US706758A - Golf-ball. - Google Patents

Description

No. 706,758. Patented Aug. I2, I902.

E. KEMPSHALL.

GOLF BALL.

(Application filed June 14, 1902.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT CEEICE.

ELEAZER KEMPSHALL, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

GOLF-BALL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 706,758, dated August 12, 1902.

Application filed June 14. 1902; Serial No. 111,765. (No model.)

To (LZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELEAZER KEMPSHALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and'State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Golf-Balls, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to playing-balls; and its objects are to increase the flying power thereof and also to render them buoyant in water.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is apart-sectional view of a golf-ball embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is an enlarged segment of a ball. Fig. 3 illustrates the filling or body of the ball. Fig. 4: shows a piece of sheet-rubber used in forming said body, and

Fig. 5 shows a compound center piece used Within'the filling shown at Fig. 3.

In the several views similar parts are designated by similar characters of reference.

For the center piece of the ball I employ a small sphere 1, preferably of celluloid or other hard springy material, inclosed in undersized segments 2 3 of soft rubber. Upon this compound center pieceI apply approximately pure sheet-rubber layer over layer to form the filling 4 of the ball, and upon this filling I place a shell 5, of plastic material, preferably gutta-percha,and preferably holding the filling under compression.

In winding the filling 4, which forms the principal part of the body of the ball in the illustrated construction,I do not employ crude caoutchouc or caoutchouc in an uncured condition, because it is not sufficiently strong and resilient when in an uncured condition; but I employ a very thin sheeting of acidcured rubber A- that is, rubber which has been changed from the crude state to a usable state by a well-known acid process, as distinguished from the more common process of mixing raw rubber with sulfur and then subjecting the mixture to-heat. Specimens of acid-cured rubber are the commercial surgeons rubber or dental rubber or dental dam. This contains little or no foreign dead mixture which would impair its strength or elasticity, and it is much stronger than rubber which is vulcanized by being first mixed with sulfur and then heated, and hence performs an important function in my improved ball, because it can be drawn extremely thin and withstands great strain, and by these combined qualities I am enabled to malie a substantially solid ball all portions whereof are under high tension. This solidity is effected by the thinness to which. the sheeting is drawn in connection with the hard packing action due to the tenseness of the overlying windings, which, it will be understood, pack the inner layers in a most effectual manner. It will be perceived that owing to the solidity of a ball thus formed lateral flow of the rub ber sheet or strip becomes impossible-that is, such flow as would occur at the unconfined edges of an ordinary plate of rubber when subjected to pressure, and hence any further distortion of the rubber when the ball is struck can occur only in directions longitudinally of the strips, and since this is already highlytensioned the ball exhibits phenomenal flying power. Moreover, the described ball of solid windings is so hard and so highly tensioned as not to be unduly affected by a light blow, rendering the ball also excellent for putting. This sheeting I wind continuously in miscellaneous directions layer over layer, as indicated at A, Figs; 2 and 3. I prefer to use sheeting originally from nine one-thousandths to twelve one-thousandths of an inch in thickness and tensioned to an extent to reduce its thickness to from three onethousandths to four one-thousandths of an inch. It will be understood that owing to its strength thin sheeting of acid-cured rubber maybe employed and that it may be stretched untilit is extremely thin, since this quality or kind of rubber stands very great stress without breaking. In this way-that is, by using extremely thin windings-J canjmake a substantially solid sphere of rubber which is highly tensioned'in all directions,and is hence powerful when given a hard blow, While being too highly strung to be materially affected by a light blow, so that it is welladapted for the game of golf. By reason of itsextraordinary thinness the. sheeting Winds verycompactly, forming a solid body--that is, a body containingnoperceptible crevices. Because of its tension and compactness this body is materially harder to the touch than the softrubber shell-segments 2 3. The solidity of the body I regard as a feature of great im portance. The tension of the sheeting is sufficient to draw said segments together, closing the crevice B between them, as at B, Figs. 1 and 2, and tensioning them upon the hard sphere 1.

In using the term acid process herein I mean to distinguish from that vulcanizing process which consists of mixing sulfur mechanically with rubber and then subjecting the mixture to heat, said acid'process involving the surface treatment or immersion of the raw-rubber sheet in a suitable bathas, for instance, in a bath consisting of a mixture of dichlorid of sulfur and carbon disulfid.

The highly-tensioned sheeting has not only the advantage of being extremely elastic and not only packs closely layer upon layer to form a solid ball, but it will also be seen that because of its thinness a great number of layers can be compacted within the alloted space, as at A, Fig. 2, and since each layer is independently tensioned a large amount of power is stored up in the ball. In short, my filling consists principally of a solid ball of rubber whose different portions are tensioned in miscellaneous directions, each portion being distended to many times its normal length.

By excluding foreign material from the rubber sheeting many advantages are gained in constructing a golf-ball,which is of small size. Foreign material, which is comparatively inelastic, not only displaces its bulk of the highlyelastic rubber sheeting, but by its presence also interferes with the action of the rubber. In other words, the mixing of foreign material makes more work to be done and reduces the amount of the rubber for doing the work. Moreover, by having the rubber approximately pure it is found that a very thin sheet thereof withstands a high degree of tension, so that a multitude of highlytensioned sheets may be embodied in the ball, thus materially augmenting its flying power. Again, by using approximately pure cured rubber in forming the body the golf-ball is rendered buoyant in water, so that if accidentally driven into a lake or stream it can be readily located and recovered.

