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Weight-matched set of golf clubsRelated Patent Categories: Games Using Tangible Projectile, Golf, Club Or Club Support, Club Set, Particular Correlated Head CharacteristicWeight-matched set of golf clubs description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060223647, Weight-matched set of golf clubs. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
RELATED APPLICATION [0001] The present application claims priority of U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/668,467 filed by Alan L. Brooks on Apr. 4, 2005. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The present invention relates generally to providing a matched set of golf clubs that all have the same feel when used by a golfer by rendering each club to have the same total weight without substantially changing the rotational dynamic properties of the clubs or the flexural properties of the shaft in each club. [0004] 2. Description of Related Art [0005] The action taken by a golfer in striking the ball can be characterized as having four parts. The first part is the `address of the ball` wherein a stationary position is assumed by the golfer and the club head is placed in some relation to the ball. The second part is the `backswing` wherein the club is taken from the address position to a position generally above and behind the shoulders of the golfer where the club is poised to strike the ball. The third part is the `downswing` where the club is used to strike the ball and the fourth part is the `follow through` where the golfer and club are brought back to a stationary position following the striking of the ball. [0006] For years, golfers have tried to improve their game by searching for the ideal set of golf clubs, wherein each club `feels` the same and performs in a consistent manner. As such, numerous methods have been formulated in the attempts to dynamically match a set of golf clubs. Many systems have been developed that match the dynamics of one club in a set to the dynamics of other clubs in the same set. [0007] One such method for matching the dynamics of golf clubs in a set is to provide the set with the same moment of inertia with respect to a common swinging axis. Such a method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,698,239 issued to Everett, III. This method uses the assumption that having identical moments of inertia per club will inherently provide the golfer with better feel and more control. An attempt to provide a method for producing a set of moment of inertia matched clubs is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,953,916 issued to Adams. [0008] The commonly used "Lorythmic Swing Weight Scale" defines a `swing weight`, which approximates the moment of inertia about an axis at the grip end of a club. This approximation is performed by measuring the static moment about a fulcrum point which is established at a specified distance from the grip end of the club. Note that swing weight is not a measurement of the moment of inertia, but rather an estimation of the moment of inertia. Also note that swing weight is a valid approximation of moment of inertia only over a relatively narrow range of club design parameters. [0009] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the manner in which the swing weight of a golf club 100 is determined. Golf club 100 includes shaft 101, head 102 and grip 103. The swing weight SW is determined by supporting the shaft 101 at a fulcrum point F, and measuring the moment required to statically balance the club. The fulcrum point F is located a precise distance (i.e., 14 inches) from the grip end of the club. As mentioned above, the swing weight is an approximation of the moment of inertia of the club 100 around an axis A at the grip end 104 of the club. [0010] Swing weight is expressed as a combination of a letter (A, B, C, D, E, F) and a number (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10). Each combination of letter and number is known as a `swing weight point`. Thus, there are 77 possible swing weight points. The lightest swing weight is AO, and the heaviest swing weight is G10. Most men's golf club sets are manufactured with a swing weight of D0 or D1, while most women's golf club sets are manufactured with a swing weight of C5 to C7. Each golf club in a set is manufactured to have the same swing weight. [0011] In order for each golf club in a set to have the same swing weight, the weight of the golf club head 102 must decrease as the length of the golf club shaft 101 increases. Successive clubs in a set typically vary in shaft length by 0.5 inches and club head weight by 7 grams, with longer clubs having a lighter head weight. For example, if a 9-iron of a set has a length of L, and a club head weight W, then the 8-iron of the same set typically has a length of L+0.5 inches and weight of W-7 grams. The total weight of successive clubs in a set varies by about 5 grams. As club head weights increase by 7 grams, the correspondingly shorter shafts decrease in weight by about 2 grams. For this reason, each of the golf clubs of a set will have a different total weight. For example, a 3-iron may weigh 30 grams less than a 9-iron from the same set. This effect is amplified for a driver (or any other wood), which typically has a longer and lighter shaft. For example, a driver having a 45.5 inch graphite (carbon composite) shaft may have a total weight of about 310 grams, which is about 130 grams lighter (about 30% lighter) than