KR20180034459A - Golf club head and golf club head manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

Embodiments of golf club heads and methods of manufacturing golf club heads are generally described herein. In one embodiment, the golf club head may include a body portion having a toe portion, a heel portion, an upper portion, a sole portion, a rear portion and a front portion, and the front portion is a front and rear surface. The body portion may be related to the body portion volume. The golf club head may also include an inner cavity. The inner cavity may comprise an elastomeric polymer material. Other examples and embodiments may be described and claimed.

Description

Golf club head and golf club head manufacturing method

The present invention can be subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction of this specification and related documents as disclosed in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but retains all other applicable copyrights.

This application claims the benefit of US Provisional Application No. 62 / 209,780, filed on August 25, 2015, Provisional Application No. 62/275443, filed January 6, 2016, Provisional Application No. 62 / 276,358, filed January 12, 2016, and provisional application 62 / 343,739, filed May 31, 2016, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Provisional Application No. 15 / 188,718 filed on June 21, 2016. This application is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 15 / 043,106 filed on February 12, 2016. This application is also a continuation-in-part of US Non-provisional Application No. 15 / 043,113 filed on February 12, 2016. This application is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. Provisional Application No. 14 / 852,312 filed on September 11, 2015. The above applications are disclosed herein by reference.

Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates generally to golf equipment, and more particularly to a method of manufacturing a golf club head and a golf club head.

Various materials (e.g., steel-based materials, titanium-based materials, tungsten-based materials, etc.) can be used to manufacture golf club heads.

By using multiple materials to manufacture a golf club head, the position of the center of gravity CG of the golf club head and / or the position of the moment of inertia MOI can be optimized to produce a specific trajectory and rotational speed of the golf ball.

Generally, a method of manufacturing a golf club head and a golf club head is described. The apparatuses, methods and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

For purposes of simplicity and clarity of illustration, the figures illustrate the general method of structure, and the description and detailed description of known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid obscuring the present invention unnecessarily. Also, elements in the figures may not be drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to aid understanding of embodiments of the present invention.

1 is a front view of a golf club head according to one embodiment of the apparatus, method and article described herein.
Figure 2 is a rear surface view of the exemplary golf club head of Figure 1;
3 is a top view of the exemplary golf club head of FIG.
Figure 4 is a bottom view of the exemplary golf club head of Figure 1;
Figure 5 is a left side view of the exemplary golf club head of Figure 1;
Figure 6 is a right side view of the exemplary golf club head of Figure 1;
Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the exemplary golf club head of Figure 1 along line 7-7.
Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of the exemplary golf club head of Figure 1 along line 8-8.
Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view of the exemplary golf club head of Figure 1 along line 9-9.
Figure 10 is another rear surface view of the exemplary golf club head of Figure 1;
Figure 11 is a top view of a weight portion associated with the exemplary golf club head of Figure 1;
Figure 12 is a side view of a weight portion associated with the exemplary golf club head of Figure 1;
Figure 13 is a side view of another weight portion associated with the exemplary golf club head of Figure 1;
Figure 14 is a rear surface view of the body portion of the exemplary golf club head of Figure 1;
Figure 15 is a cross-sectional view of the face portion of the exemplary golf club head of Figure 1;
Figure 16 is a cross-sectional view of another face portion of the exemplary golf club head of Figure 1;
17 is a method as far as the exemplary golf club head described herein can be manufactured.
Figure 18 is another cross-sectional view of the exemplary golf club head of Figure 1 along line 18-18.
Figure 19 is a front view of the face portion of the exemplary golf club head of Figure 1;
Fig. 20 is a rear surface view of the face portion of Fig. 19; Fig.
Figure 21 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary channel of the face portion of Figure 19;
Figure 22 is a cross-sectional view of another exemplary channel of the face portion of Figure 19;
Figure 23 is a cross-sectional view of another exemplary channel of the face portion of Figure 19;
Figure 24 is a cross-sectional view of another exemplary channel of the face portion of Figure 19;
Figure 25 is a rear surface view of the face portion of another example of the exemplary golf club head of Figure 1;
Figure 26 is a rear surface view of the face portion of yet another example of the exemplary golf club head of Figure 1;
Figure 27 is a rear surface view of the face portion of yet another example of the exemplary golf club head of Figure 1;
Figure 28 is a cross-sectional view of the exemplary golf club head of Figure 1;
29 is another method by which the exemplary golf club head described herein can be manufactured.
Figure 30 is another method by which the exemplary golf club head described herein can be manufactured.
31 is a rear surface view of a golf club head according to an embodiment of the apparatus, method and article described herein.
Figure 32 is a rear surface view of the golf club head of Figure 31;
33 is a front view of a golf club head according to one embodiment of the apparatus, method and article described herein.
Fig. 34 is a rear surface view of the golf club head of the example of Fig. 33; Fig.
35 is a rear perspective view of the exemplary golf club head of FIG. 33;
Fig. 36 is a rear surface view of the golf club head of the example of Fig. 33; Fig.
37 is a cross-sectional view of the exemplary golf club head of Fig. 33 taken along line 37-37 of Fig. 36;
Figure 38 is a cross-sectional view of the exemplary golf club head of Figure 33 along lines 38-38 of Figure 33;
Figure 39 is a cross-sectional view of the exemplary golf club head of Figure 33 along lines 39-39 of Figure 36;
Figure 40 is a cross-sectional view of the exemplary golf club head of Figure 33 along line 40-40 of Figure 36;
41 is a cross-sectional view of the exemplary golf club head of Fig. 33 taken along line 41-41 of Fig. 36;
Figure 42 is a cross-sectional view of the exemplary golf club head of Figure 33 along lines 42-42 of Figure 36;
Figure 43 is another method by which the exemplary golf club head described herein can be manufactured.
Figure 44 is another method in which the exemplary golf club head described herein can be fabricated.
Figure 45 is an illustration of binder curing.

In the example of FIGS. 1-14, the golf club head 100 includes a body portion 110 (FIG. 14) and generally a first set of weight portions 120 (e.g., weight portions 121, 122, 123 and 124 ), And a second set of weights 130 (e.g., weights 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, and 137). The body portion 110 may include a toe portion 140, a heel portion 150, a front portion 160, a rear portion 170, an upper portion 180 and a sole portion 190. The body portion 110 may be made of a first material, while the first and second sets of weight portions 120 and 130 may each be made of a second material. The first and second materials may be similar or different materials. The body portion 110 may be partially or wholly made of a steel-based material (e.g., 17-4 PH stainless steel, Nitronic 50 stainless steel, maraging steel or other types of stainless steel), a titanium-based material, an aluminum- (E.g., a composite aluminum alloy coated with a high strength aluminum alloy or a high strength alloy), any combination thereof, and / or other suitable types of materials. The first and second sets of weights 120, 130 may each be made of a high-density material, such as a tungsten-based material or any other suitable type of material, either partially or entirely. Alternatively, the body portion 110 and / or the first and second sets of weight portions 120, 130 may be made partially or wholly of non-metallic materials (e.g., composites, plastics, etc.). The apparatus, method and article of manufacture are not limited thereto.

The golf club head 100 includes an iron type golf club head (e.g., 1-iron, 2-irons, 3-irons, 4-irons, 5-irons, 6-irons, 7- Wedge, such as a wedge-shaped golf club head (e.g., pitching wedge, lobe wedge, sand wedge, 44 degrees (degrees), 48 degrees, 52 degrees, 56 degrees, 60 degrees, etc.). Although Figures 1-10 are representative of a particular type of clubhead, the devices, methods, and articles described herein may be used with other types of club heads (e.g., a driver-type club head, a fairway wood type club head, Putter type club head, etc.). The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

The tow portion 140 and the heel portion 150 may be at both ends of the body portion 110. [ The heel portion 150 includes a hosel portion 155 configured to receive a shaft (not shown) with a grip (not shown) at one end and a golf club head 100 at an opposite end of the shaft to form a golf club .

The front portion 160 may include a face portion 162 (e.g., a strike face). The face portion 162 may include a front surface 164 and a rear surface 166. The front surface 164 may include one or more grooves 168 extending between the tow portion 140 and the heel portion 150. Although the figures may illustrate a certain number of grooves, the devices, methods, and articles described herein may include more or less grooves. The face portion 162 may be used to strike a golf ball (not shown). The face portion 162 may be an integral part of the body portion 110. Alternatively, the face portion 162 may be formed by various manufacturing methods and / or processes (e.g., bonding processes such as bonding agents, welding processes such as laser welding, brazing processes, soldering processes, fusing processes, mechanical locking or connection processes, Or any other suitable form of manufacturing method and / or process), as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. The face portion 162 may be associated with a loft plane that defines a loft angle of the golf club head 100. The loft angle may vary based on the shape of the golf club (e.g., long irons, middle irons, short irons, wedges, etc.). In one example, the loft angle may be between 5 degrees and 75 degrees. In another example, the loft angle may be between 20 degrees and 60 degrees. The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

14, the rear portion 170 generally includes a first set of external weight ports 1420 (e.g., shown as weight ports 1421, 1422, 1423, and 1424) and a second set of external Includes a rear wall portion having one or more external weight ports along the periphery of the rear portion 170 shown as a weight port 1430 (shown as 1431, 1432, 1433, 1434, 1435, 1436 and 1437, for example) . Each external weight port may be associated with a port diameter. In one example, the port diameter may be about 0.25 inches (6.35 mm). Any two adjacent external weight ports of the first set of external weight ports 1420 may be separated smaller than the port diameter. In a similar manner, any two adjacent external weight ports of the second set of external weight ports 1430 may be separated smaller than the port diameter. The first and second external weight ports 1420 and 1430 may be external weight ports configured to receive one or more weight portions. In particular, each weight portion of the first set 120 (e.g., shown as weight portions 121, 122, 123, and 124) may include a toe portion 140 and / or top portion 180 on the rear portion 170, Or at a weight port located adjacent thereto. For example, the weight portion 121 may be disposed in the weight port 1421, partially or wholly. In another example, the weight portion 122 may be disposed in the weight port 1422 located in a transition region (e.g., an upper-to-toe-to-tow transition region) between the upper portion 180 and the tow portion 140. 136, and 137) of the second set 130 are positioned on or adjacent to the tow portion 140 and / or the sole portion 190 on the rear portion 170. The weight portions 131, 132, 133, 134, Can be placed in the weight port. For example, the weight portion 135 may be partially or wholly disposed in the weight port 1435. In another example, the weight portion 136 may be disposed in a weight port 1436 located in a transition region (e.g., a sol-versus-toe transition region) between the sole portion 190 and the tow portion 140 . As described in more detail below, the first and second sets of weights 120, 130 may each comprise a variety of manufacturing methods and / or processes (e.g., joining, welding, brazing, mechanical locking, Or other suitable manufacturing method and / or process) to the rear portion 170 of the body portion 110.

Alternatively, the golf club head 100 may include a first set of weight portions 120, (ii) a second set of weight portions 130, or (iii) a first and second set of weight portions 120 , 130). In particular, the rear portion 170 of the body portion 110 may not include a weight port at or near the upper portion 170 and / or the sole portion 190. For example, the mass of the first set of weights 120 (e.g., 3 g) and / or the mass of the second set of weights 130 (e.g., 16.8 g) ). The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

The first and second sets of weights 120 and 130 may each have similar or different physical properties (e.g., color, shape, size, density, mass, volume, etc.). As a result, the weight portions 120, 130 of the first and second sets can contribute to the decorative design of the golf club head 100. In the illustrated example as shown in Fig. 11, the weight of each of the first and second sets 120, 130 may have a cylindrical shape (e.g., a circular cross-section). Alternatively, each weight portion of the first set 120 may have a first shape (e.g., cylindrical shape), while each weight portion of the second set 130 has a second shape (e.g., a cube shape) . In another example, the first set of weights 120 may include two or more weights having different shapes (e.g., the weights 121 may be a first shape, And may be a second shape different from the first shape). Similarly, the second set of weights 130 may include two or more weights having different shapes (e.g., the weights 131 may be the first shape, while the weights 132 may be the first shape And a second shape different from the first shape). While the above embodiments describe weight parts having particular shapes, the devices, methods, and articles described herein may be used in other suitable shapes (e.g., in any or all of spherical, cubical, conical, cylindrical, , Prism, frustum, or other suitable geometric shape). Although the examples and figures illustrate a plurality of weights as a set of weights, each set of first and second sets of weights 120 and 130 may be a single portion of the weights. In one example, the first set of weights 120 may be a single weight portion instead of a series of four individual weights. In another example, the second set of weights 130 may be a single weight portion instead of a series of seven individual weights. The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

Referring to Figures 12 and 13, for example, the first and second sets of weights 120, 130 may each be configured to generally correspond to a weight port of the rear portion 170, (Generally shown as 1420 and 1430 in FIG. 14) as shown by reference numerals 1210 and 1310, respectively. For example, each of the weight parts of the first and second sets of weight parts 120 and 130 may be a screw. The weight portions 120 and 130 of the first and second sets can not be easily removed from the body portion 110 with or without a tool, respectively. Optionally, the first and second sets of weights 120, 130 can be removed immediately so that a relatively heavy or light weight portion can replace one or more weight portions of the first and second sets of weights 120, (For example, with a tool). In another embodiment, the first and second sets of weights 120, 130 can each be fixed to the weight port of the rear portion 170 with an epoxy or a bonding agent so that the weight portions 120, 130 may not be easily removed. In another example, the first and second sets of weights 120, 130 may be secured to the weight port of the rear portion 170 by epoxy and thread, respectively, so that the weight portions 120, 130 may not be easily removed. The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

As described above, the first and second sets of the weight portions 120 and 130 may have different physical properties but different physical properties. 11-13, the weight of each of the first set 120 and the second set 130 may have a diameter 1110 of about 0.25 inches (6.35 mm) can be different. In particular, each weight portion of the first set 120 may be associated with a first height 1220 (FIG. 12), and each of the weight portions of the second set 130 may be associated with a second height 1320 (Fig. 13). The first height 1220 may be relatively shorter than the second height 1320. In one example, the first height 1220 can be about 0.125 inches (3.175 mm), while the second height 1320 can be about 0.3 inches (7.62 mm). In another example, the first height 1220 may be about 0.16 inches (4.064 mm), while the second height 1320 may be about 0.4 inches (10.16 mm). Optionally, the first height 1220 may be equal to or greater than the second height 1320. The apparatuses, methods, and articles of manufacture described herein are not limited thereto.

