CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a Continuation-In-Part (CIP) of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/336,247, filed on Jun. 16, 2023, which is a Continuation (CON) of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/092,733, filed on Jan. 3, 2023, which is a CIP of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/725,075, filed on Apr. 20, 2022, the disclosure of which are both incorporated by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a multi-material golf club head wherein the junction between the two different components made from different materials are seamlessly incorporated within existing visual cues of a golf club head to provide an aesthetically pleasing joint between the two components. More specifically, the present invention relates to identifying the existing visual cues of a golf club head together with the different bonding needs of the golf club head at the desirable visual cue, and continuously adjusting the design of the joint between the two different components depending on the needs of the golf club head at across the entire junction between the two different components.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Utilizing multiple materials to design a golf club head has been around for a long time. U.S. Pat. No. 3,985,363 to Jepson et al. illustrates one of the earliest attempts to utilize multiple materials to improve the performance of a golf club head via the utilization of wood, metal, and plastic.

Despite all of the advantages associated with the utilization of material, two of the biggest drawbacks associated with multi-material golf club head are 1) the difficulties in securely joining materials to withstand the impact forces with a golf ball, and 2) preserving the aesthetics of the golf club to minimize the distractions associated with the differing visuals of the different material.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,385,348 to Wargo illustrates one of the earliest examples of utilizing threaded fasteners to secure a heavy secondary golf club component to the main chassis of the golf club head. U.S. Pat. No. 5,385,348 to Wargo utilizes replaceable inserts that have their weights and characteristics varied by controlling the amount and location of a layer of weightly material attached thereto.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,037,214 to Nakahara et al. illustrates the utilization of a lightweight material to replace the crown portion of a golf club via flanges wherein the ratio of the specific gravities is equal to or superior to 1.3. The bond between a thin crown piece and the chassis of the golf club head creates a unique set of challenges, as lightweight materials tend not to bond well to metallic materials, and the bond usually creates a visual delineation that is undesirable visually.

Hence, based on the above, it can be seen that there is a need in the art for a multi-material golf club head that not only is capable of achieving a secure bond between the different components, there is a need to do it in an aesthetically pleasing way.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One aspect of the present invention is a golf club head comprising of a body portion and a crown portion. The body portion further comprises a striking face, a hosel, and a portion of a sole, wherein the striking face portion defines a forwardmost vertical plane, and wherein the body portion further comprises a recess around a perimeter of the body portion. The crown portion wraps around a skirt of the golf club head forming at least a portion of the sole, wherein the crown portion overlaps the body portion at the recess of the body portion; wherein a forwardmost point of the crown portion is located less than about 17.5 mm away from the forwardmost vertical plane.

In another aspect of the present invention is a golf club head comprising of a body portion and a crown portion. The body portion further comprises a striking face, a hosel, and a portion of a sole, wherein the striking face portion defines a forwardmost vertical plane, and wherein the body portion further comprises a recess around a perimeter of the body portion. The recess further comprises a frontal crown recess, wherein the frontal crown recess defines a crown transition overlap length, a rear sole recess, wherein the rear sole recess defines a rear overlap length, and a hosel portion recess, wherein the hosel portion recess defines a hosel overlap length. The crown portion wraps around a skirt of the golf club head forming at least a portion of the sole, wherein the crown portion overlaps the body portion at the recess of the body portion, and wherein the crown transition overlap length is greater than about 12 mm and less than about 25 mm.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a golf club head including: a body portion further including; a main body chassis having an upper hosel opening and a lower hosel opening, wherein said main body chassis forms a striking face portion that defines a forwardmost vertical plane, and wherein said main body chassis further includes a recess around a perimeter of said main body chassis, an upper hosel component adapted to engage said upper hosel opening, and a lower hosel component adapted to engage said lower hosel opening, and a crown portion wrapping around a skirt of said golf club head forming at least a portion of a sole, wherein said crown portion overlaps said body portion at said recess of said body portion, and wherein a forwardmost point of said crown portion is located less than about 17.5 mm away from said forwardmost vertical plane.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a golf club head including: a body portion further including; a main body chassis having an upper hosel opening and a lower hosel opening, wherein said main body chassis forms a striking face portion that defines a forwardmost vertical plane, and wherein said main body chassis further includes a recess around a perimeter of said main body chassis, said recess further includes; a frontal crown recess, wherein said frontal crown recess defines a crown transition overlap length, a rear sole recess, wherein said rear sole recess defines a rear overlap length, and a hosel portion recess, wherein said hosel portion recess defines a hosel overlap length, and an upper hosel component adapted to engage said upper hosel opening, and a lower hosel component adapted to engage said lower hosel opening, and a crown portion wrapping around a skirt of said golf club head forming at least a portion of said sole, wherein said crown portion overlaps said body portion at said recess of said body portion, and wherein said crown transition overlap length is greater than about 12 mm and less than about 25 mm.

