Golf ball incorporating grafted metallocene catalyzed polymer blends

• US 6,384,136 B1
• Filed: 11/09/1999
• Issued: 05/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/1995
• 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:
  US09/436,738
• Time in Patent Office: 910 Days
• Field of Search: 525/72, 525/74, 525/78, 525/285, 473/372, 473/373, 473/374, 473/377, 473/378, 473/385
• US Class Current: 525/72
• 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 37/0045 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0052 Liquid cores
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0062 Hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0064 Diameter
• 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 37/04 Rigid cores
• 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: C08F 222/06 Maleic anhydride
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 255/00 Macromolecular compounds obtained by polymerising monomers on to polymers of hydrocarbons as defined in group C08F10/00
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 8/00 Chemical modification by after-treatment graft polymers, block polymers, crosslinking with unsaturated monomers or with polymers C08F251/00 - C08F299/00; of conjugated diene rubbers C08C
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 23/04 Homopolymers or copolymers of ethene
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 23/08 Copolymers of ethene C08L23/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 23/0815 Copolymers of ethene with aliphatic 1-olefins
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 23/0876 Neutralised polymers, i.e. ionomers
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 23/10 Homopolymers or copolymers of propene
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 23/26 modified by chemical after-treatment
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2314/06 : Metallocene or single site catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/02 : Organic macromolecular compounds, natural resins, waxes or and bituminous materials
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/04 : Macromolecular compounds according to groups C08L7/00 - C08L49/00, or C08L55/00 - C08L57/00; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 51/06 : grafted on to homopolymers or copolymers of aliphatic hydrocarbons containing only one carbon-to-carbon double bond
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/005 : adapting radio receivers, transmitters andtransceivers for operation on two or more bands, i.e. frequency ranges
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/006 : using switches for selecting the desired band H04B1/0057 takes precedence

Abstract

The disclosed invention provides novel golf ball compositions which contain non-ionic olefinic copolymers produced by use of metallocene catalysts, wherein the metallocene catalyzed polymers have been functionalized with a post-polymerization reaction. The grafted metallocene catalyzed polymers may be blended with ionomers, non-grafted metallocene catalyzed polymers, or other non-ionomeric polymers. These compositions exhibit improved mechanical properties such as tensile and flexural properties, and can be foamed or unfoamed. Golf balls that employ at least one layer of these compositions in any of the golf ball cover, core, or a mantle situated between the cover and the core provide ball properties and performance similar to and in some cases better than the state of the art ionomer based golf balls.

Claims

1. A golf ball having at least one layer, the at least one layer formed from a blend comprising:

at least one metallocene catalyzed polymer, wherein the at least one metallocene catalyzed polymer has been functionalized by sulfonation, carboxylation, addition of an amine or hydroxy, or by grafting an ethylenically unsaturated monomer onto the at least one metallocene catalyzed polymer using a post-polymerization reaction; and

at least one additional agent, wherein the at least one additional agent comprises at least one of coloring agents, reaction enhancers, cross-linking agents, dyes, lubricants, fillers, excipients, process aids, or a combination thereof.

2. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the ethylenically unsaturated monomer is an olefinic monomer having a fictional group selected from the group consisting of sulfonic acid, sulfonic acid derivatives, chlorosulfonic acid, vinyl ethers, vinyl esters, primary amines, secondary amines, tertiary amines, mono-carboxylic acids, dicarboxylic acids, partially or fully ester derivatized mono-carboxylic acids, partially or fully ester derivatized dicarboxylic acids, anhydrides of dicarboxylic acids, cyclic imides of dicarboxylic acids, and ionomeric derivatives thereof.

3. The golf ball of claim 2, wherein the ethylenically unsaturated monomer is maleic anhydride.

4. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the blend further comprises at least one non-grafted metallocene catalyzed polymer.

5. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the at least one layer has a hardness from about 15 Shore D to about 80 Shore D.

6. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the at least one layer has a foamed structure.

7. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the golf ball comprises a core and a cover, and wherein the at least one layer forms a portion of at least one of the core, the cover, or a combination thereof.

8. The golf ball of claim 7, wherein the core has a diameter from about 1 inch to about 1.63 inches and the cover has a thickness from about 0.005 inches to about 0.125 inches.

9. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the golf ball comprises a core, a cover, and a mantle disposed between the core and the cover, and wherein the at least one layer forms at least a portion of the core, the cover, the mantle, or any combination thereof.

10. The golf ball of claim 9, wherein the core has a diameter from about 1 inch to about 1.63 inches, the cover has a thickness from about 0.005 inches to about 0.125 inches, and the mantle has a thickness from about 0.005 inches to about 0.125 inches.

11. A golf ball having at least one layer, the at least one layer formed from a blend comprising:

at least one metallocene catalyzed polymer, wherein the at least one metallocene catalyzed polymer has been functionalized by sulfonation, carboxylation, addition of an amine or hydroxy, or by grafting an ethylenically unsaturated monomer onto the at least one metallocene catalyzed polymer using a post-polymerization reaction;

at least one ionomer; and

at least one additional agent, wherein the at least one additional agent comprises at least one of coloring agents, reaction enhancers, cross-linking agents, dyes, lubricants, fillers, excipients, process aids, or a combination thereof.

12. The golf ball of claim 11, wherein the blend comprises from about 5 to about 90 phr of the at least one metallocene catalyzed polymer and from about 95 to about 10 phr of the at least one ionomer.

13. The golf ball of claim 11, wherein the blend further comprises at least one non-grafted metallocene catalyzed polymer.

14. The golf ball of claim 11, wherein the at least one metallocene catalyzed polymer has a flexural modulus from about 500 psi to about 200,000 psi and the at least one ionomer has a flexural modulus from about 50 psi to about 150,000 psi.

15. The golf ball of claim 11, wherein at least one layer has a hardness from about 15 Shore D to about 80 Shore D.

16. The golf ball of claim 11, wherein the at least one layer has a foamed structure.

17. The golf ball of claim 11, wherein the golf ball comprises a core and a cover, and wherein the at least one layer forms at least a portion of the core, the cover, or a combination thereof.

18. The golf ball of claim 11, wherein the golf ball comprises a core, a cover, and a mantle disposed between the core and the cover, and wherein the at least one layer forms at least a portion of the core, the cover, the mantle, or any combination thereof.

19. A golf ball having at least one layer, the at least one layer formed from a blend comprising:

at least one metallocene catalyzed polymer, wherein the at least one metallocene catalyzed polymer has been functionalized by sulfonation, carboxylation, addition of an amine or hydroxy, or by grafting an ethylenically unsaturated monomer onto the at least one metallocene catalyzed polymer using a post-polymerization reaction; and

at least one other polymer selected from the group consisting of poly(ethylethylene), poly(heptylethylene), poly(hexyldecylethylene), poly(isopentylethylene), polyamides, polyimides, polyesters, polyethers, polycarbonates, poly(furan tetracarboxylic acid diimides), or a combination thereof.

20. The golf ball of claim 19, wherein the blend further comprises at least one non-grafted metallocene catalyze,ed polymer.

21. The golf ball of claim 19, wherein the at least one layer has a foamed structure.

22. The golf ball of claim 19, wherein the golf ball comprises a core and a cover, and wherein the at least one layer forms at least a portion of the core, the cover, or a combination thereof.

23. The golf ball of claim 19, wherein the golf ball comprises a core, a cover, and a mantle disposed between the core and the cover, and wherein the at least one layer forms at least a portion of the core, the cover, the mantle, or any combination thereof.

24. The golf ball of claim 19, wherein the at least one metallocene catalyzed polymer is present in an amount from 5 phr to 75 phr and the at least one other polymer is present in an amount from 95 phr to 25 phr.

25. The golf ball of claim 19, wherein the at least one layer has at least one of a hardness from about 15 Shore D to about 80 Shore D or a thickness from about 0.005 inches to about 0.125 inches.