Dimple patterns for golf balls

Abstract

A golf ball having a plurality of dimples disposed on a spherical outer surface thereof is disclosed herein. The golf ball is segmented into triangular sections each divided into: a polar region from latitude angle 0° to latitude angle 30° and having a dimple surface coverage Sp, an intermediate region from latitude angle 30° to latitude angle 60° and having a dimple surface coverage Si, and an equatorial region from latitude angle 60° to latitude angle 90° and having a dimple surface coverage Se. A specific relationship is provided between Sp, Si, and Se, as disclosed in more detail herein.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A golf ball having a plurality of dimples disposed on a spherical outer surface thereof and the golf ball having no dimple-free great circles, wherein:
 the plurality of dimples comprises at least three different dimple diameters, including a minimum dimple diameter, a maximum dimple diameter, and at least one additional dimple diameter;   the golf ball consists of two hemispheres separated by an equator, the two hemispheres having substantially identical dimple arrangements;   each dimple arrangement of the two hemispheres consists of four triangular sections that are defined by projecting four faces of a square pyramid onto the respective hemisphere such that each of the four triangular sections is defined by a border consisting of a linear equatorial edge which corresponds to a portion of the equator of the golf ball and two linear side edges connecting each end of the equatorial edge to a pole of the golf ball;   the four triangular sections of each hemisphere are substantially identical in size and dimple arrangement;   the dimple arrangement within each of the four triangular sections is not rotationally symmetric about a center of the respective triangular section;   each of the four triangular sections is divided into:
 a polar region from latitude angle 0° to latitude angle 30° and having a dimple surface coverage S p , 
 an intermediate region from latitude angle 30° to latitude angle 60° and having a dimple surface coverage S i , and 
 an equatorial region from latitude angle 60° to latitude angle 90° and having a dimple surface coverage S e , 
 where latitude angle 0° is the pole and latitude angle 90° is the equator, and 
   
       
         
           
             
               
                 
                   S 
                   i 
                 
                 - 
                 
                   S 
                   e 
                 
               
               ≥ 
               
                 0 
                 . 
                 0 
                 . 
               
             
           
         
       
     
     
         2 . The golf ball according to  claim 1 , wherein S i −S e ≥2.0. 
     
     
         3 . The golf ball according to  claim 1 , wherein S i −S e ≥4.0. 
     
     
         4 . The golf ball according to  claim 1 , wherein S i −S e ≥6.0. 
     
     
         5 . The golf ball according to  claim 1 , wherein the polar, intermediate, and equatorial regions each include at least one dimple having the minimum dimple diameter. 
     
     
         6 . The golf ball according to  claim 1 , wherein the polar, intermediate, and equatorial regions each include at least one dimple having the maximum dimple diameter. 
     
     
         7 . The golf ball according to  claim 1 , wherein the dimple surface coverages in the polar, intermediate, and equatorial regions are each greater than 70%, and S p <S e <S i . 
     
     
         8 . The golf ball according to  claim 1 , wherein S i ≥81.0%. 
     
     
         9 . The golf ball according to  claim 1 , wherein the dimple surface coverage in both the polar and equator regions are each less than the total surface coverage of the dimples. 
     
     
         10 . The golf ball according to  claim 1 , wherein the dimple arrangement contains at least one shared dimple evenly divided between the two respective regions, the at least one shared dimple having either: (i) a centroid located at a latitude angle from 28° to 32° or (ii) a centroid located at a latitude angle from 58° to 62°. 
     
     
         11 . The golf ball according to  claim 1 , wherein S e ≤80.0%. 
     
     
         12 . The golf ball according to  claim 1 , wherein S e ≤78.0%. 
     
     
         13 . The golf ball according to  claim 1 , wherein S e ≤76.0%. 
     
     
         14 . The golf ball according to  claim 1 , wherein the dimple surface coverage in the intermediate region is greater than the total surface coverage of the dimples. 
     
     
         15 . The golf ball according to  claim 1 , wherein the dimple surface coverage in the intermediate region is greater than the total surface coverage of the dimples by at least 3.0%. 
     
     
         16 . The golf ball according to  claim 1 , wherein the dimple surface coverage in the equatorial region is less than the total surface coverage of the dimples, and the total surface coverage of the dimples is less than the dimple surface coverage in the intermediate region.