US4023801A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Golf shaft and method of making same
Assignee: ExxonMobil Technology and Engineering Co
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Filing: 1974-09-24
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Granted: 1977-05-17
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Expires: 1994-09-24
Abstract
Abstract A golf shaft and its method of fabrication. The shaft comprises a tapered, scrolled, oblong blank of thin laminated sheet material having alternating laminae of woven glass fabric and resin impregnated unidirectional graphite fibers. The fibers are arranged in a predetermined specific angle of orientation with respect to the longitudinal axis of the shaft.
Inventors
- 👤 Richard L. VanAuken
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 22:23
CPC Classifications
A; A63; A63B; A63B53/00; A63B53/10; A63B60/00; A63B60/06; A63B60/08; A63B60/10; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S273/00; Y10S273/07; Y10S273/23; Y10S428/00; Y10S428/902; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/13; Y10T428/131; Y10T428/1314; Y10T428/24; Y10T428/24058; Y10T428/24074; Y10T428/24091; Y10T428/24099; Y10T428/249921; Y10T428/249922; Y10T428/29; Y10T428/2913; Y10T428/2933; Y10T428/2935; Y10T428/2973; Y10T428/2975; Y10T428/30
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
216 words
A tubular golf shaft having narrow range bending and torsional deflections comprising: a tapered, scrolled, oblong blank of thin sheet material, said sheet material including a first graphite fiber layer, a second graphite fiber layer and at least a third glass fabric layer; said third glass fabric layer being woven fiber glass having fibers oriented at an angle of between about ±40° to about ±50° with respect to the longitudinal axis of the shaft; said third layer being interposed between said first and said second layer; said first graphite fiber layer and said second graphite fiber layer being unidirectional graphite fibers impregnated with a thermoset resin; said graphite fibers in said first graphite fiber layer being oriented at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the shaft ranging from about 13° to about 26° ; said graphite fibers in said second graphite fiber layer being oriented at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the shaft ranging from about -13° to about -26° whereby said tubular golf shaft has a tip bending deflection under the force of a six pound weight placed one inch from the tip of the shaft of between about 7 and 5 inches and a torque at 1.65 ft. lbs. of between about 8° and about 13° .
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
216 words
A tubular golf shaft having narrow range bending and torsional deflections comprising: a tapered, scrolled, oblong blank of thin sheet material, said sheet material including a first graphite fiber layer, a second graphite fiber layer and at least a third glass fabric layer; said third glass fabric layer being woven fiber glass having fibers oriented at an angle of between about ±40° to about ±50° with respect to the longitudinal axis of the shaft; said third layer being interposed between said first and said second layer; said first graphite fiber layer and said second graphite fiber layer being unidirectional graphite fibers impregnated with a thermoset resin; said graphite fibers in said first graphite fiber layer being oriented at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the shaft ranging from about 13° to about 26° ; said graphite fibers in said second graphite fiber layer being oriented at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the shaft ranging from about -13° to about -26° whereby said tubular golf shaft has a tip bending deflection under the force of a six pound weight placed one inch from the tip of the shaft of between about 7 and 5 inches and a torque at 1.65 ft. lbs. of between about 8° and about 13° .
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
12 words
The shaft of claim 1 wherein said resin is an epoxy resin.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
24 words
The shaft of claim 2 wherein said graphite fibers constitute from about 54 to 58 volume % of said resin impregnated fiber layer material.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
55 words
The shaft of claim 1 including a fourth glass fabric layer of woven fiberglass having fibers oriented at an angle of between about ±40° to about ±50° with respect to the longitudinal axis of the shaft whereby each resin impregnated fiber layer is separated for the next graphite fiber layer by said glass fabric layer.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
17 words
The shaft of claim 4 wherein said glass fibers are oriented at an angle of ±45° .
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
165 words
A tubular golf shaft having narrow bending and torsional deflections comprising: a tapered, scrolled, oblong blank of thin laminated sheet material having a plurality of alternating laminae of woven glass fabric and thermoset resin impregnated unidirectional graphite fibers including at least two layers of graphite fibers of opposite angular orientation; ranging said graphite fibers being arranged in a predetermined specific angle of orientation with respect to the longitudinal axis of the shaft, said graphite fibers ranging from about ±26° to about ±13°, and said woven glass fabric having fibers arranged in a predetermined specific angle of orientation with respect to the longitudinal axis of the shaft, said angle of orientation of said glass fibers ranging from about ±40° to about ±50°, whereby said tubular shaft has a tip bending deflection between about 7 and 5 inches under the force of a six pound weight placed one inch from the tip of the shaft and a torque at 1.65 ft. lbs. of between about 13° .
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
165 words
A tubular golf shaft having narrow bending and torsional deflections comprising: a tapered, scrolled, oblong blank of thin laminated sheet material having a plurality of alternating laminae of woven glass fabric and thermoset resin impregnated unidirectional graphite fibers including at least two layers of graphite fibers of opposite angular orientation; ranging said graphite fibers being arranged in a predetermined specific angle of orientation with respect to the longitudinal axis of the shaft, said graphite fibers ranging from about ±26° to about ±13°, and said woven glass fabric having fibers arranged in a predetermined specific angle of orientation with respect to the longitudinal axis of the shaft, said angle of orientation of said glass fibers ranging from about ±40° to about ±50°, whereby said tubular shaft has a tip bending deflection between about 7 and 5 inches under the force of a six pound weight placed one inch from the tip of the shaft and a torque at 1.65 ft. lbs. of between about 13° .
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
18 words
The shaft of claim 6 wherein said glass fabric has fibers oriented at an angle of ±45° .
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1980-05-16 | 1980-11-15 | 1981-05-17 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1984-05-16 | 1984-11-15 | 1985-05-17 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1988-05-16 | 1988-11-15 | 1989-05-17 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |