Method for marking golf ball and golf ball

• US 7,018,307 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2004
• Issued: 03/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co Limited (Bridgestone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co Limited (Bridgestone Corporation)
• Inventors: Ohira, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Gorden, Raeann
• Application Number:
  US10/859,609
• Publication Number:
  US 20050272531A1
• Time in Patent Office: 663 Days
• Field of Search: 473/351, 473/378, 101/33, 101/34, 101/492, 101/493
• US Class Current: 473/378
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0003 Golf balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0022 Coatings, e.g. paint films; Markings
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 45/02 Marking of balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 57/30 Markers

Abstract

The invention provides a golf ball marking method of marking the surface of a golf ball with a character, pattern or the like by a direct or indirect printing technique, comprising applying a marking layer onto the ball surface for marking, the marking layer being of a two-layer structure consisting of a lower layer of a composition containing a color pigment in a lower layer ink medium and an upper layer which is formed on the lower layer from a composition containing a metal powder in an upper layer ink medium and which is transparent or translucent and has brilliance, and adjusting the content of the metal powder and the thickness of the upper layer such that the relation of the content (wt %) of the metal powder relative to the upper layer ink medium solids to the thickness (μm) of the upper layer may satisfy the inequality: 1≦[metal powder content (wt %)]×[upper layer thickness (μm)]≦10. When it is desired to impart brilliance in a dark color such as black, the dark color is improved in sharpness and reproducibility.

Claims

1. A golf ball marking method of marking the surface of a golf ball with a character, pattern or the like by a direct or indirect printing technique, characterized by the steps of:

applying a marking layer onto the ball surface for marking, the marking layer being of a two-layer structure consisting of a lower layer of a composition containing a color pigment in a lower layer ink medium and an upper layer which is formed on the lower layer from a composition containing a metal powder in an upper layer ink medium and which is transparent or translucent and has brilliance, and

adjusting the content of the metal powder and the thickness of the upper layer such that the relation of the content (wt %) of the metal powder relative to the solids of the upper layer ink medium to the thickness (μ

m) of the upper layer may satisfy the inequality;

1≦

[metal powder content (wt %)]×

[upper layer thickness (μ

m)]≦

10.

2. The golf ball marking method of claim 1, wherein the character, pattern or the like is marked by a pad printing technique.

3. The golf ball marking method of claim 1, wherein the character, pattern or the like is marked by thermal transfer using a transfer member.

4. The golf ball marking method of claim 3, wherein a mode of printing the character, pattern or the like on the transfer member is silk screen printing.

5. The golf ball marking method of claim 4, wherein the silk screen printing uses a screen having a ruling of 200 to 300 lines.

6. The golf ball marking method of claim 1, wherein the metal powder has an average particle size of up to 20 μ

m.

7. The golf ball marking method of claim 1, wherein the metal powder is an aluminum powder.

8. The golf ball marking method of claim 3, wherein a mode of printing the character, pattern or the like on the transfer member is gravure printing.

9. A golf ball characterized in that a marking layer is formed on the golf ball surface by the method of claim 1.