EP1287858A2 - Golfschläger und Verfahren zu dessen Herstellung - Google Patents

Golfschläger und Verfahren zu dessen Herstellung Download PDF

Info

Publication number
EP1287858A2
EP1287858A2 EP02019305A EP02019305A EP1287858A2 EP 1287858 A2 EP1287858 A2 EP 1287858A2 EP 02019305 A EP02019305 A EP 02019305A EP 02019305 A EP02019305 A EP 02019305A EP 1287858 A2 EP1287858 A2 EP 1287858A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
center
face
rear side
golf club
crystal grain
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP02019305A
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP1287858A3 (de
Inventor
Mototaka c/o Mizuno Corporation Iwata
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Mizuno Corp
Original Assignee
Mizuno Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Mizuno Corp filed Critical Mizuno Corp
Publication of EP1287858A2 publication Critical patent/EP1287858A2/de
Publication of EP1287858A3 publication Critical patent/EP1287858A3/de
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B53/00—Golf clubs
    • A63B53/04—Heads
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B53/00—Golf clubs
    • A63B53/04—Heads
    • A63B53/0408—Heads characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B53/00—Golf clubs
    • A63B53/04—Heads
    • A63B53/0408—Heads characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
    • A63B53/0412—Volume
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B53/00—Golf clubs
    • A63B53/04—Heads
    • A63B53/0458—Heads with non-uniform thickness of the impact face plate
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B53/00—Golf clubs
    • A63B53/04—Heads
    • A63B53/0466—Heads wood-type
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B60/00—Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B2209/00—Characteristics of used materials
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B53/00—Golf clubs
    • A63B53/04—Heads
    • A63B53/0416—Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert

Definitions

  • the present invention relates generally to golf clubs and methods of producing the same, and particularly to structures golf club heads formed of metal and including a face having a center with an average crystal grain size smaller at the rear side than at the front side and methods of producing the same.
  • golf club heads have been produced by a variety of known methods.
  • One such method of producing the head is casting.
  • material for the head is exposed to a high temperature and thus melted and the melted metal is cast into a shell formed of melted and shaped wax to mold the head.
  • a crown, a sole and other components of the head excluding the face are cast, as described above, and thus shaped.
  • the plate is for example pressed to form the face. The head components and the face are bonded together to produce a golf club head.
  • a method forging and thus molding the face of the head of a golf club for example a round bar is forged by die forging to mold a face member and head components and the face member are bonded together and further undergo a heat treatment to enhance the head in strength.
  • a cast and thus molded face has a large number of voids. It is thus not only reduced in strength but significantly varies in strength. As such, the face is readily damaged by an impact caused when it hits a ball. To prevent such damage on the face, the face needs to be increased in thickness.
  • the face is increased in thickness, a portion other than the face must instead be reduced in weight and a large head cannot be produced. In addition, the thick face hardly flexes. The head provides poor restitution coefficient, resulting in reduced ball flight distances.
  • the plate is typically rolled by a roller. As such, the plate thus has relatively uniform, small crystal grains.
  • the plate has a strength depending on the size of its crystal grains. Accordingly, the face has a relatively large strength, corresponding to that of the plate that has been rolled.
  • the strength of the rolled plate has an anisotropy. More specifically, it is large in the direction in which the plate is rolled, and small in the direction perpendicular to the direction in which the plate is rolled. Since the strength of a face is influenced by small vertical strength, it is difficult to reduce the face in thickness. As such it is difficult to enhance a head in restitution coefficient and also to produce a large head.
  • a round bar is forged to produce a face
  • the face's crystal grains can be reduced in size.
  • a block material formed for example of a round bar or a square material is processed into a form of a face in a flat plate.
  • the face has a center with large plastic deformability and the center thus has finer crystal grains than the periphery of the face.
  • the face thus has a strength largest at the center and smaller at the periphery.
  • a forged face is weak at a stressed portion and strong at a stress-free portion. Therefore it has been difficult to reduce the face in thickness, and it has thus been difficult to enhance the head in restitution coefficient and increase it in size.
  • the present invention has been made to overcome such disadvantages as described above.
  • the present invention contemplates a golf club excellent in restitution coefficient and also having a large head.
  • the present invention in one aspect provides a golf club including a head formed of metal and having a face with a center having an average crystal grain size smaller at a rear side than at a front side.
  • an "average crystal grain size” is a size represented by using a 2-dimentional numeral of a crystal grain contained in an area of a square of 25 mm by 25 mm in a photograph enlarged by 100 times.
  • a player hits a ball with a golf club at its face's center surface (a ball hitting surface).
  • the center flexes rearward, and, as indicated in Fig. 8 by arrows, the center has rear and front sides experiencing tensile and compressive stresses, respectively.
  • the face has a periphery surrounding the center and having front and rear sides experiencing tensile and compressive stresses, respectively.
  • the present inventor examined the relationship between these stresses and damage of the face by observing a cross section of a cut, damaged face, and found that in most cases the face had a rear surface having a crack which then reached the face's front surface to damage the face.
  • the average crystal grain size in the face's center at the front side is 2-100 times, preferably 10-100 times, more preferably 50-100 times that in the face's center at the rear side.
  • the average crystal grain size in the face's center at the rear side is 0.1 ⁇ m to less than 50 ⁇ m, preferably 0.1 ⁇ m to 20 ⁇ m, more preferably 0.1 ⁇ m to 10 ⁇ m.
  • the face that has a center having a rear side with a reduced average crystal grain size can provide the rear side with increased strength and hence enhanced endurance against tensile stress.
  • the center is preferably surrounded by a periphery having an average crystal grain size smaller at the front side than at the rear side, since the periphery experiences tensile stress and it is accordingly desirable to reinforce it.
  • the face's center may have a rear side provided with a protrusion.
  • the protrusion in a vicinity of a surface is adapted to have a smaller average crystal grain size than the face's center at the front side.
  • This protrusion can provide the face with enhanced endurance as well as increased restitution coefficient and also help to ensure that the face has a flat front surface.
  • the present invention in another aspect provides a golf club including a head formed of metal and having a face having a center and a periphery surrounding the center.
