U.S. patent application number 11/061316 was filed with the patent office on 2005-09-01 for stereopsis enhanced golf balls.
Invention is credited to Morley, Julian Eric Christian.
Application Number | 20050192120 11/061316 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34889150 |
Filed Date | 2005-09-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050192120 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Morley, Julian Eric
Christian |
September 1, 2005 |
Stereopsis enhanced golf balls
Abstract
A golf ball whose surface bears a series of regularly arranged
areas of contrasting appearance. The areas of contrasting
appearance may be colored dots in some or all of the indentations
in the golf ball surface or may be geometric shapes which encompass
a plurality of indentations.
Inventors: |
Morley, Julian Eric Christian;
(London, GB) |
Correspondence
Address: |
PATTERSON, THUENTE, SKAAR & CHRISTENSEN, P.A.
4800 IDS CENTER
80 SOUTH 8TH STREET
MINNEAPOLIS
MN
55402-2100
US
|
Family ID: |
34889150 |
Appl. No.: |
11/061316 |
Filed: |
February 18, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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11061316 |
Feb 18, 2005 |
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09549480 |
Apr 14, 2000 |
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09549480 |
Apr 14, 2000 |
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PCT/GB98/03109 |
Oct 16, 1998 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
473/351 ;
473/378 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 43/008 20130101;
A63B 69/3655 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
473/351 ;
473/378 |
International
Class: |
A63B 037/14 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Oct 16, 1997 |
GB |
9721940.6 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A golf ball having a generally spherical exterior interrupted by
indentations, the exterior having a first portion of a plurality of
spherically symmetrically spaced shadings visually contrasting with
a second portion of the exterior having no shadings thereon, each
said shading encompassing at least three of the indentations.
2. The golf ball of claim 1, in which each of the shadings is
characterized by a shading area and each of the indentations is
characterized by an indentation area, each shading area between
about 3 and 20 times larger than each said indentation area.
3. The golf ball of claim 1, in which each of the shadings is
characterized by a shading area and each of the indentations is
characterized by an indentation area, each shading area between
about 5 and 12 times larger than each said indentation area.
4. The golf ball of claim 1, in which the shadings are generally
pentagonal.
5. The golf ball of claim 1, in which the shadings are generally
circular, triangular, square, or hexagonal.
6. A process of hitting the golf ball of claim 1 with a golf
club.
7. A process of making the golf ball of claim 1, comprising marking
a portion of the exterior of the golf ball with the shadings.
8. The process of claim 7, in which an area of each of the shadings
is between about 3 and 20 times larger than an area of each said
indentation.
9. The process of claim 7, in which an area of each of the shadings
is between about 5 and 12 times larger than an area of each said
indentation.
10. The process of claim 7, in which the shadings are generally
pentagonal.
11. A golf ball having indentations and a generally spherical
exterior surface between the indentations, the golf ball comprising
a multiplicity of generally uniform areas of contrasting
appearance, centers of the areas of contrasting appearance
substantially equidistantly spaced apart, each of said areas of
contrasting appearance encompassing at least three of the
indentations.
12. The golf ball of claim 11, in which at least one of the areas
of contrasting appearance are generally pentagonal.
13. The golf ball of claim 11, in which an area of each of the
areas of contrasting appearance is between about 3 and 20 times
larger than the area of one of the indentations.
14. The golf ball of claim 11, in which an area of each of the
areas of contrasting appearance is between about 5 and 12 times
larger than the area of one of the indentations.
15. A process of hitting the golf ball of claim 11 with a golf
club.
16. A process of making the golf ball of claim 11, comprising
marking the exterior surface of the golf ball with said areas of
contrasting appearance.
17. The process of claim 16, in which said areas of contrasting
appearance are generally pentagonal.
18. The process of claim 16, in which each of the areas of
contrasting appearance is between about 3 and 20 times larger than
an area of one of the indentations.
19. The process of claim 16, in which each of the areas of
contrasting appearance is between about 5 and 12 times larger then
an area of one of the indentations.
20. A golf ball comprising a spherical ball with a first plurality
of indentations arranged in a pattern on a surface of the spherical
ball, the surface also having a second plurality of areas of
contrasting appearance whose appearance contrasts with a remainder
of the surface not covered by the second plurality of areas of
contrasting appearance, the areas of contrasting appearance
covering from 10% to 50% of the surface and arranged symmetrically
in a regular pattern around the ball, and in which the areas of
contrasting appearance are located on the surface straddling the
indentations or are located in some of the first plurality of
indentations.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 09/549,480, filed Apr. 14, 2000, which, in
turn, is a continuation of Application PCT/GB98/03109, filed 16
Oct. 1998.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to a golf ball. More
particularly, the present invention relates to a golf ball having
stereopsis cues.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] In order to strike a golf ball with accuracy and with
consistency, it is necessary for a player to possess an ability to
judge depths in the field of vision with great precision. This
stereoscopic acuity enables the player not only to determine the
distance to the ball and to relate this to the position of the golf
club head, but also to take into account the dimensions of the ball
itself so that the club head is brought into contact with the
desired point on the ball. As is well known, if the club head
strikes the wrong part of the ball, the shot will be undercut,
topped, sliced or pulled.
