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EP 0 345 196 B1 |
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EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION |
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Mention of the grant of the patent: |
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10.04.1996 Bulletin 1996/15 |
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Date of filing: 28.04.1989 |
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International Patent Classification (IPC)6: A63B 53/04 |
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Putter head
Golfschlägerkopf
Têtes de golf
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Designated Contracting States: |
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DE ES FR GB IT SE |
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Priority: |
29.04.1988 ES 8801344
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Date of publication of application: |
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06.12.1989 Bulletin 1989/49 |
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Proprietor: MAKSER, S.A. |
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E-48930 Las Arenas-Getxo (Bizkaia) (ES) |
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Inventor: |
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- Artola Ugarte, Felipe
E-48930 Las Arenas-Getxo (ES)
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Representative: Urteaga Simarro, José Antonio et al |
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Principe de Vergara, 31 E-28001 Madrid E-28001 Madrid (ES) |
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References cited: :
GB-A- 2 195 086 US-A- 3 085 804 US-A- 4 712 798
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US-A- 3 043 596 US-A- 4 367 877
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| Note: Within nine months from the publication of the mention of the grant of the European
patent, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to
the European patent
granted. Notice of opposition shall be filed in a written reasoned statement. It shall
not be deemed to
have been filed until the opposition fee has been paid. (Art. 99(1) European Patent
Convention).
|
[0001] The invention refers to the heads of golf clubs and more specifically to those called
Putters, which usually contain a series of defects for the game itself.
- Raising the club, that is the so-called Back Swing, which gives the degree of flat
or upper in traditional putters, carries with in the danger of raising the club wide,
which causes slicing of the ball, thus producing the fact that the ball veers to the
right, as mentioned earlier.
[0002] Usually, both when putting and when driving, the stroke is played on the ball when
the club is rising and once that it has passed the vertical point behind the ball,
that is when the head of the club is rising, so that a rotation effect, known as spin,
is given to the ball as the putter strikes it above its middle plane.
[0003] The patent US-A- 4712798 describes a putter which adopts a plan view in the shape
of an equilateral triangle, with one of its sides being the ball-striking face and
the other two sides extending backwards in relation to the first. The putter shaft
starts upwards from a line that marks the height of the triangle, so that the two
inclined edges extend on both sides of the said imaginary line that marks the height.
This putter can be used in playing the game of golf by the player taking different
stances when striking the ball.
[0004] The two inclined edges form fixed angles of 60º in relation to the ball-striking
face, in such a way that, as shown in the illustration, when the player is positioned
in front of and slightly to one side of the ball, the swing of the club stroke moves
in a circular fashion from the player's back forward. This is the same as instructing
that a specific stance is needed by the player so that a particular stroke can be
played, which is undoubtedly a limitation of the putter, given that it obliges the
player so adopt postures that are not orthodox in playing golf.
- The basic objectives of the present invention are: in the first place, to prevent
the ball from being sliced, either by playing a sharp stroke on hitting the ball or
by raising the club wide and making a back swing that moves from outwards in, as well
as to align the stroke better and offer fewer possibilities of the ball fading because
of irregularities on the green.
[0005] To achieve these objectives, the patent claims the positioning of a cut area which
starts its inclination from the starting point of the shaft towards the other end
of the same, at which this inclination forms an angle with the theoretical longitudinal
axis of the body of the putter.
[0006] The inclined edge can form part of a fin which is independent of the lug but connected
to it in a way capable of being turned, with the aim that this fin can occupy different
positions to thus vary the angle of its outer edge in relation to the lug and consequently
to the whole of the putter. Obviously, the turning point for the fin will be situated
on the side of the area where the shaft starts (the shank area), that is on the same
side as the golfer, so that the fin can be positioned with the angle desired.
[0007] In this respect, and without it having any restrictive nature, a drawing is attached,
which shows the invention.
[0008] The fig. 1 is a top view of a putter equiped with the inclined edge.
[0009] As regards this figure 1, we point out that it illustrates a potter, which has a
positive face (2), a notch (17) for alignment and an inclined mirror effect area (3).
[0010] From this area rises the lug (4) which shows the edge (22) forming a variable inclination
with respect to the ball striking face (2).
[0011] This lug (4) may be provided with a fin (18) which has an outer edge (27). The fin
(18) turns on (19) of the lug (4) according to (P) towards one side or the other,
so that the inclination of the edge (22) can be altered to form the edge (27).
1. A putter head having a body with a forward ball-striking face and inclined surfaces
behind said ball-striking face, characterized in that means to prevent the back swing
from being wide is carried by the body of the club, in a prolongation of the same
behind the striking face and in that said means comprises an inclined edge, the inclination
of said edge is variable with respect to the ball-striking surface and in a horizontal
plane and is open for the player forming an angle with the striking face of the putter.
2. A putter head according to claim 1 characterized in that the inclined edge (27) is
part of a fin (18), received by a lug (4), which presents a turning point in a plane
parallel to it, in order to vary the inclination of the edge of the fin with regard
to the striking surface.
1. Ein Putterkopf mit einem Körper mit einer vorderen Ballschlagseite und schrägen Oberflächen
hinter der besagten Ballschlagseite dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß Mittel, um einen weiten
Rückschwung zu verhindern, von dem Körper des Golfschlägers in seiner Verlängerung
bis hinter die Ballschlagseite getragen werden und die besagten Mittel aus einer abgeschrägten
Kante bestehen, wobei die Schräge der besagten Kante in Bezug auf die ballseitige
Schlagoberfläche und in einer horizontalen Ebene variabel ist und dem Spieler ermöglicht,
einen Winkel mit der Schlagfläche des Putters zu bilden.
2. Ein Putterkopf gemäß Anspruch 1 dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die schräge Kante (27)
Teil einer Leitfläche (18) ist, die von einer Lasche (4) gehalten wird, die einen
Drehpunkt einer zu ihr parallelen Ebene darstellt, um die Schräge der Kante der Leitfläche
in Bezug auf die Schlagoberfläche zu variieren.
1. Une tête de putter munie d'un corps et d'une face destinée à frapper la balles et
des surfaces inclinées situées derrière ladite face destinée à frapper la balle, se
caractérisant par le fait qu'elle a pour fonction de prévenir le "back swing" de se
produire du fait du corps du club, dans le prolongement de celui-ci en arrière de
la face de contact, étant donné que ce système comprend un bord incliné, l'inclinaison
de ce bord étant variable par rapport à la surface de frappe de la balle et dans un
plan horizontal qui s'ouvre pour le joueur en formant un angle avec la surface de
frappe du putter.
2. Une tête de putter conforme à la revendication 1, se caractérisant par le fait que
le bord incliné (27) fait partie d'un embout (18) reçu par une oreille (4), qui présente
un point de pivotement dans un plan parallèle, de manière à pouvoir varier l'inclinaison
du bord de l'embout par rapport à la surface de frappe de la balle.