Golf ball having spherical triangle segmented dimple pattern

Abstract

Various aspects of a dimple pattern methodology, and dimple pattern configurations are disclosed herein. A spherical triangle segment division can be used to maintain a high level of symmetry in the dimple pattern while also maintaining a specific dimple layout in polar regions of the golf ball. In one aspect, the specific configurations disclosed herein can provide geometric symmetry while being adaptable to relatively complex processes for forming golf ball covers. Furthermore, the configurations disclosed herein provide a dimple pattern with a high level of symmetry having a particular subset of preferred polar dimples.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A golf ball having an outer surface comprising a plurality of dimples disposed thereon that define a dimple pattern,
 the golf ball being segmented via an equatorial plane, and a first plane and a second plane each being orthogonal to the equatorial plane and to each other, such that four zones define a first hemisphere of the golf ball and four zones define a second hemisphere of the golf ball,   the zones are comprised of first zones, second zones, third zones, and fourth zones, such that the first and second hemispheres each consist of one first zone, one second zone, one third zone, and one fourth zone, wherein the zones each consist of a plurality of spherical triangles,   wherein the plurality of spherical triangles comprises a first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth spherical triangle each having distinct dimple configurations, and   a first subset of the plurality of spherical triangles has a dimple configuration having mirror symmetry about a respective symmetry plane; and   a second subset of the plurality of spherical triangles has a dimple configuration lacking mirror symmetry about any intersecting plane to the respective spherical triangle.   
     
     
         2 . The golf ball according to  claim 1 , wherein the first zone consists of three spherical triangles including at least one first spherical triangle and at least one second spherical triangle,
 the second zone consists of three spherical triangles including at least one first spherical triangle and at least one third spherical triangle, and   the third zone and the fourth zone each consist of three spherical triangles including a fourth spherical triangle, a fifth spherical triangle, and a sixth spherical triangle.   
     
     
         3 . The golf ball according to  claim 2 , wherein the three spherical triangles of the first zone include a single first spherical triangle and two second spherical triangles. 
     
     
         4 . The golf ball according to  claim 3 , wherein the three spherical triangles of the second zone include a single first spherical triangle and two third spherical triangles. 
     
     
         5 . The golf ball according to  claim 1 , wherein the first spherical triangle and the fourth spherical triangle are disposed along the equatorial plane. 
     
     
         6 . The golf ball according to  claim 1 , wherein the first spherical triangle and the fourth spherical triangle each have a dimple configuration with mirror symmetry about a respective symmetry plane. 
     
     
         7 . The golf ball according to  claim 6 , wherein the second spherical triangle, the third spherical triangle, the fifth spherical triangle, and the sixth spherical triangle each have a dimple configuration lacking mirror symmetry about any intersecting plane to the respective spherical triangle. 
     
     
         8 . The golf ball according to  claim 7 , wherein the second spherical triangle, the third spherical triangle, the fifth spherical triangle, and the sixth spherical triangle are each disposed adjacent to a polar axis of the golf ball. 
     
     
         9 . The golf ball according to  claim 1 , wherein the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth spherical triangles each have an identical size relative to each other. 
     
     
         10 . The golf ball according to  claim 1 , wherein the first zones, the second zones, the third zones, and the fourth zones each have distinct dimple patterns from each other. 
     
     
         11 . The golf ball according to  claim 1 , wherein the first zones and the second zones are each mirror symmetrical about a respective plane extending through a polar axis of the golf ball. 
     
     
         12 . The golf ball according to  claim 1 , wherein the third zones and the fourth zones lack mirror symmetry about a respective plane extending through a polar axis of the golf ball. 
     
     
         13 . The golf ball according to  claim 1 , wherein the dimple pattern has at most first order rotational symmetry about any axis of the golf ball. 
     
     
         14 . The golf ball according to  claim 1 , wherein the first hemisphere has mirror symmetry about a first plane passing through a polar axis of the golf ball. 
     
     
         15 . The golf ball according to  claim 1 , wherein the second hemisphere has mirror symmetry about a second plane passing through a polar axis of the golf ball. 
     
     
         16 . The golf ball according to  claim 1 , wherein the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth spherical triangles each include one external edge that is coplanar with at least one edge of the first, second, third, or fourth zones, and
 the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth spherical triangles each include two internal edges that are noncoplanar with edges of the first, second, third, or fourth zones.   
     
     
         17 . The golf ball according to  claim 16 , wherein the internal edges of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth spherical triangles are shorter than the external edges of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth spherical triangles. 
     
     
         18 . The golf ball according to  claim 1 , wherein the first, second, third, and fourth zones are each rotationally asymmetric about an axis passing through a golf ball centroid and a respective geometric face of the first zone, the second zone, the third zone, and the fourth zone. 
     
     
         19 . The golf ball according to  claim 1 , wherein the golf ball lacks any dimple-free great circles. 
     
     
         20 . The golf ball according to  claim 1 , wherein exactly two of the second spherical triangles, two of the third spherical triangles, two of the fifth spherical triangles, and two of the sixth spherical triangles share a common vertex at a polar axis of the golf ball.