  • the center and the periphery each have a first region having a relatively large average crystal grain size and a second region having a relatively small average crystal grain size.
  • the center as seen in cross section has the first region and the second region therein at front and rear sides, respectively, and the periphery as seen in cross section has the second region and the first region therein at the front and rear sides, respectively.
  • the second region is a region in a strip continuously extending from the center at the rear side to the periphery at the front side.
  • the center has a rear side provided with a protrusion, preferably the second region extends within the protrusion.
  • the present invention provides a method of producing a golf club, including the steps of: forging a metal material to plastically deform the metal material into a plate to allow plastic flow of the metal material in a center at a rear side to be larger than plastic flow of the metal material in the center at a front side; and mechanically or plastically processing the forged metal material to shape the metal material into a face of a head of the golf club.
  • the plastic flow of the metal material in the center at the rear side that increased is to be larger than in the center at the front side can reduce an average crystal grain size of the metal material in the center at the rear side to be smaller than in the center at the front side.
  • the step of forging includes the step of plastically deforming the metal material to allow the center to have a front side provided with a protrusion to reduce plastic flow of the metal material in the center at the front side.
  • the metal material that is plastically deformed to have a center having a front side provided with a protrusion allows the front side to be free of significant plastic flow. Since there does not exist any element in the metal material at the rear side which actively restricts plastic flow, the metal material flows there freely. As a result, plastic flow of the metal material in the center at the rear side can be promoted and the average crystal grain size there can be smaller than that in the center at the front side.
  • the present invention contemplates a golf club head formed of metal and having a face having a center having rear surface (a surface opposite that hitting a ball) side having a reduced average crystal grain size to provide the center's rear side with increased strength to allow the face to be reduced in thickness to enhance the head in restitution coefficient and also increase it in size (for example to 300 to 500 cm 3 ).
  • Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a head 1 of a wood golf club with the present invention applied thereto.
  • the golf club's shaft and grip are not shown as they can be those well known which are generally, conventionally adopted.
  • Head 1 has a hollow, shell structure formed of metal, and, as shown in Fig. 1, it has a face 2, a toe 3, a crown 4, a heel 5, and a sole 6.
  • Fig. 2 shows a structure, in cross section, of face 2 taken along a line II-II of Fig. 1.
  • Fig. 2 schematically shows in a cross section of face 2 a first region 7a having a relatively large average crystal grain size and a second region 7b having a relatively small average crystal grain size.
  • a side located in face 2 at an upper side is a front side, which is used to hit a ball
  • a side located in face 2 at a lower side and facing an internal space of head 1 is a rear side.
  • center 2a damage at center 2a significantly depends on whether center 2a has a rear side resistant to tensile stress. Accordingly, center 2a is required to have a rear side increased in strength.
  • a member formed of metal having a reduced average crystal grain size can have increased strength.
  • face 2 can have a rear side having an increased strength simply by having a reduced average crystal grain size in center 2a at the rear side
  • a reduced average crystal grain size may be provided throughout face 2 uniformly. In the present embodiment, however, it is provided selectively in face 2 at center 2a along the rear side.
  • center 2a as seen in cross section, is provided with a first region 7a having a relatively large average crystal grain size and arranged in center 2a at the front side and a second region 7b having a relatively small average crystal grain size and arranged in center 2a at the rear side.
  • Center 2a can thus have a rear side having a reduced average crystal grain size to provide increased strength to the rear side of the center of the face experiencing a tensile stress when it hits a ball. This can enhance resistance to tensile stress of the rear side of the center o the face to reduce damage of face 2.
  • center 2a is surrounded by a periphery 2b, which also has first and second regions 7a and 7b, as seen in cross section.
  • the second region 7b may be positioned at the front side and the first region 7a may be positioned at the rear side.
  • the second region 7b in the Fig. 2 example, is a region in the form of a strip continuously extending from face 2 at the rear side toward periphery 2b at the front side.
  • the face's center 2a at the front side has an average crystal grain size approximately 2-3 to 100 times, preferably 10-20 to 100 times, more preferably 30-50 to 100 times the center at the rear side.
  • center 2a By setting the average crystal grain size of the front side and that of the rear side to satisfy the above relationship, center 2a can have a rear side increased in strength.
  • center 2a has a rear side having an average crystal grain size of 0.1 to less than 50 ⁇ m, preferably 0.1 to 20 ⁇ m, more preferably 0.1 to 10 ⁇ m. Center 2a having a rear side having an average crystal grain size thus reduced allows the rear side to have an effectively increased strength.
  • face 2 may have center 2a having a rear side provided with a protrusion 11.
