DIMPLE PATTERNS FOR GOLF BALLS
The present invention provides a method for arranging dimples on a golf ball surface in which the dimples are arranged in a pattern derived from at least one irregular domain generated from a regular or non-regular polyhedron, and particularly a dipyramid. The method includes choosing control points of a polyhedron, generating an irregular domain based on those control points, packing the irregular domain with dimples, and tessellating the irregular domain to cover the surface of the golf ball. The control points include the center of a polyhedral face, a vertex of the polyhedron, a midpoint or other point on an edge of the polyhedron and others. The method ensures that the symmetry of the underlying polyhedron is preserved while minimizing or eliminating great circles due to parting lines.
1 . A golf ball having an outer surface comprising a plurality of dimples arranged in multiple copies of an irregular domain covering the outer surface in a uniform pattern, wherein the irregular domain is formed from a vertex to edge method based on an n-sided dipyramid projected on a sphere as n equally spaced lines of longitude from pole to pole bisected by a line around the equator to define a northern hemisphere and a southern hemisphere, wherein the dimple pattern on the northern hemisphere is a mirror image of the dimple pattern on the southern hemisphere.
2 . The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the outer surface of the golf ball comprises 342 dimples.
3 . The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the outer surface of the golf ball comprises 328 dimples.
4 . The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the golf ball has a planar parting line along the equator.
5 . The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the golf ball has a non-planar parting line defined by portions of the boundary of the irregular domain.
6 . A golf ball having an outer surface comprising a plurality of dimples arranged in a dimple pattern defined by tessellating an irregular domain to cover the outer surface in a uniform pattern, the irregular domain being bound by a segment and multiple copies thereof generated by a vertex to edge method based on an n-sided dipyramid, wherein the segment and multiple copies thereof produce one real and multiple false parting lines of the ball.
7 . The golf ball of claim 6 , wherein the dipyramid is projected on a sphere as n equally spaced lines of longitude from pole to pole bisected by a line around the equator to define a northern hemisphere and a southern hemisphere, and wherein the dimple pattern on the northern hemisphere is a mirror image of the dimple pattern on the southern hemisphere.
8 . The golf ball of claim 6 , wherein the outer surface of the golf ball comprises 342 dimples.
9 . The golf ball of claim 6 , wherein the outer surface of the golf ball comprises 328 dimples.
10 . The golf ball of claim 6 , wherein the number of false parting lines is equal to ( n / 2 )−1, and wherein n is an even number greater than or equal to 4.
11 . The golf ball of claim 6 , wherein the number of false parting lines is equal to ( n / 2 )−1, and wherein n is an even number greater than or equal to 6.
12 . The golf ball of claim 6 , wherein the number of false parting lines is equal to ( n / 2 )−1, and wherein n is an even number greater than or equal to 8.
13 . A method for arranging a plurality of dimples on a golf ball surface, the method comprising:
generating an irregular domain based on an n-sided dipyramid using a vertex to edge method, the vertex to edge method comprising:
projecting the dipyramid onto a sphere, each face of the dipyramid having two side edges connected at a vertex at one end and connected by a base edge at the other end;
connecting the vertex to a point P on the base edge with a non-straight segment; and
patterning the segment in a manner to generate the irregular domain;
packing the irregular domain with dimples; and
tessellating the irregular domain to cover the golf ball surface in a uniform pattern.
14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the irregular domain is generated by mirroring a first copy of the segment about the base edge and rotating an additional copy of the segment and the first copy about an axis connecting the vertex to the origin of the sphere, wherein the angle of rotation is equal to 360/n.
15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the segment, first copy, and additional copy produce one real and multiple false parting lines of the ball.
16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the number of false parting lines is equal to ( n / 2 )−1, and wherein n is an even number greater than or equal to 4.
17 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the number of false parting lines is equal to ( n / 2 )−1, and wherein n is an even number greater than or equal to 8.
18 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the irregular domain is generated by rotating a first copy of the segment 180° about an axis connecting point P with the origin of the sphere and rotating an additional copy of the segment and the first copy about an axis connecting the vertex to the origin of the sphere, wherein the angle of rotation is equal to 360/n.
19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the segment, first copy, and additional copy produce one real and multiple false parting lines of the ball.
20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the number of false parting lines is equal to ( n / 2 )−1, and wherein n is an even number greater than or equal to 4.
21 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the number of false parting lines is equal to ( n / 2 )−1, and wherein n is an even number greater than or equal to 8.