GOLF BALL HAVING MARKING

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This non-provisional application claims priority under 35 U.S. C. § 119(a) on Patent Application No. 2024-137699 filed in Japan on Aug. 19, 2024, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a golf ball having a marking with an alignment function.

BACKGROUND ART

Typically, some markings are formed on golf balls. A typical example of the markings are characters and brand logos indicating manufacturers, product names, and the like. In addition to marking of characters, balls with linear markings formed thereon are known. Although such markings are formed along large circles of the balls, the markings substantially look like straight lines to players'eyes. The linear markings as a typical example of markings are used for tee shots and putting. At the time of tee shots, players may freely decide where to place the ball, and it thus becomes easy to address the ball at the right position with respect to targets by placing the ball with the linear markings directed in the target directions. Also at the time of putting, players may place a mark and pick up a ball on the green and put it back again in a way that the players desire. Therefore, the linear markings are used by placing the balls such that the linear markings are directed straight toward targets.

In past patent publications and design publications, golf balls having linear markings with unique designs have been proposed. Examples thereof include golf balls described in Patent Documents 1 to 19. However, there may be a case where it is difficult to perform putting as desired because a direction of hitting with a putter is not straight regardless of a sufficient positional relationship (lengthwise and crosswise relationship) between a face of a putter and a linear mark when a player addresses the ball. Also, as a result of focusing on designs having the above-mentioned alignment function, the aesthetic features and uniqueness of the designs which harmonize with characters, logos, and the like may be impaired, making it difficult to argue that such balls have sufficiently high commercial value.

CITATION LIST

Patent Document 1: US Design Patent No. D009,189
Patent Document 2: US Design Patent No. D009,190

Patent Document 3: Korean Registered Design No. 30-1082005

Patent Document 4: Korean Registered Design No. 30-0891032

Patent Document 5: US Design Patent No. D194,688
Patent Document 6: US Design Patent No. D524,884
Patent Document 7: US Design Patent No. D921,779
Patent Document 8: US Design Patent No. D921,780
Patent Document 9: US Design Patent No. D921,782
Patent Document 10: US Design Patent No. D921,135
Patent Document 11: US Design Patent No. D921,136
Patent Document 12: U.S. Pat. No. 7,691,005
Patent Document 13: US Design Patent No. D501,900
Patent Document 14: US Design Patent No. D968,538
Patent Document 15: US Design Patent No. D471,609

Patent Document 16: US Patent Application Publication No. 2021/0038949

Patent Document 17: US Design Patent No. D868,912

Patent Document 18: US Patent Application Publication No. 2024/0017128

Patent Document 19: US Design Patent No. D010,040

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a golf ball having markings that have an advantageous alignment function at the time of putting by helping a direction of hitting with a putter become straight and that are well-designed by combining characters, logos, and the like.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a golf ball having, on a ball surface, a plurality of groups of markings that are visually recognizable at the same time, one of the groups of markings including a first marking that includes a character sequence provided along a large circle, a second marking that includes lines horizontally extending above and a below the first marking, and a third marking that is a line that extends in a direction perpendicular to the second marking and is present at either a left end or a right end of the group of markings, and, further, a tip end of the group of markings on a side opposite to the end where the third marking is present having a pointed portion.

In other words, the groups of markings formed on the surface of the golf ball of the present invention make it easy to address the ball with the lengthwise line in the design being parallel to a face of a putter at the time of addressing for putting and improve accuracy of addressing. The groups of markings include a character sequence therein. This makes a name of a product that a player is using immediately noticeable at the time of addressing.

This also helps prevent the player from playing a wrong ball. In addition, from a viewpoint of manufacturers who manufacture golf balls, it is not necessary to print both of markings indicating directionality and a name of a product in different marking designs by combining them and accommodating both the functions in one marking design, which is advantageous in terms of production. In addition, the groups of marking in the present invention includes a total of two lines provided on the upper side and the lower side such that the lines surround the character sequence in order to control a trajectory of the putter head. This allows the player to be aware of a straight direction of hitting with a putter. Also, since the tip end of the design extending in a strip shape has a pointed shape, it is easy to present an image of hitting the ball with a putter head accelerated, which helps improve rotation of the ball.

Preferred aspects of the golf ball of the present invention are as follows.

(1) The character sequence of the first marking is preferably present within a strip-shaped marking.

(2) A tip end of the strip-shaped marking preferably includes a pointed portion.

(3) The character sequence of the first marking preferably includes at least one number.

(4) A color of the character sequence of the first marking is preferably the same as a surface color of the ball.

