Compositions for forming golf balls containing oxa acids

• US 5,856,388 A
• Filed: 03/31/1997
• Issued: 01/05/1999
• 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, Harris, Kevin M.
• Primary Examiner(s): BUTTNER, DAVID J
• Application Number:
  US08/828,636
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• Field of Search: 524/320, 473/374, 473/378, 473/371, 473/372, 473/373, 473/385
• US Class Current: 524/320
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0003 Golf balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0024 Materials other than ionomers or polyurethane
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0031 Hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0037 Flexural modulus; Bending stiffness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0074 Two piece balls, i.e. cover and core
• 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 37/12 Special coverings , i.e. outer layer material balls with finger holes A63B37/0001, golf ball covers A63B37/0023
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 45/00 Apparatus or methods for manufacturing balls working of plastics or substances in a plastic state B29
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 5/09 Carboxylic acids; Metal salts thereof; Anhydrides thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 33/02 Homopolymers or copolymers of acids; Metal or ammonium salts thereof

Abstract

A golf ball comprising a cover and a core, and optionally at least one intermediate layer interposed between the cover and the core, wherein the cover, the intermediate layer or both are formed from a blend comprising an oxa acid compound having the formula ##STR1## wherein R is an organic moiety selected from the group consisting of alkyl, carbocyclic, and heterocyclic groups. Additionally, the present invention is directed towards a golf ball cover and/or intermediate layer formed from a blend comprising at least two components, the first component comprising at least one oxa acid composition of Formula I, while the second component is a polyurethane, epoxy resin, polyethylene, polyamide, polyester, and an acid copolymer or its ionomer derivatives or mixtures thereof.

Claims

1. A golf ball comprising a cover and a core wherein said cover is formed from a blend which comprises a first component and a second component, wherein:

(a) the first component comprises at least one compound having the formula;

##STR15## wherein R is an organic moiety selected from the group consisting of moieties having the formula -- CH₂ --CH₂ --O!_n --R'"'"' and alkyl, carbocyclic, and heterocyclic groups, wherein R'"'"' is an organic moiety selected from the group consisting of alkyl, carbocyclic, carboxylic acid, and heterocyclic groups, and n is at least 1; and

(b) the second component is a compound selected from the group consisting of polyurethanes, epoxy resins, polyethylenes, polyamides, polyesters, acid copolymers or blends thereof.

2. The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein R has the formula:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">-- CH.sub.2 --CH.sub.2 --O!--R'"'"'

wherein R'"'"' is an organic moiety selected from the group consisting of alkyl, carbocyclic, carboxylic acid, and heterocyclic groups, and n is at least 1.

3. The golf ball according to claim 2, wherein R'"'"' has the formula:

##STR16##

4. The golf ball according to claim 2, wherein n is an integer between 1 and 27.

5. The golf ball according to claim 2, wherein R'"'"' is a methyl group.

6. The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein the first component is present in an amount of about 0.1 to 90 weight percent and the second component is present in an amount of at least about 10 weight percent.

7. The golf ball according to claim 1 wherein the blend comprises about 0.10 to about 25 weight percent of the first component and about 99.90 to about 75 weight percent of the second component.

8. A golf ball comprising a cover, a core and at least one intermediate layer interposed between the cover and the core, wherein the intermediate layer is formed from a blend comprising at least a first component comprising at least one compound having the formula:

##STR17## wherein R is an organic moiety selected from the group consisting of moieties having the formula -- CH₂ --CH₂ --O!_n --R'"'"' and alkyl, carbocyclic, and heterocyclic groups, wherein R'"'"' is an organic moiety selected from the group consisting of alkyl, carbocyclic, carboxylic acid, and heterocyclic groups, and n is at least 1.

9. The golf ball of claim 8, wherein R has the formula:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">-- CH.sub.2 --CH.sub.2 --O!.sub.n --R'"'"'

wherein R'"'"' is an organic moiety selected from the group consisting of alkyl, carbocyclic, carboxylic acid, and heterocyclic groups, and n is at least 1.

