Putter Hosel Weight Distribution via Multi-Material Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional putter-type golf clubs lack desirable feel and performance due to their design shortcomings, particularly in the distribution of weight and materials used in the club head.
Innovation Solution
A putter-type golf club head design featuring a hosel with a beam, struts, and recesses made from different materials, where the hosel is positioned to optimize weight distribution and include a face insert with a contrasting material and texture for improved impact characteristics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional putter-type golf clubs use uniform material construction, then manufacturing is simple, but feel and performance are lacking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by using different materials for different parts of the club head. Specifically, the hosel assembly includes a beam made of a first material while the struts are made of a second material, creating localized material properties that optimize both feel and structural performance without requiring complete redesign of the entire club head.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite materials by combining multiple materials within the hosel assembly. The beam and struts use different materials with complementary properties, and the face insert uses a contrasting material, creating a composite structure that delivers superior feel and performance compared to uniform material construction.
2Strength
If weight is concentrated in one area of the club head, then structural strength is improved, but balance and control are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the weight distribution by creating separate structural elements (beam and struts) with different materials and densities. This segmentation allows weight to be distributed across multiple components rather than concentrated in one area, achieving both structural strength through the beam and balance through the distributed mass of the struts and face insert.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameter of the hosel assembly components to control weight distribution. By selecting materials with different densities for the beam and struts, and adding a face insert with contrasting material properties, the patent optimizes both structural strength and balance/control characteristics.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the hosel is positioned rearward, then structural stability is improved, but impact characteristics are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by positioning the contrasting material face insert at the forward impact area. This local placement of different material properties at the strike face optimizes impact characteristics without requiring the entire hosel assembly to be positioned forward, thereby maintaining structural stability while improving impact performance.
4Reliability
If single material is used throughout the club head, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but feel and performance are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by limiting multi-material construction to specific high-impact areas (hosel assembly and face insert) rather than the entire club head. This approach maintains feel and performance through localized material optimization while avoiding the manufacturing complexity of multi-material construction throughout the whole club head.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the multi-material construction to only the hosel assembly and face insert components, keeping the main club head body as a single material. This segmentation reduces manufacturing complexity compared to multi-material construction throughout, while still achieving superior feel and performance through the strategically placed different materials in the hosel and face insert.
Data Source
AI summary
A putter-type golf club head includes a body and a hosel coupled to the body. The hosel includes a beam coupled directly to and extending along the top of the body. The hosel also includes a first strut, at a first oblique angle relative to the beam, including a first-strut lower end coupled directly to the heelward end of the beam, and including a first-strut upper end. The hosel further includes a second strut, at a second oblique angle relative to the beam, including a second-strut lower end coupled directly to the toeward end of the beam, and including a second-strut upper end coupled directly to the first-strut upper end. The hosel additionally includes a forward recess and a rearward recess. The hosel also includes a socket, coupled directly to the first-strut upper end and to the second-strut upper end, and configured to mate with a golf club shaft.