TRIUNE QUICK RELEASE ASSEMBLY AND CONNECTION GOLF CLUB SYSTEM

A triune quick release assembly and connection golf club system is disclosed herein. The quick release golf club has an improved assembly, disassembly and connection between the club shaft to allow the golfer to effortlessly change the club grip and/or club head. The triune quick release assembly and connection golf club system includes a quick release connection between the club shaft and the club grip, and also includes a quick release connection between the club shaft and the club head.

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Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/177,034, filed Mar. 6, 2015, which is incorporated herein in its entirety.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not Applicable.

REFERENCE TO A SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING APPENDIX

Not Applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR A JOINT INVENTOR

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to a triune quick release assembly and connection golf club system, and more particularly, a quick release golf club with an improved assembly, disassembly and connection between the club shaft to allow the golfer to effortlessly change the club grip and/or club head.

2. Description of the Related Art.

Golf is a popular game played worldwide by professionals and amateurs. It requires a great deal of concentration and precision. Since its inception, golf equipment manufacturing has evolved into a highly technical field. The two main pieces of equipment needed are a golf club and a golf ball. The golf club is probably the most important piece of equipment needed to master the game. A club consists of three components: the head, the shaft, and the grip. The head of the club, also called the “wood” or “iron” is located at the bottom of the shaft and the grip is located at the top. Today, most heads are made using advanced materials such as titanium, graphite, and zirconia. With so many technological capabilities, there are a number golf component parts available today. There are also multiple club variations such as in the loft angle, lie angle, offset features, and weighting.

Club heads can be combined with different shafts based on flex or kick points for example. Considering the available variations in shafts and club heads, there are literally hundreds of different club head/shaft combinations available to the golfer. A club fitter can assist the golfer with the best combination for his swing characteristics and needs. Traditional golf heads were permanently mounted to shafts using cements or adhesives. Therefore, to enable a golfer to test a variety of head/shaft combinations, the golfer had to carry several combinations of clubs, which are heavy and take up a lot of space.

The rules of golf require players to utilize fourteen (14) clubs during the game. However, carrying this number of standard clubs can be cumbersome. Customization of golf clubs will always be a compelling need for a golfer regardless of his skill level. Golfers need to make a quick decision as to what type of iron they are going to use for the next shot. There is a definite need for a golfer to be able to use the shaft he is most comfortable with and quickly change the iron/wood or grip based on his preference. In addition, golfers have a limited time to make the next shot and often times the pins and release tools of prior golf clubs are difficult to align and lock thereby causing delay. Some release tools require several minutes to align, insert, and lock which may cause frustration for the golfer, thereby causing him to lose his concentration for the next shot.

With the game of golf becoming more and more popular each year, golfers of any skill level will demand a customized full set of clubs that are easily transportable, yet offer the same functionality as a weighty and cumbersome traditional 14-bag set. Standard clubs, however, cannot fit in the overhead compartments on airplanes. Therefore, the traveling golfer would benefit from a compact carrying case which holds a standard shaft (driver), a standard putter, two grips: one for the driver and one for the putter; and preference as to the number of woods, irons, and wedges to form a complete set.

Notwithstanding, in an already crowded field of golf clubs with quick release heads and grips, there exists a continuing need for a new and improved golf club assembly and disassembly to easily and quickly change the desired head and grip, while offering travel portability.

It is therefore desirable to provide a quick release golf club with an improved assembly, disassembly and connection with the club shaft to allow the golfer to effortlessly change the club grip and/or club head.

It is further desirable to provide a triune quick release assembly and connection golf club system that does not utilize pins, screws or release tools like the latest clubs on the market, because such adaptations are not necessarily as “quick” as claimed.

It is still further desirable to provide a triune quick release assembly and connection golf club system that is invaluable to the business traveler who desires to use personal yet portable clubs when he travels, because the weight and bulk of common design standard golf bags along with a full set of clubs are extremely cumbersome when navigating through airports.

Other advantages and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and from the claims.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In general, the invention relates to a triune quick release connection system for a golf club, where the golf club includes a club grip, a club head and a club shaft intermediate of the club grip and the club shaft. The triune quick release connection system includes a first quick release connection between an upper terminal end of the club shaft and a lower terminal end of the club grip and a second quick release connection between a lower terminal end of the club shaft and a hosel of the club head.

