Patent Application
20080099994
None
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Portions of the disclosure of this patent document contain material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
The present invention relates in general to golf balls, and more particularly to a soft shell golf ball suitable for practicing indoors.
A variety of methods and constructions procedures are used for manufacturing golf balls to improve and maintain characteristics such as roll, spin and flight. Generally, golf balls can be categorized into hard-shelled and soft-shelled structures. Hard shell golf balls are used for actual play and are suitable for practicing outdoors, whereas soft shell golf balls are used only for practice and are suited for indoor use. The typical structure of both hard and soft shell golf balls comprises a plurality of spherical layers around a core.
Several golf balls have been developed in art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,780,169 to Hiraoka discloses a golf ball comprising a core surrounded by a cover. The core comprises a center and an outer shell enclosing the center. The central part of the golf ball is made lighter by reducing the specific gravity of the center to 0.2 to 1, which increases the inertia moment of the golf ball and provides the golf ball with excellent flying distance.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,480,155 to Molitor discloses a golf ball comprising a non-cellular unitary core enclosed in a spherical cover, which in turn is enclosed in a spherical shell of a polymeric material. The unitary core is a liquid at the time of its introduction into the spherical cover. The spherical shell is primarily responsible for the high initial velocity obtained when the golf ball is struck by a golf club. Hiraoka and Molitor are not soft-shelled and are designed for playing outdoors as opposed to the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,981,959 to Landreth discloses a practice golf ball defined by a deformable spherical mass confined by a partition membrane. The membrane is encased in an outer cover comprising a hollow rubber sphere. The spherical mass comprises non-homogenous putty like semi-solid core. This practice golf ball has small lesser rebound, permitting its use in confined areas.
Int'l. Pat. No. JP2000300696 to Hirai discloses a golf ball designed for indoor play. The golf ball comprises a hollow spherical body enclosing a fluid or grains such as sand or beads. The golf ball further comprises a fiber layer formed on the outer peripheral surface of the spherical body by adhering or applying fibers consisting of synthetic fibers or natural fibers. This golf ball doesn't produce any noise when struck by a golf club. Although Landreth and Hirai are soft-shelled and suitable for playing indoors, the materials and the construction procedures of these devices differ from the present invention.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a golf ball that comprises a flexible hollow spherical cage, an outer cover stitched over the spherical cage to enclose the spherical cage and granules inside the spherical cage, thereby forming a soft structure suitable for practicing golf shots indoors.
A further object is to provide a soft shell golf ball designed to produce a realistic spin without the normal flight of a real golf ball.
Finally, it is an object of the present invention to provide a soft shell golf ball that allows a golfer to practice shots with the same force they would exert on a conventional hard shell golf ball. These and other objects of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the appended Summary, Description, and Claims.
The present invention is a soft shell golf ball for practicing golf indoors. Compared to a conventional golf ball, the golf ball of the present invention has lesser rebound when struck by a golf club. The golf ball comprises granules, a hollow spherical rubber cage including a plurality of holes, and an outer hollow spherical cover enclosing the granules and the hollow spherical cage. Initially, a thread is used to stitch together a hollow spherical shape, including an opening. Prior to closing the sphere, the hollow spherical cage is inserted through the opening. Granules comprising up to 100% of the volume of the sphere are then fitted through the opening in the outer spherical cover and the holes in the hollow spherical cage. Following which, the opening is sealed by stitching the thread further, completely closing the outer spherical cover.
10 . . . Golf Ball of the Present Invention
12 . . . Hollow Spherical Cover
14 . . . Hollow Spherical Cage
16 . . . Granule
18A . . . Big Hole in the Hollow Spherical Cage
18B . . . Small Hole in the Hollow Spherical Cage
Referring to the drawings, a preferred embodiment of a soft shell practice golf ball is illustrated and generally indicated as 10 in
Referring to
In order to construct the golf ball 10, initially, a nylon or poly thread is stitched to form a hollow spherical shape, leaving an opening. Before completely closing the hollow spherical shape, the hollow spherical cage 14 is inserted through the opening. The granules 16 are then inserted in the hollow spherical cage 14 through the holes on its surface. The granules 16 comprise between 50% and 100%, preferably approximately 70% of the total volume of the golf ball. Following which, the opening is sealed by stitching the thread further in order to completely form the outer spherical cover 12. The outer spherical cover 12 is stitched to tightly enclose the hollow spherical cage.
The resultant golf ball 10 is approximately 43 mm in diameter. However, the diameter of the golf ball 10 may vary slightly depending on the type of the thread used to stitch the outer spherical cover 12. The soft-shelled structure of the golf ball 10 absorbs the impact of a swing and gives a golfer the same feel as a conventional hard shell golf ball but travels only a fraction of the distance, while maintaining the actual spin, roll and flight characteristics. In one embodiment, the outer spherical cover 12 is formed by crocheting a thread.
All features disclosed in this specification, including any accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings, may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.
Any element in a claim that does not explicitly state “means for” performing a specified function, or “step for” performing a specific function, is not to be interpreted as a “means” or “step” clause as specified in 35 U.S.C. §112, paragraph 6. In particular, the use of “step of” in the claims herein is not intended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §112, paragraph 6.
Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, various modifications and substitutions may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the present invention has been described by way of illustration and not limitation.