Referring again to FIG. 10, for example, the golf club head 100 may be associated with a ground plane 1010, a horizontal midplane 1020, and a top plane 1030. In particular, the ground plane 1010 may be used to hold the golf club head 100 in position when the golf club head 100 is in the address position (e.g., when the golf club head 100 is aligned to strike the golf ball) May be a tangential surface to portion 190. The top plane 1030 may be a tangential plane to the top portion 180 of the golf club head 100 when the golf club head 100 is in the addressed position. The ground and top planes 1010 and 1030 may each be substantially parallel to each other. Horizontal midplane 1020 may be midway between the ground plane 1010 and the top plane 1030 in the vertical direction.

The first set of weights 120 (e.g., weights 121,122, 123, and 124) may be inversely proportional to the weight of the hosel 155 to provide an optimal perimeter weight for the golf club head 100 Respectively. 10, the first set of weight portions 120 (e.g., weight portions 121, 122, 123, and 124) may be positioned near the periphery of the body portion 110, To the transition region 145 between the top portion 180 and the toe portion 140 and from the transition region 145 to the toe portion 140. That is, the first set of weights 120 may be located on the golf club head 100 at generally opposing positions relative to the hosel 155. According to one embodiment, at least a portion of the first set of weights 120 may be located near the periphery of the body portion 110 and may extend through the transition region 145. According to another example, at least a portion of the first set of weights 120 may extend near the periphery of the body portion 110 and extend along a portion of the top portion 180. According to another example, at least a portion of the first set of weights 120 may extend near the periphery of the body portion 110 and extend along a portion of the toe portion 140. The first set of weights 120 may be on the horizontal center plane 1020 of the golf club head 100. At least a portion of the first set of weights 120 may be near the toe portion 140 to allow the golf club head 100 relative to the vertical axis of the golf club head 100 to extend through the center of gravity of the golf club head 100. [ The moment of inertia of the motor 100 can be increased. Thus, the first set of weights 120 can be near the periphery of the body 110

The tow portion 140 and / or the transition region 145 to increase the inverse-balance of the weight of the hosel 155 and / or the moment of inertia of the golf club head 100 . The physical properties and constructional material of the first set of weights 120 (i.e., the locations of the first set of external weight ports 1420) and the first set of weights 120 are weight, weight distribution, weight Center of gravity, moment of inertia, structural integrity, and / or other static and / or dynamic characteristics of the golf club head 100. The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited thereto.

A second set of weights 130 (e.g., weights 131,133, 134,135, 136, and 137) may be configured to position the center of gravity of the golf club head 100 at an optimal position, Thereby optimizing the moment of inertia of the golf club head relative to the vertical axis extending through the center of gravity of the club head 100. [ Referring to Figure 10, all or a substantial portion of the second set of weights 130 may be generally near the soles 190, for example, by weight (e.g., weight portions 131, 132, 133, 134 may be near the periphery of the body portion 110 and may extend from the sole portion 190 to the toe portion 140. As shown in the example of Fig. 10, the weight portions 131, 132, 133, and 134 may be located near the periphery of the body portion 110, lowering the center of gravity of the golf club head 100, Extends from the sole portion 190 to the toe portion 140 through the transition region 147 between the sole portion 190 and the toe portion 140 to increase the moment of inertia about the vertical axis extending through the center of gravity of the toe portion 100 . All or a portion of the weight 130 of the second set of weights 130 may be positioned closer to the soles 190 than the horizontal midplane 1020 to lower the center of gravity of the golf club head 100. [ have. For example, the weight portions 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, and 136 may be closer to the sole portion 190 than the horizontal middle plane 1020. The physical properties and constructional material of the second set of weight portions 130 and the position of the second set of weight portions 130 (i.e., the location of the second set of external weight ports 1430) Weight distribution, center of gravity, moment of inertia, structural integrity, and / or other static and / or dynamic characteristics of the system. The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

7-9, the weight portions 120,130 of the first and second sets are spaced apart (e.g., not directly coupled to each other) from the rear surface 166 of the face portion 162, . That is, the weight portions 120, 130 and the rear surface 166 of the first and second sets may be partially or wholly separated, respectively, by the inner cavity 700 of the body portion 110. For example, as shown in FIG. 14, each of the first and second sets of external weight ports 1420 and 1430 may include openings (e.g., generally designated 720 and 730) and port walls (e.g., generally 725 And 735). The port walls 725 and 735 may be integral parts of the rear wall 1410 (e.g., sections of the rear wall 1410). Each of the openings 720 and 730 may be configured to receive a weight portion such as the weight portions 121 and 135. The opening 720 may be located at one end of the weight port 1421 and the port wall 725 may be located at or near the opposite end of the weight port 1421. In a similar manner, opening 730 can be located at one end of weight port 1435 and port wall 735 can be located at or near the opposite end of weight port 1435. Port walls 725 and 735 may be separated from face portion 162 (e.g., separated by inner cavity 700). The port wall 725 may have a distance 726 from the rear surface 166 of the face portion 162 as shown in FIG. The port wall 735 may have a distance 736 from the rear surface 166 of the face portion 162. When the first and second sets of weight ports 1420 and 1430 each receive a weight portion as described above, the distances 726 and 736 are determined such that the golf club head 100 is optimized to optimize the position of the center of gravity . According to one example, the distance 736 may be greater than the distance 726 such that the center of gravity of the golf club head 100 is moved toward the rear portion 170. As a result, the width 740 of the portion of the inner cavity 700 below the horizontal midplane 1020 may be greater than the width 742 of the inner cavity 700 above the horizontal midplane 1020. The apparatuses, methods and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

As discussed herein, the center of gravity CG of the golf club head 100 is substantially parallel to a substantial portion of the second set of weights 130 closer to the sole 190 than to the front or horizontal mid- And a ground plane (120, 130) having a first and a second set of weight portions (120, 130), respectively, spaced from a rear surface (166), rather than a second set of weight portions (130) 1010 in FIG. 10, for example) and relatively laterally away from the face portion 162.

The physical properties and constituent material of the weight portions of the first and second sets of weight ports 1420 and 1430 and of each of the weight portions 120 and 130 of the first and second sets is determined by the weight of the golf club head 100 , Weight distribution, center of gravity, moment of inertia characteristics, structural integrity, and / or other static and / or dynamic characteristics. The apparatuses, methods, and articles of manufacture described herein are not limited thereto.

While the drawings illustrate intermediate ports having a particular cross-sectional shape, the devices, methods and articles described herein may include weight ports having other suitable cross-sectional shapes. In one embodiment, the first and / or second set of weight ports 1420, 1430 may have a U-shaped cross-sectional shape. In another example, the first and / or second set of weight ports 1420, 1430 may have a V-shaped cross-sectional shape. One or more weight ports associated with the first set of weights 120 may have a different cross-sectional shape than the one or more weight ports associated with the second set of weights 130. For example, the weight port 1421 may have a U-shaped cross-section, while the weight port 1435 may have a V-shaped cross-sectional shape. In addition, the two or more weight ports associated with the first set of weights 120 may have different cross-sectional shapes. In a similar manner, the two or more weight ports associated with the second set of weights 130 may have different cross-sectional shapes. The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

The first and second sets of weights 120 and 130 may be similar in mass (e.g., all of the weight portions of the first and second sets 120 and 130 are approximately the same weight) . Alternatively, the weights 120, 130 of the first and second sets, respectively, may be massively different, either individually or as a whole. In particular, each weight portion of the first set 120 (e.g., shown as 121, 122, 123, and 124) includes a second set of 130 (shown as 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, and 137) It may have a relatively small mass than one of the weight parts. For example, the second set of weights 130 may occupy more than 50% of the total mass from the outer weights of the golf club head 100. As a result, the golf club head 100 may be configured to have at least 50% of the total mass from the outer weight portion disposed below the horizontal midplane 1020. The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

In one embodiment, the golf club head 100 may have a mass ranging from about 220 grams to about 330 grams, depending on the type of golf club (e.g., lobe wedge versus four irons). The body portion 110 may have a mass in the range of about 200 g to about 310 g with the first and second sets of mass portions 120 and 130 each having a mass of about 20 g (e.g., the total mass from the outer mass portion) Lt; / RTI > Each weight portion of the first set 120 may have a mass of about 1 gram, while each of the weight portions of the second set 130 may have a mass of about 2.4 grams. The sum of the masses of the first set of weights 120 can be about 3 g while the sum of the weights of the first set of weights 130 can be about 16.8 g. The total mass of the second set of weights 130 may exceed five times the total mass of the first set of weights 120 (e.g., the total mass of the second set of weights 130 is about < RTI ID = 16.8 g, and the total mass of the first set of weights 120 is about 3 g). The golf club head 100 may have a total mass of 19.8 g from the weight portions 120,130 of the first and second sets, respectively (e.g., from the first set of weight portions 120 to 3g, Lt; / RTI > weight 130). Thus, the first set of weights 120 can occupy about 15% of the total mass from the outer weights of the golf club head 100, while the second set of weights 130 Gt; 85% < / RTI > The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

The weight portions 120 and 130 of the first and second sets are coupled to the body portion 110 (e.g., the weight portions 120 and 130 of the first and second sets of weight ports are fixed to the rear portion 170) The position of the center of gravity CG and the moment of inertia MOI of the golf club head 100 can be optimized. In particular, as described herein, the first and second sets of weights 120, 130 can be positioned to lower the position of the CG toward the sole portion 190 and to be further spaced from the face portion 162 have. Further, when the MOI is measured relative to a vertical axis (e.g., perpendicular to the ground plane 1010) that extends through the CG, the MOI also includes a horizontal axis extending through the CG (e.g., (Extending toward the heel portions 150 and 160). As a result, the club head 100 can provide a relatively high firing angle and a relatively low spin rate than the golf club head without the weight portions 120, 130 of the first and second sets. The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

Alternatively, two or more parts by weight in the same set may be of different masses. In one embodiment, the weight portion 121 of the first set 120 may have a relatively smaller mass than the weight portion 122 of the first set 120. In another example, the weight portion 131 of the second set 130 may have a relatively lower mass than the weight portion 135 of the second set 130. To increase the moment of inertia (MOI) about the vertical axis through the CG, as the relatively high mass in the top-and-toe transition region and / or the sole-and-toe transition region, And may be distributed away from the center of gravity CG of the head 100.

Each set of first and second sets of weights 120, 130 may be integral with each other, although weights may be depicted as discrete discrete parts in the figures. In one example, all the weight parts of the first set 120 (e.g., shown as 121, 122, 123, and 124) may be combined into a single weight part (e.g., the first weight part). In a similar manner, all weight parts of the second set 130, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136 and 137 may be combined into a single weight part (e.g., a second weight part). In the above example, the golf club head 100 may have only two weights. The drawings may represent a specific number of parts by weight, but the devices, methods and articles described herein may include more or less parts by weight. In one example, the first set of weights 120 may comprise two individual weights instead of three individual weights as shown in the figures. In another example, the second set of weights 130 may include five individual weights instead of the seven individual weights shown in the figures. Alternatively, as described above, the devices, methods, and articles described herein may not include any individual weight portions (e.g., the body portion 110 may be an integral portion of the body portion 110, And may be manufactured to include a negative mass). The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

Referring again to FIGS. 7-9, the body portion 110 may be a hollow body including an inner cavity 700 extending between the front portion 160 and the rear portion 170. The inner cavity 700 may also extend between the upper portion 180 and the sole portion 190. The inner cavity 700 may be associated with and be associated with a common height 750 (Hc), and a body portion 110, a body height (850), _(B H). The cavity height 750 may vary between the toe and heel portions 140 and 150 while the cavity height 750 and the body height 850 may vary between at least 50% of the body height 850 (H _B of H _C > 0.5 * . For example, the cavity height 750 may vary between 70% and 85% of the body height 850. If the cavity height 750 of the inner cavity 700 is greater than 50% of the body height 850, then the golf club head 100 is positioned at the face portion 162 rather than the golf club head having a cavity height of less than 50% The golf club head 100 provides a consistent feel, sound, and / or result. The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

In one example, the inner cavity 700 (i.e., empty space) may not be filled. The body portion 100 with the inner cavity 700 may be less than about 100 grams of weight less than the body portion 100 without the inner cavity 700. Optionally, the inner cavity 700 may be partially or entirely covered with an elastomeric or elastomeric material (e.g., a viscoelastic urethane polymer material such as Sorbothane® material manufactured by Sorbothane, Inc., Kent, Ohio), a thermoplastic elastomeric material (TPE) , Thermoplastic polyurethane material (TPU), and / or any other suitable type of material that absorbs shock, isolates vibration, and / or reduces noise. At least 50% of the internal cavity 700 may be used to absorb impact, block vibration, and / or reduce noise when the golf club head 100 hits the golf ball through the face portion 162 TPE < / RTI > material.

