Golf ball

• US 5,190,294 A
• Filed: 04/18/1991
• Issued: 03/02/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited
• Inventors: Oka, Kengo
• Primary Examiner(s): Marlo, George J.
• Application Number:
  US07/687,010
• Time in Patent Office: 684 Days
• Field of Search: 273/232, 29/899, 29/899.1, 264/254, 264/255, 264/293
• US Class Current: 473/383
• 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 37/0018 Specified number of dimples
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0026 Balata
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0052 Liquid cores
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/008 Diameter
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0087 Deflection or compression
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 45/00 Apparatus or methods for manufacturing balls working of plastics or substances in a plastic state B29
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49712 Ball making

Abstract

A golf ball has no great circles intersecting dimples. A method for manufacturing the golf ball uses the steps of molding the golf ball with a pair of semispherical molds having many dimple patterns formed on the inner surface thereof so as to form first dimples on the surface of the golf ball. Then a burr formed on the connecting portion between upper and lower molds is removed and dimples are subsequently formed and/or corrected on the connecting portion.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a golf ball comprising the steps of:

molding the golf ball with a pair of semispherical molds having many dimple patterns formed on the inner surface thereof except on the connecting portion between the upper and lower molds so as to form first dimples arranged on the surface of the golf ball, a seam being formed at the connection portion and the seam failing to have dimples thereon, a great circle being formed on the golf ball only at the seam;

removing a burr formed on said seam corresponding to said connecting portion between upper and lower molds; and

forming second dimples on said seam after the step of removing the burr.

2. The method for manufacturing a golf ball as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the steps of cutting the golf ball to form the second dimples on said seam.

3. The method for manufacturing a golf ball as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the steps of heating a tool with a single dimple thereon and repeatedly applying the heated tool to the seam of the golf ball during the step of forming to thereby form the second dimples on the seam of the golf ball.

4. The method for manufacturing a golf ball as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the steps of heating a tool with a pattern of a plurality of dimples thereon and applying the heated tool to the seam of the golf ball during the step of forming to thereby form the second dimples on the seam of the golf ball.

5. The method for manufacturing a golf ball as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of molding further comprises the step of using molds which produce over three hundred first dimples and wherein the step of forming produces less than fifty second dimples.

6. The method for manufacturing a golf ball as claimed in claim 5, wherein the step of molding uses molds which produce 346 first dimples and the step of forming forms 32 second dimples such that the manufactured golf ball has a total of 378 dimples.

7. A golf ball produced in accordance with the method of claim 1.

8. A method for manufacturing a golf ball comprising the steps of:

molding the golf ball with a pair of semispherical molds having many dimple patterns formed on the inner surface thereof including the connecting portion between the upper and lower molds so as to form first dimples on the surface of the golf ball, the surface of the golf ball being formed without any great circles;

removing a burr formed on a seam corresponding to said connecting portion between upper and lower molds, at least some of the dimples on the seam being deformed by the step of removing; and

correcting deformed dimples formed on the seam so as to form second dimples arranged on the seam.

9. The method for manufacturing a golf ball as claimed in claim 8, further comprising the step of cutting the dimples in the seam of the golf ball during the step of correcting to thereby correct the configuration of the dimples deformed during the step of removing the burr.

10. The method for manufacturing a golf ball as claimed in claim 8, further comprising the steps of heating a tool with a single dimple thereon and repeatedly applying the heated tool to the seam of the golf ball during the step of correcting to thereby correct the configuration of the second dimples on the seam of the golf ball.

11. The method for manufacturing a golf ball as claimed in claim 8, further comprising the steps of heating a tool with a pattern of a plurality of dimples thereon and applying the heated tool to the seam of the golf ball during the step of correcting to thereby correct the configuration of the second dimples on the seam of the golf ball.

12. The method for manufacturing a golf ball as claimed in claim 8, wherein the step of molding further comprises the step of using molds which produce over three hundred first dimples and wherein the step of correcting corrects the configuration of over thirty second dimples.

13. The method for manufacturing a golf ball as claimed in claim 8, wherein the step of molding uses molds which produce 432 dimples with 392 first dimples being formed and wherein the step of correcting corrects 40 second dimples.

14. A golf ball produced in accordance with the method of claim 8.

15. A method of manufacturing a golf ball comprising the steps of:

molding the golf bal with a pair of semispherical molds having many dimple patterns formed on the inner surface thereof, the golf ball being formed with one of a great circle and no great circles;

if the golf ball has a great circle then the semispherical molds fail to have dimple patterns on the connecting portion between the upper and lower molds so as to form dimples arranged on the golf ball except at the connecting portion, the great circle being formed on the golf ball only at the seam,

if the golf ball has no great circles, the connecting portion between the upper and lower mold'"'"'s having the many dimple patterns also formed thereon so that the surface of the golf ball is formed without any great circles;

removing a burr formed at the connecting portion between the upper and lower molds, dimples on the connecting portion being deformed by the step of removing if the golf ball has no great circles; and

carrying out one of the following steps;

forming second dimples on the seam after the step of removing if the golf ball has a great circle on the seam;

correcting configuration of dimples formed on the seam if the golf ball has no great circles so as to form second dimples arranged on the seam.

16. The method for manufacturing a golf ball as claimed in claim 15, wherein the step of molding forms a golf ball with a great circle only at the seam and the step of forming is carried out to thereby form second dimples on the seam, the method further comprising the step of cutting the golf ball to form the second dimples on the seam.

17. The method for manufacturing a golf ball as claimed in claim 15, wherein the step of molding forms a golf ball with a great circle only at the seam and the step of forming is carried out to thereby form second dimples on the seam, the method further comprising the steps of heating a tool and applying the heated tool to the seam of the golf ball during the step of forming to thereby form the second dimples on the seam of the golf ball, the tool having one of a single dimple and a pattern of a plurality of dimples thereon.

18. The method for manufacturing a golf ball as claimed in claim 15, wherein the step of molding forms a golf ball with no great circles and the step of correcting is carried out to thereby correct configuration of dimples formed on the seam of the golf ball, the method further comprising the step of cutting the dimples in the seam of the golf ball during the step of correcting to thereby correct the configuration of the dimples deformed during the step of removing the burr.

19. The method for manufacturing a golf ball as claimed in claim 15, wherein the step of molding forms a golf ball with no great circles and the step of correcting is carried out to thereby correct configuration of dimples formed on the seam of the golf ball, the method further comprising the steps of heating a tool and applying the heated tool to the seam of the golf ball during the step of correcting to thereby correct the configuration of the second dimples on the seam of the golf ball, the tool having one of a single dimple and a pattern of a plurality of dimples thereon.

20. A golf ball produced in accordance with the method of claim 15.