What is claimed is:
1. A golf ball comprising:
a solid center having a deflection, under an applied static load of 200 lb., of between about 0.090 inches and about 0.150 inches;
at least one intermediate layer comprised of thermoplastic material; and
a cover layer comprising an ionomer or ionomer blend and having a Shore D hardness, measured on the curved surface of the golf ball, of greater than about 70;
wherein, the golf ball, when struck by a driver club at a clubhead velocity of about 160 feet-per-second, has an initial velocity off the clubhead of greater than about 240 feet-per-second.
2. The golf ball of claim 1, where the golf ball has a coefficient of restitution of greater than about 0.812 at a test velocity of 150 feet-per-second.
3. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the center has a diameter of less than about 1.25 inches.
4. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the center has a diameter of less than about 1.125 inches.
5. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the at least one intermediate layer(s) has a Shore D hardness as measured on the curved outer surface of the at least one intermediate layer, of between about 55 and about 62.
6. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the at least one intermediate layer comprises a copolymer of ethylene and acrylic acid, wherein about 100% of the acid groups are neutralized with metal ions.
7. The golf ball of claim 6, wherein the at least one intermediate layer further comprises greater than about 5 parts per hundred of a fatty acid salt chosen from the group consisting of magnesium stearate and magnesium oleate.
8. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the at least one intermediate layer comprises a terpolymer of ethylene, acrylic acid, and n-butyl acrylate, wherein about 100% of the acid groups are neutralized with metal ions.
9. The golf ball of claim 8, wherein the at least one intermediate layer further comprises greater than about 5 parts per hundred of a fatty acid salt chosen from the group consisting of magnesium stearate and magnesium oleate.
10. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the ball has a diameter of about 1.680 in.
11. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core, the at least one intermediate layer, and the cover layer have approximately the same specific gravity.
12. The golf ball of claim 11, wherein the specific gravity of the core, the at least one intermediate layer, and the cover layer is between about 1.115 and about 1.135.
13. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the ball has a diameter of about 1.650 in.
14. The golf ball of claim 13, wherein the specific gravity of all components is between about 1.175 and about 1.195.
15. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the ball has a diameter of about 1.620 in.
16. The golf ball of claim 15, wherein the core, the at least one intermediate layer, and the cover layer have approximately the same specific gravity.
17. The golf ball of claim 16, wherein the specific gravity of all components is between about 1.230 and about 1.270.
18. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core is adjusted to a desired specific gravity through use of an inert filler.
19. The golf ball of claim 18, wherein the inert filler is chosen from the groups consisting of organic and inorganic materials.
20. The golf ball of claim 19, wherein the inorganic materials are chosen from the groups consisting of metals, metal oxides, metal sulfates, and combinations thereof.
21. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the at least one intermediate layer is adjusted to a desired specific gravity through use of an inert filler.
22. The golf ball of claim 21, wherein the inert filler is chosen from the groups consisting of organic and inorganic materials.
23. The golf ball of claim 22, wherein the inorganic materials are chosen from the groups consisting of metals, metal oxides, metal sulfates, and combinations thereof.
24. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cover layer is adjusted to a desired specific gravity through use of an inert filler.
25. The golf ball of claim 24, wherein the inert filler is chosen from the groups consisting of organic and inorganic materials.
26. The golf ball of claim 25, wherein the inorganic materials are chosen from the groups consisting of metals, metal oxides, metal sulfates, and combinations thereof.
27. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the golf ball, when rotated in a solution of salt water of sufficient density to support the ball, exhibits no single preferred orientation.
28. A golf ball comprising:
a core comprising a polybutadiene;
a mantle comprising a thermoplastic material; and
a cover layer comprising an ionomer;
wherein the golf ball exhibits a coefficient of restitution of greater than about 0.77 when struck by a driver club at a club head speed of 175 feet-per-second.
29. The golf ball of claim 28, wherein the golf ball, when struck by a driver club at a clubhead velocity of about 160 fts, has an initial velocity off the clubhead of greater than about 238 fts.