a steel shafted 9-iron of the same set. In virtually all sets of golf clubs currently produced, the weight of each individual club varies substantially from every other club in the set. [0012] With a matched swing weight, each of the golf clubs in a set will `feel` similar during phases of the swing where the club head swings (i.e., rotates) about the axis A at the grip end of the shaft. The main phase of the swing where the club head swings about the grip end of the shaft exists during the final phase of the downswing, immediately before (and after) the club head makes impact with the golf ball. During this phase of the downswing, the golfer's arms are extended, and the club head swings about an axis created by the golfer's wrists. This axis point substantially coincides with the axis A at the grip end of the shaft. This phase of the downswing is hereinafter referred to as the `release`, because the club head is `released` to swing about the wrists. [0013] However, the golf swing is a very complicated movement, which includes movements other than the above-described `release` phase of the downswing. Other common movements in the golf swing include the backswing, the initial phase of the downswing and the follow-through. Swing weight is a poor approximation of how the club `feels` during much of these other swing movements, because the primary movement of the club head is not a rotating movement about a fixed axis during these other swing movements. For example, during the last phase of the backswing and the initial phase of the downswing, the golf club is translated by the hands and rotates very little. FIG. 2 illustrates one example of translational movement of golf club 100 along axis T. Unfortunately, there is a significant difference in the translational inertia (i.e., weight) of the various golf clubs in the set. For this reason, a 9-iron and a driver having the same swing weight will `feel` very different during the last phase of the backswing and the initial phase of the downswing. This difference in `feel` may cause golfers to apply different swings to different golf clubs of the same set. That is, the difference in `feel` often causes golfers to swing the 9-iron in a different manner than they swing the driver (or other clubs of the same set). This undesirably introduces additional complexity to an already complex series of movements. [0014] As described above, swing weight matching was developed as an approximation of moment of inertia matching. Swing weight matching is more easily understood and implemented than true moment of inertia matching. Over the years, swing weight matching has become the de facto standard for club design. Consequently, it would be difficult to introduce a new set of golf clubs, wherein different golf clubs in the set exhibit different swing weights. It would also be difficult to introduce a set of golf clubs having swing weights that vary from the norm of D0 or D1 for men's clubs, or C5 to C7 for women's clubs. [0015] However, it would be desirable to have a set of golf clubs which `feel` the same through a wider range of movements during the golf swing. More specifically, it would be desirable to have a set of golf clubs that all exhibit the same moment of inertia during the release phase of the downswing, and also exhibit substantially the same translational inertia during other phases of the backswing and downswing. That is, it would be desirable to have the same `feel` for all clubs during larger portions of the backswing and downswing movements. SUMMARY [0016] Accordingly, the present invention provides a set of golf clubs, wherein each golf club in the set exhibits substantially the same rotational moment of inertia about a fixed axis, and wherein each golf club in the set has the same translational inertia (i.e., total weight). That is, the golf clubs in the set are matched in both rotational moment of inertia and translational inertia. The present invention therefore includes the total weight of the golf club in the systematic matching of the golf clubs within a set. [0017] In accordance with one embodiment, the total weight of each golf club is matched to the weight of the heaviest golf club of the set. For example, assuming that the 9-iron is the heaviest club of the set, then weight is added to each of the other clubs in the set, such that all of the clubs of the set weigh the same as the 9-iron. In order to prevent this added weight from significantly modifying the rotational moment of inertia of the clubs, the weight is added at the axis of rotation about which the rotational moment of inertia is determined and matched, either precisely or by approximation (e.g., by swing weight). In a particular embodiment, the weight is added inside the shaft of the club, at the grip end of the club. [0018] The present invention will be more fully understood in view of the following description and drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0019] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the manner in which the swing weight of a golf club is determined. [0020] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an axis of translation exhibited while swinging the golf club of FIG. 1. Continue reading about Weight-matched set of golf clubs... Full patent description for Weight-matched set of golf clubs Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Weight-matched set of golf clubs 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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