Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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A SHORT¨FLIGHT BALL, AND RELATED METHODS
BACKGROUND
[1] A traditional golf course covers a distance ranging from about 6,000 to
7,500
yards, or about 3.4 to 4.25 miles, and includes a series of eighteen holes
(each ranging
in distance from 210 ¨ 690 yards). A good, experienced golfer (often a
professional)
can often complete such a course with 72 shots or less because a golf ball is
designed
to travel far when hit properly. For example, a golf ball is typically very
hard and its
surface is covered with small, shallow dimples. The hardness of the ball helps
the ball
convert much of the club head's kinetic energy (primarily the speed at which
the club
head travels just before impact with the ball) into the ball's kinetic energy
(primarily the
speed at which the ball travels just after contact with the club head). The
small, shallow
dimples reduce the air's drag on the ball as the ball travels through the air
by tripping
the boundary layer of the air flowing over the surface of the ball.
[2] Most golfers, however, cannot complete a traditional golf course with
72 shots or
less. Most golfers require significantly more shots because a golf ball that
is not hit
properly often travels a long distance in the wrong direction. Thus, most
courses cover
a large area of real estate to accommodate less accurate shots, and most
golfers travel
about 1.5 times the listed distance of the golf course because they rarely
walk straight
from each hole's tee to each hole's corresponding green.
[3] To get better, many golfers spend countless hours practicing their
swing.
Because a regular golf ball travels far when properly hit, golfers can't
practice their
swing in most urban parks and often go to a driving range that covers a large
area to
accommodate the long distances that a regular golf ball travels.
[4] To help reduce the size of a golf course and the distance traveled by
the average
golfer, and to help reduce the size of a driving range, some practice golf
balls are
designed to travel less distance while in flight compared to a regular golf
ball. For
example, some golf balls have a smooth surface that significantly increases
the air's
drag on the golf ball, and some golf balls are softer than a regular golf ball
so that less
CA 02861720 2014-08-28
of the club head's kinetic energy is transferred to the ball. Unfortunately,
though, these
limited-flight golf balls do not provide the same, exciting feel and
experience to the
golfer as would a regular golf ball when hit properly. The smooth surface of a
golf ball
adversely affects other flight characteristics of the ball, not just flight
distance. And the
softness of a golf ball adversely affects the crisp feel of a well hit ball.
SUMMARY
[5] In an aspect of the invention, a ball comprises a core and a surface
that covers
the core. The surface includes at least one groove having a depth, a length
and a
width, wherein the length of the groove is at least three times the width, and
wherein the
length of the groove extends at most fifty degrees across the surface of the
ball. When
the ball travels through the air, the groove trips and obstructs the flow of
air across the
ball's surface, increasing the air's drag on the ball. This increase in drag
causes the ball
to not travel as far as a regular ball when hit, and opposes any spin imparted
to the ball
when hit.
[6] If the ball is a golf ball, the core may be similar to the core of a
regular golf ball to
provide the same hardness, and thus the same feel when the ball is hit, while
the
groove of the surface increases the drag on the golf ball and thus reduces the
distance
that the golf ball travels in flight. In addition, the surface of the ball
generates a sound
that mimics a whistle while air flows across the surface to warn others of the
ball's flight.
[7] In another aspect of the invention, a cover that can be mounted
releasably or
fixedly on a ball comprises a body configured to cover a region of the ball.
The body
has a surface that includes a groove having a depth, a length and a width,
wherein the
length of the groove is at least three times the width, and wherein the length
of the
groove extends at most fifty degrees across the surface of the body when the
body
covers a region of the ball. By covering a region of a ball with the cover,
one can
reduce the distance that the ball travels when in flight, and one can thus
convert any
desired ball, such as a baseball, golf ball, and/or softball into a limited-
flight ball.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[8] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a ball, according to an embodiment of
the
invention.
[9] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a groove of the ball shown in FIG. 1,
according to
an embodiment of the invention.
[10] FIG. 3 is a perspective, partial cross-sectional view of the ball shown
in FIG. 1,
according to an embodiment of the invention.
[11] FIG. 4 is a flattened view of the whole surface of the ball shown in FIG.
1,
according to an embodiment of the invention.
[12] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a cover for a ball, according to another
embodiment of the invention.
