobe on a heel side of the thickened portion having a first outer edge with a convex outer profile, a second lobe on a toe side of the thickened portion having a second outer edge with a convex outer profile, and a connecting portion extending between the first lobe and the second lobe, wherein the shape is elongated to have a maximum dimension along a first axis, and wherein the first lobe has a first dimension along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis, the second lobe has a second dimension along the second axis, and the connecting portion has a third dimension along the second axis that is smaller than the first and second dimensions, and wherein the first dimension is larger than the second dimension, such that the connecting portion is defined by third and fourth outer edges on crown and sole sides of the thickened portion, respectively, the third and fourth outer edges extending in a heel-to-toe direction between the first and second outer edges, wherein at least the third outer edge has a concave profile; wherein the elevated area is multi-tiered and comprises a first plateau area having a first generally constant face thickness, a second plateau area having a second generally constant face thickness, and a tapered area extending between the first and second plateau areas; and further consisting of a single elongated channel extending across the sole of the body and being spaced rearwardly from a bottom peripheral edge of the face, wherein the single elongated channel has a front edge, a rear edge, and an inwardly recessed trough between the front and rear edges, wherein the body has a thin-wall construction, such that the single elongated channel creates a raised area on an inner surface of the face that protrudes into the internal cavity. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The golf club head of claim 19, wherein the inwardly recessed trough has a curvilinear cross sectional shape. ### Claim 21 (depends on 19) The golf club head of claim 19, wherein the face thickness is greatest at an area surrounding the geometric center of the face and decreases to a smallest thickness at the peripheral edges. ### Claim 22 (depends on 19) A golf club comprising the golf club head of claim 19 and a shaft connected to the golf club head and configured for gripping by a user. ### Claim 23 (depends on 19) The golf club head of claim 19, wherein the single elongated channel extends across a front-to-rear geometric centerline of the sole.