CA2728070A1 - Golf ball with cover having varying hardness - Google Patents

Golf ball with cover having varying hardness Download PDF

Info

Publication number
CA2728070A1
CA2728070A1 CA2728070A CA2728070A CA2728070A1 CA 2728070 A1 CA2728070 A1 CA 2728070A1 CA 2728070 A CA2728070 A CA 2728070A CA 2728070 A CA2728070 A CA 2728070A CA 2728070 A1 CA2728070 A1 CA 2728070A1
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
cover layer
pattern
coating material
golf ball
hardness
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
CA2728070A
Other languages
French (fr)
Other versions
CA2728070C (en
Inventor
Yasushi Ichikawa
Chia-Chyi Cheng
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Nike International Ltd
Original Assignee
Nike International Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from US12/690,761 external-priority patent/US8556750B2/en
Application filed by Nike International Ltd filed Critical Nike International Ltd
Priority to CA2775128A priority Critical patent/CA2775128C/en
Publication of CA2728070A1 publication Critical patent/CA2728070A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA2728070C publication Critical patent/CA2728070C/en
Expired - Fee Related legal-status Critical Current
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical

Links

Classifications

    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63BAPPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B37/00Solid balls; Rigid hollow balls; Marbles
    • A63B37/0003Golf balls
    • A63B37/0023Covers
    • A63B37/0029Physical properties
    • A63B37/0031Hardness
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63BAPPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B37/00Solid balls; Rigid hollow balls; Marbles
    • A63B37/0003Golf balls
    • A63B37/0022Coatings, e.g. paint films; Markings
    • A63B37/00222Physical properties, e.g. hardness
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63BAPPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B37/00Solid balls; Rigid hollow balls; Marbles
    • A63B37/0003Golf balls
    • A63B37/0023Covers
    • A63B37/0029Physical properties
    • A63B37/0031Hardness
    • A63B37/0032Hardness gradient

Abstract

Generally disclosed is a golf ball having a core and a cover layer. The cover layer includes areas that are hard corresponding to the dimples, and areas that are soft corresponding to the land between the dimples. The cover layer may be selectively treated, such as by heating, to achieve a difference in hardness using a single cover layer material. Alternatively, the cover layer may be selectively coated with a coating material having a different hardness. As a result of the arrangement of the hard dimples and the soft land, the golf ball achieves reduced spin, and greater distances, when struck with a larger force (such as during a dive) while also achieving increased spin, and better control, when struck with a smaller force (such as during a chip).

Claims (20)

1. A golf ball comprising:
a core; and a cover layer, the cover layer substantially surrounding the core and including a plurality of dimples and at least one land area separating the dimples;
the cover layer including a first portion, the first portion of the cover layer having a first hardness and at least one dimple thereon, and a second portion, the second portion of the cover layer having a second hardness and at least a part of the at least one land area thereon;
wherein the first portion and the second portion are non-overlapping portions of a continuous cover layer material; and the first hardness is higher than the second hardness.
2. The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein the first portion of the cover layer and the second portion of the cover layer have the same composition.
3. The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein the first portion of the cover layer includes all of the plurality of dimples thereon, and the second portion of the cover layer includes the entirety of all of the land area(s) thereon.
4. The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein the first portion of the cover layer includes a subset of fewer than all of the plurality of dimples thereon, and the second portion of the cover layer includes less than the entirety of all of the land area(s) thereon.
5. The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein the second portion of the cover layer extends from an outer surface of the cover layer to an intermediate point between the outer surface of the cover layer and an inner surface of the cover layer.
6. The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein the second portion of the cover layer extends from an outer surface of the cover layer to an inner surface of the cover layer.
7. The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein the cover layer comprises an acid copolymer that comprises copolymerized residues of at least one alpha olefin having from two to six carbon atoms and copolymerized residues of at least one .alpha.,.beta.-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid having from 3 to 8 carbon atoms.
8. The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein the first portion of the cover layer has a first degree of crystallinity, the second portion of the cover layer has a second degree of crystallinity, and the first degree of crystallinity is higher than the second degree of crystallinity.
9. A golf ball comprising:
a core; and a cover layer substantially surrounding the core, the cover layer being formed of a material having a first hardness, and the cover layer having a plurality of dimples and at least one land area thereon;
the plurality of dimples being arranged on the cover layer in a first pattern;
the at least one land area being arranged on the cover layer in a second pattern, the first pattern and the second pattern being non-overlapping patterns;
wherein the cover layer is coated with a coating material having a second hardness such that the coating material overlaps at least a portion of one of the first pattern and the second pattern but substantially does not overlap the other of the first pattern and the second pattern; and wherein the second hardness is different from the first hardness.
10. The golf ball of claim 9, wherein the coating material overlaps at least a portion of the first pattern but does not substantially overlap the second pattern, and the second hardness value is higher than the first hardness value.
11. The golf ball of claim 10, wherein the coating material overlaps substantially all of the first pattern.
12. The golf ball of claim 9, wherein the coating material overlaps at least a portion of the second pattern but does not substantially overlap the first pattern, and the second hardness value is lower than the first hardness value.
13. The golf ball of claim 12, wherein the coating material overlaps substantially all of the second pattern.
14. The golf ball of claim 9, wherein a surface of the cover layer corresponding to one of the first pattern and the second pattern includes pockets in the surface of the cover layer, and the coating material is coated on the same one of the first pattern and the second pattern such that the coating material fills the pockets.
15. The golf ball of claim 14, wherein the coating material is located in the pockets but does not otherwise substantially overlap the surface of the cover layer.
16. The golf ball of claim 9, wherein the coating material is selected from the group consisting of a metal plating and a polymer.
17. A method of manufacturing a golf ball, the method comprising the steps of.