  • the second region 7b extends in protrusion 11, and protrusion 11 in a vicinity of a surface has a smaller average crystal grain size than the center 2a at the front side.
  • Center 2a that has a rear side provided with protrusion 11 can have an increased thickness and also allows the second region 7b to extend in protrusion 11. This can enhance face 2 in endurance as well as restitution coefficient. Furthermore, in shaping face 2, plastic flow of metal material in center 2a at the rear side can be facilitated, and protrusion 11 also allows a portion thereof in a vicinity of a surface to have a smaller average crystal grain size, while it also readily ensures that face 2 has a sufficiently flat front surface.
  • FIGs. 4 and 5 are cross sections showing characteristic steps of the golf club production method in accordance with the present invention.
  • a ⁇ titanium (15V-6Cr-4AL) round bar (of metal) having a diameter of 21 mm and a length of 140 mm is prepared and heated together with a die to a prescribed temperature. The round bar is then placed in the die and it is pressed by 1,600 t and thus roughly forged into a plate. The round bar is thus plastically deformed into a plate to obtain a metal material 8 shaped as shown in Fig. 4.
  • metal material 8 is plastically deformed to provide a protrusion 9 to a front side of a center 8a of the material, so that plastic flow of metal material 8 in center 8a at the rear side can be increased to be larger than that of metal material 8 in center 8a at the front side.
  • metal material 8 in center 8a at the rear side By increasing plastic flow of metal material 8 in center 8a at the rear side to be larger than that of the material in center 8a at the front side, distortion at the rear side when the material is forged can be increased and the average crystal grain size of metal material 8 in center 8a at the rear side can be reduced to be smaller than that of the material in center 8a at the front side. Note that at peripheral portion 8b metal material 8 flows as it does at the rear side.
  • metal material 8 can be formed into a geometry of face 2 of head 1 of a golf club.
  • crystal of metal material 8 in center 8a at the rear side can be reduced in size, and dissolving, aging or subjecting it to any other similar heat treatment can further reduce it in size.
  • Fig. 2 structure can be obtained simply by further forging the Fig. 4 structure to push protrusion 9 into metal material 8.
  • Fig. 6 structure can be obtained simply by further forging the Fig. 4 metal material 8 in a die for molding a rear side of metal material 8 which is provided with a depression corresponding to protrusion 11.
  • the present inventor produced face 2 by the method of the present invention and observed its cross-sectional metallographic structure, as described hereinafter.
  • Fig. 3A-3C each show a metallographic structure of a portion of face 2 in cross section, as seen in the direction of its depth or thickness.
  • Fig. 3A shows a metallographic structure of face 2 in center 2a at the front side, as seen in cross section.
  • Fig. 3B shows a metallographic structure of face 2 in center 2a at an internal portion as seen in the direction of the depth of the face, as seen in cross section.
  • Fig. 3C shows a metallographic structure of face 2 in center 2a at the rear side, as seen in cross section.
  • center 2a has a significantly finer crystal grain at the rear side than at the front side.
  • Center 2a had a Vickers hardness of Hv380 at the front side and Hv300 at the rear side.
  • head components other than face 2, such as crown 4 and sole 6, are for example cast and thus formed.
  • the head components and face 2 are for example welded and thus bonded together to produce golf club head 1. Thereafter, head 1, and a grip and a shaft are bonded together to complete a golf club.
  • the present inventor compared in endurance the present invention, i.e., head 1 having a face of the present invention with a conventional product, i.e., head 1 having a typical face, as shown in Table 1.
  • a ball was hit with the head at a speed of 38 m/s repeatedly until face 2 was damaged.
  • the conventional product was a head formed of 15V-6Cr-4AL titanium and having a face of 2.9 mm in thickness.
  • the product of the present invention was a head formed of 15V-6Cr-4AL titanium and having a face of 2.9 mm in thickness.
  • the number of hitting times until the face was damaged Average crystal grain size in the face's center at the rear side Present Invention 5000 times 0.5 to 1 ⁇ m Conventional Product 3000 times 50 to 100 ⁇ m
  • the conventional product hit a ball 3, 000 times before face 2 was damaged, whereas the product of the present invention hit a ball 5, 000 times before face 2 was damaged.
  • the present invention has thus been found to be able to provide face 2 with significantly increased endurance.
  • the endurance thus increased allows face 2 to be reduced in thickness. Face 2 can be formed to more readily flex and thus provide an enhanced coefficient of restitution. Furthermore, head 1 can also be increased in size.
  • plastic flow of metal material 8 in the center at the rear side is increased to provide a finer crystal by forging metal material 8 to have a center provided with protrusion 9, as shown in Fig. 4, at the front side.
  • plastic flow of metal material 8 in the center at the rear side may be increased by a method other than the above.
  • face 2 can also be formed of the material other than titanium, such as iron, stainless steel, aluminum, magnesium, copper alloy, or the like.
  • a face can have a rear side increased in strength to enhance resistance to tensile stress of the rear side.
  • the face can be reduced in thickness, and a head can be enhanced in restitution coefficient, while it can be increased in size.

