US2198350A

US2198350A - Golf club

Info

Publication number: US2198350A
Application number: US163585A
Authority: US
Inventors: Smith Kenneth
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1937-09-13
Filing date: 1937-09-13
Publication date: 1940-04-23
Anticipated expiration: 1957-04-23

Description

April 23, 1940. s T 2.198.350

GOLF CLUB Filed semi 15, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVEN'ILOR. Ken/762% 5/77/27? ATTORNEYS April 23, 1940. K. SMITH GOLF CLUB Filed pt. 13, 1957' 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIITIIIIII WEI? Will

ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 23, 1940 UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE Claims.

This invention relates to golf clubs and particularly unique structurebuilt thereinto at the zone of connection between hosel and shaft and the primary object of the invention is the provision 5 of means for preventing splitting of the relatively thin wall of the hosel, which means is of a unique character, lends rigidity to the club at the point indicated and enhances the appearance in a desirable way.

0 Another important object of this invention is to provide a specially formed tapered ferrule for golf clubs which is moved to position upon the tapered hosel of the club head so that the part thereof at the normally Weakest portion is compressed, strengthened and rendered durable enough to withstand lateral forces exerted by the shaft during use of the club.

A yet further aim of this invention is the provision of a golf club having the aforesaid novel ferrule in combination with a sleeve, rigid to the shaft of the club, which forms a shoulder that directly engages thesaid ferrule to perform the duty of precluding longitudinal movement thereof in one direction. a A yet further aim of the instant invention, is

the provision of a specially formed ferrule for strengthening the end of the golf club hosel,

which is provided with a tapered screw fitted bore,

the screw threads of which progressively increase in depth as one end of the ferrule is approached.

Heretofore manufacturers of golf clubs have encountered difficulty in providing strengthening elements on the ferrule of the club that were effective in precluding splitting when the shaft of the club flexed to a greater than normal degree.

It is known in the art that strengthening structures applied to golf clubs at the zone of connection between hosel and shaft, have included wrappings or whippings of wire, cord, and the like,

which were shielded by coverings either of metal,

fabric, or nitro-cellulose materials, all of which,

however, were continuous from hosel to shaft.

This continuity of whipping, wrapping, shielding or similar structure, had a tendency to create a rigid, unitary body at the zone of connection between hosel and shaft. The greater rigidity so established at said zone seems to have only encouraged the tendency to break or crack the relatively thin end of the hosel. Such a crack or split 50 would invariably appear below the end of the particular shielding used and would promptly set up a doubt in the users mind with respect to the value of the club.

As indicated by the foregoing objects, this ini 55 vention contemplates the use of a strengthening metallic ferrule which preferably does not extend beyond the end of the hosel but which is in abutting relation with a sleeve on the shaft in a transverse plane wherein lies the end of the hosel. Thus exteriorly the zone of connection between 5 hosel and shaft is covered by strengthening members which present a circumscribing seam which allows a desired amount of flexing where such action is needed.

A large number of minor objects of the invention will appear during the course of the following specification referring to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a golf club made to embody the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a prospective view of such a club.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary, partial, longitudinal sectional view through the club taken on line III-III of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional View similar to Fig. 3 show- 20 ing a modified form of the invention.

Fig. 5 is a similar sectional view but illustrating a further modification of the invention.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side elevation of the ferrule prior to its being formed into a tapered, 25 internally threaded body.

Fig. '7 is a diagrammatical view illustrating one manner in which the cylindrical ferrule is forced into a forming die to make the tapered body finally used, and, 30

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary side elevation of a portion of a golf club hosel showing the tapered ferrule in section and the relation between the tapered internal face of the ferrule and the tapered external face of the hosel. 5

Because of the problems which this invention solves, golf clubs of the character illustrated are made to embody the invention. Such golf clubs have a wooden head III which continues into a hosel l2, the free end of which is comparatively 40 thin walled, as at I4. I-Iosel I2 has its external face tapered so that as end I4 is approachedthe thickness of the annular wall of hosel I2 progressively decreases to a substantially feather edge. A longitudinally extending bore I6 is provided in hosel I2 and the conventional type steel shaft I8 is fitted into bore l6 and. anchored inplace by the well known transverse pin 20, shown in Fig. 1. The end of hosel I2 is strengthened and radially compressed by a specially created and positioned ferrule 22. This ferrule is all metal and in its initial form, is cylindrical as indicated by Fig. 6. The ferrule in its cylindrical form has a uniformly thick wall but the internal screw threads 24 are out so that they become progressively deeper as one end of the ferrule is approached.

This said one end becomes the small end of the ferrule after it has been treated in a suitable die 26, so that it presents a tapered body as illustrated in Figs. 1, 3 and 8. After the ferrule of the form shown in Fig. 6 is treated in die 26, it becomes frusto-conical in form and because of the pressure exerted, the wall of the ferrule 22 becomes thicker at the small end thereof than the wall at the large end thereof. The deeper screw threads 24 are at the smaller end of the ferrule and the angle of taper of theinside wall, is different than the angle of taper of the outside wall of the ferrule. Thus, when the ferrule 22 is in the operative position, its strongest portion is in compressing engagement with the relatively thin annular wall of hosel l2, at end i l thereof. In placing the ferrule 22 screwthreads 24 grip the wooden wall of hosel and compress the end It thereof as much as one sixteenth of an inch. The angle of taper of the inner face of ferrule 22 is greater than the angle of taper of the outer face of hosel 12 prior to the assembly so that when the parts are in the relation shown particularly in Fig. 3, compression occurs at end I4 and shaft l8 and may be moved to place in bore "5.

Shaft i8 is provided with a sleeve 28 which presents an annular shoulder 38 that abuts the end of ferrule 22 in a manner indicated by Figs. 1 and 3.

