Abstract: A tubeless pneumatic tire is provided including a carcass having a carcass cord web and topping rubber layers covering the opposite sides of the carcass cord web, the carcass extending from a tread portion through a sidewall portion to a bead portion and turned up around a bead core outwardly from the inside of the tire in the axial direction of the tire, wherein only the inner one of the topping rubber layers which faces the inside of the tire is made of a butyl-based rubber. The tubeless pneumatic tire is of lightened weight and exhibits anti-airleak property comparable or superior to that of conventional one even if it is provided with no inner liner.

Abstract: A coated golf ball is provided of which possible flaw or paint peeling caused by shots does not become conspicuous even after it has been left outdoors for a long time. The coated golf ball comprises a ball body having a surface layer containing a white pigment and essentially free of a fluorescent brightener and an ultraviolet absorber, and a paint layer containing the fluorescent brightener and the ultraviolet absorber. The ball body as well as the coated golf ball has a color tone represented by CIE L*a*b* color system: 88≦L*≦93, −2≦a*≦2, and −12≦b*≦−5. Differences in “L*”, “a*” and “b*” values between the color tone of the ball body and one of the coated golf ball are not more than 2, not more than 3, and not more than 3, respectively.

Abstract: A golf ball bearing a mark having superior durability and glittering in a gold color is provided. The mark is obtained by printing with use of the ink having a resin and a metal powder including particles each having a main body of copper and a copper-zinc alloy portion on a surface of the main body. The preferable metal powder has a mean particle diameter of at most 50 &mgr;m.

Abstract: A wound-core golf ball having a polyurethane cover is disclosed. The polyurethane cover is formed by curing a composition comprising a tolylene diisocyanate polyurethane prepolymer and dimethylthiotoluene diamine, and exhibits superior cut resistance. The wound-core golf ball of the invention further comprises a double-layered center having a diameter of 25 to 35 mm and a rubber thread layer covering the center. The center comprises an inner core layer having a diameter of 24 to 33 mm and a JIS-A hardness of 5 to 50, and an outer core layer covering the inner core layer and having a Shore D hardness of 10 and to 60. The wound-core golf ball thus constructed imparts a good shot feeling to the golfer and offers an increased flight distance.

Abstract: The invention provides an improved golf ball which exhibits satisfactory ball characteristics, particularly, repulsion property and scuff resistance. The golf ball has a cover made of the polyurethane prepared by curing a urethane prepolymer having an isocyanate group at a terminal thereof with an amine-type curing agent represented by the following general formula: H2N—R1-polyether moiety-R2—NH2 where R1 and R2 are independently hydrocarbon groups each having 1 to 6 carbon atoms. The amine-type curing agent causes curing at such a speed as to ensure a pot life allowing necessary operations to be performed.

Abstract: A golf ball printing ink is provided which ensures a sufficient pot life, requires a shortened drying time after printing, and yields a mark having a clear appearance and superior durability. Also provided are a printing method using the ink, a golf ball bearing a mark printed with the ink, and a method of manufacturing a golf ball. The golf ball printing ink includes a solvent, a resin in a solid state at ordinary temperature or a reactive curing resin which is curable through reaction with a curing agent, and an ultraviolet-curing resin. The method of manufacturing a golf ball includes the steps of: printing a mark on a surface of a golf ball body with use of the ink; irradiating the mark with ultraviolet ray after the printing; and applying a clear paint to the golf ball body after the ultraviolet ray irradiation.

Abstract: There is provided a golf ball bearing highly fashionable marks representing a brand name and a play number, both of which are excellent in visibility. The golf ball has two sorts of marks printed on its ball body surface. The two marks have similar colors and a CIE L*a*b* color difference (&Dgr;E) between the colors of theses marks is in the range of 5 to 50.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of producing golf balls improved the adhesion between a ball body and a coated film on the ball body without the need of expensive and large scale facilities. The inventive method comprises the steps of: applying an adhesion enhancing agent containing a silyl component and a solvent to a surface of a ball body; drying the coated surface to form an adhesion enhancing layer having the silyl component; and applying a paint to the adhesion enhancing layer. The silyl component is capable of remaining 30 weight % or more after an elapse of one hour at a temperature of 25° C. The method is applicable to the batch operating process of manufacturing golf balls.

Abstract: An apparatus for identifying tires comprising: a rotational speed detecting means; a first calculating means for calculating a vehicle speed; a second calculating means for calculating acceleration/deceleration of the vehicle; a third calculating means for calculating a slip ratio; a fourth calculating means for respectively obtaining moving averages of the acceleration/deceleration and the slip ratios of the vehicle; a fifth calculating means for obtaining linear regression coefficients and correlation coefficients of the moving-averaged acceleration/deceleration of the vehicle and the slip ratio; a sixth calculating means for calculating a tire identifying coefficient; and a tire identifying means for identifying tires which is presently mounted based on the tire identifying coefficient. Differences in tread rigidities of the tires can be automatically reflected for controlling the vehicle.

