JP-2025518799-A5 -

Dates

Publication Date

20260507

Application Date

20230602

Description

In efforts to solve these problems, with reference hereto to the drawings, particularly Figures 3 to 8, the art of the present disclosure includes a club head 100 having a ball striking face 101, a rear portion 102 opposite to the ball striking facing 101, a heel end 103, and a toe end 104. A hosel 105 may be located at the heel end 103. The club head 100 includes a shell 110 that provides the structure of the club head 100. That is, the shell 110 can be a skeletal component configured to define the outer surface of the club head 100 by at least partially receiving one or more components. The shell 110 can form at least a portion of the outer surface of the club head 100. For example, the shell 110 may be integrated with the ball striking face 101. Alternatively, the ball striking face 101 may be a separate component that can at least partially be inserted into and/or attached to the shell 110. The ball striking face 101 may have a certain thickness. Alternatively, the ball striking face 101 may have variable thickness such that a portion of the ball striking face 101 has the minimum thickness and another portion has the maximum thickness. The shell 110 may be made from (or may contain) metal, for example, titanium, aluminum, titanium alloy, aluminum alloy, steel (e.g., stainless steel), etc. Alternatively or additionally, the shell 110 may be made from (or contain) composite materials such as fiber-polymer composites, resins, or any other useful materials. The shell 110 may be a single piece that can help reduce the overall vibration of the assembled club head 100. Alternatively, the shell 110 may be assembled from two or more parts, which can help improve ease of molding during manufacturing, etc. The club head 100 may include an insert 120 positioned behind the ball-striking face 101. The position and shape of the insert 120 may, among other things, affect the coefficient of gravity and/or coefficient of restitution of the club head 100. At least a portion of the insert 120 may be substantially parallel to the ball-striking face 101. The insert 120 may be symmetrical (e.g., with respect to planes extending between the sole and the crown, and between the ball-striking face 101 and the rear 102), or substantially symmetrical. Alternatively, as shown, the insert 120 may be asymmetrical. The insert may include plastic or another elastic material. For example, the insert 120 may be made from (or may include) polyurethane (e.g., thermoplastic polyurethane), polypropylene, etc. As an example, the insert 120 may include substantially transparent or translucent thermoplastic polyurethane, which may allow visibility of internal components such as a weight 125 placed inside the insert 120, as will be described more fully herein. The outer surface of the insert 120 may have a curvature that follows the curvature around the club head 100 (for example, the curvature of the shell 110 in the area directly surrounding the insert 120). Part or all of the insert 120 may be coplanar with the part of the club head adjacent to the insert 120 (for example, the shell 110). Alternatively or additionally, part or all of the insert 120 may be recessed from the adjacent part of the club head (for example, the shell 110). The width of the recess 112 (face-rear direction) may vary along the heel-toe direction of the clubhead 100. For example, as shown, the width of the recess 112 may have a local minimum width at or near the centerline of the ball-striking face 101, and the width of the recess may increase along the center-to-heel and/or center-to-toe directions. The width of the recess 112 may increase until a specific point, such as the edge of the central portion of the recess 112, is filled. Alternatively or additionally, the width of the recess 112 may increase until it reaches a point in the heel-toe direction that coincides with, or nearly coincides with, the position where the groove of the ball-striking face 101 terminates. Thereafter, the width may gradually or otherwise decrease along the center-to-heel and/or center-to-toe directions (for example, until another local minimum width is reached). The minimum width of the recess 112 may be at or near the edge of the wing of the recess 112. The recess 112 and the opening 114 may each have side walls that extend inward within the internal volume of the club head 100. The recess 112 may have a bottom surface with a maximum depth less than the maximum depth of the side walls forming the opening (for example, as shown in Figures 9 and 10). Alternatively, the side walls of the opening 114 may be omitted, so that the opening 114 is simply a hole in the bottom surface of the recess 112. The bottom surface of the recess 112 may be substantially perpendicular to at least a portion of the ball-hitting face. Alternatively or additionally, a given position of the bottom surface of the recess 112 may be substantially parallel to a corresponding position on the outer surface of the club hea