(1) receiving a golf ball having a core and a cover layer substantially surrounding the core, the cover layer having a plurality of dimples and at least one land area separating adjacent dimples, the plurality of dimples being arranged on the cover layer in a first pattern, the at least one land area being arranged on the cover layer in a second pattern;
(2) coating the cover layer with a coating material over at least a portion of at least one of the first pattern and the second pattern; and, if necessary (3) selectively removing the coating material from the cover layer;
whereby the coating material overlaps at least a portion of one of the first pattern and the second pattern but substantially does not overlap the other of the first pattern and the second pattern.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein the step (3) of selectively removing the coating material from the cover layer comprises:
applying a masking agent over the coating material in a pattern corresponding to one of the first pattern and the second pattern, and removing portions of the coating material that are not covered by the masking agent through chemical etching.
19. The method of claim 17, wherein the step (3) of selectively removing the coating material from the cover layer comprises:
physically grinding the coating material so as to remove a portion of the coating material from the cover layer, such that the remaining coating material overlaps at least a portion of one of the first pattern and the second pattern but substantially does not overlap the other of the first pattern and the second pattern.
20. The method of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises a step (lb), prior to coating the cover layer with the coating material, of:
treating a surface of the cover layer to create pockets in the surface, the pockets being created on at least a portion of the cover layer corresponding to either the first pattern or the second pattern.
CA2728070A 2010-01-20 2011-01-13 Golf ball with cover having varying hardness Expired - Fee Related CA2728070C (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA2775128A CA2775128C (en) 2010-01-20 2011-01-13 Golf ball with cover having varying hardness

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US12/690,761 US8556750B2 (en) 2010-01-20 2010-01-20 Golf ball with cover having varying hardness
US12/690,761 2010-01-20
US13/004,829 2011-01-11
US13/004,829 US20110177887A1 (en) 2010-01-20 2011-01-11 Golf Ball With Cover Having Varying Hardness

Related Child Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA2775128A Division CA2775128C (en) 2010-01-20 2011-01-13 Golf ball with cover having varying hardness

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA2728070A1 true CA2728070A1 (en) 2011-03-30
CA2728070C CA2728070C (en) 2012-06-26

Family

ID=43797897

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA2728070A Expired - Fee Related CA2728070C (en) 2010-01-20 2011-01-13 Golf ball with cover having varying hardness

Country Status (4)

Country Link
EP (1) EP2353665B1 (en)
CN (1) CN102125748B (en)
CA (1) CA2728070C (en)
WO (1) WO2011090860A1 (en)

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP2412411A1 (en) * 2010-07-07 2012-02-01 Nike International Ltd Golf ball with cover having zones of hardness
JP2013000168A (en) * 2011-06-13 2013-01-07 Yokohama Rubber Co Ltd:The Golf ball
US8529375B2 (en) 2010-01-20 2013-09-10 Nike, Inc. Golf ball having increased moment of inertia
US8556750B2 (en) 2010-01-20 2013-10-15 Nike, Inc. Golf ball with cover having varying hardness
US9320942B2 (en) 2010-01-20 2016-04-26 Nike, Inc. Golf ball with cover layer having zones of differing materials

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US8393979B2 (en) 2010-06-24 2013-03-12 Nike, Inc. Golf ball with hydrophilic coating layer
US8602915B2 (en) 2010-11-01 2013-12-10 Nike, Inc. Golf ball with changeable dimples
US9333393B2 (en) * 2011-12-30 2016-05-10 Nike, Inc. Method of making a golf ball core

Family Cites Families (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6012992A (en) * 1999-02-11 2000-01-11 Yavitz; Edward Q. Golf ball having a cover with variable characteristics
US7378483B2 (en) * 2002-08-27 2008-05-27 Acushnet Company Compositions for golf equipment
WO2008042416A1 (en) 2006-10-03 2008-04-10 E. I. Du Pont De Nemours And Company Phase transition golf ball and method of use
WO2008118629A1 (en) * 2007-03-27 2008-10-02 Southporte, Ent., Llc Dual identification layered golf balls
US20080251400A1 (en) * 2007-04-13 2008-10-16 Ulrich David J Golf ball warmer
US8556750B2 (en) * 2010-01-20 2013-10-15 Nike, Inc. Golf ball with cover having varying hardness

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US8529375B2 (en) 2010-01-20 2013-09-10 Nike, Inc. Golf ball having increased moment of inertia
US8556750B2 (en) 2010-01-20 2013-10-15 Nike, Inc. Golf ball with cover having varying hardness
US9320942B2 (en) 2010-01-20 2016-04-26 Nike, Inc. Golf ball with cover layer having zones of differing materials
EP2412411A1 (en) * 2010-07-07 2012-02-01 Nike International Ltd Golf ball with cover having zones of hardness
US8568250B2 (en) 2010-07-07 2013-10-29 Nike, Inc. Golf ball with cover having zones of hardness
JP2013000168A (en) * 2011-06-13 2013-01-07 Yokohama Rubber Co Ltd:The Golf ball

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
CA2728070C (en) 2012-06-26
EP2353665B1 (en) 2012-11-07
EP2353665A1 (en) 2011-08-10
WO2011090860A1 (en) 2011-07-28
CN102125748B (en) 2013-02-20
CN102125748A (en) 2011-07-20

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Effective date: 20190114