Golf Putter with Animal Bone Insert

Abstract

The disclosure provides a putter head including a striking face formed of animal bone. In an example, an outer striking surface can be made of animal bone, wherein the outer striking surface is adhered to the striking face of the putter head. In an example, the striking face includes a central cavity and an insert, wherein the insert is formed of animal bone.

Claims

1. A putter head comprising: a striking face including a central cavity and an outer striking surface; and an insert including animal bone, the insert including a front face and a back face, the back face fittingly engaged within the central cavity, wherein the front face of the insert forms the outer striking surface.

2. The putter head of claim 1, wherein the animal bone is camel bone.

3. The putter head of claim 1, wherein the animal bone is cow bone.

4. The putter head of claim 1, wherein the insert is secured within the central cavity by an adhesive.

5. The putter head of claim 1, wherein the insert is secured within the central cavity by one or more mechanical fasteners.

6. The putter head of claim 1, wherein the insert has a depth between 1/64 of an inch to of an inch.

7. The putter head of claim 1, wherein the insert has a density between 2.1 g/cm3 to 2.2 g/cm3.

8. The putter head of claim 1, wherein the insert has a density between 2.0 g/cm3 to 2.2 g/cm3.

9. The putter head of claim 1, wherein the insert comprises two or more animal bones.

10. The putter head of claim 1, wherein the front face of the insert forms the entire outer striking surface.

11. A putter head comprising: a putter head including a striking face; and an outer striking surface, wherein the outer striking surface includes animal bone.

12. The putter head of claim 11, wherein the animal bone is cow bone.

13. The putter head of claim 11, wherein the animal bone is camel bone.

14. The putter head of claim 11, wherein the outer striking surface has a depth between 1/64 of an inch to of an inch.

15. The putter head of claim 11, wherein the outer striking surface has a density between 2.1 g/cm3 to 2.2 g/cm3.

16. The putter head of claim 11, wherein the outer striking surface has a density between 2.0 g/cm3 to 2.2 g/cm3.

17. The putter head of claim 11, wherein the outer striking surface comprises two or more animal bones.

18. The putter head of claim 11, wherein the outer striking surface covers the entire striking face of the putter head.

19. The putter head of claim 11, wherein the outer striking surface is adhered to the striking face of the putter head.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a putter head including an animal bone insert on the ball striking face of the club.

[0023] FIG. 2 is across-sectional side view of the putter head of FIG. 1.

[0024] FIG. 3A is a front view of an animal bone insert.

[0025] FIG. 3B is a side vide of an animal bone insert.

[0026] FIG. 4 is an illustration of bone density among various animals.

[0027] FIG. 5 is an example of a putter head including an outer striking surface.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a putter 10 including an insert 100 comprising animal bone. As shown in FIG. 1, the insert 100 is positioned within in a central cavity 210 in a striking face 220 of the putter head 200 such that the insert 100 spans the sweet spot of the striking face 220 (defined as the area of the putter head 200 designed to contact the ball with a balanced swing). Alternatively, the insert 100 can extend over the entirety of the striking face 220. In other words, the front face of the insert 100 can form the entire area of the outer surface of the striking face 22 (i.e., not just the sweet spot).

[0029] Also shown in FIG. 1, the putter 10 includes a shaft 50 which connects to putter head 200 through a hose) 240, which acts as the attachment point between putting head 200 and shaft 50.

[0030] The striking face 220 of the putter head 200 may be formed from a material that is different from or the same as the insert 100. For example, the striking face 220 may be formed from, for example, stainless steel, titanium, composites, etc. Alternatively, or in addition to, the insert 100 and the striking face 220 can be made of animal bone.

[0031] In an example, the entire outer surface of the striking face 200 can be made of animal bone. For example, the putter 10 may not include an insert 100, but instead the entire outer surface of the striking face 200 (i.e., outer striking surface) can be made of animal bone. In an example, the putter 10 can include an outer striking surface 300 that can be adhered to the striking face 200, wherein the outer striking surface 300 is made of animal bone, as shown in FIG. 5.

[0032] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view of the putter head 200 including an insert 100 comprising animal bone. As shown in FIG. 2, the insert 100 is fittingly engaged within the central cavity 210 to provide a uniform, smooth plane along the striking face 220. The insert 100 may be secured within the cavity 210 of the putter head 200 preferably by means of high strength epoxy. When attaching by epoxy, the epoxy mixture may be placed in the cavity 210 of the putter head 200 and on a corresponding surface of the bone insert 100. The longitudinal axis of the insert 100 is aligned with the longitudinal axis of putter head 200 prior to adhesion. Alternatively, the insert 100 may be attached by bolts, screws, integral latches or another method of secure and lasting attachment.