In another example, when the golf club head 100 hits the golf ball through the face portion 162, the inner cavity 700 is partially or totally filled with a polymeric material, such as an ethylene copolymer material, to absorb the impact , Block vibration and / or reduce noise. In particular, at least 50% of the internal cavity 700 comprises an ethylene copolymer with high compression and low elasticity similar to ethylene copolymer and / or thermoset polybutadiene rubber so that it can be used in conventional extrusion equipment to make various shapes Ethylene copolymer ionomer, fatty acid modified ethylene copolymer ionomer, highly amorphous ethylene copolymer ionomer, ionomer of ethylene acid acrylate terpolymer, ethylene copolymer containing magnesium ionomer, ethylene copolymer which is injection moldable ethylene copolymer ≪ / RTI > For example, ethylene copolymers may be prepared by the process described in E.I. Among the ethylene copolymers associated with the DuPont 占 high performance resin (HPF) family of materials made from Du Pont de Nemours and Company of Wilmington, Delaware (e.g. DuPont 占 HPF AD1172, DuPont 占 HPF AD1035, DuPont 占 HPF 1000 and DuPont 占 HPF 2000) One can be included. The DuPont ™ HPF family of ethylene copolymers can be injection molded and used with existing injection molding equipment and molds, offering low compression and high resilience. The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

15, for example, the face portion 162 may include a first thickness 1510 (T ₁ ) and a second thickness 1520 (T ₂ ). The first thickness 1510 may be the thickness of the section of the face portion 162 adjacent the groove 168 and the second thickness 1520 may be the thickness of the section of the face portion 162 below the groove 168 have. For example, the first thickness 1510 may be the maximum distance between the front surface 164 and the rear surface 166. The second thickness 1520 may be based on the groove 168. In particular, the groove 168 may have a groove depth 1525 (D _groove ). The second thickness 1520 may be the maximum distance between the lower and rear surfaces 166 of the grooves 168. The sum of the second thickness 1520 and the groove depth 1525 may be substantially equal to the first thickness (e.g., T ₂ + D _groove = T ₁ ). Thus, the second thickness 1520 may be less than the thickness (e.g., T ₂ < T ₁ ).

In order to further lower and / or move the CG of the golf club head 100, the weight from the front portion 160 of the golf club head 100 may be removed by using a relatively thinner face portion 162 . For example, the first thickness 1510 may be about 0.075 inches (e.g., T ₁ = 0.075 inches). With the support of the rear wall 1410 to form the inner cavity 700 and to fill at least a portion of the inner cavity 700 with an elastomeric polymer material, the face portion 162 provides structural integrity, sound, / RTI &gt; and / or may be relatively thin without degrading the feel (e.g., T ₁ = 0.075 inches). In one example, the first thickness 1510 may be 0.060 inches (1.524 mm) or less (e.g., T1? 0.060 inches). In another example, the first thickness 1510 may be 0.040 inches (1.016 mm) or less (e.g., T1? 0.040 inches). Based on the shape of the material used to form the face portion 162 and / or the body portion 110, the face portion 162 may have a first thickness 1510 that is less than 0.030 inches (0.762 mm) ). &Lt; / RTI &gt; The groove depth may be less than the second thickness 1520 (e.g., D _groove ≥T ₂ ). In one example, the groove depth 1525 may be about 0.020 inches (0.508 mm) (e.g., D _groove = 0.020 inches). Thus, the second thickness 1520 may be about 0.010 inches (0.254 mm) (e.g., T2 = 0.010 inches). In another example, the groove depth 1525 may be about 0.015 inches (0.381 mm) and the second thickness 1520 may be about 0.015 inches (e.g., D _groove = T2 = 0.015 inches). Alternatively, the groove depth 1525 may be less than the second thickness 1520 (e.g., D _groove &lt; T2). Without the support of the elastomeric polymer material to fill the rear wall 1410 and the inner cavity 700, the golf club head may not be able to withstand a number of impacts that the golf ball applies to the face portion. In contrast to the golf club head 100 described herein, a golf club head having a relatively thin face but no elastic polymeric material that fills the back wall 1410 and the inner cavity 700 (e.g., a co-back golf club head) The golf club head may cause unpleasant sounds (e.g., squeak) and / or feel while hitting the golf ball. The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

Based on the manufacturing process and method used to form the golf club head 100, the face portion 162 may include additional material at or near the periphery of the face portion 162. Thus, the face portion 162 may include a third thickness 1530 and a chamfered portion 1540. The third thickness 1530 may be greater than the first thickness 1510 or the second thickness 1520 (e.g., T3 > T1 > T2). In particular, the face portion 162 may be coupled to the body portion 110 by a welding process. For example, the first thickness 1510 may be about 0.030 inches, the second thickness 1520 may be about 0.015 inches, and the third thickness 1530 may be about 0.050 inches mm). Thus, the chamfered portion 1540 can receive some additional material when the face portion 162 is welded to the body portion 110. [

For example, as shown in FIG. 16, the face portion 162 may include a reinforcement section generally indicated at 1605 below one or more grooves 168. In one example, the face portion 162 may include a reinforcement section 1605 below each groove. Optionally, the face portion 162 may include a reinforcement section 1605 below some of the grooves (e.g., every other groove) or only under one of the grooves. The face portion 162 may include a first thickness 1610, a second thickness 1620, a third thickness 1630, and a chamfered portion 1640. The groove 168 may have a groove depth 1625. The reinforcing section 168 may define a second thickness 1620. The first and second thicknesses 1610 and 1620 may be substantially equal to each other (e.g., T1 = T2). In one example, the first and second thicknesses 1610 and 1620 may each be about 0.030 inches (e.g., T1 = T2 = 0.030 inches). The groove depth 1625 may be about 0.015 inches (0.381 mm), and the third thickness 1630 may be about 0.050 inches (1.27 mm). The groove 168 may have a groove width. The width of the reinforcement section 1605 may be greater than or equal to the groove width. The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

Optionally, the face portion 162 may vary in thickness between the top portion 180 and the sole portion 190. In one example, the face portion 162 is relatively thicker at the sole portion 190 or at or near the upper portion 180 than the portion adjacent the sole portion 190 (e.g., The thickness may be tapered from the top 180 toward the sole portion 190). The face portion 162 may be relatively thick at the top portion 180 or at or near the sole portion 190 than at the top portion 180 (e.g., the thickness of the face portion 162 may be greater than the thickness of the sole portion 190) To the upper portion 180). In another example, the face portion 162 may be relatively thick between the upper portion 180 and the sole portion 190 at or near the upper portion 180 and the sole portion 190 (e.g., The thickness may have a bell-shaped outline). The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

Unlike other golf club head designs, the positions of the first and second sets of weights 120, 130 along the perimeter of the inner cavity 700 of the body 110 and the golf club head 100, It is possible to move away from the face portion 162 at a relatively high ball launch angle and at a relatively low rotational speed. As a result, the golf ball can move further (i.e., to a larger total distance including the carry and roll distances).

As described herein, the inner cavity 700 may be partially or fully filled with an elastomeric polymer material to provide structural support to the face portion 162. In particular, the elastic polymer material may also provide vibration and / or noise attenuation to the body portion 110 as the face portion 162 hits the golf ball. Alternatively, the resilient polymeric material may only provide vibration and / or noise attenuation to the body portion 110 as the face portion 162 hits the golf ball. In one embodiment, the body portion 110 (e.g., a golf club head) of the golf club head 100 has a body volume between about 2.0 cubic inches (32.77 cubic centimeters) and about 4.2 cubic inches (68.83 cubic centimeters) (Vb). The volume of the elastomeric polymer material filling the inner cavity Ve, such as the inner cavity 700, may be between 0.5 and 1.7 cubic inches (8.19 and 27.86 cubic centimeters, respectively). The ratio of the elastic polymer material volume (Ve) to the volume volume (Vb) can be expressed as:

Where Ve is the volume of elastic polymer material in cubic inches, and

Vb is the body volume in cubic inches.

In another example, the ratio of elastic polymer material volume (Ve) to body volume (Vb) may be from about 0.2 to about 0.4. In another example, the ratio of elastic polymer material volume (Ve) to body volume (Vb) may be from about 0.25 to about 0.35. The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

For example, based on the amount of elastic polymer material filling the inner cavity, the thickness of the face portion may be about 0.025 inches (0.635 mm) to about 0.075 inches (1.905 mm). In another example, the thickness Tf of the face portion may be about 0.02 inches (0.508 mm) to about 0.09 inches (2.286 mm). The thickness Tf of the face portion may depend on the amount of elastic polymer material in the inner cavity Ve, such as the inner cavity 700. The ratio of the thickness (Tf) of the face portion to the volume (Ve) of the elastic polymer material can be expressed as:

Where Tf is the thickness of the face portion in inches,

Ve is the volume of the elastic polymer material in cubic inches.

In one example, the ratio of the thickness (Tf) of the face portion to the volume (Ve) of the elastic polymer material may be 0.02 to 0.09. In another example, the ratio of the thickness (Tf) of the face portion to the volume (Ve) of the elastic polymer material may be 0.04 to 0.14. The thickness Tf of the face portion may be equal to T1 and / or T2 described above. The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

The thickness Tf of the face portion may depend on the volume of the elastic polymer material of the inner cavity Ve such as the inner cavity 700 and the body volume Vb. The volume (Ve) of the elastic polymer material can be expressed as:

Where Ve is the volume of the elastic polymer material in cubic inches,

Vb is the body volume in cubic inches, and

Tf is the thickness of the face portion in inches.

As described herein, for example, the body volume Vb may be between about 2.0 cubic inches (32.77 cubic centimeters) and about 4.2 cubic inches (68.83 cubic centimeters). In one embodiment, the thickness of the face portion Tf may be about 0.03 inches (0.762 mm). In another example, the thickness of the face portion Tf may be about 0.06 inch (1.524 mm). In another example, the thickness of the face portion Tf may be about 0.075 inches (1.905 millimeters). The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

Further, the volume of the elastic polymer material (Ve) when the inner cavity is completely filled with the elastic polymer material may be similar to the volume of the inner cavity (Vc). Thus, when the inner cavity is completely filled with an elastomeric polymer material, the volume of the elastic polymer material Ve in any formula provided herein can be replaced by the volume of the inner cavity Vc. Thus, the above equation expressed as the volume Vc of the inner cavity can be expressed as: &lt; RTI ID = 0.0 &gt;

Where Vc is the cubic volume of the inner cavity,

Vb is the cubic body volume, and

Tf is the thickness of the face portion in inches.

Figure 17 also shows one way in which the exemplary golf club head described herein can be manufactured. In the example of Figure 178, the process 1700 may begin with providing two or more weight portions, generally shown as the weight portions 120,130 of the first and second sets, respectively (block 1710). The first and second sets of weights 120, 130 may be made of a first material such as a tungsten-based material. In one example, the weight portion of each of the first and second sets 120 and 130 may be a tungsten-alloy screw.

The process 1700 can provide a body portion 110 having a face portion 162 having two or more external weight ports generally designated 1420 and 1430, an internal cavity 700 and a rear portion 170 Block 1720). The body portion 110 may be made of a second material different from the first material. The body portion 110 may be manufactured using an investment casting process, a billet forging process, a stamping process, a computer numerical control (CNC) process, a die casting process, any combination thereof, or other suitable manufacturing process. In one embodiment, the body portion 110 can be made of 17-4 PH stainless steel using a casting process. In another example, body portion 110 may be formed from other suitable types of stainless steel (e.g., Nitronic 50 stainless steel manufactured by AK Steel Corporation of West Chester, Ohio) using a forging process, &Lt; / RTI &gt; By using Nitronic 50 stainless steel to fabricate the body portion 110, the golf club head 100 may be relatively stronger and / or more corrosion resistant than a golf club head made of other types of steel. Each weight port of the body portion 110 may include an opening and a port wall. For example, the weight port 1421 may include an opening 720 and a port wall 725 that are opposite to each other. In a similar manner, the weight port 1835 may include an opening 730 and a port wall 735 on opposing ends. The inner cavity 700 may separate the port wall 735 of the weight port 1435 and the rear surface 166 of the face portion 162.

Process 1700 may couple each of the first and second sets of weights 120 and 130 to one of two or more external weight ports (block 1730). In one embodiment, the process 1700 may include securing the weight portion 135 to the weight portion 121 and the outer weight portion 1435 by inserting the weight portion 135 into the external weight port 1421. The process 1700 includes various manufacturing methods and / or processes (e. G., Epoxy, welding, etc.) to secure the first and second sets of weights 120 and 130 to external weight ports, such as the weights 1415 and 1435, , Solder, mechanical lock (s), any combination of these, and the like).

The process 1700 may fill the inner cavity 700 partially or wholly with an elastomeric polymeric material (e.g., Sorbothane® material) or a polymeric material (such as an ethylene polymeric material such as DuPont ™ HPF family material) (block 1740). In one example, at least 50% of the inner cavity 700 may be filled with an elastomeric polymer material. As discussed above, the elastomeric polymer material can absorb impact, block vibration, and / or reduce noise in response to the golf club head 100 hitting the golf ball. Additionally or alternatively, the inner cavity 700 may be filled with a thermoplastic elastomeric material and / or a thermoplastic polyurethane material. 18, the golf club head 100 includes one or more weight ports (e.g., as shown at 1431 in FIG. 14) having a first opening 1830 and a second opening 1835 can do. The second opening 1835 can be used to access the inner cavity 700. In one embodiment, process 1700 (FIG. 17) includes injecting elastic polymer material into inner cavity 700 from first aperture 1830 through second aperture 1835 into inner cavity 700, (700) can be filled with an elastic polymer material. The first and second openings 1830 and 1835 may be the same or different in size and / or shape. While the above embodiment may describe and describe a particular weight port having a second opening, the other weight port of the golf club head 100 may include a second opening (e.g., the weight port 720). The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited thereto.

