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Metal-organic composite golf club headRelated Patent Categories: Games Using Tangible Projectile, Golf, Club Or Club Support, Head, Hollow BodyMetal-organic composite golf club head description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070032312, Metal-organic composite golf club head. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
[0001] This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 10/936,396 filed Sep. 8, 2004. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] This invention relates generally to golf clubs and, in particular, to so-called metal wood drivers. [0003] Recent developments in golf club design have included improvements in drivers, which are clubs used primarily to strike a golf ball resting on a golf tee. These improvements have resulted in drivers with club heads consisting of a hollow shell usually made of metal, such as steel, aluminum, or titanium. One example of a golf club head consisting of a hollow metal shell is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,851,160 to Rugge, et al. In an effort to obtain better and better performance from these hollow metal wood drivers, however, golf club manufactures have increased the head volume from a moderate volume of 250 cubic centimeters as disclosed in Rugge, et al. to over 400 cubic centimeters in recent years. The striking face of a metal wood driver must be of a certain minimal thickness in order to withstand the impact forces generated upon impact with a golf ball. Accordingly, as head size increases, less and less material is available for fabricating the crown, sole and skirt of the club head while maintaining the club head of these super-oversized drivers within acceptable weight limitations (i.e., around 200 grams mass). [0004] More recently, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,471,604, one golf club manufacturer has suggested a club head having a metallic face bonded to an aft body composed of a non-metal material such as a composite or thermoplastic material. The lightweight plastic rear body enables more metal to be dedicated to the striking face, however, many golfers dislike the impact sound produced by a club head having a low resonance, highly damped non-metallic rear body. Moreover, because of the discontinuity between the all-composite or thermoplastic rear body and the striking face, the striking face is not significantly supported by the rear body. Consequently, more material must be dedicated to striking face itself, thereby canceling out much of the weight savings attributable to the non-metallic rear body. [0005] Accordingly, what is needed is a club head having a metal-organic composite rear body, which is integral to the striking face and therefore maintains some of the stiffness (and frequency) of a fully-metallic rear body, while still providing a lightweight rear body structure. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0006] The present invention comprises a golf club head formed of a hollow body having a metallic face and a rear body portion forming a shell at least a portion of which is made of a metal-organic composite material. According to a preferred embodiment, the rear body portion of the club head includes a metallic stringer that extends along a crown-skirt interface and a plurality of ribs intersecting the metallic stringer to form a lattice frame, the openings of which are filled with an organic composite material such as graphite epoxy. In the preferred embodiment, the lattice frame forms at least a portion of the crown of the rear body portion. An additional aperture formed in the skirt is also filled with the same graphite epoxy material. Because the graphite epoxy is lighter than the surrounding metal lattice frame, the rear body portion of the golf club head is lighter than a comparable all metal club head. Yet, the presence of the metallic stringer and lattice frame renders the metal-organic composite rear body portion substantially stiffer than a comparable all-composite rear body portion. DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0007] The present invention will be better understood from a reading of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings figures in which like references designate like elements and, in which: [0008] FIG. 1 is a front view of a golf club head incorporating features of the present invention; [0009] FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the golf club head of FIG. 1; [0010] FIG. 3 is a top view of the golf club head of FIG. 1; [0011] FIG. 4 is a toe-end side view of the golf club head of FIG. 1; [0012] FIG. 5 is a heel-end side view of the golf club head of FIG. 1; [0013] FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the golf club head of FIG. 1; [0014] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the golf club head of FIG. 6 taken along line 7-7; [0015] FIG. 8 is a top view of an alternative embodiment of a golf club head incorporating features of the present invention; and [0016] FIG. 9 is a rear perspective view of another alternative embodiment of a golf club head incorporating features of the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [0017] The drawing figures are intended to illustrate the general manner of construction and are not necessarily to scale. In the detailed description and in the drawing figures, specific illustrative examples are shown and herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawing figures and the detailed description are not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed but are merely illustrative and intended to teach one of ordinary skill how to make and/or use the invention claimed herein and for setting forth the best mode for carrying out the invention. [0018] With reference to FIGS. 1-7, and in particular FIGS. 1 and 2, golf club head 10 comprises a hollow body 12 formed of a metal material having a front wall including a face 14 for impacting a golf ball, and a hosel 16 adapted to receive a golf club shaft (not shown). Hollow body 12 further comprises a rear body portion 18, which is made up of a crown 20, a sole 22 and a skirt 24 that form a shell. Crown 20 and skirt 24 meet at apex 26 which comprises an area having a small cross sectional radius of curvature 27 (FIG. 7) and which extends in an arcuate path (as viewed in FIG. 3) from a position proximal the heel end 28 of hollow body 12 to a position proximal the toe end 30 of hollow body 12. [0019] The region surrounding apex 26 forms an arcuate perimeter region 32 that smoothly blends the high crown curve of apex 26 into the low; crown curve of crown 20 and skirt 24. Arcuate perimeter region 32 preferably extends 0.700 inches above and 0.700 inches below the peak of apex 26, preferably 0.350 inches above and 0.350 inches below the peak of apex 26 and most preferably about 0.250 inches above and 0.250 inches below the peak of apex 26. Arcuate perimeter region 32 is unsupported above and below by any of the metal forming hollow body 12 for at least a portion of its span. [0020] Hollow body 12 may be assembled from a series of forged metal pieces that are welded or brazed together, but in the illustrative embodiment of FIGS. 1-7, comprises a titanium investment casting. Crown 20 is formed with a solid return portion 33 that extends rearward from face 14 and a series of apertures 34 proximal the rear end of hollow body 12. Skirt 24 is formed with solid return portions 35 and 37 that extend rearward from face 14 and an aperture 36 proximal the rear end of hollow body 12. Apertures 34 and 36 cooperate to form a metallic stringer 38 that extends along a portion of the arcuate perimeter region 32 as well as a plurality of ribs 40 that support stringer 38 along a portion of its span. In the illustrative embodiment, a second stringer 42 disposed radially inward from stringer 38 is tied to ribs 40 to form an open lattice frame. Continue reading about Metal-organic composite golf club head... Full patent description for Metal-organic composite golf club head Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Metal-organic composite 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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