Polyurethane golf ball

• US 5,334,673 A
• Filed: 12/24/1991
• Issued: 08/02/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Wu, Shenshen
• Primary Examiner(s): DEAN JR, RALPH H
• Application Number:
  US07/814,081
• Time in Patent Office: 952 Days
• Field of Search: 525/453, 524/908, 524/874, 260/998.41, 273/235 R
• US Class Current: 473/378
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0003 Golf balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0024 Materials other than ionomers or polyurethane
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0074 Two piece balls, i.e. cover and core
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0084 Initial velocity
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0087 Deflection or compression
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0096 Spin rate
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/10 Prepolymer processes involving reaction of isocyanates or isothiocyanates with compounds having active hydrogen in a first reaction step
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/3206 aliphatic
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/3243 containing two or more aromatic rings
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/3857 having nitrogen in addition to sulfur
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/3868 the sulfur atom belonging to a sulfide group
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/50 having heteroatoms other than oxygen
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 524/908 Composition having specified shape, e.g. rod, stick, or ball, and other than sheet, film, or fiber

Abstract

The golf ball is made from a composition of a polyurethane prepolymer and a slow-reacting polyamine curing agent and/or a difunctional glycol. The slow-reacting polyamine curing agents and difunctional glycols are 3,5-dimethylthio-2,4-toluenediamine; 3,5-dimethylthio-2,6-toluenediamine; N,N'"'"'-dialkyldiamino diphenyl methane; trimethyleneglycol-di-p-aminobenzoate; polytetramethyleneoxide-di-p-aminobenzoate; 1,4-butanediol; 2,3-butanediol; 2,3-dimethyl-2,3-butanediol; ethylene glycol; and mixtures thereof.

Claims

1. A golf ball comprising a core and a cover wherein said cover is made from a thermosetting polyurethane composition comprising a single polyurethane prepolymer made from any of 4,4'"'"'-diphenyl methane diisocyanate or 3,3'"'"'-dimethyl-4,4'"'"'-biphenyl diisocyanate and a polyol cured with a slow-reacting polyamine selected from the group consisting of 3,5-dimethylthio-2,4-toluenediamine;

3,5-dimethylthio-2,6-toluenediamine;

N,N'"'"'-dialkyl diamino diphenyl methane;

trimethylene glycol-di-p-aminobenzoate;

polytetramethyleneoxide-di-p-aminobenzoate and mixtures thereof.

2. The golf ball of claim 1 wherein the polyol is selected from the group consisting of:

polytetramethylene ether glycol;

poly(oxypropylene) glycol;

polybutadiene glycol;

1,4-butanediol initiated caprolactone diethylene glycol initiated caprolactone;

trimethylol propane initiated caprolactone;

neopentyl glycol initiated caprolactone;

polyethylene adipate glycol;

polyethylene propylene adipate glycol; and

polybutylene adipate glycol.

3. The golf ball of claim 1 wherein said polyurethane composition further comprises an effective amount of white pigment and violet agent to alleviate a yellow color.

4. The golf ball of claim 3 wherein the amount of white pigment is about 3.5% by weight of the total polyurethane cover composition and the amount of the violet agent is about 0.0005% to about 0.002% by weight of the total polyurethane cover composition.

5. A golf ball comprising a core and a cover wherein said cover is made from a single polyurethane prepolymer of a polyol, 4,4'"'"'-diphenyl methane diisocyanate and a slow-reacting curing agent, said curing agent consisting essentially of about 5% to 95% by weight of slow-reacting polyamine, selected from the group consisting of 3,5-dimethylthio-2,4-toluenediamine;

3,5-dimethylthio-2,6-toluenediamine;

N,N'"'"'-dialkyl diamine diphenyl methane;

trimethylene glycol-di-p-aminobenzoate;

polytetramethyleneoxide-di-p-aminobenzoate and mixtures thereof and about 95% to 5% by weight of difunctional glycol.

6. The golf ball of claim 5 wherein the polyol is selected from the group consisting of:

polytetramethylene ether glycol;

poly(oxypropylene) glycol;

polybutadiene glycol;

1,4-butanediol initiated caprolactone;

diethylene glycol initiated caprolactone;

trimethylol propane initiated caprolactone;

neopentyl glycol initiated caprolactone;

polyethylene adipate glycol;

polyethylene propylene adipate glycol; and

polybutylene adipate glycol.

7. The golf ball of claim 5 wherein the difunctional glycol curing agent is selected from the group consisting of 1,4-butanediol;

1,3-butanediol;

2,3-butanediol;

2,3-dimethyl-2,3-butanediol;

dipropylene glycol;

ethylene glycol; and

mixtures thereof.

8. The golf ball of claim 5 wherein said cover further comprises an effective amount of white pigment and violet agent to alleviate a yellow color.

9. The golf ball of claim 8 wherein the amount of white pigment is about 3.5% by weight of the total polyurethane cover composition and the amount of the violet agent is about 0.0005% to about 0.002% by weight of the total polyurethane cover composition.

10. A golf ball comprising a core and a cover wherein said cover is made from a polyurethane composition consisting essentially of a single polyurethane prepolymer made from any of 4,4'"'"'-diphenyl methane diisocyanate or 3,3'"'"'-dimethyl-4,4'"'"'-biphenyl diisocyanate and a polyol cured with a slow-reacting polyamine curing agent, selected from the group consisting of 3,5-dimethylthio-2,4-toluenediamine;

3,5-dimethylthio-2,6-toluenediamine;

N,N'"'"'-dialkyl diamino diphenyl methane;

trimethylene glycol-di-p-aminobenzoate;

polytetramethyleneoxide-di-p-aminobenzoate and mixtures thereof.

11. The golf ball of claim 10 wherein the polyol is selected from the group consisting of:

polytetramethylene ether glycol;

poly(oxypropylene) glycol;

polybutadiene glycol;

1,4-butanediol initiated caprolactone;

diethylene glycol initiated caprolactone;

trimethylol propane initiated caprolactone;

neopentyl glycol initiated caprolactone;

polyethylene adipate glycol;

polyethylene propylene adipate glycol; and

polybutylene adipate glycol.