Referring again to FIG. 17, an exemplary process 1700 is provided and described in connection with the other drawings only as an example of one method of manufacturing the golf club head 100. In Fig. 17, these operations may be performed in different time sequences. For example, sequentially, concurrently, or concurrently. In one example, blocks 1710, 1720, 1730, and / or 1740 may be performed in parallel or concurrently. Figure 17 also shows a certain number of blocks, and the process may not perform one or more blocks. In one embodiment, the inner cavity 700 can not be filled (i.e., block 1740 may not be performed). The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited thereto.

Referring again to Figures 1 to 14, the face portion 162 includes a non-smooth (not shown) surface for improving the adhesion between the elastic polymeric material used to fill the inner cavity 700 and the face portion 162 and / And may include a rear surface (e.g., FIG. 7). Various methods and / or processes, such as abrasive blasting processes (e.g., bead blasting processes, sand blasting processes, other suitable blasting processes, or any combination thereof) and / or milling (machining) processes may be used to magnetize the rear surface 166 Or &lt; / RTI &gt; For example, the back surface 166 may have a surface roughness (Ra) in the range of 0.5 to 250 μm (0.012 to 6.3 μm). The apparatus, method and article of manufacture are not limited thereto.

19-21. The face portion 1900 may include a front surface 1910 and a rear surface 2010. Front surface 1910 includes one or more grooves generally designated 1920 (extending between tow portion 140 and heel portion 150 of FIG. 1) extending longitudinally across front surface 1910 . The front surface 1910 can be used to impact a golf ball (not shown).

The rear surface 2010 may include one or more channels, generally shown as 2020. [ The channel 2020 may extend longitudinally across the rear surface 2010. The channels 2020 may be parallel or substantially parallel to each other. The channel 2020 may engage with the elastic polymer material used to fill the inner cavity 700 and may serve as a mechanical locking mechanism between the face portion 1900 and the elastic polymer material. In particular, the channel 2100 may include an opening 2110, a lower section 2120 and two sidewalls, generally designated 2130 and 2132. The lower section 2120 may be parallel or substantially parallel to the rear surface 2010. The two sidewalls 2130 and 2132 may be converging sidewalls (i.e., the two sidewalls 2130 and 2132 may not be parallel to one another). Lower section 2120 and sidewalls 2130 and 2132 may form two undercut portions, generally shown at 2140 and 2142. That is, the width 2115 in the opening 2110 may be less than the width 2125 of the lower section 2120. The cross-section of channel 2100 may be symmetrical about axis 2150. 21 shows flat or substantially flat side walls, the two side walls 2130 and 2132 can be curved (e.g., convex relative to each other).

Instead of a flat or substantially flat sidewall, as shown in Fig. 21, the channel may include other types of sidewalls. 22, channel 2200 may include an opening 2210, a lower section 2220, and two sidewalls, generally designated 2230 and 2232. The two side walls 2230 and 2232 may be stepped sidewalls. Lower section 2220 and sidewalls 2230 and 2232 can form two undercut portions, generally designated 2240 and 2222. That is, the width 2215 in the opening 2210 may be less than the width 2225 of the lower section 2220. The channel 2200 may be symmetrical about the axis 2250.

Instead of symmetry as shown in Figs. 21 and 22, the channel may be asymmetric. 23, as another example, the channel 2300 may include an opening 2310, a lower section 2320, and two sidewalls, generally designated 2330 and 2332. The lower section 2320 may be parallel or substantially parallel to the rear surface 2010. Lower section 2320 and sidewall 2330 may form undercut portion 2340. [

24, the channel 2400 may include an opening 2410, a lower section 2420, and two sidewalls, generally designated 2430 and 2432. In this embodiment, The lower section 2420 may not be parallel or substantially parallel to the rear surface 2010. The two sidewalls 2430 and 2432 may be parallel or substantially parallel to each other, but one sidewall may be longer than the other sidewall. Lower section 2420 and sidewall 2432 can form undercut section 2440.

25, the face portion 2500 may include a rear surface 2510 having one or more channels that extend laterally across the rear surface 2510 (e.g., as shown in FIG. 1 And extends generally between the top 180 and the sole 190 of the base portion 190 and is shown generally at 2520. 26, the face portion 2600 may include a rear surface 2610 having one or more channels, the channels generally being shown as 2620 and extending diagonally across the rear surface 2610 do.

Optionally, the face portion may comprise a combination of channels extending in a different direction (e. G., Extending in a longitudinal, lateral and / or diagonal direction) across the rear surface of the face portion. 27, for another example, the face portion 2700 may include a rear surface 2710 having one or more channels extending in a different direction across the rear surface 2710. As shown in FIG. In particular, the face portion 2700 includes a plurality of channels 2720 extending longitudinally across the rear surface 2710, a plurality of channels 2730 extending laterally across the rear surface 2710, And a plurality of channels 2740 that extend diagonally across the channel 2710.

28, the golf club head 100 may include a face portion 162, an engaging portion 2810, and an elastic polymeric material 2820. As shown in Fig. The engagement portion 2810 provides connection, attachment and / or engagement of the elastomeric polymer material 2820 to the face portion 162. The engagement portion 2810 may include a combination of a binder, a combination of binders, a coupling structure or combination device, a combination structure and / or a combination device, and / or a combination of one or more coupling agents, . The golf club head 100 includes a binder for alleviating adhesion improvement and / or peeling between the face portion 162 and the resilient polymer material used to fill the inner cavity 700 of the golf club head 100 (E.g., Fig. 7). In one example, the bonding portion 2810 may be formed of a mixture of a low viscosity, organic solvent based solution and / or a dispersion of a polymer and other reactivity, such as MEGUM TM, ROBOND TM and / or THIXON TM materials manufactured by Dow Chemical Company, Auburn Hills, It can be a chemical. In another example, coupling portion 2810 may be a LOCTITE® material manufactured by Henkel Corporation of Rocky Hill, Connecticut. The engagement portion 2810 can be applied to the back surface 166 to couple the elastic polymer material 2820 to the back portion 162 (e.g., extending between the back surface 166 and the elastic polymer material 2820) have. For example, when inner cavity 700 is filled with elastomeric polymer material 2820 through an injection-molding process, engagement portion 2810 can be applied. The apparatus, method and article of manufacture are not limited thereto.

29 illustrates one manner in which any of the golf club head inner cavity 700 or the golf club head described herein is partially or totally filled with an elastomeric or elastomeric material. The process 2900 may begin by heating the golf club head 100 to a specific temperature (block 2910). In one example, the golf club head 100 may be heated to a temperature in the range of 150 ° C to 250 ° C, depending on factors such as the vaporization temperature of the elastomeric polymer material being injected into the inner cavity 700. The elastomeric polymer material may be heated to a specific temperature (block 2920). The elastomeric polymer material can be a non-foamable and injection moldable thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) material. Thus, the elastomeric polymer material can reach a liquid or fluid state before being heated and injected into the inner cavity 700. The temperature at which the elastomeric polymer material can be heated depends on the type of elastomeric polymer material that is used to partially or completely fill the inner cavity 700. The heated elastomeric polymer material may be injected into the inner cavity 700 to partially or completely fill the inner cavity 700 (block 2930). The elastomeric polymer material may be injected into the inner cavity 700 from one or more of the weight ports described herein (e.g., one or more weight ports of each of the weight ports 1420, 1430 of the first and second sets shown in Figure 14) . One or more other weight ports may allow air within the inner cavity 700 displaced by the elastomeric polymer material to be expelled from the inner cavity 700. In one embodiment, the golf club head 100 may be oriented horizontally as shown in FIG. 14 during the injection molding process. The elastomeric polymer material may be injected from the weight ports 1431 and 1432 into the inner cavity 700. The weight ports 1421, 1422 and / or 1423 may serve as air ports for discharging displaced air from the internal cavity 700. Thus, regardless of the orientation of the golf club head 100 during the injection molding process, the elastomeric polymer material may be injected into the inner cavity 700 from one or more lower positioned weight ports, while one or more upper positioned weights The port can act as an air vent. The mold (i. E., The golf club head 100) may be passively (e.g., at room temperature) or actively cooled so that the elastomeric polymer material reaches a solid state and attaches to the rear surface 166 of the face portion 162 . The elastic polymer material may be attached directly to the back surface 166 of the face portion 162. Alternatively, the elastomeric polymer material may be applied to the back surface 166 of the face portion 162 and / or to the binder (e.g., the engagement portion 2810 shown in FIG. 28) described herein with the aid of one or more structures on the back surface 166. [ ). The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

As described above, the elastic polymer material can be solidified in the inner cavity 700 after being heated to a liquid state (i.e., non-foamable) and injection-molded. The elastic polymer material with a low modulus of elasticity can provide vibration and noise attenuation to the face portion 162 when the face portion 162 impacts the golf ball. For example, an elastomeric polymer material that fires when heated can provide vibration and noise attenuation. However, such foamable elastic polymer material may not have sufficient stiffness to provide structural support to the relatively thin face portion due to excessive deflection and / or compression of the elastic polymer material when absorbing the impact of the golf ball. In one embodiment, the resilient polymeric material injection molded in the inner cavity 700 may have a relatively high modulus of elasticity to provide structural support to the face portion 162 and may also be elastically biased, Thereby absorbing the impact force experienced by the motor 162. Thus, the non-foamable and injection-molded elastic polymer material having a relatively high modulus of elasticity can provide structural support and reinforcement to the face portion 162, as well as providing partial or full filling of the inner cavity 700 to provide vibration and noise damping Lt; / RTI &gt; That is, the non-foamable and injection-molded elastic polymeric material may be a structural support portion for the face portion 162. The apparatus, method and article of manufacture are not limited thereto.

Figure 30 illustrates one way in which the binder described herein may be applied to a golf club head prior to partial partial injection of the elastic polymer into the inner cavity 700. In the example of Figure 30, the process 3000 may begin by injecting a binder onto the back surface 166 of the face portion 162 (block 3010). The binder may be injected onto the rear surface 166 either before or after heating the golf club head as described above, depending on the nature of the binder. The binder may be injected through one or more of the first set of weight ports 1420 and / or the second set of weight ports 1430. The binder may be injected into the rear surface 166 through some or all of the first set of weight ports 1420 and the second set of weight ports 1430. [ An injection mechanism, such as, for example, a nozzle or a needle, may be inserted into each weight port until the tip or exit of the device is near the rear surface 166. The binding agent can then be injected onto the rear surface 166 from the outlet of the device. In addition, the instrument can be moved, rotated and / or pivoted within the interior cavity 700 to allow the injection of the binder onto the area of the rear surface 166 surrounding the instrument. For example, the outlet of the injection device may move in a circular pattern within the weight port to inject the binder in a corresponding circular pattern on the rear surface surface 166. Each of the first set of weight ports 1420 and the second set of weight ports 1430 may be used to inject a binder into the rear surface 166. However, it may not be necessary to use all of the first weight port 1420 and / or the second weight port set 1430. Using all adjacent weight ports, for example, may be sufficient to inject the binder onto the entire rear surface 166. In another example, weight ports 1421, 1422 1431, 1433, and 1436 may be used to inject a binder into rear surface 166. The apparatus, method and article of manufacture are not limited thereto.

The process 3000 includes steps of injecting the binder onto the back surface 166 such that a generally uniform coating of the binder is provided on the back surface 166 and then spreading the binder onto the back surface 166 3020). According to one embodiment, the binder is deployed on the rear surface 166 by injecting air into the inner cavity 700 through one or more of the first set of weight ports 1420 and the second set of weight ports 1430 . The air can be injected onto the rear surface 166 in the interior cavity 700 by inserting an air nozzle into one or more of the first set of weight ports 1420 and the second set of weight ports 1430. In accordance with one embodiment, a predetermined, uniform, or uniform coating of binder from the back surface 166 may be applied to the back surface 166 to uniformly spray air to the binder such that the bond is spread on the back surface for uniform coating, The air nozzles can be moved, rotated and / or pivoted at a distance. The apparatus, method, and article of manufacture are not limited in this respect.

The exemplary process 3000 is only provided and described in connection with the other drawings as an example of a method of manufacturing the golf club head 100. Although a specific sequence of operations is shown in FIG. 30, these operations may be performed in different time sequences. In addition, the two or more operations shown in Fig. 30 can be performed sequentially, in parallel, or simultaneously. The process 3000 can include a single action and can inject the back surface 166 uniformly or substantially uniformly with the bonding agent. In one embodiment, the binder may be injected onto the rear surface 166 by being converted to particulates or droplets (i.e., atomized) and sprayed onto the rear surface 166. Thus, the rear surface 166 can be uniformly or nearly uniformly coated with a bonding agent. Coating substantially uniformly with the backing surface 166 as a binder may be defined as a coating having some non-uniformity due to the injection process or manufacturing process. However, this slight non-uniformity may not affect the elastomeric material or elastomeric material bonding to the back surface 166 with the binder described herein. Spraying the binder onto the back surface 166 can result in a superimposed area of the binder having a coating thickness that is slightly larger than other areas of the binder on the back surface 166. [ The apparatus, method and article of manufacture are not limited in this respect.

As described herein, any two or more weight parts may be composed of a single weight part. 31 and 32, the golf club head 3100 generally includes a first set of weights 3120 (e.g., shown as weights 3121, 3122, 3123, and 3124) and a second set of weights 3120 A weight portion 3130, and the like. The body portion 3110 may include a toe portion 140, a heel portion 3150, a front portion (not shown), a rear portion 3170, an upper portion 3180 and a sole portion 3190. The front portion is substantially similar to the front portion 160 of the golf club head 100. Thus, details of the front portion of the golf club head 3100 are not provided.

