Initial velocity dual core golf ball

• US 6,634,964 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2002
• Issued: 10/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Dalton, Jeffrey L., Cavallaro, Christopher, Jordan, Michael D
• Primary Examiner(s): Sewell, Paul T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUNTER, ALVIN A
• Application Number:
  US10/075,713
• Publication Number:
  US 20020137577A1
• Time in Patent Office: 615 Days
• Field of Search: 473/351-377
• US Class Current: 473/377
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0003 Golf balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0024 Materials other than ionomers or polyurethane
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0026 Balata
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0031 Hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0054 Substantially rigid, e.g. metal
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0062 Hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0064 Diameter
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0065 Deflection or compression
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0076 Multi-piece balls, i.e. having two or more intermediate layers
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0094 Rebound resilience
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/02 Special cores balls with finger holes A63B37/0001, golf ball cores A63B37/005
• 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: B29C 35/02 Heating or curing, e.g. crosslinking or vulcanizing during moulding, e.g. in a mouldcold vulcanisation B29C35/18 ; vulcanising tyres, presses therefor B29D30/0601
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 39/00 Shaping by casting, i.e. introducing the moulding material into a mould or between confining surfaces without significant moulding pressure; Apparatus therefor B29C41/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/00 Injection moulding, i.e. forcing the required volume of moulding material through a nozzle into a closed mould; Apparatus therefor injection blow-moulding B29C49/06
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 99/0042 Producing plain balls hollow balls B29D22/04
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/54 Balls
• 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: C08L 2205/02 : containing two or more polymers of the same C08L -group
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 23/08 : Copolymers of ethene C08L23/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 23/0876 : Neutralised polymers, i.e. ionomers
• 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: C09D 175/04 : Polyurethanes

Abstract

A golf ball comprising a core and a cover layer, wherein the core has an outer diameter of no greater than about 1.62 inches; the cover layer comprises an inner cover layer and an outer cover layer having a material hardness of less than about 60 Shore D; and at least one of the core or the cover comprises high-Mooney-viscosity rubber, high-Mooney-viscosity rubber regrind, or a mixture thereof.

Claims

1. A golf ball comprising a core and a cover, wherein:

the core has an outer diameter of no greater tan about 1.62 inches;

the cover comprises an inner cover layer and an outer cover layer, the outer cover layer having a material hardness of less than about 60 Shore D;

at least one of the core or the cover comprises a high-Money-viscosity rubber regrind, or a mixture of a high-Mooney-viscosity rubber regrind and a high-Mooney-viscosity rubber, the high-Mooney-viscosity rubber regrind being present in an amount of no greater than about 20 weight percent.

2. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core comprises a center and at least one outer core layer.

3. The golf ball of claim 2, wherein the outer core layer has an outer diameter from about 1.4 inches to about 1.62 inches.

4. The golf ball of claim 2, wherein the outer core layer comprises high-Mooney-viscosity rubber regrind.

5. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein at least one of the high-Mooney-viscosity rubber or regrind has a Mooney viscosity of between about 40 and about 80.

6. The golf ball of claim 5, wherein at least one of the high-Mooney-viscosity rubber or regrind has a Mooney viscosity of between about 45 and about 60.

7. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the high-Mooney-viscosity rubber regrind is present in an amount between about 5 weight percent and about 20 weight percent.

8. The golf ball of claim 7, wherein the high-Mooney-viscosity rubber regrind is present in an amount of between about 8 weight percent and about 16 weight percent.

9. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core outer diameter is from 1.4inches to about 1.62 inches.

10. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the inner cover layer has a material hardness less than about 72 Shore D.

11. The golf ball of claim 10, wherein the inner cover layer has a material hardness less than about 68 Shore D.

12. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein at least one of the inner or outer cover layers comprises a material selected from the group consisting of ionic copolymers of ethylene and an unsaturated monocarboxylic acid;

vinyl resins;

polyolefins;

polyurethanes;

polyureas;

polyamides;

thermoplastic and thermoset resins;

metallocenes;

acrylic resins;

thermoplastic polyesters; and

non-ionic copolymers and terpolymers.

13. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein at least one of the core or cover layers are cast, reaction injection molded, liquid injection molded, injection molded, or a combination thereof.

14. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core has a moment of inertia of less than about 83 g·

cm₂ and a center deflection of greater than about 4.5 mm under a load of 100 Kg.

15. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the outer cover layer has a material hardness less than about 58.

16. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein at least one of the cover layers comprises a polyurea composition.

17. A golf ball comprising a core and a cover layer, wherein:

the core comprises a solid center and an outer core layer and has an outer diameter of less than about 1.62 inches;

the cover layer comprises an inner cover layer and an outer cover layer, the outer cover having a material hardness of no greater than about 58 Shore D; and

wherein

at least one of the core or outer core layer comprises a blend of high-Mooney-viscosity rubber, high-Mooney-viscosity rubber regrind, and balata.

18. A golf ball comprising a core and a cover layer, wherein:

the core comprises a solid center comprising high-Mooney-viscosity rubber and an outer core layer, and has an outer diameter of between about 1.4 and about 1.62 inches;

the cover layer comprises an inner cover layer and an outer cover layer, the outer cover having a material hardness of no greater than about 58 Shore D, and the inner cover layer has a material hardness of less than about 72; and

wherein

the outer core layer comprises a blend of high-Mooney-viscosity rubber regrind and balata in an amount sufficient to increase the resilience.

19. A golf ball comprising a core and a cover, wherein:

the core has an outer diameter of no greater than about 1.62 inches;

the cover comprises an inner cover layer and an outer cover layer, the outer cover layer having a material hardness of less than about 60 Shore D;

at least one of the core or the cover comprises a high-Mooney-viscosity rubber regrind, or a mixture of a high-Mooney-viscosity rubber regrind and a high-Mooney-viscosity rubber; and

at least one of the cover layers comprises a polyurethane composition comprising a reaction product of at least one polyisocyanate, a polyol, and at least one curing agent.

20. A golf ball comprising a core and a cover, wherein:

the core has an outer diameter of no greater than about 1.62 inches;

the core comprises a center and at least one outer core layer;

the cover comprises an inner cover layer and an outer cover layer, the outer cover layer having a material hardness of less than about 60 Shore D; and

at least one of the center or the outer core layer comprises a high-Mooney-viscosity rubber regrind, or a mixture of a high-Mooney-viscosity rubber regrind and a high-Mooney-viscosity rubber.