Golf ball

• US 4,974,854 A
• Filed: 11/27/1989
• Issued: 12/04/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salomon SA (Anta International Group Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Morell, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Marlo, George J.
• Application Number:
  US07/441,875
• Time in Patent Office: 372 Days
• Field of Search: 273/232, 40/327
• 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 37/0019 Specified dimple depth
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/002 Specified dimple diameter

Abstract

The present invention relates to a golf ball.

In order to improve the indifferent character of the orientation of the ball with respect to the strike, the peripheral surface (2) of it has dimples (123,124,125,126) essentially distributed inside 126 elemental surfaces (104,105,106,115), delimited by 12 equatorial circles (92 to 103) of the sphere defining the general shape of the peripheral surface (2) of the ball (3), on the basis of:

6 identical elemental surfaces (104) of spherical, regular octagonal form,

48 identical elemental surfaces (105) of spherical triangular form,

3 groups of 24 identical elemental surfaces (106,231,115) of spherical quadrilateral form having two equal opposite angles (107,108,131,116,117) and two different opposite angles (109,110,133,134,118,119) defined by two respective equal length sides (111,112,113,114,135, 136,137,138,120,121,122,123).

Claims

1. A golf ball comprising a peripheral surface having a general form of a sphere and a plurality of dimples arranged in said peripheral surface and distributed on the latter in accordance with at least one repetitive motif defined by sub-division of said peripheral surface along arcs of circles centred on a centre of said sphere and mutually connecting points of said peripheral surface corresponding to determined points of a polyhedron inscribed in said sphere, said circular arcs defining elemental spherical surfaces and said dimples being essentially inside said elemental surfaces wherein said polyhedron is a hexa-octohedron and said sub-division is carried out along 12 equatorial circles of which each is centred on an axis passing through respective mid-points of 2 diametrically opposed edges of said hexa-octahedron, and passes through 2 diametrically opposed apices of this in a manner to define:

6 identical ones of said elemental surfaces having spherical, regular octagonal form,

48 identical ones of said elemental surfaces having spherical triangle form having an obtuse angle,

24 first identical ones of said elemental surfaces in the form of spherical quadrilaterals having 2 opposite angles equal to said obtuse angle and 2 different opposite angles, defined by 2 respective equal length sides,

24 second identical ones of said elemental surfaces in the form of spherical quadrilaterals different from said spherical quadrilaterals and having 2 opposite angles equal to the difference between 180° and

said obtuse angle and 2 different opposite angles defined by 2 respective sides of equal length,

24 third identical ones of said elemental surfaces in the form of spherical quadrilaterals different from said spherical quadrilaterals and having 2 opposite angles equal to said difference and 2 different opposite angles, defined by 2 respective sides of equal length.

2. A golf ball according to claim 1, wherein at least a determined one of said equatorial circles cuts none of said dimples.

3. A golf ball according to claim 2, wherein said determined equatorial circle sub-divides each of the other said equatorial circles into two circular arcs, of which each corresponds to one of two hemispheres defined by said determined equatorial circle, and said circular arcs of one of said hemispheres are angularly displaced, with respect to respectively corresponding ones of said circular arcs of the other of said hemispheres, by the same amount about an axis of said determined equatorial circle.

4. A golf ball according to claim 2, wherein none of said equatorial circles cuts one of said dimples.

5. A golf ball according to claim 1, wherein said dimples are distributed in accordance with an identical motif in identical ones of said elemental surfaces.

6. A golf ball according to claim 5, wherein said sphere has a diameter of the order of 42.67 mm, and said dimples define, by their intersection with said peripheral surface, circles distributed in the following manner in each said elemental surface in regular spherical octagonal form:

4 circles of diameter D₁ of the order of 1.94 mm, of which each is approximately tangential to 2 adjacent sides of said regular spherical octagon, in an angle at an apex on 2 of these,

8 circles of diameter D₂ of the order of 1.80 mm, of which each is approximately tangential to a respective side of said regular spherical octagon and to a respective one of said circles of diameter D₁ and which are distributed in 4 groups of 2 of these circles approximately mutually tangential, each of these groups being arranged between 2 of said circles of diameter D₁ neighbouring to which the 2 circles of this group are respectively approximately tangential,

4 circles of diameter D₄ of the order of 1.01 mm, of which each is approximately tangential to 2 said circles of diameter D₂ of one of said groups,

8 circles of diameter D₅ of the order of 1.50 mm, distributed in a first group of 4 circles of which each is approximately tangential to a respective one of said circles of diameter D₁ and in a second group of 4 circles approximately tangential in pairs and of which each is approximately tangential on the one hand to 2 circles of said first group and on the other hand to a respective one of said circles of diameter D₄.

