Mold for a golf ball

• US 7,422,529 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2004
• Issued: 09/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Puniello, Paul A., Aoyama, Steven, Wilson, Robert A.
• Primary Examiner(s): GORDEN, RAEANN
• Application Number:
  US10/797,796
• Publication Number:
  US 20050201418A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,644 Days
• Field of Search: 473378-385
• US Class Current: 473/383
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0003 Golf balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/00065 located around the pole or the equator
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 45/00 Apparatus or methods for manufacturing balls working of plastics or substances in a plastic state B29

Abstract

An improved mold for making a golf ball comprises a pair of mold cups which are assembled together at an angular interlock. An upper mold cup has a projection rim that mates with a recess in the lower mold cup to provide for a substantially perfect registration, wherein the shift on the molded golf ball is minimized, and the parting line has a minimal amount of flashing that needs to be removed. The upper and lower mold cups have mating surfaces that can produce a corrugated parting line. Each mating surface comprising a plurality of peaks and valleys which are created by multiple radii, whereby when assembled the parting line follows the dimple outline pattern and allows the dimple outline pattern of one mold cup to interdigitate with the dimple outline pattern of the mating mold cup, to form a golf ball of substantially seamless appearance.

Claims

1. A golf ball having a pattern of dimples and a corrugated parting line on its spherical surface, the golf ball formed in a mold which has a generally spherical cavity therein and is composed of upper and lower mold cups being removably mated along a parting surface at a position corresponding to an equator region of the spherical cavity of the mold, wherein the corrugated parting line of the golf ball comprises multiple radii forming a plurality of peaks and valleys which are offset from the dimples as not to interfere with the dimple edge and the dimples on one side of the parting line interdigitate with the dimples on the other side to form a gold ball having a substantially seamless appearance wherein the dimples of the molded golf ball are in a dipyramid pattern.