US2242670A - Adjustable golf club - Google Patents

Description

y 20, 41- Q a. FULLER I I ADJUSTQBLE GOLF CLUB Filed Jan. "28;; 1941 flv enio 7;

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Patented May 20, 1941 UNITED STATES" PATET FlC ADJUSTABLE GOLF CLUB George Fuller, Buffalo, N; Y.

Application January 28, 1941, Serial No. 376,321

8 Claims. I (Cl. 273-79) My invention relates in general to golf clubs and in particular to that type of club which has a head rotatably mounted upon a spindle with means for changing the relative positions of the head and spindle, whereby the loft or lift of the club may be adjusted to the position suitable for the stroke at hand. This present invention relates to the invention shown and described in Patent No. 2,217,338 issued to me on October 8, 1940.

The principal object of my invention has been to provide a golf club of this nature which shall have the clamping means self-contained and forming an attached part of the structure without requiring the use of any separate tool.

Another object has been to provide compact stop means for the head of my club for limiting the relative rotation between the head and the spindle.

Moreover, the locking means of my device are so designed that they will not be disturbed by the continued use of the club.

Furthermore, my club is light in weight, convenient to adjust, and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

The above objects and advantages have been accomplished by the device shown in the accompanying drawing, of which:

Fig. 1 is a back view of my complete club.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof.

Fig. 3 is an end view of my device showing the head in a number of positions.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view through the head taken on line 44 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view showing details of the detent means.

Fig. 6 is an end View of the head with the spindle removed.

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary, sectional view taken on line 7-1 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary, sectional view of a modified form of structure.

Referring now to the drawing, l5 represents the shaft of my club which has a shank l6. At the lower end of the shank there is a shank boss I! extending from which is the spindle l8 of my club. This spindle and shank are preferably integral one with the other so that a very rigid construction is brought about. The balance or hang of my club is improved by locating the spindle l8 slightly behind the shank l6 so that the face of the head lies behind the plane of the shank, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

The head of my device is provided with a longitudinally arranged bos 2| which is joined to the lower edge 22 of the head by means of a supporting surface 23. A longitudinal bore 24 is provided through the boss 2| for the reception of the spindle l8. The supporting surface 23 is so disposed that it lies substantially parallel with the turf when the head is in the niblick position, whereby an extended area is presented to the turf if needed during the drive.

Extending upwardly from the boss 2| is a flange 25 which is interspaced in relation to the back surface 26 of the head. The locking means of my device is arranged within the space between the fiange and the head. This locking means comprises an actuating lever 33 having an upwardly extending toggle arm 3| and a downwardly ext-ending spindle arm 32. The spindle arm engages an arcuate slot 33 formed in the spindle l8 whereby when the spindle arm is reciprocated as hereinafter described, the spindle and the head will have relative sliding movement for locking and unlocking the head upon the spindle. The spindle arm 32 passes through a suitable aperture 31 formed in the cylindrical boss 2|. The faces 34 and 35 at the ends of the arcuate slot form stops for limiting the relative rotation of the head upon the spindle at each end of the predetermined rotative movement of the head. The actuating lever is pivotally mounted upon a pin 36 which is supported by the flange and the head. Also mounted within the space between the flange 25 and the head is the operating lever 40 of my device. This lever is pivotally mounted upon a pin 4| carried by the head and the flange and it is provided with a lever toggle arm 42. Connecting this lever toggle arm with the toggle arm 3| of the actuating lever is a toggle link 43. The operating lever is curve shaped as shown in Fig. 1 and encloses the actuating lever and the toggle link when in their locked positions, as shown also in this figure. A stop surface 44 is provided on the operating lever for engagement with the top surface of the toggle link 43 when the parts are in their locked positions, as shown in Fig. l. A finger ridge 45 is provided at the extreme end of the operating lever whereby the operator may easily manipulate the lever to either of its positions. The toggle link 43 is connected at one end to the lever toggle arm 42 by means of a pivot 46 and at the opposite end to the toggle arm 3| by means of a pivot 41. The pivots 4|, 46 and 41 are so arranged that a toggle action is produced between the parts.

The link and lever parts are so proportioned that a snap action is produced when the pivot 46 is moved to either side of a line drawn between the axes of the pivots 4| and 41, whereby the operating lever will be securely held in its closed position. The snap action is produced be- 1 cause the head will have been drawn up to its I are each provided with a reduced portion 63 and 64, respectively, and the ends of the toggle link 43 are bifurcated for engagement with said portions. The lever toggle arm 42 is providedwith a detent surface 65 which contacts with the bottom surfaces of the adjacent end of the toggle link 43 when the operating lever is pushed to its upper position, thereby stopping further movement of the lever. Since the operating lever is pushed downwardly when it is moved to its looking position, centrifugal action upon the head when the club is in use will aid in maintaining the operating lever and its associated locking means in looking position.

The head 20 is provided at the end adjacent the shank boss with a flange 50 which has its face, like that of the shank boss l1, arranged at right angles to the axis of the spindle. Each of these faces is provided with a plurality of ridges 5| formed byinterspaced V-shaped grooves These ridges and grooves are radially ar 52. ranged as shown in Fig. '6 and therefore coact with one another to rigidly hold the head upon the spindle in its adjusted position. When the parts of the locking means are in the positions I shown in Fig. 1, the head 20 will be forced against the shank boss I7 and the grooves and interengaged ridges of the two coacting surfaces will be held in firm contact with each other. When the parts of the operating means are moved to the dotted-line position, the head will'be moved endwlise upon the .spindle so as to releasethe engagement of the interengaging ridges 5i and grooves 52 and the head. will then be free to rotate upon the spindle.