The first quick release connection includes an integrally fabricated shank having a protruding stem, and also includes an integrally fabricated chuck having an internal bore. The internal bore of the chuck of the first quick release connection has an internal configuration complementary to an external configuration of the protruding stem of the shank of the first quick release connection. The external configuration of the stem of the first quick release connection and/or the stem of the second quick release connection may be a convex polygonal or a star polygonal configuration, and similarly the internal configuration of the internal bore of the chuck of the first quick release connection and/or the chuck of the second quick release connection may be a convex polygonal configuration or a star polygon configuration. The shank of the first quick release connection can be integrally fabricated within the lower terminal end of the club grip or within the upper terminal end of the club shaft. Similarly, the chuck of the first quick release connection can integrally fabricated within the lower terminal end of the club grip or within the upper terminal end of the club shaft. The first quick release connection may also include a secondary fastener secured to the lower terminal end of the club grip and configured to engage the upper terminal end of the club shaft.

The second quick release connection includes the lower terminal end of the club shaft having an integrally fabricated chuck with an internal bore. The hosel of the club head has an integrally fabricated shank with a protruding stem forming a unitary club head. The internal bore of the integral chuck of the club shaft has an internal configuration complementary to an external configuration of the protruding stem of the hosel. The chuck of the second quick release connection may be integrally fabricated within the lower terminal end of the club shaft. Like the first quick release connection, the second quick release connection can include a biased cylindrical fastener slidably engaged with the lower terminal end of the club shaft, with the biased cylindrical fastener configured to attach the lower terminal end of the club shaft to the hosel of the club head.

The first quick release connection, the second quick release connection or both connections can include longitudinal axial or helical channels and lateral axial channels along the stem of the shank. Opposed detents can protrude within the lower terminal end of the club grip, within the upper terminal end of the club shaft and/or within the lower terminal end of the club shaft. The detents are configured to engage the longitudinal axial or helical channels and the lateral axial channels along the stem of the shank of the quick release connections, respectively.

The first quick release connection, the second quick release connection or both connections can include a biasing mechanism. The biasing mechanism of the first quick release connection can be secured within the upper terminal end of the club shaft or within the lower terminal end of the club grip, and is configured to engage the stem of the shank of the first quick release connection. The biasing mechanism of the second quick release connection can be secured within the lower terminal end of the club shaft and configured to engage the stem of the shank of the unitary club head.

Moreover, the first quick release connection, the second quick release connection or both connections can include a cylindrical fastener. The cylindrical fastener of the first quick release connection can be biased and slidably engaged with the lower terminal end of the club grip or with the upper terminal end of the club shaft, and is configured to attach the lower terminal end of the club grip and the upper terminal end of the club shaft. The cylindrical fastener of the second quick release connection can be biased and slidably engaged with the lower terminal end of the club shaft, and is configured to attach the lower terminal end of the club shaft to the hosel of the club head.

The stem of the shank of the first quick release connection and/or the second quick release connection can terminate with an elongate plug body, and the chuck of the first quick release connection and/or the second quick release connection can include a plug retaining chuck. The chuck of the first quick release connection may be integrally fabricated with the lower terminal end of the club grip and/or the upper terminal end of the club shaft, while the chuck of the second quick release connection may be integrally fabricated with the lower terminal end of the club shaft. The cylindrical fastener can be configured to attach the elongate plug body to the plug retaining chuck. The first quick release connection and/or the second quick release connection can also include a biased retainer sleeve having an axial bore with a plurality of radially aligned bearing retainers. A biasing spring may be engaged with the biased retainer sleeve, and a plurality of thrust bearings may be engaged with the bearing retainers of the biased retainer sleeve.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a golf club having an exemplary triune quick release assembly and connection between the club shaft and the club grip and the club head in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention disclosed herein;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view along line 2-2 of the triune quick release assembly and connection shown in FIG. 1 illustrating the connection between the club shaft and the club grip;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the exemplary triune quick release assembly and connection between the club shaft and the club grip of the golf club shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view along line 4-4 of the triune quick release assembly and connection shown in FIG. 1 illustrating the connection between the club shaft and the club head;

FIG. 5 is an exploded of the exemplary triune quick release assembly and connection between the club shaft and the club head shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another example of a triune quick release assembly and connection in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention disclosed herein;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view along line 7-7 of the triune quick release assembly and connection shown in FIG. 6 illustrating the connection between the club shaft and the club grip;

FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the triune quick release assembly and connection between the club shaft and the club grip shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view of the triune quick release assembly and connection of FIG. 7 showing the connection of the club shaft and the club grip;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view along line 10-10 of the triune quick release assembly and connection shown in FIG. 6 illustrating the connection between the club shaft and the club head;

FIG. 11 is an exploded view of the triune quick release assembly and connection between the club shaft and the club head shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of yet another example of a triune quick release assembly and connection in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention disclosed herein;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view along line 13-13 of the triune quick release assembly and connection between the club shaft and the club grip shown in FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is an exploded view of the triune quick release assembly and connection between the club shaft and the club grip shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view along line 15-15 of the triune quick release assembly and connection between the club shaft and the club head shown in FIG. 12;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of still yet another example of a triune quick release assembly and connection in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention disclosed herein;

FIG. 17 is an exploded view of the triune quick release assembly and connection shown in FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view along line 18-18 of the triune quick release assembly and connection shown in FIG. 16 with the ball bearing retainer in a engaged position; and

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view along line 18-18 of the triune quick release assembly and connection shown in FIG. 16 with the ball bearing retainer in a retracted position.

 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The devices and methods discussed herein are merely illustrative of specific manners in which to make and use this invention and are not to be interpreted as limiting in scope.

While the invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be noted that many modifications may be made in the details of the construction and the arrangement of the elements and components of the devices and/or in the sequences and steps of the methods without departing from the scope of this disclosure. It is understood that the devices and methods are not limited to the embodiments set forth herein for purposes of exemplification.

The description of the invention is intended to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, which are to be considered part of the entire written description of this invention. In the description, relative terms such as “front,” “rear,” “lower,” “upper,” “horizontal,” “vertical,” “above,” “below,” “up,” “down,” “top” and “bottom” as well as derivatives thereof (e.g., “horizontally,” “downwardly,” “upwardly” etc.) should be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawings under discussion. These relative terms are for convenience of description and do not require that the machine be constructed or the process to be operated in a particular orientation. Terms, such as “connected,” “connecting,” “attached,” “attaching,” “join” and “joining” are used interchangeably and refer to one structure or surface being secured to another structure or surface or integrally fabricated in one piece.

In general, the invention is directed to a triune quick release assembly and connection golf club system 10 having an improved assembly, disassembly and connection between a club shaft 12 and a club grip 14 and/or a club head 16 that allows a golfer to quickly and easily change the club grip 14 and/or the club head 16. The triune quick release assembly and connection golf club system 10 is illustrated throughout the figures with the club head 16 as an iron, but is not so limited, and can also be constructed with a wood club head or with a putter club head. The triune quick release assembly and connection golf club system 10 includes a quick release connection 18 between the club shaft 12 and the club grip 14, and also includes a quick release connection 20 between the club shaft 12 and the club head 16.

Referring now to the figures of the drawings, wherein like numerals of reference designate like elements throughout the several views and initially to FIGS. 1 through 5, the quick release connection 18 between the club shaft 12 and the club grip 14 includes a shank 22 having a stem 24 protruding from a lower terminal end 26 of the club grip 14. The shank 22 includes an cylindrical insert 25 integrally fabricated within the lower terminal end 26 of the club grip 14, and the lower terminal end 26 of the club grip 14 includes an annular stop shoulder 28 intermediate of the stem 24 and the cylindrical insert 25. As exemplified in FIGS. 2 and 3, the stem 24 is a hexagonal stem, but is not so limited, and may be configured as any polygonal shape, such as a convex polygon, e.g., triangular, square, pentagonal, heptagonal, octagonal, p-gonal, or a star polygon, e.g., pentagram, heptagram, octagram, enneagrams, p-agrams. A cylindrical fastener 30 having a partial internally threaded bore 32 is received about and slidably engaged with the lower terminal end 26 of the club grip 14. Similar to the biased retainer sleeve 140 illustrated in FIGS. 16 through 19, the cylindrical fastener 30 may be biased toward the quick release connection 18 using a biasing spring or other biasing mechanism 148 that is retained within the cylindrical fastener 30.

