JP7750930B2 - Golf club head with ribs and related methods - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates primarily to golf equipment, and more particularly to golf club heads.

This disclosure claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/366,710, filed July 26, 2016, and is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Patent Application No. 15/631,483, filed June 23, 2017, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

Modern wood-type golf club heads are without exception made of metal, rather than the persimmon wood for which the clubs are named. These club heads generally consist of a hollow metal shell with a relatively thick face to withstand ball impacts and a relatively thick sole to withstand ground impacts and lower the club head's center of gravity. The rest of the golf club head is manufactured as thin as possible, distributing the maximum amount of material to the face and sole. The crowns and skirts of modern club heads are extremely thin, yet must be sufficiently stiff in the direction of maximum stress to support the club head's face.

Ribs are commonly employed in the crown of a club head to make the crown as light as possible while providing sufficient stiffness in the front-to-rear direction. U.S. Patent 4,214,754 to Zebelean discloses a hollow club head with a crown that includes parallel ribs extending perpendicular to the face of the club head. The parallel ribs extend internally and bridge thin sections of the crown. Similarly, U.S. Patent 6,595,871 to Sano discloses a hollow club head having a separately mounted face and a crown that includes multiple parallel ribs extending perpendicular to the face. U.S. Patent 5,067,715 to Schmidt et al. discloses a hollow club head with a crown that includes multiple parallel ribs that blend into the club face and extend perpendicular to the club head face, as well as multiple ribs that blend into the rear wall of the club head and extend perpendicular to the rear wall of the club head.

The prior art fails to recognize that a club head with a crown having parallel ribs that uniformly stiffen the face of the club head is not an effective design because the load on the face of the club head is not uniform, but is essentially centered at the point of impact.

1 is a front perspective view of a golf club head embodying features of the present invention;

2 is a cross-sectional view of the club head of FIG. 1 as viewed from below.

2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the club head of FIG. 1 as viewed from the front.

FIG. 2 is a top view of a golf club head according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a full cross-sectional view of the club head of FIG. 4 as viewed from the front.

FIG. 10 is a top view of a golf club head according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a full cross-sectional view of the club head of FIG. 6 as viewed from the side.

FIG. 10 is a top view of a golf club head according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a full cross-sectional view of the club head of FIG. 8 as viewed from the side.

FIG. 10 is a top view of a golf club head according to a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a full cross-sectional view of the club head of FIG. 10 as viewed from the front.

FIG. 10 is a top view of a golf club head according to a sixth embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a full cross-sectional view of the club head of FIG. 12 as viewed from the front.

FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional front view of a golf club head according to another embodiment.

15 is a top cross-sectional view of the golf club head of FIG. 14 taken along line XV-XV of FIG. 14.

1 is a flowchart of a method for providing a golf club head according to examples and embodiments of the present disclosure.

16 is a top cross-sectional view of a golf club head similar to the golf club head of FIGS. 14-15, but according to another embodiment. FIG.

FIG. 10 is a top cross-sectional view of a golf club head according to another embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a top cross-sectional view of a golf club head according to another embodiment.

1 is a flowchart of a method for providing a golf club head according to examples and embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 19 is a side view of the golf club head of FIG. 18 in an address position.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a golf club head with ribs.

FIG. 23 is a top X-ray view of the golf club head of FIG. 22.

23 is an internal view of the golf club head of FIG. 22 looking up from the bottom of the crown.

FIG. 23 is a top-down internal view of the sole and skirt of the golf club head of FIG. 22.

26 is a side view of the rib of the golf club head of FIG. 22 taken along line XXVI-XXVI of FIG. 23.

22 taken along line XXVII-XXVII of FIG. 23; FIG.

23 is a side view of the rib of the golf club head of FIG. 22 taken along line XXVIII-XXVIII of FIG. 23.

FIG. 23 is a top view FEA view of the crown of the golf club head of FIG. 22, identifying high amplitude zones therein.

FIG. 23 is a bottom FEA diagram of the sole of the golf club head of FIG. 22, identifying high amplitude zones therein.

1 is a flowchart of a method for providing a golf club head according to examples and embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a top X-ray view of a golf club head with ribs.

FIG. 1 is a top X-ray view of a golf club head with ribs.

FIG. 1 is a top X-ray view of a golf club head with ribs.

FIG. 1 is a top X-ray view of a golf club head with ribs.

FIG. 1 is a top X-ray view of a golf club head with ribs.

FIG. 1 is a top X-ray view of a golf club head with ribs.

FIG. 1 is a top X-ray view of a golf club head with ribs.

1 is a flowchart of a method for providing a golf club head according to examples and embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional side view of a golf club head according to another embodiment.

FIG. 41 is a front cross-sectional view of the golf club head of FIG. 40.

FIG. 41 is another cross-sectional side view of the golf club head of FIG. 40.

FIG. 41 is another cross-sectional side view of the golf club head of FIG. 40.

FIG. 41 is another cross-sectional side view of the golf club head of FIG. 40.

FIG. 41 is another cross-sectional side view of the golf club head of FIG. 40.

FIG. 41 is another cross-sectional side view of the golf club head of FIG. 40.

FIG. 41 is another front perspective cross-sectional view of the golf club head of FIG. 40.

FIG. 41 is another front perspective cross-sectional view of the golf club head of FIG. 40.

FIG. 41 is a bottom modal analysis diagram of the sole of the golf club head of FIG. 40, identifying high amplitude zones therein.

FIG. 41 is a bottom modal analysis diagram of the sole of the golf club head of FIG. 40, identifying high amplitude zones therein.

FIG. 41 is a top view modal analysis diagram of the crown of the golf club head of FIG. 40, identifying high amplitude zones therein.

FIG. 41 is a bottom modal analysis diagram of the sole of the golf club head of FIG. 40, identifying high amplitude zones therein.

48 is an acoustic analysis graph of the golf club head of FIG. 47.

For simplicity and clarity of explanation, the drawings depict general constructional methods, and descriptions and details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present invention. Additionally, elements in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the drawings may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention. The same reference numbers in different drawings refer to the same elements.

If present, the terms "first," "second," "third," "fourth," etc. in this specification and claims are used to distinguish between similar elements and are not necessarily intended to describe a particular sequential or chronological order. Terms so used should be understood to be interchangeable under appropriate circumstances, such that the embodiments described herein are capable of operating in orders other than those illustrated or otherwise described herein. Furthermore, the terms "comprise" and "have," and any conjugations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, system, article, device, or apparatus that includes a list of elements is not necessarily limited to those elements, but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent in such process, method, system, article, device, or apparatus.

When used herein and in the claims, the terms "left," "right," "front," "rear," "top," "bottom," "above," "below," and the like are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily to describe permanent relative positions. Terms so used should be understood to be interchangeable in appropriate circumstances, such that the embodiments of the invention described herein are operable, for example, in orientations other than those illustrated or otherwise described herein.

The terms "couple," "coupled," "coupling," and the like should be understood broadly and mean to connect two or more elements or signals electrically, mechanically, or otherwise. Two or more electrical elements may be electrically coupled and not mechanically or otherwise coupled; two or more mechanical elements may be mechanically coupled and not electrically or otherwise coupled; two or more electrical elements may be mechanically coupled and not electrically or otherwise coupled. The coupling (mechanically or otherwise) may be for any length of time, e.g., permanently, semi-permanently, or only momentarily.

As defined herein, a component is "unitary" if two or more elements are constructed of the same material. As defined herein, a component is "non-unitary" if two or more elements are constructed of different materials.

In a first example, a golf club head may include a body portion and a plurality of ribs projecting from a rib surface of the body portion. The body portion may have a heel end, a toe end, a sole, a front surface, and a rear surface. The plurality of ribs may include a first rib having a first longitudinal axis, a second rib having a second longitudinal axis, and a third rib having a third longitudinal axis. The first longitudinal axis, the second longitudinal axis, and the third longitudinal axis may intersect at a common point outside the body portion.

In a second example, a golf club head may include a body portion and a plurality of ribs projecting from a rib surface of the body portion. The body portion may have a heel end, a toe end, a sole, a front surface, and a rear surface. The plurality of ribs may be generally straight and non-intersecting, and/or the plurality of ribs may have a first rib closest to the heel end of the body portion and a second rib closest to the toe end of the body portion. The plurality of ribs may also be substantially radial, forming a fan shape between the first rib and the second rib.

In a third example, the method may include the steps of: (a) providing a golf club body having a heel end, a toe end, a sole, a front surface, and a rear surface; and (b) providing a plurality of ribs projecting from a rib surface of the body. The plurality of ribs may include a first rib having a first longitudinal axis extending through a common point, a second rib having a second longitudinal axis extending through the common point, and a third rib having a third longitudinal axis extending through the common point. The common point is located on the exterior of the body.

In one embodiment, a golf club head includes a body portion having a heel end, a toe end, a sole, and a front surface, and a plurality of ribs projecting from a rib surface of the body portion. The plurality of ribs includes: (a) a first rib having a first first rib end, a first second rib end opposite the first first rib end, and a first axis extending through the first first rib end and the first second rib end; (b) a second rib having a second first rib end, a second second rib end opposite the second first rib end, and a second axis extending through the second first rib end and the second second rib end; and (c) a third rib having a third first rib end, a third second rib end opposite the third first rib end, and a third axis extending through the third first rib end and the third second rib end. The front surface has a strike face with a strike face center point, and a loft plane tangent to the strike face center point defines a front plane of the golf club head. The first rib may be positioned between the second rib and the third rib. The first axis may have a first distance between the front plane and the first first end. The second axis may have a second distance between the front plane and the second first end. The third axis may have a third distance between the front plane and the third first end. At least one of the first distance, the second distance, and the third distance may be greater than at least one other of the first distance, the second distance, and the third distance.

In one embodiment, a golf club head may include a body portion having a heel end, a toe end, a sole, and a front surface, and a plurality of ribs projecting from a rib surface of the body portion. The plurality of ribs may include: (a) a first rib having a first first rib end, a first second rib end opposite the first first rib end, and a first axis extending through the first first rib end and the first second rib end; (b) a second rib having a second first rib end, a second second rib end opposite the second first rib end, and a second axis extending through the second first rib end and the second second rib end; and (c) a third rib having a third first rib end, a third second rib end opposite the third first rib end, and a third axis extending through the third first rib end and the third second rib end. The first rib may be positioned between the second rib and the third rib. The first axis may have a first distance between the front plane and the first first end. The second axis may have a second distance between the front plane and the second first end. The third axis may have a third distance between the front plane and the third first end. At least one of the first distance, the second distance, and the third distance may be greater than at least one other of the first distance, the second distance, and the third distance.

In one example, a method for providing a golf club head can include providing a body portion having a heel end, a toe end, a sole, and a front surface, and providing a plurality of ribs projecting from a rib surface of the body portion. The step of providing the plurality of ribs can include the steps of: (a) providing a first rib having a first first rib end, a first second rib end opposite the first first rib end, and a first axis extending through the first first rib end and the first second rib end; (b) providing a second rib having a second first rib end, a second second rib end opposite the second first rib end, and a second axis extending through the second first rib end and the second second rib end; and (c) providing a third rib having a third first rib end, a third second rib end opposite the third first rib end, and a third axis extending through the third first rib end and the third second rib end. Providing the body portion may include connecting a strike face having a strike face center point at a front surface. A loft plane may be tangent to the strike face center point. When the golf club head is addressed on a flat ground surface, the loft plane intersects the flat ground surface along a front intersection line, and a front plane extends from the front intersection line perpendicular to the flat ground surface. The first rib may be positioned between the second rib and the third rib. The first axis may have a first distance between a front reference having one of the loft plane, the front plane, and the front surface, and the first first end. The second axis may have a second distance between the front reference and the second first end. The third axis may have a third distance between the front reference and the third first end. The plurality of ribs are staggered relative to the reference such that at least one of the first distance, the second distance, and the third distance is greater than at least one other of the first distance, the second distance, and the third distance.

In one embodiment, the golf club head may include a body portion and a first rib. The body portion may include a heel end, a toe end, a crown, a sole, a front end having a center point, a rear end, and at least one of a skirt or a hosel. The first rib may include a first first rib end and a second first rib end that protrude from a rib surface of the body portion and are opposite each other, and a first first rib portion, a second first rib portion, and a third first rib portion that protrude from the rib surface of the body portion. The first first rib portion may be positioned between the first first rib end and the third first rib portion. The second first rib portion may be positioned between the second first rib end and the third first rib portion. The first first rib portion may have a first first rib dimension, the first first rib dimension comprising one of a first first rib height substantially perpendicular to the rib surface and a first first rib thickness substantially perpendicular to the first first rib height. The second first rib portion may have a second first rib dimension, the second first rib dimension comprising one of a second first rib height substantially perpendicular to the rib surface and a second first rib thickness substantially perpendicular to the second first rib height. The third first rib portion may have a third first rib dimension, the third first rib dimension comprising one of a third first rib height substantially perpendicular to the rib surface and a third first rib thickness substantially perpendicular to the third first rib height. The first first dimension and the second first dimension may be greater than the third first rib dimension.

In one embodiment, the golf club head may include a body portion and a first rib. The body portion may include a heel end, a toe end, a crown, a sole, a front end, and a rear end. The first rib may protrude from a rib surface of the body portion. The first rib may include a first first rib end and a second first rib end opposite each other, and a first first rib portion and a second first rib portion protruding from the rib surface of the body portion. The first first rib end may be located at a first location on one of the crown and the sole. The second first rib end may be located at a second location on one of the crown and the sole. The first first rib portion may be located between the first first rib end and the second first rib portion and/or along the first location on one of the crown and the sole. The second first rib portion may be located between the second first rib end and the first first rib portion, and/or along the second of one of the crown and the sole.

In one implementation, a method includes providing a body portion and providing a first rib protruding from a rib surface of the body portion. The body portion may include a heel end, a toe end, a crown, a sole, a front end, and a rear end. The first rib may include a first first rib end and a second first rib end opposite each other, and a first first rib portion, a second first rib portion, and a third first rib portion protruding from the rib surface of the body portion. The first first rib portion may be positioned between the first first rib end and the third first rib portion. The second first rib portion may be positioned between the second first rib end and the third first rib portion. The first first rib portion may have a first first rib dimension, the first first rib dimension having one of a first first rib height substantially perpendicular to the rib surface and a first first rib thickness substantially perpendicular to the first first rib height. The second first rib portion may have a second first rib dimension, the second first rib dimension comprising one of a second first rib height substantially perpendicular to the rib surface and a second first rib thickness substantially perpendicular to the second first rib height. The third first rib portion may have a third first rib dimension, the third first rib dimension comprising one of a third first rib height substantially perpendicular to the rib surface and a third first rib thickness substantially perpendicular to the third first rib height. The first first dimension and the second first dimension may be greater than the third first rib dimension.

In one embodiment, a golf club head may include a body portion, an interior surface, and an interior cavity bordered by the interior surface. The body portion may include a heel end, a toe end, a crown, a sole, a front wall having a strike face, and a rear side. The interior surface may be defined by the heel end, the toe end, the crown, the sole, the front wall, and/or the rear side. The golf club head may further include ribs projecting from a rib surface of the body portion, the ribs including a first rib, a second rib, and a third rib. The first rib may have a first rib end point, a second rib end point, and a first rib axis intersecting the first rib end point and the second rib end point. The second rib may have a first second rib end point, a second second rib end point, and a second rib axis intersecting the first second rib end point and the second second rib end point. The third rib may have a first third rib end point, a second third rib end point, and a third rib axis intersecting the first third rib end point and the second third rib end point. In a top view of the golf club head, the first rib axis, the second rib axis, and the third rib axis intersect with each other and are tangent to a rocker defined by a conical cross-section perimeter.

In one implementation, a method for providing a golf club head includes providing a body portion and providing a rib protruding from a rib surface of the body portion. The body portion may include a heel end, a toe end, a crown, a sole, a front wall having a strike face, a rear side portion, an interior surface defined by the heel end, the toe end, the crown, the sole, the front wall, and/or the rear side portion, and an interior cavity bordered by the interior surface. The rib may include a first rib, a second rib, and a third rib. The first rib may have a first first rib end point, a second first rib end point, and a first rib axis intersecting the first first rib end point and the second first rib end point. The second rib may have a first second rib end point, a second second rib end point, and a second rib axis intersecting the first second rib end point and the second second rib end point. The third rib may have a first third rib end point, a second third rib end point, and a third rib axis intersecting the first third rib end point and the second third rib end point. In a top view of the golf club head, the first rib axis, the second rib axis, and the third rib axis intersect with each other and are tangent to a rocker defined by a conical cross-section perimeter.

In one embodiment, a golf club head may include a body portion and a plurality of ribs projecting from a rib surface of the body portion. The body portion may include a heel end, a toe end, a crown, a sole, a front wall having a strike face, and a rear side portion. The plurality of ribs may include a first rib having a first longitudinal axis, a second rib having a second longitudinal axis, and a third rib having a third longitudinal axis. The first longitudinal axis, the second longitudinal axis, and the third longitudinal axis may intersect at a common point on the exterior of the body portion. The plurality of ribs may be non-convex with respect to the crown of the golf club head.

Other examples and embodiments are further disclosed herein. Such examples and embodiments may be found in the drawings, claims, and/or the present specification.

With reference to Figures 1-3, a golf club includes a club head 12, a hosel 14, and a shaft 16. The club head 12 is generally constructed of a hollow body 18 made of stainless steel, titanium, or another material with a high shear modulus and a high strength-to-weight ratio. The hollow body 18 includes a front wall or face 20 for impacting a golf ball. The hollow body 18 further includes a top wall or crown 22, a bottom wall or sole 24, and a side wall or skirt 26 connecting the face 20 to the crown 22 and sole 24. The club head 12 further includes a heel end 30 and a toe end 32. The skirt 26 surrounds the periphery of the club head 12 between the heel end 30 and the toe end 32 and forms a rear wall 28. The golf club head 12 can be that of a driver-type club, a fairway wood, or a hybrid club.

