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Golf club headRelated Patent Categories: Games Using Tangible Projectile, Golf, Club Or Club Support, Head, Striking Face Surface Deforms Upon Impact (e.g., Resilient, Etc.)Golf club head description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070066420, Golf club head. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The invention relates to a hollow golf club head comprising a head body and a face member bonded to a face opening of the head body. [0003] 2. Description of Related Art [0004] Conventional hollow golf club heads comprise a head body and a face member bonded to the face opening of the head body. Examples of face members for such hollow golf club heads include those entirely covering the face portion and those having a shape that approximates the shape of the face surface and that fits within the face surface (for example, see JP 2001-259091 A). SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0005] However, since the conventional face member is supported by the head body at the periphery of the face portion, a large improvement of repulsive performance cannot be expected by increasing the maximum width W of the face member unless the maximum height H, which is usually smaller than the maximum width, is also increased. [0006] Titanium and titanium alloys, which are lightweight and have high strength, are often used for club heads in order to increase the volumes of club heads. While it is particularly effective to use a material having a low elastic modulus for the face member in order to improve the repulsive performance, such materials are generally expensive. Consequently, the face member becomes expensive among all parts in golf clubs since a material with particularly low elastic modulus and high strength is used for it. [0007] It is therefore desirable to reduce the manufacturing cost by efficiently improving the repulsive performance of the face member. [0008] The object of the invention is to provide a hollow club head having a face member bonded to the head body so as to cover the face opening of the head body, according to which the repulsive performance associated with the face member is efficiently improved without undue increases in material and/or manufacturing costs. [0009] The invention provides a hollow club head comprising a head body having a face opening and a face member for closing the face opening, wherein the W/H ratio of the face member between the maximum height H (mm) and maximum width W (mm) is in the range of 1.0 to 1.7. [0010] According to the present invention, the repulsive performance of the face member may be insufficient when the W/H ratio is in the range of 1.0 to 1.7. The range of the W/H ratio is preferably 1.0 to 1.5, more preferably 1.0 to 1.4. [0011] According to the present invention, the maximum height H of the face member is preferably in the range of 47 to 65 mm, and more preferably 50 to 60 mm. The repulsive performance of the face member may be insufficient when the maximum height H of the face member is outside the range of 47 to 65 mm. The maximum width of the face member is preferably in the range of 47 to 110 mm and more preferably in the range of 47 to 91 mm. [0012] According to the present invention, the maximum height L of the face portion is preferably in the range of 53 to 65 mm, more preferably 55 to 60 mm. The repulsive performance of the face member may be insufficient when the maximum height L of the face portion is outside the range of 53 to 65 mm. [0013] One or both of the top and bottom edges of the face member may be extended at some portions beyond the face portion. For example, the top edge of the face member may extend into the crown portion beyond the face portion. Also, the bottom edge of the face member may extend into the sole portion of the club head. Since the position of the centroid of the face member goes up by extending the top edge of the face member into the crown portion, if the top edge of the face member enters into the crown portion, a point on the face portion onto which the center of gravity of the head is projected along a line that is normal to the face portion (or the front surface of the face member) may become close to the centroid of the face member, or such a projected point of the center of gravity of the head may coincide with the centroid position of the face member. Consequently, the face member can sufficiently yield when the golf club strikes a golf ball at the face member so as to increase the carry of the ball and improve the feeling of the shot. [0014] A point onto which the actual center of gravity of the club head is vertically projected on the face portion is sometimes referred to as the projected position of the center of gravity on the face portion, while the position of the centroid refers to a point corresponding to an action point which sums up all presumed forces coming from every part or area of a figure or shape. Preferably, the distance between the centroid of the face member and the center of gravity of the club head falls within the range of 0 to 5 mm, more preferably within the range of 0 to 3.5 mm. This is because impact forces are better transmitted to the ball if the center of gravity and the centroid of the face member are relatively close to each other as the repulsiveness of the face member is generally high around its centroid. [0015] The club head according to the present invention may have differing thicknesses at different points on the face member. Since the hitting surface of the face member has to be flat or uniformly bent, such differences in the thickness of the face member may cause the back of the face member to have inclined portions. By having the thickness of the face member change at some portions of the face member, the repulsion characteristics of the face portion may be improved. In this case, it is preferred to design the contour of the back of the face member so as to provide a region of the maximum thickness and a region of the minimum thickness on the face member with an incline area or surface connecting the two regions. [0016] The thickness at this inclined area or surface may change continuously or discontinuously within itself and also connecting with either of the two regions of the maximum and minimum thickness. Also, the thickness of the region of the maximum thickness and that of the region of the minimum thickness may be uniform within each region. [0017] The region of the maximum thickness may be located surrounded by the region of the minimum thickness so that the region of the maximum thickness forms an island with the inclined area or surface connecting the two regions. Preferably, the centroid of the face member and/or face portion falls within the region of the maximum thickness for better repulsive characteristics, etc. [0018] The maximum thickness of the face member may preferably be 2.1 to 4.5 mm and more preferably 2.5 to 3.6 mm. Also the minimum thickness of the face member may preferably be 1 to 2.6 mm and more preferably 1.3 to 2.1 mm if the face member has regions of differing thicknesses. The rigidity of the face portion may be too high when the maximum thickness exceeds 4.5 mm, while the strength of the face portion and the ease of manufacturing the club head may deteriorate when the minimum thickness is less than 1 mm. The difference of the thickness between the two regions of the face member is preferably 0.8 to 3.5 mm and more preferably 1 to 2.5 mm. [0019] The region of the maximum thickness may preferably occupy 2 to 12% and more preferably 2 to 8% of the area of the face portion, while the region of the minimum thickness may preferably occupy 15 to 60% and more preferably 30 to 50% of the area of the face portion in the club head. The area of the region of the maximum thickness may be 3 to 50%, preferably 5 to 30%, of that of the region of the minimum thickness. The area of the face portion is, for example, about 35 to 55 cm.sup.2 if the club is #1 wood. [0020] The head body may be integrally formed, or may be formed by a plurality of members bonded together. While the material of the head body and the method of manufacturing are not particularly restricted according to the present invention, titanium, titanium alloys, aluminum and stainless steel are preferable as materials used for club heads, while the head body may preferably be formed by casting. [0021] While the material and the method of manufacturing the face member are also not particularly restricted according to the present invention, titanium, titanium alloys, aluminum and stainless steel may preferably used, while the face member is favorably forged or press-formed with a press. [0022] While the method of bonding the face member to the head body is not particularly restricted according to the present invention, plasma welding, laser welding or electron beam welding is suitable for cleanly finishing bonding portions and for enhancing accuracy of the weight of the club head. Conventional plasma welding may be used for this purpose. A plasma arc generates high temperature energy sufficient to melt materials to be welded together, and the welded materials become solidified after the welding. Conventional laser welding using gas lasers such as CO laser and CO.sub.2 laser, and solid state lasers such as YAG laser may also be used. Conventional electron beam welding with appropriate output energy may also be used according to the present invention. Continue reading about Golf club head... Full patent description for Golf club head Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this 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. 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