The quick release connection 18 between the club shaft 12 and the club grip 14 also includes a chuck 34 having an externally threaded portion 36 protruding from an upper terminal end 38 of the club shaft 12. The chuck 34 includes a cylindrical insert 40 integrally fabricated within the upper terminal end 38 of the club shaft 12, and the lower terminal end 26 of the club grip 14 includes an annular shop shoulder 42. A retaining element 44 is integrally fabricated within an internal opening 46 of the externally threaded end 36 of the chuck 34, and as exemplified in FIGS. 2 and 3, the retaining element 44 has an internal bore 48 with a polygonal shape matching that of the stem 24 of the shank 22.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, in order to connect the club grip 14 to the club shaft 12 using the quick release connection 18, the protruding stem 24 of the shank 22 is inserted into the internal bore 48 of the chuck 34. The fastener 30 is biased and slid down the terminal end 26 of the grip 14, and the golfer may hand tighten the fastener 30 to the externally threaded end 36 of the chuck 34. The quick release connection 18 between the annular stop shoulder 28 on the lower terminal end 26 of the club grip 14, the fastener 30 and the externally threaded end 36 of the chuck 34 prevent separation of the club grip 14 with respect to the club shaft 12, while the mating polygonal configurations of the stem 24 and the internal bore 48 of the chuck 34 prevent rotation and/or slippage of the club grip 14 with respect to the club shaft 12.

The quick release connection 20 between a lower terminal end 50 of the club shaft 12 and a hosel 52 of the club head 16 is exemplified in FIGS. 4 and 5. A chuck 54 is integrally fabricated within the lower terminal end 50 of the club shaft 12, and the chuck 54 includes an internal bore 56. The lower terminal end 50 of the club shaft 12 includes an annular stop shoulder 58, and a cylindrical fastener 60 having a partial internally threaded bore 62 is received about and slidably engaged with the lower terminal end 50 of the club shaft 12. Similar to the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 16 through 19, the cylindrical fastener 60 may be biased toward the quick release connection 20 using a biasing spring or other biasing mechanism 148 that is retained within the cylindrical fastener 60. The hosel 52 is prefabricated with the club head 16 and with an integral shank 64 to form unitary club head, without any attachment or other fastener apertures therein. The shank 64 of the club head 16 includes an externally threaded portion 66, an annular stop shoulder 68 and a stem 70 protruding from the annular stop shoulder 68. As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the internal bore 56 of the chuck 54 and the protruding stem 70 of the club head 16 are hexagonal, but the quick release connection 20 is not so limited, and like the quick release connection 18 discussed above, may be configured as any polygonal shape, such as a convex polygon, e.g., triangular, square, pentagonal, heptagonal, octagonal, p-gonal, or a star polygon, e.g., pentagram, heptagram, octagram, enneagrams, p-agrams.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, in order to connect the club shaft 12 to the club head 16 using the quick release connection 20, the internal bore 56 of the chuck 54 seated about the protruding stem 70 of the unitary club head 16. Similarly to the quick release connection 18, the fastener 60 is biased and slid down the terminal end 50 of the shaft 12, and the fastener 60 is secured to the externally threaded portion 66 of the shank 64. The quick release connection 20 between the annular stop shoulder 58 on the lower terminal end 52 of the club shaft 12, the fastener 60 and the externally threaded portion 66 of the of the shank 64 prevent separation of the unitary club head 16 with respect to the club shaft 12, while the mating polygonal configurations of the stem 70 and the internal bore 56 of the chuck 54 prevent rotation and/or slippage of the club head 16 with respect to the club shaft 12.

Turning now to FIGS. 6 through 11 illustrating another example of the inventive triune quick release assembly and connection golf club system 10 having an improved assembly, disassembly and connection between the club shaft 12 and the club grip 14 and/or the club head 16. The quick release connection 18 between the club shaft 12 and the club grip 14 includes the shank 22 having the stem 24 protruding from the lower terminal end 26 of the club grip 14. The shank 22 includes the cylindrical insert 25 integrally fabricated within the lower terminal end 26 of the club grip 14. The stem 24 illustrated in FIGS. 7 through 9 includes longitudinal axial channels 72A and 72B, each respectively terminating with lateral axial channels 74A and 74B.