[13] Each of FIGS. 6 ¨ 8 is a view of a surface of a ball, each according to a
different
embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[14] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a ball 10, according to an embodiment of
the
invention. The ball 10, which may be any desired ball, such as a baseball,
tennis ball or
golf ball (shown here), includes a surface 12 that covers a core (not shown in
FIG. 1 but
shown in and discussed in greater detail in conjunction with FIG. 3). The
surface 12
includes a groove 14 (here fifty-six but only three labeled for clarity;
discussed in greater
detail in conjunction with FIG. 2) that has a depth, a length and a width,
wherein the
length of the groove 14 is at least three times the width, and wherein the
length of the
groove 14 extends at most fifty degrees across the surface 12. In other
embodiments,
the surface 12 may be releasably or fixedly mountable to a conventional ball
(as
discussed in greater detail in conjunction with FIG. 5) to convert the
conventional ball
into a limited-flight ball.
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[15] When the ball 10 is in flight, the groove 14 trips and obstructs the flow
of air
across the ball's surface, increasing the air's drag on the ball 10. This
increase in drag
causes the ball 10 not to travel as far as it would without the groove 14. If
the ball 10 is
a golf ball, then the reduced distance that the ball 10 travels in flight
allows one to play
golf on a shorter course that does not require walking about 5 to 6.5 miles to
complete
18 holes, and/or allows one to practice one's swing in a smaller area. If the
ball 10 is a
baseball, then the reduced distance allows one to play on a smaller field
without the use
of a fence or net to confine the ball's flight. The groove 14 also opposes any
spin
imparted to the ball 10 when hit, which also affects the distance the ball 10
travels in
flight.
[16] The surface 12 of the ball 10 may include any desired number of grooves
14
arranged in any desired pattern. For example, in this and other embodiments,
the
surface 12 includes a plurality of grooves 14 that, together, cover the
surface 12 of the
ball 10 and are arranged as shown in FIG. 4. More specifically, some of the
grooves 14
are disposed longitudinally across the surface 12 of the ball 10, while other
grooves 14
are disposed laterally across the surface 12 of the ball 10. In this
configuration, the
surface 12 generates a sound that mimics a whistle while air flows across the
surface
12 to warn others of the ball's flight. In other embodiments, one or more
grooves 14
may be arranged to form a serpentine or figure-eight pattern across the
surface 12 of
the ball 10.
[17] In addition, although each of the grooves 14 shown in FIG. 1 has a length
that is
at least three times the groove's width and that extends at most fifty degrees
across the
surface 12 of the ball 10, the surface 12 may include fewer of such grooves
14. In
some of such embodiments, the surface 12 may include one or more of such
grooves
14 and may also include any number of larger and/or smaller grooves. In other
of such
embodiments, the surface 12 may include one or more of such grooves 14 and may
be
smooth for the remainder.
[18] Still referring to FIG. 1, the surface 12 may also include any desired
material.
For example, in this and other embodiments the surface 12 includes
conventional
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materials that are included in a regular golf ball made according to the
official rules of
the R&A (Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrew) and/or the USGA (United
States
Golf Association). More specifically, the surface 12 may include Surlyn ,
balata,
rubber, and/or urethane. In other embodiments, such as a ball configured for
playing
baseball or softball, the surface 12 may include leather.
[19] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a groove 14 of the ball 10 shown in FIG.
1,
according to an embodiment of the invention. The groove 14 is defined by one
or more
walls 16 and a floor 18. Because one or more of the walls 16 of the groove 14
trip and
obstruct the flow of air across the ball's surface while the ball 10 travels
through air, the
size, geometry, and location of each wall 16 relative to another wall 16 of
the groove 14
affects the drag that the air imposes on the ball 10 when in flight.
[20] In this and other embodiments, the groove 14 is defined by four walls
16a, 16b,
16c and 16d that lie perpendicular to each other to form a rectangular groove
14.
Moreover, each wall's surface that is exposed to the interior of the groove 14
is convex
when viewed from within the groove 14. In other embodiments, the groove 14 may
be
defined by a single, continuous, curved wall 16 whose end joins with its
beginning to
form a curved groove such as a circular, elliptical or oblong groove. In
addition, the
groove 14 may be defined by three walls 16 that intersect each other to form a
triangular groove 14. Moreover, one or more of the walls 16 may include a
concave or
flat interior surface when viewed from within the groove 14. In still other
embodiments,
the wall 16 may be flattened or may come to a point, and may include ridges to
further
interact with air when the ball 10 (not shown) travels in flight.
[21] The floor 18 of the groove 14 may also be configured as desired. For
example,
in this and other embodiments, the floor 18 is rectangular in shape and
substantially
smooth with a convex curvature that mimics the curvature of the ball 10 (FIG.
