US 12,011,643 B2
Multi-material iron golf club head
Jacob T. Clarke, Phoenix, AZ (US); Cory S. Bacon, Cave Creek, AZ (US); Dave Wu, Pingtung (TW); Martin R. Jertson, Phoenix, AZ (US); Travis D. Milleman, Portland, OR (US); Ryan M. Stokke, Anthem, AZ (US); and Clayson C. Spackman, Scottsdale, AZ (US)
Assigned to Karsten Manufacturing Corporation, Phoenix, AZ (US)
Filed by KARSTEN MANUFACTURING CORPORATION, Phoenix, AZ (US)
Filed on Sep. 13, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/473,874.
Application 17/473,874 is a continuation of application No. 16/894,706, filed on Jun. 5, 2020, granted, now 11,235,212.
Application 16/894,706 is a continuation in part of application No. 16/286,462, filed on Feb. 26, 2019, granted, now 11,058,931, issued on Jul. 13, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/635,020, filed on Feb. 26, 2018.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/713,424, filed on Aug. 1, 2018.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/768,543, filed on Nov. 16, 2018.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/857,741, filed on Jun. 5, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/865,831, filed on Jun. 24, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/925,912, filed on Oct. 25, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2021/0402265 A1, Dec. 30, 2021
Int. Cl. A63B 53/04 (2015.01); A63B 53/08 (2015.01)
CPC A63B 53/0475 (2013.01) [A63B 53/0412 (2020.08); A63B 53/0416 (2020.08); A63B 2053/0479 (2013.01); A63B 2053/0491 (2013.01); A63B 53/08 (2013.01); A63B 2209/00 (2013.01)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A golf club head comprising:
a faceplate, a body, and an insert;
the body comprising an upper portion, a lower portion, a sole, a rear, and a top rail;
wherein:
the sole rests on a ground plane;
a loft plane is tangential to the faceplate and intersects the ground plane;
the rear comprises an inflection seam;
the upper portion is bounded by the top rail and the inflection seam;
the lower portion is bounded by the inflection seam and the sole;
the faceplate, the sole, the rear, and the top rail enclose a cavity;
the insert is received in the cavity;
the insert comprises an insert upper portion configured to be received into the upper portion of the body;
the insert comprises an insert lower portion configured to be received into the lower portion of the body;
one or more recesses are formed within the insert lower portion;
the faceplate comprises a first material of a first density;
the body comprises a second material of a second density;
the insert comprises a third material of a third density; and
wherein the third material is an aluminum alloy, and the third density is between 3.6 and 5.0 g/cc;
the third density is less than the first and second densities;
wherein:
the insert comprises a front surface, a rear surface, a perimeter, and an insert inflection seam that separates the insert upper portion from the insert lower portion;
the insert upper portion and the insert lower portion are integrally formed at the insert inflection seam; the one or more recesses extend inwards from the front surface towards, but not through, the rear surface of the insert;
the insert perimeter lies flush against walls of the cavity;
the one or more recesses open only towards the faceplate;
wherein the insert upper portion is solid;
a tape is disposed between the insert and the faceplate to secure the insert against the faceplate;
the faceplate is swedged to the body, then a boundary between the faceplate and the body is laser welded such that the heat imparted to the golf club head from the laser welding does not compromise the integrity of the third material and the tape during assembly of the golf club head; and
wherein the laser welding does not exceed a melting point of the third material.