10. The golf ball of claim 8, wherein the blend further comprising a second component, wherein the second component is a compound selected from the group consisting of polyurethanes, epoxy resins, polyethylenes, polyamides, polyesters, acid copolymers or their ionomer derivatives or blends thereof.

11. The golf ball of claim 10, wherein the first component is present in an amount of about 0.1 to 50 weight percent and the second component is present in an amount of at least about 50 weight percent.

12. The golf ball of claim 10, wherein the blend comprises about 0.20 to about 20.0 weight percent of the first component and about 99.80 to about 80.0 weight percent of the second component.

13. The golf ball of claim 10, wherein the second component is selected from the group consisting of an acid copolymer or its ionomer derivative or a polyamide.

14. The golf ball of claim 10, wherein the cover is formed from a blend which comprises at least one compound having the formula:

##STR18## wherein R is an organic moiety selected from the group consisting of moieties having the formula -- CH₂ --CH₂ --O!_n --R'"'"' and alkyl, carbocyclic, and heterocyclic groups, wherein R'"'"' is an organic moiety selected from the group consisting of alkyl, carbocyclic, carboxylic acid, and heterocyclic groups, and n is at least 1.

15. A method for forming a golf ball comprising a cover and a core comprising:

(a) forming a golf ball core;

(b) selecting a first component comprises at least one compound having the formula;

##STR19## wherein R is an organic moiety selected from the group consisting of moieties having the formula -- CH₂ --CH₂ --O!_n --R'"'"' and alkyl, carbocyclic, and heterocyclic groups, wherein R'"'"' is an organic moiety selected from the group consisting of alkyl, carbocyclic, carboxylic acid, and heterocyclic groups, and n is at least 1, and a second component;

(c) forming a cover blend from the first component and a second component selected from the group consisting of polyurethanes, epoxy resins, polyethylenes, polyamides, polyesters, acid copolymers or blends thereof;

(d) forming a cover by molding said cover blend around the golf ball core to form a golf ball.

16. The method of claim 15, which further comprises selecting a compound for the first component wherein R has the formula:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">-- CH.sub.2 --CH.sub.2 --O!.sub.n --R'"'"'

wherein R'"'"' is an organic moiety selected from the group consisting of alkyl, carbocyclic, carboxylic acid, and heterocyclic groups, and n is an integer greater than 1.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the cover blend comprises about 0.20 to about 20.0 weight percent of the first component and about 99.8 to about 80.0 weight percent of the second component.

18. A method for making a multilayer golf ball comprising:

(a) forming a golf ball core;

(b) molding an intermediate layer blend about the golf ball core to form at least one intermediate layer;

(c) selecting a first component for a cover blend comprising at least one compound having the formula;

##STR20## wherein R is an organic moiety selected from the group consisting of moieties having the formula -- CH₂ --CH₂ --O!_n --R'"'"' and alkyl, carbocyclic, and heterocyclic groups, wherein R'"'"' is an organic moiety selected from the group consisting of alkyl carbocyclic, carboxylic acid, and heterocyclic groups, and n is at least 1; and

(d) molding the cover blend around said intermediate layer to form a golf ball.

19. The method of claim 18, which further comprises selecting a second component for the cover blend from the group consisting of polyurethanes, epoxy resins, polyethylenes, polyamides, polyesters, acid copolymers or their ionomer derivatives or blends thereof.

20. The method of claim 18, which further comprises selecting a first component for the intermediate layer blend comprising at least one compound having the formula:

##STR21## wherein R is an organic moiety selected from the group consisting of moieties having the formula -- CH₂ --CH₂ --O!_n --R'"'"' and alkyl, carbocyclic, and heterocyclic groups, wherein R'"'"' is an organic moiety selected from the group consisting of alkyl, carbocyclic, carboxylic acid, and heterocyclic groups, and n is at least 1.

21. The method of claim 20, which further comprises selecting a second component for the intermediate layer blend from the group consisting of polyurethanes, epoxy resins, polyethylenes, polyamides, polyesters, acid copolymers or their ionomer derivatives or blends thereof.