1). In
other embodiments, the floor 18 may be circular or elliptical in shape, or
polygonal such
as a trapezoid. In addition, the floor 18 may be concave or flat, and may
include bumps
or ridges extending up into the interior of the groove 14.
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[22] In this and other embodiments, the length 20 of the groove 14 is the
distance
from the interior surface of the wall 16a to the interior surface of the wall
16c. The width
22 of the groove 14 is the distance from the interior surface of the wall 16d
to the interior
surface of the wall 16b. And, the depth 24 is the distance from the plane
defined by the
tops of each of the walls 16a ¨ 16d to the floor 18.
[23] Each of the length 20, the width 22, and the depth 24, may be any desired
dimension that causes the surface 12 of a ball 10 having the groove 14 to trip
and
obstruct the flow of air across the surface 12 to increase the air's drag on
the ball 10.
For example, in this and other embodiments, the depth 24 is at least 0.5
millimeters,
and the length 20 is at least three times the width 22 and extends at most
fifty degrees
across the surface 12. Fifty degrees is the angle 9 measured at the center 26
of the ball
10. The angle 9 is defined by the intersection of two lines 27 and 28 at the
ball's center
26 with line 27 passing through the wall 16a and line 28 passing through the
wall 16c.
More specifically, for the ball 10, several of the grooves 14 extend up to 47
degrees
(about16 millimeters) across the surface 12, while other grooves 14 extend up
to 25
degrees (about 9 millimeters) across the surface 12. And for each of the
grooves 14,
the depth is about 2 millimeters (mm) and the width is about 2 millimeters
(mm).
[24] Other embodiments are possible. For example, the length 20 of the groove
14
may be less than three times the width 22, and the depth 24 may be more or
less than
two millimeters. For another example, a plurality of grooves 14 may include
grooves 14
having different depths ¨ the depth 24 of some grooves 14 may be substantially
two
millimeters (mm) and the depth 24 of other grooves 14 may be substantially
three
millimeters (mm). For another example, such as a ball 10 that is a baseball,
the depth
24 of the groove 14 may be at least 5 millimeters (mm).
[25] FIG. 3 shows a perspective, partial cross-sectional view of the ball 10
shown and
discussed in conjunction with FIG. 1, according to an embodiment of the
invention. The
ball 10 (here a golf ball) includes the surface 12 and a core 30, which is the
main source
of the ball's conversion of the golf club head's kinetic energy into its own
kinetic energy.
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Thus, the core 30 affects the ball's flight characteristics, and the feel that
one perceives
when one strikes the ball 10 with a club.
[26] The core 30 may include any desired material arranged in any desired
manner
that provides a desired hardness. For example, in this and other embodiments,
the
core 30 is a solid body that includes polybutadiene, a high resiliency rubber
composition
that may or may not include small pieces of metal, such as tungsten or
titanium,
distributed throughout the core 30. In other embodiments, the core 30 may
include a
small, rubber body surrounded by a layer of a different material, such as an
elastic
material wound around the small body. In such embodiments the small rubber
body
may be solid or hollow; and if hollow, the body may or may not hold a liquid.
[27] Other embodiments are possible. For example, if the ball 10 is a
baseball, then
the core 30 may include a rubber or cork body that is wrapped in yarn or
string.
[28] FIG. 4 is a flattened view of the whole surface 12 of the ball 10 shown
in FIG. 1,
according to an embodiment of the invention. Here, the surface 12 of the ball
10 has
been divided into two halves 12a and 12b to more clearly show the whole
surface 12.
The surface 12 includes a pattern 13 of grooves 14 (fifty-six grooves are
shown here,
but only eleven grooves 14a ¨ 14k have been labeled for clarity),
[29] In this and other embodiments, the pattern 13 includes two symmetrical
halves
13a and 13b as shown on surface halves 12a and 12b, respectively. Each of the
symmetrical halves 13a and 13b of the pattern 13 includes eight grooves 14a ¨
14h
(labeled only on pattern half 13a for clarity) arranged in a square. The eight
grooves
14a ¨ 14h are arranged in alternating pairs, with grooves 14a, 14b, 14e, and
14f
disposed longitudinally on the surface 12a of the ball, and grooves 14c, 14d,
14h, and
14g disposed laterally on the surface 12a of the ball. Each of the two
symmetrical
halves of the pattern 13a and 13b also includes sixteen additional grooves 14
disposed
longitudinally across the surface 12of the ball 10; here only three grooves
141¨ 14k are
labeled for clarity. Arranged in this pattern, the grooves 14 significantly
increase the
air's drag on the ball 10 when the ball travels through the air, which in turn
significantly
reduces the distance that the ball 10 travels through the air.
