Multilayer golf ball

• US 5,759,676 A
• Filed: 02/16/1996
• Issued: 06/02/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Rajagopalan, Murali, Cavallaro, Christopher, Boehm, Herbert C., Harris, Kevin M., Pasqua, Samuel A. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Buffalow, E. Rollins
• Application Number:
  US08/603,057
• Time in Patent Office: 837 Days
• Field of Search: 428/423.1, 428/423.7, 428/424.2, 428/474.7, 428/475.2, 428/480, 428/483, 428/500, 428/515, 428/516, 428/517, 428/519, 428/520, 428/521, 428/522, 428/523, 473/351, 473/356, 473/370, 473/371, 473/374
• US Class Current: 428/215
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0003 Golf balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0033 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0035 Density; Specific gravity
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0037 Flexural modulus; Bending stiffness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0045 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0048 Melt flow rate [MFR]
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0053 Thread wound
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0064 Diameter
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0066 Density; Specific gravity
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0075 Three piece balls, i.e. cover, intermediate layer and core
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/008 Diameter
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0096 Spin rate
• 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: B29C 2043/3644 Vacuum bags; Details thereof, e.g. fixing or clamping
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 43/305 Making multilayered articles
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/256 Sheets, plates, blanks or films
• 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 2666/04 Macromolecular compounds according to groups C08L7/00 - C08L49/00, or C08L55/00 - C08L57/00; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24967 Absolute thicknesses specified
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/249958 : Void-containing component is synthetic resin or natural rubbers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31551 : Of polyamidoester [polyurethane, polyisocyanate, polycarbamate, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31565 : Next to polyester [polyethylene terephthalate, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31573 : Next to addition polymer of ethylenically unsaturated monomer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31728 : Next to second layer of polyamide
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31736 : Next to polyester
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31786 : Of polyester [e.g., alkyd, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31797 : Next to addition polymer from unsaturated monomers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31855 : Of addition polymer from unsaturated monomers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31909 : Next to second addition polymer from unsaturated monomers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31913 : Monoolefin polymer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31917 : Next to polyene polymer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31924 : Including polyene monomers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31928 : Ester, halide or nitrile of addition polymer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31931 : Polyene monomer-containing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31935 : Ester, halide or nitrile of addition polymer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31938 : Polymer of monoethylenically unsaturated hydrocarbon

Abstract

The present invention is directed towards a multi-layer golf ball which comprises a core with one or more layers; at least one cover layer; and one or more mantle layers disposed between the core and cover layer, wherein the mantle layer comprises thermoplastic polyetherester, thermoplastic polyesterester dynamically vulcanized thermoplastic elastomer, functionalized styrene-butadiene elastomer, thermoplastic polyurethane, metallocene polymer or blends thereof and thermoset materials. Further, the present invention is directed to a ball having a core, a coverlayer and a mantle layer therebetween wherein the mantle layer has a flex modulus of less than 10,000 psi and the cover has a flex modulus greater than 80,000 psi.

Claims

1. A golf ball comprising:

(a) a core;

(b) at least one cover layer having a flex modulus of greater than 80,000 psi; and

(c) one or more mantle layers disposed between the core and cover layer, wherein the mantle layer(s) has a flex modulus of less than 10,000 psi.

2. The golf ball of claim 1 wherein the mantle layer comprises a polymer selected from the group of thermoplastic polyetherester and thermoplastic polyetheramide.

3. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the mantle layer is from about 0.025 inches to about 0.125 inches.

4. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core has a diameter of about 1.30 inches to about 1.45 inches and a specific gravity greater than 1.2.

5. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cover has a first specific gravity, the mantle layer has a second specific gravity greater than the first specific gravity, and the core has a third specific gravity greater than the second specific gravity.

6. The golf ball of claim 5 wherein the first specific gravity is less than about 1.1, the second specific gravity is between about 1 and 1.2 and the third specific gravity is greater than about 1.2.

7. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the mantle layer has a flex modulus of less than about 5,000 psi.

8. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the mantle has a tensile modulus of less than about 10,000 psi.

9. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the mantle layer has a Shore D hardness of less than about 60.

10. The golf ball of claim 9 wherein the mantle layer has a Shore D hardness of about 30.

11. The golf ball of claim 1 wherein the cover has a flex modulus greater than 100,000 psi.

12. The golf ball of claim 1 wherein the overall diameter of the finished ball is about 1.68 inches to about 1.80 inches.

