Golf ball dimple plan shape

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10369418-B2
Application number	US-201815953785-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 16, 2018
Priority date	Aug 4, 2016
Publication date	Aug 6, 2019
Grant date	Aug 6, 2019

Abstract

The present invention relates to golf balls having improved packing efficiency and aerodynamic characteristics and a high degree of dimple interdigitation. In particular, the present invention relates to a golf ball including at least a portion of dimples having a plan shape defined by low frequency periodic functions having high amplitudes. The present invention is also directed to methods of developing the dimple plan shape geometries, as well as methods of making the finished golf balls with the inventive dimple patterns applied thereto.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A golf ball having a generally spherical surface and comprising a plurality of dimples on the spherical surface, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of dimples have a non-circular plan shape defined by a low frequency periodic function mapped along a simple closed path according to the following function:
Q ( x )= F path ( l,scl,x )* F periodic ( s,a,p,x )
where F path is a circle, ellipse, or square of length l, with scale factor scl, defined along the vertices x, and F periodic is a low frequency periodic function with sharpness factor s, amplitude a, and period p defined at the vertices x, and period p is about 15 or less;
wherein the maximum absolute distance of any point on the plan shape from the simple closed path is about 0.015 inches to about 0.050 inches; and
wherein each one of the dimples having a non-circular plan shape defined by a low frequency periodic function mapped along a simple closed path comprises a first dimple profile and a second dimple profile, the first dimple profile having a first edge angle (Φ EDGE1 ) and a second edge angle (Φ EDGE2 ) and the second dimple profile having a third edge angle (Φ EDGE3 ) and a fourth edge angle (Φ EDGE4 ), wherein at least two of Φ EDGE1 , Φ EDGE2 , Φ EDGE3 and Φ EDGE4 have different values.

2. The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein at least two of Φ EDGE1 , Φ EDGE2 , Φ EDGE3 and Φ EDGE4 have values that differ by 1.0° to 6.0°.

3. The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein:
Φ EDGE1 =Φ EDGE2 ,
Φ EDGE3 =Φ EDGE4 , and
Φ EDGE1 ≠Φ EDGE3 .

4. The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein:
Φ EDGE1 ≠Φ EDGE2 ,
Φ EDGE3 =Φ EDGE4 .

5. The golf ball of claim 4 , wherein Φ EDGE1 =Φ EDGE3 .

6. The golf ball of claim 4 , wherein Φ EDGE1 ≠Φ EDGE3 .

7. The golf ball of claim 6 , wherein Φ EDGE2 ≠Φ EDGE3 .

8. The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein:
Φ EDGE1 ≠Φ EDGE 2,
Φ EDGE3 ≠Φ EDGE4 ,
Φ EDGE1 =Φ EDGE3 , and
Φ EDGE2 ≠Φ EDGE4 .

9. The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein:
Φ EDGE1 ≠Φ EDGE2 ,
Φ EDGE3 ≠Φ EDGE4 ,
Φ EDGE1 ≠Φ EDGE3 , and
Φ EDGE2 ≠Φ EDGE4 .

10. The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein, for each one of the dimples having a non-circular plan shape defined by a low frequency periodic function mapped along a circular simple closed path, the average of the edge angles of all of the dimple profiles of that dimple is 11° to 16°.

11. The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein, for each one of the dimples having a non-circular plan shape defined by a low frequency periodic function mapped along a circular simple closed path, the difference between the maximum edge angle and the minimum edge angle of all of the dimple profiles of that dimple is 0.5° to 6.0°.

12. The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein, for each one of the dimples having a non-circular plan shape defined by a low frequency periodic function mapped along a circular simple closed path, the difference between the maximum edge angle and the average of the edge angles of all of the dimple profiles of that dimple is 3.00° or less.

13. A golf ball having a generally spherical surface and comprising a plurality of dimples on the spherical surface, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of dimples have a non-circular plan shape defined by a low frequency periodic function mapped along a simple closed path according to the following function:
Q ( x )= F path ( l,scl,x )* F periodic ( s,a,p,x )
where F path is a circle, ellipse, or square of length l, with scale factor scl, defined along the vertices x, and F periodic is a sine, cosine, sawtooth wave, triangle wave, or square wave function with sharpness factor s, amplitude a, and period p defined at the vertices x, and period p is about 15 or less;
wherein the maximum absolute distance of any point on the plan shape from the simple closed path is about 0.015 inches to about 0.050 inches; and
wherein each one of the dimples having a non-circular plan shape defined by a low frequency periodic function mapped along a simple closed path comprises a first dimple profile and a second dimple profile, the first dimple profile having a first edge angle (Φ EDGE1 ) and a second edge angle (Φ EDGE2 ) and the second dimple profile having a third edge angle (Φ EDGE3 ) and a fourth edge angle (Φ EDGE4 ), wherein at least two of Φ EDGE1 , Φ EDGE2 , Φ EDGE3 and Φ EDGE4 have different values.

14. The golf ball of claim 13 , wherein at least two of Φ EDGE1 , Φ EDGE2 , Φ EDGE3 and Φ EDGE4 have values that differ by 1.0° to 6.0°.

15. A golf ball having a generally spherical surface and comprising a plurality of dimples on the spherical surface, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of dimples have a non-circular plan shape defined by a low frequency periodic function mapped along a simple closed path according to the following function:
Q ( x )= F path ( l,scl,x )* F periodic ( s,a,p,x )
where F path is a circle, ellipse, or square of length l, with scale factor scl, defined along the vertices x, and F periodic is a low frequency periodic function with sharpness factor s, amplitude a, and period p defined at the vertices x, and period p is about 15 or less;
wherein the maximum absolute distance of any point on the plan shape from the simple closed path is about 0.015 inches to about 0.050 inches;
wherein the plurality of dimples having a non-circular plan shape defined by a low frequency periodic function mapped along a simple closed path have a Degree of Interdigitation DOI of about 0.05 to about 0.50, DOI being defined by the following equation:

D
⁢

⁢
O
⁢

⁢
I

=

1
n

⁢

∑

k
=
1

n

⁢

(

R
1

+

R
2

D

-
1

)

k

where R 1 is the maximum radial distance of a first dimple having a first center, R 2 is the maximum radial distance of a second dimple having a second center, D is the distance between the first center and the second center, and the first dimple is adjacent to the second dimple on the surface; and
wherein each one of the dimples having a non-circular plan shape defined by a low frequency periodic function mapped along a simple closed path comprises a first dimple profile and a second dimple profile, the first dimple profile having a first edge angle (Φ EDGE1 ) and a second edge angle (Φ EDGE2 ) and the second dimple profile h

Assignees

• Acushnet Co

Inventors

• Madson Michael R
• Nardacci Nicholas M

Classifications

• A63B37/0016

  Specified individual dimple volume · CPC title

• A63B37/0089

  Coefficient of drag · CPC title

• A63B37/002

  Specified dimple diameter · CPC title

• A63B37/0007 Primary

  Non-circular dimples · CPC title

• A63B37/0006

  Arrangement or layout of dimples · CPC title