The crown 22 comprises a thin-walled structure, preferably a casting, as part of the hollow body 18. The crown 22 is preferably titanium with a relatively thin thickness of 0.076 centimeters (cm) ±0.013 cm. The crown 22 is reinforced by a plurality of ribs extending downward from the lower surface 36 of the crown 22. Each rib 34 extends from near a first end remote from the front wall 20 to near a second end remote from the rear wall 28. In another example, the rib 34 closest to the toe end 32 may have a first end contacting the front wall 20 and a second end extending closer to, contacting, or further along the rear wall 28. Furthermore, the rib 34 closest to the heel end 30 may have a first end contacting the front wall 20 and a second end extending closer to, contacting, or further along the rear wall 28. The ribs 34 are spaced farther apart at the second end than at the first end, preferably by more than 20%. Adjacent ribs 34 diverge from the first end toward the second end by an angle of at least 5 degrees. The ribs 34 are narrow, long, generally straight, metallic, shock wave distribution elements having a height dimension of 0.051 cm ± 0.013 cm and a width dimension of 0.178 cm ± 0.013 cm. In other examples, the height dimension of the ribs 34 can have a range of 0.051 cm ± 0.050 cm. For example, the height dimension can be 0.001 cm, 0.005 cm, 0.010 cm, 0.015 cm, 0.020 cm, 0.030 cm, 0.035 cm, 0.040 cm, 0.045 cm, 0.050 cm, 0.055 cm, 0.060 cm, 0.065 cm, 0.070 cm, 0.075 cm, 0.080 cm, 0.085 cm, 0.090 cm, 0.095 cm, or 0.100 cm. In another example, the height dimension of the ribs 34 can have a height dimension of 0.051 inches ± 0.013 inches and a width dimension of 0.178 inches ± 0.078 inches. In another example, the height dimension of the ribs 34 can have a range of 0.50 inches ± 0.025 inches and a width dimension of 0.035 inches ± 0.020 inches. For example, the height dimension can be 0.25 inches, 0.30 inches, 0.35 inches, 0.40 inches, 0.45 inches, 0.50 inches, 0.55 inches, 0.60 inches, 0.65 inches, 0.70 inches, or 0.75 inches. Additionally, height dimension ranges of 0.051 cm ± 0.013 cm, 0.51 inches ± 0.13 inches, and 0.51 inches ± 0.25 inches, and width dimension ranges of 0.178 cm ± 0.013 cm, 0.178 inches ± 0.078 inches, and 0.035 inches ± 0.020 inches, can be applied to the ribs of different examples and embodiments described herein. The height dimension of the rib 34 can vary (e.g., gradually increasing, linearly increasing, gradually decreasing, linearly decreasing, and any combination thereof) as the first end extends toward the second end of the rib 34. The height dimension of the rib 34 may vary (e.g., gradually increase, linearly increase, incrementally decrease, linearly decrease, and any combination thereof) as the first end of the rib 34 extends toward the second end of the rib 34. The rib 34 is generally downwardly convex when viewed in cross section and blends smoothly into the lower surface 36 of the crown 22. It can be seen that the crown 22 is free of ribs extending laterally between the ribs 34.

The lower surface 36 of the crown 22 has a front portion and a rear portion. The front and rear portions are defined by a midline generally parallel to the front wall 20, approximately halfway between the forward-most point of the front wall 20 and the rear-most point of the rear wall 28. A first end of the rib 34 terminates at the front portion of the crown 22, and a second end of the rib 34 terminates at the rear portion of the crown 22.

As clearly shown in FIG. 2, the ribs 34 are arranged in a pattern such that the longitudinal axes 38 of the ribs 34 radiate from and intersect at point 40, which is located forward of the front wall 20. Point 40 is preferably located within the center of one-third (W/3) of the width of the front wall 20 and is preferably located substantially forward of the centerline of the front wall 20. Because the club head 12 used herein is a three-dimensional body, point 40 is a single point when viewed in plan in FIG. 2. Alternatively, point 40 may be considered a vertical line formed by the intersection of vertical planes passing through the centerlines of the ribs 34.

The ribs 34 originate at a first location 42 adjacent the intersection 42 of the rear surface 44 of the front wall 20 and the lower surface 36 of the crown 22, and extend to a second location adjacent the rear wall 28. In this embodiment, at least half, and preferably all, of the ribs 34 extend from the front wall 20 beyond a halfway point (L/2) on the club head 12 and are not intersected by any cross ribs. Additionally, each rib 34 is connected to other ribs 34 only by a thin portion of the crown 22 and is independent of the other ribs 34. Preferably, the point 40 is also no further forward than L/2 from the front wall 20. This results in a pattern of ten ribs 34 diverging at an angle of approximately 60 degrees, or a divergence of 4 to 8 degrees, preferably approximately 6 degrees, between adjacent ribs 34.

A surprising result of this arrangement of ribs 34 is that an array of 0.051 cm thick and 0.178 cm wide vertical ribs reduces maximum stress in the crown area by only 9% compared to an unreinforced crown area, while ribs 34 arranged in a radial fan pattern reduce maximum stress in the crown area by approximately 36%. While not adhering to any particular theory of operation, it is believed that the face 20 deforms non-uniformly outward from the impact point, and similarly, loads are transferred to the crown in a non-uniform radial fashion outward from the impact point. Therefore, when the ribs 34 are arranged to extend radially outward from near the impact point, the crown 22 more effectively supports the face 20 during impact.

In addition to the straight ribs of substantially constant width and height shown in Figures 1-3, other alternative embodiments of golf club heads with ribs are possible. For example, the ribs may be curved, or the height and/or width of the ribs may vary.

As an example, FIG. 4 illustrates another embodiment of a golf club head. FIG. 5 illustrates a cross-sectional view corresponding to the line labeled "5" in the embodiment of FIG. 4. The golf club head 412 (FIG. 4) includes a hollow body portion 418 (FIG. 4) having a front wall 420, a crown 422 (FIG. 4), a sole 524 (FIG. 5), a lateral wall 526 (FIG. 5) connecting the crown 422 and the sole 524, a heel end 430 (FIG. 4), a toe end 432 (FIG. 4), and a rear side 428 (FIG. 4) opposite the front wall 420. Additionally, the golf club head 412 may include a rib 440 (FIG. 4) extending downward from the lower surface of the crown 422. In the example embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, the rib 440 includes ribs 441, 442, 443, 444, 445, and 446 having a first end near the front wall 420 and a second end near the rear side 428. In another example of this embodiment, the rib 443 can have a first end in contact with the front wall 420 and a second end that extends proximate to, in contact with, or further along the rear side 428. Furthermore, the rib 446 can have a first end in contact with the front wall 420 and a second end that extends proximate to, in contact with, or further along the rear wall 428.

In some instances, one or more of the ribs 440 are curved. In one example, as in the example of Figure 4, ribs 441, 442, 443, 444, 445, and 446 are each curved. However, in other instances, some of the ribs 440 may not be curved. For example, rib 441 may be straight. When rib 440 is curved, the length of rib 440 increases. The longer the rib, the more ribs are available to absorb vibrations.

Each of the ribs 440 in FIG. 4 is curved. In some cases, the ribs 440 may bend in different directions. For example, ribs 441, 442, and 443 may bend in one direction, while ribs 444, 445, and 446 may bend in the opposite direction. Ribs 441, 442, and 443 may bend convexly relative to the toe end 432. Thus, the first and second ends of ribs 441, 442, and 443 bend away from the toe end 432 toward the heel end 430. Meanwhile, ribs 444, 445, and 446 bend convexly relative to the heel end 430. Thus, the first and second ends of ribs 444, 445, and 446 bend away from the heel end 430 toward the toe end 432. In one example, if at least two of the ribs 440 extend forward toward the front wall 420 in a straight or curved shape, they will intersect. For example, the linear extension of rib 442 may intersect the linear extension of rib 444 near the front wall 420, and in other embodiments, may intersect before the front wall 420. Note that other curvature arrangements of ribs 440 are possible. For example, more of the ribs 440 may bend in one direction than the other, or all of the ribs may bend in the same direction. Additionally, there may be fewer or more than six ribs 440.

Each of the ribs 440 may have a radius of curvature. The radius of curvature is the radius of the circle formed by the extrapolated rib. In some examples, each of the ribs 440 has a different radius of curvature. In other examples, some of the radii may be approximately the same.

In the example golf club head 412 shown in FIG. 4, rib 441 has the largest radius of curvature. As the rib approaches the heel end 430 or the toe end 432 relative to rib 441, the radius of curvature of the rib decreases. For example, rib 442 has a smaller radius of curvature than rib 441, and rib 443 has a smaller radius of curvature than rib 442. Furthermore, rib 444 has a smaller radius of curvature than rib 441, rib 445 has a smaller radius of curvature than rib 444, and rib 446 has a smaller radius of curvature than rib 445. In other examples, the radius of curvature of rib 440 may increase as the rib approaches the heel end 430 or the toe end 432 relative to rib 441. In yet other examples, the radius of curvature of rib 440 may be independent of its position relative to rib 441.

In the same or another example, the radii of curvature of the ribs can be symmetrical depending on their position relative to rib 441. For example, the radius of curvature of rib 442 can be approximately the same as the radius of curvature of rib 444, and the radius of curvature of rib 443 can be the same as the radius of curvature of rib 445. In another example, the radii of curvature of ribs 440 are asymmetrical relative to one another.

Each of the ribs 440 has a width dimension. In the example of FIG. 4, each of the ribs 440 can have approximately the same width as the other ribs. In other examples, each of the ribs 440 can have a width that is not the same as all of the other ribs. In some examples, each of the ribs 440 has a tapered first end and a tapered second end. In other examples, the first end and/or the second end are not tapered.

Furthermore, each of the ribs 440 has a height dimension. The height dimension is measured as the distance the rib extends from the crown 422 into the hollow body portion 418. In the example of FIG. 5, each of the ribs 440 has a height that is approximately the same as the height of each of the other ribs. In other examples, the ribs 440 can have heights that are not the same as the other ribs. In still other examples, the ribs 440 include heights that can vary (e.g., gradually increasing, linearly increasing, gradually decreasing, linearly decreasing, and any combination thereof).

Each of the ribs 440 also has a length dimension. The length dimension is measured as the (curved) distance between the first and second ends of the rib. In the example of FIG. 4, the rib toward the midpoint between the toe end 432 and the heel end 430 has the greatest length. Furthermore, the length of the rib decreases as the rib approaches the toe end 432 or the heel end 430. In one example, rib 441 has the greatest length, with rib 442 having a length greater than rib 443, rib 444 having a length greater than rib 445, and rib 445 having a length greater than rib 446. In another example, all of the ribs 440 have approximately the same length.

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of a golf club head. FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view corresponding to the line labeled "7" in the embodiment of FIG. 6. The golf club head 612 (FIG. 6) includes a hollow body portion 618 (FIG. 6) having a front wall 620 (FIG. 6), a crown 622 (FIG. 6), a sole 724 (FIG. 7), a lateral wall 726 (FIG. 7) connecting the crown 622 and the sole 624, a heel end 630 (FIG. 6), a toe end 632 (FIG. 6), and a rear side portion 628 (FIG. 6). Additionally, the golf club head 612 may also include a rib 640 (FIG. 6) extending downward from the lower surface of the crown 622. In the example embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the rib 640 includes ribs 641, 642, 643, 644, 645, and 646 having a first end near the toe end 632 and a second end near the heel end 630.

In some instances, one or more of the ribs 640 are curved. In one example, as shown in Figure 6, ribs 641, 642, 643, 644, 645, and 646 are each curved. However, in other instances, some of the ribs 640 may not be curved. For example, rib 641 may be straight.

Each of the ribs 640 in FIG. 6 is curved. In some examples, all of the ribs 640 are curved in the same direction. For example, ribs 641, 642, 643, 644, 645, and 646 are curved convexly relative to the front wall 620. Thus, the first and second ends of the ribs 640 are curved away from the front wall 620. Note that other curved arrangements of the ribs 640 are possible. For example, if the dimensions of the golf club head decrease sharply at the rear side 628 relative to the front wall 620, some of the ribs 640 may be curved convexly relative to the front wall 620. In other embodiments, some of the ribs 640 may have a first end near the front wall 620 and a second end near the rear side 628. Additionally, there may be fewer or more than six ribs 440.

Each of the ribs 640 can have a radius of curvature. In some examples, each of the ribs 640 has a different radius of curvature. In other examples, some of the radii of curvature can be approximately the same.

In the example golf club head 612 shown in FIG. 6, rib 641 has the largest radius of curvature. As the ribs approach the trailing end 628, the ribs' radii of curvature decrease. For example, rib 642 has a smaller radius of curvature than rib 641, rib 643 has a smaller radius of curvature than rib 642, rib 644 has a smaller radius of curvature than rib 643, rib 645 has a smaller radius of curvature than rib 644, and rib 646 has a smaller radius of curvature than rib 645. In other examples, the radius of curvature of rib 640 closer to the trailing end 628 can be larger. In still other examples, the radius of curvature of rib 640 is independent of the rib's position relative to the trailing end 628.

Each of the ribs 640 has a width dimension. In the example of FIG. 6, each of the ribs 640 has approximately the same width as the other ribs. In other examples, the ribs 640 may have widths that are not the same as the other ribs. In some examples, each of the ribs 640 has a tapered first end and a tapered second end. In other examples, the first end and/or the second end are not tapered. Additionally, each of the ribs 640 has a height dimension. The height dimension is measured as the distance the rib extends from the crown 622 into the hollow body portion 618. In the example of FIG. 7, each of the ribs 640 has a height that is approximately the same as the height of each of the other ribs. In other examples, the ribs 640 may have heights that are not the same as the other ribs.

Each of the ribs 640 also has a length dimension. The length dimension is measured as the (curved) distance between the first and second ends of the rib. In the example of FIG. 6, the ribs closer to the front wall 620 generally have a greater length than the ribs closer to the rear side 628. In one example, rib 642 has a longer length than rib 643, which has a longer length than rib 644, which has a longer length than rib 645, which has a longer length than rib 646. However, rib 642 has a longer length than rib 641. In another example, all of the ribs 640 have approximately the same length.

8 illustrates another embodiment of a golf club head. FIG. 9 illustrates a cross-sectional view corresponding to the line labeled "9" in the embodiment of FIG. 8. The golf club head 812 (FIG. 8) includes a hollow body portion 818 (FIG. 8) having a front wall 820 (FIG. 8), a crown 822 (FIG. 8), a sole 924 (FIG. 9), a lateral wall 926 joining the crown 422 and the sole 524, a heel end 830 (FIG. 8), a toe end 832 (FIG. 8), and a rear side portion 828 (FIG. 8) opposite the front wall 820. Additionally, the golf club head 812 may also include a rib 840 (FIG. 8) extending downwardly from the lower surface of the crown 822. In the example embodiment illustrated in FIG. 8, the rib 840 may have a first end near the toe end 832 and a second end near the heel end 830.

In some instances, one or more of the ribs 840 are curved. In one example, ribs 841, 842, 843, 844, and 845 are curved, as in the example of Figure 8. However, in other instances, some of the ribs 840 may not be curved. For example, rib 841 may be straight.

Each of the ribs 840 in FIG. 8 is curved. In some cases, all of the ribs 840 are curved in the same direction. For example, ribs 841, 842, 843, 844, and 845 are curved concavely toward the front wall 820. Thus, the first and second ends of the ribs 840 are curved toward the front wall 820. Note that other curved arrangements of the ribs 840 are possible. For example, some of the ribs 840 may have a first end near the front wall 820 and a second end near the rear side 828. Additionally, there may be fewer or more than six ribs 840.

Each of the ribs 840 has a radius of curvature. In some instances, each of the ribs 840 has a different radius of curvature. In other instances, some of the radii of curvature are approximately the same.

In the example golf club head 812 shown in FIG. 8, rib 841 has the smallest radius of curvature. The rib radii of curvature increase as the rib approaches the trailing end 828. For example, rib 842 has a larger radius of curvature than rib 841, rib 843 has a larger radius of curvature than rib 842, rib 844 has a larger radius of curvature than rib 843, and rib 845 has a larger radius of curvature than rib 844. In other examples, the radius of curvature of rib 840 is independent of the rib's position relative to the trailing end 828.

In some or other examples, the radius of curvature of the ribs can be such that the ribs are concentric. If each of the ribs 840 were extrapolated to be a perfect circle, the resulting circles would be concentric. In other examples, the radius of curvature of the ribs 840 are not concentric.

Each of the ribs 840 has a width dimension. In the example of FIG. 8, each of the ribs 840 has approximately the same width as the other ribs. In other examples, the ribs 840 may have widths that are not the same as the other ribs. In some examples, each of the ribs 840 has a tapered first end and a tapered second end. In other examples, the first end and/or the second end are not tapered.

Furthermore, each of the ribs 840 has a height dimension. The height dimension is measured as the distance the rib extends (curves) from the crown into the hollow body portion 818. In the example of FIG. 9, each of the ribs 840 has a height that is approximately the same as the height of the other ribs. In other examples, the ribs 840 have heights that are not the same as the other ribs. In other examples, the ribs 840 can have a constant or varying height along the crown 822 (e.g., gradually increasing, linearly increasing, gradually decreasing, linearly decreasing, and any combination thereof).

Each of the ribs 840 also has a length dimension. The length dimension is measured as the distance between the first and second ends of the rib. In the example of FIG. 8, the ribs closer to the rear side 828 are longer than the ribs closer to the front wall 820. In one example, rib 845 has the longest length. Rib 844 has a longer length than rib 843, which has a longer length than rib 842, which has a longer length than rib 841. In another example, all of the ribs 840 have approximately the same length.

In addition to curved ribs, a golf club head may also include ribs with varying widths. For example, FIG. 10 illustrates another example of a golf club head. FIG. 11 illustrates a cross-sectional view corresponding to the line labeled "11" in the embodiment of FIG. 10. The golf club head 1012 (FIG. 10) includes a hollow body portion 1018 (FIG. 10) having a front wall 1020 (FIG. 10), a crown 1022 (FIG. 10), a sole 1124 (FIG. 11), a lateral wall 1126 (FIG. 11) connecting the crown 1022 and the sole 1124, a heel end 1030 (FIG. 10), a toe end 1032 (FIG. 10), and a rear side portion 1028 (FIG. 10) opposite the front wall 1020. Additionally, the golf club head 1012 may also include a rib 1040 (FIG. 10) extending downwardly from the lower surface of the crown 1022. In the example embodiment shown in FIG. 10 , rib 1040 includes ribs 1041, 1042, 1043, 1044, and 1045 having a first end near front wall 1020 and a second end near rear end 1028. In other examples of this embodiment, rib 1043 can contact front wall 1020 and have a second end that extends proximate rear end 1028, extends in contact with rear end 1028, or extends beyond rear end 1028. Additionally, rib 1045 can have a first end that contacts front wall 1020 and has a second end that extends proximate rear wall 1028, extends in contact with rear wall 1028, or extends further along rear wall 1028.

In some examples, one or more of the ribs 1040 are straight. In one example, as in the example of FIG. 10, ribs 1041, 1042, 1043, 1044, and 1045 are each straight. However, in other examples, some of the ribs 1040 may not be straight. For example, one or more of the ribs 1040 may be curved. In other examples, the ribs 1040 are arranged so that the axes of the ribs 1040 converge at a common point. In other examples, the axes of the ribs 1040 do not converge at a common point.

Each of the ribs has a width dimension. In the example of FIG. 10, each of the ribs 1040 has a tapered width. For example, the width of each of the ribs 1040 decreases from the midpoint toward the first and second ends. As shown in FIG. 10, the width at the midpoint of each of the ribs 1040 can be approximately equal to the width at the midpoint of each of the other ribs. In other examples, the rib 1040 can have a width at the midpoint that is different from the width at the midpoint of each of the other ribs.

The width of the rib 1040 can taper at any rate. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the width can be smoothly and non-uniformly tapered, resulting in the rib 1040 having an elongated oval shape. In other examples, the width can be linearly or uniformly tapered, resulting in the rib 1040 having a diamond-like configuration.

Additionally, each of the ribs 1040 has a height dimension. The height dimension is measured as the distance the rib extends from the crown 1022 into the hollow body portion 1018. In the example of FIG. 11 , each of the ribs 1040 has a tapered height. For example, the height of each of the ribs 1040 decreases from the midpoint toward the first and second ends. In other examples, the height of the rib 1040 may be constant from the first end to the second end. Furthermore, in other examples of this embodiment, the height of the rib 1040 may vary from the first end to the second end (e.g., increasing, linearly increasing, gradually increasing, linearly decreasing, gradually decreasing, or any combination thereof from the midpoint toward the first and second ends). As shown in FIG. 11 , each of the ribs 1040 may have a height approximately equal to the height of each of the other ribs at their respective midpoints. In other examples, the ribs 1040 may have a height that is different from the height of each of the other ribs at their respective midpoints.

The height of the rib 1040 can taper at any rate. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the height can be smoothly, non-constantly tapered, resulting in a smooth contour of the rib 1040. In other examples, the height can taper more sharply, linearly or constantly, resulting in a configuration of the rib 1040 with a more pointed height at the midpoint of the rib 1040.

Each of the ribs 1040 also has a length dimension. The length dimension is measured as the distance between the first end and the second end of the rib. In the example of FIG. 10, the ribs closer to the midpoint between the toe end 1032 and the heel end 1030 are longer than the ribs closer to the toe end 1032 or the heel end 1030. In one example, rib 1041 has the longest length. Rib 1042 has a longer length than rib 1043, and rib 1044 has a longer length than rib 1045. In another example, all of the ribs 1040 have approximately the same length.

FIG. 12 shows another embodiment of a golf club head. FIG. 13 shows a cross-sectional view corresponding to the line labeled "13" of the embodiment of FIG. 12. The golf club head 1212 (FIG. 12) comprises a hollow body portion 1218 (FIG. 12) having a front wall 1220 (FIG. 12), a crown 1222 (FIG. 12), a sole 1324 (FIG. 13), a lateral wall 1326 (FIG. 13) connecting the crown 1222 and the sole 1324, a heel end 1230 (FIG. 12), a toe end 1232 (FIG. 12), and a rear side 1228 (FIG. 12) opposite the front wall 1220. Additionally, the golf club head 1212 may also include a rib 1240 (FIG. 12) extending downwardly from the lower surface of the crown 1222. In the example embodiment shown in FIG. 12 , rib 1240 includes ribs 1241, 1242, 1243, 1244, and 1245 having a first end near front wall 1240 and a second end near rear end 1228. In other examples of this embodiment, rib 1243 can have a first end in contact with front wall 1220 and a second end that extends proximate rear wall 1228, extends in contact with rear wall 1228, or extends further along rear wall 1228 to approach front wall 1220. Furthermore, rib 1240 can have a first end in contact with front wall 1220 and a second end that extends proximate rear wall 1228, extends in contact with rear wall 1228, or extends further along rear wall 1228.

In some examples, one or more ribs are straight. In one example, ribs 1241, 1242, 1243, 1244, and 1245 are straight, as in the example of Figure 12. However, in other examples, some of the ribs 1240 may not be straight. For example, one or more ribs 1240 may be curved. In other examples, the ribs 1240 are arranged so that the axes of the ribs 1240 converge at a common point. In other examples, the common point is further forward than the front wall. In other examples, the axes of the ribs 1240 do not converge at a common point.

Each of the ribs 1240 has a width dimension. In the example of FIG. 12, each of the ribs 1240 has a substantially constant width. In some examples, the width of the rib 1240 tapers at the first and second ends. In other examples, the width of the rib 1240 does not taper at the first and second ends. In the example of FIG. 12, the width of each of the ribs 1240 can vary. For example, the width of a particular rib increases as the rib approaches the midpoint between the toe end 1232 and the heel end 1230. As shown in FIG. 12, rib 1241 has the largest width, rib 1242 has a width greater than the width of rib 1243, and rib 1244 has a width greater than the width of rib 1245. In some examples, the widths of the ribs 1240 in the golf club head 1212 are symmetrical. For example, the width of rib 1243 is approximately equal to the width of rib 1245, and the width of rib 1242 is approximately equal to the width of rib 1244. In another example, the width of the ribs 1240 is asymmetrical in the golf club head 1212. In another example, the width of the ribs 1240 can vary, for example, increasing as the ribs approach the toe end 1232 or the heel end 1230. In yet another example, the width of the ribs 1240 is independent of the location of the ribs relative to the toe end 1232 and/or the heel end 1230. The ribs 1240 can be positioned such that ribs with wider widths can be located in larger vibration areas.

Additionally, each of the ribs 1240 has a height dimension. The height dimension is measured as the distance the rib extends from the crown 1222 into the hollow body. In the example of FIG. 13 , each of the ribs 1240 has a substantially constant height. In some examples, the height of the rib 1240 increases as the rib approaches the midpoint between the toe end 1232 and the heel end 1230. In other examples, the height of the rib 1240 increases as the rib approaches the toe end 1232 and the heel end 1230. In further examples, the height of the rib 1240 may vary (e.g., gradually increasing, linearly increasing, gradually decreasing, linearly decreasing, and any combination thereof) independently of the position of the rib relative to the toe end 1232 and/or heel end 1230. Additionally, as shown in FIG. 13 , each of the ribs 1240 may have a height that is different from the height of at least one of the other ribs. As shown in FIG. 13 , rib 1241 can have the greatest height, with rib 1242 having a height greater than rib 1243, and rib 1244 having a height greater than rib 1245. In some instances, the heights of ribs 1240 in golf club head 1212 are symmetrical. For example, the height of rib 1243 is approximately equal to the height of rib 1245, and the height of rib 1242 is approximately equal to the height of rib 1244. In other instances, the heights of ribs 1240 in golf club head 1212 are asymmetrical. Ribs 1240 can be positioned such that ribs with greater heights can be located in larger vibration areas.

Each of the ribs 1240 also has a length dimension. The length dimension is measured as the distance between the first end and the second end of the rib. In the example of FIG. 12, the ribs closer to the midpoint between the toe end 1232 and the heel end 1230 are longer than the ribs closer to the toe end 1232 or the heel end 1230. In one example, rib 1241 has the longest length. Rib 1242 has a longer length than rib 1243, and rib 1244 has a longer length than rib 1245. In another example, all of the ribs 1240 have approximately the same length.

In other examples, the ribs can have widths and/or heights that taper and vary from rib to rib. For example, the ribs can have a tapered width as shown by rib 1040 in FIG. 10 and can have a varying width as shown by rib 1240 in FIG. 12. Furthermore, the ribs can have a tapered height as shown by rib 1040 in FIG. 11 and can have a varying height as shown by rib 1240 in FIG. 13.

In another embodiment, a method of providing a golf club head is provided. The method of providing a golf club head may include providing a body having a heel end, a toe end, a crown having an upper surface and a lower surface, a sole, a front wall, a rear side, and a rib extending from a first end to a second end and extending downwardly from the lower surface of the crown. Furthermore, the rib may comprise a first rib and at least one curved second rib. In one example, the heel end may be heel end 430 ( FIG. 4 ), heel end 630 ( FIG. 6 ), or heel end 830 ( FIG. 8 ). The toe end may be toe end 432 ( FIG. 4 ), toe end 632 ( FIG. 6 ), or toe end 832 ( FIG. 8 ). The crown may be crown 422 ( FIG. 4 ), crown 622 ( FIG. 6 ), or crown 822 ( FIG. 8 ). The sole may be sole 524 ( FIG. 5 ), sole 724 ( FIG. 7 ), or sole 924 ( FIG. 9 ). The front wall may be a front wall 420 (FIG. 4), a front wall 620 (FIG. 6), or a front wall 820 (FIG. 8). The rear side may be a rear side portion 428 (FIG. 4), a rear side portion 628 (FIG. 6), or a rear side portion 828 (FIG. 8). The rib may be a rib 440 (FIG. 4), a rib 640 (FIG. 6), or a rib 840 (FIG. 8).

In one example, the ribs may be provided integrally with the body portion. In another example, the ribs may be initially provided separate from the body portion. The ribs may then be bonded to the body portion using brazing techniques, soldering techniques, or adhesives.

In another embodiment, a method of providing a golf club head is provided. The method of providing a golf club head may include providing a body having a heel end, a toe end, a crown having an upper surface and a lower surface, a sole, a front wall, a rear side, and a generally straight rib extending downwardly from the lower surface of the crown and extending from a first end near the front wall to a second end near the rear side. Furthermore, in some examples, the rib may have a width that tapers from its midpoint to its end. In the same or other examples, at least two of the ribs have different widths. In one example, the heel end may be heel end 1030 ( FIG. 10 ) or heel end 1230 ( FIG. 12 ). The toe end may be toe end 1032 ( FIG. 10 ) or toe end 1232 ( FIG. 12 ). The crown may be crown 1022 ( FIG. 10 ) or crown 1222 ( FIG. 12 ). The sole may be sole 1124 ( FIG. 11 ) or sole 1324 ( FIG. 13 ). The front wall may be referred to as front wall 1020 (FIG. 10) or front wall 1220 (FIG. 12). The rear side may be referred to as rear side portion 1028 (FIG. 10) or rear side portion 1228 (FIG. 12). The rib may be referred to as rib 1040 (FIG. 10) or rib 1240 (FIG. 12).

In one example, the ribs may be provided integrally with the body portion. In another example, the ribs may be initially provided separate from the body portion. The ribs may then be bonded to the body portion by brazing, soldering, or adhesive.

Continuing with the drawings, FIG. 14 shows a partial cross-sectional view of the front of the club head 140. FIG. 15 shows a cross-sectional top view of the golf club head 140 taken along line XV-XV in FIG. 14. The golf club head 140 is similar to other golf club heads disclosed herein (such as golf club head 12 (FIGS. 1-4)), but differs in that it includes ribs 1420 located on a rib surface 1415, where the rib surface 1415 is defined by the extension of the ribs 1420 and the spaces between them. In this example, the ribs 1420 comprise a single material with the rib surface 1415; however, there may be instances in which the ribs 1420 are not integral with the rib surface 1415 but are secured via one or more mechanical or chemical fasteners.

Players or users of golf club heads often evaluate the quality of a shot based on the sound produced when the golf club head impacts a golf ball. Maintaining a consistent impact sound can be advantageous for a player or user to maintain a comfort zone and/or expectations regarding such sound/quality relationships. With this in mind, rib 1420 may be configured to achieve a desired impact sound through stress and/or vibration when golf club head 140 impacts a golf ball, such as golf ball 1570 ( FIG. 15 ). Such a feature may be valuable for maintaining and/or restoring desired sound characteristics in a golf club head design, even if the desired sound characteristics change as a result of other changes or modifications to the golf club head configuration based on better performance studies. Additionally, as previously described with respect to other golf club heads disclosed herein, rib 1420 reinforces the properties of the portion of the golf club head where rib surface 1415 is located to better dissipate or pass through stress or impact forces.

The golf club head 140 comprises a body portion 1410 having a heel end 1411, a toe end 1412, a sole 1413, a crown 1414, a front surface 1416 (including a strike face 1430 and a target strike zone 1431), a rear surface 1517 (FIG. 15), and a skirt portion 1418. The body portion 1410 also comprises a rib surface 1415 from which ribs 1420 protrude. In this embodiment, the ribs 1420 comprise rib 1421 having a rib longitudinal axis 1521 (FIG. 15), rib 1422 having a rib longitudinal axis 1522 (FIG. 15), and rib 1423 having a rib longitudinal axis 1523 (FIG. 15), with the rib longitudinal axes 1521-1523 intersecting at a common point 1550 (FIG. 15) on the exterior of the body portion 1410. Rib 1421 is located closest to heel end 1411, rib 1422 is located closest to toe end 1412 of body portion 1410, and rib 1423 is located between ribs 1411 and 1412. In this example, ribs 1420 are arranged on rib surface 1415 in a substantially radial pattern, forming a fan-like shape between ribs 1421 and 1422. In this example, common point 1550 is located forward of front surface 1416. However, in some instances, common point 1550 may be located somewhere outside of body portion 1410. In one example, a different example may have ribs similar to rib 1420, but configured to intersect at a common point located rearward of rear surface 1517.

Rib 1420 includes rib 1424 having longitudinal axis 1524 and rib 1425 having longitudinal axis 1525. In this example, longitudinal axes 1524 and 1525 also intersect at common point 1550 along with longitudinal axes 1521-1523. However, not all of the longitudinal axes of rib 1420 need intersect at common point 1550. In one example, longitudinal axes 1524 and 1525 may intersect outside of body portion 1410 somewhere other than common point 1550. Other examples may include a different number of ribs. In one example, ribs 1423-1425 are absent, such that rib 1420 includes only two ribs. In other examples, the ribs of sole 24 (FIG. 3) may include more than five ribs, such as an embodiment with ten ribs similar to those described in FIGS. 1-3. In such an embodiment, a rib may not intersect with all of the other ribs.

In this example of FIG. 15 , the rib surface 1415 is located on the medial sole 1413 of the body portion 1410, and therefore the rib 1420 is also located on the medial side of the body portion and is not visible on the sole 1413 opposite the rib surface 1415. However, in other examples, the rib 1420 may be located on the exterior of the body portion 1410. That is, the rib surface may be located on the exterior surface of the crown 1414 or the exterior surface of the sole 1413. In this or other embodiments, the rib 1420 is non-convex with respect to the crown 1414 and therefore may be concave or substantially flat with respect to the crown 1414. The rib surface 1415 extends beyond the sole 1413 onto a portion of the skirt portion 1418 of the body portion 1410. However, there are examples in which the rib 1420 need not extend into the skirt portion 1418. In some instances, ribs 1420 extending into the skirt portion 1418 may be useful in reinforcing one or more portions of the skirt portion 1418 and/or adjusting the impact sound of the golf club head 140.

As can be seen in FIG. 15 , each of the ribs 1420 is spaced apart from the front surface 1416 and the rear surface 1517. Such a feature can be useful, for example, in that it does not interfere with the bending or deformation of the transition region between the front surface 1416 and the remainder of the body portion 1410 upon impact with a golf ball. Also, in this embodiment, each of the ribs 1420 is spaced apart from the front surface 1416 by different distances along their longitudinal rib axes. In one example, the distance that rib 1423 is spaced apart from the front surface 1416 along rib longitudinal axis 1523 is greater than the distance that rib 1421 and/or rib 1422 are spaced apart from the front surface 1416 along rib longitudinal axes 1521 and/or 1522, respectively. In this embodiment, rib 1421 is approximately 1.732 cm from front surface 1416, rib 1422 is approximately 1.638 cm from front surface 1416, rib 1423 is approximately 1.742 cm from front surface 1416, rib 1424 is approximately 1.737 cm from front surface 1416, and rib 1425 is approximately 1.709 cm from front surface 1416. Such different spacing can be meaningful in terms of affecting or adjusting the stiffness of the transition region between strike face 1430 and sole 1413, thereby adjusting one or more attributes of the golf club head (such as characteristic time, coefficient of restitution, impact sound, and/or feel). In other embodiments, rib 1420 may be spaced the same distance from front surface 1416.

In this embodiment, rib 1421 has a length of approximately 4.1 cm, rib 1422 has a length of approximately 7.3 cm, rib 1423 has a length of approximately 8.6 cm, rib 1424 has a length of approximately 6.5 cm, and rib 1425 has a length of approximately 8.8 cm. In other embodiments, rib 1422 may have a length greater than approximately 7.3 cm. Rib 1422 extends beyond skirt portion 1481 to near strike face 1430. The length of rib 1420 may extend through and/or over depressions or other features in rib surface 1415, such as depression 1580, including depressions 1581-1583. Thus, as seen in the example of FIG. 15, depression 1580 may partially cover one or more portions of one or more ribs 1420. In one example, portions of the tops of ribs 1422 and 1425 are seen protruding above indentation 1581, and portions of the tops of ribs 1421, 1424, and 1423 are seen protruding above indentation 1582. In another example, portions of ribs 1422-1425 are seen protruding above indentation 1583. All of indentations 1581-1583 protrude from rib surface 1415 into the interior of golf club head 140 in the embodiment of FIGS. 14-15, with indentations 1581-1582 forming indentations into which external weights may be attached to the exterior surface of golf club head 140, and indentation 1583 may correspond to a logo or other design located or embossed on rib surface 1415. However, there may be instances in which one or more ribs 1420 do not protrude above one or more indentations 1580. In one example, the ribs 1420 may protrude above the depressions 1583, with one or more ribs 1420 terminating at the contact surfaces of one or more depressions 1581-1582. In the same or other embodiments, one or more depressions 1580 may completely cover at least a portion of one or more ribs 1420.

Rib 1420 may be configured with a maximum width of about 4.5 millimeters (mm) to about 5 mm and/or a maximum thickness of about 0.5 to about 1.0 mm. More specifically, in the example of FIGS. 14-15, rib 1420 may have a maximum width of about 4.8 mm and a maximum thickness of about 0.76 mm.

The rib 1420 can be configured to have a height, and the height of the rib 1420 can be constant or vary (e.g., gradually increasing, linearly increasing, gradually decreasing, linearly decreasing, and any combination thereof) from the first end of the rib 1420 to the second end of the rib 1420.

In this embodiment, the ribs 1420 do not intersect any of the ribs. Furthermore, the thickness and width of the ribs 1420 are integrated into the rib surface 1415 near the front surface 1416. This characteristic allows the ribs 1420 to better receive or pass stresses and/or vibrations along their length, dissipating them toward or through the desired portion of the body portion 1410 without being blocked or derailed by intersecting ribs. The integration of the ribs 1420 into the rib surface 1415 can reduce stress concentrations beyond those in which the ribs 1420 abruptly protrude near the front surface 1416. However, in other embodiments, there may be instances where one or more ribs intersect all or none of the ribs 1420, and/or there may be instances where one or more ribs 1420 are not integrated into the rib surface 1415.

15, in this embodiment, adjacent ones of the ribs 1420 diverge toward the rear surface 1517 and converge toward the front surface 1416. Furthermore, the main body 1410 has a front portion 1561 and a rear portion 1562 separated by a midline 1563. Here, the midline 1563 is generally parallel to the front surface 1416 at a position substantially halfway between the forward-most point of the front surface 1416 and the rear-most point of the rear surface 1517. In this embodiment, the front end of each of the ribs 1422-1425 is located in the front portion 1561, and the rear end of each of the ribs 1422-1425 is located in the rear portion 1562. There may be an example in which all of the ribs 1420 have their front ends located in the front portion 1561 and their rear ends located in the rear portion 1562. Additionally, in this embodiment, the ribs 1420 are positioned such that the collective center of gravity of the ribs 1420 is located between the center of gravity of the golf club head 140 and the rear surface 1517. In the same or other examples, the center of gravity of each of the ribs 1420 may be located between the center of gravity of the golf club head 140 and the rear surface 1517. As a result, the ribs 1420 may advantageously move the center of gravity of the golf club head 140 rearward from its original position in order to obtain more favorable impact and hitting characteristics.

