# US 11,896,879 B2 · Golf club heads comprising a thermoplastic composite material > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,896,879 B2 - Document ID: US11896879B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/649,314 - Filed: 2022-01-28 - Published: 2022-07-14 - Granted: 2024-02-13 - Earliest claimed: 2018-01-19 - Assignees: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation - Applicants: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation - Inventors: Clayson C. Spackman; Jeremy S. Pope; Tyler A. Shaw; Eric J. Morales; Atiqah Shahrin - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11896879B2 ## CPC - A63B 53/0466: {wood-type} - A63B 53/04: Heads - A63B 53/0408: {characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness} - A63B 53/0416: {Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert} - A63B 53/042: {the face insert consisting of a material different from that of the head} - A63B 53/0425: {the face insert comprising two or more different materials} - A63B 53/0429: {the face insert comprising two or more layers of material} - A63B 53/0437: {with special crown configurations} - A63B 53/0462: {characterised by tapering thickness of the impact face plate} - A63B 60/02: Ballast means for adjusting the centre of mass (A63B60/24, A63B60/54 take precedence) - A63B 2209/02: with reinforcing fibres, e.g. carbon, polyamide fibres - A63B 2209/023: Long, oriented fibres, e.g. wound filaments, woven fabrics, mats - A63B: APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT (apparatus for passive exercising, massage A61H) ## Abstract A golf club head includes a front body and a rear body coupled to the front body to define a hollow cavity therebetween. The front body includes a strike face that defines a ball striking surface, a hosel, and a frame that at least partially surrounds the strikeface and extends rearward from a perimeter of the strikeface away from the ball striking surface. The strike face and frame are formed from a thermoplastic composite comprising a thermoplastic polymer having a plurality of discontinuous fibers embedded therein. Each of the plurality of discontinuous fibers have a length between about 0.01 mm and 3 mm. In some embodiments, the thermoplastic composite is 30% to 70% fibers by volume. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A golf club head comprising a front body including a strike face defining a ball striking surface, a hosel, and a frame that at least partially surrounds the strike face and extends rearward from a perimeter of the strike face away from the ball striking surface; a rear body coupled to the front body to define a hollow cavity therebetween; and wherein: an entirety of the strike face and frame are formed from a thermoplastic composite comprising a thermoplastic polymer having a plurality of discontinuous fibers embedded therein; between a center of the strike face and the hosel, greater than about 50% of the plurality of discontinuous fibers are aligned within about 30 degrees of parallel to a horizontal axis extending from the center of the strike face to the hosel; each of the plurality of discontinuous fibers have a length of between about 0.01 mm and 3 mm; and the thermoplastic composite is 30% to 70% fibers by volume. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The golf club head of claim 1, wherein: within the frame, greater than about 50% of the plurality of discontinuous fibers are aligned within about 30 degrees of parallel to an axis extending from the ball striking surface to a rear edge and perpendicular to the horizontal axis; and the axis extending from the ball striking surface to the rear edge is perpendicular to the rear edge. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the front body includes: a toe portion on an opposite side of the strike face from the hosel; the frame defining a portion of a crown and a sole; the horizontal axis extending between the crown and the sole and through the center of the strike face; a rear surface on an opposite side of the strike face from the ball striking surface; and wherein the strike face includes an embossed channel protruding from the rear surface away from the ball striking surface, the embossed channel extending from the toe portion between the crown and the horizontal axis toward the center of the strike face. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The golf club head of claim 3, further comprising a thickened center region protruding from the rear surface away from the ball striking surface and centered about the center of the strike face. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic composite comprises a thermoplastic polymer matrix material chosen from a group consisting of polycarbonate (PC), polyester (PBT), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyamide (PA) (e.g. polyamide 6 (PA6), polyamide 6-6 (PA66), polyamide-12 (PA12), polyamide-612 (PA612), 14 polyamide 11 (PAI11)), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), polyphthalamide (PPA), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polyethylene (PE), polyphenylene ether/oxide (PPE), polyoxymethylene (POM), polypropylene (PP), styrene acrylonitrile (SAN), polymethylpentene (PMP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), acrylonitrile styrene acrylate (ASA), polyetherimide (PEI), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), polyether ether ketone (PEEK), polyether ketone (PEK), polyetherimide (PEI), polyethersulfone (PES), polyphenylene oxide (PPO), polystyrene (PS), polysulfone (PSU), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), liquid crystal polymer (LCP), thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), and alloys of these materials. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The golf club head of claim 1, wherein a material of the plurality of discontinuous fibers is chosen from a group consisting of carbon, glass, aramid, bamboo, cotton, hemp, flax, titanium, aluminum, titanium dioxide, granite, and silicon carbide. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The golf club head of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of continuous reinforcing elements embedded within the thermoplastic polymer of the strike face. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The golf club head of claim 7, wherein the plurality of continuous reinforcing elements comprise metallic wires. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic composite comprises a strength to weight ratio or specific strength greater than 1,000,000 lbs/in3. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic composite comprises a strength to modulus ratio or specific flexibility greater than 0.009. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The golf club head of claim 1, further comprising a thermoplastic resin chosen from a group consisting of polyetheretherketones (PEEK), and engineering polyurethanes. ### Claim 12 A golf club head comprising: a front body including a strike face defining a ball striking surface, a hosel, and a frame that at least partially surrounds the strike face and extends rearward from a perimeter of the strike face away from the ball striking surface; a rear body coupled to the front body to define a hollow cavity therebetween; and wherein: an entirety of the strike face and frame are formed from a thermoplastic composite comprising a thermoplastic polymer having a plurality of discontinuous fibers embedded therein, between a center of the strike face and the hosel, greater than about 50% of the plurality of discontinuous fibers are aligned within about 30 degrees of parallel to a horizontal axis extending from the center of the strike face to the hosel; each of the plurality of discontinuous fibers have a length of between about 0.01 mm and 3 mm; a plurality of continuous reinforcing elements embedded within the thermoplastic polymer of the strike face; wherein: a first set of the plurality of continuous reinforcing elements extend generally parallel to each other. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The golf club head of claim 12, wherein: within the frame, greater than about 50% of the plurality of discontinuous fibers are aligned within about 30 degrees of parallel to an axis extending from the ball striking surface to a rear edge and perpendicular to the horizontal axis; and the axis extending from the ball striking surface to the rear edge is perpendicular to the rear edge. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The golf club head of claim 12, wherein the front body comprises a rear edge that abuts the rear body when the rear body is coupled to the front body. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The golf club head of claim 12, wherein the front body includes: a toe portion on an opposite side of the strike face from the hosel; the frame defining a portion of a crown and a sole; the horizontal axis extending between the crown and the sole and through the center of the strike face; a rear surface on an opposite side of the strike face from the ball striking surface; and wherein the strike face includes an embossed channel protruding from the rear surface away from the ball striking surface, the embossed channel extending from the toe portion between the crown and the horizontal axis toward the center of the strike face. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The golf club head of claim 15, further comprising a thickened center region protruding from the rear surface away from the ball striking surface and centered about the center of the strike face. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The golf club head of claim 12, wherein the thermoplastic composite comprises a thermoplastic polymer matrix material chosen from a group consisting of polycarbonate (PC), polyester (PBT), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyamide (PA) (e.g. polyamide 6 (PA6), polyamide 6-6 (PA66), polyamide-12 (PA12), polyamide-612 (PA612), 14 polyamide 11 (PAI11)), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), polyphthalamide (PPA), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polyethylene (PE), polyphenylene ether/oxide (PPE), polyoxymethylene (POM), polypropylene (PP), styrene acrylonitrile (SAN), polymethylpentene (PMP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), acrylonitrile styrene acrylate (ASA), polyetherimide (PEI), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), polyether ether ketone (PEEK), polyether ketone (PEK), polyetherimide (PEI), polyethersulfone (PES), polyphenylene oxide (PPO), polystyrene (PS), polysulfone (PSU), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), liquid crystal polymer (LCP), thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), and alloys of these materials. ### Claim 18 (depends on 12) The golf club head of claim 12, wherein a material of the plurality of discontinuous fibers is chosen from a group consisting of carbon, glass, aramid, bamboo, cotton, hemp, flax, titanium, aluminum, titanium dioxide, granite, and silicon carbide. ### Claim 19 (depends on 12) The golf club head of claim 12, further comprising a thermoplastic resin chosen from a group consisting of polyetheretherketones (PEEK), and engineering polyurethanes. ### Claim 20 (depends on 12) The golf club head of claim 12, wherein the plurality of continuous reinforcing elements comprise metallic wires.