[0033] In the example shown in FIG. 2, the putter head 200 includes an insert 100 formed from animal bone. This insert 100 is located within the cavity 210 which was milled into the striking face 220 of the putter 10. In one non-limiting example, the depth of the milled cavity 210 may be between 1/64- of an inch in depth. As shown, when within the cavity 210, the outer face of the animal bone insert 100 sits flush with the face 220 of the putting head 200 to provide a continuously smooth, uniform striking face 200. In an example, the animal bone insert 100 can extend over the entire face 220 of the putting head 200. In other words, the front face of the insert can form the outer surface of the striking surface (i.e., outer striking surface of the striking face).

[0034] FIG. 3A is a front view of an animal bone insert 100. As shown in FIG. 3A, the animal bone insert 100 may be trapezoidal in shape with the bottom portion of the insert 100 having a greater width then the top. Any other geometric shape may be utilized for a bone insert 100 (i.e., oval, square, rectangle, etc.) with the shape of the insert 100 being mirrored by the cavity 210.

[0035] FIG. 3B is a side view of an animal bone insert 100. As shown in FIG. 3B, the animal bone insert 100 may have a smaller depth than width (see FIG. 3A) which gives it a wide profile for striking the ball but shallow depth profile. This shallow depth reduces the size of the cavity 210 that must be milled or otherwise created for the insert 100. As noted in FIG. 2, the depth of the insert 100 should match with the cavity 210 so that when set within the striking face 220 the outward face of the insert 100 is flush with the rest of the striking face 220.

[0036] Depending on user preference, the insert 100 can be concave, convex, or flat relative to the rest of the striking face 220 depending on functional advantage or user preference.

[0037] An advantage of utilizing animal bone is the ability to tune the striking characteristics of the putter 10 using natural materials. Every golfer has their own preference about the feel of the putter they prefer to use. Some enjoy a putter that provides a lot of spring off the striking face 220 while others prefer a less reactive, deadening effect from their putter 10. In some putters 10, these effects are achieved by the use of different metals, alloys, and polymers in the striking face 220. For organically produced materials, wood had been a common choice for golf clubs in the past. However, this material is not durable nor is it sought out for putting due to irregularities in the density of wood which leads to inconsistent striking properties.

[0038] Animal bone offers an organic material which is typically uniform in density (throughout a single bone) and without the irregularities seen in wood (e.g., no grain pattern, knots, etc.). Further, generally speaking, each type of animal has a different bone density. For example, mice and other small mammals have lower bone density (0.003 g/cm2 for mice), while larger types of bovine (2.1 g/cm2 for cows) have higher bone density. For example, elephants have amongst the densest animal bones. Each bone density provides a different coefficient of restitution when striking a ball and thus a different putting experience to the end user. Users can determine what type of bone insert 100 they enjoy using and get a good deal of enjoyment out of what otherwise might have been an unused waste material.

[0039] Bone density is proportional to bone stiffness and strength (yield stress). Dense bone is stiffer and stronger than less-dense bone, but it is also heavier. The overall shape of a bone affects its stiffness (but not necessarily its strength). Therefore, if an end user wanted a durable insert 100 the user may opt for a cow bone insert 100. Conversely, if a user instead wants a lighter putter 10, the user may opt for an insert 100 formed from mouse bone, etc.

[0040] In an example, the animal bone can include camel bone. In an example, the animal bone may be made from a cow's femur. Adult cow (Bos Taurus) femurs vary in size but are typically 14 to 18 inches long and 4 to 6 inches wide. The size of such a bone provides plenty of material to create a striking face of an animal bone for those who want a dense animal bone insert 100 (cow bone density averages between 2.1-2.2 g/cm3).

[0041] In another embodiment, the bone of an exotic animal species may be utilized to create the animal bone insert 100, striking face 220, and/or outer striking surface 300. The American alligator (Alligator Mississippiensis) is a common nuisance on golf courses in the southern United States and thus there may be an appeal to consumers to use a putter 10 featuring alligator bone insert 100. Adult alligator femurs, while smaller than those of a cow, are still typically between 5 to 7 inches long and 2 to 3 inches wide. This provide sufficient material to create an animal bone insert 100.

[0042] The skeletons of birds (and other flying vertebrates) need to be lightweight to minimize the metabolic cost of flight, and at the same time strong enough to withstand the forces encountered during flight. It may be surprising to learn that birds (and bats) actually have bones which are quite dense (2.0-2.2 g/cm3), heavy, and durable. However, the size of the femur bone of a sparrow (Plocepasser mahali) is around 0.78 inches long and 0.2 inches wide. Such small bones may be tiled, bonded, or otherwise linked together to form a bone insert 100 to provide yet another option for golfers.

[0043] It should be noted that some embodiments of the presently disclosed animal bone insert 100 will be constructed from pure, unadulterated animal bone. The animal bone insert 100 in these embodiments will contain no polymers, plastics, or rubbers; nor any organic filler compounds such as collagen.

[0044] It should be noted that various changes and modifications to the presently preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and without diminishing its attendant advantages.