The embodiment of FIGS. 14-15 also shows a target strike zone 1431 on the front surface 1416. The target strike zone 1431 is configured as the desired point of impact with a golf ball under most circumstances. In this example, the longitudinal axis 1523 of the rib 1423 is substantially perpendicular to the strike face 1430 and coincides with the target strike zone 1431. The target strike axis 1533 extends from the center of the target strike zone 1431 substantially perpendicular to the strike face 1430. Here, in this embodiment, the common point 1550 is located on the target strike axis 1533, and the rib longitudinal axes 1521-1525 of the ribs 1421-1425 intersect at the target strike axis 1533. The rib longitudinal axis 1523 may be collinear with the target strike axis 1533.

As seen in FIG. 15 , common point 1550 is spaced a distance 1571 from target strike zone 1431. Distance 1571 comprises approximately the radius of golf ball 1570. Distance 1571 may be approximately 21.3 mm and/or may conform to the radius of a golf ball conforming to United States Golf Association (USGA) rules. Currently, the USGA requires that golf balls conform to a diameter of no less than 1.680 inches (42.67 mm). In other examples, common point 1550 may be spaced a different distance from target strike zone 1431, such as the diameter of a golf ball.

In this embodiment, the golf club head 140 may include a sole weight 1590 located on at least a portion of the sole 1413. The sole weight 1590 is located at the lowest point of the sole 1413, effectively lowering the center of gravity of the golf club head 140, and the sole weight 1590 may be shaped to fill in such lowest point of the sole 1413. While the sole weight 1590 is made of the same material as the sole 1413 in this embodiment, in the same or other embodiments, the sole weight 1590 may be made of a different material or component than the sole 1413, and/or the sole weight 1590 may be secured to the sole 1413 via mechanical or chemical fasteners, such as adhesive, one or more screws, welding, and/or brazing. As shown in FIG. 15, the sole weight 1590 may at least partially cover one or more of the ribs 1420, such as ribs 1423-1424. In the same or another example, the thickness of sole weight 1590 may absorb the thickness of one or more portions of the covered ribs, as seen in the portions of ribs 1423-1424 that are encompassed by the thickness of sole weight 1590.

Skipping ahead, FIG. 17 shows a top cross-sectional view of golf club head 170. In this embodiment, club head 170 is similar to golf club head 140 (FIGS. 14-15) and includes ribs 1721-1725 similar to ribs 1421-1425 (FIGS. 14-15). Ribs 1721-1725 are located on rib surface 1715. Rib surface 1715 lacks the features of weight 1590 and depressions 1581-1583 that cover one or more portions of ribs 1721-1725. However, examples may include one or more depressions, such as depressions 1581-1583, and/or one or more weights, such as weight 1590, located on rib surface 1715.

Turning back to the drawing, FIG. 16 shows a flowchart of a method 1600 for providing a golf club head. Examples of golf club heads may be similar to one or more of the golf club heads previously described, such as golf club head 12 (FIGS. 1-3), golf club head 412 (FIGS. 4-5), golf club head 1012 (FIGS. 10-11), golf club head 1212 (FIGS. 12-13), golf club head 140 (FIGS. 14-15), and/or variations thereof.

Block 1610 of method 1600 comprises providing a golf club head body having a heel end, a toe end, a sole, a front surface, and a rear surface. In one example, with respect to the embodiment of FIGS. 14-15, the body may be similar to body 1410, the toe end may be similar to toe end 1412, the heel end may be similar to heel end 1411, the sole may be similar to sole 1413, the front surface may be similar to front surface 1416, and the rear surface may be similar to rear surface 1517. Corresponding relationships are contemplated for other golf club heads or variations thereof taught herein.

Block 1620 of method 1600 includes providing a plurality of ribs protruding from a rib surface of the body portion. In one example, with respect to the embodiment of FIGS. 14-15, the rib surface may be similar to rib surface 1415, and the plurality of ribs and rib characteristics (e.g., height, width, length, and thickness) may be similar to the plurality of ribs 1420 and its characteristics. For example, the plurality of ribs may comprise a portion of ribs 1421-1425. Corresponding relationships are also contemplated for the ribs of other golf club heads or variations thereof taught herein. At least a portion of the plurality of ribs may intersect at a common point on the exterior of the body portion, as shown, for example, with respect to common point 1550 located forward of front surface 1416 in FIG. 15. However, there may be instances where the common point need not be located forward of the front surface of the body portion. Additionally, the plurality of ribs may comprise the same material as the rib surface, or the plurality of ribs may be secured via mechanical or chemical fasteners.

Providing the plurality of ribs in block 1620 may comprise providing a ribbed surface and the plurality of ribs on the interior of the body portion and/or may comprise providing the plurality of ribs on the sole of the body portion. In other examples, the plurality of ribs may be on the exterior of the body portion and/or the plurality of ribs may be provided anywhere, such as on the crown of the body portion and/or the skirt of the body portion.

Different blocks of method 1600 may be added as a single block or performed simultaneously with other blocks, and/or the order of such blocks may be changed. For example, blocks 1610-1620 may be performed simultaneously, forming multiple ribs integral with the rib surface, where the rib surface comprises one or more portions of one or more portions of the body of the club head. There may also be instances where method 1600 comprises additional or different blocks. In one example, method 1600 may comprise a block providing a weight similar to sole weight 1590 (FIG. 15), where such a weight may cover one or more portions of one or more of the multiple ribs of block 1620. Other variations may be implemented in method 1600 without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

Continuing forward, FIG. 18 illustrates a top cross-sectional view of golf club head 180. Skipping ahead in the figure, FIG. 21 illustrates a side view of golf club head 180 in the address position. Golf club head 180 includes several ribs and is similar in many respects to other golf club heads presented herein, such as golf club head 12 (FIGS. 1-4), golf club head 140 (FIGS. 14-15), and golf club head 170 (FIG. 17). Golf club head 180 includes staggered pattern ribs 1820, which include ribs 1821-1825 projecting from rib surface 1815. Rib surface 1815 can be similar to rib surface 1415 (FIGS. 14-15), but is defined by the extension of ribs 1820 and the spaces between them. In this example, ribs 1820 comprise a single piece of material with rib surface 1815, but other embodiments are possible, in which ribs 1820 need not be integral with rib surface 1815 but may be secured thereto via one or more mechanical, chemical, or other fasteners. While ribs 1820 are shown in FIG. 18 as straight ribs, embodiments can exist with corresponding curved ribs that can still exhibit the staggered pattern characteristics described herein. In such embodiments, the curved ribs can be curved similarly to the ribs of FIGS. 4, 6, and/or 9, among other configurations.

The golf club head 180 includes a body portion 1810 having a heel end 1811, a toe end 1812, a sole 1813, a crown 1814, a front surface 1416 (which includes a strike face 1430 and a target strike zone 1431, as seen in FIG. 14), and a rear surface 1817. The golf club head 180 also includes a loft plane 2170 (FIG. 21), which is tangent to the strike face center point of the strike face 1430. In some examples, the strike face center point may be located at the center of the target strike zone 1431 (FIG. 14) and/or may be defined according to a definition of a golf governing body, such as the United States Golf Association (USGA). For example, the strike face center point may be determined in accordance with Chapter 6.1 of the USGA's Procedure for Measuring the Flexibility of a Golf Clubhead (USGA-TPX3004, Rev. 1.0.0, May 1, 2008) (available at http://www.usga.org/equipment/testing/protocols/Procedure-For-Measuring-The-Flexibility-Of-A-Golf-Club-Head/).

When the golf club head 180 is in the address position and the vertical component of the shaft axis 2195 is perpendicular to the flat surface of the ground 2190, as seen in FIG. 21 , the golf club head 180 may be configured such that the loft plane 2170 intersects the flat surface of the ground 2190 along the front intersection line 1891 and the front plane 1890 extends perpendicular to the flat surface of the ground 2190. In some examples, the relative distance of the ribs 1820 may be measured relative to the front plane 1890 or the loft plane 2170.

In this example, the rib surface 1815 is positioned on the sole 1813 and the skirt portion 1818 and is internal to the body portion 1810, such that the rib 1820 is also internal to the body portion 1810. In this example, the ribs 1821-1823 are at least partially positioned on the sole 1813 and extend into the skirt portion 1818, along with the ribs 1824 and 1825, to reinforce one or more sections of the skirt portion 1818. In the same or other examples, such extension of at least some of the ribs 1820 into the skirt portion 1818 can adjust the impact sound of the golf club head 180 to a desired level or frequency. Other examples are also possible, such as when the rib surface 1815 can be positioned elsewhere in the body portion 1810, for example, on the crown 1814, and/or when the rib surface 1815 can be positioned only on the sole 1813 or only on the skirt portion 1818. Additionally, the rib surface 1815 may be positioned on the exterior of the body portion 1810, and in some implementations may be visible from the exterior of the body portion 1810, with the rib 1820 instead protruding toward the exterior of the body portion 1810.

Rib 1820 of golf club head 180 is similar to other ribs presented herein, such as rib 34 of golf club head 12 (FIGS. 1-3), rib 440 of golf club head 412 (FIGS. 4-5), rib 640 of golf club head 612 (FIGS. 6-7), rib 840 of golf club head 812 (FIGS. 8-9), rib 1040 of golf club head 1012 (FIG. 10), rib 1240 of golf club head 1212 (FIGS. 12-13), rib 1420 of golf club head 140 (FIGS. 14-15), and/or rib of golf club head 170 (FIG. 17), regardless of whether such rib is positioned on the crown, sole, skirt, or other portion of their respective golf club heads. In this example, the ribs 1821-1825 are aligned in a staggered pattern relative to the front surface 1416, the front plane 1890, and/or the loft plane 2170 (Figure 21).

In this implementation, rib 1820 includes five ribs (i.e., ribs 1821-1825). Rib 1821 includes rib end 18211 and rib end 18212 opposite rib end 18211, with rib axis 1851 extending through rib ends 18211-18212. Rib 1822 includes rib end 18221 and rib end 18222 opposite rib end 18221, with rib axis 1852 extending through rib ends 18221-18222. Rib 1823 includes rib end 18231 and rib end 18232 opposite rib end 18231, with rib axis 1853 extending through rib ends 18231-18232. Rib 1824 includes a rib end 18241 and a rib end 18242 opposite rib end 18241, with a rib axis 1854 extending through rib ends 18241-18242. Rib 1825 includes a rib end 18251 and a rib end 18252 opposite rib end 18251, with a rib axis 1855 extending through rib ends 18251-18252. However, other embodiments are possible, and in other embodiments, rib 1820 could include more or fewer than five ribs. For example, in one such embodiment, rib 1820 could include a subset of ribs 1821-1825, such as only ribs 1821-1823, or only ribs 1821, 1824, and 1825. As another example, in another embodiment, rib 1820 can include additional ribs, which can be adjacent to two or more of ribs 1821-1825 or interspersed between two or more of ribs 1821-1825.

In this embodiment, rib 1821 is positioned between ribs 1822 and 1823, rib 1822 is positioned between ribs 1821 and 1824, and rib 1823 is positioned between ribs 1821 and 1825. Rib 1820 is aligned such that rib 1822 is positioned between rib 1821 and toe end 1812 of body portion 1810, and rib 1823 is positioned between rib 1821 and heel end 1811 of body portion 1810. As can be seen in FIG. 18 , ribs 1821-1823 are not intersected by any other ribs or intersected with each other, although other embodiments are possible, and in other embodiments, at least some of ribs 1820 may be intersected by other ribs.

From the perspective of the top view of FIG. 18 , the ribs 1821 are aligned such that the rib axis 1851 is substantially perpendicular to the front plane 1890 and substantially aligned with the target strike zone 1431 ( FIG. 14 ). However, other embodiments are possible in which the rib axis 1851 need not be substantially perpendicular to the front plane 1890 and/or the rib axis 1851 need not be substantially aligned with the target strike zone 1431, depending on the desired configuration and/or based on the area of the body portion 1810 of the golf club head 180 that requires reinforcement by the ribs 1820.

Also, the ribs 1820 may include different lengths relative to one another in this example. For example, in this example, rib 1821 includes a rib length of approximately 64 mm from rib end 18211 to rib end 18212, rib 1822 includes a rib length of approximately 70 mm from rib end 18221 to rib end 18222, rib 1823 includes a rib length of approximately 51 mm from rib end 18231 to rib end 18232, rib 1824 includes a rib length of approximately 38 mm from rib end 18241 to rib end 18242, and rib 1825 includes a rib length of approximately 32 mm from rib end 18251 to rib end 18252. In other embodiments, the rib length of the rib 1824 can be greater than 38 mm, with the rib end 18241 being proximate to or in contact with the strike face 1430, and the rib end 18242 extending proximate to, in contact with, or extending further along the rear surface 1817. Additionally, the rib length or rib 1825 can be greater than 32 mm, with the rib end 18251 being proximate to or in contact with the front surface 1416, and the rib end 18252 extending proximate to, in contact with, or extending further along the rear wall 1817. In this example, the rib length of rib 1822 is greater than the rib length of rib 1823, and is also greater than the rib length of rib 1821. However, other embodiments are possible, in which the rib length of rib 1821 may be greater than the rib lengths of ribs 1822-1823, and/or the rib lengths of ribs 1822-1823 may be substantially equal to one another.

In some examples, the rib lengths for straight ribs, such as rib 1820, can range individually from approximately 20 mm to approximately 130 mm. In other examples having curved ribs, such as those having ribs with curvatures similar to those of the ribs of FIG. 4, FIG. 6, or FIG. 9, the rib lengths for individual ribs can range from approximately 20 mm to approximately 205 mm. Additionally, while each of ribs 1820 includes a rib width of approximately 3 mm, other embodiments exist, in which the individual rib widths can be up to approximately 10 mm, the rib widths can be non-uniform along their rib lengths, and/or the rib widths can be unique relative to the other ribs. Additionally, although each of the ribs 1820 includes a rib height of approximately 3 mm, other embodiments exist, in which the individual rib heights can be up to approximately 10 mm, the rib heights can be uniform or non-uniform along their lengths, and/or the rib heights can be unique or non-uniform relative to other ribs. For example, the height of the ribs 1820 can vary by increasing and/or decreasing gradually and/or linearly, and any combination thereof, from the first end to the second end.

The rib axis 1851 can include the distance 18511 between the front plane 1890 and the rib end 18211. Similarly, the rib axis 1852 of rib 1822 includes the distance 18521 between the front plane 1890 and the rib end 18221, while the rib axis 1853 of rib 1823 includes the distance 18531 between the front plane 1890 and the rib end 18231. In addition, the rib axis 1854 of rib 1824 includes the distance 18541 between the front plane 1890 and the rib end 18241, while the rib axis 1855 of rib 1825 includes the distance 18551 between the front plane 1890 and the rib end 18251. In this example, distance 18511 can be approximately 32 mm, distance 18521 can be approximately 20 mm, distance 18531 can be approximately 20 mm, distance 18541 can be approximately 34 mm, and distance 18551 can be approximately 36 mm. Other examples are also possible, in which distances 18511, 18521, 18531, 18541, and/or 18551 can vary within 15% of the numbers listed above. Distances 18511, 18521, 18531, 18541, and 18551 represent distances between rib 1820 and front plane 1890, although corresponding distances between rib 1820 and one or both of front surface 1416 or loft plane 2170 (FIG. 21) can be similar to such distances 18511, 18521, 18531, 18541, and/or 18551 in the same or other examples.

As can be seen in FIG. 18, distance 18511 of rib 1821 is greater than distance 18521 of rib 1822, and is also greater than distance 18531 of rib 1823, causing rib 1821 to be separated further from front plane 1890 than either of ribs 1822-1823, thus creating a staggered pattern therebetween. In this embodiment, distance 18531 of rib 1823 is approximately equal to distance 18521 of rib 1822, although other embodiments are possible, and in other embodiments, distances 18521 and 18531 may be substantially different from one another.

Additionally, in this embodiment, distance 18541 of rib 1824 is different from distance 18521 of rib 1822 and different from distance 18511 of rib 1821. For example, distance 18541 can be greater than distance 18521 and greater than distance 18511 in this example, but other examples are possible in which distance 18541 is greater than only one of distance 18521 or distance 18511. Additionally, other embodiments are possible in which distance 18541 is different from only one of distance 18521 or distance 18511.

Similarly, in this embodiment, distance 18551 of rib 1825 is different from distance 18531 of rib 1823 and different from distance 18511 of rib 1821; for example, distance 18551 is greater than distance 18531 and greater than distance 18511 in this example, but other examples are possible in which distance 18551 is greater than only one of distance 18531 or distance 18511. In addition, other embodiments are possible in which distance 18551 is different from only one of distance 18531 or distance 18511. Distances 18541 and 18551 can be similar to or equal to each other in this or other embodiments.

Additionally, the ribs 1820 are aligned in this embodiment to intersect at a common point 1850 external to the body portion 1810 with respect to the top view of FIG. 18 . In some examples, such alignment may be similar to that of the ribs 34 relative to the common point 40 ( FIG. 1 ) and/or that of the ribs 1420 relative to the common point 1550 ( FIG. 15 ). While each of the ribs 1820 intersects at the common point 1850 in this example, other implementations are possible in which the ribs 1822-1823 do not intersect at the common point 1850, or in which the ribs 1824-1825 do not intersect at the common point 1850. The common point 1850 is positioned forward of the front surface 1416 at a distance of approximately the golf ball radius, as described above with respect to the common point 1550 ( FIG. 15 ). However, other embodiments are possible in which the common point 1850 may be located at other distances from the front surface 1416 and/or the common point 1850 may be positioned on the front surface 1416.

In this example, the ribs 1820 are aligned in a staggered pattern about a common point 1850, and the distance between the common point 1850 and the rib 1820 varies depending on the rib. For example, rib axis 1851 of rib 1821 includes distance 18512 extended from common point 1850 to rib end 18211, rib axis 1852 of rib 1822 includes distance 18522 extended from common point 1850 to rib end 18221, rib axis 1853 of rib 1823 includes distance 18532 extended from common point 1850 to rib end 18231, rib axis 1854 of rib 1824 includes distance 18542 extended from common point 1850 to rib end 18241, and rib axis 1855 of rib 1825 includes distance 18552 extended from common point 1850 to rib end 18251. Extended distance 18512 of rib 1821 is greater than extended distance 18522 of rib 1822, which is greater than extended distance 18532 of rib 1823, thus creating a staggered pattern. In this embodiment, extended distance 18512 can be approximately 44 mm, extended distance 18522 can be approximately 33 mm, extended distance 18532 can be approximately 33 mm, extended distance 18542 can be approximately 51 mm, and extended distance 18552 can be approximately 50 mm. Other examples are possible, and in other examples, distances 18512, 18522, 18532, 18542, and/or 18552 can vary within 15% of the numbers listed above.