(5) The lines horizontally extending on the upper side and the lower side in the second marking are preferably parallel to each other.

(6) In the pointed portion arranged on the side opposite to the third marking, an angle of pointing of the pointed portion is preferably 90±30°.

(7) In the pointed portion arranged on the side opposite to the third marking, an angle of pointing of the pointed portion is preferably 90±15°.

(8) In the lines horizontally extending on the upper side and the lower side in the second marking, the thickness of the line on the upper side is preferably the same as the thickness of the line on the lower side.

(9) A relationship of the thicknesses of the strip in the first marking, the lines on the upper side and the lower side in the second marking, and the line in the third marking preferably satisfies the following expression:

the lines on the upper side and the lower side in the second marking<the line in the third marking<the strip in the first marking.

(10) Markings formed on the ball surface preferably include a face marking and a side marking, and the group of markings including the first, second, and third markings is preferably a side marking.

(11) Face markings are preferably present at two locations.

Advantageous Effects of the Invention

The golf ball according to the present invention has a marking that has an advantageous alignment function at the time of putting by helping a direction of hitting with a putter become straight and that is well-designed by combining characters, logos, and the like.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a marking formed on a golf ball according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 2A to 2D are schematic views of golf ball for explaining some aspects of markings (face marks and side marks) formed on ball surfaces;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view for explaining a pointed angle of a pointed portion which is a part of a marking on a golf ball according to the present invention;

FIGS. 4A to 4G are schematic views illustrating some aspects of pointed portions as parts of markings on golf balls according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a mark in each of Examples 1 to 4;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a mark in each of Examples 5 to 8;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a mark in each of Examples 9 and 10 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a mark in each of Comparative Examples 3 to 6;

FIG. 9 is a plan view of a mark in each of Comparative Examples 7 to 10; and

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a dimension of each portion configuring the mark in Example 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, the present invention is described in more detail.

A golf ball of the present invention is a golf ball 10 having, on a ball surface, a plurality of groups of markings that are visually recognizable at the same time, one of the groups of markings including a first marking 1 that includes a character sequence t provided along a large circle, a second marking 2,2 that includes lines horizontally extending above and below the first marking, and a third marking 3 of a line that extends in a direction perpendicular to the second marking and is present at either end of the group of markings as illustrated in FIG. 1. Furthermore, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the tip end of the group of markings on the side opposite to the end where the third marking is present has a pointed portion. In other words, one end of the first marking 1 forms a pointed portion 1a in FIG. 1. Details of the group of markings are described later.

The internal structure of the golf ball of the present invention is not particularly limited, and the golf ball may be a solid golf ball such as a one-piece golf ball, a two-piece golf ball, or a multi-piece golf ball having a structure of at least three layers, or may be a wound golf ball, and may be applied to any type of golf ball.

The ball standards such as the mass, the diameter, and the like of the golf ball may be appropriately set in accordance with golf rules.

A large number of dimples are usually formed on the ball surface. The dimples are usually formed on the surface of the cover (outermost layer) of the ball at the same time as molding such as injection molding of a resin material of the cover.

Furthermore, the surface of the cover is usually covered with a coating material. As types of the coating, various types of coating such as white enamel coating, epoxy coating, and clear coating may be adopted similarly to ordinary golf balls.

The markings formed on the ball surface are usually formed before the above-mentioned coating. The markings often include face markings and side markings on the market. The face markings often include company names, brand names, logos alone or a combination thereof, and numbers commonly called play numbers. In a case no side markings are displayed, product names may be included in the face markings. The play numbers are numbers for identifying golf balls and are used to prevent players playing together from playing wrong balls by differences in numbers in a case where the players use the same balls. On the other hand, the side markings often include product names or some kind of logo design.

The golf ball of the present invention has, in either a face making or a side marking, a plurality of markings that are visually recognizable at the same time as a design including both a character sequence to specify a product or the like and an alignment function. The group of marking is specified by a first marking, a second marking, and a third marking described below. The group of markings including the first, second, and third markings is preferably a side marking. The following effects (i) to (iv) are particularly obtained by presenting the group of markings including the first, second, and third markings on the ball surface.

(i) It is easy to align the face at the time of addressing the ball for putting.

(ii) The product name may be recognized immediately.

(iii) It is possible to be aware of a straight trajectory along which the ball is hit with a putter.

(iv) Rolling of the ball after the ball is hit with the putter is improved.

As aspects of a face marking and a side marking formed on the ball surface, patterns in FIGS. 2A to 2D are exemplified. In FIGS. 2A to 2D, the reference sign 10a is a plan view of the ball seen from one side, and 10b is a plan view seen from the opposite side.

