Golf club heads having pliant vibrational mitigation

Abstract

Embodiments of a damping mechanism comprising a pliant spring mounted on the interior of a hollow golf club having one end affixed to a first club head interior surface location and a moveable end non-affixedly in contact with another club head interior surface location.

1 . A golf club head comprising:
 a hollow golf club head body having an interior surface defining an enclosed interior cavity;   a pliant spring, comprising:   a fixed end coupled to a first attachment location of the interior surface;   a free end opposite the fixed end;   a contact pad coupled to the free end and contacting a first contact location of the interior surface;   wherein the first contact location is spaced from the first attachment location; and   a spring body extending between the fixed end and the free end.   
     
     
         2 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the spring body comprises a spring length measured longitudinally along the spring body measured between the fixed end and the free end;
 wherein the spring length is in a range between 0.5 inch and 3.5 inches;   wherein the spring body comprises a spring width measured perpendicularly to the spring length;   wherein the spring width is in a range between 0.1 inch to 1.0 inch;   wherein the spring body comprises a spring thickness measured perpendicularly at any point on the spring body from a spring top side to a spring bottom side.   
     
     
         3 . The golf club head of  claim 2 , wherein the spring width is constant along the spring length and the spring thickness is constant along the spring length. 
     
     
         4 . The golf club head of  claim 2 , wherein the spring width varies along the spring length and the spring thickness varies along the spring length. 
     
     
         5 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the spring body is straight such that an entirety of a spring length is parallel to a single imaginary plane. 
     
     
         6 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the spring body further comprises at least one curvilinear spring bend between the fixed end and the moveable end. 
     
     
         7 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the fixed end is affixed to the attachment location with an attachment method chosen from the group consisting of: welding, braising, adhesive attachment, snap fitting, and a mechanical fastener. 
     
     
         8 . The golf club head of  claim 7 , wherein the fixed end is removably affixed to the attachment location. 
     
     
         9 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the interior surface attachment location is chosen from a group consisting of: an interior crown surface, an interior sole surface, an interior sidewall surface, and an interior rear surface. 
     
     
         10 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the interior surface contact location is chosen from a group consisting of: an interior crown surface, an interior sole surface, an interior sidewall surface, and an interior strike face surface. 
     
     
         11 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein in the contact pad is compressible, having a material hardness in a range between Shore A 30 and Shore A 90;
 wherein the contact pad further comprises a contact material chosen from a group consisting of: a polymeric material, a natural rubber, a natural or artificial felt, cork, and resin.   
     
     
         12 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the contact pad further comprises a contact end, a contact pad attachment end, a pad maximum length in the range of 0.1 inch to 0.5 inch, a pad maximum width length in the range of 0.1 inch to 0.5 inch, and a pad maximum thickness length in the range of 0.1 inch to 0.5 inch. 
     
     
         13 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the spring body further comprises a plurality of through apertures along the spring length. 
     
     
         14 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the spring body comprises a spring body material consisting of a material chosen from a group consisting of: limited to a Ti alloy, a steel alloy, an aluminum alloy, a manganese alloy, a copper alloy, a polymer, a fiber-reinforced composite, and a fiber reinforced polymer. 
     
     
         15 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the spring body further comprises a spring body mass in the range of 0.1 grams to 20.0 grams. 
     
     
         16 . A golf club head comprising:
 a hollow golf club head body having an interior surface defining an enclosed interior cavity;   a pliant spring, comprising:
 a single fixed end attached to an interior surface attachment location; 
   multiple free ends each with one of multiple contact pads in contact with, but not attached to multiple contact locations other than the interior surface attachment location; and
 a spring body between the fixed end and the free ends; 
   wherein the spring body further comprises multiple legs between the fixed end and the multiple free ends.   
     
     
         17 . The golf club head of  claim 16 , wherein the spring body multiple legs each comprise a spring length measured longitudinally along the spring body measured between the fixed end and the free end;
 wherein the spring length is in a range between 0.5 inch and 3.5 inches;   wherein the spring body multiple legs each comprise a spring width measured perpendicularly to the spring length;   wherein the spring width is in a range between 0.1 inch to 1.0 inch;   wherein the spring body multiple legs each comprise a spring thickness measured perpendicularly at any point on the spring body from a spring top side to a spring bottom side.   
     
     
         18 . The golf club head of  claim 16 , wherein the interior surface attachment location is chosen from a group consisting of: an interior crown surface, an interior sole surface, an interior sidewall surface, and an interior rear surface. 
     
     
         19 . The golf club head of  claim 16 , wherein the spring body comprising multiple legs consists of two legs having two moveable ends forming a y-shaped spring body having two contact pads having two contact locations. 
     
     
         20 . The golf club head of  claim 19 , wherein each of the two contact pads are formed from a polymeric material over-molded onto one of the two moveable ends.