Fluid or liquid filled non-wound golf ball

• US 5,919,100 A
• Filed: 11/03/1997
• Issued: 07/06/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Achusnet Company
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Morgan, William E., Cavallaro, Christopher, Boehm, Herbert C., Harris, Kevin M., Pasqua, Samuel A. Jr., Reid, Walter L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Marlo, George J.
• Application Number:
  US08/962,577
• Time in Patent Office: 610 Days
• Field of Search: 473/354, 473/376, 473/377, 473/378, 473/384, 473/374
• US Class Current: 473/354
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2037/085 liquid, jellylike
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2037/087 Wound cores or layers
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0003 Golf balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/002 Specified dimple diameter
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0021 Occupation ratio, i.e. percentage surface occupied by dimples
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0031 Hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0056 Hollow; Gas-filled
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0064 Diameter
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0065 Deflection or compression
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0076 Multi-piece balls, i.e. having two or more intermediate layers
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/08 Liquid cores; Plastic cores
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2043/023 having a plurality of grooves
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/0022 Multi-cavity moulds B29C33/301 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 43/027 having an axis of symmetry B29C43/102 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 43/146 for making multilayered articles
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2009/06 SB polymers, i.e. butadiene-styrene polymers
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2021/00 Use of unspecified rubbers as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/54 Balls
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/545 Football balls
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 273/20 Weighted balls

Abstract

A golf ball having a diameter and comprising a fluid mass at the center of the ball, a first, solid, non-wound layer surrounding the fluid mass comprised of a non-elastic polymer material selected from the group of thermoplastic material, metal, and plastic, and having an inner diameter in the range of 30 to 70% of the ball diameter; a second, solid, non-wound layer surrounding the first mantle layer comprising an elastomeric polymer material selected from the group of thermoset rubber material and thermoplastic clastomeric material having an outer diameter in the range of 80 to 98% of the ball diameter, a hardness of less than about 65 Shore D, and a compression of about 80 or greater; and a cover surrounding the second layer.

Claims

1. A golf ball having a diameter and being comprised of a core and a cover, wherein the core is further comprised of a fluid mass at the center of the ball, a first layer surrounding the fluid mass and a second, solid, non-wound layer surrounding and abutting the first layer, wherein the first layer has an inner diameter of 30 to 70% of the ball diameter and is a polymer material selected from the group of thermoset rubber, plastic, and thermoplastic material and the second layer has an outer diameter of 80 to 98% of the ball diameter and the second layer is a polymer material selected from the group of thermoset rubber materials and thermoplastic materials.

2. The golf ball of claim 1 wherein the first layer is made from a non-elastomeric thermoplastic material.

3. The golf ball of claim 1 wherein the second layer is made of an elastomeric thermoplastic material.

4. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cover is comprised of a material selected from the group of polyether and polyester thermoplastic urethane, thermoset polyurethane, ionomer resins, low modulus ionomers, high modulus ionomers and blends thereof.

5. The golf ball of claim 1 wherein the fluid mass at the center, the first layer and the second layer are comprised such that the core has a compression of greater than about 80.

6. The golf ball of claim 5 wherein the fluid mass has a pressure of about 25 psi or greater at 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

7. The golf ball of claim 5 wherein the cover has a Shore D hardness of less than about 65.

8. The golf ball of claim 1 wherein the golf ball has a weight of less than 1.62 ounces.

9. The golf ball of claim 8 wherein the golf ball has a weight of about 1.54 to about 1.56 ounces.

10. The golf ball of claim 9 wherein the fluid mass at the center is a gas at 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

11. The golf ball of claim 10 wherein the gas has an atomic weight of 14 or greater.

12. The golf ball of claim 1 wherein the second layer is comprised of more than one layer.

13. The golf ball of claim 12 wherein the second layer is comprised of an inner layer and an outer layer.

14. The golf ball of claim 13 wherein the inner layer is harder than the first layer and the outer layer is harder than the inner layer.

15. The golf ball of claim 13 wherein the inner layer is softer than the first layer and the outer layer is softer than the inner layer.

16. The golf ball of claim 15 wherein the cover is harder than the outer layer.

17. The golf ball of claim 1 wherein the first layer is comprised of an elastomeric thermoplastic material.

18. The golf ball of claim 17 wherein the second material is comprised of a thermoset rubber and the fluid mass, the first layer and second layer are comprised such that the core has a compression of less than about 80.

19. The golf ball of claim 18 wherein the cover has a Shore D hardness of about 65 or greater.

20. The golf ball of claim 17, wherein the second layer is harder than the first layer.

21. The golf ball of claim 1 wherein the cover has an outer surface area and further comprises a plurality of dimples formed therein covering more than about 70% of the outer surface area.

22. The golf ball of claim 21 wherein the dimples are comprised of at least two different dimple diametered dimples and the average dimple diameter is about 0.1 to about 0.17 inches.

23. A golf ball having a diameter of approximately 1.68 to 1.90 inches and comprising:

a core comprising;

i) a fluid mass at the center having an internal pressure of greater than about 25 psi at 70 degrees Fahrenheit;

ii) a first, solid, non-wound layer surrounding the fluid center comprised of a non-elastomeric material selected from the group of thermoplastic material, metal and plastic and having an inner diameter in the range of 30 to 70% of the ball diameter;

iii) a second, solid, non-wound layer surrounding the first layer comprised of an elastomeric polymer material selected from the group of thermoset rubber material and thermoplastic elastomeric material and having an outer diameter in the range of 80 to 98% of the ball diameter; and

a cover surrounding the core.

24. The golf ball of claim 23 wherein the core has a compression of about 80 or greater.

25. The golf ball of claim 24, wherein the cover has a Shore D hardness of about 65 or less.