Polyurethane golf ball with improved resiliency

• US 6,210,294 B1
• Filed: 05/14/1999
• Issued: 04/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/1999
• 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): Gerrity, Stephen F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim, Paul D.
• Application Number:
  US09/311,591
• Time in Patent Office: 690 Days
• Field of Search: 473/372, 473/377, 473/378, 473/385, 525/129, 525/207, 525/208, 524/839, 524/847, 528/66, 528/79
• US Class Current: 473/377
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0003 Golf balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0035 Density; Specific gravity
• 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 18/3215 containing aromatic groups or benzoquinone groups
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/4854 Polyethers containing oxyalkylene groups having four carbon atoms in the alkylene group
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 175/04 Polyurethanes

Abstract

A golf ball comprising a center, a cover, and optionally, at least one intermediate layer disposed between the center and the cover, wherein at least one of the center, the cover, and the at least one intermediate layer is formed with a polyurethane composition comprising a reaction product of a prepolymer of at least one polyol and at least one polyisocyanate, and a curing agent of at least one diol. A polyurethane composition, suitable for forming golf equipment, said composition comprising a reaction product of a prepolymer of at least one polyol and at least one polyisocyanate, and a curing agent of at least one diol.

Claims

1. A golf ball comprising a center, a cover, and optionally, at least one intermediate layer disposed between the center and the cover, wherein at least one of the center, the cover, and the at least one intermediate layer is formed with a polyurethane composition comprising a reaction product of a prepolymer of at least one polyol and at least one polyisocyanate, and a curing agent of at least one diol, wherein the diol curing agent has a formula:

2. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein n and m each separately have a value of 1 or 2.

3. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the at least one diol curing agent is selected from the group consisting of 1,3-bis(2-hydroxyethoxy)benzene, 1,3-[bis-(2-hydroxyethoxy)]-diethoxy benzene, resorcinol-di-(β

-hydroxyethyl)ether, hydroquinone-di-(β

-hydroxyethyl)ether, and mixtures thereof.

4. The golf ball of claim 3, wherein the molecular weight of the diol curing agent is at least about 50.

5. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polyurethane composition comprises at least two diol curing agents.

6. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polyisocyanate is selected from the group consisting of 4,4′

-diphenylmethane diisocyanate, polymeric 4,4′

-diphenylmethane diisocyanate, toluene diisocyanate, 3,3′

-dimethyl-4,4′

-biphenylene diisocyanate, para-phenylene diisocyanate, 4,4′

-dicyclohexylmethane diisocyanate, isophorone diisocyanate, and mixtures thereof.

7. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polyol is selected from the group consisting of polytetramethylene ether glycol, poly(oxypropylene)glycol, polybutadiene glycol, polyethylene adipate glycol, polyethylene propylene adipate glycol, and polybutylene adipate glycol, ortho-phthalate-1,6-hexanediol polyester polyol, diethylene glycol initiated caprolactone, trimethylol propane initiated caprolactone, neopentyl glycol initiated caprolactone, 1,4-butanediol-initiated caprolactone, 1,6-hexanediol-initiated caprolactone, and mixtures thereof.

8. The golf ball of claim 7, wherein the molecular weight of the polyol is from about 200 to 4000.

9. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polyol is selected from the group consisting of polytetramethylene ether glycol, polyethylene adipate glycol, polybutylene adipate glycol, diethylene glycol initiated caprolactone, and mixtures thereof.

10. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polyol is present in an amount of about 70 to 98 percent by weight of the prepolymer, the polyisocyanate is present in an amount of about 2 to 30 percent by weight of the prepolymer, and the diol curing agent is present in an amount of about 10 to 110 weight percent of the prepolymer.

11. The golf ball of claim 10, wherein the polyisocyanate is present in an amount of about 6 to 12 percent by weight of the prepolymer.

12. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polyurethane composition further comprises at least one polyamine curing agent.

13. The golf ball of claim 12, wherein the polyamine curing agent is selected from the group consisting of isophrone diamine, dicyclohexylmethane diamine, isomers of 3,5-diethyltoluene-2,4(2,6)-diamines, isomers of 3,5-dimethylthio-2,4(2,6)-toluenediamines, 4,4′

-bis-(sec-butylamino)-diphenylmethane, 1,4-bis-(sec-butylamino)-benzene, 4,4′

-methylene-bis-(2-chloroaniline), 4,4′

-methylene-bis-(3-chloro-2,6-diethylaniline), trimethylene glycol-di-p-aminobenzoate, polytetramethyleneoxide-di-p-aminobenzoate, and mixtures thereof.

14. The golf ball of claim 12, wherein the polyamine curing agent has a formula:

15. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polyurethane composition comprises a reaction product of 4,4′

-diphenylmethane diisocyanate, polytetramethylene ether glycol, and mixtures of 1,3-bis-(2-hydroxyethoxy)benzene and 1,3-[bis-(2-hydroxyethoxy)]-diethoxy benzene.

16. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cover is comprised of the polyurethane composition.

17. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the ball comprises at least one said intermediate layer and wherein at least one said layer is comprised of the polyurethane composition.

18. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the center is a fluid-filled center, a solid center, a gel center, or a hollow center.

19. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polyurethane composition further comprises a density-modifying filler.

20. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the at least one intermediate layer is disposed between the center and the cover, and the cover comprises the polyurethane reaction product.