Golf Ball Color Effects Coating Eliminating Yellow Cast
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Solution Overview
Problem
Golf balls incorporating titanium dioxide-coated mica often exhibit an undesirable 'yellow cast' due to impurities and have inferior distinguishability, making them appear less high-grade.
Innovation Solution
A golf ball design featuring a core and cover with a color effects coating layer comprising a mixture of metal oxide coated mica and titanium dioxide coated alumina, in specific weight ratios, to produce a unique and high-grade appearance without a yellow cast, using a reaction product of the mixture, resin, crosslinking agent, and solvent.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If titanium dioxide-coated mica is used in the coating layer, then color effects are achieved, but a yellow cast appears due to impurities in the mica
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the harmful impurities from the mica by replacing titanium dioxide-coated mica with zirconium dioxide-coated mica. This substitution eliminates the yellow cast while preserving the desirable color effects and natural resource availability of mica-based pigments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the chemical parameter of the coating material by substituting zirconium dioxide for titanium dioxide as the coating on mica. This parameter change eliminates the yellow discoloration while maintaining the reflective and refractive properties that produce the desired color effects.
2Ease of manufacture
If titanium dioxide-coated mica is used in the coating layer, then color effects are provided, but distinguishability and high-grade appearance are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful visual effects caused by impurities in titanium dioxide-coated mica and removes them by substituting with zirconium dioxide-coated mica. This substitution maintains the natural resource advantage while achieving superior distinguishability and high-grade appearance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a composite material approach by combining zirconium dioxide coating with mica substrate. This composite provides both the natural resource benefits of mica and the optical properties of zirconium dioxide, achieving superior visual appearance and distinguishability.
3Shape
If multiple coating layers are used to achieve color effects, then visual appearance is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent achieves diverse color effects by changing the composition and properties of the color effects coating layer itself, rather than adding multiple separate layers. The zirconium dioxide-coated mica provides inherent color effects that can be varied by adjusting the mica particle characteristics, eliminating the need for complex multi-layer structures.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The synergy of metal oxide coated mica and titanium dioxide coated alumina in the color effects coating layer provides a visually distinctive and high-quality appearance, enhancing distinguishability and eliminating the yellow cast, as demonstrated by visual evaluations.
Implementation Method 1
mica's layered structure and unique reflective and refractive properties when exposed to light
Implementation Method 2
mica's layered structure and unique reflective and refractive properties when exposed to light
Data Source
AI summary
Golf ball comprising a core, a cover disposed the core, and at least two coating layers surrounding the cover. At least one of the coating layers is a color effects coating layer disposed between the cover and an outer coating layer and comprising a color effects providing composition formed from a mixture of a mica-based luster pigment consisting of a metal oxide coated mica in an amount of from about 5 wt. % to about 50 wt. % of the color effects providing composition and titanium dioxide coated alumina in an amount of from about 50 wt. % to about 95 wt. % thereof. The color effects coating layer comprises the color effects providing composition in an amount of from about 1% to about 30% of total resin solids, and the color effects providing composition is formed from metal oxide coated mica and titanium dioxide coated alumina in a wt. ratio of from about 1:1 to about 1:19.