Game balls with cover containing post crosslinkable thermoplastic polyurethane and method of making same
First Claim
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1. A game ball selected from the group of a golf ball, a basketball, a baseball, a softball, a football, a soccer ball, a volleyball, a tennis ball and a lacrosse ball, comprising:
- a central portion, and a first cover layer formed over said central portion, said first cover layer comprising a crosslinkable thermoplastic polyurethane, and wherein said first cover layer further comprises an unsaturated co-agent capable of crosslinking said crosslinkable thermoplastic polyurethane via free radical initiation.
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Abstract
A game ball having a cover formed from a crosslinkable thermoplastic polyurethane is disclosed. Various types of game balls are described including golf balls and softballs. By selective exposure to radiation, the thermoplastic polyurethane cover is crosslinked and its hardness is increased. Typically, increases in hardness values of at least 2 units on the Shore D scale are realized upon exposure to 3.5 Mrads of gamma radiation.
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Citations
41 Claims
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1. A game ball selected from the group of a golf ball, a basketball, a baseball, a softball, a football, a soccer ball, a volleyball, a tennis ball and a lacrosse ball, comprising:
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a central portion, and a first cover layer formed over said central portion, said first cover layer comprising a crosslinkable thermoplastic polyurethane, and wherein said first cover layer further comprises an unsaturated co-agent capable of crosslinking said crosslinkable thermoplastic polyurethane via free radical initiation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A golf ball comprising:
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a core; and
a cover layer disposed about said core, said cover comprising a thermoplastic polyurethane capable of undergoing crosslinking upon exposure to about 3.5 Mrads of radiation, wherein said cover layer further comprises an unsaturated co-agent capable of crosslinking said crosslinkable thermoplastic polyurethane, and thereby increasing in hardness by at least 2 units on the Shore D hardness scale. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A method of forming a game ball selected from the group consisting of a golf ball, a basketball, a baseball, a softball, a football, a soccer ball, a volleyball, a tennis ball and a lacrosse ball, comprising:
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providing a game ball center, and forming a first cover layer over said game ball center, said first cover layer comprising a crosslinkable thermoplastic polyurethane, wherein said first cover layer further comprises an unsaturated co-agent capable of crosslinking said crosslinkable thermoplastic polyurethane, thereby forming said game ball. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A method of making a golf ball, comprising:
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providing a core;
forming a first cover layer about said core, said first cover layer having an initial Shore D hardness value in the range of about 35 to about 72 and being formed from a first resin composition which includes at least 95 parts by weight of a crosslinkable thermoplastic polyurethane based upon 100 parts by weight of said first resin composition, wherein said first cover layer further comprises an unsaturated co-agent capable of crosslinking said crosslinkable thermoplastic polyurethane; and
irradiating said first cover layer under conditions sufficient to increase the Shore D hardness of said first cover layer by at least 3 units. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41)
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Specification