Method of making and recycling a golf ball

• US 9,193,102 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2012
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Ishii, Hideyuki, Ichikawa, Yasushi, Molinari, Arthur, Tutmark, Bradley C., Ono, Takahisa
• Primary Examiner(s): SANDERS, JAMES M
• Application Number:
  US13/485,619
• Publication Number:
  US 20130320577A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,272 Days
• Field of Search: 264/36.12, 264/328.1, 264/328.17
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0075 Three piece balls, i.e. cover, intermediate layer and core
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0076 Multi-piece balls, i.e. having two or more intermediate layers
• 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: B29B 13/022 Melting the material to be shaped
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 17/0404 to powder
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 2017/0203 Separating plastics from plastics
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 2017/0244 in liquids
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/16 Making multilayered or multicoloured articles B29C45/0062 takes precedence; feeding colouring materials into the injection unit B29C45/1816
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/1642 having a "sandwich" structure B29C45/1603 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/1643 from at least three different materials or with at least four layers
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2071/00 Use of polyethers , e.g. PEEK, i.e. polyether-etherketone or PEK, i.e. polyetherketone or derivatives thereof, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2075/00 Use of PU, i.e. polyureas or polyurethanes or derivatives thereof, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2086/00 Use of specific polymers obtained by polycondensation or polyaddition, not provided for in a single one of main groups B29K2059/00 - B29K2085/00, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2995/0037 Other properties
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2009/00 Layered products
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/546 Golf balls
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 30/52 Mechanical processing of waste for the recovery of materials, e.g. crushing, shredding, separation or disassembly
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 30/62 Plastics recycling; Rubber recycling

Abstract

A method of making and recycling a golf ball is disclosed. The method may include processing a used golf ball to make the materials of the used golf ball reusable in a new golf ball. As a result, the disclosed method may decrease the waste of disposing of used golf balls and the costs associated with acquiring and/or processing new materials. The method of recycling a golf ball may generally include pulverizing used golf balls into particles. The used golf balls may be made of materials having different densities. The particles may be placed in a liquid that causes the particles of different materials to float to different levels based on the densities of the materials. At least a portion of the particles may be melted and injected into a sandwich mold to create a new golf ball.

Claims

1. A method of making a golf ball, comprising:

pulverizing a golf ball into particles, wherein the golf ball has at least three layers, wherein each layer has a density different from all other layers;

placing the particles into a liquid and agitating the liquid and particles using a propeller to separate particles of a first group from particles of a second group and causing the first group of particles to settle at a first level in the liquid and the second group of particles to settle at a second level in the liquid that is different from the first level, wherein the propeller is located between the first level and the second level, and wherein the first group of particles are of a material having a different density than the density of the material of the second group of particles; and

using at least a portion of one of the first group of particles and the second group of particles to form a new golf ball.

2. The method of making a golf ball according to claim 1, further comprising:

removing the first group of particles from the liquid while keeping the first group of particles separate from the second group of particles; and

storing the first group of particles separately from the second group of particles.

3. The method of making a golf ball according to claim 2, wherein the first group of particles are removed by suction.

4. The method of making a golf ball according to claim 3, further comprising:

drying the first group of particles; and

drying the second group of particles.

12. The method of making a golf ball according to claim 1, wherein the at least three layers comprise a core layer having a density of 0.96 g/cm³, a mantle layer having a density of from about 1.1 g/cm³ to about 1.35 g/cm³, and a cover layer having a density of from about 1.1 g/cm³ to about 1.35 g/cm³.

5. A method of making a golf ball, comprising:

pulverizing a used golf ball into particles, wherein the used golf ball has at least three layers, wherein each layer has a density different from all other layers;

placing the particles into a liquid and agitating the liquid and particles using a propeller to separate particles of a first group from particles of a second group and causing the first group of particles to settle at a first level in the liquid and the second group of particles to settle at a second level in the liquid that is different from the first level, wherein the propeller is located between the first level and the second level, and wherein the first group of particles are of a material having a different density than the density of the material of the second group of particles;

removing the first group of particles from the liquid while keeping the first group of particles separate from the second group of particles;

removing the second group of particles from the liquid while keeping the second group of particles separate from the first group of particles; and

using at least a portion of one of the first group of particles and the second group of particles to form a new golf ball.

6. The method of making a golf ball according to claim 5, wherein the step of using at least a portion of one of the first group of particles and the second group of particles to form a new golf ball includes delivering a portion of the first group of particles a first heating chamber and heating the portion of the first group of particles, thereby melting the portion of the first group of particles into a first molten material and injecting the first molten material into a mold chamber, thereby forming a cover layer.

7. The method of making a golf ball according to claim 6, wherein the step of using at least a portion of one of the first group of particles and the second group of particles to form a new golf ball includes delivering a portion of the second group of particles a second heating chamber and heating the portion of the second group of particles, thereby melting the portion of the second group of particles into a second molten material and injecting the second molten material into a mold chamber, thereby forming a mantle layer within the cover layer.

8. The method of making a golf ball according to claim 5, wherein the step of removing the first group of particles includes skimming the first group of particles from the liquid.

9. The method of making a golf ball according to claim 5, wherein the step of removing the first group of particles includes suctioning the first group of particles from a vessel into a dryer.

10. The method of making a golf ball according to claim 7, wherein the step of using at least a portion of one of the first group of particles and the second group of particles to form a new golf ball includes injecting a third molten material into the mold chamber, thereby forming a core layer within the mantle layer.

13. The method of making a golf ball according to claim 5, wherein the at least three layers comprise a core layer having a density of 0.96 g/cm³, a mantle layer having a density of from about 1.1 g/cm³ to about 1.35 g/cm³, and a cover layer having a density of from about 1.1 g/cm³ to about 1.35 g/cm³.

11. A method of making a golf ball, comprising:

selling a golf ball having a trace element comprising a barcode to a consumer, wherein the golf ball has at least three layers, wherein each layer has a density different from all other layers;

collecting the golf ball;

inputting the trace element data into a computer program;

calculating with the computer program an incentive award associated with the collected golf ball;

communicating the award to a user;

pulverizing the collected golf ball into particles;

separating the particles of the collected golf ball into a first group of particles and a second group of particles; and

using at least a portion of one of the first group of particles and the second group of particles to form a new golf ball, wherein separating the particles includes;

placing the particles into a liquid and agitating the liquid and particles using a propeller to separate particles of a first group from particles of a second group and causing the first group of particles to settle at a first level and the second group of particles to settle at a second level that is different from the first level, wherein the propeller is located between the first level and the second level, and wherein the first group of particles are of a material having a different density than the density of the material of the second group of particles;

removing the first group of particles while keeping the first group of particles separate from the second group of particles; and

removing the second group of particles while keeping the second group of particles separate from the first group of particles.

14. The method of making a golf ball according to claim 11, wherein the at least three layers comprise a core layer having a density of 0.96 g/cm³, a mantle layer having a density of from about 1.1 g/cm³ to about 1.35 g/cm³, and a cover layer having a density of from about 1.1 g/cm³ to about 1.35 g/cm³.