Golf balls comprising highly-neutralized acid polymers

• US 20030013549A1
• Filed: 04/09/2002
• Published: 01/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Dalton, Jeffrey L., Sullivan, Michael J., Cavallaro, Christopher, Boehm, Herbert C., Rajagopalan, Murali, Harris, Kevin M.
• Granted Patent: US 6,756,436 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/354
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0004 Surface depressions or protrusions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0024 Materials other than ionomers or polyurethane
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0026 Balata
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0031 Hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0033 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0043 Hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0045 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0047 Density; Specific gravity
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0051 Materials other than polybutadienes; Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0056 Hollow; Gas-filled
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0061 Coefficient of restitution
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0062 Hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0064 Diameter
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0065 Deflection or compression
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0075 Three piece balls, i.e. cover, intermediate layer and core
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0076 Multi-piece balls, i.e. having two or more intermediate layers
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0091 Density distribution amongst the different ball layers
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/00922 whereby hardness of the cover is lower than hardness of the intermediate layers
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0097 Layers interlocking by means of protrusions or inserts, lattices or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/02 Special cores balls with finger holes A63B37/0001, golf ball cores A63B37/005
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2205/02 : containing two or more polymers of the same C08L -group
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 23/08 : Copolymers of ethene C08L23/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 23/0876 : Neutralised polymers, i.e. ionomers
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/04 : Macromolecular compounds according to groups C08L7/00 - C08L49/00, or C08L55/00 - C08L57/00; Derivatives thereof

Abstract

A golf ball comprising a core comprised of a polymer containing an acid group neutralized by an organic acid or a salt thereof, the organic acid or salt thereof being present in an amount sufficient to neutralize the polymer by at least about 80%, wherein the core has a first Shore D hardness, a compression of no greater than about 80, and a diameter of no less than about 1.53 inches; and a cover comprised of a material having a second Shore D hardness at least 10 points less than the first hardness.

Claims

1. A golf ball comprising:

a core comprised of a polymer containing an acid group neutralized by an organic acid or a salt thereof, the organic acid or salt thereof being present in an amount sufficient to neutralize the polymer by at least about 80%, wherein the core has a first Shore D hardness, a compression of no greater than about 80, and a diameter of no less than about 1.53 inches; and

a cover comprised of a material having a second Shore D hardness at least 10 points less than the first hardness.

2. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polymer comprises ionomeric copolymers and terpolymers, ionomer precursors, thermoplastics, thermoplastic elastomers, polybutadiene rubber, balata, grafted metallocene-catalyzed polymers, non-grafted metallocene-catalyzed polymers, single-site polymers, high-crystalline acid polymers, cationic ionomers, and mixtures thereof.

3. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the organic acid is selected from the group consisting of aliphatic organic acids, aromatic organic acids, saturated mono-functional organic acids, unsaturated mono-functional organic acids, and multi-unsaturated mono-functional organic acids.

4. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the salt of organic acids comprise the salts of barium, lithium, sodium, zinc, bismuth, chromium, cobalt, copper, potassium, strontium, titanium, tungsten, magnesium, cesium, iron, nickel, silver, aluminum, tin, calcium, stearic, bebenic, erucic, oleic, linoelic, dimerized derivatives, and mixtures thereof.

5. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core further comprises a second polymer component in an amount sufficient to reduce the core compression to less than or equal to about 70.

6. The golf ball of claim 5, wherein the second polymer component has a Shore D hardness of about 40 or greater.

7. The golf ball of claim 5, wherein the second polymer component comprises ionomeric copolymers and terpolymers, ionomer precursors, thermoplastics, thermoplastic elastomers, polybutadiene rubber, balata, grafted metallocene-catalyzed polymers, non-grafted metallocene-catalyzed polymers, single-site polymers, high-crystalline acid polymers, cationic ionomers, and mixtures thereof.

8. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the organic acid or salt thereof is present in an amount sufficient to neutralize the polymer by at least about 90%.

9. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the organic acid or salt thereof is present in an amount sufficient to neutralize the polymer by at least about 100%.

10. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein at least one of the polymer or second polymer component is partially neutralized by a metal cation.

11. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core has a diameter of about 1.58 inches or greater.

12. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cover is comprised of a castable reactive liquid material.

13. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cover is cast or reaction injection molded over the core.

14. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cover is comprised of a polyurethane.

16. The golf ball of claim 15, wherein the outer layer further comprises a softening copolymer in sufficient weight percentage to reduce the core compression to less than or equal to about 70.

17. The golf ball of claim 15, wherein the core has a diameter of about 1.58 inches or greater.

18. The golf ball of claim 15, wherein the cover is comprised of a castable reactive liquid material.

19. The golf ball of claim 15, wherein the cover is cast or reaction injection molded over the core.

20. The golf ball of claim 15, wherein the cover is comprised of a cast polyurethane.

21. The golf ball of claim 15, further comprising an intermediate layer being comprised of an ionomer having a Shore D hardness that is at least 10 greater than the first Shore D hardness.

22. The golf ball of claim 15, wherein the core is surface treated by plasma treatment, corona discharge, chemical treatment or mechanically treated.

24. The golf ball of claim 23, wherein the cover is comprised or a polyurethane.

25. The golf ball of claim 24, wherein the intermediate layer has a Shore D hardness of at least about 62.

26. The golf ball of claim 24, wherein the cover has a thickness of about 0.04 or less.

27. The golf ball of claim 24, wherein the core has a compression of about 70 or less and a diameter of at least 1.4 inches.

28. The golf ball of claim 23, wherein the core is further comprised of a thermoplastic structure having a center and projections and the thermoset rubber is molded around the projections to form a sphere.

29. The golf ball of claim 28, wherein the thermoplastic is an ionomer neutralized more than a bout80%.

30. The golf ball of claim 29, wherein the thermoplastic is an ionomer neutralized more than about 100%.

15. A golf ball comprising:

a core comprising a center and an outer layer, the center being comprised of a thermoset rubber and the outer layer being comprised of polymer neutralized with an organic acid or a salt thereof, the organic acid or salt thereof being present in an amount greater than about 10 weight percent such that the polymer is fully neutralized, wherein the outer layer has a first Shore D hardness and the core has a compression of less than or equal to about 90 and a diameter of about 1.53 inches or greater; and

a cover being comprised of a castable reactive liquid material having a second Shore D hardness being at least 10 points less than the first hardness.

23. A golf ball comprising:

a core comprised of a thermoset rubber having a diameter of about 0.5 to 1.55 inches;

a cover disposed over the core having a shore D hardness of about 55 or less; and

an intermediate layer being comprised of a polymer neutralized by an organic acid or a salt thereof, the organic acid or a salt thereof being present in an amount sufficient to neutralize the polymer by at least about 100%.

31. A golf ball comprising:

a center comprised of a fluid having a diameter of about 1.0 inches or less;

an intermediate layer being comprised of a polymer neutralized with an organic acid or a salt thereof, the organic acid or a salt thereof being present in an amount greater than about 10 weight percent such that the polymer is saturated, the intermediate layer being disposed about the center to form a core; and

a cover disposed over the core.

32. The golf ball of claim 31, wherein the cover is comprised of a polyurethane.

33. The golf ball of claim 31, wherein the core is further comprised of an outer layer comprised of a thermoset rubber disposed between the intermediate layer and the cover.

34. The golf ball of claim 31, wherein the outer layer has a hardness that is at least 5 points less than a hardness of the intermediate layer.

35. The golf ball of claim 31, wherein the intermediate layer comprises a tensioned elastomeric material.