US 6,120,394 AGranted

Marked golf ball and manufacturing process thereof

AssigneeKametani Sangyo Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorRyuhei Kametani

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A marked golf ball is provided. The mark on the ball surface contains a holographic portion in a solid color portion of printing ink. The mark is printed on the ball surface by use of a transfer printing film. In a manufacturing process of the printing film, a desired shape is printed in ink on a cover layer, the ink portion is masked by a water-soluble layer, a thin metal layer is deposited all around, and then the water-soluble layer is washed off to remove the metal layer on the water-soluble layer and to leave the metal layer adjacent to the ink portion on the cover layer. The remaining portion of the metal layer turns to be the holographic portion due to a rough boundary between the cover layer. The mark has a novel appearance and makes the golf ball a quality, decorative, distinct and well discriminative value added product.

Claims8

Dependent claims

A process for manufacturing a golf ball having a mark thereon, said mark comprising an ink portion and a metal foil portion covered with a cover layer, and a boundary between said cover layer and metal foil portion being rough, said process comprising the steps of:

(A) forming a cover layer on a base film;
(B) making a surface of said cover layer rough;
(C) printing a desired shape using ink of a desired color on said rough surface of the cover layer to define a portion of said rough surface where the ink is applied to defining an ink portion;
(D) forming a water-soluble layer at least on said ink portion, except for a part of the rough surface of the cover layer which constitutes the mark together with said ink portion;
(E) forming a metal foil layer on said water-soluble layer and on said part of the rough surface of the cover layer;
(F) removing the water-soluble layer with said metal foil layer on the water-soluble layer to thereby define said part of the rough surface of the cover layer where said metal foil layer has remained as a metal foil portion;
(G) forming an adhesive layer at least on said metal foil portion and said ink portion constituting the mark to obtain a transfer printing film;
and
(H) transfer printing the mark to a golf ball using said transfer printing film.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/238,931Filed 28 Jan 1999
Priority: JP 10-32645317 Nov 1998
Granted: 19 Sep 2000
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

B41M 3/12
Printing processes to produce particular kinds of printed work, e.g. patterns: transfer pictures or the like, e.g. decalcomanias
A63B 37/0003
Solid balls; Rigid hollow balls; Marbles: golf balls
A63B 45/02
Apparatus or methods for manufacturing balls: marking of balls
B44C 1/1752
Transfer using solvent: decalcomanias provided with a particular decorative layer, e.g. being specially adapted to allow the formation of a…