In a further aspect of the invention, the crown portion may further include a toe internal crown patch, located internally at a toe skirt portion of the crown portion and a heel internal crown patch, located internally at a heel skirt portion of the crown portion.

In a further aspect of the invention, the crown portion may have a Heel to Toe Internal Radius Ratio of greater than about 0.60, the Heel to Toe Internal Radius Ratio defined as:

$Heel to Toe Internal Radius Ratio = \frac{Heel Internal Radius r_{hi}}{Toe Internal Radius r_{ti}} .$

In a further aspect of the invention, the crown may have a Heel External Radius to Toe Internal Radius to Heel Internal Radius Ratio of greater than about 1.00, the Heel External Radius to Heel Internal Radius Ratio defined as:

$Heel External Radius to Heel Internal Radius Ratio = \frac{Heel External Radius r_{he}}{Heel Internal Radius r_{hi}} .$

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a part of the specification, further serve to explain the principles of the invention and to enable a person skilled in the pertinent art to make and use the invention.

FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings shows a bottom sole side perspective view of a golf club head in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 of the accompanying drawings shows a frontal view of a golf club head in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 of the accompanying drawings shows a heel side view of a golf club head in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 of the accompanying drawings shows a toe side view of a golf club head in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 of the accompanying drawings shows a top crown view of a prior art golf club head;

FIG. 6 of the accompanying drawings shows a top crown view of a golf club head in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 of the accompanying drawings shows a bottom sole view of a golf club head in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 of the accompanying drawings shows an exploded heel side view of a golf club head in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 of the accompanying drawings shows a cross-sectional view of a golf club head in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, taken along cross-sectional line A-A′ shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 10 of the accompanying drawings shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of a golf club head highlighted by circular region A shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 of the accompanying drawings shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of a golf club head highlighted by circular region B shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 of the accompanying drawings shows a cross-sectional view along a different cross-sectional line allowing the hosel portion recess to be shown more clearly;

FIG. 13 of the accompanying drawings shows an exploded perspective view of a golf club head in accordance with an even further alternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 of the accompanying drawings shows an exploded heel side view of a golf club head in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15 of the accompanying drawings shows a frontal internal view of a crown portion of a golf club head in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 16 of the accompanying drawings shows a toe side internal view of a crown portion of a golf club head in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 17 of the accompanying drawings shows a heel side internal view of a crown portion of a golf club head in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 18 of the accompanying drawings shows an overview cross-sectional view of a crown portion of a golf club head in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 19 of the accompanying drawings shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of circular region C shown in FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 of the accompanying drawings shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of circular region D shown in FIG. 19;

FIG. 21 of the accompanying drawings shows a frontal internal view of a crown portion of a golf club head in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 22 of the accompanying drawings shows a toe side internal view of a crown portion of a golf club head in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 23 of the accompanying drawings shows a heel side internal view of a crown portion of a golf club head in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 24 of the accompanying drawings shows an overview cross-sectional view of a crown portion of a golf club head in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 25 of the accompanying drawings shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of circular region E shown in FIG. 24;

FIG. 26 of the accompanying drawings shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of circular region F shown in FIG. 24;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description describes the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

Various inventive features are described below, and each can be used independently of one another or in combination with other features. However, any single inventive feature may not address any or all of the problems discussed above or may only address one of the problems discussed above. Further, one or more of the problems discussed above may not be fully addressed by any of the features described below.

FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings shows a perspective view of a golf club head 100 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The golf club head 100 if further separated into a body portion 102 and a crown portion 110. The body portion 102 further comprises of sub-components such as the striking face 104, a hosel 106, and a portion of the sole 108. The crown portion 110, in accordance with the current embodiment, includes a crown 111 and wraps around a skirt 112 of the golf club head 100 to form at least a portion of the sole 108.

The body portion 102 of the golf club head 100 in accordance with the present invention may roughly be 4.5 g/cc, as modern day driver type golf club heads are generally made out of a titanium type material; however, numerous other material may be used to form the body portion 102 of the golf club head without departing from the scope and content of the present invention so long as it can provide the structural rigidity of the golf club head 100. The crown portion 110 of the golf club head 100, at least in accordance with the present invention, may generally be made out of a lightweight material such as a fiber reinforced plastic type material with a density of less than about 2.0 g/cc, more preferably less than about 1.8 g/cc, and most preferably less than about 1.7 g/cc; however numerous other types of lightweight material may be used without departing from the scope and content of the present invention as long as it has a density that is less than that of the material used to form the body portion 102.

One key feature shown in FIG. 1 that is worth highlighting is the parting line 114 between the body portion 102 and the crown portion 110. It should be noted that visually, the parting line 114 is located significantly forward on the crown 111 ledge than any other prior art golf club head 100 incorporating multiple materials, as it follows the visual cue of a golf club head 100 that creates a natural break between the striking face portion 104 and the crown 111. Having this crown parting line 114 being located so far forward is beneficial to the performance of a golf club head in that it eliminates the undesirable visuals generally associated with multi-material golf club head wherein the crown portion 110 is made from a lightweight composite type material. However, having the parting line 114 between the crown portion 110 and the body portion 102 this far forward in the crown portion of the golf club head 100 comes with additional design challenges that will be discussed below.