The quick release connection 18 between the club shaft 12 and the club grip 14 also includes opposed detents 76A and 76B integrally fabricated and protruding within the upper terminal end 38 of the club shaft 12. The upper terminal end 38 of the club shaft 12 also includes a biasing mechanism 78 comprised of a spring or other biasing device 80 sandwiched between an upper slidable disc 82 and a lower fixed disc 84.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, in order to connect the club shaft 12 to the club grip 14 using the quick release connection 18, the golfer aligns the longitudinal axial channels 72A and 72B of the stem 24 with the detents 76A and 76B within the upper terminal end 38 of the club shaft 12. The stem 24 of the shank 22 is then inserted into the upper terminal end 38 of the club shaft 12 until a terminal end of the stem 24 engages the upper slidable disc 82 of the biasing mechanism 78. The golfer continues this insertion until the spring 80 is compressed against the fixed disc 84, and then rotates the club shaft 12 and/or the club grip 14 in order to slide the detents 76A and 76B from the longitudinal axial channels 72A and 72B into the lateral axial channels 74A and 74B.

The quick release connection 20 between the lower terminal end 50 of the club shaft 12 and the hosel 52 of the club head 16 is exemplified in FIGS. 10 and 11. The hosel 52 is prefabricated with the club head 16 to form the integral shank 64 as a unitary piece. The shank 64 of the club head 16 includes the annular stop shoulder 68 and the stem 70 protruding from the annular stop shoulder 68. The stem 70 of the unitary club head 16 includes longitudinal axial channels 86A and 86B, each respectively terminating with lateral axial channels 88A and 88B. Similar to the upper terminal end 38 of the club shaft 12, opposed detents 90A and 90B integrally are fabricated and protrude within the lower terminal end 50 of the club shaft 12. In addition, a biasing mechanism 92 is secured within the lower terminal end 50, and includes a spring or other biasing device 94 sandwiched between a lower slidable disc 96 and an upper fixed disc 98.

In order to connect the club shaft 12 to the club head 16 using the quick release connection 20, the golfer aligns the longitudinal axial channels 86A and 86B of the stem 70 with the detents 90A and 90B within the lower terminal end 50 of the club shaft 12 and then inserted into the lower terminal end 50 until a terminal end of the stem 70 engages the lower slidable disc 96 of the biasing mechanism 92. The golfer continues this insertion until the spring 94 is compressed against the fixed disc 98 and the lower terminal end 50 of the club shaft 12 engages the stop shoulder 68 of the unitary club head 16. The golfer then rotates the club shaft 12 and/or the club head 16 in order to slide the detents 90A and 90B from the longitudinal axial channels 86A and 86B into the lateral axial channels 88A and 88B.

Referring now to FIGS. 12 through 15, the quick release connection 18 between the club shaft 12 and the club grip 14 includes the shank 22 having the stem 24 protruding from the lower terminal end 26 of the club grip 14. The shank 22 includes the cylindrical insert 25 integrally fabricated within the lower terminal end 26 of the club grip 14. The stem 24 illustrated in FIGS. 13 and 14 includes longitudinal helical channels 100A and 100B, each respectively terminating with the lateral axial channels 74A and 74B. The quick release connection 18 also includes the opposed detents 76A and 76B integrally fabricated and protruding within the upper terminal end 38 of the club shaft 12. The upper terminal end 38 of the club shaft 12 also includes the biasing mechanism 78 comprised of the spring or other biasing device 80 sandwiched between the upper slidable disc 82 and the lower fixed disc 84. As also shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the quick release connection 18 includes a secondary fastener 102 secured to the lower terminal end 26 of the club grip 14. As exemplified, the secondary fastener 102 is a thumb-actuated latch 104 downwardly biased by a spring 106 mounted within the lower terminal end 26 of the club grip 14. The latch 104 also includes a protruding bayonet 108 that is received within a bayonet receptacle 110 in the upper terminal end 38 of the club shaft 12.

In order to connect the club shaft 12 to the club grip 14 using the quick release connection 18 shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the golfer aligns the longitudinal helical channels 100A and 100B of the stem 24 with the detents 76A and 76B within the upper terminal end 38 of the club shaft 12. The stem 24 of the shank 22 is then inserted into the upper terminal end 38 of the club shaft 12, and the latch 104 of the secondary fastener 102 is retracted. The club shaft 12 and/or the club grip 14 are rotated until a terminal end of the stem 24 engages the upper slidable disc 82 of the biasing mechanism 78. The golfer continues this rotational insertion until the spring 80 is compressed against the fixed disc 84, and then rotates the club shaft 12 and/or the club grip 14 in order to slide the detents 76A and 76B from the longitudinal helical channels 100A and 100B into the lateral axial channels 74A and 74B. The golfer then disengages the latch 104 and the bayonet protrusion 108 of the secondary fastener 102 slides within the bayonet receptacle within the upper terminal end 38 of the shaft 12. The detents 76A and 76B are forced by the biasing mechanism 78 to engage with the lateral axial channels 74A and 74B of the quick release connection 18 in order prevent separation of the club grip 14 with respect to the club shaft 12, while the secondary fastener 102 further prevents rotation and/or slippage of the club grip 14 with respect to the club shaft 12.

