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  Hollow golf club headHollow golf club head description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20080090674, Hollow golf club head. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001]1. Field of the Invention [0002]The present invention relates to a hollow golf club head which generates superior feeling of hitting and a superior hitting sound. [0003]2. Description of the Related Art [0004]A metal golf club head having a hollow section has become larger in size. Of so-called drivers head having a loft angle of 13.degree. or less, a driver head having a head volume of 300 cc or more, particularly 350 cc to 500 cc, has come predominant. In the case of the driver head, a head weight is 200 g or less and preferably ranges from 180 g to 195 g or thereabouts; and the specific gravity of a titanium alloy ranges from 4.2 to 5.0. Hence, a crown, sides, and a sole are made smaller in thickness. In some cases, partially reducing the thickness of a face has hitherto been performed. [0005]In a heretofore driver head which is formed from a titanium alloy (e.g., Ti-6Al-4V) through casting and has a hollow section, each of a crown, a sole, and sides has a thickness of about 1.2 mm, and a face has a thickness of about 3 mm. Recently, portions (a sole, sides, a crown, a face, or a part formed integrally from two or more of these portions) of a golf club head are formed by means of pressing a plate material, such as a .beta.-type titanium alloy, and the like; and these portions are welded together, to thus manufacture a golf club head having a hollow section, as disclosed in JP-A-2003-52866. In relation to casting, there has been adopted a method for melting metal by means of a lost wax method (an investment casting method) and pouring the melt metal into a ceramic mold. Difficulty is encountered in reducing the thicknesses of respective portions. However, a method for forming respective portions of a golf club head by means of pressing enables a reduction in the thicknesses of the respective portions. Hence, a thickness of 1 mm or less becomes feasible, which has enabled manufacture of a larger golf club head. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0006]However, as a result of a reduction in the thickness and an increase in the size of the golf club head, vibrations developing in the golf club head when the club head hits a golf ball become greater, which unpreferably affects the feeling of hitting and hitting sound. [0007]The present invention is conceived in view of the circumstances and aims at providing a hollow golf club head which generates enhanced feeling of hitting and hitting sound. [0008]In order to achieve the object, the present invention provides a hollow golf club head including: a metal head main body including a hollow section; and a weight formed from magnesium or a magnesium alloy in at least one of a toe side, a heel side, a back side and a sole of the metal head main body. [0009]The hollow golf club head of the present invention effectively dampens vibrations of the golf club head resulting from hitting of a golf ball by means of the weight formed from magnesium or a magnesium alloy, and enhanced feeling of hitting and enhanced hitting sound are achieved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0010]FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing a head main body of a hollow golf club head of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of the head main body taken along T1-T1 shown in FIG. 1A; [0011]FIG. 2A is a perspective view of the head main body when viewed from a direction differing from that where FIG. 1A is acquired, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of the head main body taken along T2-T2 shown in FIG. 2A; and [0012]FIG. 3 is a graph showing a relationship between vibration frequencies and damping ratios of golf club heads of an embodiment and comparative examples. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS [0013]An exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below. In the exemplary embodiment, no limitations are imposed on the material of a metal head main body having a hollow section. However, for example, a titanium alloy, stainless steel, an aluminum alloy, and the like, are mentioned. The metal head main body may also be formed integrally by means of casting or connecting a plurality of parts through welding or the like. [0014]No limitations are imposed on the type of a metal head main body employed in the exemplary embodiment. A light-weight driver head having a small thickness is particularly preferable. For instance, a driver head, which is formed from, e.g., a titanium alloy (of, e.g., a specific gravity of about 4.5) or an aluminum alloy (of, e.g., a specific gravity of about 2.7) and has a head volume of 300 to 500 cc, can be preferably used. In the case of a head formed from stainless steel having large specific gravity (for example, a specific gravity of 7.8), a driver head having a head volume of 200 to 300 cc can be used preferably. In relation to the thickness of the head, the least thickness of the crown, the sole, and the sides is appropriately set to 0.5 mm to 1.0 mm, particularly 0.6 mm to 0.9 mm. [0015]In the exemplary embodiment, the type of the magnesium alloy is not limited. An alloy made by adding aluminum and zinc to magnesium can be preferably used. More specifically, an AZ31 alloy made by adding 3 percent by mass aluminum and 1 percent by mass zinc to magnesium, an AZ61 alloy made by adding 6 percent by mass aluminum and 1 percent by mass zinc to magnesium, an AZ91 alloy made by adding 9 percent by mass aluminum and 1 percent by mass zinc to magnesium, and the like, can be used preferably. However, the magnesium alloy is not limited to them. [0016]The weight which is used in the present embodiment and formed from magnesium or a magnesium alloy preferably has a weight of 1 to 5 grams. When the weights are too light in weight, an effect of damping vibrations of the head is not achieved. In contrast, when the weights are too heavy in weight, the weight of a head is affected undesirably. The specific gravity of the magnesium alloy is of the order of 1.7 to 2.0 or thereabouts. The Young's modulus of the magnesium alloy is 44 to 45 Gpa which is one-half or less the Young's modulus of the titanium alloy or about 60 to 70 percents of the Young's modulus of the aluminum alloy. [0017]Since magnesium or the magnesium alloy is susceptible to corrosion, the surface of the weight may also be subjected to corrosion treatment. Specifically, the surfaces of the weights can be subjected to corrosion treatment by means of chromate treatment, chemical conversion treatment such as selenite treatment, anodizing, and the like, or the surfaces of the weights can be subjected to corrosion treatment by means of coating the surfaces with insulating coating or an insulation resin. [0018]In the exemplary embodiment, no limitations are imposed on the manner where the weight is placed in the metal head main body. For instance, a recess is formed in either sides and a sole of the metal head main body or both the sides and the sole of the same, and a weight is fixed to the recesses. An opening is formed in either the sides or the sole of the metal head main body or both the sides and the sole of the same, and the weight can be fixed to the openings. In this case, a thick portion is formed in either the sides or the sole of the metal head main body or both the sides and the sole of the same, and forming the recess or the opening in the thick portions is preferable. Moreover, the recess preferably protrudes from an exterior surface of the head main body to the hollow section of the head main body. In addition, it is better to form the weight into a screw having an external thread, form a female screw in the recess or opening formed in the thick portions, and screw-engage the weight with the recess and the opening. [0019]According to the hollow golf club head of the exemplary embodiment, preferable feeling of hitting and preferable hitting sound can be acquired. [0020]An embodiment of the present invention will be described by reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment provided below. FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing a head main body of a hollow golf club head of an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of the head main body taken along T1-T1 shown in FIG. 1A; FIG. 2A is a perspective view of the head main body when viewed from a direction differing from that where FIG. 1A is acquired; and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of the head main body taken along T2-T2 shown in FIG. 2A. Continue reading about Hollow golf club head... Full patent description for Hollow golf club head Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Hollow 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 Hollow golf club head or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Golf swing training method and apparatus Next Patent Application: Golf club head Industry Class: Games using tangible projectile ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Hollow golf club head patent info. 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