FIG. 19 illustrates a top cross-sectional view of golf club head 190. Golf club head 190 is similar to golf club head 180 (FIG. 18), but includes staggered ribs 1920 in a different pattern than ribs 1820 of golf club head 180. For example, ribs 1920 include ribs 1921, 1822, 1823, 1924, and 1925, which are similar to ribs 1821, 1824, and 1825, respectively, of rib 1820 (FIG. 18), but exhibit different respective rib lengths and respective distances from front plane 1890 than ribs 1821, 1824, and 1825. Notably, rib 1921, in this example, extends to front wall 1835 such that distance 19511 between front plane 1890 and rib end 19211 of rib 1921 can be similar to the thickness of front wall 1835 at its intersection with rib 1921. Thus, distance 19511 of rib 1921 is less than distance 18521 of rib 1822 and less than distance 18531 of rib 1823. In other embodiments, rib 1921 does not extend all the way to front wall 1835 but can still extend closer to front wall 1835 such that distance 19511 is still less than distance 18521 of rib 1822 and/or less than distance 18531 of rib 1823.

In this implementation, rib 1921 can include a rib length of approximately 88 mm from rib end 19211 to rib end 18212, rib 1822 can include a rib length of approximately 70 mm from rib end 18221 to rib end 18222, rib 1823 can include a rib length of approximately 51 mm from rib end 18231 to rib end 18232, rib 1924 can include a rib length of approximately 53 mm from rib end 19241 to rib end 18242, and rib 1925 can include a rib length of approximately 58 mm from rib end 19251 to rib end 18252. Other examples are also possible, and in other examples, the rib length of rib 1920 can vary within 15% of the numbers listed above. In some examples, the rib 1924 can include a rib length greater than 53 mm, the rib end 19241 can be proximate to or in contact with the strike face 1430, and the rib end 18242 can be proximate to, in contact with, or extending further along the trailing surface 1817. Further, the rib 1925 can include a rib length greater than 58 mm, the rib end 19251 can be proximate to or in contact with the strike face 1430, and the rib end 18252 can be proximate to, in contact with, or extending further along the trailing surface 1817. Additionally, each of the ribs 1920 includes a substantially approximately 3 mm rib width, although other embodiments may exist in which such rib widths may vary within 15% of the rib widths listed above and/or the rib widths may be non-uniform or unique. Furthermore, each of the ribs 1920 includes a predetermined height, which may be constant or varying, and which may be unique or non-uniform. The ribs may vary by increasing and/or decreasing increments and/or linearly, or any combination thereof.

In this example, ribs 1924 and 1925 of rib 1920 are closer to front plane 1890 than corresponding ribs 1824 and 1825 of rib 1820 (FIG. 18). Regarding this difference, distance 19541 extends from front plane 1890 to rib end 19241 of rib 1924, and distance 19541 is shorter than distance 18521 of rib 1822. Similarly, distance 19551 extends from front plane 1890 to rib end 19251 of rib 1925, and distance 19551 is shorter than distance 18531 of rib 1823. While distances 19541 and 19551 are substantially different from each other in this example, they can be approximately equal in other embodiments. The differences between distances 19511, 18521, 18531, 19541, and 19551 described above create a staggered pattern for rib 1920 that places ribs 1921, 1924, and 1925 closer to the front of golf club head 190 than ribs 1822 and 1823; such a staggered pattern is therefore different from that described above for rib 1820 of FIG. 18, where ribs 1822 and 1823 are closer to the front of the golf club head than ribs 1821, 1824, and 1825.

Consistent with the above, in this example, distance 19511 can be up to approximately 9 mm, distance 18521 can be approximately 20 mm, distance 18531 can be approximately 20 mm, distance 19541 can be approximately 18 mm, and distance 19551 can be approximately 10 mm. Other examples are also possible, and in other examples, distances 19511, 18521, 18531, 19541, and/or 19551 can vary within 15% of the numbers listed above. Distances 19511, 18521, 18531, 19541, and 19551 represent distances between rib 1920 and front plane 1890, although corresponding distances between rib 1920 and one or both of front surface 1416 or loft plane 2170 (FIG. 21) can be similar to such distances 19511, 18521, 18531, 19541, and/or 19551 in the same or other examples.

In this example of Figure 19, the ribs 1920 are also aligned in a staggered pattern with respect to the common point 1850, with the distance between the common point 1850 and the rib 1920 varying from rib to rib. For example, rib axis 1851 of rib 1921 includes distance 19512 extended from common point 1850 to rib end 19211, rib axis 1852 of rib 1822 includes distance 18522 extended from common point 1850 to rib end 18221, rib axis 1853 of rib 1823 includes distance 18532 extended from common point 1850 to rib end 18231, rib axis 1854 of rib 1924 includes distance 19542 extended from common point 1850 to rib end 19241, and rib axis 1855 of rib 1925 includes distance 19552 extended from common point 1850 to rib end 19251. Extended distances 18522 and 18532 can be greater than extended distances 19512, 19542, and 19552, thus creating a staggered pattern about common point 1850. In this embodiment, extended distance 19512 can be approximately 22 mm, extended distance 18522 can be approximately 33 mm, extended distance 18532 can be approximately 33 mm, extended distance 19542 can be approximately 36 mm, and extended distance 19552 can be approximately 24 mm. Other examples are also possible, and in other examples, distances 19512, 18522, 18532, 19542, and/or 19552 can vary within 15% of the numbers listed above.

As can be seen in FIGS. 18-19, the golf club heads 180 and 190 have one or more indentation features 1880, which may be similar to the indentation 1580 as described above with respect to the golf club head 140 (FIGS. 14-15). The indentation features 1880 include indentations 1881-1885 distributed throughout different sections of the sole 1813 and skirt portion 1818, and at least some of the indentation features 1881-1885 may define a logo or other design and decorate and/or strengthen or reinforce one or more sections of the portion of the body portion 1810 in which they are positioned. In this example, indentations 1880 protrude into the interior of golf club head 180, creating an embossed or corrugated appearance from the exterior of golf club head 180, with some of them intersecting ribs 1820 along their respective rib lengths. Thus, portions of some ribs 1820 may be at least partially engulfed by indentation features 1880. For example, rib 1821 intersects and is partially engulfed by indentation features 1881, 1882, and 1885 in sole 1813 and skirt portion 1818. Similarly, indentation feature 1885 is intersected by ribs 1822, 1823, and 1825. In addition, indentation feature 1883 is intersected by rib 1823. However, not all indentation features 1880 need to be intersected by ribs 1820. For example, indentation features 1884 in sole 1813 and skirt portion 1818 do not contact any of ribs 1820, and ribs 1824 do not intersect any of indentation features 1880.

As discussed above, the embossed or corrugated configuration of the indentation features 1880 can be configured to strengthen or reinforce desired sections of the body portion 1810, to compensate for thinner portions thereof, to prevent material loss or deformation due to stresses upon impact with a golf ball or the ground, and/or to adjust the sound of the golf club 180 upon impact with a golf ball. In the present example of FIGS. 18-19, the sole 1813 and/or skirt portion 1818 can include a thickness of approximately 0.7 mm. Other examples are possible, and in other examples, the thickness of the sole 1813 and/or skirt portion 1818 can vary within 15% of the numbers recited above and/or such thickness can be non-uniform across the sole 1813 and/or skirt portion 1818.

In some implementations, there may be some sections of the body portion 1810 where it may be undesirable to install indentation features, for example, for aesthetic, design, and/or performance reasons. Therefore, such sections may be suitable for reinforcement via ribs 1820 rather than via indentation features 1880. As an example, the rib surface 1815 includes a clear section 1819 in the skirt portion 1818, which is clear from any indentation features 1880 due to design considerations. Nevertheless, by positioning the ribs 1824 to protrude therefrom, the clear section 1819 may still be reinforced for strength or sound without having to rely on the indentation features 1820. FIG. 19 also includes indentation features 1880, which relate to the sole 1813, skirt portion 1818, and rib 1920 of the golf club head 190, similar to the description above for the golf club head 180 of FIG. 18.

FIG. 20 illustrates a flowchart of a method 2000 for providing a golf club head. In some examples, the golf club head may be similar to one or more of the golf club heads previously described, such as golf club head 12 (FIGS. 1-3), golf club head 412 (FIGS. 4-5), golf club head 1012 (FIGS. 10-11), golf club head 1212 (FIGS. 12-13), golf club head 140 (FIGS. 14-15), golf club head 180 (FIG. 18), golf club head 190 (FIG. 19), and/or variations thereof.

Block 2010 of method 2000 includes providing a body portion having a heel end, a toe end, a sole, a front surface, and a rear surface. In some examples, the body portion can be similar to body portion 1810 of golf club head 180 (FIG. 18) or 190 (FIG. 19). The heel end, toe end, sole, and front surface can be similar to heel end 1811, toe end 1812, sole 1813, and front surface 1416 (FIGS. 18-19), respectively.

Block 2020 of method 2000 includes providing a plurality of ribs projecting in a staggered pattern from a rib surface of the body portion. In some examples, the plurality of ribs may be similar to rib 1820 ( FIG. 18 ), rib 1920 ( FIG. 19 ), or variations thereof. The plurality of ribs may include first, second, and third ribs, which may be similar to ribs 1821, 1822, and/or 1823 of FIG. 18 or ribs 1921, 1822, and/or 1823 of FIG. 19 . In some embodiments, the plurality of ribs may also include fourth and fifth ribs, which may be similar to ribs 1824 and/or 1825 of FIG. 18 or ribs 1924 and/or 1925 of FIG. 19 . Some embodiments may include more or fewer ribs depending on the requirements of the golf club head in question. In some examples, the staggered pattern for the ribs of method 2000 can be similar to one or more of the staggered pattern options described above with respect to ribs 1820 (FIG. 18) and/or ribs 1920 (FIG. 19).

Method 2000 may also optionally include block 2030 for providing one or more indentation features in the rib surface from which the plurality of ribs protrude. In some examples, the indentation features may be similar to indentation feature 1880 (FIGS. 18-19) or variations thereof. Some of such indentation features may be intersected by one or more of the plurality of ribs of block 2020. In the same or other examples, the rib surface may include a clear section that does not have an indentation feature but may nevertheless be reinforced by one or more of the plurality of ribs. In some examples, the clear section may be similar to clear section 1819, which is reinforced as described above with respect to FIGS. 18-19.

Other examples are possible, in which different blocks of method 2000 may be combined into a single block or performed simultaneously, and/or the sequence of such blocks may be varied. For example, blocks 2010 and 2020 may be performed simultaneously, such as by integrally forming multiple ribs with a rib surface, where the rib surface comprises one or more portions of one or more parts of the body of the club head. Other examples are also possible, in which method 2000 may include additional or different blocks. For example, method 2000 may include another block to provide a weight similar to sole weight 1590 (FIG. 15), which may be attached to one or more of the indentation features of block 2030 and/or may encompass one or more portions of one or more of the multiple ribs of block 2020. Other variations may be implemented with respect to method 2000 without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

Continuing with the above, FIG. 22 illustrates a front view of the golf club head 22000, which includes a body portion 21200 and ribs 22200 connected thereto. FIG. 23 illustrates a top x-ray view of the golf club head 22000. In this example, the body portion 21200 includes a heel end 22160, a toe end 22150, a crown 22110, a sole 22120, a skirt 22130, a front end 22140, a rear end 23150, and a hosel 22190, although other examples with more or fewer sections are possible. The golf club head 22000 and ribs 22200 can be similar to other golf club heads and ribs described herein, and the ribs 22200 can be positioned or structured with respect to one or more vibration amplitude zones of the body portion 21200. The golf club shaft 22191 may be coupled to the hosel 22190.

In this embodiment, rib 22200 includes ribs 22210, 22220, and 22230, with rib 22220 extending along crown 22110 and rib 22230 extending along sole 22120, and rib 22210 extending continuously from crown 22110 to sole 22120 of golf club head 22000, and in this example also extending along skirt 22130 between crown 22110 and sole 22120.

However, there may be other examples where more or fewer ribs are arranged or structured with respect to more or fewer vibration amplitude zones.

Exemplary details of rib 22200 can be seen through the figures. FIG. 23 shows a schematic x-ray view of rib 22200 in crown 22110 and sole 22120. FIG. 24 shows a bottom-up interior view of crown 22110, showing rib 22220 and the crown portion of rib 22210. FIG. 25 shows a top-down interior view of sole 22120 and skirt 22130, showing rib 22230 and the crown and skirt portions of rib 22210. FIG. 26 illustrates a side view of rib 22210 in relation to a cross-section of golf club head 22000 taken along line XXVI-XXVI in FIG. 23. FIG. 27 illustrates a side view of rib 22220 in relation to a cross-section of golf club head 22000 taken along line XXVII-XXVII in FIG. 23. FIG. 28 illustrates a side view of the rib 22230 in relation to a cross-section of the golf club head 22000 taken along line XXVIII-XXVIII in FIG. 23. As can be seen in FIGS. 24-28, the rib 22200 protrudes from a rib surface 24200 of the body portion 22100, which in this embodiment includes portions of the crown 22110, the sole 22120, and/or the skirt 22130.

The rib 22200 may be configured to vary at least one dimension thereof with respect to one or more high vibration amplitude zones of the body portion 22100. In some implementations, the location of the one or more high amplitude zones may be determined via a finite element analysis (FEA) map of a model of the body portion 22100 of the golf club head 22000, generated via one or more FEA analysis tools, such as, for example, Creo Elements from PTC, Inc. (Needham, MA, USA). For example, FIG. 29 illustrates a top-view FEA view of the crown 22110, identifying high amplitude zones 29101, 29102, and 29107 as part of the high amplitude zone 29100. FIG. 30 illustrates a bottom FEA diagram of sole 22120, identifying high amplitude zones 30103, 30104, 30105, and 30106 as part of high amplitude zone 29100.

The high amplitude zone 29100 may include locations in the body portion 22100 that may exhibit higher vibration amplitudes following golf shot impact than other sections of the body portion 22100. For example, the high amplitude zone 29100 may correspond to locations in the body portion 22100 that exhibit vibration amplitudes of approximately 0.5 mm to approximately 4 mm following impact of the golf club head 22000 with the golf ball 1570 at impact velocities of approximately 25 m/s (meters per second) to approximately 70 m/s. In the same example or other examples, the high amplitude zone 29100 may be defined in terms of vibration amplitudes resulting from vibrations at one or more frequencies from approximately 1000 Hz (hertz) to approximately 5000 Hz.

Circumstances may exist in which high amplitude zones may generate undesirable audible frequencies upon impact and/or in which the structural integrity of the golf club head 22000 may be compromised in such high amplitude zones due, for example, to reduced body material thickness at those locations. Accordingly, the ribs 22200 may be positioned to provide structural reinforcement to the body 22100 in such situations while still attenuating such audible frequencies. For example, the ribs 22210 are positioned to extend along the high amplitude zones 30105 and 30106 ( FIG. 30 ) in the sole 22120 and/or skirt 11130, and along the high amplitude zones 29101 and 29107 ( FIG. 29 ) in the crown 22110. The ribs 22220 are positioned to extend along the high amplitude zone 29102 ( FIG. 29 ) in the crown 22110. The ribs 22230 are arranged to extend along the high amplitude zones 30103 and 30104 (Figure 30) in the sole 22120 and/or skirt 22130.

While ribs 22200 can add structural support or strength to body portion 22100, the additional mass in high amplitude zones 29101 can exacerbate vibration or vibration amplitude at those locations. Thus, in this example, ribs 22200 extend along respective portions of body portion 22100 but vary in dimension such that at least their rib height or rib thickness decreases as they extend along one or more of the high amplitude zones 29100. Furthermore, rib height can also increase as it extends along respective portions of body portion 22100. Furthermore, rib height can increase and/or decrease gradually and/or linearly, or any combination thereof. In some examples, rib height can be measured from rib surface 24200 and is substantially perpendicular to rib surface 24200. For example, rib 22210 includes heights 26015 and 26012 (FIG. 26), which in some embodiments can be up to approximately 6 mm, where at least one of rib heights 26015 or 26012 can constitute a maximum rib height for rib 22210. In the same or other examples, rib thickness can be measured substantially perpendicular to the rib height. For example, rib 22210 includes a maximum rib thickness 25215 (FIG. 25), which in some embodiments can be up to approximately 4 mm.

In this example, as can be seen in Figures 25-26, rib 22210 includes opposing rib ends 22211 and 22212. Rib 22210 also includes rib portions 25211, 25212, and 25213, with rib portion 25211 positioned between rib end 22211 and rib portion 25213, and rib portion 25212 positioned between rib end 22212 and rib portion 25213.

Rib portions 25211, 25212, and 25213 include corresponding rib dimensions, with each rib dimension of rib portions 25211 and 25212 being greater than the corresponding rib dimension of rib 25213. For example, as seen in FIG. 26 , rib portion 25211 includes rib height 26011, rib portion 25212 includes rib height 26012, and rib portion 25213 includes rib height 26013, with rib heights 26011 and 26012 being greater than rib height 26013. However, in other examples, rib heights 26011, 26012, and 26013 can have any variation in height, for example, rib height 26013 being greater than rib heights 26011 and 26012. Similarly, as can be seen in FIG. 25, rib portion 25211 includes rib thickness 25011, rib portion 25212 includes rib thickness 25012, and rib portion 25213 includes rib thickness 25013, with rib thicknesses 25011 and 25012 being greater than rib thickness 25013.

In this embodiment, rib heights 26011, 26012, and 26013 and rib thicknesses 25011, 25012, and 25013 are located within rib central section 26050, which is centered about rib midpoint 26299 of rib 22210, and which constitutes 95% of the rib length of rib 22210 as measured from rib end 22211 to rib end 22212. Therefore, rib dimensions outside of rib central section 26050 are not considered in determining the maximum or minimum rib height or thickness of rib 22210.

In this embodiment, the rib 22210 is positioned such that the rib portion 25213 (FIGS. 25-26) is positioned in the high amplitude zone 30105 (FIGS. 25, 26, 30). Accordingly, the rib height 26013 and the rib width 25013 are reduced when compared to the rib heights 26011 and 26012 (FIG. 26) and the rib widths 25011 and 25012 (FIG. 25), which are positioned outside the high amplitude zone 29100. However, in other examples, the rib height 26013 may be increased when compared to the rib heights 26011 and 26012. The high amplitude zone may, for example, include a maximum amplitude zone having the highest golf impact vibration amplitude outside the high amplitude zone 29100. In one example, at least one of rib heights 26011 or 26012 can be approximately 1.1 to approximately 12 times greater than rib height 26013 (FIG. 26). As another example, at least one of rib thicknesses 25011 or 25012 can be approximately 1.1 to approximately 8 times greater than rib thickness 25013 (FIG. 25). In this embodiment, rib height 26013 (FIG. 26) can be approximately 0.5 mm to approximately 4 mm and can include a minimum rib height for rib 22210. In the same or other embodiments, rib thickness 25013 (FIG. 25) can be approximately 0.5 mm to approximately 3 mm and can include a minimum rib thickness for rib 22210.