7. A golf ball according to claim 6, wherein each dimple has a depth of the order of 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm increasing with correspondingly increasing diameter of said circle.

8. A golf ball according to claim 5, wherein said peripheral surface has the general shape of a sphere of diameter of the order of 42.67 mm, and said dimples define, by their intersection with said peripheral surface, circles distributed in the following manner in each said elemental surface in circular triangular form, of which said obtuse angle is situated between 2 sides of different lengths:

1 circle of diameter D₆ of the order of 1.28 mm, approximately tangential to a side opposite from said obtuse angle of said spherical triangle and to 2 sides of said obtuse angle of said spherical triangle,

1 circle of diameter D₇ of the order of 0.70 mm, approximately tangential to said circle of diameter D₆, to said side opposite from said obtuse angle and to a larger one of said sides of said obtuse angle.

9. A golf ball according to claim 8, wherein each dimple has a depth of the order of 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm increasing with correspondingly increasing diameter of said circle.

10. A golf ball according to claim 5, wherein said sphere has a diameter of the order of 42.67 mm, and said dimples define, by their intersection with said peripheral surface, circles distributed in the following manner in each said first elemental surface in spherical quadrilateral form:

2 circles of diameter D₈ of the order of 2.20 mm, approximately mutually tangential and approximately tangential respectively to 2 sides of a respective one of said equal angles of said spherical quadrilateral,

1 circle of diameter D₉ of the order of 1.30 mm, approximately tangential to said 2 circles of diameter D₈ and to 2 comparatively short sides of said spherical quadrilateral,

1 circle of diameter D₁₀ of the order of 2.30 mm, approximately tangential to said 2 circles of diameter D₈ and to 2 comparatively long sides of said spherical quadrilateral,

1 circle of diameter D₁₁ of the order of 0.80 mm, approximately tangential to said circle diameter D₁₀ and to said 2 comparatively long sides of said spherical quadrilateral.

11. A golf ball according to claim 10, wherein each dimple has a depth of the order of 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm increasing with correspondingly increasing diameter of said circle.

12. A golf ball according to claim 5, wherein said sphere has a diameter of the order of 42.67 mm, and said dimples define, by their intersection with said peripheral surface, circles distributed in the following manner in each said second elemental surface of spherical quadrilateral form:

2 circles of diameter D₁₄ of the order of 2.07 mm, approximately mutually tangential and approximately tangential respectively to 2 sides of a respective one of said equal angles of said spherical quadrilateral,

1 circle of diameter D₁₅ of the order of 0.80 mm, approximately tangential to said 2 circles of diameter D₁₄ and to 2 comparatively short sides of said spherical quadrilateral,

1 circle of diameter D₁₆ of the order of 2.11 mm, approximately tangential to said 2 circles of diameter D₁₄ and to 2 comparatively long sides of said spherical quadrilateral,

1 circle of diameter D₁₇ of the order of 0.73 mm, approximately tangential to said circle of diameter D₁₆ and to said 2 comparatively long sides of said spherical quadrilateral.

14. A golf ball according to claim 5, wherein said sphere has a diameter of the order of 42.67 mm, and said dimples define, by their intersection with said peripheral surface, circles distributed in the following manner ln each said third elemental surface of spherical quadrilateral form,

2 circles of diameter D₁₂ of the order of 4.41 mm, approximately mutually tangential and approximately tangential respectively to 2 sides of a respective one of said equal angles of said spherical quadrilateral,

1 circle of diameter D₁₃ of the order of 1.30 mm, approximately tangential to said 2 circles of diameter D₁₂ and to 2 comparatively long sides of said spherical quadrilateral.

15. A golf ball according to claim 14 wherein each dimple has a depth of the order of 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm increasing with correspondingly increasing diameter of said circle.

16. A golf ball according to claim 1, wherein each dimple has a shape of a spherical depression.

13. A golf ball according to claim wherein each dimple has a depth of the order of 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm increasing with correspondingly increasing diameter of said circle.