30. The golf ball of claim 28, wherein the polybutadiene comprise a high cis-1,4 content polybutadiene and the core further comprises about 20 to about 28 parts by weight of a co-crosslinking agent comprised primarily of a zinc salt of an unsaturated acrylate, about 3 to about 5 parts by weight of a metal oxide activator, and about 0.8 to about 1.5 parts per hundred resin of a free radical initiator.
31. The golf ball of claim 28, wherein the core has a diameter of less than about 1.25.
32. The golf ball of claim 28, wherein the thermoplastic material comprises about 70 to about 80% ethylene, about 8 to about 10.5% acrylic acid and about 12 to about 20% n-butyl acrylate.
33. The golf ball of claim 28, wherein the core, the mantle, and the cover layer have approximately the same specific gravity.
34. The golf ball of claim 33, wherein the specific gravity of the core, the at least one intermediate layer, and the cover layer is between about 1.115 and about 1.135.
35. The golf ball of claim 28, wherein the ball, when rotated in a solution of salt water of sufficient density to support the ball, exhibits no single preferred orientation.
36. The golf ball of claim 28, wherein the ball has a diameter of about 1.680 in.
37. The golf ball of claim 28, wherein the ball has a diameter of about 1.650 in.
38. The golf ball of claim 37, wherein the specific gravity of all components is between about 1.175 and about 1.195.
39. The golf ball of claim 28, wherein the ball has a diameter of about 1.620 in.
40. The golf ball of claim 39, wherein the specific gravity of all components is between about 1.230 and about 1.270.
41. The golf ball of claim 28, wherein the core is adjusted to a desired specific gravity through use of an inert filler.
42. The golf ball of claim 41, wherein the inorganic materials are chosen from the groups consisting of metals, metal oxides, metal sulfates, and combinations thereof.
43. The golf ball of claim 28, wherein the mantle is adjusted to a desired specific gravity through use of an inert filler.
44. The golf ball of claim 43, wherein the inorganic materials are chosen from the groups consisting of metals, metal oxides, metal sulfates, and combinations thereof.
45. The golf ball of claim 28, wherein the cover layer is adjusted to a desired specific gravity through use of an inert filler.
46. The golf ball of claim 45, wherein the inorganic materials are chosen from the groups consisting of metals, metal oxides, metal sulfates, and combinations thereof.
47. A golf ball comprising:
a center;
a mantle; and
a cover layer, the center, the mantle, and the cover layer all having a specific gravity that is substantially identical;
wherein, the golf ball, when struck by a driver club at a clubhead velocity of about 160 feet-per-second, has an initial velocity off the clubhead of greater than about 240 feet-per-second.
48. The golf ball of claim 47, where the golf ball has a coefficient of restitution of greater than about 0.812 at a test velocity of about 150 feet-per-second.
49. The golf ball of claim 47, wherein the center has a diameter of less than about 1.25 inches.
50. The golf ball of claim 47, wherein the center has a diameter of less than about 1.125 inches.
51. The golf ball of claim 47, wherein the at least one intermediate layer(s) has a Shore D hardness as measured on the curved outer surface of the mantle, of between about 55 and about 62.
52. The golf ball of claim 47, wherein the mantle comprises a copolymer of ethylene and acrylic acid, wherein about 100% of the acid groups are neutralized with metal ions.
53. The golf ball of claim 52, wherein the at least one intermediate layer further comprises greater than about 5 parts per hundred of a fatty acid salt chosen from the group consisting of magnesium stearate and magnesium oleate.
54. The golf ball of claim 47, wherein the mantle comprises a terpolymer of ethylene, acrylic acid, and n-butyl acrylate, wherein about 100% of the acid groups are neutralized with metal ions.
55. The golf ball of claim 54, wherein the mantle further comprises greater than 5 parts per hundred of a fatty acid salt chosen from the group consisting of magnesium stearate and magnesium oleate.
