A golf ball and a method of forming a golf ball is disclosed herein. The golf ball includes an alignment aid or feature that is integrally formed with a core body of the golf ball. A cover is provided that allows the alignment aid to be visible from an exterior of the golf ball. The alignment aid can be formed as central spherical segment that fuses two spherical cap portions with each other to form the core body. Different material selections can be made for the spherical cap portions and the central spherical segment that can further provide variation in performance characteristics of the golf ball.

An object with a tactile outer layer includes, for example, a ball having an outer surface and a series of protrusions or spikes on the outer surface. The protrusion each appear as a tear-dropped shape mass that includes a base having a relatively flat bottom adhered to the outer surface of the ball and a narrow tip and/or curved tail extending away from the outer surface.

Manufacturing can be performed by mounting the object and utilizing injection arms that deposit elastomer globules on the object. The globules are deposited by pressure through a reservoir in the injection arm and the injection arms are then withdrawn to product the tail shape.

A device and method for assembling an electronic golf ball are described. The device may include a printed circuit board, a wire wrapped around a ring-shaped bobbin, where the ring-shaped bobbin includes four legs, two on each side of the ring-shaped bobbin, with the printed circuit board inserted into the ring-shaped bobbin. This assembly, an electronic apparatus, is placed in a mold, with at least one of the four legs in contact with walls of the mold, the legs centering the electronic apparatus in a center of the mold. An inner layer material is inserted in the mold creating an inner core assembly. The inner layer assembly is removed from the mold and covered with a stiff spherical core and an outer golf ball cover layer, to form the golf ball.

A golf ball and a method of forming a golf ball is disclosed herein. The golf ball includes an alignment aid or feature that is integrally formed with a core body of the golf ball. A cover is provided that allows the alignment aid to be visible from an exterior of the golf ball. The alignment aid can be formed as central spherical segment that fuses two spherical cap portions with each other to form the core body. Different material selections can be made for the spherical cap portions and the central spherical segment that can further provide variation in performance characteristics of the golf ball.

A method for forming a golf ball provides a core member comprising a core of a golf ball into a cavity of a mold so that the core member is supported by a movable holding pin disposed in the mold; forming a layer outside the core member by injecting a material of the layer into the cavity; and retracting the pin from the cavity into the mold during the material injection so that a portion projecting from a surface of the layer is formed by a tip of the pin, the projecting portion having a site area of at least 0.2% in relation to an entire area of the tip of the pin and having a height of at least 0.2 mm. This method can be implemented by controlling the retraction of the pin, or alternatively by using the pin having a predetermined indentation portion on the tip.

A cured elastomer golf ball component is made by heating an elastomer compound containing an ethylenically unsaturated elastomer, an ethylenically unsaturated monomer, and first and second free radical initiators to a first crosslinking temperature T.sub.1 in a compression mold and partially crosslinking the elastomer, then heating to a second crosslinking temperature T.sub.2 and curing the elastomer component of the golf ball. Either: (i) the first initiator has a half-life of about 0.2-5 minutes at T.sub.1, the second initiator has a half-life of about 0.2-5 minutes at T.sub.2, and T.sub.2 is higher T.sub.1 by at least about 30 C.; or (ii) the second initiator's one-minute half-life temperature is at least about 30 C. higher than the first initiator's one-minute half-life temperature, T.sub.1 is within about 20 C. of the first initiator's one-minute half-life temperature, and T.sub.2 is within about 20 C. of the second initiator's one-minute half-life temperature.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a golf ball excellent in kneading workability when preparing a core rubber composition containing (d) a carboxylic acid and/or a salt thereof. The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a golf ball comprising the steps of blending (a) a base rubber and at least (b) a carboxylic acid and/or a salt thereof to prepare a first masterbatch; blending (a) a base rubber and at least (c) a crosslinking initiator to prepare a second masterbatch; blending the first masterbatch and second masterbatch to form a core rubber composition; molding the core rubber composition into a spherical core; and forming one or more cover layers covering the spherical core.

Closed cell foam articles, such as sports balls, and related manufacturing methods are disclosed herein. The article includes a main body made of closed-cell elastomeric resin foam having a density ranging between about 0.050 sg and about 0.800 sg after curing. Some articles are assembled by inserting a cured core into a main body so that the core is secured in the main body via an interference fit, and the core has one or more portions extending to the exterior surface of the main body such that the an exposed surface of the one or more exposed portions of the core blend substantially with the exterior surface of the main body.

A golf ball has a core, an intermediate layer, and a cover. The core has a first composition and has a generally spherical shape and a spherical surface. The core defines one or more through holes that each extend from a first opening at the spherical surface to a second opening at the spherical surface. The first composition is a core rubber formulation comprising a base rubber. The intermediate layer surrounds the core and is formed from a second composition, different from the first composition. The intermediate layer has a first portion that surrounds the core and a second portion that extends from the first opening to the second opening and thereby completely fills each through hole of the one or more through holes. The second composition is a thermoset or thermoplastic formulation comprising an elastomer. The cover surrounds the intermediate layer and the core.

Methods of making a golf ball that includes a lattice reinforced layer, which is a layer made of at least two materials with different properties, includes various injection and compression molding steps. In some embodiments, the lattice reinforced layer is manufactured using a shutoff molding technique so that the entire lattice reinforced layer is molded in the same mold. In other embodiments, a grid for the lattice layer is formed first, then filled using an injection molding technique.