The body portion 3110 may be made of a first material while the first set of weights 3120 and second weights 3130 may be made of a second material. The first and second materials may be similar or different materials. The body portion 3110 may be partially or wholly made of a steel-based material (e.g., 17-4 PH stainless steel, Nitronic® 50 stainless steel, maraging steel or other types of stainless steel), a titanium- For example, a composite aluminum alloy coated with a high strength aluminum alloy or a high strength alloy), any combination thereof, and / or other suitable types of materials. The first set of weights 3120 and second weights 3130 may be made of a high-density material, such as a tungsten-based material or other suitable type of material, partially or totally. Alternatively, the body portion 3110 and / or the first set of weights 3120 and the second set of weights 3130 may be made partly or wholly of a non-metallic material (e.g., composite, plastic, etc.) . The apparatus, method and article of manufacture are not limited thereto.

The golf club head 3100 may include an iron type golf club head such as a 1-iron, 2-iron, 3-iron, 4-iron, 5-iron, 6-iron, 7- Etc.) or wedge-shaped golf club heads (e.g., pitch wedges, lobe wedges, sand wedges, n-wedges such as 44 °, 48 °, 52 °, 56 °, 60 °, etc.). Figures 31 and 32 may represent a particular type of club head and the devices, methods, and articles described herein may be used with other types of club heads (e.g., a driver-type club head, a fairway wood type club head, a hybrid club head, Putter type club head, etc.). The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited in this respect. The toe portion 3140 and the heel portion 3150 may be on opposite ends of the body portion 3110. The heel portion 3150 may include a hosel portion 3155 configured to receive a shaft (not shown) having a grip (not shown) at one end and a golf club head 3100 at an opposite end to form a golf club have.

The rear portion 3170 generally includes a first set of external weight ports 3220 (e.g., shown as weight ports 3221, 3222, 3223, and 3224) and a rearward portion 3170 And a back wall portion 3210 having at least one external weight port along the periphery of the back wall portion 3210. [ The outer weight port of each of the first set of weight ports 3220 may be related to the port diameter. In one example, the port diameter may be about 0.25 inches (6.35 mm). Any two adjacent external weight ports of the first set of external weight ports 3220 may be separated smaller than the port diameter. The first set of weight ports 3220 and the second weight port 3230 may be external weight ports configured to receive one or more weight portions.

Each of the first set of weight portions (shown as weight portions 3120, 3122, 3123 and 3124) includes a first set of weight ports (e.g., weight ports 3221, 3222) located at and adjacent to the tow portion 3140 , 3223 and 3224) and / or on the upper portion 3180 on the rear portion 3170. For example, the weight portion 3121 may be disposed partly or entirely within the weight port 3221. [ In another example, the weight 3122 may be disposed in the weight port 3222 located in the transition region (e.g., the top-and-toe transition region) between the top 3180 and the tow portion 3140. The configuration of the first set of weight ports 3220 and the first set of weights 3220 is similar for the soybean number golf club head 100. Therefore, a detailed description of the configuration of the weight port 3220 of the first set and the weight portion 3220 of the first set is not provided.

The second weight port 3230 may be connected to the sole 3190 through a transition area between the tow portion 3140 and the toe portion 3190 from a position adjacent to the toe portion 3140 or the toe portion 3140, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 &gt; position. &Lt; / RTI &gt; Thus, as shown in Figure 31, the second mass port 3230 may be similar to an L-shaped recess. The second weight port 3130 may be similar in shape to the second weight port 3230 and may be configured to be disposed in the second weight port 3230.

The second weight portion 3130 may be disposed partially or entirely within the weight port 3230. The second weight 3130 may have any shape, such as an elliptical, rectangular, triangular, or any geometric or non-geometric shape. However, the portion of the second weight portion 3130 that is inserted into the second weight port 3230 may have a shape similar to that of the weight port 3230. As described in detail herein, any of the weights disclosed herein, including the weights 3120 and the second weights 3130, may be used in various manufacturing processes and / or processes (e.g., bonding processes, welding processes, A brazing process, a mechanical locking method, any combination thereof, or any other suitable method of manufacture and / or process) to the rear portion 3170 of the body portion 3110.

The second weight 3130 may be configured to position the center of gravity of the golf club head 100 in an optimal position and optimize the moment of inertia of the golf club head relative to the vertical axis extending through the center of gravity of the golf club. All or a substantial portion of the second weight 3130 may generally be near the sole 3190. [ The second weight portion 3130 may be in the vicinity of the body portion 3110 and may extend from the sole portion 3190 to the toe portion 3140. [ 32, the second weight portion 3130 is positioned near the periphery of the body portion 3110 and partially or substantially along the sole portion 3190 to lower the center of gravity of the golf club head 3100 . A portion of the second weight portion 3130 is located near the periphery of the body portion 3110 and is configured to lower the center of gravity of the golf club head 3100 about a vertical axis extending through the center of gravity and to increase the moment of inertia, May extend from the sole portion 3190 to the toe portion 3140 through a transition region 3147 between the top portion 3190 and the toe portion 3140. All or a portion of the second weight 3130 may be positioned closer to the soles 3190 than the horizontal midplane 3260 of the golf club head 3100 to lower the center of gravity of the golf club head 3100 . The physical properties and constructional material of the second weight portion 3130 (e.g., the position of the weight port 3230) and the weight portions of the second weight port are determined by weight, weight distribution, center of gravity, Mechanical properties, moment of inertia properties, structural integrity, and / or other static and / or dynamic characteristics. The apparatuses, methods, and articles of manufacture described herein are not limited thereto.

The weight portion of the first set of weights 3120 may have similar or different physical properties (e.g., color, shape, size, density, mass, volume, etc.). In the example shown in FIG. 32, each of the weight portions of the weight portion 3120 of the first set may have a cylindrical shape (e.g., a circular cross-section). Optionally, each of the weight portions of the first set of weights 3120 may have different shapes. While the above examples can describe a weight portion having a particular shape, the devices, methods, and articles of manufacture described herein may be used in other suitable shapes (e.g., in any or all of spherical, cubic, conical, cylindrical, pyramidal, cubic, Frustum, or other suitable geometric shape). The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

33-42, the golf club head 3300 includes a body portion 3310 and generally a first set of weight portions 3320 (e.g., shown as weight portions 3321 and 3322) (Shown as 3331, 3332, 3333, 3334, and 3335) of the weight portion 3330 of the substrate (e.g. The body portion 3310 may include a toe portion 3340, a heel portion 3350, a front portion 3360, a rear portion 3370, an upper portion 3380 and a sole portion 3390. The heel portion 3350 includes a hosel portion 3355 configured to receive a shaft (not shown) with a grip (not shown) at one end and a golf club head 3300 at an opposite end of the shaft to form a golf club .

The body portion 3310 may be made of a first material, while the first and second sets of weights 3320 and 3330 may each be made of a second material. The first and second materials may be similar or different materials. The material from which the golf club head 3300, the weight portion 3320 and / or the weight portion 3330 is constructed can be similar in many respects to a weight portion such as a golf club head and the golf club head 100 described herein have. Therefore, the constituent materials of the golf club head 3300, the weight portion 3320 and / or the weight portion 3330 are not described in detail herein. The apparatus, method and article of manufacture are not limited thereto.

The golf club head 3300 may include a head of a golf club head, such as a 1-iron, 2-iron, 3-iron, 4-iron, 5-iron, 6-iron, iron, 8- ) Or a wedge-shaped golf club head (e.g., pitch wedge, lobe wedge, sand wedge, n-wedge such as 44 ° 48 °, 52 °, 56 °, 60 °, etc.). While Figures 33-42 may depict a particular type of club head, the devices, methods, and articles described herein may be used with other types of club heads (e.g., a driver-type club head, a fairway wood type club head, , A putter-type club head, or the like). The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

The front portion 3360 may include a face portion 3362 (e.g., striking surface). The face portion 3362 may include a front surface 3364 and a rear surface 3366 (see FIG. 37). The front surface 3364 may include one or more grooves 3368 extending between the tow portion 3340 and the heel portion 3350. The drawings may represent a particular number of grooves, but the apparatus, methods, and articles described herein may include more or fewer grooves. Face portion 3362 can be used to impact a golf ball (not shown). Optionally, the face portion 3362 may be formed by various manufacturing methods and / or processes (e.g., bonding processes such as bonding, welding processes such as laser welding, brazing processes, brazing processes, fusing processes, mechanical locking or connection methods, Or any other suitable type of manufacturing method and / or process) that is coupled to the body portion 3310. Face portion 3362 may be associated with a loft plane that defines the loft angle of golf club head 3300. The loft angle may vary depending on the type of golf club (e.g., long iron, mid iron, short iron, wedge, etc.). In one example, the loft angle may be between 5 degrees and 75 degrees. In another example, the loft angle may be between 20 degrees and 60 degrees. The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

36, the rear surface 3370 may include a rear wall portion 3510 having one or more external weight ports along the periphery of the rear surface 3370, Are shown as external weight ports 3520 (shown as weight ports 3521 and 3522) and a second set of external weight ports 3530 (shown as weight ports 3531, 3532, 3533, 3534, and 3535, for example). Each of the external weight ports may be defined by an opening in the rear wall portion 3510. Each external weight port may be associated with a port diameter. In one example, the port diameter may be about 0.25 inches (6.35 mm). The weight port of the first set of external weight ports 3520 may be separated from any of the two adjacent weight ports of the first set of external weight ports 3520 to be smaller than any port diameter or port diameter. In a similar manner, adjacent external weight ports of the second set of external weight ports 3530 may be separated from any of the two adjacent weight ports of the second set of external weight ports 3530 by less than any port diameter or port diameter . The first and second external weight port ports 3520 and 3530 may each be external weight ports configured to receive one or more weight portions. In particular, each weight portion (e.g., shown as weights 3321, 3322) of the first set of weights 3320 may be positioned on or adjacent to the toe 3340 and / or top 3380 on the rear portion 3370 Can be placed in the positioned weight port. For example, the weight portion 3321 may be partially or wholly disposed in the weight port 3521. In another embodiment, the weight portion 3322 may be disposed in a weight port 3522 located in a transition region (e.g., an upper-and-tow transition region) between the upper portion 3380 and the lower portion 3370. Each weight portion of the second set of weights 3330 (e.g., shown as weights 3331, 3332, 3333, 3334, and 3335) is attached to the toe 3340 and / or to the sole portion on the rear portion 3370 Can be placed in the positioned weight port. For example, the weight portion 3333 may be partially or wholly disposed within the weight port 3533. In another example, the weight portion 3335 may be disposed in a weight port 3535 located in a transition region (e.g., a sol-to-toe transition region) between the sole portion 3390 and the toe portion 3340. In another example, any of the weight portions of the first set of weights 3320 and the second set of weights 3330 may be any of the first set of weight ports 3520 and the second set of weight ports 3530 Can be placed in any weight port. As described in detail herein, the first and second sets of weights 3320 and 3330 can be manufactured using various manufacturing methods and / or processes (e.g., joining, welding, brazing, mechanical locking, Any combination or other suitable manufacturing process and / or process).

Alternatively, the golf club head 3300 may include (i) a first set of weights 3320, (ii) a second set of weights 3330, or (iii) a first set of weights 3320 and And may not include both of the weight portions of the second set. In particular, the rear portion 3370 of the body portion 3310 may not include a weight port at or near the upper portion 3370 and / or the sole portion 3390. For example, the mass of the first set of weights 3320 (e.g., 3g) and / or the mass of the second set of weights 3330 (e.g., 16.8g) ). The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

The weight portions 3320 and 3330 of the first and second sets may have similar or different physical properties (e.g., color, shape, size, density, mass, volume, etc.). As a result, the weight portions 3320, 3330 of the first and second sets can contribute to the decorative design of the golf club head 3300. [ The physical properties of the first and second sets of weights 3320, 3330 may be similar to many of the weights described herein, such as the weights shown in the example of Fig. In addition, the apparatus and / or method in which the first and second sets of weights 3320, 3330 are coupled to the golf club head 3300 is similar in many respects to the weight portion shown in the example of Figs. 12 and 13, And the like. Thus, a detailed description of the physical characteristics of the first and second sets of weights 3320, 3330 and the apparatus and / or apparatus in which the first and second sets of weights 3320, 3330 are coupled to the golf club head 3300, Or methods are not described in detail herein. The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

As shown in FIG. 34, the golf club head 3300 may be associated with a ground plane 4110, a horizontal center plane 4120, and a top plane 4130. In particular, the ground plane 4110 is substantially parallel to the ground when the golf club head 3300 is in the addressed position (e.g., when the golf club head 3300 is aligned to strike the golf ball) Tangent to the sole portion 3390 of the head 3300. The top plane 4130 may be a plane tangential to the top 3380 of the golf club head 3300 when the golf club head 3300 is in the addressed position. The ground and top planes 4110 and 4130 may each be substantially parallel to each other. Horizontal intermediate plane 4120 may be located at half the vertical distance between ground plane 4110 and upper plane 4130, respectively.

To provide the optimum diameter weight for the golf club head 3300, the first set of weights 3320 (e.g., weights 3321 and 3322) may be used to inversely balance the weight of the hosel 3355 and / May be configured to increase the moment of inertia of the golf club head 3300 relative to the vertical axis of the golf club head 3300 extending through the center of gravity of the head 3300. 34, the first set of weights 3320 (e.g., weights 3321 and 3322) may be located near the perimeter of the body portion 3310 and may include a top portion 3380 and a toe portion 3340 in the transition region 3345. In another example, the first set of weights 3320 (e.g., weights 3321 and 3322) may be located near the periphery of the body portion 3310 and may extend adjacent the toe portion 3340. The physical characteristics and constructional material of the first set of weights 3320 (i.e., the positions of the first set of weights 3520) and the first set of weights 3320 are determined by the The weight, the weight distribution, the center of gravity, the moment of inertia characteristic, the structural integrity and / or other static and / or dynamic characteristics of the device. The devices, methods and products described herein are not limited in this respect.

