DIMPLE PATTERNS FOR GOLF BALLS
The present invention provides a golf ball wherein each hemisphere has a dimple pattern based on a pyramid having dissimilar sides. The resulting overall dimple pattern is not based on preexisting polyhedral, and is not attainable using conventional dimple packing methods.
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 defined by an n-sided pyramid projected on a hemisphere, the side edges of the pyramid representing n lines of longitude from pole to equator, wherein n≥3, and wherein:
within each hemisphere, the dimple arrangement along each of the n longitudinal lines is identical, and every longitudinal line having said identical dimple arrangement thereon corresponds to one of the side edges of the pyramid;
within each hemisphere, at least two of the sides have a different longitudinal angle;
the equator intersects a portion of the plurality of dimples; and
all of the dimples that are intersected by the equator have the same dimple diameter.
2 . The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein n≥4 for at least one hemisphere.
3 . The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein n≥4 for each hemisphere.
4 . The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the value n for the first hemisphere is different than the value n for the second hemisphere.
5 . The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the overall dimple pattern of the first hemisphere is different than the overall dimple pattern of the second hemisphere.
6 . The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the overall dimple pattern on each hemisphere does not have rotational symmetry about the polar axis.
7 . The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of dimples comprises three or more different dimple diameters, including a minimum dimple diameter, a maximum dimple diameter, and at least one additional dimple diameter.
8 . The golf ball of claim 7 , wherein the dimple diameter of the dimples that are intersected by the equator is not the minimum or maximum dimple diameter.
9 . The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the dimples located along a side edge of the pyramid has the same dimple diameter as the dimples that are intersected by the equator.
10 . The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein none of the dimples located along the side edges of the pyramid has the same dimple diameter as the dimples that are intersected by the equator.
11 . The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein none of the dimples that are intersected by the equator is also located along a side edge of the pyramid.