In this embodiment, the rib 22210 also includes a rib portion 25214 positioned between the rib end 22212 and the rib portion 25212, and the dimensions of the rib portion 25214 include a rib height 26014 ( FIG. 26 ) and a rib thickness 25014 ( FIG. 25 ). The rib portion 25214 is positioned in the high amplitude zone 30106, and therefore the rib height 26014 and the rib thickness 25014 are reduced when compared to the rib height and thickness positioned outside the high amplitude zone 29100. For example, the rib thickness 25012 of the rib portion 25212 is greater than the rib thickness 25014 of the rib portion 25214 ( FIG. 25 ). Similarly, the rib height 26012 of the rib portion 25212 is greater than the rib thickness 26014 of the rib portion 25214 ( FIG. 26 ). However, in other examples, the rib height 26014 may be increased when compared to the rib height located outside the high amplitude zone 29100.

Rib 22210 also includes rib portion 25215 positioned between rib end 22212 and rib portion 25214, and the dimensions of rib portion 25215 include rib height 26015 ( FIG. 26 ) and rib thickness 25015 ( FIG. 25 ). Rib portion 2521 is positioned outside of high amplitude zone 29100, and therefore rib thickness 25015 of rib portion 25215 is greater than rib thickness 25014 of rib portion 25214 ( FIG. 25 ). Similarly, rib height 26015 of rib portion 25215 is greater than rib height 26014 of rib portion 25214 ( FIG. 26 ). However, in other examples, rib height 26015 of rib portion 25215 may be less than rib height 26014 of rib portion 25214.

A similar pattern results for the portion of rib 22210 located in crown 22110. For example, as seen in FIG. 24 , rib 22210 also includes rib portions 24216, 24217, 24218, and 24219, with rib portion 24216 located in high amplitude zone 29107, rib portion 24218 located in high amplitude zone 29101, and rib portions 24217 and 24219 located outside high amplitude zone 29100. Thus, the rib thickness of rib portion 24217 or 24219 can be greater than the rib thickness of rib portion 24216 or 24218. In the same or other examples, the rib height of rib portion 24217 or 24219 can be greater or less than the rib height of rib portion 24216 or 24218.

The dimensions of ribs 22230 and 22220 may be arranged according to the above description of rib 22210, based on the location of high amplitude portion 29100. For example, as seen in FIGS. 24 and 27, rib 22220 includes rib portions 22221, 22222, and 22223, with rib portion 22223 positioned in high amplitude zone 29102 and rib portions 22221 and 22222 positioned outside high amplitude zone 29100. Thus, the rib thickness of rib portions 22221 and 22222 may be greater than the rib thickness of rib portion 22223. In the same example or other examples, the rib height of rib portion 22221 or 22222 may be greater or less than the rib height of rib portion 22223.

25 and 28, rib 22230 includes rib portions 22231, 22232, 22233, 22234, and 22235, with rib portion 22233 positioned in high amplitude zone 30104, rib portion 22234 positioned in high amplitude zone 30103, and rib portions 22231, 22232, and 22235 positioned outside high amplitude zone 29100. Therefore, the rib thickness of rib portion 22231, 22232, or 22235 can be greater than the rib thickness of rib portion 22233 or 22234. In the same example or other examples, the rib height of rib portion 22231, 22232, or 22235 can be greater or less than the rib height of rib portion 22233 or 22234.

23, rib 22210 includes a rib axis 22213, rib 22220 includes a rib axis 22223, and rib 22230 includes a rib axis 22233, and rib axes 22213, 22223, and 22233 can be aligned to intersect with each other and with a locus 23500 forward of the front end 22140 of the body portion 22100, which in this example is defined by a conic section perimeter 23510. In the same or other examples, rib axes 22213, 22223, and/or 22233 can be tangent to conic section perimeter 23510. In this example, the conic section perimeter 23510 defines the size of the circumference of the golf ball 1570, but other conic section shapes or locations are possible, such as those described below with respect to the conic section perimeters of Figures 32-39.

FIG. 31 depicts a flowchart of a method 31000 for providing a golf club head according to the present disclosure. In some examples, the golf club head of method 31000 may be similar to one or more of the golf club heads presented herein, such as golf club head 22000 (FIGS. 22-30).

Method 31000 includes block 31100 for providing a golf club head body portion, the body portion including a heel end, a toe end, a crown, a sole, a front end, a rear end, and at least one of a skirt or a hosel. In some examples, the golf club head body portion can be similar to body portion 22100 of golf club head 22000, where body portion 22100 includes a heel end 22160, a toe end 22150, a crown 22110, a sole 22120, a front end 22140, a rear end 23150, a skirt 22130, and/or a hosel 22190 (FIGS. 22-30).

Method 31000 also includes block 31200 for providing a rib of one or more ribs that protrude from a rib surface of the body portion and include first, second, and third rib portions. In some examples, the rib can be similar to one or more of ribs 22210, 22220, or 22230 (FIGS. 22-28). In the same example or other examples, the rib surface can be similar to rib surface 24200 and can comprise one or more portions of the body portion of the golf club head, such as, for example, a portion of the crown, a portion of the sole, and/or a portion of the skirt thereof.

Block 31200, in some examples, can include sub-block 31210, which includes providing a third rib portion between the first and second rib portions such that a first rib dimension of the first rib portion and a second rib dimension of the second rib portion are greater than a third rib dimension of the third rib portion. In some implementations, the first rib dimension can correspond to a rib height of the first rib, for example, similar to the rib height described above with respect to ribs 22210, 22220, and/or 22230. In the same or other implementations, the rib dimension can also or alternatively correspond to a rib thickness of the first rib, for example, similar to the rib thickness described above with respect to ribs 22210, 22220, and/or 22230.

In some examples, the first, second, and third rib portions can be similar to the corresponding portions of rib 22210, 22220, or 22230. For example, if the rib is similar to rib 22210, the third rib portion can be similar to rib portion 25213, while the first and second rib portions can be similar to rib portions 25211 and 25212 (FIGS. 25-26). As another example, again, if the rib is similar to rib 22210, the third rib portion can be similar to rib portion 25214, while the first and second rib portions can be similar to rib portions 25212 and 25215 (FIGS. 25-26). As another example, again, if the rib is similar to rib 22210, the third rib portion can be similar to rib portion 24216, while the first and second rib portions can be similar to rib portions 25215 and 24217 (FIGS. 24, 26). As yet another example, again, if the rib is similar to rib 22210, the third rib portion can be similar to rib portion 24218, while the first and second rib portions can be similar to rib portions 24217 and 24219 (FIGS. 24, 26).

In a different example, if the rib is similar to rib 22220, the third rib portion can be similar to rib portion 22223, while the first and second rib portions can be similar to rib portions 22221 and 22222 (FIGS. 24, 27). In another different example, if the rib is similar to rib 22230, the third rib portion can be similar to rib portion 22233, while the first and second rib portions can be similar to rib portions 22231 and 22232 (FIGS. 25, 28). In yet another different example, again, if the rib is similar to rib 22230, the third rib portion can be similar to rib portion 22234, while the first and second rib portions can be similar to rib portions 22232 and 22235 (FIGS. 25, 28).

Also, block 31200, in some embodiments, can include sub-block 32220, which includes providing a third rib dimension for a third rib portion in a maximum amplitude zone of the main body portion. In some examples, the maximum amplitude zone can be similar to one or more of high amplitude zones 29100 as described above with respect to FIGS. 24-30, which can be matched with respective rib portions of reduced dimensions similar to one or more of rib portions 25213, 25214, 24216, 24218, 22223, 22233, or 22234 (FIGS. 24-28).

In some examples, one or more of the different blocks or sub-blocks of method 32000 may be combined into a single block or sub-block, or may be performed simultaneously, and/or the sequence of such blocks or sub-blocks may be varied. For example, blocks 31100 and 31200 may be performed simultaneously, such as when one or more ribs are integral with the body portion by forming a single piece with one or more portions of the body portion of the golf club head. In the same example or other examples, some of the blocks of method 32000 may be subdivided into several sub-blocks. For example, block 31100 may be subdivided into a sub-block for providing the crown, sole, and/or skirt, and another sub-block for providing the front end of the body portion and/or its strike face. Other examples are also possible, and method 32000 may include additional or different blocks. For example, the additional block may include connecting a shaft to a hosel of the body portion. As another example, a further block or sub-block may include generating an FEA map of the body portion of the golf club head and/or determining the location of the maximum amplitude zone from the FEA map. In such an example, the FEA map may be similar to the FEA map or diagram of golf club head 22000 shown in FIGS. 29-30. Additionally, other examples may exist, in which method 32000 may include only some of the steps described above. For example, sub-block 32220 may be optional in some implementations. Other variations may be implemented with respect to method 32000 without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

32 illustrates a top x-ray view of a golf club head 32000 with a rib 32200, which may be similar to the other golf club heads and ribs described herein. The golf club head 32000 includes a body portion 22100, which includes a crown 22110, a sole 22120, a heel end 22160, a toe end 22150, a front end 22140, a rear end 23150, a skirt 22130, and/or a hosel 22190, as described above with respect to FIGS. 22-31. The golf club head 32000 also includes a rib 32200, which is coupled to the body portion 22100 and protrudes from a rib surface 32400 thereof. As seen in FIG. 32, the hosel 22190 can have a golf club shaft 22191 inserted therein. In this example, the rib surface 32400 forms the interior surface of the main body portion 22100, although other similar embodiments are possible in which the rib surface 32400 forms the exterior surface of the main body portion 22100.

In this embodiment, rib 32200 includes ribs 32210 and 32220. Rib 32210 includes opposed rib end points 32211 and 32212 and a rib axis 32213 that intersects rib end points 32211 and 32212. Similarly, rib 32220 includes opposed rib end points 32221 and 32222 and a rib axis 32223 that intersects rib end points 32221 and 32222. In this embodiment, rib 32200 also includes ribs 32230 and 32240, with rib 32230 including a rib axis 32213 that intersects its rib end points 32231 and 32232 and rib 32240 including a rib axis 32243 that intersects its rib end points 32241 and 32242. Other embodiments may include a fewer or greater number of ribs.

The top view of FIG. 32 shows the golf club head 32000 with the body portion 22100 in the address position above the ground plane 32710, such that the shaft plane 32720 (which includes the shaft axis 32721 of the shaft 22190) is perpendicular to the ground plane 32710. As can be seen in FIG. 32, the rib axes 32213, 32223, 32233, and 32243 intersect each other and the locus 32500, which is defined by the conical section perimeter 32510. In some examples, the conical section perimeter 32510 may extend in a direction perpendicular to the ground plane 32710 when the body portion 22100 is in the address position, and the locus 32500 may include an area or volume bounded by the conical section perimeter 32510. In this embodiment, the conic section perimeter 32510 comprises a circular perimeter as seen from the top view of FIG. 32, however, in other embodiments, it may comprise a different conic section shape, such as a semicircular perimeter, an elliptical perimeter, a semi-elliptical perimeter, a parabolic perimeter, or a hyperbolic perimeter. For example, skipping ahead in the figures, FIG. 38 illustrates a top x-ray view of a golf club head 38000 with ribs 38200 having rib axes aligned with a locus 38500 as defined by an elliptical conic section perimeter 38510.

Returning to FIG. 32, in this implementation, rib axes 32213, 32223, 32233, and 32243 intersect locus 32500 at conical cross-section perimeter 32150. In addition, rib axes 32213, 32223, 32233, and 32243 intersect each other outside of locus 32500 and forward of front end 22140 of body portion 22100. Other embodiments are also possible in which rib axes 32213, 32223, 32233, and 32243 intersect locus 32500 within conical cross-section perimeter 32150.

Rib 32200 may be similar in some respects to other ribs described herein with respect to other embodiments. For example, although rib axes 32213, 32223, 32233, and 32243 intersect one another forward of front end 22140 of body portion 22100, none of ribs 32200 is intersected by any other rib. While rib 32200 includes a substantially constant rib height and rib thickness, other embodiments may exist having variable rib heights and/or rib thicknesses, which may vary gradually and/or linearly. In such embodiments, the reduced rib height or rib thickness may correspond to a high amplitude zone of the body portion of the golf club head, as described above with respect to the rib height and/or rib thickness of the ribs of golf club head 22000 (FIGS. 22-31). In other examples, the increased rib height may correspond to a high amplitude zone in the body of the golf club head, as described above with respect to the rib height and/or rib thickness of the ribs of golf club head 22000.

The ribs 32200 are aligned with the locus 32500 and the conical section perimeter 32510 to better direct or dissipate impact stresses relative to the target stress direction in which they may occur. In this embodiment, the rib axes 32213, 32223, 32233, and 32243 are tangent to the conical section perimeter 32510, where (a) the rib axis 32223 is tangent to the conical section perimeter 32510 at a tangent point 32511, which is positioned toward the heel side end of the conical section perimeter 32510, and (b) the rib axis 32213 is tangent to the conical section perimeter 32510 at a tangent point 32512, which is positioned toward the heel side end of the conical section perimeter 32510. (c) the rib axis 32233 is tangent to the conical section perimeter 32510 at a tangent point 32513, which is located between the tangent point 32511 and the aft end 32515 of the conical section perimeter 32510; and (d) the rib axis 32243 is tangent to the conical section perimeter 32510 at a tangent point 32514, which is located between the tangent point 32512 and the aft end 32515 of the conical section perimeter 32510.

In some embodiments, the size of the conical section perimeter 32510 can be configured with respect to a target stress direction or the area from which such impact stress may occur forward of the leading end 22140. For example, to better align the rib 32200 and the conical section perimeter 32510 with respect to such target stress direction, such maximum diameter of the conical section perimeter 32510 (which constitutes the maximum distance between any two points thereof) can be relatively small. By way of example, such maximum diameter of the conical section perimeter 32510 can be approximately 3 mm to approximately 10 mm. Such alignment of the ribs 32200 to such a small diameter of the conical cross section perimeter 32510 may be beneficial, for example, for an experienced individual who may be able to more consistently strike the golf ball 1570 in a desired area of the leading end 22140 and/or may desire to align the leading end 22140 and/or the ribs 32200 with a particular zone or point on the golf ball 1570.

In other embodiments, the maximum diameter of the conical cross section perimeter may be larger and may include, for example, a golf ball diameter of approximately 42.67 mm (approximately 1.68 inches). For example, FIG. 33 illustrates a top x-ray view of golf club head 33000 with rib 33200, which may be similar to golf club head 32000 and rib 32200 (FIG. 32), such that ribs 33210, 33220, 33330, and 33340 (FIG. 33) may be similar to ribs 32210, 32220, 32330, and 32340 (FIG. 32), respectively, and such that rib axes 33213, 33223, 33233, and 33243 may be similar to rib axes 32213, 32223, 32223, 32233, and 33243 (FIG. 32), respectively. The ribs 33200 are aligned similarly to the ribs 32200, but are aligned relative to the locus 33500 as defined by the conic section perimeter 33510, which includes the size of the circumference of the golf ball 1570. Such alignment of the ribs 33200 relative to a larger diameter, such as the diameter of the conic section perimeter 33510, may be beneficial for higher handicap individuals, who may tend to strike the golf ball less consistently over a wider area of the front end 22140.

Returning to the example of FIG. 32 , ribs 32230 and 32240 constitute the outermost ribs of rib 32200, which are positioned nearest to the toe end 22150 and heel end 22160 of body portion 22100, respectively. Ribs 32210 and 322120 constitute the inner ribs of rib 32200, which are positioned between outermost ribs 32230 and 32240. As can be seen in this example, rib axes 32213 and 32223 of inner ribs 32210 and 32220 intersect each other forward of conical cross-section perimeter 32510, while rib axes 32233 and 32243 of outermost ribs 32230 and 32240 intersect each other aft of conical cross-section perimeter 32510. Such an arrangement results in a relatively smaller angle between the rib axes 32213 and 32233 of the toe-side ribs 32230 and 32210 and between the rib axes 32223 and 32243 of the heel-side ribs 32220 and 32240. Thus, the toe-side ribs 32230 and 32210 can be focused in the narrower area 32141 of the front end 22140, while the heel-side ribs 32240 and 32220 can be focused in the narrower area 32142 of the front end 22140. In some implementations, such alignment may therefore be beneficial for more experienced individuals who may wish to focus their golf swing with respect to particular areas of the front end 22140, for example, a narrower area 32141 towards the toe end 22150 and/or a narrower area 32142 towards the heel end 22160.

However, other embodiments with different rib arrangements are possible. For example, FIG. 34 illustrates a top x-ray view of golf club head 34000 with rib 34200, which may be similar to golf club head 32000 and rib 32200 (FIG. 32), with ribs 34230 and 34240 forming the outermost ribs of rib 34200 and ribs 34210 and 34220 forming the inner ribs of rib 34200. As can be seen in this example, rib axes 34213 and 34223 of inner ribs 34210 and 34220 intersect each other behind conical cross-section perimeter 32510, while rib axes 34233 and 34243 of outermost ribs 34230 and 34240 intersect each other ahead of conical cross-section perimeter 32510. Such an arrangement leads to a larger relative angle between the rib axes 34213 and 34233 of the toe-side ribs 34230 and 34210 and between the rib axes 34223 and 34243 of the heel-side ribs 34220 and 34240. Thus, the toe-side ribs 34230 and 34210 are focused on a larger area 34141 of the front end 22140, while the heel-side ribs 32240 and 32220 are focused on a larger area 32142 of the front end 22140. In some implementations, such alignment may therefore be beneficial for higher handicap individuals, who may be less consistent with their golf swing relative to a particular area of the front end 22140. Thus, the wider area 34141 (Figure 34) can be larger than the narrower area 32141 (Figure 20), and the wider area 34142 (Figure 34) can be larger than the narrower area 32142 (Figure 32).

As described above, the conical section perimeter for the golf club head can be aligned with respect to a target stress direction from which impact stresses are desired to be directed or attenuated. For example, the locus 32500 and rib 32200 are generally aligned with respect to the strike face center point 32145 of the strike face 22141 in FIG. 32 with respect to a target stress direction that intersects the center of the strike face 22141. Thus, when the golf club head 32000 is in the address position as described above, the conical section perimeter 32510 is centered on the midplane 32730, which is perpendicular to the ground plane 32710 and includes the strike face center point 32145.

Figure 35 illustrates another example showing a top x-ray view of a golf club head 35200 with rib 35200 aligned with a toe-wise location relative to locus 32500. Rib 35200 can be similar to rib 32200 (Figure 32), such that ribs 35210, 35220, 35330, and 35340 (Figure 35) can be similar to ribs 32210, 32220, 32330, and 32340 (Figure 32), respectively, but with rib 35200 aligned with a toe-wise location of locus 32500. In this example, the strike face 22141 includes a strike face toe end 35147 and a strike face toe end point 35146 between the strike face center point 32145 and the strike face toe end 35147. The toe end plane 35730 includes the strike face toe end point 35146, and the toe end plane 35730 is parallel to the midplane 32730. The rib 35200 is aligned with the cone segment perimeter 32510, which is centered on the toe end plane 35730, to address the target stress direction across the toe portion of the strike face 22141. In the same or other examples, the strike face toe end point 35146 may be positioned midway between the strike face center point 32145 and the strike face toe end 35147.