The quick release connection 20 between the lower terminal end 50 of the club shaft 12 and the hosel 52 of the club head 16 is exemplified in FIGS. 15. The lower terminal end 50 of the club shaft 12 includes the annular stop shoulder 58, and the cylindrical fastener 60 having the partial internally threaded bore 62 is received about and slidably engaged with the lower terminal end 50 of the club shaft 12. The cylindrical fastener 60 may be biased toward the quick release connection 20 using a biasing spring or other biasing mechanism 148 that is retained within the cylindrical fastener 60. The hosel 52 is prefabricated with the club head 16 to form the integral shank 64 as a unitary piece. The shank 64 of the club head 16 includes the externally threaded portion 66, the annular stop shoulder 68 and the stem 70 protruding from the annular stop shoulder 68. The stem 70 of the unitary club head 16 includes longitudinal axial channels 86A and 86B or longitudinal helical channels 100A and 100B, each respectively terminating with lateral axial channels 88A and 88B. The opposed detents 90A and 90B integrally are fabricated and protrude within the lower terminal end 50 of the club shaft 12. In addition, the biasing mechanism 92 is secured within the lower terminal end 50, and includes the spring or other biasing device 94 sandwiched between the lower slidable disc 96 and the upper fixed disc 98.

In order to connect the club shaft 12 to the club head 16 using the quick release connection 20 illustrated in FIG. 15, the golfer aligns the longitudinal axial channels 86A and 86B or longitudinal helical channels 100A and 100B of the stem 70 with the detents 90A and 90B within the lower terminal end 50 of the club shaft 12 and then inserts the stem 70 into the lower terminal end 50 until a terminal end of the stem 70 engages the lower slidable disc 96 of the biasing mechanism 92. The golfer continues this insertion until the spring 94 is compressed against the fixed disc 98 and the lower terminal end 50 of the club shaft 12 engages the stop shoulder 68 of the unitary club head 16. The golfer then rotates the club shaft 12 and/or the club head 16 in order to slide the detents 90A and 90B from the longitudinal axial channels 86A and 86B or longitudinal helical channels 100A and 100B into the lateral axial channels 88A and 88B. The biased fastener 60 moves down the terminal end 50 of the shaft 12, and the fastener 60 is attached to the externally threaded portion 66 of the shank 64.

Turning now to FIGS. 16 through 19, the triune quick release assembly and connection golf club system 10 is illustrated as a suitable quick release connection 18 between the club shaft 12 and the club grip 14 or quick release connection 20 between the club shaft 12 and the club head 16. The stem 24 protrudes from the lower terminal end 26 of the club grip 14, the upper terminal end 38 of the club shaft 12, and/or from the hosel 52 of the club head 16. As exemplified in FIGS. 16 through 19, the stem 24 is a hexagonal stem, but is not so limited, and may be configured as any polygonal shape, such as a convex polygon, e.g., triangular, square, pentagonal, heptagonal, octagonal, p-gonal, or a star polygon, e.g., pentagram, heptagram, octagram, enneagrams, p-agrams. The cylindrical fastener 30 has the partial internally threaded bore 32 and is received about and slidably engaged with the stem 24. The stem 24 terminates in an elongate plug body 112 having an annular channel 114 and an annular stop shoulder 116. As illustrated in FIG. 17, but not by way of limitation, the plug body 112 is a generally cylindrical body having opposed planar side faces 118 and opposed arcuate upper and lower faces 120. The channel 114 intersects both the side faces 118 and the upper and lower faces 120 of the plug body 112.

A plug retaining chuck 122 is integrally fabricated to the lower terminal end 26 of the club grip 14, the upper terminal end 38 of the club shaft 12, and/or the lower terminal end 50 of the club shaft 12. The plug retaining chuck 122 is configured to receive the elongate plug body 112 within an axial bore 124, which as illustrated, but not by way of limitation, also includes opposed planar side faces 126 and opposed arcuate upper and lower faces 128. The plug retaining chuck 122 includes an annular stop shoulder 130 positioned adjacent to the lower terminal end 26 of the club grip 14, the upper terminal end 38 of the club shaft 12, and/or the lower terminal end 50 of the club shaft 12. The plug retaining chuck 122 also includes a terminal externally threaded portion 132 and a plurality of bearing bores 134. The plug retaining chuck 122 also includes an annular retainer groove 136 for receipt of a retaining ring 138.