In commercial practice the sleeve 28 is made of nitro-cellulose material which adheres positively to shaft l8 and will not move with respect thereto, when longitudinal pressure is exerted against the sleeve. A definite seam is established where sleeve 28 and ferrule 22 come into abutting relation and when a ball is struck, the flexing of shaft 18 will sometimes cause a movement of sleeve 28 from the end of ferrule 22 and hosel 12. It is at this point that so many of the heretofore employed structures failed, and as a matter of fact, some manufacturers slightly weaken the continuous type binding by scoring the same at the point where ferrule 22 and sleeve 28 come together in the assembly illustrated. The outer faces of hosel l2, shaft I8, ferrule 22 and sleeve 28 are contoured so that they merge to present a smooth continuous surface at the zone of connection between shaft and hosel. Ferrule 22 cannot move longitudinally in either direction after the parts have been assembled and additional ways of embody ing the invention so that the ferrule cannot move,

are shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

The modified form of the invetnion shown in Fig. .4, contemplates the use of a two-section ferrule having a form substantially the same as ferrule 22 but made of alower section 32 and an upper section 34. One of these sections is provided with left-hand screwthreads 36, while the other section has right-hand sorewthreads 38 formed on the inner surface thereof. Even in this form sleeve 28 may be employed as before set down.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 5, shaft lll has threads 42 thereon which are in engagement with threads 44, formed on the inner surface of sleeve 46 that is forced against the upper or reduced end of ferrule 48 that is devoid of threads. The relation between ferrule 48, hosel l2 with respect to angularity of taper, is the same as described above with regard to ferrule 22 and hosel'l 2, and so long as sleeve 46 is forcing ferruleAB into compressing engagement with the small end of hosel I2, the

same will be protected against destructive forces when shaft 40 is flexed.

From the foregoing it has been made clear that the structure described compresses the small end of hosel I 2 to a greater degree than the remaining portion thereof, yet without eliminating a. certain amount of force against hosel l2 throughout the length of ferrule 22. p

The advantages of forming a zone of connection between hosel and shaft of a golf club, such as described above, will become apparent to one skilled in the art and it is understood that golf clubs having physical characteristics other than those illustrated and described, might embody the invention without departing from the spirit thereof, or scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A golf club comprising a head formed from wood and having a tapered hosel provided with a longitudinal bore extending inwardly from the end thereof; a shaft with a portion thereof within the bore; and a metal ferrule having a tapered, internal, screw-threaded face, fitted onto the hosel at the said end thereof with sufficient force to form threads in the hosel and compress the same against the shaft, the angle of taper of said internal face being greater than the initial angle of taper of said hosel whereby a portion of the latter adjacent to the end thereof is compressed to a greater extent than the remaining portion when the ferrule is in place to force the extreme end of the hosel against the shaft and provide a maximum of gripping action thereon at that point.

2. A golf club comprising a head formed from wood and having a tapered hosel provided with a longitudinal bore extending inwardly from the end thereof; a shaft with a portion thereof within the bore; and a metal ferrule having a tapered, internal, screw-threaded face, fitted onto the hosel at the said end thereof with sufficient force to form threads in the hosel and compress the same against the shaft, the angle of taper of said internal face being greater than the initial angle of taper of said hosel whereby a portion of the latter adjacent to the end thereof is compressed to a greater extent than the remaining portion when the ferrule is in place to force the extreme end of the hosel against the shaft and provide a maximum of gripping action thereon at that point, said ferrule being thicker at its outer end and progressively decreasing in thickness as the inner end is approached.

3. A golf club comprising a head formed from wood and having a tapered hosel provided with a longitudinal bore extending inwardly from the endthereof; a shaft with a portion thereof within the bore; and a metal ferrule having a tapered, internal, screw-threaded face, fitted onto the hosel at the said end thereof with sumcient force to form threads in the hosel and compress the same against the shaft, the angle of taper of said internal face being greater than the initial angle of taper of said hosel whereby a portion of the latter adjacent to the end thereof is compressed to a greater extent than the re maining portion when the ferrule is in place to force the extreme end of the hosel against the shaft and provide a maximum of gripping action thereon at that point, the threads of said ferrule progressively increasing in depth as the outer end is approached from the inner end thereof.

4. A golf club comprising a head formed from Wood and having a tapered hosel provided with a longitudinal bore extending inwardly from the end thereof; a shaft with a portion thereof within the bore; a metal ferrule having a tapered, internal, screw-threaded face, fitted onto the hosel at the said end thereof with sufficient force to form threads in the hosel and compress the same against the shaft, the angle of taper of said internal face being greater than the initial angle of taper of said hosel whereby a portion of the latter adjacent to the end thereof is compressed to a greater extent than the remaining portion when the ferrule is in place to force the extreme end of the hosel against the shaft and provide a maximum of gripping action thereon at that point; and a sleeve rigid with said shaft having one end in engagement with the ferrule to prevent longitudinal movement thereof in one direction.

5. A golf club comprising a head formed from wood and having a tapered hosel provided with a longitudinal bore extending inwardly from the end thereof; a shaft with a portion thereof within the bore; and a metal ferrule having a tapered, internal, screw-threaded face, fitted onto the hosel at the said end thereof with sufiicient force to form threads in the hosel and compress the same against the shaft, the angle of taper of said internal face being greater than the initial angle of taper of said hosel whereby a portion of the latter adjacent to the end thereof is compressed to a greater extent than the remaining portion when the ferrule is in place to force the extreme end of the hosel against theashaft and provide a maximum of gripping action thereon at that point, said ferrule being formed of two sections, the threads of one section being right-hand threads, the threads of the other section being left-hand threads.

KENNETH SMITH.