[0004] The fact that golf balls are of a contrasting color to grass
(or sand) clearly helps with stereopsis, however, further
improvement would be desirable. It is therefore an object of the
invention to provide a golf ball whose position can be judged more
easily and more accurately.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] According to the invention, there is provided a golf ball
comprising a spherical ball with a plurality of indentations in its
surface, the indentations being arranged in a pattern, the surface
also having a plurality of areas of a contrasting appearance, the
areas of contrasting appearance being arranged symmetrically.
[0006] The areas of contrasting appearance, in their symmetrical
arrangement, enable a player to make more precise judgments of the
position of the ball and enable visualization of a club face
striking the ball to be achieved more accurately and with greater
consistency.
[0007] Another important factor is the ability of a player's visual
system to filter and process information; this is related to
contrast sensitivity. The contrasting areas on the ball can serve
to enhance a player's contrast sensitivity.
[0008] Preferably at least 30% of the indentations (or dimples) in
the golf ball surface include an area of contrasting appearance.
More preferably, at least 50% or at least 75% of the indentations
include an area of contrasting appearance. In one embodiment, all
the indentations include an area of contrasting appearance. It
should however be understood that when the areas of contrasting
appearance are located in the indentations, the indentations
themselves must be arranged in such a way that the areas of
contrasting appearance remain symmetrically arranged.
[0009] Thus, the areas of contrasting appearance may be located in
the indentations, in the spaces between the indentations or
straddling the spaces and the indentations. The areas of
contrasting appearance may be in any suitable form, including a
spot or the shape of an asterisk. Preferably, the areas of
contrasting appearance cover at least 10% of the surface area of
the ball. More preferably, the areas cover from 10% to 50% of the
surface areas of the ball, for example from 20% to 30%.
[0010] Conveniently, the area of contrasting appearance is a spot
in the center of the respective indentations. Preferably the
contrasting appearance is a black dot in the center of each
respective indentation. In a preferred embodiment the area of
contrasting appearance is a black dot in the center of each
respective indentation, however, other colors may be employed.
[0011] The invention may be applied to any golf ball construction,
such as one-piece, two-piece or three-piece and is applicable to
all materials, such as balata, elastomer or Surlyn. The invention
may also be applied to a golf ball having any arrangement of
dimples, provided that the areas of contrasting appearance are
symmetrical. In this context, the term "symmetrical" means that the
contrasting areas are arranged in a regular pattern around the ball
surface so that the arrangement does not differ in appearance when
the orientation of the ball is altered.
[0012] It has been found that with such an arrangement of
contrasting areas, the curvature of the surface of the ball is made
more evident, and the position (in depth) of the widest part of the
ball is highlighted. In other words, if one looks at the notional
north pole of the ball, the position of the equator along the axis
can be more readily identified.
[0013] The contrasting spots or dots can be applied or formed in
any convenient manner provided that they exhibit the necessary
durability to allow the spots or dots to remain visible even after
several hundred shots.
[0014] A golf ball is also provided with a generally spherical
exterior interrupted by indentations, the exterior having a first
portion of a plurality of spherically symmetrically spaced shadings
visually contrasting with a second portion of the exterior having
no shadings thereon, each shading encompassing at least three of
the indentations. An area of one of the shadings may be between
about three and 20 times, or between about five and 12 times,
larger than an area of one of the indentations. The shadings may
have a geometry which is generally pentagonal, circular,
triangular, square, or hexagonal. Processes of using the golf ball
and making the golf ball are also provided, the latter process
including occupying a portion of the golf ball exterior with the
shadings.