In FIG. 2A, there is no side marking, only face markings are formed at two locations, and the same markings F1 and F1 are displayed as the face markings.

In FIG. 2B, a side marking S1 is formed at one location, face markings F1 and F1 are formed at two locations, and the same markings F1 are displayed as the face markings.

In FIG. 2C, a side marking S1 is formed at one location, face markings F1 and F2 are formed at two locations, and the different markings F1 and F2 are displayed as the face markings.

In FIG. 2D, side markings S1 and S2 are formed at two locations, face markings F1 and F2 are formed at two locations, and the different markings S1 and S2 and the different markings F1 and F2 are displayed as the side markings and the face markings, respectively.

The first marking includes a character sequence provided along the large circle of the ball. The large circle of the ball means an edge of a section of the ball when the ball is arbitrarily cut into a hemispherical shape so as to pass through the center of the ball. The first marking in the present invention preferably has a laterally extending strip shape, and the character sequence is preferably present inside the strip-shaped marking. According to such an aspect, a logo such as a product name displayed on the ball surface may be easily recognized. Also, the character sequence of the first marking preferably includes at least one number. As a reason therefor, a player hits the ball after looking at the characters in the side marking to confirm whether the ball is his/her own ball on the assumption of a case where there is a player who uses a ball of another product having the same face marking as a companion player, for example, which helps prevent the player from playing a wrong ball.

In that case, a number included in the side marking further helps preventing the player from playing a wrong ball.

In addition, since the character sequence is displayed in a thick strip in the first marking, the characters are accommodated in the strip even if longitudinal heights of the characters are not the same and differ, and the characters are thus not particularly bothering at the time of stroking with a putter. In addition, these characters are displayed in white inside the strip, which provides an excellent design. The color of these characters (character sequence) is preferably the same as the surface color (ball color) of the ball. In other words, in a case where the color of the thick strip is black, the color of the character portion having the black color as a background is preferably the same as the ball color. For example, the color of the character sequence is white in a case the ball color is white, and the color of the character sequence is yellow in a case where the ball color is yellow. If another color is used for the character sequence, the design of the entire ball does not become simple, and the design may provide a complicated impression.

The second marking in the present invention includes lines horizontally extending on the upper side and the lower side of the first marking (hereinafter, the “upper side and the lower side” may be simply referred to as “above and below”). For example, in a case where the first marking has a strip shape including a character sequence laterally extending therein, two lines laterally extending above and below the first marking so as to be parallel to the strip-shaped portion of the first marking are included in the second marking. The number of lines in the second marking may be one on each of the upper and lower sides or may be a plural number on each side. Furthermore, an end of each line in the second marking may be bent so as to surround the strip-shaped portion. This makes it easy to stroke the ball while being aware of the direction in which the ball is hit straight with a putter. The upper and lower lines in the second marking are preferably parallel to each other. As a result, the upper and lower lines and the strip look like a strip extending over the entire circumference when the ball may be hit straight at the time of putting, and clear rolling of the ball may be seen with eyes. If this is repeated, the stroke for putting may be improved.

The color of the upper and lower lines in the second marking may a color other than black. As the color of these lines other than black, it is preferable to adopt a clear color such as blue, red, or green. In addition, the same color is preferably adopted for both the upper and lower lines. Furthermore, the same color is preferably used for the entire side marking because a sense of unity as a side marking may be obtained.

The third marking in the present invention is adapted such that a line extending perpendicular to the second marking is present at either a left end or a right end of the group of markings. In other words, there is one line perpendicular to the second marking, and the line is present at either a left end or a right end when seen in a direction in which the character sequence may be read. In a case where a golfer is right-handed, the golfer may accurately set the address by aligning a putter head with the line at the timing of addressing for putting by placing the one perpendicular line to be located on the right side.

In the present invention, the tip end on the side opposite to the end where the third marking is present has a pointed portion. Since the tip end on the side opposite to the end where the perpendicular line in the third marking is present has the pointed shape, a golfer who looks at the shape may easily have an image of hitting the ball with the putter head accelerated, which helps improve rotation of the ball. In FIG. 3, the reference sign 1a denotes the pointed portion, θ denotes the angle of the pointed portion, and the angle θ is preferably 90±30°, is more preferably 90±20°, and is further preferably 90±15°. If the angle θ is excessively large, that is, the angle is an excessive obtuse angle, it becomes difficult to have the image of hitting the ball with the putter head accelerated. On the other hand, if the angle θ is excessively small, that is, the angle is an excessive acute angle, a defect that the tip end (pointed portion) is cut off may occur when the group of markings (design) is printed on the ball surface. In addition, since the strip-shaped marking is tapered, the number of characters and the size of the characters may be restricted when the character sequence is arranged inside the strip-shaped marking.