As another example, FIG. 36 illustrates a top x-ray view of a golf club head 36200 with a rib 36200 aligned with a heelward location relative to locus 32500. Rib 36200 can be similar to rib 32200 (FIG. 32), such that ribs 36210, 36220, 36330, and 36340 (FIG. 36) can be similar to ribs 32210, 32220, 32330, and 32340 (FIG. 32), respectively, but with rib 36200 aligned with a heelward location relative to locus 32500. In this example, strike face 22141 includes a strike face heel end 36147 and a strike face heel end point 36146 between strike face center point 32145 and strike face heel end 36147. The heel end plane 36730 includes the strike face heel end point 36146, and the heel end plane 36730 is parallel to the central plane 32730. The rib 36200 is aligned with the conical segment perimeter 32510, which is centered on the heel end plane 36730, to address a target stress direction across the heel portion of the strike face 22141. In the same or other examples, the strike face heel end point 36146 can be positioned midway between the strike face central point 32145 and the strike face heel end 36147.

Figure 37 illustrates a top x-ray view of golf club head 37000, which includes ribs 37200, 37300, and 37400 aligned relative to locus 33500 and conic section perimeter 33510, which in this example comprises the golf ball perimeter of golf ball 1570. In this example, conic section perimeter 33510 is aligned relative to strike face center point 32145, as described above in Figure 32 with respect to midplane 32730, locus 32500, and conic section perimeter 32510. However, other examples are possible, in which the conical cross-section perimeter 33510 can be aligned with the toe end point 35146, as described above with respect to FIG. 35, or with the heel end point 36146, as described above with respect to FIG. 36.

The ribs of the golf club head 37000 may be positioned on different portions of the body portion 22100. For example, in the present embodiment, ribs 37300 and 37400 are positioned on the crown 22110, while rib 37200 is positioned on the sole 22120. Such locations may vary in other embodiments. For example, rib 37200 may be positioned on the crown 22110 in some implementations, while at least one of ribs 37300 or 37400 may be positioned on the sole 22120 in the same or other implementations.

Rib 37300 includes rib 37310 with rib axis 37313, rib 37320 with rib axis 37323, and rib 37330 with rib axis 37333, where rib axes 37313, 37323, and 37333 intersect each other at conical section perimeter 33510. In this example, ribs 37300 are positioned on the heel side of golf club head 37000, intersect each other at a toe-direction segment of conical section perimeter 33510, and may be tangent to peripheral section 37513 of conical section 33510. However, other embodiments are possible, and rib 37300 may intersect conical section perimeter 33510 in other locations, such as at its heel-direction, front, or rear sections.

Rib 37400 includes rib 37410 with rib axis 37413, rib 37420 with rib axis 37423, and rib 37430 with rib axis 37433, with rib axes 37413, 37423, and 37433 also intersecting one another at conical section perimeter 33510. In this example, ribs 37400 are positioned on the toe side of golf club head 37000, intersect one another at a heel-direction segment of conical section perimeter 33510, and may be tangent to peripheral section 37154 of conical section 33510. However, other embodiments are possible, and in other embodiments, rib 37400 may intersect conical section perimeter 33510 in other locations, such as at its toe-direction, front, or rear sections.

Rib 37200 includes ribs 37210 and 37220. Rib 37210 includes rib segments 37211 and 37212 connected to each other and a rib axis 37213. Rib axis 37213 includes a rib axis portion 372131 along rib segment 37211 and a rib axis portion 372132 along rib segment 37212. In this embodiment, rib axis portion 372131 intersects conical cross-section perimeter 33510 at peripheral section 37511, while rib axis portion 372132 intersects conical cross-section perimeter 33510 at peripheral section 37512. Also, in this example, rib axis portions 372131 and 372132 may be tangent to peripheral sections 37511 and 37512, respectively, of conical cross-section perimeter 33510.

Rib 37220 of rib 37200 includes interconnected rib segments 37221 and 37222 and a rib axis 37223. Rib axis 37223 includes a rib axis portion 372231 along rib segment 37221 and a rib axis portion 372232 along rib segment 37212. In this embodiment, rib axis portion 372231 intersects with rib axis portion 372131 at or near peripheral section 37511 of conical cross-section perimeter 23510, while rib axis portion 372232 intersects with rib axis portion 372132 at peripheral section 37512 of conical cross-section perimeter 23510.

FIG. 39 depicts a flowchart of a method 39000 for providing a golf club head according to the present disclosure. In some examples, the golf club head of method 39000 can be similar to one or more of the golf club heads presented herein, such as golf club head 22000 (FIGS. 22-30) or the golf club heads of FIGS. 32-38.

Method 39000 includes block 39100 for providing a body portion including a heel end, a toe end, a crown, a sole, a front wall including a strike face, and a rear side. In some examples, the body portion can be similar to body portion 22100 as described with respect to Figures 22-38.

Method 39000 also includes block 39200 for providing a rib protruding from a rib surface of the body portion. In some examples, the rib may be similar to the ribs of the exemplary embodiments described herein, such as at least a portion of rib 22200 (FIGS. 22-26), rib 32200 (FIG. 32), rib 33200 (FIG. 33), rib 34200 (FIG. 34), rib 35200 (FIG. 35), rib 34600 (FIG. 36), rib 37200 (FIG. 37), and/or rib 38200 (FIG. 38). The rib may protrude from one or more portions of the body portion of the golf club head, such as from the crown, sole, and/or skirt thereof, either internally or externally.

Block 39200 of method 39000 may include sub-block 39210 for aligning ribs so that the rib axes intersect each other and the locus defined by the conic section perimeter. In some examples, the ribs may be aligned with respect to the locus and conic section perimeter as described above with respect to FIG. 22 and/or FIGS. 32-38.

In some examples, one or more of the different blocks or sub-blocks of method 39000 may be combined into a single block or sub-block or performed simultaneously, and/or the sequence of such blocks or sub-blocks may be varied. For example, blocks 39100 and 39200 may be performed simultaneously by forming a single piece with one or more portions of the body of the golf club head, such as when one or more ribs are integral with the body. In the same or other examples, some of the blocks of method 39000 may be subdivided into several sub-blocks. For example, block 39100 may be subdivided into a sub-block for providing a crown, a sole, and/or a skirt, and another sub-block for providing a front end of the body and/or its strike face. Other examples are also possible, and method 39000 may include additional or different blocks. For example, the additional block may include connecting a shaft to a hosel of the body. Other variations may be implemented with respect to method 32000 without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

Side Ribs: Illustrated in Figures 40-52 is another embodiment of a golf club head, where the club head 40000 includes side ribs that can improve the sound of the golf club head 40000 during impact with a golf ball. The club head 40000 includes a hollow body portion 40018, a front end 40020, a crown 40022, a sole 40024, a heel end 40030, a toe end 40032, and a rear end 40028. The club head 40000 can further include a plurality of ribs 40040 similar to the plurality of ribs of club heads 12, 140, 178, 180, 190, 412, 612, 812, 1012, and 1212. Additionally, the club head 40000 may include a sole weight 40590 similar to the sole weight 1590 of the golf club head 140. Additionally, the club head 40000 may include a plurality of side ribs 40050 extending laterally from the front end 40020 toward the rear end 40028, and the plurality of side ribs 40050 may include one side rib, two side ribs, three side ribs, four side ribs, five side ribs, six side ribs, seven side ribs, or eight side ribs.

The side ribs 40050 may be positioned on the heel end 40030 as shown in FIG. 40 or on the toe end 40032 as shown in FIG. 43, adjacent to or in contact with the front end 40020. More specifically, the side ribs 40050 may be positioned within a range of 0 to 0.35 inches, 0 to 0.30 inches, 0 to 0.25 inches, 0 to 0.20 inches, 0.05 to 0.30 inches, 0.10 to 0.30 inches, or 0.15 to 0.25 inches away from the front end 40020. In some embodiments, the side ribs 40050 may extend into a portion of the strike face. The side ribs 40050 may further be positioned within a vertical distance of 0.5 inches from the apex of the crown 40022 and within a vertical distance of 0.5 inches from the bottom-most point of the sole 40024. The positioning of the side ribs 40050 can improve the sound of the golf club head 40000.

In some examples, the side ribs 40050 can be positioned on both the toe end 40032 and the heel end 40030, with each side rib 40050 positioned on the toe end 40032 being asymmetrical with respect to the side rib 40050 positioned on the heel end 40030. When the side ribs 40050 on the toe end 40032 and the side ribs 40050 on the heel end 40030 are not equidistant from the strike face center point 40060 of the front end 40020, the side ribs 40050 on the toe end 40032 and the heel end 40030 are asymmetrical with respect to each other. In some examples, the side ribs 40050 on the heel end 40030 can be positioned closer to or farther from the strike face center point 40060 than the side ribs 40050 on the toe end 40032. In another example, the side ribs 40050 on the toe end 40032 can be in contact with the front end 40020, while the side ribs 40050 on the heel end 40030 can be positioned further from the front end 40020. In another example, the side ribs 40050 on the heel end 40030 can be close to the front end 40020, while the side ribs 40050 on the toe end 40032 can be positioned further from the front end 40020.

In some examples, the strike face center point 40060 may be located at the center of the target strike zone (similar to the target strike zone 1431 as shown in FIG. 14 and described above) and/or may be defined in accordance with the definitions of golf's governing bodies, such as the United States Golf Association (USGA). For example, the strike face center point 40060 may be determined in accordance with Chapter 6.1 of the USGA's Procedure for Measuring the Flexibility of a Golf Clubhead (USGA-TPX3004, Rev. 1.0.0, May 1, 2008) (available at http://www.usga.org/equipment/testing/protocols/Procedure-For-Measuring-The-Flexibility-Of-A-Golf-Club-Head/).

The amount of side ribs 40050 on the toe end 40032 compared to the heel end 40030 can be equal or can vary. In some examples, there can be three side ribs 40050 on the toe end 40032 and one side rib 40050 on the heel end 40030. In another example, there can be two side ribs on the toe end 40032 and three side ribs on the heel end 40030. Furthermore, in examples, the side ribs 40050 positioned on one end (the toe end 40032 or the heel end 40030) can be staggered from one another, with some side ribs 40050 positioned closer to or farther from the front end 40020. In some embodiments with multiple side ribs 40050 positioned on the toe end 40032 and/or heel end 40030, each successive side rib 40050 can be positioned uniformly spaced apart from one another and/or can be positioned non-uniformly spaced apart from one another. In some embodiments with multiple side ribs 40050 positioned on the toe end 40032 and/or heel end 40030, each successive side rib 40050 can be positioned 0.1 to 0.75 inches, 0.1 to 0.25 inches, 0.025 to 0.050 inches, 0.50 to 0.75 inches, 0.20 to 0.60 inches, or 0.40 to 0.50 inches from one another. The number of side ribs 40050 and the spacing between each side rib 40050 can improve the sound of the golf club head 40000. In all embodiments, the side ribs 40050 positioned on the toe end 40032 can be asymmetrical with the side ribs 40050 positioned on the heel end 40030, such that the side ribs 40050 on the toe end 40032 and the side ribs 40050 on the heel end 40030 are not positioned the same distance away from the strike face center point 40060 of the front end 40020.

The side ribs 40050 can include a predetermined height, width (or thickness), and length. In some examples, the height of the side ribs 40050 can remain constant, extending from the leading end 40020 toward the trailing end 40028. In other embodiments, the height of the side ribs 40050 can vary, extending from the leading end 40020 toward the trailing end 40028 (e.g., gradually increasing, linearly increasing, gradually decreasing, linearly decreasing, and any combination thereof). Furthermore, in some examples, the height of each of the side ribs 40050 can be equal to the height of each of the other side ribs 40050. In other examples, each of the side ribs 40050 can have a different height than the other side ribs 40050. The height of the side ribs 40050 can have a range of 0.051 cm ± 0.013 (0.038-0.064 cm), 0.051 cm ± 0.050 cm (0.001-0.101 cm), 0.51 inches ± 0.13 inches (0.38-0.64 inches), and 0.50 inches ± 0.25 inches (0.25-0.75 inches).

In some examples, the width of the side ribs 40050 may remain constant or may vary (e.g., gradually increase, linearly increase, gradually decrease, linearly decrease, and any combination thereof) as the side ribs 40050 extend from the front end 40020 toward the rear end 40028. In some examples, the width of each of the side ribs 40050 may be equal to the other side ribs 40050. In other examples, the side ribs 40050 may have a different width than the other side ribs 40050. In some examples, each of the side ribs 40050 may taper at a first end 40052 near the front end 40020 and at a second end 40054 near the rear end 40028. In other examples, there is no tapering at the first end 40052 and/or the second end 40054. The lengths of the side ribs 40050 can remain constant or can vary from one another. In some examples, the side ribs 40050 closer to the crown 40022 can have a greater length than the side ribs 40050 closer to the sole 40024. In other examples, the side ribs 40050 on the toe end 40032 can have a greater length than the side ribs 40050 on the heel end 40030. In other examples, all of the side ribs 40050 have equal lengths. The width of the side ribs 40050 can range from 0.178 cm ± 0.013 cm (0.165 to 191 cm), 0.178 inches ± 0.078 inches (0.100 to 0.256 inches), and 0.035 inches ± 0.020 inches (0.015 to 0.055 inches).

As shown in FIGS. 42 and 45, the side ribs 40050 may extend from the leading end 40020 to the trailing end 40028 in a curved manner (e.g., concave, convex, non-linear, etc.). In some examples, all of the side ribs 40050 may all curve in the same direction. For example, the side ribs 40050 may have a concave curve, with the first end 40052 and the second end 40054 of the side rib 40050 curving toward the crown 40022. In other examples, the side ribs 40050 may curve in an alternating manner away from one another. For example, some side ribs 40050 may have a concave curve, while other side ribs 40050 may have a convex curve.

As shown in FIGS. 44 and 45, the side ribs 40050 can be angled. The angle is determined from an imaginary reference line created by the first end 40052 and the second end 40054 with respect to the ground when the club head 40000 is in a rest position on the ground. For example, the side ribs 40050 can be at a 0-degree angle (i.e., horizontal) or a 90-degree angle (i.e., vertical). The side ribs 40050 can be oriented at an angle between 0 and 180 degrees. In some examples, the side ribs 4050 can be oriented at an angle between 20 and 160 degrees, between 40 and 140 degrees, between 60 and 120 degrees, between 80 and 100 degrees, between 10 and 80 degrees, or between 100 and 170 degrees. Additionally, each side rib 40050 may be oriented at a similar angle or may vary from one another.

As shown in Figures 46 and 47, there is another example of a club head 40000. The club head 40000 includes a rib 40040, a side rib 40050, and a sole weight 40590. The rib 40040 and the side rib 40050 of the club head 40000 may include similar properties and characteristics to the ribs and side ribs of the previous examples and embodiments, as described above. Additionally, the sole weight 40650 may include similar properties and characteristics to the sole weight 1590 of the golf club head 140, as described above.

In the illustrative example, the rib 40040 is positioned on the sole 40024 of the club head 40000 and includes a first end 40042 and a second end 40044. The first end 40042 is positioned proximate the front end 40020, and the second end 40044 extends outward in a radial manner toward the rear wall 40028. In other examples, the first end 40042 can be in contact with the front end 40020, and the second end 40044 can extend proximate to, in contact with, or extend further along the rear end 40028. Furthermore, the rib 40040, which is centered within the club head 40000, can extend along the rear end 40028 and can be in contact with or extend to the sole weight 40590. In other examples, any of the ribs 40040 may extend along the rear end 40028, may contact the sole weight 40590, and may extend through the sole weight 40590.

In an illustrative example, the rib 40040 includes a predetermined width and height. The width of the rib 40040 can have a range of 0.178 cm ± 0.013 cm, 0.178 inches ± 0.078 inches, and 0.035 inches ± 0.020 inches. Furthermore, the width of the rib 40040 extending from the first end 40042 to the second end 40044 can remain constant or vary. For example, the width at the first end 40042 can be 0.150 inches, the width midway through the rib 40040 can be 0.100 inches, and the width at the second end 40044 can be 0.195 inches.

In illustrative examples, the height of the rib 40040 can have a range of 0.051 cm ± 0.013, 0.051 cm ± 0.050 cm, 0.51 inches ± 0.13 inches, and 0.50 inches ± 0.25 inches. The height of the rib 40040 extending from the first end 40042 to the second end 40052 can remain constant or vary. For example, the height at the first end 40042 can be 0.50 inches, increasing to 0.75 inches extending along the middle of the rib 40040, and decreasing to 0.60 inches at the second end 40044.

In the illustrative example, the side rib 40050 is positioned on the toe end 40032 of the club head 40000, close to the front end 40020. In other examples, the side rib 40050 may be positioned on the heel end 40030, or on both the toe end 40032 and the heel end 40030, close to, in contact with, or far from the front end 40020. The side rib 40050 includes a first end 40052 and a second end 40054, and the width remains constant while the height decreases from the first end 40052 and extends toward the second end 40054. In other examples, the height and width of the rib 40050 can remain constant or vary as it extends from the first end 40052 to the second end 40054. Additionally, the side ribs are straight and oriented at a predetermined angle relative to the club head 40000 in a rest position. In other examples, the side ribs 40050 can be curved, straight, or a combination of both, and can have any angular orientation. In this illustrative example, the ribs allow the club head 40000 to sound more pleasant during impact.

Connecting Ribs : In other embodiments, the golf club head 40000 may further include connecting ribs 40080, which may intersect a rib 40040 with successive neighboring ribs 40040 to improve sound. In other embodiments, the connecting ribs 40080 may intersect any of the ribs as described above. 5, ribs 641 to 646 in FIG. 6, ribs 841 to 845 in FIG. 8, ribs 1043 to 1045 in FIG. 10, ribs 1243 to 1245 in FIG. 12, ribs 1721 to 1725 in FIG. 17, ribs 1851 to 1855 in FIG. 19, ribs 22213, 22223, and 22233 in FIG. 23, ribs 32312, 32322, 32332, 32342, and 32352 in FIG. 32, and ribs 33210, 3322 in FIG. 34, ribs 34210, 34220, 34230, and 34240 of Fig. 34, ribs 35410, 35420, 35430, and 35440 of Fig. 35, ribs 36210, 36220, 36230, and 36240 of Fig. 36, ribs 37210, 37220, 37310, 37320, 37330, 37410, 37420, and 37430 of Fig. 37, and rib 38200 of Fig. 38. As shown in Fig. 48, connecting rib 40080 includes a first end and a second end. The connecting rib 40080 extends from a rib 40040 between successive adjacent ribs 40040, and a first end of the connecting rib 40080 can be adjacent to the rib 40040 or integrally formed with the rib 40040, and a second end of the connecting rib 40080 can be adjacent to the successive adjacent rib 40040 or integrally formed with the successive adjacent rib 40040.

