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Acoustically tunable golf club headAcoustically tunable golf club head description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20080051213, Acoustically tunable golf club head. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001]This invention relates generally to golf clubs and, in particular, to an acoustically tunable golf club head. [0002]It is well known that golf involves utilization of a golfer's senses of sight, sound and touch. This is particularly true in the case of golf putter design. A well designed golf putter will provide a pleasing audible sound as well as pleasant tactile feedback when a golf ball is properly struck. [0003]U.S. Pat. No. 5,803,825 to Hamilton discloses a golf putter head incorporating a resonating cavity that provides acoustic indicia of an optimum contact between the putter head and golf ball. The putter comprises a club head body with a recess in the face. A striking plate having a corresponding recess is attached to the club head body to form a fully-enclosed cavity. According to the patent, the cavity will resonate with greater energy when the ball is properly struck than when the ball is mis-hit. [0004]U.S. Pat. No. 5,908,356 to Nagamoto discloses a golf club head having a metallic acoustic adjustment member installed on the inside surface of the sole of the club. The insert is not in contact with the either the face of the club or the rear portion of the shell. The acoustic adjustment member suppresses the vibration of the sole of the club but not the face, crown or shell which, according to the patent results in a superior ball-striking sound. [0005]U.S. Pat. No. 6,059,669 to Pearce discloses a golf club head including a plurality of cavities that open to the upper surface of the crown. Inserts are placed within the cavities for aerodynamic, acoustic, and other purposes. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0006]The present invention provides a golf club head including a body having a front face, a heel end, a toe end, a first end wall, a second end wall opposite the first end wall, and a back wall extending between the first and second end walls. The front face includes a cantilever face member having a front surface for impacting a golf ball and a back surface facing the back wall. The cantilever face member has a fixed end and a free end. The fixed end of the cantilever face member is attached to the first end wall, and the free end of the cantilever face member is adjacent but spaced from the second end wall. The front face, the first and second end walls, and the back wall together define a resonating cavity behind the cantilever face member so that, when the front surface of the cantilever face member impacts a golf ball, the cantilever face member oscillates in a bending mode and generates an acoustic response in the resonating cavity. [0007]In one embodiment of the golf club head, the free end of the cantilever face member includes an end surface facing the second side wall, and the second end wall has an inner surface facing the first side wall. The end surface on the free end of the cantilever face member and the inner surface of the second side wall are spaced apart to define a gap therebetween. In alternative embodiment of the golf club head, the second end wall comprises an end surface facing the cantilever face member, and the end surface of the second end wall is spaced from the back surface of the cantilever face member to define a gap therebetween. [0008]The golf club head may also include first and second tines in the resonating cavity. The first tine is a cantilevered member disposed substantially parallel to the cantilever face member extending from the first end wall toward the second end wall. The second tine is a cantilevered member disposed substantially parallel to the cantilever face member extending from the second end wall toward the first end wall. DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0009]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a golf club head according to one embodiment of the present invention; [0010]FIG. 2 is a top view of the golf club head shown in FIG. 1; [0011]FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the golf club head shown in FIG. 1; [0012]FIG. 4 is a top view of a golf club head according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention; [0013]FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the golf club head shown in FIG. 4; [0014]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an optional part used in the golf club heads shown in FIGS. 1 and 4; and [0015]FIG. 7A-7C are side views of different configurations of tines which may be used in the golf club heads of FIGS. 1 and 4. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [0016]With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a golf club head 10, preferably a golf putter head, comprises a body 12 and a hosel 14 with a boss 16 counterbored for receiving one end of a golf club shaft (not shown). The body 12 has a front face 18, a heel end 20, a toe end 22, a first end wall 32, a second end wall 34 and a back wall 30. The front face 18 includes a cantilever face member 24 having a fixed end 26 that is attached to the first end wall 32 and a free end 28 that is adjacent but spaced from the second end wall 34. The cantilever face member 24 has a front surface 24a for impacting a golf ball and a back surface 24b facing the back wall 30. Preferably, body 12 including cantilever face member 24 is cast or machined from a single piece of metallic material such as stainless steel or bronze. [0017]In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the free end 28 of the cantilever face member 24 has an end surface 28a that faces the second end wall 34, and the second end wall 34 has an inner surface 34a that faces the first side wall 32. The end surface 28a on the free end 28 of the cantilever face member 24 is spaced from the inner surface 34a of the second end wall 34 to define a gap 29 therebetween. [0018]The front face 18, the first and second end walls 32 and 34, and the back wall 30 together define a resonating cavity 44 behind the cantilever face member 24. First end wall 32 and second end wall 34 each include a plurality of T-slots 38 that are open toward the top 36 of the body 12. One or more thin cantilevered members or tines 40a-f are pressed into the T-slots 38 so that a root portion 42 of each tine 40a-f has a close fit with a corresponding T-slot 38. [0019]When a golf ball is struck on the front surface 24a of the cantilever face member 24, cantilever face member 24 oscillates in a bending mode and generates an acoustic response in the resonating cavity 44. The cantilever face member 24 thus acts as a primary resonator to cause vibrations within the resonating cavity 44. The resonance within cavity 44 causes sympathetic resonances in the tines 40a-f. Preferably, the natural frequency of tines 40a-f is between 20 Hz and 40,000 Hz. The oscillations of tines 40a-f together with the oscillation of cantilever face member 24 produce an audible sound which will be different depending on the primary natural frequency of each of the tines 40a-f. [0020]In the alternative embodiment of FIG. 4, the front face 18 includes a cantilever face member 56 that extends to the toe end 22 of the body 12. The second end wall 34 has an end surface 34b that faces, but is spaced from, the back surface 56b of the cantilever face member 56 to define a gap 58 therebetween. The gap 58 will not be visible in a front view of the club head 10. As in the embodiment of FIG. 2, tines 40a-f are pressed into corresponding T-slots 38 formed in the end walls 32, 34 and may be removed, adjusted and/or replaced with tines of different size and shape to provide the desire acoustic response. Continue reading about Acoustically tunable golf club head... Full patent description for Acoustically tunable golf club head Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Acoustically tunable golf club head patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Acoustically tunable golf club head or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Treatment for the hitting surface of a golf club and a method for applying the same Next Patent Application: Golf club head and golf club Industry Class: Games using tangible projectile ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Acoustically tunable golf club head patent info. 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