Mold for a golf ball

• US 8,414,428 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2010
• Issued: 04/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Aoyama, Steven, Nardacci, Nicholas M., Madson, Michael R., Hunt, David P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gorden, Raeann
• Application Number:
  US12/755,605
• Publication Number:
  US 20100197428A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,098 Days
• Field of Search: 473379-385
• 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 37/002 Specified dimple diameter
• 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: B29C 33/005 characterised by the location of the parting line of the mould parts
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/14819 the inserts being completely encapsulated
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/54 Balls

Abstract

A golf ball mold having a non-planar parting surface formed by superimposing a base waveform with a least one shorter secondary waveform. The base waveform is defined by a series of concentric arcs wherein adjacent arcs are connected with a straight line segment that is tangent to the arcs and creates an acute angle. The length of the straight line segment being critical to the accuracy and predictability of the parting line.

Claims

1. A golf ball having a non-planar parting line on its spherical surface, the golf ball comprising:

a non-planar parting line resulting from superimposing of a base waveform with at least one shorter wavelength secondary waveform;

the secondary waveform defined by a series of concentric arcs, wherein the arcs have radii determined by corresponding dimples, the dimples having diameters defined by the relationship (1.005)D_DIMPLE/2−

r_arc−

(1.06)D_DIMPLE/2;

adjacent arcs being connected with a straight line that is tangent to the arcs creating an acute angle α

;

the length of the straight line defined by L_LINE=(r₂+r₃)/tan α

;

the sum of the lengths of the straight lines are defined by the lengths of the arcs as

(0.15)Σ

L_ARCS≦

Σ

L_LINES≦

(0.50)Σ

L_ARCS;

and the length of the shortest line segment in the parting line relates to the corresponding dimple diameters defined by L_MIN>

(0.05) D_MIN.

2. The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein the dimples are arranged in an icosahedron-based dimple pattern.

3. The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein the dimples are arranged in a dodecahedron-based dimple pattern.

4. The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein the dimples are arranged in a pentagonal dipyramid-based dimple pattern.

5. The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein the dimples are arranged in a triangular dipyramid-based dimple pattern.

6. The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein the dimples are arranged in a tetrahedron-based dimple pattern.

7. The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein the dimples are arranged in an icosidodecahedron-based dimple pattern.

8. The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein the dimples are arranged in octahedral-based dimple pattern.

9. The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein the dimples are arranged in a cube-octahedral dimple pattern.

10. The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein the dimples are arranged in a hexagonal dipyramid dimple pattern.

11. The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of gates are formed at positions substantially coincident with the highest and/or lowest points of the non-planar parting line.

12. The golf ball according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of gates is at least 8.

13. The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein the spherical surface is a cover formed from a urethane or a urea material.

14. The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein the parting line creates a wave amplitude not greater than 0.30 inch.

15. The golf ball according to claim 14, wherein the wave amplitude is 0.015 inch or less.

16. The golf ball according to claim 15, wherein points of maximum amplitude are at least three.

17. The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein the parting line is less than ten percent greater than a circumference of the ball.

18. The golf ball according to claim 17, wherein the parting line is less than six percent greater than the circumference of the ball.

19. The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein the minimum number of arcs concentric with the corresponding dimples is 80 percent.

20. The golf ball according to claim 19, wherein the minimum number of arcs concentric with the corresponding dimples is 100 percent.

21. A golf ball having a non-planar parting line on its spherical surface, the golf ball comprising:

a non-planar parting line resulting from a superposition of at least two waveforms, a base and secondary, with the secondary having a functional relationship to the base defined as

22. The golf ball according to claim 21, wherein the dimples are arranged in an icosahedron, or dodecahedron, or dipyramid, or triangular dipyramid, or tetrahedron, or icosidodecahedron, or octahedral, or hexagonal dipyramid-based dimple pattern.

23. The golf ball according to claim 21, wherein a plurality of gates are formed at positions substantially coincident with the highest and/or lowest points of the non-planar parting line.

24. The golf ball according to claim 21, wherein the parting line creates a wave amplitude not greater than 0.30 inch.

25. The golf ball according to claim 24, wherein the wave amplitude is 0.015 inch or less.

26. The golf ball according to claim 21, wherein the non-planar parting line is less than ten percent greater than a circumference on the ball surface.

27. The golf ball according to claim 26, wherein the non-planar parting line is less than six percent greater than the circumference on the ball surface.

28. The golf ball according to claim 21, wherein the minimum number of arcs concentric with the dimples is 80 percent.

29. The golf ball according to claim 28, wherein the minimum number of arcs concentric with the dimples is 100 percent.