Examples of the type (shapes) of the pointed portion 1a include patterns in FIGS. 4A to 4G.

In the group of markings in the present invention, a relationship of thicknesses of the first marking (strip-shaped marking), the upper and lower lines in the second marking, and the line in the third marking (the line located at one end of the group of markings and extending perpendicularly to the second marking) is typically the thickness of each of the upper and lower lines in the second marking<the thickness of the line in the third marking<the thickness of the strip including the character sequence in the first marking,

is preferably

the thickness of each of the upper and lower lines in the second marking<the thickness of the line in the third marking, and also the thickness of the line in the third marking×2<the thickness of the strip including the character sequence in the first marking, and is further preferably

the thickness of each of the upper and lower lines in the second marking<the thickness of the line in the third marking, and also the thickness of the line in the third marking×3<the thickness of the strip including the character sequence in the first marking.

Displaying the group of marking under the above conditions allows the golfer to accurately position the putter head at the time of the addressing, to recognize the character sequence in the state of addressing the ball, and further to be aware of the direction in which the ball is hit straight. Furthermore, clear rotation of the ball may be visually checked when the ball is rolled.

The thickness of the strip including the character sequence therein in the first marking is larger than the height of the character sequence included therein. Otherwise, upper and lower ends of the characters are cut, and gaps may be generated in the strip. Also, it may become difficult to have an image of hitting the ball straight toward a target when the player puts the ball. The thickness of the strip is usually 1.4 mm to 5.0 mm, is preferably 1.7 mm to 3.5 mm, and is more preferably 2.0 mm to 2.5 mm. If this strip is too thin, the height of the characters included therein becomes short, and the characters may not be recognizable at the time of addressing. Also, if the strip is too thick, there is a concern that it becomes difficult to obtain an image of hitting the ball straight toward the target when the player puts the ball.

The length of the strip extending in the horizontal direction in the first marking is usually 10 mm to 30 mm, is preferably 12.5 mm to 25 mm, and is more preferably 15 mm to 20 mm. If the strip is excessively short, a linear image extending straight to the target may be lost, and it may become difficult to be aware of the straight direction in which the ball is hit with the putter. On the other hand, if the strip is excessively long, the line in the third markings (the perpendicular line located at the end of the group of markings) is located at an end of the ball, the line may be thus less likely to look straight in a view from right above the ball, and it thus may become difficult to accurately align the putter head with the line at the time of addressing the ball for putting.

The number of upper lines out of the upper and lower lines in the second marking, that is, the number of upper lines of the strip including the character sequence of the first marking therein is at least one. In addition, the thickness of the upper line is preferably the same as the thickness of the lower line. In this manner, symmetry of the design in the up-down direction is maintained, and it becomes easy to have an image of hitting the ball straight toward the target when the player puts the ball. The thickness of each of the upper and lower lines in the second markings is usually 0.1 mm to 1.0 mm, is preferably 0.15 mm to 0.5 mm, and is more preferably 0.2 mm to 0.3 mm. If this line is excessively thin, it may be difficult to visually check whether the rolling of the ball is showing straight clear forward rotation when the ball is rotating after putting. On the other hand, if the line is excessively thick, the linear image extending straight toward the target may be lost, and it may become difficult to be aware of the direction in which the ball is hit straight with the putter.

The thickness of the line in the third marking, that is, the thickness of the line located at one end of the group of marking and extending perpendicularly to the second marking is usually 0.2 mm to 2.0 mm, is preferably 0.3 mm to 1.0 mm, and is more preferably 0.4 mm to 0.6 mm. If the line is excessively thin, the line may thus get difficult to see, and it may become difficult to align the putter head to be parallel to the line at the time of addressing for putting. On the other hand, if the line is excessively thick, it may become difficult to place the ball perpendicularly to the hitting direction when the ball is placed again on the green.

The length of the line in the third marking, that is, the length of the lengthwise direction perpendicular to the second marking is usually 5 mm to 15 mm, is preferably 7 mm to 13 mm, and is more preferably 8 mm to 12 mm. If the line is excessively short, it may become difficult to accurately align the face of the putter head straight along the perpendicular line. On the other hand, if the line is excessively long, the linear image extending straight toward the target may be lost as an entire design, and it may become difficult to be aware of the straight direction in which the ball is hit with the putter.