A second set of weights 3330 (e.g., weights 3331, 3332, 3333, 3334, and 3335) positions the center of gravity of the golf club head 3300 in an optimal position and / The inertial moment of the golf club head relative to the vertical axis extending through the center of gravity of the golf club head. Referring again to Fig. 34, all or a substantial portion of the second set of weights 3330 may be near the sole portion 3390. Fig. For example, a second set of center-of-gravity portions 3330 (e.g., weights 3331, 3332, 3333, 3334, and 3335) may be positioned between the toe portion 3340 and the heel portion 3350 to lower the center of gravity of the golf club head 100 Or in the vicinity thereof. The weights 3334 and 3335 are located in the transition region 3347 between the sole portion 3390 and the toe portion 3340 to increase the moment of inertia of the golf club head 3300 about a vertical axis extending through the center of gravity And may be located closer to and / or closer to the toe portion 3340 than the heel portion 3350. Some of the weight portions of the second set of weights 3330 may be located in the toe portion. All or a portion of the second set of weights 3330 may be positioned closer to the sole portion 3390 than the horizontal intermediate surface 4120 to lower the center of gravity of the golf club head 3300. [ The physical properties and constructional material of the second set of weights 3330 (i.e., the positions of the second set of weights 3530) and the weights of the second set of weights 3330 are determined by the golf club head 3300 Weight distribution, gravity center, moment of inertia characteristic, structural integrity, and / or other static and / or dynamic characteristics of the object (s). The apparatuses, methods, and articles of manufacture described herein are not limited thereto.

Referring to Figure 37, for example, the first and second sets of weights 3320 and 3330 may be spaced apart (e.g., not directly coupled to one another) from the rear surface 3366 of the face portion 3362 have. That is, the weight portions 3320, 3330 and the rear surface 3366 of the first and second sets, respectively, may be separated in part or in whole by the inner cavity 3800 of the body portion 3300. For example, each external weight port of the first and second sets of external weight ports 3320, 3330 may have an opening (e.g., shown generally as 3820 and 3830) and a port wall (shown generally as 3820 and 3835) .

The port walls 3825 and 3835 may be integral portions of the rear wall portion 3510 (e.g., a section of the rear wall portion 3510). Each of the openings 3820 and 3830 may be configured to receive a weight portion such as the weight portions 3321 and 3335. The opening 3830 may be located at one end of the weight port 3521 and the port wall 3825 may be located at or near the opposite end of the weight port 3521. The opening 3830 may be located at one end of the weight portion 3535 and the port wall 3835 may be at or near the opposite end of the weight portion 3535. [ The port walls 3825 and 3835 can be separated from the face portion 3362 (e.g., separated by the inner cavity 3800). Each port wall of the first set of weight ports 3520, such as port wall 3825, may have a distance 3826 from the rear surface 3366 of the face portion 3362, as shown in Fig. Each port wall of the second set of weight ports 3530, such as the port wall 3835, may have a distance 3836 from the rear surface 3366 of the face portion 3362. The distances 3826 and 3836 are configured to optimize the position of the center of gravity of the golf club head 3300 when the first and second sets of weight ports 3520 and 3530 respectively receive a weight portion as described in the specification Can be determined. According to one example, the distance 3836 may be greater than the distance 3826 so that the center of gravity of the golf club head 3300 may be moved toward the rear portion 3370 and / or lowered toward the sole portion 3390 . According to one example, distance 3836 may be about 1.5 times to about 4 times greater than distance 3826. That is, distance 3836 may be about 1.5 times to about 4 times distance 3826. As a result, the width 3840 (e.g., shown in FIG. 38) of a portion of the inner cavity 3800 below the horizontal intermediate surface 4120 is greater than the width 3842 of the inner cavity 3800 on the horizontal middle surface 4120. [ . The devices, methods and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

As discussed herein, the center of gravity (CG) of the golf club head 3300 may be relatively farther away from the face portion 3362 and the width of a portion of the inner cavity 3800 (E. G., Shown as 4110 in FIG. 34) relative to a golf club that does not have the width 3842 of the inner cavity 3800, as described herein, And all or a substantial portion of the second set of weights 3330 is closer to the sole portion 3390 than the horizontal intermediate plane 4120 and the first and second sets of weights 3320 and 3330 are each The second set of weights 3330 are spaced from the rear surface 3366 rather than directly connected to the rear surface 3366. [

The physical characteristics and constructional material of the weight portions of the first and second sets of weight ports 3520 and 3530 and of each of the first and second sets of weight portions 3320 and 3330 is determined by the weight of the golf club head 3300, Weight gravity, center of gravity, moment of inertia characteristics, structural integrity, and / or other static and / or dynamic characteristics. The devices, methods and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

Although the figures may show weight ports having a specific cross-sectional shape, the devices, methods, and articles described herein may include weight ports having other suitable cross-sectional shapes. The weight ports of the first and / or second sets of weight ports 3520, 3530 may have a cross-sectional shape similar to that of any of the weight ports described herein. Therefore, the detailed description of the cross-sectional shapes of the weight ports 3520 and 3530 is omitted. The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

The weight portions 3320 and 3330 of the first and second sets may each be similar in mass (e.g., the weight portions of the first and second sets 3320 and 3330 are substantially the same). Alternatively, the weight portions 3320 and 3330 of the first and second sets, respectively, may have different masses or different sets of masses. In particular, each of the weight portions of the first set 3320 (shown as 3321 and 3322) of the first set 3320 may be weighted (e.g., shown as 3331, 3332, 3333, 3334 and 3335) of the second set 3330 It may be less than mass. For example, the second set of weights 3330 may occupy more than 50% of the total mass from the outer weights of the golf club head 3300. As a result, the golf club head 3300 may be configured to have at least 50% of the total mass from the external weight portion disposed below the horizontal midplane. In one example, the total mass from the outer mass portions may be greater under the horizontal intermediate surface 4120 than the total mass from the outer mass portions above the horizontal intermediate surface 4120. [ The apparatuses, methods, and articles of the present disclosure are not limited thereto.

In one example, the golf club head 3300 may have a mass ranging from about 220 grams to about 330 grams based on the type of golf club (e.g., 4-iron vs. lobed wedge). The body portion 3310 may have a mass in the range of about 200 grams to about 310 grams and each of the first and second sets of weights 3320 and 3330 may have a mass of about 20 grams Total mass). Each of the weight portions of the first set 3320 may have a mass of about 1 gram, while each of the weight portions of the second set 3330 may have a mass of about 2.4 grams. The sum of the masses of the first set of weights 3320 can be about 3 grams while the sum of the masses of the first set of weights 3330 can be about 16.8 grams. The total mass of the second set of weights 3330 may exceed five times the total mass of the first set of weights 3320 (e.g., the total mass of the second set of weights 3330 is about &lt; RTI ID = 16.8 g, and the total mass of the first set of weights 3320 is about 3 grams). The golf club head 3300 may have a total mass of 19.8 grams from the first and second sets of weights 3320 and 3330, respectively (e.g., a total of 3 grams from the first set of weights 3320) Mass and a total mass of 16.8 grams from the second set of weights 3330). Thus, the first set of weights 3320 may occupy about 15% of the total mass from the outer weights of the golf club head 3300, while the second set of weights 3330 may comprise the golf club head 3300, 3300). &Lt; / RTI &gt; The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

By coupling the first and second sets of mass portions 3320 and 3330 to the body portion 3310 respectively (e.g., by connecting the mass portions 3320 and 3330 of the first and second sets to the mass port 3370 of the rear portion 3370) The position of the center of gravity CG of the golf club head 3300 and the moment of inertia MOI can be optimized. In particular, the weight portions 3320, 3330 of the first and second sets can move the CG further towards the sole portion 3390 and move back further away from the face portion 3362. In addition, the MOI has a vertical axis (e.g., perpendicular to the ground plane 4110) that extends through the CG. The MOI may also be higher when measured around a horizontal axis extending through the CG (e.g., extending toward the toe and heel portions 3350 and 3360 of the golf club head 3300). As a result, the club head 3300 can provide a relatively high firing angle and a relatively low spin rate than the golf club head without the first and second sets of weights 3320, 3330. The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

Optionally, two or more parts by weight in the same set may be of different masses. In one example, the weight portion 3321 of the first set 3320 may have a relatively smaller mass than the weight portion 3322 of the first set 3320. In another example, the weight portion 3331 of the second set 3330 may be disposed in the weight portion 3335 of the second set 3330. In order to increase the moment of inertia (MOI) around the vertical axis with a greater weight in the transition region of the top-and-tow and / or a relatively larger mass in the sole-and-tow transition region, 3300). &Lt; / RTI &gt;

Although the figures may represent parts by weight as discrete separate parts, each of the weight parts 3320, 3330 of the first and second sets may be a single part weight part. In one example, all of the weight parts of the first set 3320 (shown, for example, as 3321 and 3322) may be combined into a single weight part (e.g., the first weight part). In a similar manner, all the weight portions of the weight portions (e.g., 3331, 3332, 3333, 3334, and 3335) of the second set 3330 may be weighted in a single portion (e.g., ). &Lt; / RTI &gt; The drawings may represent a specific number of parts by weight, but the devices, methods and articles described herein may include more or less parts by weight. The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

The body portion 3310 may be a hollow body including an inner cavity 3800 extending between the forward portion 3360 and the rear portion 3370. The inner cavity 3800 may also extend between the upper portion 3380 and the sole portion 3390. Inner cavity 3800 may be associated with cavity height 3850 and Hc and body portion 3310 may be associated with body height 3950 (H _B ). The common height 3850 and the body height 3950 may vary between the toe and heel portions 3340 and 3350 and the top and sole portions 3370 and 3390 while the common height 3850 is less than or equal to 50 percent of the body height 3950 (Hc &gt; 0.5 * H _B ). For example, the cavity height 3850 may vary between 70% and 85% of the body height 3950. The golf club head 3300 may be configured such that the golf club head 3300 has a cavity height less than 50% of the body height if the cavity height 3850 of the inner cavity 3800 is greater than 50% Sound and / or result when the golfer hits the golf ball through the face portion 3362 rather than the golf club head. The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

The inner cavity 3800 may be associated with and be associated with a cavity width (3840) (Wc), a body portion 3310 comprises a body width (3990) (W _B). Cavity width 3840 and body width 3990 may vary between upper and lower portions 330 dhk and sole portion 3390 and between toe portion 3340 and heel portion 3350. Cavity width 3840 may be at least 50% of body width 3990 in a predetermined area between upper and sole portions 3370 and 3390 and between body portion 3310 and between toe and heel portions 3340 and 3350. _{(Wc> 0.5 * W B)} . According to yet another example, cavity width 3840 may vary between about 40% and 60% of body width 3990 in a particular region between the top and sole portions 3380, 3390. The cavity width 3840 may vary between about 30% and 70% of the body width 3990 in certain areas between the top and sole portions 3380 and 3390. In other embodiments, According to yet another example, cavity width 3840 may vary between about 20% and 80% of body width 3990 in a particular region between the top and sole portions 3380, 3390. For example, the cavity width 3840 may vary between about 20% and 80% of the body width 3990 at or below the horizontal midplane 4120. The cavity width 3890 of the inner cavity 3800 may vary from about 20% to about 80% or less of the body width 3990 in the horizontal midplane 4120 and a substantial portion of the mass of the golf club head 3300 Can be lowered and moved backward compared to a golf club head having a cavity width less than about 20% of the body width. The golf club head 3300 also has a relatively consistent feel when the golf club head 3300 impacts the golf ball through the face portion 3362 rather than a golf club head having a cavity width less than about 20% And / or produce results. The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

Providing an inner cavity 3800 having a cavity width 3840 that can vary between about 20-80% of the body width 3990 below or below the horizontal midplane 4120 and the CG 3800 of the golf club head 3300 The rear portion 3370 is positioned between the position near the horizontal midplane and the position at or near the top 3380 to move the CG of the golf club head 3300 backward relative to the face portion 3360 and / And may have a recessed portion 3410 that can be extended. The recess portion 3410 may be formed by the upper wall 3412 and the ledge portion 3414 of the rear portion 3370. [ The top wall 3412 of the rear portion 3370 may extend from a position at or near the horizontal midplane 4120 to a position at or near the top 3380. [ The ledge 3414 may extend from the top wall 3412 of the rear portion 3370 to the bottom wall 3416 of the rear portion 3370. [ The lower wall 3416 of the rear portion 3370 may extend from a position in or near the horizontal midplane 4120 to a position at or near the lower portion 3380. [ The ledge portion 3414 may extend in the direction away from the top wall 3412 to the face portion 3360. [ Thus, the ledge 3414 facilitates transitioning from the top wall 3412 to the bottom wall 3416 such that the width of the body portion 3310 is horizontal relative to the width of the body portion 3310 on the horizontal mid- Is substantially increased at or near the midplane. The ledge portion 3414 may have a ledge portion width 3418 (shown in FIG. 39) that is larger than the upper body width 3420 of the body portion 3310. In one example, the ledge width 3418 includes a plane 3413 that generally defines the top wall 3412 of the rear portion 3370 and a plane that generally defines the bottom wall 3416 of the back portion 3370 0.0 &gt; 3470 &lt; / RTI &gt; The upper body width 3420 may be defined as the width of the body portion 3310 at or above the horizontal midplane 4120. According to one example, the width of the ledge 3418 is between about 0.5 and 1.0 times the upper body width 3420. According to another example, the ledge width 3418 may be wider than the upper body width 3420 by about 1.5 times. According to another example, the ledge width 3418 may be wider than the upper body width 3420 by about 3.0 times.

