Dimple patterns for golf balls

1 . A golf ball having a first hemisphere and a second hemisphere separated by an equator, each hemisphere comprising on the outer surface thereof a plurality of dimples arranged in a pattern, wherein the pattern is defined by an n-sided pyramid projected on a hemisphere, the side edges of the pyramid representing n longitudinal lines from pole to equator, wherein n≥3, and wherein:

the pattern includes n number of dimple segments between the longitudinal lines, wherein a longitudinal angle between the side edges represents a size of each dimple segment;

within each hemisphere, the plurality of dimples consists of shared dimples that are intersected by the n longitudinal lines, and segment dimples that are each wholly within one of the n number of dimple segments;

the arrangement of the shared dimples on each of the longitudinal lines is identical;

the n number of dimple segments comprise at least two segments, S1 and S2, in each hemisphere that have a different longitudinal angle from each other;

the S1 segment has a first value for a segment parameter, wherein the first value is the same for a majority of the segment dimples in the S1 segment;

the S2 segment has a second value for the segment parameter, wherein the second value is the same for a majority of the segment dimples in the S2 segment;

the first value is different than the second value;

wherein the segment parameter is a segment edge angle; and

wherein the first and second values satisfy at least one of the following:

(i) the first and second values for the segment edge angle differ by one degree or less,

(ii) the first and second values for the segment edge angle are both between 11 degrees and 15 degrees.

2 . The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the first and second values for the segment edge angle differ by half a degree or less.

3 . The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the shared dimples have an edge angle corresponding to the segment edge angle of one of the adjacent segments.

4 . The golf ball of claim 3 , wherein the shared dimples all have the same edge angle.

5 . The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the shared dimples each has an edge angle that differs from the segment edge angle of both its adjacent segments.

6 . A golf ball having a first hemisphere and a second hemisphere separated by an equator, each hemisphere comprising on the outer surface thereof a plurality of dimples arranged in a pattern, wherein the pattern is defined by an n-sided pyramid projected on a hemisphere, the side edges of the pyramid representing n longitudinal lines from pole to equator, wherein n≥3, and wherein:

the pattern includes n number of dimple segments between the longitudinal lines, wherein a longitudinal angle between the side edges represents a size of each dimple segment;

within each hemisphere, the plurality of dimples consists of shared dimples that are intersected by the n longitudinal lines, and segment dimples that are each wholly within one of the n number of dimple segments;

the arrangement of the shared dimples on each of the longitudinal lines is identical;

the n number of dimple segments comprise at least two segments, S1 and S2, in each hemisphere that have a different longitudinal angle from each other;

the S1 segment has a first value for a segment parameter, wherein the first value is the same for a majority of the segment dimples in the S1 segment;

the S2 segment has a second value for the segment parameter, wherein the second value is the same for a majority of the segment dimples in the S2 segment;

the first value is different than the second value;

wherein the segment parameter is a segment chord depth; and

wherein the first and second values satisfy at least one of the following:

(i) the first and second values for the segment chord depth differ by 0.010 inches or less,

(ii) the first and second values for the segment chord depths are both between 0.0025 inches and 0.0065 inches.

7 . The golf ball of claim 6 , wherein the first and second values for the segment chord depth differ by 0.005 inches or less.

8 . The golf ball of claim 6 , wherein the shared dimples have a chord depth corresponding to the segment chord depth of one of the adjacent segments.

9 . The golf ball of claim 8 , wherein the shared dimples all have the same chord depth.

10 . The golf ball of claim 6 , wherein the shared dimples each has a chord depth that differs from the segment chord depth of both its adjacent segments.

11 . The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the n number of dimple segments further comprise a dimple segment S3 that has a different longitudinal angle than both dimple segments S1 and S2 and a different value for the segment parameter than the first and second values.

12 . A golf ball having a first hemisphere and a second hemisphere separated by an equator, each hemisphere comprising on the outer surface thereof a plurality of dimples arranged in a pattern, wherein the pattern is defined by an n-sided pyramid projected on a hemisphere, the side edges of the pyramid representing n longitudinal lines from pole to equator, wherein n≥3, and wherein:

the pattern includes n number of dimple segments between the longitudinal lines, wherein a longitudinal angle between the side edges represents a size of each dimple segment;

within each hemisphere, the plurality of dimples consists of shared dimples that are intersected by the n longitudinal lines, and segment dimples that are each wholly within one of the n number of dimple segments;

the arrangement of the shared dimples on each of the longitudinal lines is identical;

the n number of dimple segments comprise at least two of the segments, S1 and S2, in each hemisphere that have a different longitudinal angle;

the S1 segment has a first value for a first segment parameter and a second value for a second segment parameter, wherein the first value is the same for the majority of the segment dimples in the S1 segment, and wherein the second value is the same for the majority of the segment dimples in the S1 segment;

the S2 segment has a third value for the first segment parameter and a fourth value for the second segment parameter, wherein the third value is the same for the majority of the segment dimples in the S2 segment, and wherein the fourth value is the same for the majority of the segment dimples in the S2 segment;

the first value is different than the third value for the first segment parameter; and

the second value is the same as the fourth value for the second segment parameter.

13 . A golf ball having a first hemisphere and a second hemisphere separated by an equator, each hemisphere comprising on the outer surface thereof a plurality of dimples arranged in a pattern, wherein the pattern is defined by an n-sided pyramid projected on a hemisphere, the side edges of the pyramid representing n longitudinal lines from pole to equator, wherein n≥3, and wherein:

the pattern includes n number of dimple segments between the longitudinal lines, wherein a longitudinal angle between the side edges represents a size of each dimple segment;

within each hemisphere, the plurality of dimples consists of shared dimples that are intersected by the n longitudinal lines, and segment dimples that are each wholly within one of the n number of dimple segments;

the arrangement of the shared dimples on each of the longitudinal lines is identical;

the n number of dimple segments comprise at least two segments, S1 and S2, in each hemisphere that have a different longitudinal angle from each other;

the S1 segment has a first value for a segment parameter, wherein the first value is the same for a majority of the segment dimples in the S1 segment;

the S2 segment has a second value for the segment parameter, wherein the second value is the same for a majority of the segment dimples in the S2 segment;

wherein the segment parameter is a segment edge angle or a segment chord depth;

the first value is different than the second value; and

wherein the shared dimples satisfy at least one of the following:

(i) the shared dimples have an edge angle corresponding to the segment edge angle of one of the adjacent segments,

(ii) the shared dimples have a chord depth corresponding to the segment chord depth of one of the adjacent segments.

14 . A golf ball having a first hemisphere and a second hemisphere separated by an equator, each hemisphere comprising on the outer surface thereof a plurality of dimples arranged in a pattern, wherein the pattern is defined by an n-sided pyramid projected on a hemisphere, the side edges of the pyramid representing n longitudinal lines from pole to equator, wherein n≥3, and wherein:

the pattern includes n number of dimple segments between the longitudinal lines, wherein a longitudinal angle between the side edges represents a size of each dimple segment;

within each hemisphere, the plurality of dimples consists of shared dimples that are intersected by the n longitudinal lines, and segment dimples that are each wholly within one of the n number of dimple segments;

the arrangement of the shared dimples on each of the longitudinal lines is identical;

the n number of dimple segments comprise at least two segments, S1 and S2, in each hemisphere that have a different longitudinal angle from each other;

the S1 segment has a first value for a segment parameter, wherein the first value is the same for a majority of the segment dimples in the S1 segment;

the S2 segment has a second value for the segment parameter, wherein the second value is the same for a majority of the segment dimples in the S2 segment;

wherein the segment parameter is a segment edge angle or a segment chord depth;

the first value is different than the second value; and

wherein the shared dimples satisfy at least one of the following:

(i) the shared dimples each has an edge angle that differs from the segment edge angle of both its adjacent segments,

(ii) the shared dimples each has a chord depth that differs from the segment chord depth of both its adjacent segments.