56. The golf ball of claim 47, wherein the golf ball, when rotated in a solution of salt water of sufficient density to support the ball, exhibits no single preferred orientation.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method of optimizing the calculation of matching scores between phone states and acoustic frames across a matrix of an expected progression of phone states aligned with an observed progression of acoustic frames within an utterance, the matrix having a plurality of cells, each cell associated with a characteristic acoustic frame and a characteristic phone state, the method comprising:
determining a first set of cells within a first row, the first row associated with a first phone state of the progression of phone states, wherein each cell of the first set of cells meets a threshold probability of matching the first phone state;
determining a second set of cells within a second row, the second row associated with a second phone state of the progression of phone states, wherein each cell of the second set of cells meets a threshold probability of matching the second phone state;
storing, on a local cache of a first core, the first phone state;
storing, on a local cache of a second core, the second phone state;
providing, to the first core, the first set of cells;
providing, to the second core, the second set of cells;
calculating, on the first core, matching scores of each characteristic state and characteristic observation of each cell of the first set of cells; and
calculating, on the second core, matching scores of each characteristic state and characteristic observation of each cell of the second set of cells.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein each acoustic frame is a portion of the utterance.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein a duration of each acoustic frame is the same for each cell.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the matching scores of the cells of the first set of cells are calculated simultaneously.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the matching scores of the cells of the first set of cells and the matching scores of the cells of the second set of cells are calculated simultaneously.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein each phone state is associated with a position within the progression of phone states.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first phone state has a position that differs from the position of the second phone state.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the content of the first phone state matches the content of the second phone state.
9. A method of optimizing the calculation of matching scores between phone states and acoustic frames across a matrix of an expected progression of phone states aligned with an observed progression of acoustic frames within an utterance, the matrix having a plurality of cells, each cell associated with a characteristic acoustic frame and a characteristic phone state, the method comprising:
determining a first set of cells within a first row, the first row associated with a first phone state of the progression of phone states, wherein each cell of the first set of cells meets a threshold probability of matching the first phone state;
determining a second set of cells within a second row, the second row associated with a second phone state of the progression of phone states, wherein each cell of the second set of cells meets a threshold probability of matching the second phone state;
distributing storage of each phone state of the progression of phone states across a plurality of local caches on a chip;
providing, to a first core, the first set of cells associated with a first phone state that matches the phone state that is stored on the local cache that is associated with the first core;
providing, to a second core, the second set of cells associated with a second phone state that matches the phone state that is stored on the local cache that is associated with the second core;
calculating, on the first core, matching scores of each characteristic state and characteristic observation of each cell of the first set of cells; and
calculating, on the second core, matching scores of each characteristic state and characteristic observation of each cell of the second set of cells.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein each phone state is distributed to a local cache based on an amount of storage space available on the local cache.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein each phone state is distributed to the local cache having the greatest amount of available space at the time the phone state is distributed.
12. The method of claim 9, wherein a plurality of phone states are stored on a local cache.
13. The method of claim 9, wherein the matching scores of the cells of the first set of cells and the matching scores of the cells of the second set of cells are calculated simultaneously.
14. A method of optimizing the calculation of matching scores between phone states and acoustic frames across a matrix of an expected progression of phone states aligned with an observed progression of acoustic frames within an utterance, the matrix having a plurality of cells, each cell associated with a characteristic acoustic frame and a characteristic phone state, the method comprising:
determining a first set of cells within a first row, the first row associated with a first phone state of the progression of phone states, wherein each cell of the first set of cells meets a threshold probability of matching the first phone state;
storing, on a first core, the first phone state of the progression of phone states;
scheduling the calculation of matching scores of each cell of a first set of cells on the first core, where each cell of the first set of cells is associated with the first phone state;
calculating, on the first core, matching scores of each characteristic state and characteristic observation of each cell of the first set of cells.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first phone state is stored on a local cache of the first core.
16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:
determining a second set of cells within a second row, the second row associated with a second phone state of the progression of phone states, wherein each cell of the second set of cells has a high probability of matching the second phone state;
scheduling the calculation of matching scores of each cell of a second row of cells on the first core, where each cell of the second row of cells is associated with the first phone state;
calculating, on the first core, matching scores of the cells of the second row of cells.
17. The method of claim 14, wherein the plurality of cells comprise at least one anchor point.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein a first anchor point comprises a cell associated with a first phone state of the progression of phone states, and the cell is further associated with a first acoustic frame of the progression of acoustic frames.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein a second anchor point comprises a cell associated with a last phone state of the progression of phone states, and the cell is further associated with a last acoustic frame of the progression of acoustic frames.