Wound golf balls with high specific gravity centers

• US 6,500,076 B1
• Filed: 05/01/2001
• Issued: 12/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Jones, Douglas E., Morgan, William E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sewell, Paul T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUNTER, ALVIN A
• Application Number:
  US09/845,275
• Publication Number:
  US 20030017887A1
• Time in Patent Office: 609 Days
• Field of Search: 473/351-377
• US Class Current: 473/361
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2037/087 Wound cores or layers
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0003 Golf balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0062 Hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0064 Diameter
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0078 Coefficient of restitution
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/008 Diameter
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0082 Density; Specific gravity
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0087 Deflection or compression
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0092 Hardness distribution amongst different ball layers
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/04 Rigid cores

Abstract

The present invention is directed towards an improved golf ball that includes a high-specific gravity central sphere encapsulated in a soft and resilient shell layer. The soft-resilient shell may be formed of polybutadiene rubber. This shell is subsequently wound with thread a wound core, which is then covered. The sphere can be formed of a solid metal or molded of high-specific gravity powder retained in a binding material.

Claims

1. A wound golfball comprising;

a) a sphere having a specific gravity of at least about 6.0;

b) at least one molded shell being formed around the sphere of polybutadiene material to form a center;

c) a wound layer disposed about the center to form a wound core, wherein the wound layer is formed of at least one spun elastic thread; and

d) a cover surrounding the wound core.

2. The wound golf ball of claim 1, further including a compression of less than about 90.

3. The wound golf ball of claim 2, wherein the compression is between about 40 and about 80.

4. The wound golf ball of claim 3, further including a coefficient of restitution of greater than about 0.8.

5. The wound golf ball of claim 1, further including a coefficient of restitution of greater than about 0.7.

6. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the sphere has a sphere diameter less than about 0.5 inches and the shell has a shell diameter equal to or greater than about 1.3 inches.

7. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the wound core has a wound core diameter of greater than about 1.55 inches.

8. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the sphere is formed of a solid metallic material.

9. The golf ball of claim 8, wherein the metallic material is formed from one of the following:

tungsten, steel, brass, titanium, lead, zinc, copper, iron, silver, platinum, gold, or alloys thereof.

10. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the sphere is formed of high specific gravity filler retained in a binding material.

11. The golf ball of claim 10, wherein the binding material is a thermoplastic or thermoset material.

12. The golf ball of claim 10, wherein the high specific gravity filler is metallic powder.

13. The golf ball of claim 12, wherein the metallic powder is formed from one of the following:

tungsten, steel, brass, titanium, lead, zinc, copper, bismuth, nickel, molybdenum, iron, bronze, cobalt, silver, platinum, gold, or alloys thereof.

14. The golf ball of claim 12, wherein the sphere has a mass, the metallic powder forms a first percentage of the mass, the binding material forms a second percentage of the mass, and the first percentage is greater than the second percentage.

15. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polybutadiene material has a cis 1,4 content of above about 90%.

16. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the molded shell includes less than 10 parts per hundred of a filler material exclusive of activator.

17. The wound golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cover is formed of polyurethane.

18. The wound golf ball of claim 17, wherein the cover includes at least two layers.

19. A wound golf ball comprising:

a) a sphere having a specific gravity above about 6.0;

b) a first shell having a first shore D hardness formed around the sphere and a second shell having a second shore D hardness disposed on the first shell to form a center having a diameter equal to or greater than about 1.25 inches, wherein the first shell is a molded layer and the second shell is a wound layer, and wherein the first shell, and wherein the hardness of the first and second shells differ by at lcast 5 shore D;

c) a wound layer disposed about the center to form a wound core; and

d) a cover surrounding the wound core.

20. The golf ball of claim 19, wherein the center has a diameter of greater than about 1.3 inches.

21. The golf ball of claim 19, wherein the center has a diameter greater than about 1.4 inches.

22. The golf ball of claim 19, wherein the sphere is selected from the group consisting of:

a solid metallic material or a metallic powder retained in a binding material.

23. The golf ball of claim 19, wherein the first shore D hardness is greater than the second shore D hardness.

24. The golf ball of claim 19, wherein the first shore D hardness is less than the second shore D hardness.

25. A wound golf ball comprising,

a) a sphere having a specific gravity of about 6.0;

b) at least one molded shell by formed around the sphere to form a center, said center having a diameter equal to or greater than about 1.25 inches;

c) a wound layer disposed about the center to form a wound core; and

d) a cover surrounding the wound core,

wherein the at least one molded shell is formed of a polybutadiene material selected from the group consisting of;

polybutadiene with a cis 1,4 content of above about 90% or polybutadiene with a trans-isomer content of about 20%.

26. The golfball of claim 25, wherein the center has a diameter of greater than about 1.3 inches.

27. The golf ball of claim 25, wherein the sphere is formed of a solid metallic material.

28. The golf ball of claim 25, wherein the sphere is formed of a high specific gravity filler retained in a binding material.

29. A wound golf ball comprising:

a) a solid sphere formed of a metal material;

b) at least one molded shell being formed around the sphere to form a center, said molded shell being formed of a rubber material, wherein the center has a diameter greater than about 1.25 inches;

c) at least one wound layer disposed about the center to form a wound core, said wound layer having at least one thread comprising polyurea; and

d) a cover surrounding the wound core.

30. The wound golf ball of claim 29, wherein the wound layer comprises a thread formed of a mixture of synthetic cis-polyisoprenc rubbers, natural rubber and a curing system.

31. The wound golf ball of claim 29, wherein the cover is formed of one of the following:

balata, gutta percha, an ionomer or a blend of ionomers, polyurethane, polyurea-based composition, epoxy-urethane-based compositions, metallocene-catalyzed polyolefins, cast elastomers, or combinations thereof.

32. The wound golf ball of claim 29, wherein the cover includes at least two layers.

33. The wound golf ball of claim 29, further including at least two wound layers.

34. The wound golf ball of claim 29, wherein the sphere has a diameter greater than about 0.4 inches.

35. A wound golf ball comprising:

a) a solid sphere formed of a metal material;

b) at least one molded shell being formed around the sphere to form a center, said molded shell being formed of a rubber material, wherein the center has a diameter greater than about 125 inches;

c) at least one wound layer disposed about the center to form a wound core, and

d) a cover surrounding the wound core,

wherein the outer hardness of the wound core is greater than about 55 shore D.

36. The golf ball of claim 35, wherein the wound layer comprises a thread formed of a mixture of synthetic cis-polyisoprcne rubbers, natural rubber, and a curring system.

37. The golf ball of claim 35, wherein the wound layer comprises a thread formed of polyurea.

38. The golf ball of claim 35, wherein the cover comprises at least two layers.

39. The golf ball of claim 35, wherein the golf ball has a compression of less than about 90.

40. The golf ball of claim 35, wherein the golf ball has a coefficient of restitution of greater than about 0.7.

41. The golf ball of claim 35, wherein the wound layer is formed of at least one spun elastic tbread.