I apprehend that when the ball is given a blow the outer layer or envelop of tensioned rubber is subjected to a still greater tension, said envelop being of spherical form and containing a solid mass, so that the only effect possible to produce by a blow is a change of shape of the half from a true sphere, which change of shape necessarily stretches said outer layer. I apprehend, further, that the successive inner layers are also subjected to extra tension for the same reason. Since there are a multitude of these highly-tensioned rubber layers and all are simultaneously given an extra tension by a blow from a club and since their reaction is instantaneous, the ball flies from the club with phenomenal speed.

The gutta-percha shell 5 may be formed of hemispherical segments,which are preferably welded upon the filling 4 under heat and pressure. The windings of acid-cured rubber adhere to one another, thereby improving the stability and elasticity of the ball. The heat present at the operation of welding on the gutta percha shell improves the adhering properties of the tightly-packed acid-cured rubber. It will be noted that the heaviest portion of the structure consists of the shell, which lies at the periphery of the ball and by reason of its momentum when the ball is in rotation tends to prolong the flight thereof.

The diameter of the sphere 1 may be between twenty-five and thirty-five per cent. (preferably thirty per cent.) that of the entire ball, while the diameter of the sphere 2 3 may be between thirty-five and forty-five per cent, (preferably forty per cent.,) and that of the filling 4 between seventy and ninety per cent., (preferably eighty-five per cent.)

Having described my invention, I claim 1. In a playing-ball, the combination of a center piece; a multitude of windings thereon of extremely thin and highly-tensioned approximately pure acid-cured sheet-rubber, said windings forming a solid body, and a cover formed of plastic material; said cover holding said rubber under compression, and said center piece consisting of undersized segments of molded elastic material drawn together at their edges by said windings.

2. In a playing-ball, the combination of a IOU center piece, a multitude of windings thereon of extremely thin and highly-tensioned acidcured sheet-rubber, said windings forming a solid body of spherical form and adhering to one another; and a shell of gutta-percha holding said body under compression; said center piece consisting of a hard sphere and a molded softer elastic shell thereon.

3. A playing-ball comprising a small hard center piece; a small sphere of, solid molded soft rubber thereon; a substantially solid materially larger spherical body upon said soft-rubber sphere and consisting of windings of extremely thin and highly-tensioned acidcured sheet-rubber; and a shell or cover of plastic material.

4. In a playing-ball, the combination of a center piece; adherent windings thereon of thin and highly-tensioned acid-cured sheetrubber, and a cover of gutta-percha upon said rubber; said windings forming such a proportion of the ball as to enable it to float in water, and said center piece comprising a celluloid sphere and a shell of solid soft rubber thereon.

5. A playing-ball comprising a hard sphere 1 of between twenty-five and thirty-five per cent. of the diameter of the ball; a sphere upon said sphere 1 and consisting of soft rubber, the diameter of said soft-rubber sphere being between thirty-five and forty-five per cent. of the diameter of the ball; a substantially solid sphere 4 upon said soft-rubber sphere and consisting of a multitude of ex-' tremely thin and highly-tensioned approxiwares mately pure acid-cured sheet-rubber, the diameter of said sphere 4 being between seventy and ninety per cent. of the ball; and a gutta-percha shell or cover.

6. In a playing-ball, the combination of a sphere of celluloid; a sphere of solid molded rubber tensioned thereon; a multitude of windings of extremely thin and highly-tensioned approximately pure acid-cured sheetrubber upon said sphere, and a shell of plastic material.

7. In a playing-ball, a center piece compounded of celluloid and solid soft rubber, a solid body thereon consisting of windings in miscellaneous directions of highly-tensioned acid-cured sheet-rubber, each of said windings being not more than four onethousandths of an inch in thickness; and a cover of Wear-resistin g material upon said body.

8. In a playing-ball, the combination of a solid body ofspherical form and provided with a center piece, and consisting of miscellaneous adherent windings of highly-tensioned approximately pure acid-cured sheetrubber, each of said windings being not more than [our one-thousandthsof an inch in thickness, and a shell of gutta-percha holding said windings under compression; said center piece consisting of a hard sphere and undersized segments of solid soft rubber drawn together at their edges by said windings.

9. A playing-ball comprising a hard sphere 1 whose diameter is thirty per cent. of the diameter of the ball; a soft-rubber sphere upon said hard sphere, the diameter of said soft-rubber sphere being forty per cent. of the entire ball; a substantially solid sphere 4 upon said soft-rubber sphere and consisting of a multitude of windings of extremely thin and highly tensioned approximately pure acid-cured sheet-rubber, the diameter of said sphere 4 being eighty-five per cent. of that of the entire ball and each of said windings being not more than four one -thousandths of an inch in thickness; and a guttapercha shell holding said sphere 4 under c0mpression; substantially as set forth.

ELEAZER KEMPsHAnL.

Vitnesses:

B. O. STIcKNEY, FRED. J. Donn.

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