US 12,186,637 B2
Golf club heads with improved characteristic time
Travis D. Milleman, Portland, OR (US); Alexander G. Woodward, Phoenix, AZ (US); and Ryan M. Stokke, Anthem, AZ (US)
Assigned to Karsten Manufacturing Corporation, Phoenix, AZ (US)
Filed by KARSTEN MANUFACTURING CORPORATION, Phoenix, AZ (US)
Filed on Sep. 10, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/447,326.
Application 17/447,326 is a continuation in part of application No. 17/087,462, filed on Nov. 2, 2020, granted, now 11,850,479.
Application 17/087,462 is a continuation in part of application No. 15/973,386, filed on May 7, 2018, granted, now 11,161,019, issued on Nov. 2, 2021.
Application 17/447,326 is a continuation in part of application No. 15/973,386, filed on May 7, 2018, granted, now 11,161,019, issued on Nov. 2, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/127,869, filed on Dec. 18, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/082,925, filed on Sep. 24, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/076,723, filed on Sep. 10, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/928,986, filed on Oct. 31, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/608,363, filed on Dec. 20, 2017.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/502,482, filed on May 5, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2022/0072398 A1, Mar. 10, 2022
Int. Cl. A63B 53/08 (2015.01); A63B 53/04 (2015.01); A63B 102/32 (2015.01)
CPC A63B 53/08 (2013.01) [A63B 53/0408 (2020.08); A63B 53/0462 (2020.08); A63B 2102/32 (2015.10)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A golf club head comprising:
a heel; a toe; a crown; a sole; and
a face comprising a striking surface, which further comprises a face perimeter surrounding the striking surface, and configured to impact a golf ball;
wherein the face comprises a face center defining an origin for a coordinate system including a horizontal x-axis extending parallel to the ground and in a direction extending from the heel to the toe when the club head is at an address position;
wherein the face defines a variable thickness including a thickened center region encompassing the face center, a perimeter region, and a transition region tapering the face thickness from the thickened center region to the perimeter region to adjust a characteristic time of the face;
wherein the thickened center region comprises a center region center offset toward the toe from the face center; wherein center region center is offset from the face center by a horizontal offset distance measured parallel to the horizontal x-axis, the horizontal offset distance ranges from greater than 0 to 0.5 inch;
wherein the center thickened region is offset from the face center by an offset angle, the offset angle being defined between the horizontal x-axis and a line extending through the face center and the center region center, the offset angle ranges between greater than 0 and 10 degrees;
wherein the perimeter region surrounds the transition region and abuts the face perimeter, and further comprises a thickened perimeter portion located at the toe and a thinned perimeter portion located at the heel;
wherein a thickened perimeter portion thickness is in a range of 0.07 inch to 0.10 inch and a thinned perimeter portion thickness is in a range of 0.05 inch to 0.07 inch;
wherein the face further comprises a first reference point along the horizontal x-axis at approximately a 10 mm offset from the face center in a direction toward the heel; and a second reference point along the horizontal x-axis at approximately a 10 mm offset from the face center in a direction toward the toe; and
wherein the characteristic time measured at approximately 10 mm intervals between the first reference point and the second reference point along the horizontal x-axis deviates less than 10 μs from the characteristic time at the face center.