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04/17/08 - USPTO Class 473 |  77 views | #20080090677 | Prev - Next | About this Page  473 rss/xml feed  monitor keywords

Metal golf club head

USPTO Application #: 20080090677
Title: Metal golf club head
Abstract: A metal golf club head includes: a metal head main body; and an anticorrosion screw that is formed from a magnesium alloy and fastened to predetermined location on the metal head main body. (end of abstract)



Agent: Sughrue-265550 - Washington, DC, US
Inventors: Makoto KUBOTA, Hideo MATSUNAGA
USPTO Applicaton #: 20080090677 - Class: 473350 (USPTO)

Metal golf club head description/claims


The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20080090677, Metal golf club head.

Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001]1. Field of the Invention

[0002]The present invention relates to a metal 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. 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 metal golf club head which generates enhanced feeling of hitting and hitting sound.

[0008]In order to achieve the object, the present invention provides a metal golf club head including: a metal head main body; and an anticorrosion screw that is formed from a magnesium alloy and fastened to predetermined location on the metal head main body.

[0009]The meal 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 anticorrosion screws of a magnesium alloy, and feeling of hitting and hitting sound are enhanced.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010]FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing a head main body of a metal 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;

[0012]FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing that screws formed from a magnesium alloy are mounted to the head main body; and

[0013]FIG. 4 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

[0014]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. However, for example, a titanium alloy, stainless steel, an aluminum alloy, low carbon steel (e.g. S15C or S25C), and the like, are mentioned. The metal head main body may also be realized by an article integrally formed by means of casting or connecting a plurality of parts through welding or the like.

[0015]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. Moreover, the metal head main body employed in the exemplary embodiment is not limited to a hollow golf club head but may also be a solid golf club head such as an iron club head.

[0016]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.

[0017]The weight of one screw which is used in the present embodiment and formed from a magnesium alloy preferably ranges from 1 to 5 grams. When the screws are too light in weight, an effect of damping vibrations of the head is not achieved. In contrast, when the screws are too heavy in 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.

[0018]Since the magnesium alloy is susceptible to corrosion, the surfaces of the screws are subjected to corrosion treatment. Specifically, the surfaces of the screws can be subjected to corrosion treatment by means of chromate (hexavalent chromium) treatment, permanganate treatment, anodizing, zinc phosphate, and the like, or the surfaces of the screws can be subjected to corrosion treatment by means of coating the surfaces with insulating coating or an insulation resin. In the exemplary embodiment, corrosion treatment is assumed to include rustproofing.

[0019]Particularly-preferred corrosion treatment is to form an oxide film on the surfaces of the screws by use of anodizing. Moreover, the magnesium alloy is likely to cause electrolytic etching upon contact with metal of different type. Hence, at least external threads of the screws formed from a magnesium alloy are preferably coated. Moreover, female screws of the head main body which contact the screws formed from a magnesium alloy are preferably coated. It is appropriate to use, for coating application, epoxy-based coating exhibiting superior adhesion to a magnesium alloy coated with an oxide film.

[0020]In the exemplary embodiment, screws formed from a magnesium alloy can be manufactured, by means of machining, from a round bar consisting of a magnesium alloy. Since the magnesium alloy is lower than an aluminum alloy or stainless steel in terms of cutting resistance, the magnesium alloy is easily machined. Screws formed from a magnesium alloy are manufactured by means of machining. After soil on the surfaces of the screws is eliminated by alkaline cleansing, the screws can be subjected to acid cleansing for the purpose of corrosion treatment.

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