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Multi-piece solid golf ballMulti-piece solid golf ball description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20080064526, Multi-piece solid golf ball. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001]The present invention relates to a multi-piece solid golf ball composed of a core, an envelope layer, an intermediate layer and a cover that have been formed as successive layers. More specifically, the invention relates to a multi-piece solid golf ball for professionals and other skilled golfers which is endowed with an excellent flight performance and good controllability. [0002]A variety of golf balls have hitherto been developed for professionals and other skilled golfers. Of these, multi-piece solid golf balls in which the hardness relationship between an intermediate layer encasing the core and the cover layer has been optimized are in wide use because they achieve both a superior distance in the high head speed range and good controllability on shots taken with an iron and on approach shots. Another important concern is the proper selection of thicknesses and hardnesses for the respective layers of the golf ball in order to optimize not only flight performance, but also the feel of the ball when played and the spin rate of the ball after being struck with the club, particularly given the large influence of the spin rate on control of the ball. A further key concern in ball development, arising from the desire that golf balls also have durability under repeated impact and scuff resistance against burr formation on the surface of the ball when repeatedly played with different types of clubs, is how best to protect the ball from external factors. [0003]The three-piece solid golf balls having an outer cover layer formed primarily of a thermoplastic polyurethane which are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,592,470, U.S. Pat. No. 6,679,791, U.S. Pat. No. 6,533,683, U.S. Pat. No. 6,814,676, U.S. Pat. No. 6,663,507 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,702,694 were intended to meet such a need. However, because this golf ball does not have a sufficiently reduced spin rate when hit with a driver, it is often unable to deliver a distance that is acceptable to professionals and other skilled golfers. [0004]Meanwhile, efforts to improve the flight and other performance characteristics of golf balls have led to the development of balls having a four-layer construction, i.e., a core encased by three intermediate or cover layers, that allows the ball construction to be varied among the several layers at the interior. Such golf balls have been disclosed in, for example, JP-A 9-248351, JP-A 10-127818, JP-A 10-127819, JP-A 10-295852, JP-A 10-328325, JP-A 10-328326, JP-A 10-328327, JP-A 10-328328, JP-A 11-4916 and JP-A 2004-180822. [0005]Yet, as golf balls for the skilled golfer, the above balls provide a poor balance of distance and controllability or fall short in terms of achieving a lower spin rate on shots with a driver, thus limiting the degree to which the total distance can be increased. Moreover, with these golf balls, it has been difficult to achieve in the same ball a good spin rate-lowering effect, good rebound and good durability. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0006]It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a multi-piece solid golf ball which has a flight performance and controllability that are fully acceptable to professionals and other skilled golfers, while also having an excellent durability to cracking on repeated impact and an excellent scuff resistance. [0007]The present invention employs, as the basic construction in golf ball design, an outermost layer made of polyurethane and a multilayer structure of three or more outer layers (envelope layer/intermediate layer/cover) encasing the core. By making the cover of polyurethane, which is relatively soft, a spin performance on approach shots that is acceptable to professionals and other skilled golfers and a high scuff resistance can be obtained. By making the envelope layer of a material composed primarily of a specific resin mixture, a lower spin rate on shots with a number one wood (W#1) and a good durability on repeated impact are obtained. Moreover, by designing a ball in which the envelope layer, the intermediate layer and the cover have thicknesses which satisfy the relationship cover thickness<intermediate layer thickness .ltoreq.envelope thickness, and the core, envelope layer, intermediate layer and cover have hardness relationships which satisfy the following three conditions: [0008](1) core surface hardness.ltoreq.envelope layer surface hardness [0009](2) cover material hardness<intermediate layer material hardness [0010](3) core surface hardness-core center hardness (JIS-C).gtoreq.11, the ball can be imparted with a lower spin rate on full shots with a driver or iron, enabling a good distance to be achieved that is acceptable to professionals and other skilled golfers, in addition to which the ball can be imparted with an excellent controllability in the short game. [0011]In other words, the golf ball of the invention, when used by professionals and other skilled golfers, is able to resolve the above-described problems in the prior art due to the synergistic effects of the materials making up the respective layers of the ball and the hardness relationships therebetween. That is, the golf ball of the invention provides a fully acceptable flight performance and controllability, in addition to which it exhibits an excellent durability to cracking on repeated impact and excellent scuff resistance, effects which were entirely unanticipated. The inventors, having thus found that the technical challenges recited above can be overcome by the foregoing arrangement, ultimately arrived at the present invention. [0012]Accordingly, the invention provides the following multi-piece solid golf balls. [1] A multi-piece solid golf ball comprising a core, an envelope layer encasing the core, an intermediate layer encasing the envelope layer, and a cover which encases the intermediate layer and has formed on a surface thereof a plurality of dimples, wherein the core is made primarily of a rubber material and has a diameter of at least 31 mm, the envelope layer and intermediate layer are each made primarily of the same or different resin materials and the cover is made primarily of polyurethane; the envelope layer, intermediate layer and cover have thicknesses which satisfy the relationship cover thickness<intermediate layer thickness.ltoreq.envelope layer thickness; and the core, envelope layer, intermediate layer and cover have hardness relationships which satisfy the following three conditions: [0013](1) core surface hardness.ltoreq.envelope layer surface hardness, [0014](2) cover material hardness<intermediate layer material hardness, and [0015](3) core surface hardness-core center hardness (JIS-C).gtoreq.11. [2] The multi-piece solid golf ball of [1] above, wherein the core, envelope layer, intermediate layer and cover have hardnesses which satisfy the relationship Continue reading about Multi-piece solid golf ball... Full patent description for Multi-piece solid golf ball Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Multi-piece solid golf ball patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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