Golf balls and methods to manufacture golf balls

• US 9,764,194 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2015
• Issued: 09/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Slick Golf, LLC
• Original Assignee: Parsons Xtreme Golf, Llc
• Inventors: Parsons, Robert R., Schweigert, Bradley D.
• Primary Examiner(s): SIMMS JR, JOHN ELLIOTT
• Application Number:
  US14/981,445
• Publication Number:
  US 20160107037A1
• Time in Patent Office: 631 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/00065 located around the pole or the equator
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0009 Polygonal
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0018 Specified number of dimples
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/002 Specified dimple diameter
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0021 Occupation ratio, i.e. percentage surface occupied by dimples

Abstract

Embodiments of golf balls and methods to manufacture golf balls are generally described herein. In one example, a golf ball may include a plurality of round dimples and a plurality of non-round dimples. Each round dimple may have a dimple diameter, and each non-round dimple may have a dimple diagonal. Other examples and embodiments may be described and claimed.

Claims

1. A golf ball comprising:

an outside surface defined by a first hemispherical region and a second hemispherical region, the first and second hemispherical regions having eight triangular shaped quadrant regions having a first set of quadrant regions and a second set of quadrant regions, each hemispherical region having two quadrant regions of the first set of quadrant regions and two quadrant regions of the second set of quadrant regions;

a plurality of dimples, each dimple having a dimple diameter length, at least one dimple in each of the first and second set of quadrant regions being associated with a minimum dimple diameter length, and at least one dimple in each of the first and second set of quadrant regions being associated with a maximum dimple diameter length;

wherein the maximum dimple diameter length of the dimples in each quadrant region of the first set of quadrant regions is greater than the maximum dimple diameter length of the dimples in each quadrant region of the second set of quadrant regions;

wherein each side of each quadrant region of the first set of quadrant regions is adjacent to a side of a quadrant region of the second set of quadrant regions, and

wherein two quadrant regions of the first set of quadrant regions and two quadrant regions of the second set of quadrant regions have a common vertex.

2. A golf ball as defined in claim 1, wherein three dimples having the minimum dimple diameter length define vertices of the second quadrant region.

3. A golf ball as defined in claim 1, wherein a triangular region at a center portion of each quadrant region of the first set of quadrant regions is defined by three dimples having the largest dimple diameter lengths of each quadrant region of the first set of quadrant regions.

4. A golf ball as defined in claim 1, wherein a triangular region at a center portion of each quadrant region of the second set of quadrant regions is defined by three dimples having the largest dimple diameter lengths of each quadrant region of the second set of quadrant regions.

5. A golf ball as defined in claim 1, wherein a triangular region at a center portion of each quadrant region of the first set of quadrant regions is defined by three round dimples having the maximum dimple diameter length.

6. A golf ball as defined in claim 1, wherein the dimples defining the sides of each quadrant region of the first set of quadrant regions have smaller diameter lengths than the maximum dimple diameter length.

7. A golf ball as defined in claim 1, wherein the total number of dimples in each quadrant region of the second set of quadrant regions is greater than the total number of dimples in each quadrant region of the first set of quadrant regions.

8. A golf ball as defined in claim 1, wherein the total surface area covered by dimples associated with each quadrant region of the first set of quadrant regions is greater than the total surface area covered by dimples associated with each quadrant region of the second set of quadrant regions.

9. A golf ball as defined in claim 1, wherein at least 90% of the total number of dimples are associated with a dimple diameter of about 0.150 inch or greater, and wherein at least 50% of the total number of dimples are associated with a dimple diameter of about 0.180 inch or greater.

10. A golf ball as defined in claim 1, wherein a center portion of each side of each quadrant region of the second set of quadrant regions have at least one dimple with the largest dimple diameter length of each quadrant region of the second set of quadrant regions.

11. A golf ball as defined in claim 1, wherein the plurality of dimples include round dimples and non-round dimples.

12. A golf ball comprising:

an outside surface defined by a first hemispherical region and a second hemispherical region, the first and second hemispherical regions having eight triangular shaped quadrant regions having a first set of quadrant regions and a second set of quadrant regions, each hemispherical region having two quadrant regions of the first set of quadrant regions and two quadrant regions of the second set of quadrant regions;

a plurality of dimples, each dimple having a dimple diameter length, at least one dimple in each of the first and second set of quadrant regions being associated with a minimum dimple diameter length, and at least one dimple in each of the first and second set of quadrant regions being associated with a maximum dimple diameter length;

wherein the maximum dimple diameter length of the dimples in each quadrant region of the first set of quadrant regions is greater than the maximum dimple diameter length of the dimples in each quadrant region of the second set of quadrant regions;

wherein each side of each quadrant region of the first set of quadrant regions is adjacent to a side of a quadrant region of the second set of quadrant regions,

wherein two quadrant regions of the first set of quadrant regions and two quadrant regions of the second set of quadrant regions have a common vertex, and

wherein the plurality of dimples comprise less than about 10% of non-round dimples.

13. A golf ball as defined in claim 12, wherein three dimples having the minimum dimple diameter length define vertices of the second quadrant region.

14. A golf ball as defined in claim 12, wherein at least 90% of the total number of dimples are associated with a dimple diameter of about 0.150 inch or greater, and wherein at least 50% of the total number of dimples are associated with a dimple diameter of about 0.180 inch or greater.

15. A golf ball comprising:

an outside surface defined by a first hemispherical region and a second hemispherical region, the first and second hemispherical regions having eight triangular shaped quadrant regions having a first set of quadrant regions and a second set of quadrant regions, each hemispherical region having two quadrant regions of the first set of quadrant regions and two quadrant regions of the second set of quadrant regions;

a plurality of dimples, each dimple having a dimple diameter length, at least one dimple in each of the first and second set of quadrant regions being associated with a minimum dimple diameter length, and at least one dimple in each of the first and second set of quadrant regions being associated with a maximum dimple diameter length;

wherein the maximum dimple diameter length of the dimples in each quadrant region of the first set of quadrant regions is greater than the maximum dimple diameter length of the dimples in each quadrant region of the second set of quadrant regions;

wherein each side of each quadrant region of the first set of quadrant regions is adjacent to a side of a quadrant region of the second set of quadrant regions,

wherein two quadrant regions of the first set of quadrant regions and two quadrant regions of the second set of quadrant regions have a common vertex, and

wherein the plurality of dimples comprise less than about 325 dimples.

16. A golf ball as defined in claim 15, wherein three dimples having the minimum dimple diameter length define vertices of the second quadrant region.

17. A golf ball as defined in claim 15, wherein a triangular region at a center portion of each quadrant region of the first set of quadrant regions is defined by three dimples having the largest dimple diameter lengths of each quadrant region of the first set of quadrant regions.

18. A golf ball as defined in claim 15, wherein a triangular region at a center portion of each quadrant region of the second set of quadrant regions is defined by three dimples having the largest dimple diameter lengths of each quadrant region of the second set of quadrant regions.

19. A golf ball as defined in claim 15, wherein a triangular region at a center portion of each quadrant region of the first set of quadrant regions is defined by three round dimples having the maximum dimple diameter length.

20. A golf ball as defined in claim 15, wherein the dimples defining the sides of each quadrant region of the first set of quadrant regions have smaller diameter lengths than the maximum dimple diameter length.