A biased retainer sleeve 140 is slidably engaged about the plug retaining element 122. The biased retainer sleeve 140 includes an axial bore 142 having radially aligned bearing retainers 144 for receipt of ball thrust bearings 150, which reduce friction and maximize torque.

The biased retainer sleeve 140 also includes a biasing spring retaining portion 145 that terminates with an annular spring stop shoulder 146. A biasing spring or other biasing mechanism 148 is retained within the biasing spring retaining portion 145, and the biasing spring 148 is positioned intermediate of the annular spring stop shoulder 146 of the biased retainer sleeve 140 and the annular stop shoulder 130 of the plug retaining element 122.

The triune quick release assembly and connection golf club system 10 constructed as exemplified in FIGS. 16 through 19 enables the golfer to quickly pull the biased retainer sleeve 140 to release the stem of the club head 16 or the club grip 14. To connect the club head 16 or the club grip 14 to the club shaft 12, the golfer merely pulls back the biased retainer sleeve 140, inserts the elongate plug body 112 into the plug retaining element 120, and releases the biased retainer sleeve 140. The biasing spring 140 pushes the biased retainer sleeve 140 forward, and the ball thrust bearings 150 move from the bearing retainers 144 into the annular channel 114 of the elongate plug body 112 at the terminal end of the stem 24. The golfer may then further lock the desired component in place using the retaining ring 138 and/or securing the fastener 30 to the plug retaining element 122.

The triune quick release assembly and connection golf club system 10 provides an improved interchangeable club head 16 with the quick release connection 20 comprised of a prefabricated mold of the shank 22 that allows a simple downward push, twist and lock inside the chuck 64 at the end of the club shaft 12 and/or the club grip 14. Likewise, the interchangeable club grip 14 may include the prefabricated mold of the shank 22 at the lower terminal end 26 to receive the club shaft 12. In addition, the club shaft 12 may include a prefabricated mold of the shank 22 at the upper terminal end 38 of the club shaft 12 and the lower terminal end 50 of the club shaft 12 to receive the club grip 14 and club head 14, respectively. Therefore, the triune quick release assembly and connection golf club system 10 can be constructed using a prefabricated molded shank 22 for the club head 16, the club grip 14, and/or a prefabricated molded shank 22 for the lower terminal end 26 and the upper terminal end 38 of the club shaft 12. Regardless of the manufacturing configuration, the triune quick release assembly and connection golf club system 10 includes at least two (2) quick release connections: the quick release connection 18 between the club shaft 12 and the club grip 14, and the quick release connection between the club shaft 12 and the club head 16.

A further aspect of the triune quick release assembly and connection golf club system 10 relates to marketing, selling, manufacturing, or utilizing one or more components of the golf club system 10 as a kit including a travel bag.

Whereas, the invention has been described in relation to the drawings and claims, it should be understood that other and further modifications, apart from those shown or suggested herein, may be made within the scope of this invention.

Claims

1. A triune quick release connection system for a golf club, said golf club comprising a club grip, a club head and a club shaft intermediate of said club grip and said club shaft, said triune quick release connection system, comprising:

a first quick release connection between an upper terminal end of said club shaft and a lower terminal end of said club grip, said first quick release connection comprising an integrally fabricated shank having a protruding stem, said first quick release connection further comprising an integrally fabricated chuck having an internal bore, said internal bore of said chuck having an internal configuration complementary to an external configuration of said protruding stem of said shank; and
a second quick release connection between a lower terminal end of said club shaft and a hosel of said club head, said lower terminal end of said club shaft having an integrally fabricated chuck having an internal bore, said hosel of said club head comprising an integrally fabricated shank having a protruding stem forming a unitary club head; said internal bore of said integral chuck of said club shaft having an internal configuration complementary to an external configuration of said protruding stem of said hosel.

2. The triune quick release connection system of claim 1 wherein said external configuration of said stem of said first quick release connection and/or said stem of said second quick release connection is a convex polygonal or a star polygonal configuration, and wherein said internal configuration of said internal bore of said chuck of said first quick release connection and/or said chuck of said second quick release connection is a convex polygonal configuration or a star polygon configuration.