FIG. 2 of the accompanying drawings shows a frontal view of a golf club head 200 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The frontal view of this golf club head 200 shows the body portion 202 forming a portion of the sole 208 and the crown portion 210 forming a crown 211 and a skirt 212 of the golf club head 200. In addition to the above, this frontal view also allows the parting line 214 to be shown more clearly, once again illustrating that the location of the parting line 214 that separates the crown portion 210 from the sole portion 202 follows the contour of the upper edge of the striking face 204 in the striking face plane, and transitions towards to a line that is underneath the skirt 212 of the golf club head. Finally, this frontal view of the golf club head 200 shown in FIG. 2 also illustrates a cross-sectional line A-A′, to which a subsequent cross-sectional view figure can be provided to illustrate the bond between the crown portion 210 and the body portion 202.

FIG. 3 of the accompanying drawing shows a heel side view of a golf club head 300 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In this view, we can once again see the main components of the crown portion 310 further comprising the crown 311 of the golf club head 300 and the body portion 302 further comprising a sole 308 of the golf club head 300. In this heel side view of the golf club head 300 shown in FIG. 3, it can be seen that the parting line 314 falls below the skirt 312 of the golf club head 300 to form a portion of the sole 308. The parting line 214 (shown in FIG. 2), in the frontal view shown in FIG. 2 follows the natural visual cue of the topline of the striking face 204 (shown in FIG. 2), but in the side view shown here in FIG. 3, it actually follows the natural cues derived from the sole 308 graphics as it wraps around the skirt 312 of the golf club head 300 into the sole 308.

Although the details of the bond between the crown portion 310 and the body portion 302 is not shown here in FIG. 3 and will be discussed in more detail in the subsequent cross-sectional views, it is worth noting there that the bond is generally achieved via a lap joint type of joint, wherein there is a beginning of an overlap and an end of an overlap. This key concept will be used to help define distance D1 below, as distance D1 is critical to the present invention in providing the improved aesthetic performance of the present invention.

In addition to the above FIG. 3 of the accompanying drawings also shows another key feature of the present invention by illustrating the forwardmost vertical plane 320. The forwardmost vertical plane 320 is a plane that is created in the x-y plane as illustrated by the coordinate system 301 that abuts the forwardmost portion of the golf club head 300. Often in a conventional golf club head 300 geometry, the forwardmost plane 320 abuts the leading edge of the face sole junction; however, in alternative embodiments of the present invention, the forwardmost plane 320 could abut any other location in the golf club head 300 without departing from the scope and content of the present invention so long as it fits the definition above.

Once the forwardmost vertical plane 320 is established, another very important distance D1 could be illustrated. Distance D1, as defined in the present invention, relates to the distance between the forwardmost vertical plane 320 and the forwardmost point 322 of said crown portion 310. In the current embodiment of the present invention, distance D1 may generally be less than about 17.5 mm, more preferably less than about 16.5 mm, and most preferably less than about 15.5 mm. This distance D1, as previously mentioned, is critical to the proper function of the present invention as it allows the parting line 314 between the crown portion 310 and the body portion 302 to be shifted to an existing visual cue that already exists in a golf club head 300 such as the crown topline transition. The ability to strategically place the parting line 314 of the different components of a multi-material golf club head 300 at a location that fits with an existing visual cue of a golf club head 300 is beneficial to the performance of a golf club head 300 in that it minimizes visual distractions of a golf club head that can often be undesirable.

Before moving on to a discussion about the undesirable visual generally associated with a prior art multi-material golf club head 500 (shown in FIG. 5), FIG. 4 of the accompanying drawings merely shows a toe side view of a golf club head 400 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, allowing the parting line 414 between the crown portion 410 and the body portion 402 to be shown more clearly. Although the parting line 414 shown in FIG. 4 mostly mirrors the parting line 314 (shown in FIG. 3) due to the fact that the sole 408 is symmetrical in terms of its graphics, the hosel portion of the parting line 414 is slightly different as shown in FIG. 3 due to the fact that only one side of a golf club head 400 has a hosel.

FIG. 5 of the accompanying drawings shows a top view of a prior art golf club head 500 where no effort is made to strategically align the parting line 514 between the crown portion 510 with the body portion 502 with any existing visual cue or natural feature of the golf club head 500. As it can be seen in FIG. 5, the resultant golf club head 500 leaves a strange line across the crown of the golf club head 500, creating an undesirable and distracting effect that will be distracting to a golfer.

