Golf ball

• US 7,568,986 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2007
• Issued: 08/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co Limited (Bridgestone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co Limited (Bridgestone Corporation)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Hideo, Umezawa, Junji
• Primary Examiner(s): Trimiew; Raeann
• Application Number:
  US11/882,216
• Publication Number:
  US 20090036235A1
• Time in Patent Office: 735 Days
• Field of Search: 473/378, 473/351
• US Class Current: 473/378
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0031 Hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0033 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/00373 Colour tone
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0051 Materials other than polybutadienes; Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/00621 Centre hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/00622 Surface hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0063 Hardness gradient
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0065 Deflection or compression
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0074 Two piece balls, i.e. cover and core
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/00776 Slab hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0089 Coefficient of drag
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/009 Coefficient of lift
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0096 Spin rate
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 43/06 with illuminating devices ; with reflective surfaces

Abstract

The invention provides a two-piece golf ball having a single-layer core, a single-layer cover and a surface on which a plurality of dimples are formed. The cover is made of a material which includes 100 parts by weight of a resin material, from 0 to 0.5 part by weight of titanium oxide, and from 0.1 to 2 parts by weight of a fluorescent pigment selected from the group consisting of yellow, orange, peach and red. The ball surface has a lightness L value, expressed in the Lab color system, of at least 50. The core surface has an L value of at least 82 and a chroma C, defined as (a²+b²)^1/2, of 10 or less. The golf ball exhibits a brightly colored surface, is highly fashionable, and is readily visible during play.

Claims

1. A two-piece golf ball comprising a single-layer core, a single-layer cover and a surface on which a plurality of dimples are formed, wherein the cover is made of a material comprising 100 parts by weight of a resin material, from 0 to 0.5 part by weight of titanium oxide, and from 0.1 to 2 parts by weight of a fluorescent pigment selected from the group consisting of yellow, orange, peach and red, and wherein the ball surface has a lightness L value, expressed in the Lab color system, of at least 50 and the core surface has an L value of at least 82 and a chroma C, defined as (a²+b²)^1/2, of 10 or less.

2. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core is made of a rubber composition comprising 100 parts by weight of a base rubber having a cis-1,4-polybutadiene content of at least 40 wt%, from 5 to 40 parts by weight of a metal salt of an unsaturated carboxylic acid, from 0.1 to 5 parts by weight of an organic peroxide, and from 10 to 40 parts by weight of an inorganic filler.

3. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core contains rutile-type titanium oxide.

4. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core is white.

5. The golf ball of claim 2, wherein the inorganic filler present in the core is a combination of zinc oxide, precipitated barium sulfate, and titanium oxide.

6. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core is made of a material which includes from 1 to 5 parts by weight of titanium oxide, from 1 to 10 parts by weight of zinc oxide and from 10 to 30 parts by weight of precipitated barium sulfate per 100 parts by weight of the base rubber, and the amount of zinc oxide is lower than the amount of titanium oxide.

7. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cover has a material hardness, expressed as the Shore D hardness, of from 50 to 65, and a thickness of at least 12 mm.

8. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the fluorescent pigment included in the cover and the L value of the ball to surface satisfy one of the following conditions:

(I) the fluorescent pigment has an orange color and the ball surface has an L value of at least 60;

(II) the fluorescent pigment has a peach color and the ball surface has an L value of at least 60;

(III) the fluorescent pigment has a yellow color and the ball surface has an L value of at least 90;

(IV) the fluorescent pigment has a red color and the ball surface has an L value of at least 50.

9. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the ball, when hit, has a coefficient of lift CL at a Reynolds number of 70,000 and a spin rate of 2,000 rpm that is at least 0.165, and a coefficient of drag CD at a Reynolds number of 180,000 and a spin rate of 2,520 rpm of at most 0.230.

10. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein a deflection of the single-layer core, defined herein as the deformation by the core when compressed under a final load of 1,275 N (130 kgf) from an initial load state of 98 N (10 kgf), is from 2.5 mm to 6.0 mm.

11. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core has a surface hardness, expressed as the Shore D hardness, from 28 to 62.

12. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core has a center hardness, expressed as the Shore D hardness, from 28 to 43.

13. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the difference between the core surface hardness and the core center hardness, expressed in Shore D hardness units, is from 0 to 15.

14. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the fluorescent pigment included in the cover and the L value of the ball surface satisfy any one of the following conditions:

(I) the fluorescent pigment has an orange color and the ball surface has an L value of from 60 to 70;

(II) the fluorescent pigment has a peach color and the ball surface has an L value of from 60 to 70;

(III) the fluorescent pigment has a yellow color and the ball surface has an L value of at least 90;

(IV) the fluorescent pigment has a red color and the ball surface has an L value of from 50 to 60.