3. The triune quick release connection system of claim 1 wherein said shank of said first quick release connection is integrally fabricated within said lower terminal end of said club grip or is integrally fabricated within said upper terminal end of said club shaft; and wherein said chuck of said first quick release connection is integrally fabricated within said lower terminal end of said club grip or is integrally fabricated within said upper terminal end of said club shaft.

4. The triune quick release connection system of claim 1 wherein said first quick release connection further comprises a biased cylindrical fastener slidably engaged with said lower terminal end of said club grip or slidably engaged with said upper terminal end of said club shaft; and said biased cylindrical fastener configured to attach said lower terminal end of said club grip and said upper terminal end of said club shaft.

5. The triune quick release connection system of claim 1 wherein said chuck of said second quick release connection is integrally fabricated within said lower terminal end of said club shaft.

6. The triune quick release connection system of claim 1 wherein said second quick release connection further comprises a biased cylindrical fastener slidably engaged with said lower terminal end of said club shaft; said biased cylindrical fastener configured to attach said lower terminal end of said club shaft to said hosel of said club head.

7. The triune quick release connection system of claim 1 wherein said first quick release connection further comprises longitudinal axial or helical channels and lateral axial channels along said stem of said shank.

8. The triune quick release connection system of claim 7 wherein said first quick release connection further comprises opposed detents protruding within said lower terminal end of said club grip or within said upper terminal end of said club shaft; and wherein said detents are configured to engage said longitudinal axial or helical channels and said lateral axial channels along said stem of said shank of said first quick release connection.

9. The triune quick release connection system of claim 7 wherein said first quick release connection further comprises a biasing mechanism secured within said upper terminal end of said club shaft or secured within said lower terminal end of said club grip; said biasing mechanism configured to engage said stem of said shank of said first quick release connection.

10. The triune quick release connection system of claim 1 wherein said second quick release connection further comprises longitudinal axial or helical channels and lateral axial channels along said stem of said shank of said unitary club head.

11. The triune quick release connection system of claim 10 wherein said second quick release connection further comprises opposed detents protruding within said lower terminal end of said club shaft; wherein said detents are configured to engage said longitudinal axial or helical channels and said lateral axial channels along said stem of said shank of said unitary club head.

12. The triune quick release connection system of claim 1 wherein said second quick release connection further comprises a biasing mechanism secured within said lower terminal end of said club shaft and configured to engage said stem of said shank of said unitary club head.

13. The triune quick release connection system of claim 1 wherein said second quick release connection further comprises a biased cylindrical fastener slidably engaged with said lower terminal end of said club shaft; said biased cylindrical fastener configured to attach said lower terminal end of said club shaft to said hosel of said club head.

14. The triune quick release connection system of claim 1 wherein said first quick release connection further comprises a secondary fastener secured to said lower terminal end of said club grip and configured to engage said upper terminal end of said club shaft.

15. The triune quick release connection system of claim 1 wherein said stem of said shank of said first quick release connection and/or said second quick release connection terminates with an elongate plug body, and wherein said chuck of said first quick release connection and/or said second quick release connection further comprises a plug retaining chuck.

16. The triune quick release connection system of claim 15 wherein said chuck of said first quick release connection is integrally fabricated with said lower terminal end of said club grip and/or said upper terminal end of said club shaft; and wherein said chuck of said second quick release connection is integrally fabricated with said lower terminal end of said club shaft.

17. The triune quick release connection system of claim 15 further comprising a cylindrical fastener slidably engaged with said stem of said first quick release connection and/or said second quick release connection; and wherein said cylindrical fastener is configured to attach said elongate plug body to said plug retaining chuck.

18. The triune quick release connection system of claim 15 further comprising a biased retainer sleeve having an axial bore with a plurality of radially aligned bearing retainers.

19. The triune quick release connection system of claim 18 further comprising a biasing spring engaged with said biased retainer sleeve.

20. The triune quick release connection system of claim 18 further comprising a plurality of thrust bearings engaged with said bearing retainers of said biased retainer sleeve.

Patent History
Publication number: 20160256752
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 1, 2016
Publication Date: Sep 8, 2016
Inventor: J.T. Wilkins (Peoria, AZ)
Application Number: 15/057,346
Classifications
International Classification: A63B 53/00 (20060101); A63B 53/02 (20060101);