Comparing the top view of the prior art golf club head 500 shown in FIG. 5 with the top view of the current inventive golf club head 600 shown in FIG. 6, golf club head 600 provides an improved performance in the visuals of the golf club head 600 by shifting the parting line 614 to the frontal crown transition portion defined as the forwardmost point of said crown portion 610 in FIG. 6. It is worth noting here that despite the best efforts to create a seamless parting line 614 that matches with an existing visual cue of a golf club head 600, the parting line 614 does become more visually recognizable around the hosel 606 of the golf club head 600; as that region of the golf club head 600 does not contain any discernable visual cues that lend itself well to conceal the parting line 614. In addition to showing the improvement in the aesthetics of the golf club head 600 compared to prior art golf club head 500 (shown in FIG. 5), FIG. 6 of the accompanying drawings once again shows the distance D1, being measured from the forwardmost portion of the golf club head 600 to the forwardmost point 622 of the crown portion, along the z-axis.

FIG. 7 of the accompanying drawings shows a bottom sole view of a golf club head 700 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In this sole view of the golf club head 700 we can see that the parting line 714 follows the visual cues of the sole graphics, allowing the golf club head 700 to create a visually seamless blend between the crown portion 710 and the body portion 702. In addition to the above, this bottom sole view of the golf club head 700 illustrates how the crown portion 710 wraps around a skit of the golf club head 700 to form at least a portion of the sole of the golf club head 700.

FIG. 8 of the accompanying drawings shows an exploded view of a golf club head 800 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In this exploded view of the golf club head 800 shown in FIG. 8, one can clearly show the crown portion 810 and the body portion 802 fit together via a lap joint as previously discussed. Although the cross-sectional view of the golf club head will provide even more detail below, the body portion 802 has a recess 823 around the perimeter of the body portion 802. The recess 823, shown in FIG. 8 is generally created to accommodate the thickness of the crown portion 810 at the various portions around the perimeter of the body portion 802, allowing the two components to bond together via a lap joint type of bond. However, in alternative embodiments of the present invention, other types of bonds such as a butt joint, a dado joint, a rabbet joint, a dovetail joint, a tongue and groove joint, or any other types of joint could be used so long as it is capable of joining the crown portion 810 to the body portion 802 all without departing from the scope and content of the present invention.

The exploded view of the golf club head 800 shown in FIG. 8 also illustrates another critical feature of the present invention, wherein the distance of the overlap between the crown portion 810 with the body portion 802 to form said recess 823 varies across different portions of the golf club head 800 depending on the unique bonding requirements at each location. Because the present invention shifts the location of the parting line around various parts of the golf club head 800 to accommodate for visual cues inherent within a golf club head 800, the bond strength required at the various portions of the golf club head 800 may be different, requiring different amount of overlap. This amount of overlap, generally quantified as the length of a recess 823 is generally defined as the distance between the beginning of an overlap to the end of an overlap. For the frontal crown joint recess 823 length, that length is defined as the difference between the forwardmost point 822 of the crown portion 810 and the rearward most point 824 of the recess 823 at the frontal body portion 802. For the aft rear joint recess length, that length is defined as the difference between the rearwardmost point 828 of the crown portion 810 and the forwardmost point 826 of the recess 823 at the rear of the body portion 802.

In order to illustrate this very important concept of creating and defining a recess 823 via the overlap, a cross-sectional view of the golf club head 900 is shown in FIG. 9. This cross-sectional view of the golf club head 900 shown in FIG. 9 is taken along cross-sectional line A-A′ shown in FIG. 2, down the center of the golf club head. In this cross-sectional view of the golf club head 900 the crown portion 910 is attached to the body portion 902 via overlapping lap joints created by recesses in the body portion 902. Circular region A and circular region B are also highlighted in FIG. 9, allowing enlarged views of the crown leading edge recess and the aft portion recess to be shown in more detail in FIGS. 10 and 11 respectively, illustrating the different designs used to achieve the different bonds at different portions of the golf club head 900.

FIG. 10 of the accompanying drawings shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of circular region A shown in FIG. 9, which reflects an enlarged cross-sectional view of a frontal crown junction point between the crown portion 1010 and the body portion 1002. Although it's been discussed briefly in earlier discussions, the bond between the crown portion 1010 and the body portion 1002 is generally achieved via an overlapping lap joint type of bond, with the body portion 1002 forming a frontal crown recess 1023a to receive the crown portion 1010. The thickness of the frontal crown recess 1023a in accordance with the present invention may generally be less than about 1.0 mm, more preferably less than about 0.9 mm, and most preferably less than about 0.8 mm, as crown portion 1010 is typically made from a thin lightweight composite type material. This thickness of the frontal crown recess 1023a may generally be thicker than the actual thickness of the crown portion 1010 itself, because not only does it need to accommodate the thickness of the crown portion 1010 in the range of less than about 0.8 mm, more preferably less than about 0.7 mm, and most preferably less than about 0.65 mm, it also has to accommodate approximately 0.15 mm of glue bond thickness that is not shown in FIG. 10. In this enlarged view shown in FIG. 10, because the bond between the crown portion 1010 and the body portion 1002 at the crown leading edge is so close to the striking face plane, it has an increased overlap length to accommodate for the increased stress occurring at that portion of the golf club head. This overlap length D2, although may look like a linear length in FIG. 10, is actually an arc length, but only appears linear due to the large radius of curvature at this portion of the golf club head. The increased overlap length at the crown transition, defined here as frontal crown transition overlap length D2, may generally be greater than about 12 mm and less than about 25 mm, more preferably greater than about 13 mm and less than about 24 mm, and most preferably greater than about 14 mm and less than about 23 mm. The frontal crown transition overlap length D2, as described in the present invention, may generally start at the forwardmost point 1022 of the crown portion 1010 and end at the rearwardmost point 1024 of the frontal crown recess 1023a at the front of the body portion 1002.

FIG. 11 of the accompanying drawings shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of circular region B shown in FIG. 9, which reflects an enlarged cross-sectional view of a rear sole junction point between the crown portion 1110 and the body portion 1102. Although this geometry may look more complicated at the rear portion of the golf club head due to the adjacent weighting member, the overall concept of the bond here remains the same with an overlapping lap joint created via a rear sole recess 1123b in rear of the body portion 1102. Similar to the discussion above, the thickness of the rear sole recess 1123b, because it is adapted to receive the same crown portion 1110, is generally less than about 1.0 mm, more preferably less than about 0.9 mm, and most preferably less than about 0.8 mm. However, in this rear portion of the golf club head, because of the rear edge is not subjected to as much impact stresses at the crown leading edge, the overlap length does not need to be as lengthy. The rear overlap length D3, in accordance with the current embodiment of the present invention, may generally be less than about 6.5 mm, more preferably less than about 6 mm, and most preferably less than about 5 mm. The rear overlap length D3, as described in the present invention, may generally be the difference between the rearwardmost point 1128 of the crown portion 1110 and the forwardmost point 1126 of the rear sole recess 1123b at the rear of the body portion 1102 taken along the arc, and not just linearly.

In view of the dramatic difference in the crown transition overlap length D2 and the rear overlap length D3, it can be said that the present golf club head has a Ratio of Front to Rear Overlap Length of about greater than about 2.0, more preferably greater than about 2.5, and most preferably greater than about 3.0. The Ratio of Front to Rear Overlap Length defined by Equation (1) below:

$\begin{matrix} Ratio of Front to Rear Overlap Length = \frac{Crown transition overlap length D 2}{Rear overlap length D 3} & Eq . (1) \end{matrix}$

FIG. 12 of the accompanying drawings shows a cross-sectional view of the golf club head 1200 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In this cross-sectional view of the golf club head 1200 shown in FIG. 12, we can see that the distance of the hosel portion recess 1223c between the crown portion 1210 and the body portion 1202 has an hosel overlap length D4 of greater than about 8 mm, more preferably greater than about 9 mm, and most preferably greater than about 10 mm. This length D4 is shown to be taken at an angle of 45° offset from the hosel axis, but could be measured from any angle that is between 15° to about 75° all without departing from the scope and content of the present invention. Moreover, the measurement of length D4 above is generally a measurement of the arc length as previously mentioned, despite it looking like a linear measurement in FIG. 12. Finally, similar to the discussion above, a separate ratio of Hosel to Rear Overlap Length may be established by Equation (2) below, defining the relationship between the two components.

$\begin{matrix} Ratio of Hosel to Rear Overlap Length = \frac{Hosel transition overlap length D 4}{Rear overlap length D 3} & Eq . (2) \end{matrix}$

The Hosel to Rear Overlap Ratio Length, in accordance with the present invention, may generally be greater than about 1.0, more preferably greater than about 1.5, and most preferably greater than about 2.0

FIG. 13 of the accompanying drawings shows an exploded perspective view of a golf club head 1300 in accordance with a further alternative embodiment of the present invention. In this alternative embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 13, we can see that the golf club head 1300 is still comprised out of two main components, the body portion 1302 and the crown portion 1310 similar to previous discussions. However, in this alternative embodiment of the present invention, the metallic body portion 1302 is now formed out of three components, a main body chassis 1332, an upper hosel component 1306 and a lower hosel component 1338. The main body chassis 1332 may have an upper hosel opening 1305 and a lower hosel opening 1337, adapted to engage the upper hosel component 1306 and the lower hosel component 1338 respectively. The upper hosel component 1306 and the lower hosel component 1338 are generally formed independently and separately from the main body chassis 1332 and could even be formed out of different material to achieve different properties in the golf club head 1300 all without departing from the scope and content of the present invention.

The upper hosel component 1306 shown in this embodiment of the present invention may generally be made out of a lightweight polymer such as Kyronmax® S-2212 type of material from Mitsubishi Chemicals for it's lightweight and high strength properties. However, in alternative embodiments, the upper hosel component may also be made out of stainless steel, aluminum, titanium, or even theoretically tungsten all without departing from the scope and content of the present invention. Making the upper hosel component 1306 separately from the main body chassis 1332 reduces the machining needs to be done directly to the main body chassis 1332 and streamlines the manufacturing of this upper hosel component 1306.

