DIMPLE PATTERNS FOR GOLF BALLS

摘要

The present invention provides a method for arranging dimples on a golf ball surface in which the dimples are arranged in a pattern derived from at least one irregular domain generated from a regular or non-regular polyhedron. The method includes choosing control points of a polyhedron, generating an irregular domain based on those control points, packing the irregular domain with dimples, and tessellating the irregular domain to cover the surface of the golf ball. The control points include the center of a polyhedral face, a vertex of the polyhedron, a midpoint or other point on an edge of the polyhedron and others. The method ensures that the symmetry of the underlying polyhedron is preserved while minimizing or eliminating great circles due to parting lines.

主权项

1. A golf ball having an outer surface comprising a plurality of dimples disposed thereon, wherein the dimples are arranged in multiple copies of a first domain and a second domain, the first domain and the second domain being tessellated to cover the outer surface of the golf ball in a uniform pattern having no great circles and consisting of an equal number of first domains and second domains, and wherein:
the first domain has three-way rotational symmetry about the central point of the first domain; the second domain has three-way rotational symmetry about the central point of the second domain; the dimple pattern within the first domain is different from the dimple pattern within the second domain; the number of different dimple diameters on the outer surface, D, is related to the total number of dimples on the outer surface, N, such that
if N<328, then D≧5;if N=328, then D≧7;if 3285;if N=376, then D>8; andif N>376, then D>5.