Inertially responsive golf club head mounted device for instructing correct club face direction & swing speed

Not applicable.

The present invention relates generally to golf swing instructional device. More particularly, the present invention teaches a self-contained device securable to a conventional club head and which incorporates inertially adjustable parameters, based primarily upon desired club swing speed, in order to instruct correct club face orientation relative to a golf ball to be struck.

The prior art is well documented with examples of golf club swing training devices. The objective in each instance is to attempt to instruct a golfer in the proper technique associated with a golf swing, and in the hope of assisting a user in more completely connecting with a golf ball and driving the ball straighter and for longer distances.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,913,542, issued to Hu et al., discloses a golf club for showing swing condition having a shaft and a connected head with a striking face. Also illustrated is a battery powered and visible illuminant mounted on the head and exposed outside with an upward angles A centrifugal switch is actuated by applying a centrifugal force and is mounted on the club head opposite the striking face for controlling a circuit between the battery and the illuminant. In this fashion, the illuminant will light upon application of a predetermined strength centrifugal force during swinging of the golf club for investigating the body harmony and strength-exerting condition of a golfer.

Other dynamic and velocity related measuring devices referenced include U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0173364, to Boscha, incorporating three force sensors built into a club head, a main electronic unit build into a shaft or grip, and a remotely positioned data acquisition, processing and displaying unit connected with the electronic units within the club via IR or RF transmitters. The information collected from the force sensors is employed to construct a dynamic analysis of swings and hits to correlate the results the results with actual movements of the ball, such being, presented in display, graphical or digital form.

International Publication No. WO 2004/028649 teaches an apparatus for measuring swing velocity of a golf club head, as well as an advertising apparatus for golf training including the same, and which further employs a pair of magnetic sensors at different head and shah locations. These interface with a micro controller and display for calculating and outputting either of a swing velocity and/or flying distance of the golf ball.

A further collection of pseudo club shaped golf swing training devices are illustrated in Wurster. U.S. Pat. No. 6,254,493, McGinty, U.S. Publication No. 2003/0032494 and Daechsel, U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,802. McGinty teaches a plurality of optical sensors adjacent a club face for detecting contact between the face and the golf ball, as well as electronics mounted within the head for processing the signals from the sensor for analyzing at least the location of the contact between the face and ball. The electronics further analyze whether the ball is tending to slice or hook by detecting lateral movement of the ball during contact with the club face

Wurster and Daechsel both teach golf swing practice devices (non functioning golf clubs) each including a weighted head portion attached to an elongated shaft. In the case of Wurster, a first laser module is mounted in the grip end of the shaft and directs a laser beam upwardly from the (rip in coaxial alignment with the central axis of the shaft. A further pair of laser modules are mounted in the head of the training device for directing a pair of spaced parallel laser beams downwardly from the head in diametrically opposed direction from the beam emanating from the grip. The two beams projecting from the head are disposed in a common plane with a downward extension of the central axis of the shaft, such that a line drawn between the points of impact of the beams on the ground visually defines the footprint and thus the angular orientation of an imaginary club face.

Finally, Daechsel teaches another type of golf practice device exhibiting a shortened shaft with unique head weighted to equal the swing of a regular sized club. The head contains a battery for a light, which is centrally mounted with lens and iris to produce a focused, rectangular spot of light, parallel to the shaft center line. A combination level-and-centrifugal switch turns on the light spot when the shaft is level at the start of the down swing, and also as the head travels through the bottom of the swing. The rectangular light beam shows the path of the swing through a target ball, allowing the user to check the accuracy of the swing as well as the squareness of the club head to a target line. The target further comprises a golf ball with electronic receivers on either side in a straight line. The visual light path shows the direction of the swing, and the sound from the electronic receiver indicates to the golfer when a precise swing has been achieved. As repeat accuracy improves with practice, the light beam can be narrowed by adjusting the iris for still greater accuracy.

The present invention teaches a device for a golf club for instructing club face orientation for a selected swing speed and in order to teach club head positioning and control for a selected swing tempo. The body housing has a selected thickness and such that a substantially pointed forward end thereof intersects a midpoint of the club contact face and in a perpendicularly extending direction relative to a coplanar axis extending across the club contact face. As will be described with reference to the several succeeding embodiments, the inertially responsive device is capable of being incorporated into any of a wood/driver, iron or putter variant.

In one variant, an adhesive tacky material applied to an underside surface of the body engages the body to a top surface of the club head. An on-board processor draws power from a portable power supply (e.g. lithium style 3 v battery) and is communicated with an inertially sensitive cam shaped member rotatably mounted within a location of the body.

Based upon a preferred variant of the design, either or both of swing/tempo speed and directional/target adjustment features are built into the body. A first variant incorporates both of these features and first includes a swing speed adjustment knob mounted in exposed fashion relative to an upper surface of the body and in contact with the inertially sensitive element via an adjustment spring. An audio-generating transistor and a plurality of LED elements cooperate can operate in a purely mechanical fashion according to one preferred embodiment or, in a desired variant, are communicable with the processor for instructing a correct planar orientation of a contacting face of the club head relative to the golf ball.

Additional features include a speed sensor contact post secured to an extending end of the adjustable spring, an opposite end of the spring fixedly securing at a forward location of the body and, depending upon forward or rearward adjustment of the post establishing a desired swing speed. An inner two piece frame is mounted within the housing, with first and second pairs of opposing frame ends communicating with opposite sides of a pair of speed sensor alignment studs with outer contact rings. A first and forward-most disposed of the frames is fixedly disposed within the body, the other and rearward disposed frame being linearly displaceable in response to rotation of the weighted and cam-shaped element.

A lithium style battery is mounted within the body, with a plurality of lead wires extending from the battery and connecting to first, second and third LED elements mounted to selected exterior locations of the body. The processor operates to instruct a selected LED element to illuminate, dependent upon at least one of a sensed club speed and an achieved planar orientation of the club face relative to the golf ball.

Additional features include a sound-generating transistor component is also mounted in the body and, in concurrent communication with the processor along with the LED) elements, issues a selected audio output to correspond with a selected illuminated LED). Yet additional features include an alignment adjustment dial (this consisting of a cooperating component in a primary dual functioning embodiment and an alternating secondary component) mounted in a forward spaced fashion relative to the speed sensor contact post, the adjustment dial exerting a selected sideways bias to the spring in order to compensate for left and right club face planar offset for a selected swing speed. The alignment adjustment dial further includes a pair of spaced apart posts extending in a direction opposite an exposed and user gripping portion, a selected one of the posts engaging a side location of the spring according to a given setting, and in order thereby to compensate for a user\'s hook or slice tendencies by pre-stressing or pre-influencing the spring in a given lateral deflecting manner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

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