Compositions for forming golf balls containing oxa acids

• US 6,084,016 A
• Filed: 01/05/1999
• Issued: 07/04/2000
• 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:
  US09/225,341
• Time in Patent Office: 546 Days
• Field of Search: 524/320, 473/371, 473/372, 473/373, 473/374, 473/378, 473/385, 473/354, 473/365
• 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, a core, and, optionally an intermediate layer interposed between the cover and the core, wherein at least one of the cover and the optional intermediate layer is formed from a blend which comprises at least 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 poly(amide-ether) block copolymers, poly(amide-ester) block copolymers, poly(ether-ester) block copolymers, poly(ester-ester) block copolymers, maleic anhydride grafted metallocene catalyzed copolymers, and blends thereof.

2. The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein the blend further comprises a component selected from the group consisting of ionomers, acid copolymers, acrylate copolymers, methacrylate copolymers, density modifying fillers, and blends thereof.

3. The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein the blend has a hardness of from about 45 to about 70 shore D and a flexural modulus of from about 20 to about 100 kpsi.

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

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">--[CH.sub.2 --CH.sub.2 --O].sub.n --R'"'"', and

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

5. The golf ball according to claim 4, wherein R'"'"' has the formula:

##STR16##

6. The golf ball according to claim 5, wherein n is an integer between 1 and 27.

7. The golf ball according to claim 4, wherein R'"'"' is a methyl group.

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

9. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the first component is present in an amount of about 0.1 to about 50 weight percent and the second component is present in an amount of at least about 50 weight percent.

10. 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 99.9 to about 75 weight per(cent of the second component.

11. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the blend comprises about 0.2 to about 20 weight percent of the first component and about 99.8 to about 80 weight percent of the second component.

12. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core is a liquid, semi-solid, or sold core, surrounded by a winding of elastic material.

13. A method for forming a golf ball comprising a cover and a core comprising, the method comprising:

(a) forming a golf ball core;

(b) forming a cover blend comprising a first component and a second component, wherein the first component comprises 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, and a second component; and

the second component is selected from the group consisting of poly(amide-ether) block copolymers, poly(amide-ester) block copolymers, poly(ether-ester) block copolymers, poly(ester-ester) block copolymers, maleic anhydride grafted metallocene catalyzed copolymers, and blends thereof; and

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

14. The method of claim 13, which further comprises forming an intermediate layer around the core prior to forming the cover.

15. The method of claim 13, 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'"'"', and

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.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising forming the cover blend, such that the cover blend comprises from wherein the cover blend comprises about 0.2 to about 20 weight percent of the first component and about 99.8 to about 80 weight percent of the second component.

17. A method for making a multilayer golf ball comprising a cover, a core, and an intermediate layer interposed between the cover and the core, the method comprising:

(a) forming a golf ball core;

(b) forming a blend comprising at least a first component and a second component, wherein the first component 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, and the second component is a compound selected from the group consisting of poly(amide-ether) block copolymers, poly(amide-ester) block copolymers, poly(ether-ester) block copolymers, poly(ester-ester) block copolymers, maleic anhydride grafted metallocene catalyzed copolymers, and blends thereof;

(c) molding the blend around the golf ball core to form the intermediate layer; and

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

18. The method of claim 17, which further comprises selecting a first component for the intermediate layer blend comprising at least one compound having the formula:

##STR19## wherein R is --[CH₂ --CH₂ --O]_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.