Landscapes

  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Physical Education & Sports Medicine (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Wood Science & Technology (AREA)
  • Golf Clubs (AREA)
EP02019305A 2001-08-28 2002-08-28 Golfschläger und Verfahren zu dessen Herstellung Withdrawn EP1287858A3 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP2001258142 2001-08-28
JP2001258142 2001-08-28
JP2002232574A JP3860095B2 (ja) 2001-08-28 2002-08-09 ゴルフクラブおよびその製造方法
JP2002232574 2002-08-09

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1287858A2 true EP1287858A2 (de) 2003-03-05
EP1287858A3 EP1287858A3 (de) 2004-01-07

Family

ID=26621127

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP02019305A Withdrawn EP1287858A3 (de) 2001-08-28 2002-08-28 Golfschläger und Verfahren zu dessen Herstellung

Country Status (3)

Country Link
US (1) US20030050134A1 (de)
EP (1) EP1287858A3 (de)
JP (1) JP3860095B2 (de)

Families Citing this family (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN1217721C (zh) * 2003-07-30 2005-09-07 世元运动器材（上海）有限公司 高尔夫球头制造方法
JP4832344B2 (ja) * 2007-03-16 2011-12-07 東洋ゴム工業株式会社 防振ブッシュの製造方法及び防振ブッシュ
US7749104B2 (en) 2008-12-08 2010-07-06 Sri Sports Limited Golf club head
JP5607704B2 (ja) * 2011-11-25 2014-10-15 株式会社遠藤製作所 ゴルフクラブヘッドとその製造方法
US8852024B2 (en) 2012-11-02 2014-10-07 Karsten Manufacturing Corporation Golf club head having a nanocrystalline titanium alloy
US10512828B2 (en) 2017-10-13 2019-12-24 Chi-Hung Su Manufacture method for partial structure refinement of a forged iron golf club head
JP6470818B1 (ja) * 2017-10-31 2019-02-13 基宏 蘇 鍛造されたクラブヘッドの製造方法
JP2022063703A (ja) 2020-10-12 2022-04-22 ヤマハ株式会社 ゴルフクラブヘッド

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5205560A (en) * 1990-09-27 1993-04-27 Yamaha Corporation Golf club head
US5611742A (en) * 1995-08-04 1997-03-18 Kabushiki Kaisha Endo Seisakusho Wood-type golf club head
US6193614B1 (en) * 1997-09-09 2001-02-27 Daiwa Seiko, Inc. Golf club head

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5205560A (en) * 1990-09-27 1993-04-27 Yamaha Corporation Golf club head
US5611742A (en) * 1995-08-04 1997-03-18 Kabushiki Kaisha Endo Seisakusho Wood-type golf club head
US6193614B1 (en) * 1997-09-09 2001-02-27 Daiwa Seiko, Inc. Golf club head

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
US20030050134A1 (en) 2003-03-13
JP3860095B2 (ja) 2006-12-20
JP2003144591A (ja) 2003-05-20
EP1287858A3 (de) 2004-01-07

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US6986715B2 (en) Golf club head with a face insert
US5205560A (en) Golf club head
US6966848B2 (en) Golf club head and method of manufacturing the same
US6497629B2 (en) Golfing iron club and manufacturing method thereof
US8128510B2 (en) Golf club head
US6902497B2 (en) Golf club head with a face insert
US6929566B2 (en) Golf club head and method of manufacturing the same
KR20010098598A (ko) 골프 클럽 헤드용 타구 판을 제조하는 방법
JP3779531B2 (ja) ゴルフクラブ
US7380325B2 (en) Method for manufacturing a golf club head
US7040000B2 (en) Method for manufacturing a golf club head
JPH09239075A (ja) ゴルフクラブヘッド
JP4184749B2 (ja) ゴルフクラブヘッド
EP1287858A2 (de) Golfschläger und Verfahren zu dessen Herstellung
US6719643B1 (en) Golf club head with a face insert
US20050023329A1 (en) Method of making a golf club head
JP2004167115A (ja) ゴルフクラブヘッド
JP4285929B2 (ja) ゴルフクラブヘッドの製造方法
US20060196037A1 (en) Forging blank for a golf club head
JP4456241B2 (ja) ゴルフクラブヘッドの製造方法
JP2004057645A (ja) ゴルフクラブヘッド
US20090247317A1 (en) Golf club and manufacturing method thereof
JP4074089B2 (ja) ウッド型のゴルフクラブヘッド
JP3719365B2 (ja) ゴルフクラブヘッド及びその製造方法
JP2005052272A (ja) ゴルフクラブヘッド

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
PUAI Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012

AK Designated contracting states

Kind code of ref document: A2

Designated state(s): AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR IE IT LI LU MC NL PT SE SK TR

Designated state(s): AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR IE IT LI LU MC NL PT SE SK TR

AX Request for extension of the european patent

Extension state: AL LT LV MK RO SI

PUAL Search report despatched

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009013

AK Designated contracting states

Kind code of ref document: A3

Designated state(s): AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR IE IT LI LU MC NL PT SE SK TR

AX Request for extension of the european patent

Extension state: AL LT LV MK RO SI

AKX Designation fees paid
REG Reference to a national code

Ref country code: DE

Ref legal event code: 8566

STAA Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent

Free format text: STATUS: THE APPLICATION IS DEEMED TO BE WITHDRAWN

18D Application deemed to be withdrawn

Effective date: 20040708