So as to keep the head in its adjusted position upon the spindle while the locking means are moved to the position shown in Fig, l, Iprovide a detent means clearly shown in Fig. 5. The head 14 is provided with a detent boss 53 formed with a bore 54 in which is slidably mounted a detent 55. The detent is provided with a central bore 56 in which is mounted a helical spring 51.

he spring serves to force the detent outwardly and to cause its point 69 which is of V-shaped formation into one of the V-shaped spaces 52 formed in the shank boss l1. Not only does this engagement of the detent with the grooves provide means for temporarily holding the parts in the adjusted position, but it also provides a clicking sound by which the position of the head upon the spindle may be accurately determined. In adjusting the head by this manner the head is rotated to either of the stops 34 or at the ends of the arcuate groove 33 and then counting is started from either point while moving the head in the opposite direction. So as to provide visible indication of the relative position of the head upon the spindle a plurality of lines 6| are provided upon the shank boss H, each line being preferably identified by means of a numeral, The

head 20 is provided with an index line 62 which extends preferably across the boss 53 in registerable position with either of the lines 6|.

In Fig. 8 I show a modified form of structure in which the toggle link 65 is preferably of U- shape and made of spring material. This link is connected at Hi to the lever toggle arm 42 of the operating lever 40 at one end and at its opposite end to the toggle arm H of the actuating lever 12 at 13. This lever is-provided with a spindle arm 32 similar to the spindle arm of the other form of device. In this modification, it will be seen that as the operating lever is moved downwardly to its locking position the springing action will be produced by the toggle link 66.

Obviously, instead of connecting the operating lever with the actuating lever by means of toggle linkage, the operating means may if desired be provided with an eccentric. These and other modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the appended claims and I do not, therefore, wish to be limited to the exact embodiment herein shown and described, the form shown being merely a preferred embodiment thereof,

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A golf club, comprising a shaft, an integral spindle carried by said shaft, a head rotatably mounted and axially movable upon said spindle, means for non-rotatably locking said head to said spindle upon relative axial movement of said head and spindle in one direction, and lever actuating means carried by said head, said lever means being engageable with said spindle for moving said head axially thereon and for holding it in its locked position.

2. A golf club, comprising a shaft, an integral spindle carried by said shaft, a head rotatably mounted and axially movable upon said spindle, means for non-rotatably locking said head to said spindle upon relative axial movement of said head and spindle in one direction, and lever actuating means carried by said head and engageable with an arcuate slot formed in said spindle, said lever and slot acting as a stop for limiting the free rotative movement of said head on said spindle and for locking said head when moved to its non-rotative position on said spindle.

3. A golf club, comprising a shaft, an integral spindle carried by said shaft, a head rotatably mounted and axially movable upon said spindle, means for non-rotatably locking said head to said spindle upon relative axial movement of said head and'spindle in one direction, and toggle actuating means carried by said head and engageable with said spindle for moving said head axially thereon and for holding it in its locked position.

4. A golf club, comprising a shaft, an integral spindle carried by said shaft, a head rotatably mounted and axially movable upon said spindle, means for non-rotatably locking said head to said spindle upon relative axial movement of said head and spindle in one direction, spring'means for forcing said head axially on said spindle in the opposite direction, and lever actuating means carried-by said head, said means being engageable with said spindle for moving said head axially thereon and for holding it in its locked position.

5. A golf club, comprising a shaft, an integral spindle carried by said shaft, a head rotatably mounted and axially movable upon said spindle, means fornon-rotatably locking said head to said spindle upon relative axial movement of said head and spindle in one direction, and actuating means for moving said head on said spindle, comprising an actuating lever pivotally carried by said head and engageable with said spindle to move the head axially thereon, an operating lever pivotally mounted: on said head, and a toggle link pivotally connecting said actuating and operating levers.

6. A golf club, comprising a shaft, an integral spindle carried by said shaft, a head rotatably mounted and axially movable upon said spindle, means for non-rotatably locking said head to said spindle upon relative axial movement of said head and spindle in one direction, actuating means for moving said head on said spindle, comprising an actuating lever pivotally carried by said head and formed. with a toggle arm and a spindle arm, said spindle arm being engageable with said spindle, an operating lever pivotally mounted on said head, and a toggle link pivotally connecting said operating lever with said toggle arm.

7. A golf club, comprising a shaft, an integral spindle carried by said shaft, a head rotatably mounted and axially movable upon said spindle, means for non-rotatably locking said head to said spindle upon relative axial movement of said head and spindle in one direction, toggle actuating means carried by said head and engageable with said spindle to move said head axially thereon, the parts of said toggle means being rotatably mounted upon one fixed pivot, an outer movable pivot and an inner movable pivot, said parts being so proportioned that when moved to locked position said inner pivot is movable beyond a straight-line arrangement of said pivots, and spring means for retaining said toggle parts in their locked positions.

8. A golf club, comprising a shaft, an integral spindle carried by said shaft, a head rotatably mounted and axially movable upon said spindle, means for non-rotatably locking said head to said spindle upon relative axial movement of said head and spindle in one direction, toggle actuating means carried by said head, comprising an actuating lever engageable with said spindle and having a flexible arm, an operating lever pivotally carried by said head and having a lever toggle arm, and a toggle link connecting said flexible arm with said lever toggle arm.

GEORGE FULLER.

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