Golf club head having a striking face with improved impact efficiency

#[Not Applicable]

#1. Field of the Invention

#The present invention relates to a golf club head. More specifically, the present invention relates to a face section of a golf club head to reduce energy losses when impacting a golf ball.

#FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a golf club head of an embodiment of the present invention.

#FIG. 2 is a front view of a golf club head showing a striking plate with a major cross-section dimensional width (W) and a minor cross-section dimensional height (H).

#FIG. 3 shows a striking plate having an elliptical shape with a major and a minor cross-section dimensions (W) and (H), respectively, of an embodiment of the present invention.

#As shown in FIG. 1 a wood-type golf club head 10 comprises a face section 12, a rear section 14, a top section 16, a bottom section 18, a toe section 20, a heel section 22 and a hosel inlet 24 to accept a golf shaft (not shown). The golf club head 10 is a unitary structure which may be composed of two or more elements joined together to form the golf club head 10. The face section 12, also called a striking plate, is an impact surface for contacting a golf ball (not shown). Structural material for the golf club head 10 can be selected from metals and non-metals, with a face material exhibiting a maximum limit for face stiffness and natural frequency being a preferred embodiment.

#The present invention is directed at a golf club head 10 having a striking plate 12 that makes use of materials to increase striking plate flexibility so that during impact less energy is lost, thereby increasing the energy transfer to the golf ball. This increased energy transfer to the golf ball will result in greater impact efficiency. The striking plate 12 is generally composed of a single piece of metal or nonmetallic material and may have a plurality of score-lines 13 thereon. The striking plate 12 may be cast with a body 26, or it may be attached through bonding or welding to the body 26. See FIGS. 1 and 2.

#For explanation purposes, the striking plate 12 is treated as an elliptical shaped cross section having a uniform thickness, denoted as “t” in FIG. 4, that is subjected to a distributed load over a small circular region at the center of the striking plate 12. See FIGS. 3 and 4. Those skilled in the pertinent art will recognize that striking plates having other shapes, nonuniform thickness distribution, and force locations are within the scope and spirit of the present invention. The overall cross-section width is given by (W=2a), the overall cross-section height (H=2b), and the striking plate aspect ratio is defined as (α=b/a). The impact load, resulting from impact of the golf ball with the golf club head 10, is treated as force of magnitude (F), acting with a pressure (q) over a circular region of radius (ro) in the center of the elliptical plate so that 1 F = ∫ 0 2 ⁢ π ⁢ ∫ 0 r o ⁢ qr ⁢ ⁢ ⅆ r ⁢ ⁢ ⅆ θ .