Patent US4877252A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US4877252A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Golf balls
Assignee: TaylorMade Golf Co Inc
•
Filing: 1988-10-20
•
Granted: 1989-10-31
•
Expires: 2008-10-20
Abstract
Abstract A golf ball (10) has a plurality of dimples in its outer surface. At least 10% of the dimples are so disposed relative to one another that any two adjacemt dimples overlap. The region of each overlap may have a maximum width of from 1% to 20% of the diameter of the larger of any two overlapping dimples. Preferably, the dimples are arranged in a repeating pattern over the whole surface of the ball. The pattern may be defined by projecting on to the ball the edges of a regular dodecahedron (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20) so that the ball is notionally divided into twelve regular pentagons (one shown - 21).
Inventors
- 👤 Michael Shaw
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 13:27
CPC Classifications
A; A63; A63B; A63B37/00; A63B37/0003; A63B37/0004; A63B37/0006; A63B37/0007; A63B37/0009; A63B37/0018; A63B37/002
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
54 words
A golf ball having in its spherical outer surface a plurality of dimples, wherein at least 10% of said dimples are so disposed relative to one another that any two of said dimples which are adjacent each other on said outer surface have peripheries which extend inside each other to form an overlapping region.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
54 words
A golf ball having in its spherical outer surface a plurality of dimples, wherein at least 10% of said dimples are so disposed relative to one another that any two of said dimples which are adjacent each other on said outer surface have peripheries which extend inside each other to form an overlapping region.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
38 words
The golf ball of claim 1, wherein all said dimples are of equal diameter and the maximum width of said overlapping region is in the range 1% to 20% of the diameter of any one of said dimples.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
45 words
The golf ball of claim 1, wherein said dimples are of two or more different diameters and the maximum width of said overlapping region is in the range 1% to 20% calculated on the diameter of the larger of any two of said overlapping dimples.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
42 words
The golf ball of claim 1, wherein said dimples are arranged in a repeating pattern over the whole spherical outer surface of said ball, said pattern being defined by projecting on to said spherical outer surface the edges of a regular polyhedron.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
29 words
The golf ball of claim 4, wherein said regular polyhedron is one selected from the group consisting of a cube, an octahedron, a dodecahedron, an icosahedron and an icosidodecahedron.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
14 words
The golf ball of claim 1, wherein said dimples are of circular plan view.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
23 words
The golf ball of claim 6, wherein said dimples have a configuration selected from the group consisting of part-spherical, part-ellipsoid, conical and frustoconical.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
14 words
The golf ball of claim 1, wherein said dimples are of non-circular plan view.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
23 words
The golf ball of claim 8, wherein said dimples have a plan view selected from the group consisting of triangular, rectangular and polygonal.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
22 words
The golf ball of claim 9, wherein said dimples have a configuration selected from the group consisting of tetrahedral, parallelepiped and pyramidal.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US4787638A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1992-10-30 | 1993-05-01 | 1993-10-31 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1996-10-30 | 1997-05-01 | 1997-10-31 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2000-10-30 | 2001-05-01 | 2001-10-31 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |