DIRECTION CHANGE STRUCTURE OF GOLF CLUB HEAD

A direction change structure of golf club head includes a ferrule that is fit to a body of a club head for coupling a shaft of a golf club. The ferrule includes an eccentric feature and has a separation preventing threaded member embedded therein. The body of the club head has a sole in which a recessed cavity is formed to correspond to the joint portion. A fastening threaded member is fit with a washer and is inserted through the recessed cavity to threadingly engage the separation preventing threaded member for fixing the ferrule. As such, with the fastening threaded member loosened, the ferrule is rotatable to realize direction change in order to enhance ball hitting performance.

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Description
(A) TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a direction change structure of a golf club head, and more particularly to a structure that allows for easy change of relative angular position between a golf club shaft and a club head.

(B) DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

Golf has been a popular game for years. Excellent performance of golf playing depends not only on personal skills, but also on good golf clubs. The structure of a golf club comprises a wood head to which a hitting face is mounted. The head forms an extension serving as a neck for jointing a shaft. The top end of the shaft forms a grip with which the hands of a golf player hold the club. The player may then twist his or her body to move the club to hit a golf ball with the hitting face. Besides correct posture that a player takes in hitting a ball, the angular position of the shaft also affects the precision of ball hitting. Conventionally, the club head is fixedly attached to the shaft, meaning the relative angular position between the shaft and head is fixed and is not variable once the head and the shaft are assembled together. This is unfavorable to golf playing, for the on-site situation that a player may encounter in a golf course will change from course to course or from site to site and it is desired to change the angular position of the club shaft in order to allow a player to do a best shot in hitting golf balls.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a direction change structure of a golf club head, which allows a shaft of a golf club to be changed with respect to the direction thereof by varying the angular position between the shaft and the head according to the desire of a golf player.

According to the present invention, the direction change structure comprises a body of a club head from which a joint portion extends. A ferrule is fit in the joint portion for coupling a shaft of a golf club. The ferrule comprises an eccentric feature and comprises a separation preventing threaded member embedded therein. The ferrule has a diameter-expanded terminal portion on which a linear mark is formed. The joint portion forms a reference mark thereon. The body of the club head has a sole in which a recessed cavity is formed to correspond to and communicate a hollow interior of the joint portion. A fastening threaded member is fit with a washer and is inserted through the recessed cavity to threadingly engage the separation preventing threaded member for fixing the ferrule. As such, with the fastening threaded member loosened, the ferrule is rotatable to change the relative angular position between the shaft and the head in order to enhance ball hitting performance.

The foregoing objectives and summary provide only a brief introduction to the present invention. To fully appreciate these and other objects of the present invention as well as the invention itself, all of which will become apparent to those skilled in the art, the following detailed description of the invention and the claims should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Throughout the specification and drawings identical reference numerals refer to identical or similar parts.

Many other advantages and features of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description and the accompanying sheets of drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention in an assembled form.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing change of angular position of a golf club shaft coupled to a club head of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following descriptions are exemplary embodiments only, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the following description provides a convenient illustration for implementing exemplary embodiments of the invention. Various changes to the described embodiments may be made in the function and arrangement of the elements described without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the present invention mainly comprises a club head 1, a ferrule 2, and a separation preventing threaded member 3. The club head 1 comprises a hollow joint portion 11 extending therefrom. A reference mark 12 is formed on the extended joint portion 11. The club head 1 has a sole in which a recessed cavity 13 is defined to correspond to the joint portion 11. The recessed cavity 13 is formed so as to communicate the hollow interior of the joint portion 11. Further, the ferrule 2 has a configuration similar to a substantially circular bar and has a top end forming a terminal portion 21 having an expanded diameter. The terminal portion 21 is provided with a linear mark 22 for indication of angular position thereof Extending downward from the terminal portion 21 is a barrel portion 23 having a reduced diameter. The diameter of the barrel portion 23 is sized to fit into the hollow interior of the joint portion 11 of the club head 1. Further extending downward from the barrel portion 23 is an eccentric tube 24. The separation preventing threaded member 3 is received and embedded in a lower portion of the barrel portion 23 and extends into the eccentric tube 24, whereby a fastening threaded member 4, which is fit with a washer 41, inserted through the recessed cavity 13 may threadingly engage the separation preventing threaded member 3, so as to couple the ferrule 2 and the club head 1 together in a securely fixed manner. The ferrule 2 may couple to a club shaft having a grip (not shown in the drawings) to form a complete golf club.

Since the ferrule 2 is coupled to the joint portion 11 of the club head 1 through threading engagement between the separation preventing threaded member 3 and the fastening threaded member 4, when the fastening threaded member 4 is loosened, the ferrule 2 is allowed to rotate. With the eccentric arrangement provided by the eccentric tube 24 formed below the ferrule 2, rotating the ferrule 2 causes an angular position of the shaft that is coupled above the ferrule 2, whereby a golf player may selectively sets the angular position of the shaft to a desired angle according to his or her personal way of ball hitting, the situation of the ball, and the terrain where the ball is located so as to obtain high precision of ball hitting and improve the performance of ball hitting. The adjustment of the angular position can be set according to the linear mark 22 formed on the ferrule 2 and the reference mark 12 formed on the joint portion 11, as shown in FIG. 4. Based on the angular shift of the linear mark 22 with respect to the reference mark 12, the change of angular position is set. Further, since the separation preventing threaded member 3 is embedded in the ferrule 2, once it is fastened by the fastening threaded member 4 through threading engagement, the club shaft is securely fixed to and is prevented from separation from the club head 1, whereby operation safety can be ensured.

While certain novel features of this invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claim, it is not intended to be limited to the details above, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Claims

1. A direction change structure of golf club head, comprising a club head, a ferrule, and a separation preventing threaded member, wherein the club head forms a hollow joint portion extending therefrom, the joint portion forming a reference mark, the club head having a sole in which a recessed cavity is formed to correspond to the joint portion and in communication with a hollow interior of the joint portion, the ferrule having a circular bar like configuration having a top end forming a diameter-expanded terminal portion on which a linear mark is formed, a diameter-reduced barrel portion extending downward below the terminal portion, an eccentric tube extending further downward below the barrel portion, the separation preventing threaded member being embedded in the ferrule, a fastening threaded member being fit with a washer and inserted through the recessed cavity to threadingly engage the separation preventing threaded member of the ferrule so as to securely fix the ferrule and the club head together.

Patent History
Publication number: 20110237345
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 25, 2010
Publication Date: Sep 29, 2011
Inventor: YUNG-HSIUNG CHEN (Apia)
Application Number: 12/732,173
Classifications
Current U.S. Class: Particular Relationship Between Shaft Longitudinal Axis And Head Orientation (473/314)
International Classification: A63B 53/02 (20060101);