IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,685,904
Granted Patent B2
US 12,685,904 · App. 18/238,808 · Granted Jul 21, 2026

Coating free, finished golf ball with polyurethane cover

Inventors: Michael Michalewich (Norton, MA); Manjari Kuntimaddi (Raynham, MA); Derek Ladd (Acushnet, MA); Courtney N. Engle (Fall River, MA); Michael R. Madson (Easton, MA); Shawn Ricci (New Bedford, MA)
Assignee: Acushnet Company
A63B37/0075A63B37/002A63B37/0039B29C63/0017B29C63/0073B29L2031/546
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,685,904
App. No.
18/238,808
Granted
Jul 21, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A coating free, finished golf ball and a method of forming a coating free, finished golf ball are disclosed herein. The golf ball has an outermost surface defined exclusively via the cover. The cover disclosed herein can be formed from a polyurethane, polyurea, or hybrid of polyurethane-polyurea, in some examples.

Claims (37)

1 . A coating free, finished golf ball comprising:

a core; and

a cover defining an outermost surface of the coating free, finished golf ball, such that the cover is bare, the cover being formed from a composition comprising polyurethane, polyurea, or hybrid of polyurethane-polyurea, and at least one of:

(i) a silicone-based cleaning additive or a siloxane-based cleaning additive; or

(ii) a polydimethylsiloxane based soft segment.

2 . The coating free, finished golf ball according to claim 1 , wherein the composition of the cover further comprises an ultraviolet absorbing additive.

3 . The coating free, finished golf ball according to claim 2 , wherein the ultraviolet absorbing additive is benzotriazole-based.

4 . The coating free, finished golf ball according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one marking on the cover.

5 . The coating free, finished golf ball according to claim 4 , wherein the at least one marking is formed via hot stamping.

6 . The coating free, finished golf ball according to claim 4 , wherein the at least one marking is configured to be printed on the cover after the cover receives a pretreatment.

7 . The coating free, finished golf ball according to claim 4 , wherein the at least one marking is formed on the cover via at least one of: integral molding with the cover, UV pad printing, or nitrocellulose ink pad printing.

8 . The coating free, finished golf ball according to claim 1 , wherein at least one marking is disposed on a layer of the golf ball positioned radially inward from the cover, and the cover is transparent.

9 . The coating free, finished golf ball according to claim 1 , wherein the cover has a dimple pattern comprising a plurality of dimples, and an average edge radius among all of the plurality of dimples is 0.010 inches-0.100 inches.

10 . The coating free, finished golf ball according to claim 9 , wherein the average edge radius among all of the plurality of dimples is 0.030 inches-0.050 inches.

11 . The coating free, finished golf ball according to claim 1 , wherein the cover has a dimple pattern comprising a plurality of dimples each having an edge angle of 10.0 degrees-15.0 degrees.

12 . The coating free, finished golf ball according to claim 11 , wherein the edge angle is 11.0 degrees-12.0 degrees.

13 . The coating free, finished golf ball according to claim 1 , further comprising an ionomer casing between the core and the cover.

14 . A coating free, finished golf ball consisting essentially of:

a core;

a casing surrounding the core; and

a cover defining an outermost surface of the coating free, finished golf ball, such that the cover is bare, the cover being formed from a composition comprising:

polyurethane, polyurea, or hybrid of polyurethane-polyurea,

a silicone-based cleaning additive or a siloxane-based cleaning additive, and

an ultraviolet absorbing additive;

wherein the cover has a dimple pattern comprising a plurality of dimples, and an average edge radius among all of the plurality of dimples is 0.030 inches-0.050 inches, and

the cover includes at least one marking formed via at least one of: integral molding with the cover, hot stamping, UV pad printing, or nitrocellulose ink pad printing.

15 . The coating free, finished golf ball according to claim 14 , wherein the cover has a dimple pattern comprising a plurality of dimples each having an edge angle of 11.0 degrees-12.0 degrees.

16 . The coating free, finished golf ball according to claim 14 , wherein the casing is formed from ionomer.

17 . A method of forming a coating free, golf ball, the method comprising:

providing a golf ball sub-assembly comprising a core and a casing;

forming a cover around an outermost surface of the golf ball sub-assembly, the cover being formed from a composition comprising polyurethane, polyurea, or hybrid of polyurethane-polyurea, and at least one of a silicone-based cleaning additive or a siloxane-based cleaning additive; and

forming at least one marking directly on the cover via hot stamping, UV pad printing, or nitrocellulose ink pad printing.

18 . The method according to claim 17 , wherein the cover has a dimple pattern comprising a plurality of dimples, and an average edge radius among all of the plurality of dimples is 0.030 inches-0.050 inches.

19 . The method according to claim 17 , wherein the cover has a dimple pattern comprising a plurality of dimples each having an edge angle of 11.0 degrees-12.0 degrees.

20 . The method according to claim 17 , wherein the cover is further comprised of an ultraviolet absorbing additive.

21 . The coating free, finished golf ball according to claim 1 , wherein the composition of the cover is comprised of polyurethane, polyurea, or hybrid of polyurethane-polyurea and the silicone-based cleaning additive or the siloxane-based cleaning additive.

22 . The coating free, finished golf ball according to claim 1 , wherein the composition of the cover is comprised of polyurethane, polyurea, or hybrid of polyurethane-polyurea and the polydimethylsiloxane based soft segment.