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[27] Other patterns 13 are possible. For example, see the patterns shown in
and
discussed in conjunction with FIGS. 6 ¨ 8.
[30] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a cover 50 for a ball (not shown),
according to
another embodiment of the invention. The cover 50 may be sized to be
releasably
mountable to any specific, desired ball, such as a golf ball, a baseball, or a
softball. The
cover 50 shown here is sized to be releasably mountable to a golf ball. The
cover 50
includes a body 55 having a surface 56 that includes a groove 57 that is
similar to the
groove 14 shown and discussed in conjunction with FIGS. 1 ¨ 3. Specifically,
the
groove 57 has a depth, a width, and a length, the length being at least three
times the
width, and extending at most fifty degrees across the surface 56. The cover's
groove
57 trips and obstructs the flow of air across the cover's surface to increase
the air's drag
on the cover 50, and thus the drag on the ball to which the cover is mounted.
This
increase in drag causes the ball to not travel as far as it would without the
cover 50 and
the cover's groove 57.
[31] In this and other embodiments, the groove 57 does not include a floor in
the body
55 of the cover 50. The floor is formed by the outer surface of the ball after
the cover 50
is mounted to the ball. In other embodiments, the groove 57 does include a
floor in the
body 55 of the cover 50.
[32] The cover 50 may be releasably mounted to a ball in any desired manner.
For
example, in this and other embodiments the body 55 of the cover 50 includes an
opening 58 that one inserts the ball through to surround the ball with the
cover 50. In
such embodiments, the opening 58 may be a slit, and the body 55 may be elastic
and
sized to exert a compressive force on the ball when the cover 50 is mounted to
the ball.
In other embodiments, the body 55 may not be elastic and the opening 58 may be
larger and include any desired fastening mechanism (not shown), such as Velcro
and/or laces to keep the cover 50 on the ball after the ball is hit.
[33] The cover 50 may be configured to cover any desired portion of a ball.
For
example, in this and other embodiments, the cover 50 surrounds the ball. In
other
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embodiments, however, the cover 50 may cover a region or a portion of a ball,
such as
half, three quarters or one third of the whole surface of the ball.
[34] Still referring to FIG. 5, the body 55 may include any desired material.
For
example, in this and other embodiments the body 55 may include natural or
synthetic
rubber, urethane, and/or other plastic or elastic materials.
[35] Each of FIGS. 6 ¨ 8 shows a view of a surface of one of a respective
three balls,
each according to a different embodiment of the invention. The surface of each
of the
balls includes a groove that is similar to the groove 14 (FIG. 2) previously
discussed ¨
i.e. the groove includes a depth, a width and a length that is at least three
times the
width and extends at most fifty degrees across the surface 12.
[36] FIG. 6 shows a ball 60 whose surface 65 includes sixty-eight grooves 66
(forty-
eight shown but only five labeled for clarity) each of which is substantially
oval shaped
and arranged in the pattern shown. Although half of the ball 60 is not shown
in FIG. 6,
the pattern of the un-seen half is identical to the pattern shown. Arranged in
this
pattern, the grooves 66 provide substantial drag to the ball 60 that
significantly reduces
the distance that the ball 60 will travel in flight.
[37] FIG. 7 shows a ball 70 whose surface 75 includes eighty-four grooves 76
(sixty
shown but only five labeled for clarity) each of which being substantially
oval shaped
and arranged in the pattern shown. Although half of the ball 70 is not shown
in FIG. 7,
the pattern of the un-seen half is identical to the pattern shown. Arranged in
this
pattern, the grooves 76 also provide substantial drag to the ball 70 that
significantly
reduces the distance that the ball 70 will travel in flight, and the surface
75 may be
expanded to cover a larger ball such as a baseball.
[38] FIG. 8 shows a ball 80 whose surface 85 includes sixty-four grooves 86
(thirty-
two shown but only five labeled for clarity) each of which is serpentine in
shape and
arranged in the pattern shown. Although half of the ball 80 is not shown in
FIG. 8, the
pattern of the un-seen half is identical to the pattern shown. Arranged in
this pattern,
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the grooves 85 also provide substantial drag to the ball 80 that significantly
reduces the
distance that the ball 80 will travel when well hit.
[39] The preceding discussion is presented to enable a person skilled in the
art to
make and use the invention. Various modifications to the embodiments will be
readily
apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles herein may be
applied to
other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scope
of the
present invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited
to the
embodiments shown, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the
principles and features disclosed herein.
