MULTI-LAYER GOLF BALL

• US 20100160077A1
• Filed: 03/01/2010
• Published: 06/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/1993
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
• Original Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
• Inventors: RISEN, WILLIAM M. JR., TZIVANIS, MICHAEL T., KENNEDY, THOMAS J. III, KELLER, VIKTOR, BINETTE, MARK L., NEALON, JOHN L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,012,044 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/354
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0003 Golf balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/003 Coefficient of restitution
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0031 Hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0034 Deflection or compression
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0043 Hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0096 Spin rate
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/02 Special cores balls with finger holes A63B37/0001, golf ball cores A63B37/005
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/06 Elastic cores
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/12 Special coverings , i.e. outer layer material balls with finger holes A63B37/0001, golf ball covers A63B37/0023
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/42 Polycondensates having carboxylic or carbonic ester groups in the main chain
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 2120/00 Compositions for reaction injection moulding processes
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 101/00 Compositions of unspecified macromolecular compounds
• 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 2666/02 Organic macromolecular compounds, natural resins, waxes or and bituminous materials
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/04 Macromolecular compounds according to groups C08L7/00 - C08L49/00, or C08L55/00 - C08L57/00; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/14 Macromolecular compounds according to C08L59/00 - C08L87/00; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/18 Polyesters or polycarbonates according to C08L67/00 - C08L69/00; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 53/00 Compositions of block copolymers containing at least one sequence of a polymer obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 69/00 : Compositions of polycarbonates; Compositions of derivatives of polycarbonates
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 75/04 : Polyurethanes

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a multi-layer golf ball having a soft outer cover. The golf ball has an inner cover layer with a Shore D hardness of 60 or more, and an outer cover with a Shore D hardness of 55 or less, and more preferably 50 or less. In a particularly preferred form of the invention, the outer cover comprises one or more polyurethane materials. The golf ball of the invention has exceptionally soft feel and high spin rates on short shots of 80 yards or less, and particularly, 40 yards or less, while maintaining good distance and average spin on full shots.

Claims

1. A golf ball comprising:

a core;

an inner cover layer disposed on the core, the inner cover layer comprising a blend of ionomers, the blend of ionomers having at least one ionomer with an acid content by weight of 16% or less, and 10% to 100% neutralization of the acids by metal ions selected from the group consisting of zinc, sodium and magnesium;

and an outer cover layer disposed on the inner cover layer, the outer cover layer having a Shore D hardness of no more than 55 as measured on the curved surface thereof and comprising a composition including at least one material selected from the group consisting of polyphenylene ether/ionomer blends, ionomers, polyamides, polyurethanes, polyester elastomers, polyester amides, metallocene catalyzed polyolefins, and blends thereof;

wherein the golf ball exhibits a PGA compression of 100 or less and a coefficient of restitution of at least 0.770.

2. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core and inner cover layer form an inner ball having a coefficient of restitution of 0.790 or more and a diameter of 1.48 inches to 1.66 inches

3. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the inner cover layer has a Shore D hardness of at least 60.

4. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the outer cover layer has a Shore D hardness of from about 30 to about 53.

5. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the outer cover layer comprises polyurethane.

6. The golf ball of claim 5, wherein the polyurethane is composed of thermoplastic polyester polyurethane.

7. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the outer cover layer comprises an ionomer.

8. The golf ball of claim 7, wherein the ionomer has an acid content by weight of 16% or less.

9. The golf ball of claim 7, wherein the ionomer is composed of at least 75 weight % of an acrylate ester-containing ionic copolymer or blend of acrylate ester-containing ionic copolymers.

10. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the outer cover layer comprises a metallocene catalyzed polyolefin material.

11. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the blend of ionomers comprises at least two ionomer resins with an acid content by weight of 16% or less.

12. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the blend of ionomers further comprises at least one ionomer with an acid content by weight of 17% to 25%.

13. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the inner cover layer further comprises a metal fatty acid salt.

14. The golf ball of claim 13, wherein the metal fatty acid salt is a metal stearate.

15. The golf ball of claim 14, wherein the metal stearate comprises a metal selected from the group consisting of zinc, sodium and magnesium.

16. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core is solid and is composed of a polybutadiene mixture.

17. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core is solid and is formed from materials comprising at least one polybutadiene and an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid selected from the group consisting of zinc diacrylate, zinc acrylate and zinc methacrylate.

18. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core is solid and is formed from materials comprising at least one polybutadiene, zinc oxide and an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid selected from the group consisting of zinc diacrylate, zinc acrylate and zinc methacrylate

19. The golf ball of claim 18, wherein the ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid is zinc diacrylate.

20. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core is a thread wound core having a liquid filled center.