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EP-4735126-A2 - GOLF CLUB HEADS WITH SLITS AND FLEXURE INSERTS

EP4735126A2EP 4735126 A2EP4735126 A2EP 4735126A2EP-4735126-A2

Abstract

A golf club head with a slit and cantilevered arm extending from an interior surface of the sole forward into the slit. The cantilevered arm has a fixed end coupled to the interior surface of the sole rearward of the slit, and a tip end opposite the fixed end. The cantilevered arm extends arcuately from the fixed end and over the rear wall so that the tip end is disposed between the front and rear wall and is configured to abut the front wall of the slit during impact with a golf ball.

Inventors

  • MORALES, Eric
  • MILLEMAN, Travis
  • DEGERNESS, Joshua

Assignees

  • Karsten Manufacturing Corporation

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20240708

Claims (9)

  1. 1. A golf club head, comprising: a strike face comprising a striking surface for impacting a golfball; a body coupled to the strike face to enclose a hollow interior cavity, the body having a crown, a sole, a heel, a toe, and a rear end, wherein the sole includes a front wall and a rear wall positioned proximate the strike face and spaced to define a slit open to the hollow interior cavity; a cantilevered arm comprising a fixed end coupled to an interior surface of the sole rearward of the rear wall, and a tip end opposite the fixed end, wherein the cantilevered arm extends arcuately from the fixed end and over the rear wall so that the tip end is disposed between the front and rear wall; and a bumper coupled to the tip end.
  2. 2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the cantilevered arm comprises a spring steel.
  3. 3. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein a cap is configured to be received by the slit to seal the hollow interior cavity.
  4. 4. The golf club head of claim 2, wherein the cap comprises a central cutout through which the front wall of the slit is exposed to the hollow interior cavity.
  5. 5. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the fixed end of the cantilever arm is coupled to the interior surface of the sole at a location between 0.1 and 0.5 inch rearward of the rear wall.
  6. 6. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the fixed end of the cantilever arm is coupled to a mass pad.
  7. 7. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the bumper is configured to contact a center portion of the front wall of the slit.
  8. 8. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein: the cantilever arm comprises a loaded position and an unloaded position; the loaded position is defined by the bumper contacting the front wall; and the unloaded position defined by the bumper spaced rearward of the front wall such that it does not touch the front wall.
  9. 9. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the bumper is formed from a polyoxymethylene material.

Description

GOLF CLUB HEADS WITH SLITS AND FLEXURE INSERTS CROSS REFERENCE PRIORITIES [0001] This claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/618,184, filed January 5, 2024, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/512,261, file July 6, 2023, and is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Appl. No. 18/153,829, filed on January 12, 2023, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/371,613, filed August 16, 2022, and U.S Provisional Application No. 63/266,722, filed January 12, 2022, the contents of which are fully incorporated herein by reference. FIELD OF INVENTION [0002] This invention generally relates to golf equipment, and more particularly, to golf club heads having slits and flexure inserts to increase the flexure of the strike face for club head loft, ball speed, and ball spin manipulation. BACKGROUND [0003] Many golf club heads, in particular wood-type golf club heads i.e. drivers, fairway woods, and hybrids), comprise features designed to control the flexure of the strike face at impact. In general, increasing the flexure of the strike face improves the performance of the club head by increasing ball speed and lowering spin, both of which can lead to gains in ball distance. Many prior art club heads seek to increase strike face flexure by providing an elongated slit proximate the strike face (also referred to herein as a “slot”) comprising an aperture through a portion of the club head body and into the interior cavity. The slit is typically then filled with a lightweight, flexible insert to plug the aperture and seal the interior cavity. The insert is typically formed of a uniform viscoelastic material that absorbs and dissipates energy under compression, thereby reducing the overall energy transfer between the club head and the golfball. Reduced energy transfer, in turn, reduces ball speed and negatively impacts the performance of the club head. Furthermore, the materials and uniform structure limit conventional inserts to a consistent response across the slit. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0004] FIG. 1 illustrates a top perspective view of a wood-type club head comprising a slit and a flexure insert. [0005] FIG. 2 illustrates a front view of the wood-type club head of FIG. 1. [0006] FIG. 3 illustrates a heel side view of the wood-type club head of FIG. 1. [0007] FIG. 4 illustrates a sole view of the wood-type club head of FIG. 1 devoid of the flexure insert. [0008] FIG. 5 illustrates a sole view of the wood-type club head of FIG. 1. [0009] FIG. 6 illustrates a detailed cross-sectional view of the wood-type club head comprising a slit and a flexure insert according to a first embodiment. [0010] FIG. 7 illustrates a detailed cross-sectional view of the wood-type club head of FIG. 6 comprising the slit and flexure insert according to the first embodiment. [0011] FIG. 8 illustrates a top internal cavity view of the slit and flexure insert of FIG. 6. [0012] FIG. 9 illustrates a perspective internal cavity view of the slit of FIG. 6 devoid of the flexure insert. [0013] FIG. 10 illustrates a detailed cross-sectional view of the wood-type club head comprising a slit and a flexure insert according to a second embodiment. [0014] FIG. 11 illustrates a top cross-sectional view of a spring component from the flexure insert of FIG. 10. [0015] FIG. 12 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the wood-type club head comprising a slit and a flexure insert according to a third embodiment. [0016] FIG. 13 illustrates a detailed cross-sectional view the slit and flexure insert of FIG. [0017] FIG. 14 illustrates a top internal view of the slit and flexure insert of FIG. 12. [0018] FIG. 15 illustrates a detailed cross-sectional view of the wood-type club head comprising a slit and a flexure insert according to a fourth embodiment. [0019] FIG. 16 illustrates a detailed cross sectional view of slit and flexure insert of FIG. 15. [0020] FIG. 17 illustrates a top internal view of the slit and flexure insert of FIG. 15. [0021] FIG. 18 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the wood-type club head comprising a slit and flexure insert according to a fifth embodiment. [0022] FIG. 19 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the wood-type club head comprising a slit and flexure insert according to a sixth embodiment. [0023] FIG. 20 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the wood-type club head comprising a slit and flexure insert according to a seventh embodiment. [0024] FIG. 21 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the wood-type club head comprising a slit and flexure insert according to an eighth embodiment. [0025] FIG. 22 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the wood-type club head comprising a slit and flexure insert according to a nineth embodiment. [0026] FIG. 23 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the wood-type club head comprising a slit and flexure insert according to a tenth embodiment. [0027] FIG. 24 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the wood-type club head comprising a slit and flexure insert ac