The lower hosel component 1338 show in this embodiment of the present invention may generally be made out of stainless steel material for its ability to lower and move forward the center of gravity, which is often a desirable location for the center of gravity of a golf club head 1300. However, in alternative embodiments of the present invention, the lower hosel component 1338 may also be made out of aluminum, titanium, tungsten, or even the lightweight Kyronmax® S-2212 material mentioned above should it be helpful in achieving the desired CG location. Similar to the upper hosel component 1306 discussed above, making the lower hosel component 1338 separately also reduces the machining needs that needs to be done directly to the main body chassis 1332 and streamlines the manufacturing of the lower hosel component 1338 as well.

In addition to the benefit in manufacturing indicated above by removing the upper hosel component 1306 and the lower hosel component 1338 from the main body chassis 1332 to be formed out of the same component irrespective of the desired loft or dexterity of the golf club head, and only the crown portion 1310 and/or the upper hosel component 1306 and/or the lower hosel component 1338 needs to be changed to accomplish the variety of golf club heads throughout the entire line. In addition to the above, in an even further alternative embodiment, the upper hosel component 1306 and the lower hosel component 1338 could even engage differing main body chassis 1332 having different lofts to expand the applicability of these sub-components to different club heads all without departing from the scope and content of the present invention. Finally, more detail regarding golf club heads 1300 having multiple components such as upper hosel component 1306 and lower hosel component 1338 could be found in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/075,642, filed on Dec. 6, 2022, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

It should be noted that most of the embodiments discussed here aims to create a releasable hosel hole cover, however, all of these embodiments may include glue to make the hosel hole cover stay within the hosel hole, removing the ability to remove the hosel hole cover without departing from the scope and content of the present invention.

FIGS. 14-20 of the accompanying drawings shows various view of a golf club head 1400 in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention wherein the crown portion 1410 and the body portion 1402 each have a slightly different shape than previous embodiments. More specifically, FIG. 14 of the accompanying drawings shows an exploded heel side view of a golf club head 1400 in accordance with this alternative embodiment of the present invention. In this alternative embodiment of the present invention, the recess 1423 in the body portion 1402 that is adapted to engage the crown portion 1410 is located more rearward than previous embodiments to allow for more structural rigidity in the body portion 1402 and more case of manufacturing in the crown portion 1410. The lightweight crown portion 1410 may have a crown component 1411 that forms a significant portion of the upper crown portion of the golf club head 1400 as well as a sole component 1413, which extends downward from the crown component 1411 to form a portion of the sole of a golf club head 1400. The crown component 1411 and the sole component 1413 are separated by the skirt 1412, which can also be known as an arcuate ribbon that separates the crown component 1411 and the sole component 1413 of the crown portion 1410.

FIG. 15 of the accompanying drawings shows an internal view of the crown portion 1410 in accordance with this alternative embodiment of the present invention, allowing the toc internal crown patch 1440 and the heel internal crown patch 1442, both of which are located at an internal skirt portion of the crown portion 1410 that wraps around to form a portion of the sole of the golf club head. Because the skirt portion of the lightweight crown portion 1410 experiences a higher-level stress when the golf club head 1400 contacts a golf ball, the toc internal crown patch 1440 and the heel internal crown patch 1442 are added in this embodiment of the invention at the location of these stress raisers to help prevent failure. Alternatively speaking, it can be said that the toe internal crown patch 1440 is located internally at a toe skirt portion of said crown portion 1440 of the golf club head 1400. Similarly, the heel internal crown patch 1442 is located internally at a heel skirt portion of said crown portion 1440 of said golf club head 1400.

The toc internal crown patch 1440 and the heel internal crown patch 1442 may generally be formed by utilizing additional layers of composite to form the lightweight crown portion 1410. More specifically, in the current exemplary embodiments, approximately 7 additional layers of composite, each having a thickness of 0.09 mm, may be added to form the toc internal crown patch 1440 or the heel internal crown patch 1442. The addition of these additional layers will result in an increased wall thickness at these regions, the details of which will be discussed shortly. In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the toe internal crown patch 1440 and the heel internal crown patch 1442 may be formed without additional layers of composite, but just with the resin to increase the wall thickness at these regions, without departing from the scope and content of the present invention.

FIG. 16 of the accompanying drawings shows a toe side internal view of the crown portion 1410 allowing the entirety of the toe internal crown patch 1440 to be shown in more detail. It should be noted here that although the toe internal crown patch 1440 is intended to provide support at the high stressed internal skirt portion of the golf club head 1400, it is oversized in shape to allow for additional support to the lightweight crown portion 1410. More specifically, the toe internal crown patch 1440 may be further comprised of an upper toc internal crown patch portion 1440a and a lower toc internal crown patch portion 1440a. The upper toe internal crown patch portion 1440a is intended to overlap the skirt 1412 junction between the crown component 1411 and the sole component 1413 of the lightweight crown portion 1410. The lower toe internal crown patch portion 1440b, on the other hand, extends downwards from the upper toe internal crown patch 1440a to provide additional thickness to a portion of the sole component 1413.