[0015] There is yet further provided a golf ball having
indentations and a generally spherical exterior surface between the
indentations, the golf ball comprising a multiplicity of generally
uniform areas of contrasting appearance having centers
substantially equally spaced apart, each of said areas of
contrasting appearance encompassing at least three of the
indentations. Processes of hitting the foregoing golf ball with a
golf club and making the foregoing golf ball are also provided. The
latter process including marking the exterior of the golf ball with
the areas of contrasting appearance.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a golf
ball in accordance with the present invention depicting the uniform
symmetrically of the dimpling;
[0017] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a golf ball in accordance
with the present invention with more than half the dimples
colored;
[0018] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a golf ball in accordance
with the present invention with approximately half of the dimples
colored;
[0019] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a golf ball in accordance
with the present invention with approximately half of the dimples
including a colored spot;
[0020] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a golf ball in accordance
with the present invention with symmetrical marks located between
the dimples;
[0021] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the
golf ball of this invention with areas of contrasting appearance
straddling indentations and spaces therebetween;
[0022] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the
golf ball of this invention;
[0023] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of the
golf ball of this invention;
[0024] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a fifth embodiment of the
golf ball of this invention;
[0025] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a sixth embodiment of the
golf ball of this invention; and
[0026] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a seventh embodiment of the
golf ball of this invention.
[0027] It is understood that the above-described figures are only
illustrative of the present invention and are not contemplated to
limit the scope thereof.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0028] The invention may be carried into practice in various ways,
and some embodiments will now be described by way of example with
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which FIGS. 1-11 show
various embodiments in accordance with the invention.
[0029] In FIGS. 1-5, a golf ball 11 has regular or evenly spaced
indentations or dimples 12, which vary in the pattern of markings
and which may be generally uniform in size and depth. In FIG. 1,
all the indentations 12 are colored. In FIG. 2, a large proportion
of the indentations 12 are colored. In FIG. 3, about half the
indentations 12 are colored. In FIG. 4, about half the indentations
12 include a colored spot 13, though of course, a greater or small
proportion of the indentations could include spots 13.
[0030] In FIG. 5, the spaces 4 between the indentations have
asterisk-shaped marks 15. It will be appreciated that the
asterisk-shaped marks could be used in the embodiments of FIGS. 1
to 4 either in addition to or instead of the marks shown. Also, the
asterisk-shaped marks in FIG. 5 could be replaced by the spots of
FIG. 4. In an alternative embodiment (not shown) the
asterisk-shaped marks could be substantially larger in size,
perhaps an order of magnitude larger, and therefore significantly
smaller in number. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the areas of
contrasting appearance 16 overlap or straddle adjacent
indentations.
[0031] While no particular shape is contemplated for the instant
areas of contrasting appearance, spots (e.g., dots) and asterisks
are suitable for some embodiments. The indentations with areas of
contrasting appearance constitute at least about 30%, at least
about 50%, at least about 75%, about 100%, or between about 30% and
75% of the total number of indentations. The total surface area of
the golf ball exterior surface occupied by the instant areas of
contrasting appearance may be at least about 10%, between about 10%
and 50%, or between about 20% and 30%, of the golf ball exterior
surface.
[0032] In all the embodiments illustrated, it is intended that the
colored indentations, the spots and the asterisk-shaped marks
should be arranged symmetrically (as defined above) about the
surface of the ball.
[0033] In the embodiments depicted in FIGS. 7-11, the areas of
contrast are symmetrically or evenly spaced shadings with various
geometrical shapes, including pentagons 17, circles 18, triangles
19, squares 20, and hexagons 21. However, other geometrical shaped
shadings would be within the spirit and scope of this invention as
well. The shadings are evenly spaced in that their centers (e.g.,
centers of mass) are substantially equidistantly spaced apart. The
shadings are colored to contrast with the remainder of the golf
ball exterior surface not colored with the shadings in a manner so
as to be readily apparent to a user. Suitable colors for the
shadings include black, brown, green, red, orange, pink, and the
like, which will readily contrast with the color of the remainder
of the ball and alternatively and additionally will contrast with
the background (e.g., lawn and sand) during use as well. The
shadings may generally uniform in size and geometrical shape. The
shadings additionally may be in a non-coincidental relation to the
indentations; that is, either one or all of the shadings may be
larger in area than an indentation. To this end, the shadings may
be sufficiently large to straddle or encompass a plurality of
indentations, e.g., at least three indentations, thereby being
larger than any single indentation. The shadings may encompass an
area between about three and 20 times, or between about five and 12
times, the area of a single indentation. One embodiment of the
instant golf ball has 12 red, pentagonal shadings, each shading
having sides 10 millimeters in length and an area of about 172
square millimeters.
[0034] One advantage of the instant golf ball, especially of the
embodiments depicted in FIGS. 7-11, is that when the instant golf
ball is struck on an uneven surface, such as a putting green, the
instant marked ball will indicate clearly where the ball changes
direction due to the varying slope on the surface. This is because
the direction of rotation of the shadings will change noticeably
when the instant golf ball rolls in a different direction in
response to the uneven surface.
* * * * *