Nike, Inc.

Takahisa Ono

Arthur Parker Molinari

Seisuke Tomita

Bradley C Tutmark

Chin-Shun Ko

Thomas J Kennedy, Iii

Chen-Tai Liu

Yasushi Ichikawa

Hideyuki Ishii

Chien-Hsin Chou

Yutaka Kabeshita

Kerby LaVar Maxwell

Chun-Ting Chiang

A golf ball with a deposited layer is disclosed. The deposited layer is not produced by a molding process, such as injection molding or compression molding. Instead, the deposition process is produced by another process, such as thermal spraying or sintering. The deposited layer may include partially fused particulate material. The deposited layer may be added to a golf ball design as one or more supplemental layers. The deposited layer may also be provided in a golf ball design as a substitute for one or more layers. A golf ball may further include a combination of one or more supplemental deposited layers and one or more substituted deposited layers.

Golf ball with deposited layer

A mold for manufacturing hemispherical sections for a golf ball includes a first mold plate including a first cavity, a second mold plate including a second cavity, and a midplate. The midplate includes an indentation on a first side of the midplate and a projection on a second side of the midplate. The indentation of the midplate corresponds to the first cavity of the first mold plate. The projection of the midplate corresponds to the second cavity of the second mold plate.

Mold with midplate and method of molding golf ball

A method of making and recycling a golf ball is disclosed. The method may include processing a used golf ball to make the materials of the used golf ball reusable in a new golf ball. As a result, the disclosed method may decrease the waste of disposing of used golf balls and the costs associated with acquiring and/or processing new materials. The method of recycling a golf ball may generally include pulverizing used golf balls into particles. The used golf balls may be made of materials having different densities. The particles may be placed in a liquid that causes the particles of different materials to float to different levels based on the densities of the materials. At least a portion of the particles may be melted and injected into a sandwich mold to create a new golf ball.

Method of making and recycling a golf ball

A method and system for compression molding a dual core of a golf ball is disclosed. The method may include a first cycle in which a top mold plate, a middle mold plate, and a bottom mold plate may be used to compression mold concave shells. During the first cycle, the top mold plate and the bottom mold plate may be held at a first temperature Tand the middle mold plate may be held at a second temperature T. During the first cycle, the mold plates may be pressed together with a first pressure Pfor a first time t. A second cycle may include compression molding the concave shells about a solid core. During the second cycle, the top mold plate and the bottom mold plate may be held at the first temperature Tand pressed together with a second pressure Pfor a second time t

Method for compression molding a dual core for a golf ball

A system and method for making golf balls is disclosed. The system may include laser cutting dimples into a golf ball cover layer. Laser cutting may also be used to add texture to the surface of a golf ball. Laser cutting dimples may provide flexibility in quickly creating different shapes, sizes, and patterns of dimples. Thus, during golf ball testing, a certain pattern of dimples may be made, tested, and then quickly adjusted. For example, the dimples may be adjusted by cutting away more cover material to make the dimples larger, deeper, and/or in a different shape. After further testing, the golf ball dimples may be adjusted again multiple times.

System and method for making golf balls

A controller controls the position of an abrasive. The abrasive is moved to a first desired position adjacent a ball. The ball is rotated while in contact with the abrasive. The abrasive abrades the outer surface of the ball and burrs on the outer surface to remove the burrs. A sensor may be used to sense the position and size of the burrs.

Method of deburring a ball

A golf ball is provided capable of having various characteristics based on having an aggregated layer core. The golf ball includes an inner core, an outer shell enclosing the inner core, and an intermediate core enclosing the inner core. The intermediate core includes sublayers thermoplastically fused together to form an aggregated intermediate core layer having overall characteristics formed as a combination of the sublayer characteristics. A method of forming a golf ball core having an aggregated layer core can include forming a first and second stack of nested cups, thermoplastically bonding each of the stacks to each other to form first and second aggregated cups, arranging the aggregated cups around a golf ball inner core, and bonding the aggregated cups to each other. In some configurations, the sublayers can include ultrathin sublayers less than 20 microns thick, and in some configurations, the sublayers can include injection molded sublayers.

Golf ball with aggregated layer core and method of making

A method of manufacturing a golf ball with a deposited layer is disclosed. The deposited layer is not produced by a molding process, such as injection molding or compression molding. Instead, the deposition process is produced by another process, such as thermal spraying. The deposited layer may include partially fused particulate material. The deposited layer may be added to a golf ball design as one or more supplemental layers. The deposited layer may also be provided in a golf ball design as a substitute for one or more layers. A golf ball may further include a combination of one or more supplemental deposited layers and one or more substituted deposited layers.

Method of making golf ball with thermal sprayed layer

A golf ball includes a projection that is positioned on a land adjacent two or more abutting dimples. The projection is located in a center or at a vertex of a shaped region defined by a pattern of dimples. A method for selecting a position for a projection and desirable configurations of the projection are also disclosed.

Golf ball with projections adjacent dimples

A method of manufacturing a golf ball with a deposited layer is disclosed. The deposited layer is not produced by a molding process, such as injection molding or compression molding. Instead, the deposition process is produced by another process, such as sintering. The deposited layer may include partially fused particulate material. The deposited layer may be added to a golf ball design as one or more supplemental layers. The deposited layer may also be provided in a golf ball design as a substitute for one or more layers. A golf ball may further include a combination of one or more supplemental deposited layers and one or more substituted deposited layers.

Method of making golf ball with sintered layer

The embodiment relates to a cover strip machine and process for removing a golf ball cover for recycling purposes. The cover strip machine may comprise four or more rotating gears. The process comprises heating a golf ball, distorting a golf ball, placing a golf ball in a cover strip machine to remove the cover, and separating gear pairs with a driver to remove the golf ball core.

Cover strip machine and method of removing a golf ball cover

A structure for deburring a ball is provided. The structure includes an arm, a gear structure for changing the effective length of the arm, and a cam structure for changing the effective angular position of the arm. A finger having an abrasive surface reciprocates on the arm. A ball is placed in a rotating holder and positioned in effective position for the abrasive surface to contact and remove at least one burr on the ball.

Growing community of inventors

Fujisawa, Japan

Takahisa Ono