Thus, the golf club according to the embodiments described herein can have a ledge width 3418 that is greater than about 0.5 times greater than the upper body width 3420 and less than about 3.0 times the upper body width 3420.

The body width 3990 at or near the horizontal midplane 4120 may be greater than or equal to the cavity width 3840 which may be between about 20% and 80% of the body width 3990 near or below the horizontal intermediate surface 4120. [ The upper body width 3420 may be substantially larger than the upper body width 3420 that may provide the upper body width 3420. [ In addition, the recess portion 3410 allows the golf club head 3300 to have a greater mass below the horizontal midplane 4120 than the generally horizontal plane 4120. In other words, the mass removed from the golf club head 3300 to define the recess portion 3410 can be moved to the rear or rear portion of the body portion 3310 which is around and below the horizontal intermediate surface 4120.

The cavity width 3840 may be less than about the top 3380 or over the horizontal midplane 4120 to maintain the cavity width 3840 which may be between about 20% and 80% of the body width 3990. [ 0.0 &gt; 4120, &lt; / RTI &gt; According to one example, the cavity width 3840 is defined by a change in body width 3990 in a particular region of the body portion 3310 between the upper portion 3380 and the sole portion 3390 and between the toe portion 3340 and the heel portion 3350 In general. For example, as shown in FIG. 40, the cavity width 3840 may generally vary with body width 3990 in a particular region of the body portion 3310 between the upper portion 3380 and the sole portion 3390. The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

In one example, the inner cavity 3800 may not be filled (i.e., empty space). The body portion 3300 having the inner cavity 3800 may have a weight less than about 100 grams less than the body portion 3300 without the inner cavity 3800. [ Alternatively, the inner cavity 3800 may be partially or entirely covered with an elastomeric or elastomeric material (e.g., a urethane polymeric material such as Sorbothane® material manufactured by Sorbothane, Inc., Kent, Ohio), a thermoplastic elastomeric material ), Thermoplastic polyurethane material (TPU), and / or any other suitable type of material that absorbs shocks, intercepts vibrations, and / or attenuates noise. For example, when the golf club head 3300 hits the golf ball through the face portion 3362, at least 50% of the internal cavity 3800 is filled with TPE material to absorb shock, And / or reduce noise.

In another example, the inner cavity 3800 is configured to absorb impact when the golf club head 3300 hits the golf ball through the face portion of the golf ball, to block vibration and / And may be partially or totally filled with a polymer material such as an ethylene copolymer material. In particular, at least 50% of the inner cavity 3800 comprises a high density ethylene copolymer ionomer, a fatty acid modified ethylene copolymer ionomer, a highly amorphous ethylene copolymer ionomer, an ionomer of an ethylene acid acrylate terpolymer, Polymers, injection-moldable ethylene copolymers that can be used in conventional injection molding equipment to make various shapes, ethylene copolymers that can be used in conventional extrusion equipment to make various shapes, and / or thermoplastic polybutadiene rubbers similar to thermosetting polybutadiene rubbers Compressible and low elasticity ethylene copolymers. For example, ethylene copolymers may be prepared by the process described in E.I. Any of the ethylene copolymers associated with DuPont 占 high performance resin (HPF) family of materials (e.g. DuPont 占 HPF AD1172, DuPont 占 HPF AD1035, DuPont 占 HPF 1000 and DuPont 占 HPF 2000) manufactured by Du Pont de Nemours and Company of Wilmington, Delaware. . &Lt; / RTI &gt; The DuPont ™ HPF family of ethylene copolymers can be injection molded and used with existing injection molding equipment and molds, offering low compression and high resilience. The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

As described herein, the cavity width 3840 can vary between about 20% and 80% of the body width 3990 at or below the horizontal intermediate surface 4120. According to one example, at least 50% of the elastic polymer or elastomeric material that partially or fully fills the inner cavity 3800 may be positioned below the horizontal midplane 4120 of the golf club head 3300. Thus, the center of gravity of the golf club head 3300 can be lowered and moved further back relative to a golf club head that is partially or entirely filled with an elastomeric or elastomeric material and has a cavity width less than about 20% of the body width. Also, when the golf club head 3300 hits the golf ball through the face portion 3362, as compared to a golf club head having a cavity width of less than 20% of the body width that is partially or completely filled with elastic polymer material , The golf club head 3300 may produce a relatively more consistent feel, sound, and / or result. The thickness of the face portion 3362 may vary between the top portion 3380 and the sole portion shown in the example of Figures 15 and 16 and discussed in detail herein and between the toe portion 3340 and the heel portion. Therefore, a detailed description of the thickness variation of the face portion 3362 is not provided. The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

The positions of the first and second sets of weights 3320 and 3330 along the perimeter of the inner cavity 3800 and the golf club head 3300 of the body portion 3310, Moves away from the face portion 3362 at a high ball firing angle and at a relatively low rotational speed. As a result, the golf ball can move further (i.e., to a larger total distance including the carry and roll distances).

The golf club head 3300 may be manufactured by any of the methods described herein and shown in FIG. Therefore, a detailed description of the method of manufacturing the golf club head 3300 is not provided.

37 and 41, the golf club head 3300 can include one or more weight ports (e.g., shown as weight ports 3521 and 3531) that can be opened relative to the cavity 3800. The weight port 3931 may include a first opening 3930 and a second opening 3935. A second opening 3935 can be used to access the inner cavity 3800. In one example, the process 1700 (FIG. 17) includes injecting the elastic polymer material from the first opening 3930 into the inner cavity 3800 through the second opening 3935 to form the inner cavity 3800 into the elastic polymer material Lt; / RTI &gt; The first and second openings 3930 and 3935 may be the same or different in size and / or shape, respectively. The weight port 3521 may include a first opening 4030 and a second opening 4035. The second opening 4035 can be used to access the inner cavity 3800. In one example, the process 1700 (FIG. 17) can fill the inner cavity 3800 with an elastomeric polymer material by injecting an elastomeric polymer material from the mass port 3531 into the inner cavity 3800. The air inside the inner cavity 3800 displaced by the elastic polymer material by filling the inner cavity 3800 with the elastic polymer material passes through the second opening 4035 and then through the first opening 4030 to the mass port 3521 ) From the inner cavity. After the cavity is partially or fully filled with the elastomeric polymer material, the weight ports 3531 and 3521 can be closed by inserting and securing the weight portion as described in detail herein. Alternatively, the elastomeric polymer material may be injected from the weight port 3521 into the inner cavity 3800. Thus, the weight port 3531 can function as an outlet port of the air displaced within the inner cavity 3800. Other weight ports of the golf club head 4200 may include a second aperture (e.g., the mass port 3532), although the example described and illustrated a particular weight port having a second aperture. The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

Figure 43 illustrates the inner cavity 700 or any golf club head of the golf club head 100 described herein as partly or entirely an elastomeric material or elastomeric material such as the elastomeric material of Figure 1, Quot;). &Lt; / RTI &gt; The process 4300 may begin by coupling the binder to the rear surface 166 of the face portion 162 of the golf club head 100 (block 4310). The binder may have an initial bonding state, which may be a temporary bonding state, and a final bonding state, which may be a permanent bonding state. The initial and final bonded states can be activated when the binder is exposed to heat, radiation and / or other chemical compounds. For example, as described in detail herein, the binder may be an epoxy having an initial cured state and a final cured state activated by an epoxy heated to a different temperature for a period of time by conduction, convention, radiation. In another example, the binder may be a binding material that is activated to an initial binding state and a final binding state by exposure to different dosage and / or ultraviolet radiation periods, respectively. In another example, the binding agent may be a binding material that is activated to an initial binding state and a final binding state by being exposed to different compounds or different amounts of the same compound, respectively. According to process (4300), the binder can be bonded to the back surface of the face portion by being activated to the initial bonded state. The elastic polymer material is injected into the inner cavity 700 of the golf club head 100 (block 4320). The process 4300 then includes coupling the elastomeric polymer material to the binder (block 4330). Bonding the elastomeric polymer material to the binder activates the binder to a final bonded state to permanently bond the elastomeric polymeric material to the binder and permanently bond the binder to the backside surface 166 of the face portion 162. The exemplary process 4300 is provided and described in connection with the other drawings only as an example of a method of manufacturing the golf club head 100. Although a specific sequence of operations is shown in Figure 43, such operations may be performed in different time sequences. In addition, the two or more operations shown in Fig. 43 may be performed sequentially, in parallel, or simultaneously.

Figure 44 illustrates the golf club head 100 or the inner cavity 700 of the golf club head described herein as partly or entirely an elastomeric material or an elastomeric material (e.g., an elastomeric polymeric material of Figure 28 such as a TPE material) Lt; / RTI &gt; illustrates one possible way to be filled. The process 4400 can begin with applying a binder (e.g., engagement 2810 of FIG. 28) to the rear surface 166 of the face portion 162 of the golf club head 100 (block 4410). The binder may be any type of binder and / or other suitable material. In one example, the binder may be an epoxy. Prior to applying the binder, the golf club head 100 may be cleaned to remove oil, other chemical materials, debris, or other unintended material from the golf club head 100 (not shown). The binder may be applied on the back surface 166 as described herein, depending on the nature of the binder. The binder may be applied to the back surface 166 of the face portion 162 through one or more of the first set of weight ports 1420 and / or the second set of weight ports 1430. For example, the binder may be in liquid form and may be injected onto the rear surface 166 through some or all of the first set of weight ports 1420 and the second set of weight ports 1430. An injection mechanism (not shown), such as a nozzle or needle, may be inserted into each weight port until the tip or outlet of the injection mechanism is around the rear surface 166. The binder may then be injected into the rear surface 166 from the outlet of the injection mechanism. In addition, the injection mechanism can be moved, rotated and / or revolved within the interior cavity 700 so that the binder can be injected onto the area of the rear surface 166 surrounding the injection mechanism. For example, the outlet of the injection mechanism may be moved in a circular pattern within the port port to inject the binder in a corresponding circular pattern on the rear surface surface 166. A first set of weight ports 1420 and a second set of weight ports 1430 may be used to inject the binder to the rear surface 166. However, it may not be necessary to use both the first set of weight ports 1420 and / or the second set of weight ports 1430. [ For example, using all adjacent weight ports may be sufficient to inject the binder onto the entire rear surface 166. In another example, weight ports 1421, 1422 1431, 1433, and 1436 may be used to inject a binder into rear surface 166. The apparatus, method, and article of manufacture are not limited in this respect.

The process 4400 generally includes spreading or superimposing the binder on the back surface 166 (not shown) after injecting the binder onto the back surface 166 such that a uniform coating of the binder is provided on the back surface . According to one example, the binder may be injected into the inner cavity 700 via one or more of the first set of weight ports 1420 and / or the second set of weight ports 1430 to diffuse to the rear surface 166 . Air can be injected into inner cavity 700 and rear surface 166 by inserting an air nozzle into one or more of the first set of weight ports 1420 and / or the second set of weight ports 1430. According to one example, the air nozzles can be moved, rotated and / or pivoted a certain distance from the rear surface 166 so that the rear surface 166 can be moved to the rear surface 166 to uniformly or substantially uniformly coat the binder 166) to uniformly blow the binder. In one example, the golf club head 100 can be pivoted back and forth in one or several directions to cause the binder to spread along a portion or substantially entire region on the rear surface 166 of the face portion 162. In one example, the golf club head 100 can be oscillated in a generally horizontal orientation with the rear surface 166 of the face portion 162, so that the bonding agent can be vibrated in a uniform coating manner or in a substantially uniform coating manner, (166). The apparatus, method and article of manufacture are not limited in this respect.

Exemplary process 4400 is simply provided and described with other figures as an example of one of the methods of manufacturing golf club head 100. While a particular sequence of operations is shown in Figure 44, these operations may be performed in different time sequences. Further, the two or more actions shown in Fig. 44 may be performed sequentially, in parallel, or simultaneously. The process 4400 can include uniformly or substantially uniformly coating the single action (not shown) of the implant and the back surface 166 with a binder. In one example, the binder may be injected onto the back surface 166 by being converted to particulates or droplets (i.e., atomization) and sprayed onto the back surface 166. Thus, the rear surface 166 can be uniformly or nearly uniformly coated with a bonding agent. A substantially uniform coating of the binder on the back surface 166 may be defined as a coating that has some nonuniformity due to the injection process or manufacturing process. However, this slight non-uniformity may not affect the binding of the elastomeric material or elastomeric material to the back surface 166 with the binder described herein. For example, spraying the binder onto the back surface 166 can result in a superimposed area of the binder having a coating thickness that is slightly larger than other areas of the binder on the back surface 166. The apparatus, method and article of manufacture are not limited in this respect.

