Golf ball

• US 4,729,567 A
• Filed: 03/20/1986
• Issued: 03/08/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited
• Inventors: Yamada, Kaname, Oka, Kengo
• Primary Examiner(s): Marlo, George J.
• Application Number:
  US06/841,832
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• Field of Search: 273/232, 273/235 R
• US Class Current: 473/384
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0004 Surface depressions or protrusions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0006 Arrangement or layout of dimples
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0017 Specified total dimple volume
• 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 37/0021 Occupation ratio, i.e. percentage surface occupied by dimples
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0053 Thread wound
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0068 Initial velocity
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0074 Two piece balls, i.e. cover and core
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0096 Spin rate

Abstract

A golf ball provided with two to four different sizes of dimples in the form of a 20-12 hedron and having different diameters from each other which vary in a ratio of 1.25-1.50, with the dimples being equally spaced over the entire surface of the golf ball, such that the flow of the air at every cross section crossing at right angles to the rotational axis of the golf ball is made equal, and at the same time, the angular difference between separation points of the dimples is minimized.

Claims

1. A golf ball of improved aerodynamic characteristics having a spherical surface impressed with dimples in the form of a 20-12 hedron, said spherical surface being divided into five-cornered divisions and three-cornered divisions by imaginary circular arcs which are reflectances of edges of the 20-12 hedron on the spherical surface, all twelve of said five-cornered divisions being generally uniformly or completely uniformly provided with said dimples therein, and all twenty of said three-cornered divisions being generally uniformly or completely uniformly provided with said dimples therein, wherein said dimples comprise four sizes having different diameters from each other, with the ratio of the diameter of the largest dimples with respect to the smallest dimples being set to be 1.25-1.50.

2. A golf ball as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the smallest dimples is placed adjacent to more than one of the largest dimples.

3. A golf ball as claimed in claim 2, wherein the total dimples volume V_T of golf ball is set to be 250-400 mm³, V_T being defined as follows:

##EQU2## wherein;

V_T =total dimples volume,

V₁ =total dimples volume of largest dimple 1,

V₂ =total dimples volume of large dimple 2,

V₃ =total dimples volume of small dimple 3,

V₄ =total dimples volume of smallest dimple 4,

N₁ =total number of largest dimple 1,

N₂ =total number of large dimple

N₃ =total number of small dimple 3,

N₄ =total number of smallest dimple 4,

E1_k =diameter of largest dimple 1 at point descended in a direction of depth of k microns from the dimple edge (mm),

E2_k =diameter of large dimple 2 at point descended in a direction of depth of k microns from the dimple edge (mm),

E3_k =diameter of small dimple 3 at point descended in a direction of depth of k microns from the dimple edge (mm),

E4_k =diameter of smallest dimple 4 at point descended in a direction of depth of k microns from the dimple edge (mm), and

n=depth of dimple (microns),

wherein the flow of the air at every cross section crossing at right angles to the rotational axis of the golf ball is made equal, and at the same time, the angular difference between separation points is minimized.

4. A golf ball as claimed in claim 1, wherein the total dimples volume V_T of golf ball is set to be 250-400 mm³, V_T being defined as follows:

##EQU3## wherein;

V_T =total dimples volume,

V₁ =total dimples volume of largest dimple 1,

V₂ =total dimples volume of large dimple 2,

V₃ =total dimples volume of small dimple 3,

V₄ =total dimples volume of smallest dimple 4,

N₁ =total number of largest dimple 1,

N₂ =total number of large dimple 2,

N₃ =total number of small dimple 3,

N₄ =total number of smallest dimple 4,

E1_k =diameter of largest dimple 1 at point descended in a direction of depth of k microns from the dimple edge (mm), and

E2_k =diameter of large dimple 2 at point descended in a direction of depth of k microns from the dimple edge (mm),

E3_k =diameter of small dimple 3 at point descended in a direction of depth of k microns from the dimple edge (mm),

E4_k =diameter of smallest dimple 4 at point descended in a direction of depth of k microns from the dimple edge (mm),

n=depth of dimple (microns).

5. A golf ball as claimed in claim 1, wherein the total number of the dimples is set to be approximately 312, with the number of the largest dimples having the diameter 4.2-4.6 mm being approximately 132, the number of the large dimples having the diameter 3.7-4.0 mm being approximately 60, the number of the small dimples having the diameter 3.4-3.7 mm being approximately 60, and the number of the smallest dimples having the diameter 3.1-3.4 mm being approximately 60.

6. A golf ball as claimed in claim 1, wherein the total number of the dimples is set to be approximately 372, with the largest dimples being approximately 120 in number and 4.0-4.4 mm in diameter, the large dimples being approximately 120 in number and 3.4-3.7 mm in diameter, the small dimples beng approximately 60 in number and 3.1-3.4 mm in diameter and the smallest dimples being approximately 72 in number and 2.9-3.2 mm in diameter.

7. A golf ball as claimed in claim 1, wherein the total number of the dimples is set to be approximately 432, with the largest dimples being 3.8-4.2 mm in diameter and approximately 72 in number, the large dimples being 3.4-3.8 mm in diameter and approximately 240 in number, the small dimples being 3.2-3.5 mm in diameter and approximately 60 in number, and the smallest dimples being 2.9-3.2 mm in diameter and approximately 60 in number.

8. A golf ball as claimed in claim 1, wherein the total number of the dimples is set to be approximately 492, with the largest dimples being 3.5-3.9 mm in diameter and approximately 60 in number, the large dimples being 3.2-3.5 mm in diameter and approximately 240 in number, the small dimples being 3.1-3.4 mm in number and approximately 60 in number, and the smallest dimples being 2.7-3.0 mm in diameter and approximately 132 in number.