Similarly, FIG. 17 of the accompanying drawings shows the accompanying heel internal crown patch 1442 being located at the skirt 1412 portion of the lightweight crown portion 1410. The heel internal crown patch 1442 may also have an upper heel internal crown patch portion 1442a and a lower heel internal crown patch portion 1442b, with the upper heel internal crown patch portion 1442a located at the skirt 1412 junction between the crown component 1411 and the sole component 1413 of the lightweight crown portion 1410. The lower heel internal crown patch portion 1442b may generally also extend downwards from the upper heel internal crown patch 1442a to provide additional thickness to a portion of the sole component 1413.

FIGS. 18-20 of the accompanying drawings shows cross-sectional views of the toc internal crown patch 1440 and heel internal crown patch 1442, allowing the various thickness and radiuses to be illustrated. FIG. 18 of the accompanying drawings shows an overview cross-sectional of the lightweight crown portion 1410 highlighting circular region C and circular region D, to correspond to enlarged cross-sectional views of the toc internal crown patch 1440 and heel internal crown patch 1442 respectively.

FIG. 19 of the accompanying drawings shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of the toc internal crown patch 1440 as illustrated by region C in FIG. 18. In this enlarged cross-sectional view, we can see that the thickness t1 of the crown component 1411 as well as the thickness t3 of the sole component 1413 are generally the same, and between about 0.5 mm to about 0.9 mm in thickness, more preferably between about 0.6 mm to about 0.8 mm, and most preferably about 0.7 mm. The thickness of the crown portion 1440 at the toe skirt portion that comprises the toe internal crown patch 1440 may generally be about 0.1 mm to about 0.2 mm thicker than the base thickness of the crown portion, resulting in a thickness t2 of between about 0.6 mm to about 1.0 mm, more preferably between about 0.7 mm to about 0.9 mm, and most preferably about 0.8 mm in thickness.

In addition to illustrating the thickness of the different regions, FIG. 19 of the accompanying drawings also shows the internal and external radius of the lightweight crown portion 1410 at this toe skirt portion. More specifically, the toe external radius r_teof the lightweight crown portion 1410 may generally be greater than about 4.1 mm, more preferably greater than about 4.2 mm, and most preferably greater than about 4.3 mm. The toe internal radius r_tiof the lightweight crown portion 1410 containing the toe internal crown patch 1440 may generally be less than about 4.1 mm, more preferably less than about 4.0 mm, and most preferably less than about 3.9 mm. Because the addition of the toe internal crown patch 1440 reduces the toe internal radius r_ti, it creates an increased value in the ratio of toe external radius r_teand the toe internal radius r_ti. The Toe External Radius to Toe Internal Radius Ratio may be defined by Equation (1) below, and is generally greater than about 0.60, more preferably greater than about 0.80, and most preferably greater than about 0.90.

$\begin{matrix} Toe External Radius to Toe Internal Radius Ratio = \frac{Toe External Radius r_{te}}{Toe Internal Radius r_{ti}} & Eq . (1) \end{matrix}$

It should be noted here that the ratio articulated above could be either greater than 1.00 or less than 1.00, which means the external radius could be smaller than the internal radius in some embodiments or greater than the internal radius in other embodiments, as illustrated by the actual radii articulated above; all without departing from the scope and content of the present invention, so long as it meets the ratio articulated above.

FIG. 20 of the accompanying drawings shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of the heel internal crown patch 1442 as illustrated by region D in FIG. 18. In this enlarged cross-sectional view, we can see that the thickness t1 of the crown component 1411 as well, as the thickness t3 of the sole component 1413 are generally the same. As such, as previously discussed, the thicknesses of t1 and t3 are between about 0.5 mm to about 0.9 mm in thickness, more preferably between about 0.6 mm to about 0.8 mm, and most preferably about 0.7 mm. The thickness t4 of the crown portion 1440 at the heel skirt portion comprising the heel internal crown patch 1442, like the thickness t2 of the toc internal crown patch 1440, is once again generally about 0.1 mm to about 0.2 mm thicker than the base thickness of the crown portion, resulting in a thickness t4 of between about 0.6 mm to about 1.0 mm, more preferably between about 0.7 mm to about 0.9 mm, and most preferably about 0.8 mm in thickness.

It should be noted that though similar number ranges are presented here for thickness t2 and thickness t4, the thickness of the crown at the toe skirt portion and at the heel skirt portion could be similar, or even be different from one another, both without departing from the scope and content of the present invention. More specifically, in one embodiment of the present invention, the thickness t2 of the toe skirt portion may be greater than the thickness t3 of the heel skirt portion without departing from the scope and content of the present invention; while in an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the thickness t2 of the toe skirt portion may be lesser than the thickness t3 of the heel skirt portion also without departing from the scope and content of the present invention.

