US4614627A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method of injection molding a thermoplastic hollow or hollow foam filled one piece head of a golf club
Assignee: TaylorMade Golf Co Inc
•
Filing: 1983-09-07
•
Granted: 1986-09-30
•
Expires: 2003-09-07
Abstract
Abstract A one-piece, hollow, moulded head for a golf-club of the "wood" or "driver" type is made by injecting a thermoplastics material around a fusible core having a melting-point below the injection temperature, allowing the injected material to set and melting out the core. One or more holes are provided, the holes extending completely through the core, so that the injected material fills each hole and sets therein to provide corresponding internal "struts" in the moulding. The injected material may be, e.g., a polyamide, a polycarbonate, a poly(phenylene oxide), an acetal resin or an ABS resin. The material may be reinforced with up to 50% by weight of glass and/or carbon fibres. The moulded head may optionally be filled with a polyurethane foam. The finished moulding may have the conventional face-pieces and/or sole-plates attached thereto.
Inventors
- 👤 Michael E. Curtis
- 👤 Robert C. Haines
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 22:51
CPC Classifications
B; B29; B29C; B29C33/00; B29C33/44; B29C33/52; B29C45/00; B29C45/17; B29C45/40; B29C45/44; B29C45/4457; B29K; B29K2101/00; B29K2101/12; B29K2105/00; B29K2105/06; B29K2105/12; B29L; B29L2031/00; B29L2031/52; B29L2031/5227; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S264/00; Y10S264/44; Y10S273/00; Y10S273/08; Y10S425/00; Y10S425/012
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
207 words
A method of making a hollow, one piece head for a golf club of thermoplastics material comprising: (a) forming a fusible core member of a material having a melting point below the injection temperature of said thermoplastics material and with at least one hole extending through the core member; (b) placing the core member in a mold of the desired size and shape of the finished article, said mold completely surrounding the core member and supporting the core member within the mold; (c) injecting said thermoplastics material into said mold to fill both the space around said core member and said hole therethrough; (d) allowing said thermoplastic material to set so as to form a molding surrounding the core member and at least one internal strut within the molding and corresponding to said hole; (e) raising the temperature of the mold and core member to a level sufficient to melt the core member but insufficient to melt or deform said thermoplastics material; (f) removing the melted core material to leave a hollow golf club head with at least one internal strut completely enclosed within the hollow space at a position corresponding to the location of said hole with the molding of the club head completely surrounding strut.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
207 words
A method of making a hollow, one piece head for a golf club of thermoplastics material comprising: (a) forming a fusible core member of a material having a melting point below the injection temperature of said thermoplastics material and with at least one hole extending through the core member; (b) placing the core member in a mold of the desired size and shape of the finished article, said mold completely surrounding the core member and supporting the core member within the mold; (c) injecting said thermoplastics material into said mold to fill both the space around said core member and said hole therethrough; (d) allowing said thermoplastic material to set so as to form a molding surrounding the core member and at least one internal strut within the molding and corresponding to said hole; (e) raising the temperature of the mold and core member to a level sufficient to melt the core member but insufficient to melt or deform said thermoplastics material; (f) removing the melted core material to leave a hollow golf club head with at least one internal strut completely enclosed within the hollow space at a position corresponding to the location of said hole with the molding of the club head completely surrounding strut.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 1, wherein said thermoplastics material is one selected from the group consisting of polyamides, polycarbonates, poly(phenylene oxides), acetal resins and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) resins.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 1, wherein said thermoplastics material is reinforced with fibres selected from the group consisting of glass fibres, carbon fibres and mixtures of said glass fibres with said carbon fibres.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 3, wherein said fibres are present in an amount of from 10% to 50% by weight of said thermoplastics material.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 1, wherein said fusible core member is made of a material selected from the group consisting of metals and metal alloys.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 1, wherein said moulding is filled with a foam-forming reaction mixture after removal of said fusible core member therefrom.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 6, wherein said foam-forming reaction mixture is constituted so as to produce a rigid polyurethane foam inside said moulding.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 1, wherein at least one weight is enclosed within said moulding.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 1, wherein a face-piece is incorporated into said moulding.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 1, wherein a sole plate is incorporated into said moulding.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3229980A
Cited
US3556532A
Cited
GB1476889A
Cited
US4214754A
Cited
US4343757A
Cited
US4313607A
Cited
US4319752A
Cited
US4464324A
Cited
US4429879A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1989-09-29 | 1990-03-31 | 1990-09-30 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1993-09-29 | 1994-03-31 | 1994-09-30 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1997-09-29 | 1998-03-31 | 1998-09-30 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |