Golf ball

• US 4,560,168 A
• Filed: 04/27/1984
• Issued: 12/24/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/1984
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Wilson Sporting Goods Company (Anta International Group Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Wilson Sporting Goods Company (Anta International Group Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Aoyama, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Marlo, George J.
• Application Number:
  US06/604,726
• Time in Patent Office: 606 Days
• Field of Search: 273/232, 273/62, 273/213, 273/233, 40/327
• US Class Current: 473/379
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0004 Surface depressions or protrusions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/00065 located around the pole or the equator
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0012 Dimple profile, i.e. cross-sectional view
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0018 Specified number of dimples
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0019 Specified dimple depth
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/002 Specified dimple diameter
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0024 Materials other than ionomers or polyurethane
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0026 Balata
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0074 Two piece balls, i.e. cover and core
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0075 Three piece balls, i.e. cover, intermediate layer and core

Abstract

A golf ball is provided with evenly and uniformly distributed dimples so that six great circle paths on the surface of the golf ball do not intersect any dimples. The spherical surface of the golf ball is divided into 20 identical spherical triangles corresponding to the faces of a regular icosahedron. Each of the 20 triangles is further subdivided into four smaller triangles consisting of a central triangle and three apical triangles by connecting the midpoints of each of the 20 triangles along great circle paths. The dimples are arranged so that the dimples do not intersect the sides of any of the central triangles.

Claims

1. A golf ball having a spherical surface with a plurality of dimples formed therein and six great circle paths which do not intersect any dixples, the dimples being arranged by dividing the spherical surface into twenty spherical triangles corresponding to the faces of a regular icosahedron, each of the twenty triangles being subdivided into four smaller triangles consisting of a central triangle and three apical triangles by connecting the midpoints of each of said twenty triangles along great circle paths, said dimples being arranged so that the dimples do not intersect the sides of any of the central triangles.

2. The golf ball of claim 1 in which the dimples in all of said central triangles are of the same size.

3. The golf ball of claim 1 in which the dimples which are not in said central triangles are all of the same size.

4. The golf ball of claim 1 in which all of the dimples are the same size.

5. The golf ball of claim 1 in which the dimples in said central triangles form a first set of dimples and the dimples which are not in said central triangles form a second set of dimples, all of the dimples in the first set being the same size, and all of the dimples in the second set being the same size.

6. The golf ball of claim 4 in which the size of the dimples in the first set is different than the size of the dimples in the second set.

7. The golf ball of claim 1 in which each of said central triangles has the same number of dimples.

8. The golf ball of claim 1 in which said dimples are arranged so that none of the dimples intersect the sides of any of said apical triangles.

9. The golf ball of claim 8 in which each of said apical triangles has the same number of dimples.

10. The golf ball of claim 9 in which the dimples in said apical triangles are all of the same size.

11. The golf ball of claim 9 in which each of said central triangles has the same number of dimples.

12. The golf ball of claim 11 in which the dimples in said central triangles are all of the same size.

13. The golf ball of claim 12 in which the dimples in said apical triangles and the dimples in said central triangles are all of the same size.

14. The golf ball of claim 12 in which the dimples in said apical triangles are of a different size than the dimples in said central triangles.

15. The golf ball of claim 1 in which said dimples are arranged so that some of the dimples lie inside of said apical triangles and some of the dimples are intersected by the sides of said twenty triangles so that each of the apical triangles includes at least one whole dimple and at least one partial dimple.

16. The golf ball of claim 15 in which each of said central triangles has the same number of dimples.

17. The golf ball of claim 15 in which the dimples in the central triangles are the same size as the whole dimples in the apical triangles.

18. The golf ball of claim 15 in which the dimples in the central triangles are of different size than the whole dimples in the apical triangles.

19. The golf ball of claim 15 in which each apical triangle includes a one-fifth dimple which lies at an apex of the apical triangle.

20. The golf ball of claim 15 in which each of the apical triangles includes a plurality of half dimples.

21. The golf ball of claim 15 in which each of the apical triangles includes a plurality of partial dimples, one of the partial dimples in each of the apical triangles being a one-fifth dimple which lies at an apex of the apical triangle, and the other partial dimples in each apical triangle being one-half dimples which lie along two of the sides of the apical triangle.

22. The golf ball of claim 21 in which each of the central triangles has six dimples and each of the apical triangles has three whole dimples, four half dimples, and one one-fifth dimple and the golf ball has a total of 432 dimples.

23. The golf ball of claim 22 in which the dimples in the central triangles are all the same size.

24. The golf ball of claim 21 in which the depth of each dimple is from about 4.7% to about 6.0% of the diameter of the dimple.

25. The golf ball of claim 21 in which the depth of each dimple is about 5.2% of the diameter of the dimple.

26. The golf ball of claim 15 in which the depth of each dimple is from about 4.7% to about 6.0% of the diameter of the dimple.

27. The golf ball of claim 15 in which the depth of each dimple is about 5.2% of the diameter of the dimple.

28. The golf ball of claim 1 in which the depth of each dimple is from about 4.7% to about 6.0% of the diameter of the dimple.

29. The golf ball of claim 1 in which the depth of each dimple is about 5.2% of the diameter of the dimple.