Abstract: A method of assembling a tire carcass comprising applying a cord reinforced rubber ply to a toroidal-shaped former such that the edges of the ply are located on radially inner portions of the former, placing a circular bead component adjacent to each edge and stitching each ply edge to its said circular bead component to secure the ply edge in the region of the tire bead.

Abstract: A tubeless pneumatic tire is provided including a carcass having a carcass cord web and topping rubber layers covering the opposite sides of the carcass cord web, the carcass extending from a tread portion through a sidewall portion to a bead portion and turned up around a bead core outwardly from the inside of the tire in the axial direction of the tire, wherein only the inner one of the topping rubber layers which faces the inside of the tire is made of a butyl-based rubber.

Abstract: A wound-core golf ball having a polyurethane cover is disclosed. The polyurethane cover is formed by curing a composition including an isocyanate group terminated polyurethane prepolymer containing a residual polyisocyanate monomer in an amount of not more than 0.1 mass %; and an aromatic polyamine compound. Use of this isocyanate group terminated polyurethane prepolymer enables the homogeneous curing reaction even at the low temperature, thus the golf ball which has the polyurethane cover exhibiting excellent performance is obtained.

Abstract: Disclosed herein a solid golf ball comprising the core including a vulcanized rubber composition which contains 100 parts by weight of a base rubber, A parts by weight of an &agr;, &bgr;-unsaturated carboxylic acid or a metal salt thereof, B parts by weight of an organic peroxide and C parts by weight of a sulfide compound. A, B and C satisfy the following relationship: 0.020×A≦B+C≦0.050×A and A is in the range from 25 to 45. It provides a solid golf ball giving improved feeling without impairing intrinsic resilience of the solid golf ball.

Abstract: The present invention provides ink for golf ball that can be used in printing a mark directly on a cover made from ionomer resin, without the need for a primer coat, while ensuring high durability. The printing ink comprises an acrylic resin and a coloring agent. A golf ball having a durable mark printed thereon and a method of printing a mark efficiently on a surface of a ball body by using the ink are also provided.

Abstract: A tire having a ground contacting tread, the tread having a directional tread pattern comprising at least two substantially circumferentially extending grooves disposed one each side of the tread circumferential centerline and a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart and substantially axially extending shoulder grooves extending axially outwardly from each circumferential groove to the tread edge to define a row of tread blocks in each axially outer tread shoulder part, the axially extending grooves having two opposing inclined sidewalls which provide ramp support to the adjacent tread block edge, characterized in that each of the axially extending shoulder grooves has a groove depth which reduces from the axially inward part to towards the axially outer part, and each groove comprises two groove main portions connected end to end, each groove main portion having a varying asymmetric cross-section along its length, each groove main portion having a first groove sidewall having a constant first angle of i

Abstract: A tire for a vehicle having at least one wheel at each corner, the tire comprising a non-longitudinal ground contacting tread extending axially between first and second axial edge regions and having tread grooves formed therein, wherein in the first axial edge region of the tread, the tread grooves are oriented substantially in the tire circumferential direction and in the second axial edge region of the tread the grooves are oriented substantially in the tire axial direction and in a third axial region of the tread axially between the first and second edge regions the orientation of the grooves changes progressively from circumferential to axial.

Abstract: A method of attaching an article to the inside surface of a pneumatic tire comprising coating an area of the inner surface of an uncured tire carcass with a first layer of adhesive, covering the first layer of adhesive with a removable masking layer comprising a flexible and heat resistant material, curing the tire carcass in a heated tire mold, removing the cured tire from the mold and removing the masking layer to expose the first layer of adhesive, coating a face of the article with a second layer of adhesive and attaching the article to the tire by bringing together the first and second layers of adhesive.

Abstract: The present invention provides an improved golf ball with a polyurethane cover, and a process therefor. The invention is characterized in using the complex of polyamine compound with a metal salt as a curing agent, which releases the polyamine compounds above the specific temperature.

Abstract: A golf ball having a coating layer which is excellent in resistance to impact, scuffing and abrasion without increasing the thickness of the layer. The coating layer has a hardness of 21 to 60 N/mm2, which is calculated by the following expression (1): Hardness=(test load)/{26.43×(penetration depth (mm))2}  (1) wherein the test load is 3 mN.

Abstract: The present invention provides a golf ball with a pale color that has a bright color tone, maintains visibility without giving incongruous feeling to a golfer during shot, and has high resistance against discoloration due to ultraviolet rays. The golf ball comprises a golf ball body and a layer formed on the body. The colored layer contains a white inorganic pigment and/or a white organic pigment, a coloring inorganic pigment and/or a coloring organic pigment, and a fluorescent pigment. When the color tone of the golf ball is represented by the Lab system, values of “L”, “a” and “b” satisfy the following relationships: L≧82 10≦(a2+b2)½≦45.