Similar to FIG. 19, FIG. 20 also shows the internal and external radius of the heel internal crown patch 1442 can be shown in this enlarged cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 20. However, because of the shaping of the current inventive golf club having more of a traditional pear-shaped profile, the internal and external radii on the heel side of the golf club head may be different from the radii on the toe side of the golf club head. As such, the heel external radius r_heof the lightweight crown portion 1410 at the heel skirt portion may generally be greater than about 4.8 mm, more preferably greater than about 4.9 mm, and most preferably greater than about 5.0 mm. The heel internal radius r_hiof the lightweight crown portion 1410 containing the heel internal crown patch 1442 may generally be less than about 4.9 mm, more preferably less than about 4.8 mm, and most preferably less than about 4.7 mm. Because the addition of the heel internal crown patch 1442 reduces the toe internal radius r_hi, it creates an increased value in the ratio of heel external radius r_heand the heel internal radius r_hi. The Heel External Radius to Toe Internal Radius Ratio may be defined by Equation (2) below, and is generally greater than about 0.60, more preferably greater than about 0.80, and most preferably greater than about 0.90.

$\begin{matrix} Heel External Radius to Heel Internal Radius Ratio = \frac{Heel External Radius r_{he}}{Heel Internal Radius r_{hi}} & Eq . (2) \end{matrix}$

Based off the values presented above, we can also see that the Heel Internal Radius T_hiof the heel internal crown patch 1442 may generally be greater than the Toe Internal Radius r_tiof the toe internal crown patch 1440, creating another unique ratio between these two radii. More specifically, a ratio of Heel to Toe Internal Radius Ratio, as defined by Equation (3) below, may generally be greater than about 1.00, more preferably greater than about 1.10, and most preferably greater than about 1.20, all without departing from the scope and content of the present invention.

$\begin{matrix} Heel to Toe Internal Radius Ratio = \frac{Heel Internal Radius r_{hi}}{Toe Internal Radius r_{ti}} & Eq . (3) \end{matrix}$

FIGS. 21-26 of the accompanying drawings shows various view of a golf club head 1400 in accordance with a further alternative embodiment of the present invention. In this further alternative embodiment of the present invention the toe internal crown patch 2140 and the heel internal crown patch 2142 may have a slightly different shape, but still achieving the same goal of providing structural rigidity to the skirt 2112 of the lightweight crown portion 2110. The lightweight crown portion 2110 may also have a crown component 2111 above the skirt portion 2112 as well as a sole component 2113 below the skirt portion 2112.

FIG. 21 of the accompanying drawings shows a perspective view of the various components discussed above, but the rotated toe side view of the lightweight crown portion 2110 shown in FIG. 22 and the rotated heel side view of the lightweight crown portion 2110 shown in FIG. 23, shows the toe internal crown patch 2140 and the heel internal crown patch 2144 respectively. The rotated toe side view shown in FIG. 22 and the rotated heel side view shown in FIG. 23, illustrate how the toc internal crown patch 2140 and the heel internal crown patch 2142 are located within the internal portion of the skirt 2112, providing the afore mentioned structural support to the lightweight crown portion 2110.

FIG. 24 of the accompanying drawings shows a cross-sectional view of the lightweight crown portion 2110, allowing the enlarged circular regions E and F to be shown more clearly, which will provide enlarged cross-sectional views of the toe internal crown patch 2140 and the heel internal crown patch 2142 to be shown respectively in FIGS. 25 and 26.

FIGS. 25 and 26 of the accompanying drawings shows enlarged cross-sectional views of the lightweight crown portion 2110 as highlighted by circular regions E and F shown in FIG. 24. In these enlarged cross-sectional views, the thicknesses and the radii of the lightweight crown portion 2110 are shown in more detail. The measurements of t1, t2, t3, and t4 have already been described in a previous embodiment, and do not change here despite the toe internal crown patch 2140 and heel internal crown patch 2142 having a slightly different shape. Additionally, the internal and external radii shown in this embodiment of the present invention such as the Toe External Radius r_te, Toe Internal Radius r_ti, Heel External Radius r_heand Heel Internal Radius r_hiall have the same values that have been discussed previously, which applies to the ratios established previously as well.

Other than in the operating example, or unless otherwise expressly specified, all of the numerical ranges, amounts, values and percentages such as those for amounts of materials, moment of inertias, center of gravity locations, loft, draft angles, various performance ratios, and others in the aforementioned portions of the specification may be read as if prefaced by the word “about” even though the term “about” may not expressly appear in the value, amount, or range. Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the above specification and attached claims are approximations that may vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by the present invention. At the very least, and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims, each numerical parameter should at least be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques.

Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of the invention are approximations, the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as possible. Any numerical value, however, inherently contains certain errors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in their respective testing measurements. Furthermore, when numerical ranges of varying scope are set forth herein, it is contemplated that any combination of these values inclusive of the recited values may be used.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the present invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.