The golf club head 40000 may include any number of connecting ribs 40080. For example, the golf club head 40000 may include one connecting rib 40080, two connecting ribs 40080, three connecting ribs 40080, four connecting ribs 40080, five connecting ribs 40080, six connecting ribs 40080, seven connecting ribs 40080, or eight connecting ribs 40080. In embodiments in which the golf club head 40000 may include any number of connecting ribs 40080, each connecting rib 40080 may be positioned between the same two ribs 40040. For example, the golf club head 40000 may include first and second connecting ribs 40080 and first, second, and third ribs 40040, where the first connecting rib 40080 may extend between the first rib 40040 and the second rib 40040, and the second connecting rib 40080 may extend between the second rib 40040 and the third rib 40040. In other embodiments, the golf club head 40000 may include any number of connecting ribs 40080, where each connecting rib 40080 may be positioned between different ribs 40040. For example, the golf club head 40000 may include first and second connecting ribs 40080 and first, second, and third ribs 40040, and the first and second connecting ribs 40080 may extend between the first rib 40040 and the second rib 40040.

In some embodiments, the connecting rib 40080 can extend from the first end to the second end in a curved manner. In other embodiments, the connecting rib 40080 can extend from the first end to the second end in a linear, straight manner. In other embodiments, the connecting rib 40080 can extend in a combination of a linear and a curved manner. In some embodiments having any number of connecting ribs 40080, each connecting rib can extend in a curved manner, a linear manner, or a combination of some curved and some linear. In some embodiments having any number of connecting ribs 40080 between the same two ribs 40040, the connecting ribs 40080 can be parallel to one another; for example, a first connecting rib 40080 is parallel to a second connecting rib 40080, with both connecting ribs 40080 positioned between the first rib 40040 and a second neighboring rib 40040.

In some embodiments, the connecting rib 40080 may be oriented between two adjacent ribs 40040 such that one end is positioned closer toward the front end 40020 than the other end. For example, the connecting rib 40080 may be oriented such that the first end is positioned closer toward the front end 40020 and the second end is positioned closer toward the rear end 40028. In other embodiments, the connecting rib 40080 may be oriented such that the second end is positioned closer toward the front end 40020 and the first end is positioned closer toward the rear end 40028. In other embodiments, the connecting rib 40080 may be oriented such that both the first and second ends are positioned an equal distance from the front end 40020.

The connecting ribs 40080 can include a predetermined height and width (or thickness). In some examples, the height of the connecting ribs 40080 can remain constant, extending from a first end of the connecting rib 40080 to a second end of the connecting rib 40080. In other embodiments, the height of the connecting ribs 40080 can vary, extending from the first end to the second end (e.g., gradually increasing, linearly increasing, gradually decreasing, linearly decreasing, and any combination thereof). Furthermore, in some examples, the heights of each of the connecting ribs 40080 can be equal to each other. In other examples, each of the connecting ribs 40080 can have a different height from each other. In some embodiments, the height of the connecting ribs 40080 can range from at least half the height of the rib 40040 to a height that matches the height of the rib 40040. The height of the connecting rib 40080 can have a range of 0.051 cm ± 0.013 (0.038 to 0.064 cm), 0.051 cm ± 0.050 cm (0.001 to 0.101 cm), 0.51 inches ± 0.13 inches (0.38 to 0.64 inches), and 0.50 inches ± 0.25 inches (0.25 to 0.75 inches).

In some examples, the width of the connecting rib 40080 can remain constant or vary (e.g., gradually increase, linearly increase, gradually decrease, linearly decrease, and any combination thereof) as the connecting rib 40080 extends from a first end of the connecting rib 40080 to a second end of the connecting rib 40080. In some examples, the widths of each of the connecting ribs 40080 can be equal to one another. In other examples, the connecting ribs 40080 can have widths that are different from one another. In some examples, each of the connecting ribs 40080 can have a tapering at a first end near the first rib 40040 and a tapering at a second end near the neighboring second rib 40040. In other examples, there can be no tapering at the first end and/or second end. The width (or thickness) of the connecting rib 40080 can have a range of 0.178 cm ± 0.013 cm (0.165 to 0.191 cm), 0.178 inches ± 0.078 inches (0.100 to 0.256 inches), and 0.035 inches ± 0.020 inches (0.015 to 0.055 inches).

As described above, the connecting ribs 40040 may be positioned between a rib 40040 and a successive neighboring rib 40040. More specifically, the connecting ribs may be positioned between a rib 40040 and a successive neighboring rib 40040 in high amplitude zones 40090 on the golf club head 40000, similar to the high amplitude zones described above in FIGS. 29 and 30. As illustrated in FIGS. 49-52, these high amplitude zones 40090 may result on the crown 40022, sole 40024, and/or skirt of the golf club head 40000. In some embodiments, the high amplitude zone 40090 can be present on the first, second, and/or third of the crown 40022 (from the front end 40020 to the rear end 40028) near the heel end 40030, near the toe end 40032, between the heel end 40030 and the toe end 40032, or combinations thereof. In other embodiments, the high amplitude zone 40090 can be present on the first, second, and/or third of the sole 40024 (from the front end 40020 to the rear end 40028) near the heel end 40030, near the toe end 40032, between the heel end 40030 and the toe end 40032, or combinations thereof. The connecting rib 40080 can be positioned on any of the above-mentioned high amplitude zones 40090.

In some embodiments, the golf club head 40000 may include one high amplitude zone 40090. In other embodiments, the golf club head 40000 may include any number of high amplitude zones 40090 (e.g., one high amplitude zone 40090, two high amplitude zones 40090, three high amplitude zones 40090, four high amplitude zones 40090, five high amplitude zones 40090, six high amplitude zones 40090, seven high amplitude zones 40090, or eight high amplitude zones 40090). In one example, as illustrated in FIG. 49 , the golf club head 40000 may include a first high amplitude zone 40091, a second high amplitude zone 40092, and a third high amplitude zone 40093 positioned on the sole 40024.

The high amplitude zone 40090 can be determined through modal analysis, which tests the response of the golf club head at different frequencies and produces a color map (known as a "mode") of the golf club head showing the different regions of the golf club head that experience that particular frequency at different amplitude values. In Figures 49-52, the high amplitude zone 40090 can be depicted with different dotted or blank patterns in the circular regions within the high amplitude zone 40090 to illustrate different severities of vibration, with the vibration increasing as you go from the outer circular region to the inner circular region of the high amplitude zone 40090. In some embodiments, the inner circular region of the high amplitude zone 40090 can be depicted with a higher density of dots, representing the highest intensity of vibration at that particular frequency. For example, as shown in FIG. 49, the inner circular region of the second high amplitude zone 40092 includes a densely dotted pattern compared to other circular regions having a sparser dotted pattern, with the inner circular region of the second high amplitude zone 40092 experiencing the highest vibrations. As shown in FIGS. 49-52, the golf club head 40000 was tested by model analysis at three separate frequencies: 4000 Hz ( FIG. 49 ), 4400 Hz ( FIGS. 50 and 51 ), and 8000 Hz ( FIG. 52 ), revealing that different locations on the golf club head 40000 may include high amplitude zones 40090 that may affect sound.

Modal analysis can be viewed in conjunction with acoustic analysis (as illustrated in the graph (FIG. 53)). Acoustic analysis is performed by recording the sound of a golf club head during impact with a golf ball at the center of the strike face (at a speed of 100 mph and perpendicular to the face), and then the sound is converted to the frequency domain. Acoustic analysis measures the pressure difference (vibration amplitude) (measured in lbs/ ⁱⁿ² (psi)) generated by the vibrating structure experienced by the golf club head during the array of different frequencies (measured in Hertz (Hz)) produced by the golf club head during impact. A graph of the acoustic analysis can help determine which modes created by the modal analysis are most effective in improving sound. As shown in FIG. 53 (in conjunction with FIGS. 49-52), the most significant mode to focus on is the mode at a frequency of 4000 Hz (FIG. 49), with the graph showing a relatively high amplitude at 4000 Hz (approximately 0.33e-3 psi of pressure) compared to other peak amplitudes at different frequencies (4400 Hz producing approximately 0.07e-3 psi of pressure, and 800 Hz producing approximately 0.06e-3 psi of pressure). Referring to FIG. 49, a connecting rib 40040 can be located in the second high amplitude zone 40092 and positioned on two-thirds of the sole 40024 (from the front end 40020 to the rear end 40028) between the heel end 40030 and the toe end 40032 to reduce the amplitude at 4000 Hz relative to other frequencies, thereby improving the sound.

For other golf club heads, graphs may be produced by acoustic analysis showing any number of frequencies having different values of high and low amplitude relative to one another. Ignoring frequencies having amplitudes approximately 90% to 100% lower than the highest amplitude generated, if all relevant peak amplitudes are within a ratio of 1:0.5 of one another and/or if the following equation is satisfied with respect to the amplitudes on the corresponding acoustic analysis graph, the connecting ribs 40080 may be positioned at specific locations on the golf club head 40040 in conjunction with modal analysis to improve sound:

where:
is the average value of the lowest amplitude in the acoustic analysis (excluding frequencies approximately 90% to 100% lower than the highest amplitude generated), Y is the highest amplitude value in the acoustic analysis, Z is a value less than 1 that is generated when the connecting rib 40080 is positioned on the golf club head 40000 at the location associated with Y, and Y' is the new and relatively lower amplitude value of Y after the connecting rib 40080 is added.

In embodiments where the acoustic analysis graph may include multiple relatively high amplitudes compared to relatively lower amplitudes (excluding frequencies approximately 90% to 100% lower than the highest amplitude generated), the sound may be improved if the following equation is satisfied:

Here, each variable in Equation 2 shares the same symbol as Equation 1 above, but 1 represents the first highest amplitude value in the acoustic analysis, 2 represents the second highest amplitude value in the acoustic analysis, and n represents any number of highest amplitude values in the acoustic analysis.

Having one or more frequencies above the ideal range can create a less than ideal sound, where certain frequencies dominate other frequencies instead of working together to create a frequency "harmony." Connecting ribs 40080 positioned within a particular high amplitude zone can
or
The highest amplitude value can be reduced to fall within the range of , which can create frequency "harmonics" and prevent one or more frequencies from overpowering the others during impact.

The connecting ribs 40080 of the described golf club head 40000 may further be incorporated into golf club heads 12, 140, 178, 180, 190, 412, 612, 812, 1012, and 1212. Additionally, with any combination of side ribs 40050 and/or radially extending ribs 40040, the connecting ribs 40080 may be positioned over these high amplitude zones 40090, which may improve the sound of the golf club head 40000.

While the ribbed golf club head and related methods have been described herein with reference to specific embodiments, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. For example, while rib 22200 is substantially straight as shown in FIGS. 22-28, there may be embodiments with ribs similar to rib 22200 that are not straight or otherwise follow curved, zigzag, or S-shaped paths along their respective lengths along the rib surfaces of their respective golf club head bodies. As another example, rib 22200 or other ribs similar thereto may be external rather than internal. As yet another example, although FIGS. 22-28 depict reduced dimension portions of rib 22200, such as rib portions 25213, 24218, 22233, and 22223, as continuously projecting above rib surface 24200, other embodiments are possible in which at least a portion of such reduced dimension portions may merge with rib surface 24200, thereby creating a zero rib height or thickness. In some embodiments, the ribs of the golf club head may be aligned to intersect or tangent to other locus and perimeter shapes different from those depicted in FIGS. 22 and 32-38. For example, such other locus and perimeter shapes may be semicircular, semielliptical, hyperbolic, and/or parabolic.

Additional examples of such variations are provided in the foregoing description. Other permutations of different embodiments having one or more of the features of the various figures are similarly contemplated. Accordingly, the disclosure herein is intended to be illustrative, and not limiting, of the scope of the invention. It is intended that the scope of the present application shall be limited only to the extent required by the appended claims.

The ribbed golf club heads and related methods discussed herein may be implemented in a variety of embodiments, and the foregoing discussion of certain of these embodiments does not necessarily represent a complete description of all possible embodiments. Rather, the detailed description of the drawings and the drawings themselves disclose at least one preferred embodiment, and may disclose alternative embodiments.

The Rules of Golf may change from time to time (e.g., new Rules may be adopted, or old Rules may be repealed or modified, by golf's standards bodies and/or governing bodies such as the United States Golf Association (USGA) or the Royal and American Golf Association (R&A)), and golf equipment related to the devices, methods, and/or articles of manufacture disclosed herein may or may not conform to the Rules of Golf at any given time. In addition, golf equipment related to the devices, methods, and/or articles of manufacture disclosed herein may be advertised, offered for sale, and/or sold as conforming or non-conforming to golf equipment. The devices, methods, and/or articles of manufacture disclosed herein are not limited in this respect.

While at least some of the above examples are depicted or described with respect to fairway wood-type golf clubs or driver-type golf clubs, the devices, methods, and articles of manufacture disclosed herein may also be applied to other types of golf club heads, such as iron-type golf clubs, wedge-type golf clubs, and/or putter-type golf clubs. Alternatively, the devices, methods, and articles of manufacture disclosed herein may be applied to other sporting equipment, such as hockey sticks, tennis rackets, fishing rods, skis, etc.

The substitution of one or more claimed elements constitutes a rearrangement, not a repair. Moreover, benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described above with respect to specific embodiments. However, benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any element(s) that may give rise to or make more apparent any benefit, advantage, or solution should not be construed as a key, necessary, or essential feature or element of any claim unless such benefit, advantage, solution, or element is expressly recited in any or all of such claims.

Furthermore, embodiments and limitations disclosed herein are not available to the public under the doctrine of public domain if the embodiment and/or limitation (1) is not explicitly claimed in the claims and (2) is a potential equivalent of an explicit element and/or limitation of the claims under the doctrine of equivalents.

Claims (16)

A golf club head,
a body portion including a heel end, a toe end, a crown, a sole, a front end, and a rear end, wherein the heel end, the toe end, the crown, the sole, the front end, and the rear end define an interior cavity, the interior cavity having an interior surface extending along the heel end, the toe end, the crown, the sole, the front end, and the rear end;
a first rib projecting from the interior surface;
a second rib projecting from the interior surface; and
a connecting rib extending between the first rib and the second rib and connecting the first rib and the second rib;
a first side rib positioned on the inner surface of the heel end;
a second side rib positioned on the inner surface of the toe end and positioned closer to the crown than the first side rib;
The first rib includes:
a first rib end ;
a second first rib end opposite the first first rib end ;
a first rib height;
the first rib height is generally perpendicular to the interior surface;
the first rib height varies from the first rib end to the second rib end ;
The second rib includes:
a first second rib end ;
a second second rib end ;
a second rib height;
the second rib height is generally perpendicular to the interior surface;
the second rib height varies from the first second rib end to the second second rib end ;
The connecting rib is
a first end integrally formed with the first rib;
a second end integrally formed with the second rib;
the connecting rib has a height measured in a direction substantially perpendicular to the interior surface;
the height of the connecting rib varies from the first end to the second end ;
The golf club head, wherein the first side rib and the second side rib are oriented at an angle between 20 degrees and 160 degrees from a ground plane when the golf club head is in an address position . The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the front end of the body further comprises a strike face configured to strike a golf ball, and the first side rib and the second side rib are offset from the strike face. the crown has a crown apex;
the golf club head further defines a plane parallel to the ground plane when in the address position ;
the flat surface is positioned 0.5 inches from the crown apex;
3. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the first side rib and the second side rib are positioned between the plane and the crown apex. the sole has a bottom point;
the golf club head further defines a plane parallel to the ground plane when in the address position ;
the flat surface is positioned 0.5 inches from the bottom point;
3. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the first side rib and the second side rib are positioned between the plane and the bottom point. further comprising a sole interior structure configured to receive a sole weight;
The golf club head according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein at least one of the first rib and the second rib is connected to the sole internal structure. 6. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the connecting rib is offset from the front end such that the first end of the connecting rib and the second end of the connecting rib are positioned the same distance from the front end. The golf club head according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first end of the connecting rib is positioned closer to the front end than the second end of the connecting rib. 8. The golf club head of claim 7, wherein the first end of the connecting rib is positioned near the heel end and the second end of the connecting rib is positioned near the toe end. A golf club head,
a body portion including a heel end, a toe end, a crown, a sole, a front end, and a rear end, wherein the heel end, the toe end, the crown, the sole, the front end, and the rear end define an interior cavity, the interior cavity having an interior surface extending along the heel end, the toe end, the crown, the sole, the front end, and the rear end;
a first rib projecting from the interior surface;
a second rib projecting from the interior surface; and
a first connecting rib extending between the first rib and the second rib and connecting the first rib and the second rib;
a second connecting rib extending between the first rib and the second rib and connecting the first rib and the second rib;
a first side rib positioned on the inner surface of the heel end;
a second side rib positioned on the inner surface of the toe end and positioned closer to the crown than the first side rib;
The first rib includes:
a first rib end ;
a second first rib end opposite the first first rib end ;
a first rib height;
the first rib height is generally perpendicular to the interior surface;
the first rib height varies from the first rib end to the second rib end ;
The second rib includes:
a first second rib end ;
a second second rib end ;
a second rib height;
the second rib height is generally perpendicular to the interior surface;
the second rib height varies from the first second rib end to the second second rib end ;
the first connecting rib is positioned closer to the front end than the second connecting rib;
the first connecting rib and the second connecting rib are parallel to each other;
The golf club head, wherein the first side rib and the second side rib are oriented at an angle between 20 degrees and 160 degrees from a ground plane when the golf club head is in an address position . The golf club head of claim 9, wherein the front end of the body further comprises a strike face configured to strike a golf ball, and the first side rib and the second side rib are offset from the strike face. the crown has a crown apex;
the golf club head further defines a plane parallel to the ground plane when in the address position ;
the flat surface is positioned 0.5 inches from the crown apex;
11. The golf club head according to claim 9, wherein the first side rib and the second side rib are positioned between the plane and the crown apex. the sole has a bottom point;
the golf club head further defines a plane parallel to the ground plane when in the address position ;
the flat surface is positioned 0.5 inches from the bottom point;
11. The golf club head of claim 9 or 10, wherein the first side rib and the second side rib are positioned between the plane and the bottom point. further comprising a sole interior structure configured to receive a sole weight;
The golf club head according to any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein at least one of the first rib and the second rib is connected to the sole internal structure. The first connecting rib is
a first end integrally formed with the first rib;
a second end integrally formed with the second rib;
14. The golf club head according to claim 9, wherein the first end of the first connecting rib is positioned near the heel end and the second end of the first connecting rib is positioned near the toe end. 15. The golf club head of claim 14, wherein the first connecting rib is offset from the front end such that the first end of the first connecting rib and the second end of the first connecting rib are positioned the same distance from the front end. The golf club head of claim 14 , wherein the first end of the first connecting rib is positioned closer to the front end than the second end of the first connecting rib.