Golf Ball Partial Mid Layer for Fading Mark Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Golf balls with printed lines or marks fade quickly due to repeated hits, losing their functionality in assisting players with addressing and checking the rotation state after being hit.
Innovation Solution
A golf ball design featuring a partial mid layer between the core and cover, creating a visible color difference that maintains visibility even after repeated hits, allowing players to accurately address and check the rotation state.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a line or marks are printed on the surface of the golf ball, then the ease of addressing the golf ball is improved, but the durability of the marking function deteriorates due to fading after repeated hits
Solution Approach 1:
The patent moves the marking function from the outer surface (2D) to the internal structure (3D layering). By embedding the partial mid layer with different color tone inside the cover, the marking becomes part of the ball's internal architecture rather than a surface decoration, making it resistant to abrasion and fading from repeated hits.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a partial mid layer as an intermediary between the core and the cover. This intermediate layer with different color tone serves as the marking element, allowing the cover to be transparent or translucent while still providing a visible reference. The intermediary layer protects the marking function from direct contact with external abrasive forces.
2Ease of operation
If a line or marks are drawn on the surface of the golf ball, then the ease of checking rotation state is improved, but the long-term functionality deteriorates due to color fading
Solution Approach 1:
The patent relocates the rotation-checking marking from the outer surface to the internal layer structure. The partial mid layer embedded within the ball provides a persistent reference that remains visible through the transparent or translucent cover, ensuring long-term functionality不受 surface wear.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a visual copy of the marking function by using the different color tone of the partial mid layer that can be seen through the cover. This internal color reference serves as a permanent copy of the marking function that cannot be worn away, maintaining its utility for checking rotation state over the entire service life of the ball.
3Illumination intensity
If printed marks are used on the golf ball surface, then the visual recognition is improved, but the resistance to abrasion deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the partial mid layer as an intermediary that provides visual recognition without being directly exposed to abrasive forces. The different color tone of this internal layer is visible through the transparent or translucent cover, providing clear visual references while being protected from collision with clubs and ground.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions the visual marking from a surface-level feature to an internal structural feature. By embedding the colored partial mid layer within the ball's layered construction, the visual reference maintains its visibility function while gaining protection from external abrasive damage.
Data Source
AI summary
A golf ball includes a core and a cover positioned outside the core. An n-layer (n is a natural number) partial mid layer is provided between the core and the cover. An area of the core in a region where the cover is laminated thereon is not less than 5.0% and not greater than 95.0% of a surface area of a phantom sphere having a radius equal to an average value of a distance from a central point of the core to a surface of the core. In an outer surface of the golf ball, a color difference ΔE1 based on a CIELAB color system between a region C where the cover is directly laminated on the core and a region M where the cover is laminated on the partial mid layer is not less than 20.0.