GOLF BALLS CONTAINING HIGHLY-NEUTRALIZED ACID POLYMERS AND IONIC PLASTICIZERS

• US 20090203469A1
• Filed: 04/20/2009
• Published: 08/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Sullivan, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US12/426,311
• Publication Number:
  US 20090203469A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/374
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0038 Intermediate layers, e.g. inner cover, outer core, mantle
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0043 Hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0045 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0049 Flexural modulus; Bending stiffness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0061 Coefficient of restitution
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0065 Deflection or compression
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 5/0016 Plasticisers
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 5/09 Carboxylic acids; Metal salts thereof; Anhydrides thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/02 Organic macromolecular compounds, natural resins, waxes or and bituminous materials
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 33/02 Homopolymers or copolymers of acids; Metal or ammonium salts thereof

Abstract

A golf ball comprising a core and a cover layer, wherein at least one of the core and the cover layer includes a polymer composition of a highly-neutralized acid polymer and an ionic plasticizer is disclosed and described. The highly-neutralized acid polymer can comprise at least 50 wt % of the polymer composition and have 70% to 100% of the acid groups neutralized. In addition, the ionic plasticizer can be alcohol esters, montanic acids, montanic acid esters, alkylene bis-amines, zwitterionic compounds, salts thereof, or combinations thereof.

Claims

1. A golf ball comprising a core and a cover layer, wherein at least one of the core and the cover layer includes a polymer composition, comprising:

a highly-neutralized acid polymer having acid groups comprising at least 50 wt % of the polymer composition wherein 70% to 100% of the acid groups are neutralized; and

an ionic plasticizer being selected from the group consisting of alcohol esters, montanic acids, montanic acid esters, alkylene bis-amines, zwitterionic compounds, salts thereof, and combinations thereof.

2. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core includes a center and an outer core layer, or the cover layer is a double layer cover having an inner cover layer and an outer cover layer.

3. The golf ball of claim 2, and wherein the polymer composition is present in the outer core layer or the inner cover layer.

4. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polymer composition is present in the core.

5. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polymer composition is present in the cover layer.

6. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the highly-neutralized acid polymer is a copolymer of a C₃ to C₈ α

,β

-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid and a C₂ to C₆ α

-olefin.

7. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the highly-neutralized acid polymer further includes a softening monomer admixed or copolymerized therewith.

8. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the acid groups are at least 95% neutralized.

9. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the ionic plasticizer is a polyalcohol ester.

10. The golf ball of claim 9, wherein the polyalcohol ester is selected from the group consisting of glycerol monostearate, pentaerythritol distearate, glycerine monooleate, glycerine dioleate, pentaerythritol tetrastearate, pentaerythritol tetraisostearate, pentaerythritol tetraoleate, neo-pentyl glycol dioleate, and combinations thereof.

11. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the ionic plasticizer is a montanic acid, montanic acid ester, or salt thereof.

12. The golf ball of claim 11, wherein the montanic acid ester or salt thereof is a reaction product of montanic acid and an alcohol selected from the group consisting of C₁-C₄ alkanols, C₁-C₄ alkylene glycols, glycerol, and combinations thereof.

13. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the ionic plasticizer is an alkylene bis-amine.

14. The golf ball of claim 13, wherein the alkylene bis-amine is a fatty acid amine.

15. The golf ball of claim 14, wherein the fatty acid amine is bis-stearoylethylenediamine, ethylene bisstearamide, oleamide, or erucamide.

16. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the ionic plasticizer is a zwitterionic compound.

17. The golf ball of claim 16, wherein the zwitterionic compound is N,N-dimethyl-N-stearyl-N-(3-sulfopropyl)-ammonium betaine.

18. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the golf ball has a coefficient of restitution of at least 0.810 and an Atti compression from 90 to 100.

19. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polymer composition is substantially devoid of fatty acids and polyhydric alcohols.

20. A golf ball, comprising:

a solid core;

a cover layer comprising a polyurethane or polyurea; and

an intermediate layer disposed between the solid core and the cover layer, wherein the intermediate layer includes a polymer composition, comprising;

a highly-neutralized acid polymer having acid groups comprising at least 50 wt % of the polymer composition and wherein at least 98% of the acid groups are neutralized; and

an ionic plasticizer comprising a montanic acid, montanic acid ester, or salt thereof.