Golf Balls and Other Game Balls Having Improved Launch Monitor or Motion Tracking Visibility
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A golf ball, comprising:
- a golf ball interior structure;
a cover surrounding the golf ball interior structure and including a plurality of dimples;
a finish material provided over at least a portion of an exterior of the cover; and
a reflection system incorporated into a base material of at least one of the cover or the finish material, wherein the reflection system includes at least one member selected from the group consisting of;
reflective metal material or retro-reflective crystals dispersed within the base material, wherein the reflection system is exposed over no more than 4.5% of an exterior surface of the golf ball;
wherein the golf ball reflects at least 5% more incident radiation during flight from a golf club than a comparative golf ball and does not include the reflective metal material or retro-reflective crystals but is otherwise the same as the golf ball.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A ball having enhanced visibility to video camera- or radar-based launch monitoring and/or tracking systems includes a core, an intermediate layer, a cover or outer surface having a reflective material incorporated therein or applied thereto. The reflective material may be retro-reflective crystals, reflective metal, a conductive polymer, or a reflective coating. The reflective material may be added to an ink used to print indicia on the ball, or incorporated into a paint or other coating applied to the ball. The reflective material may be applied during manufacture of a ball, or existing balls may be retrofitted to contain a reflective material.
-
Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A golf ball, comprising:
-
a golf ball interior structure; a cover surrounding the golf ball interior structure and including a plurality of dimples; a finish material provided over at least a portion of an exterior of the cover; and a reflection system incorporated into a base material of at least one of the cover or the finish material, wherein the reflection system includes at least one member selected from the group consisting of;
reflective metal material or retro-reflective crystals dispersed within the base material, wherein the reflection system is exposed over no more than 4.5% of an exterior surface of the golf ball;wherein the golf ball reflects at least 5% more incident radiation during flight from a golf club than a comparative golf ball and does not include the reflective metal material or retro-reflective crystals but is otherwise the same as the golf ball. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
-
-
10. A golf ball, comprising:
-
a golf ball interior structure; a cover surrounding the golf ball interior structure and including a plurality of dimples; a finish material provided over at least a portion of an exterior of the cover; and a reflection system; wherein the reflection system is exposed over no more than 11%% of an exterior surface of the golf ball; wherein the reflection system is asymmetric and is exposed over only a localized portion of the exterior surface of the golf ball; and wherein the golf ball reflects at least 5% more incident radiation during flight from a golf club than a comparative golf ball that does not include the reflection system but is otherwise the same as the golf ball. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
-
-
16. A golf ball comprising:
-
a core; at least one intermediate layer encasing the core; a cover encasing one of the at least one intermediate layer; a coating encasing the cover to form an exterior surface of the coating; a reflection system comprising a base material and a reflective material asymmetrically attached to the exterior surface of one of the at least one intermediate layer; wherein the reflection system is exposed over no more than 11% of the exterior surface of the one of the at least one intermediate layer to which the reflection system is attached; and wherein the golf ball reflects at least 5% more incident radiation during flight from a golf club than a comparative golf ball that does not include the reflection system but is otherwise the same as the golf ball. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
-
Specification