Golf club head or other ball striking device having adjustable stiffened face portion
AssigneeNIKE, Inc.
InventorJohn Thomas Stites
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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 thereto. The head may include one or more stiffening elements or other structures engaging the face to provide locally increased stiffness to particular areas of the face. The stiffening element can be movable to create regions of increased stiffness in desired locations, leaving other regions of the face to have increased flexibility as compared to the stiffened regions.
Claims34
A golf club head comprising:
- a face having an outer surface configured for striking a ball and an inner surface opposite the outer surface;
- a body connected to the face, wherein the body and the face define an internal cavity;
- a member connected to the inner surface of the face;
- and
- a moveable stiffening element moveably mounted on the member, the stiffening element having an engaging member that engages a contact point on the inner surface of the face, wherein the engaging member is movable with respect to the member by moving the stiffening element to change a location of the contact point on the inner surface of the face.
A face member for use in a ball striking device, comprising:
- a face having an outer surface configured for striking a ball and an inner surface located rearward and opposite of the outer surface;
- a wall extending rearward from an outer periphery of the face;
- and
- a member connected to the inner surface of the face;
- and
- a moveable stiffening element moveably mounted on the member, the stiffening element having an engaging member that engages a contact point on the inner surface of the face to provide increased stiffness to an area of the face proximate the contact point, wherein the engaging member is movable with respect to the member by moving the stiffening element to change a location of the contact point on the inner surface of the face.
A method for use with a golf club head including a face having an outer surface configured for striking a ball and an inner surface opposite the outer surface, a body connected to the face, a member connected to the inner surface of the face, and a moveable stiffening element moveably mounted on the member, the stiffening element having an engaging member that engages a contact point on the inner surface of the face to provide increased stiffness to an area of the face proximate the contact point, the method comprising:
- moving the stiffening element to move the engaging member with respect to the member and change a location of the contact point on the inner surface of the face.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.