Multilayer golf ball

• US 6,315,680 B1
• Filed: 09/28/1998
• Issued: 11/13/2001
• 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: Cavallaro, Christopher, Dalton, Jeffrey L., Rajagopalan, Murali
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHAMBERS, MICHAEL S
• Application Number:
  US09/161,223
• Time in Patent Office: 1,142 Days
• Field of Search: 473/365, 473/373, 473/374
• US Class Current: 473/373
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0003 Golf balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0031 Hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0033 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0043 Hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0045 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0047 Density; Specific gravity
• 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: B29C 2043/3644 Vacuum bags; Details thereof, e.g. fixing or clamping
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 43/305 Making multilayered articles
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/36 comprising polyesters
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/40 comprising polyurethanes
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 210/02 Ethene
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 220/06 Acrylic acid; Methacrylic acid; Metal salts or ammonium salts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2205/02 containing two or more polymers of the same C08L -group
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 23/0869 Acids or derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 23/0876 Neutralised polymers, i.e. ionomers
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/02 Organic macromolecular compounds, natural resins, waxes or and bituminous materials
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/06 Homopolymers or copolymers of unsaturated hydrocarbons; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/18 Polyesters or polycarbonates according to C08L67/00 - C08L69/00; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/20 : Macromolecular compounds having nitrogen in the main chain according to C08L75/00 - C08L79/00; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/24 : Graft or block copolymers according to groups C08L51/00, C08L53/00 or C08L55/02; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 51/00 : Compositions of graft polymers in which the grafted component is obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds for ABS polymers C08L55/02; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 53/00 : Compositions of block copolymers containing at least one sequence of a polymer obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 53/02 : of vinyl-aromatic monomers and conjugated dienes
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 53/025 : modified
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 67/025 : containing polyether sequences
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 75/04 : Polyurethanes
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 75/06 : from polyesters
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 9/00 : Compositions of homopolymers or copolymers of conjugated diene hydrocarbons

Abstract

The present invention is directed towards a high-spin multi-layer golf ball which comprises a core with a Shore D hardness of preferably greater than about 30, and a mantle layer disposed between the core and a cover layer, wherein the mantle layer has a Shore D hardness greater than 60 and a resilience of greater than 34. Preferably, the mantle layer is comprised essentially of dynamically vulcanized thermoplastic elastomer, functionalized styrene-butadiene elastomer, thermoplastic polyurethane, metallocene polymer, thermoset materials or blends thereof. Preferably, the mantle layer has a specific gravity of greater than 1, and the core has a specific gravity of less than 1.2.

Claims

1. A golf ball comprising:

(a) a core having a Shore D hardness greater than 30;

(b) a cover layer; and

(c) a mantle layer disposed between the core and cover layer, the mantle layer having a Shore D hardness greater than 60 a resilience greater than 34, and comprised of a thermoplastic polyurethane or a thermoplastic polyetherester.

2. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the ball has a weight of greater than about 1.6 ounces.

3. The golf ball of claim 2, wherein the core has a diameter greater than about 1.2 inches.

4. The golf ball of claim 2, wherein the mantle layer has a thickness of about 0.05 to 0.2 inches and the cover has a thickness of about 0.04 to 0.15 inches.

5. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cover has a Shore D hardness of less than about 63.

6. The golf ball of claim 5, wherein the cover has a Shore D hardness of about 55 to about 63.

7. The golf ball of claim 5 wherein the mantle layer comprises a polymer selected from the group of thermoplastic copolyetherester block copolymer, thermoplastic copolyesterester block copolymer, thermoplastic polyurethane and thermoset polyurethane and a filler selected from the group of barium sulfate, zinc oxide, titanium dioxide and combinations thereof.

8. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein:

the core has a specific gravity less than 1.2;

and the mantle layer has a specific gravity of greater than 1.0.

9. The golf ball of claim 8, wherein the mantle layer has a specific gravity greater than 1.2.

10. The golf ball of claim 1 wherein the mantle layer has a diameter that is greater than 75% of a total diameter of the golf ball.

11. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core has a compression of less than about 90 points.

12. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the mantle layer has a flexural modulus greater than 43,000 psi.

13. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the mantle layer has a tensile modulus greater than 10,000 psi.

14. The golf ball of claim 1 wherein the mantle layer has a Shore D hardness between 60 and 70.

15. The golf ball of claim 1 wherein the mantle layer has a Shore D hardness between about 61 and 65.

16. A golf ball comprising:

a core having a Shore D hardness greater than 30 and a specific gravity of less than 1.2;

a cover layer; and

a mantle layer disposed between the core and cover layer, the mantle layer having a Shore D hardness greater than 60 a resilience greater than 34, and comprised of a thermoplastic polyurethane or a thermoplastic polyetherester.

17. The golf ball of claim 16 wherein the mantle layer has a Shore D hardness between 60 and 70.

18. The golf ball of claim 16 wherein the mantle layer has a Shore D hardness between about 61 and 65.

19. A golf ball comprising:

a core having a Shore D hardness greater than 30 and a compression of about 30 to 90;

a cover layer; and

a mantle layer disposed between the core and cover layer, the mantle layer having a Shore D hardness greater than 60 a resilience greater than 34, a flexural modulus of at least 43,000 ksi, and comprised of a thermoplastic polyurethane or a thermoplastic polyetherester.

20. The golf ball of claim 19 wherein the mantle layer has a Shore D hardness between 60 and 70.

21. The golf ball of claim 19 wherein the mantle layer has a Shore D hardness between about 61 and 65.