13. The golf ball according to claim 1,

wherein the cover layer comprises an inner layer and an outer layer.

14. The golf ball of claim 13, wherein the inner layer comprises a thermoplastic or thermoset material and the outer layer comprises a thermoplastic or thermoset material.

15. The golf ball of claim 14, wherein the inner layer comprises a thermoplastic or thermoset material and the outer layer comprises a thermoplastic or thermoset material, wherein the material of the outer layer has a melting point or heat of reaction temperature lower than the melting point or heat of reaction temperature of the material of the inner layer.

16. The golf ball of claim 14, wherein the inner layer comprises thermoplastic elastomers, thermoplastic rubber or thermoset elastomers and the outer layer comprises thermoplastic elastomers, thermoplastic rubber or a thermoset elastomer.

17. The golf ball of claim 14, wherein the inner layer comprises polyether or polyester thermoplastic urethane or a thermoset polyurethane and wherein the outer layer comprises a urethane or on ionomer resin.

18. The golf ball of claim 13, wherein the inner layer has a thickness of about 0.005 inches to about 0.040 inches and the outer layer has a thickness of about 0.010 to about 0.100 inches.

19. The golf ball of claim 13, wherein the overall diameter of the finished ball is about 1.68 inches to about 1.80 inches.

20. The golf ball of claim 13, wherein the mantle layer comprises a foamed polymeric material.

21. The golf ball of claim 20, wherein the inner layer comprises a foamed polymeric material.

22. The golf ball of claim 1,

wherein the mantle layer(s) comprises one or more polymers selected from a dynamically vulcanized thermoplastic elastomer, a functionalized styrene-butadine elastomer, polyetherester, polyetheramide, a metallocene catalyzed polyolefin polymer, a thermoplastic polyurethane and blends thereof.

23. The golf ball of claim 22, wherein the mantle layer comprises a dynamically vulcanized thermoplastic elastomer.

24. The golf ball of claim 22, wherein the mantle layer comprises a foamed form of any one or more polymers.

25. The golf ball of claim 13, wherein the mantle layer comprises a blend of a first thermoplastic material comprising a dynamically vulcanized thermoplastic elastomer, a functionalized styrene-butadiene elastomer, a polyetherester, a polyetheramide, a metallocene catalyzed polyolefin polymer or a thermoplastic polyurethane or blends thereof and a second thermoplastic material.

26. The golf ball of claim 25, wherein the blend comprises about 1% to about 99% of a first thermoplastic and about 99% to about 1% of a second thermoplastic.

27. The golf ball of claim 25, wherein the blend comprises about 5% to about 95% of a first thermoplastic and about 95% to about 5% of a second thermoplastic.

28. The golf ball of claim 25, wherein the second thermoplastic material comprises one or more polymers selected from a thermoplastic polyurethane, a thermoplastic polyetherester and polyetheramide, thermoplastic polyesters, polyetherester, polyetheramide, thermoplastic ionomer resins, another dynamically vulcanized elastomer, a functionalized styrene-butadiene elastomer, a metallocene polymer.

29. The golf ball of claim 25, wherein the first thermoplastic is a dynamically vulcanized thermoplastic elastomer or blend thereof.

30. The golf ball of claim 22, wherein the thickness of the mantle layer is from about 0.025 inches to about 0.125 inches.

31. The golf ball of claim 22, wherein the diameter of the core is about 1.30 inches to about 1.45 inches.

32. The golf ball of claim 22, wherein the mantle layer has a Bayshore resilience of about 35 to about 70, and the core has a Bayshore resilience of about 40 to about 60.

33. The golf ball of claim 22, wherein the mantle has a flex modulus of about 500 psi to about 5,000 psi.

34. The golf ball of claim 22, wherein the mantle has a tensile modulus of about 500 psi to about 10,000 psi.

35. The golf ball of claim 22, wherein the mantle layer has a Shore D hardness of less than about 60.

36. The golf ball of claim 22, wherein the core comprises a wound core, wherein the wound core comprises a center about which an elastic thread is wound such that the overall diameter of the wound core is about 75% to about 90% of the overall diameter of the finished ball.

37. The golf ball of claim 22, wherein the overall diameter of the finished ball is about 1.68 inches to about 1.80 inches.

38. The golf ball of claim 13, wherein the polymers or copolymers of the cover are blended and reinforced with glass fibers, glass spheres or wood pulp.