A method of printing the aforementioned group of markings on the ball surface is not particularly limited, and it is possible to adopt various methods such as a transfer film method using a transfer tape or the like, a pad method (engraving method), and an inkjet method that have been employed in the related art. The ball surface may be subjected to a pretreatment such as a corona discharge treatment, an ultraviolet irradiation treatment, a chlorine treatment, or a primer coating treatment in advance, and marking of the group of markings may then be performed on the ball surface.

EXAMPLES

Although Examples and Comparative Examples are illustrated below to specifically describe the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the Examples below.

Examples 1 to 10 and Comparative Examples 1 to 10

A three-piece solid golf ball having a diameter of 42.7 mm and including a rubber core containing polybutadiene as a principal component, an intermediate layer composed of an ionomer resin material, and a cover composed of a polyurethane resin material is prepared. A group of markings having the design in each of Examples 1 to 10 and Comparative Examples 1 to 10 illustrated in FIGS. 5 to 9 is printed on the cover surface of the ball by a transfer film method using a transfer tape. After the marking is performed, a two-liquid curable polyurethane coating composition is applied to the ball surface with an air spray gun to form a coating layer having a thickness of 15 μm.

In addition, as a marking position of the group of markings in each Example, the group of markings is used as a side marking S1 in a marking aspect in which the side marking S1 is formed at one location and face markings F1 and F1 are formed at two locations as illustrated in FIG. 2B. FIG. 10 illustrates the dimension (the length and the thickness) of each portion constituting the marking in Example 1. The dimension (the length and the thickness) of each portion constituting the markings in each of Examples 2 to 10 are the same as that in Example 1. However, although the angle θ of the pointed portion located at the tip end on the side opposite to the end where the perpendicular line is present is 90°, which is the same, in Examples 1 to 5, 8, and 10, the angle θ is 115°in Example 6, 128°in Example 7, and 98°in Example 9.

The designs of the groups of marking in Examples 1 to 10 may allow the character sequences (product names) included in the groups of marking to be immediately recognizable, allows the golfer to easily align the face at the time of addressing for putting and to be aware of a straight trajectory along which the ball is hit with the putter, and may improve rolling of the ball after the ball is hit with the putter. On the other hand, the designs of the groups of marking in Comparative Examples 1 to 10 have the following drawbacks.

In the design of Comparative Example 1 (FIG. 7), there is no perpendicular lengthwise bar design like the third marking of the present invention at either the left end or the right end. For this reason, there is no guideline to align the direction of a club face at the time of putting.

In the design of Comparative Example 2 (FIG. 7), there is no perpendicular lengthwise bar design like the third marking of the present invention at either the left end or the right end. For this reason, there is no guideline to align the direction of a club face at the time of putting.

In the design of Comparative Example 3 (FIG. 8), although the design on the side opposite to the perpendicular lengthwise bar is included, the tip end on its opposite side does not have a pointed shape, and the shape of the entire design is not satisfactory.

In the design of Comparative Example 4 (FIG. 8), although the design on the side opposite to the perpendicular lengthwise bar is included, the tip end on its opposite side does not have a pointed shape, and the shape of the entire design is not satisfactory.

In the design of Comparative Example 5 (FIG. 8), although there are a total of two perpendicular lengthwise bar designs on both the left and right sides, these do not lead to an image of rolling the ball toward a target.

In the design of Comparative Example 6 (FIG. 8), there is no perpendicular lengthwise bar design like the third marking of the present invention at either the left end or the right end. For this reason, there is no guideline to align the direction of a club face at the time of putting.

In the design of Comparative Example 7 (FIG. 9), the perpendicular lengthwise bar design is included at the center instead of either the left end or the right end. For this reason, it is difficult to align the direction of the club face at the time of hitting the ball with the putter.

In the design of Comparative Example 8 (FIG. 9), there is no character sequence in the strip corresponding to the first marking of the present invention, and the name of the ball may not be specified.

The design of Comparative Example 9 (FIG. 9) does not include two upper and lower lines like the second marking of the present invention. For this reason, consciousness of the direction in which the ball is to be rolled is lowered in putting.

The design of Comparative Example 10 (FIG. 9) does not include the lines above and below the strip including the character sequence. Since the strip with the characters written therein is thick, it is difficult to align the direction of the face of the putter.

Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-137699 is incorporated herein by reference. Although some preferred embodiments have been described, many modifications and variations may be made thereto in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described without departing from the scope of the appended claims.