In one example shown in Figure 45, the binder may be an epoxy having other cured states based on temperature and time at which the epoxy can be exposed. The binder may have an uncured state, an initial cured state, and a final cured state. In one embodiment, the uncured state may be a liquid state, and the initial cured state may be a gel or a semi-solid / semi-liquid state, and the final cured state may be a solid state. When the binder is heated for a certain period of time to a temperature between the initial curing state temperature (Tempi) and the final curing state temperature (Tempf), the binder can be switched from the uncured state to the initial cured state. Therefore, the initial state curing temperature range can be defined as the initial curing temperature state temperature Tempi or more and the final curing state temperature Tempf or less. If the binder can be heated above the final cure temperature for a period of time, the binder can transition from an initial cure state to a final cure state. Thus, the temperature range of the final curing state can be defined as the temperature above the final curing state temperature Tempf. As shown in FIG. 45, the initial curing state temperature Tempi and the final curing temperature state temperature Tempf may vary depending on the time when the binder can be heated. In particular, the transition from the uncured state to the initial cured state and the transition from the initial cured state to the final cured state can be indicated by a specific temperature and time profile based on the properties of the binder. At a temperature below the initial cure temperature, the binder may be in a non-cured state (i.e., a liquid state). In the initial cure state, the binder may form an initial bond with the object without obtaining complete crosslinking or forming a permanent bond, and may be flexible to manipulate (e.g., move, spread, overlap, etc.). In other words, the binder can be manipulated without forming a permanent bond and forming an initial bond with the object. In the final cured state, the bond of the binder (e.g., cross-linking to the binder comprising epoxy) can be completed or set permanently.

The binder may be in the liquid state. When in the uncured state, the binder may be applied to the rear surface 166 of the face portion 162. The golf club head 100 and / or binder is then heated to an initial cure state temperature Tempi to change the binder from the uncured state to the initial cure state (i.e., the initial cure state temperature range) ) (Block 4420). &Lt; / RTI &gt; Thus, the bonding agent can form an initial bond with the back surface 166 of the face portion 162. After bonding the binder to the rear surface 166, the golf club head may be cooled for a period of time at ambient temperature or room temperature (not shown). The bonding agent can be in an initial hardened state and bonded to the back surface 166 of the face portion 162 so that the bonding agent can adhere to the back surface 166 during injection molding of the elastomeric polymer material in the inner cavity 700. [ . Ambient or room temperature can be defined as a room temperature ranging between 5 ° C (41 ° F) and 40 ° C (104 ° F). The temperature at which the first temperature Temp1 and the time at which the golf club head and / or the binder are heated to the first temperature may depend on the curing or bonding characteristics of the binder. The apparatus, method and article of manufacture are not limited in this respect.

The golf club head 100 may be heated prior to receiving the elastomeric polymer material (not shown) (i.e., the golf club head 100 is brought into contact with the back surface 166 of the face portion 162) Preheat). The golf club head 100 is heated so that when the elastic polymer material is injected into the golf club head 100, the elastic polymer material remains in a liquid form that flows uncooled by contact with the golf club head, Lt; / RTI &gt; The temperature at which the golf club head is heated and may be referred to herein as the third temperature may be similar to the temperature of the elastic polymer material when it is injected into the inner cavity 700. However, the temperature at which the golf club head is heated may be less than the final cure temperature (Tempf) of the binder. Thus, the binder may not transition from the initial cured state to the final cured state during the injection molding process. The preheating temperature of the golf club head 100 may also be determined such that excessive cooling of the golf club head 100 after injection molding the elastic polymer material into the inner cavity 700 may not be necessary. Before being injected into the inner cavity 700, the elastomeric polymer material may also be heated to a liquid state (not shown). The temperature at which the elastomeric polymer material can be heated may depend on the shape of the elastomeric polymer material used to partially or completely fill the inner cavity 700. In addition, the temperature at which the elastic polymer material is heated may be determined such that shrinkage of the elastic polymer material is reduced during the injection molding process. However, as described herein, the elastomeric polymer material may be heated to a temperature lower than the final cure temperature (Tempf) of the binder. The apparatus, method and article of manufacture are not limited in this respect.

As described herein, cavity 700 may be filled with an elastomeric polymeric material, either partially or wholly, by injecting an elastomeric polymeric material into cavity 700. (Block 4430) The rate of injection of the elastomeric polymeric material May be determined to provide better filling while slowly filling the cavity 700 to allow air to escape from the inner cavity 700 and allow the injected elastomeric material to cool rapidly. For example, the elastomeric polymer material may be a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) material that is non-foaming and injection moldable. The elastomeric polymer material may be injected into the inner cavity 700 from one or more of the weight ports described herein (e.g., one or more weight ports of the first and second sets of weight ports 1420, 1430 shown in Figure 14) . One or more other weight ports may allow air within the inner cavity 700 displaced by the elastomeric polymer material to be expelled from the inner cavity 700. In one example, the golf club head 100 may be oriented horizontally during the injection molding process, as shown in FIG. The elastomeric polymer material may be injected from the weight ports 1431 and 1432 into the inner cavity 700. The weight ports 1421, 1422 and / or 1423 may serve as air ports for venting displaced air from the inner cavity 700. Thus, regardless of the orientation of the golf club head 100 during the injection molding process, the elastomeric polymer material may be injected into the inner cavity 700 from one or more lower positioned weight ports, while one or more upper positioned weight ports It functions as an air vent.

According to one example, any of the weight port or golf club head 100, which can be used as an air port for discharging displaced air, can be connected to a vacuum source (not shown) during the injection molding process. Thus, the air inside the inner cavity 700 and the air displaced by the elastic polymer material can be removed from the inner cavity 700 by a vacuum source. Thus, the possibility of having trapped air pockets in the inner cavity 700 and / or the possibility of unevenly filling the inner cavity 700 with the inner polymer material can be reduced. The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

After the elastic polymer material is injected into the cavity 700, the golf club head 100

(E.g., the final cured state temperature range) that is above the final cure temperature temperature at which the binder can be activated to bond the elastomeric polymer material to the binder (block 4440). The second temperature Temp2 and the time at which the golf club head 100 is heated to the second temperature Temp2 may be varied to provide a permanent bond between the golf club head 100 and the binder and between the elastic polymer material and the binder, , Depending on the nature of the binder. The golf club head 100 may then be cooled at ambient or room temperature (not shown). According to one example, the characteristic time (CT) of the golf club head can be measured (not shown) after manufacturing the golf club head as discussed herein. The CT measurement can determine if the golf club head complies with CT rules set by one or more golf associations.

The heating and cooling processes described herein can be performed by conduction convention and / or radiation. For example, all of the heating and cooling processes may be performed by using a heating or cooling system that uses a conveyor belt that moves the golf club head 100 through a heating or cooling environment for the time periods discussed herein. The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

An elastic polymeric material having a low modulus of elasticity, such as a foamed elastomeric polymeric material, can provide vibration and noise damping at the face portion 162 when the face portion 162 strikes the golf ball. Elastic polymer materials with high modulus of elasticity can provide structural support to the face portion 162 in addition to providing vibration and noise damping. Thus, when the inner cavity 700 is filled with a non-foam elastomeric polymer material, a thin face portion 162 can be provided, since the elastomeric polymeric material can provide structural support to the thin face portion 162. In one example, the elastomeric polymeric material injection molded within the inner cavity 700 has a relatively high resilience to elastically provide structural support to the elastic deflection and face portion 162 to absorb the impact force received when striking the golf ball Lt; / RTI &gt; Thus, the non-foamable and injection-molded elastic polymer material having a relatively high modulus of elasticity can provide structural support and reinforcement to the face portion 162, as well as providing partial or full filling of the inner cavity 700 to provide vibration and noise damping Lt; / RTI &gt; That is, the non-foamable and injection-molded elastic polymeric material may be a structural support for the face portion 162. The apparatus, method and article of manufacture are not limited to this.

The above example has been described for an iron or wedge type golf club head, and the apparatus, method and article described herein can be applied to other types of golf club heads.

The terms "and" and " or " The terms "a" and "an" are defined as one or more unless the disclosure indicates otherwise. The term "coupled" and any variations thereof refer to connecting two or more elements chemically, mechanically and / or otherwise, directly or indirectly. The phrase "removably connected" is defined such that the two elements "removably connected " can be separated from one another without breaking or destroying the usefulness of any element.

The term "substantially" when used to describe a characteristic, parameter, attribute, or value of an element does not imply a deviation or difference that does not reduce the characteristics, parameters, . Variations or variations in the characteristics, parameters, properties or values of the elements may be based on tolerances, measurement errors, measurement accuracy constraints, and other factors. The term "proximate" is synonymous with terms such as "adjacent," "near," " immediate, " .

The devices, methods, and products described herein may be implemented in various embodiments, and the above description of such implementations does not necessarily represent a complete description of all possible embodiments. Instead, the description of the drawings and the drawings per se may illustrate at least one embodiment and disclose alternative embodiments.

As the rules of golf may change over time (eg, new regulations may be made by golf standards organizations and / or agencies such as the USGA, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews (R & A) Removed or altered), golf equipment associated with the devices, methods, and products described herein may be unsuitable for complying with golf rules at any particular time. Accordingly, golf equipment related to the apparatus, methods and products described herein may be advertised and / or sold as suitable or inadequate golf equipment. The devices, methods, and articles described herein are not limited in this respect.

Although certain exemplary devices, methods, and products have been described herein, the scope of coverage herein is not so limited. On the contrary, the written specification encompasses all apparatus, methods, and articles of manufacture, which are, literally or in accordance with the teachings of equivalents, fully embraced within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (20)

In a golf club head,
A body portion having a toe portion, a heel portion, an upper portion, a sole portion, a rear portion, a front portion having a face portion thickness extending between a front surface and a rear surface, and a body having an inner cavity; And
Wherein the elastomeric polymeric material is comprised of an elastomeric polymeric material within the inner cavity, the elastomeric polymeric material being associated with an elastic polymeric material volume,
The elastic polymer material volume is associated body portion chejeokwa by ≤0.5 formula 0.2≤V _e / V _b, where, V _e and the elastic polymer material of the body in unit ^3, V _b is the volume of the body part ³ in the unit Wherein the golf club head is a golf club head. The golf club head of claim 1, further comprising a coupling portion coupled to a rear surface of the face portion, wherein the elastic polymer material is coupled to the coupling portion. 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising a binder having a first cured state associated with a first temperature range and a second cured state associated with a second temperature range different from the first temperature range, Wherein the elastomeric material is in contact with the back surface of the face portion in a first cured state and the elastomeric material is in contact with the binder and is bonded to the binder in a second cured state. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the face portion thickness is about 0.02 inches (0.508 mm) to about 0.09 inches (2.286 mm). The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the elastic polymer material comprises at least one of a thermoplastic elastomeric material or a thermoplastic polyurethane material. The method of claim 1, wherein the inner cavity is associated with an internal cavity volume, wherein the interior cavity volume is by 0.2≤V _c / V _b ≤0.5) expression associated part of the body chejeokwa, where V _c is in the ³ units V _b is the body volume in in ³ units. 2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the inner cavity comprises at least 50% of the body height of the body and a cavity height extending between the top and the sole. In a golf club head,
A front portion and an inner portion having a face portion with a face portion thickness extending between a toe portion, a heel portion, an upper portion, a sole portion, a rear portion, a front surface and a rear surface;
Wherein the elastomeric polymeric material is comprised of an elastomeric polymeric material within the inner cavity, the elastomeric polymeric material being associated with an elastic polymeric material volume,
Wherein the face portion thickness is related to the volume of the elastic polymer material by the formula 0.01 T _f / V _e? 0.2, T _f is the face portion thickness in inches and V _e is the volume of the elastic polymer material in in ³ units Features a golf club head. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein the face portion thickness is about 0.02 inches (0.508 mm) to about 0.09 inches (2.286 mm). The golf club head of claim 8, further comprising a coupling portion coupled to a rear surface of the face portion, wherein the elastic polymer material is coupled to the coupling portion. 9. The method of claim 8 further comprising a binder having a first cure state associated with a first temperature range and a second cure state associated with a second temperature range different from the first temperature range, Wherein the elastomeric material is in contact with the back surface of the face portion in a first cured state and the elastomeric polymer is in contact with the binder and is bonded to the binder in a second cured state. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein the elastic polymer material comprises at least one of a thermoplastic elastomeric material or a thermoplastic polyurethane material. 9. The method of claim 8 wherein the inner cavity is associated with an internal cavity volume, the face part thickness is associated with an internal cavity volume by the equation _{0.01≤T f / V c ≤0.2, T} f is the face portion in inches And V _c is an inner community of in ³ units. 9. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein the inner cavity includes a cavity height extending between an upper portion and a sole portion, the cavity height being at least 50% of a body height of the body portion. In a golf club head,
A front portion having a face portion, a heel portion, an upper portion, a sole portion, a rear portion, a face portion having a face portion thickness extending between a front surface and a rear surface, And
An elastic polymer material in the inner cavity,
The elastic polymer material volume associated with the elastic polymer material, the body sub-volume associated with the body portion, and the face portion thickness relate to a formula V _e = a * V _b + b + c * T _f , where V _e is in ³ V _b is the volume of the body part in in ³ units, T _f is the thickness of the face part in inches, a

0.48, b

-0.38, and 0? C? 10. 16. The golf club head of claim 15, wherein the face portion thickness is from about 0.02 inches (0.508 mm) to about 0.09 inches (2.286 mm). 16. The golf club head of claim 15, further comprising an engaging portion coupled to a rear surface of the face portion, wherein the resilient polymeric material is coupled to the engaging portion. 16. The method of claim 15 further comprising a binder having a first cured state associated with a first temperature range and a second cured state associated with a second temperature range different from the first temperature range, Wherein the elastomeric material is bonded to the back surface of the face portion in a first cured state and the elastomeric polymer is in contact with the binder and is bonded to the binder in a second cured state. The method of claim 15, wherein the inner cavity is associated with an internal cavity volume, is associated with the internal cavity volume, the body volume and the face part thickness of formula V _c = a * V _b + b + c * T _f, where: V _c is the inner volume of ³ units, V _b is the volume of body in ³ 3 units, T _f is the face thickness in inches, and a

0.48, b

-0.38 and 0? C? 10. 16. The golf club head of claim 15, wherein the inner cavity includes a cavity height extending between an upper portion and a sole portion, the cavity height being at least 50% of a body height of the body portion.

Images