Golf ball having a high moment of inertia and low driver spin rate

• US 6,743,123 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2002
• Issued: 06/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Sullivan, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vidovich, Gregory
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUNTER, ALVIN A
• Application Number:
  US10/082,577
• Publication Number:
  US 20020169037A1
• Time in Patent Office: 827 Days
• Field of Search: 473/351-377
• US Class Current: 473/376
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0003 Golf balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0009 Polygonal
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0021 Occupation ratio, i.e. percentage surface occupied by dimples
• 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 37/0047 Density; Specific gravity
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0055 with non-spherical insert(s)
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0064 Diameter
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0065 Deflection or compression
• 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: A63B 37/0076 Multi-piece balls, i.e. having two or more intermediate layers
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0097 Layers interlocking by means of protrusions or inserts, lattices or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/02 Special cores balls with finger holes A63B37/0001, golf ball cores A63B37/005

Abstract

A progressive performance golf ball is disclosed. The progressive performance golf ball includes a low spin, high moment of inertia core assembly, which may comprise a low specific gravity core and/or non-continuous high specific gravity intermediate layer. This sub-assembly is encased within a soft cover with Shore D hardness less than 65. The low specific gravity core is preferably made from a foamed polymer, and the non-continuous high specific gravity core is preferably a geodesic or polyhedron screen or a perforated shell. The ball may comprise a non-continuous intermediate layer and a second intermediate layer, wherein one or both of the intermediate layers comprise high specific gravity materials. The cover is preferably made from thermoset polyurethane. Advantageously, the non-continuous screen or shell have a spring-like property, which allows the ball to readily regain its spherical shape after impact with a golf club.

Claims

1. A golf ball comprising an intermediate layer covering a core, wherein the intermediate layer is encased by a cover, wherein the intermediate layer comprises a non-continuous layer having a specific gravity of greater than 1.5 and a thickness from 0.025 mm to 1.27 mm, and the non-continuous layer is positioned at a radial distance outside of the centroid radius.

2. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the non-continuous layer is positioned at a distance ranging from 0.76 mm to 2.8 mm from the land surface of the ball to the outermost surface of any portion of the non-continuous layer.

3. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the specific gravity of the non-continuous layer is greater than 1.8.

4. The golf ball of claim 3 wherein the specific gravity of the non-continuous layer is greater than 2.0.

5. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the non-continuous layer is from 0.127 mm to 0.76 mm.

6. The golf ball of claim 5, wherein the thickness of the non-continuous layer is from 0.25 mm to 0.5 mm.

7. The golf ball of claim 1, further comprising a thin dense layer having a specific gravity of greater than 1.2, wherein the thin dense layer is positioned proximate to the non-continuous layer.

8. The golf ball of claim 7, wherein the thin dense layer is made from a material selected from the group consisting of polyurethanes, epoxies, polyesters, silicones and rubber latex.

9. The golf ball of claim 7, wherein the thin dense layer is made from a thermoplastic polymer loaded with a specific gravity increasing agent.

10. The golf ball of claim 7, wherein the thin dense layer is made from polybutadiene with tungsten powder.

11. The golf ball of claim 7, wherein the thin dense layer is made from a densified loaded film.

12. The golf ball of claim 1, the intermediate layer further comprises a second non-continuous layer.

13. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core is a non-wound core having a specific gravity of less than the specific gravity of a thin dense layer, a diameter from 35 mm to 42 mm and a compression of less than 90.

14. The golf ball of claim 13, wherein the core has a specific gravity of less than 1.1.

15. The golf ball of claim 14, wherein the core has a specific gravity of less than 0.9.

16. The golf ball of claim 13, wherein the core is made from a foamed material.

17. The golf ball of claim 16, wherein the foamed material is made from a thermosetting syntactic foam with hollow sphere fillers or microspheres in a polymeric matrix.

18. The golf ball of claim 17, wherein the foamed material is selected from a group consisting of polyurethane foam, integrally skinned polyurethane foam, nucleated reaction injection molded polyurethane, nucleated reaction injection molded polyurea.

19. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cover has a Shore D hardness of less than about 65.

20. The golf ball of claim 19, wherein the cover has a Shore D hardness of between about 30 and about 60.

21. The golf ball of claim 20, wherein the cover has a Shore D hardness of between about 35 and about 50.

22. The golf ball of claim 21, wherein the cover has a Shore D hardness of between about 40 and about 45.

23. The golf ball of claim 19, wherein the cover comprises a thermoset polyurethane.

24. The golf ball of claim 19, wherein the cover comprises an ionomer.

25. The golf ball of claim 19, wherein the cover comprises a thermoplastic polyurethane.

26. The golf ball of claim 19, wherein the cover comprises a metallocene.

27. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cover has a thickness of less than 1.27 mm.

28. The golf ball of claim 27, wherein the thickness is between about 0.51 mm to 1.02 mm.

29. The golf ball of claim 28, wherein the thickness is about 0.761 mm.

30. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the non-continuous layer covers at least about 10% of the surface area of an adjacent layer.

31. The golf ball of claim 30, wherein the non-continuous layer covers at least about 25% of the surface area of the adjacent layer.

32. The golf ball of claim 31, wherein the non-continuous layer covers at least 50% of the surface area of the adjacent layer.

33. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the non-continuous layer comprises one or more of partially or fully neutralized ionomers including those neutralized by a metal ion source wherein the metal ion is the salt of an organic acid.

34. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the non-continuous layer comprises a polyolefin.

35. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the non-continuous layer comprises a copolymer of polyethylene and an acrylic or a methacrylic acid.

36. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the non-continuous layer comprises a terpolymer of ethylene, a softening acrylate class ester such as methyl acrylate, n-butyl-acrylate or iso-butyl-acrylate, and a carboxylic acid such as acrylic acid or methacrylic acid.

37. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the non-continuous layer is selected from a group consisting of metallocene catalyzed polyolefins, polyesters, polyamides, non-ionomeric thermoplastic elastomers, copolyether-esters, copolyether-amides, thermoplastic or thermosetting polyurethanes, polyureas, polyurethane ionomers, epoxies, polycarbonates, polybutadiene, polyisoprene, and blends thereof.

38. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the non-continuous layer comprises a metal.

39. The golf ball of claim 38, wherein the metal is selected from a group consisting of tungsten, steel, titanium, chromium, nickel, copper, aluminum, zinc, magnesium, lead, tin, iron, molybdenum and alloys thereof.

40. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the non-continuous layer comprises fibers.

41. The golf ball of claim 40, wherein the fibers are selected from a group consisting of carbon including graphite, glass, aramid, polyester, polyethylene, polypropylene, silicon carbide, boron carbide, natural or synthetic silk.

42. A golf ball comprising a cover, a core and an intermediate layer, wherein the cover has a hardness of less than 65 Shore D and wherein the moment of inertia of the ball is greater than about 0.46 oz·

in², wherein the intermediate layer is a non-continuous, thin dense layer having a thickness from about 0.127 mm to about 0.762 mm disposed radially outside of the centroid radius.

43. The golf ball of claim 42, wherein the thickness of the intermediate layer is from about 0.254 mm to about 0.508 mm.

44. The golf ball of claim 42, wherein the specific gravity of the intermediate layer is greater than 1.2.

45. The golf ball of claim 44, wherein the specific gravity of the intermediate layer is greater than 1.5.

46. The golf ball of claim 45, wherein the specific gravity of the intermediate layer is greater than 1.8.

47. The golf ball of claim 46, wherein the specific gravity of the intermediate layer is greater than 2.0.

48. The golf ball of claim 42, wherein the core has a specific gravity of less than 1.1.

49. The golf ball of claim 42, wherein the core has a specific gravity of less than 0.9.

50. The golf ball of claim 47, wherein the core is made from a foamed material.

51. The golf ball of claim 42, wherein the non-continuous layer is a geodesic screen.

52. The golf ball of claim 42, wherein the non-continuous layer is a perforated hollow sphere.

53. The golf ball of claim 42, wherein the non-continuous layer covers at least about 10% of the surface area of an adjacent layer.

54. The golf ball of claim 42, wherein the non-continuous layer covers at least about 25% of the surface area of the adjacent layer.

55. The golf ball of claim 54, wherein the non-continuous layer covers at least 50% of the surface area of the adjacent layer.

56. The golf ball of claim 42, wherein the moment of inertia is greater than 0.50 oz·

inch².

57. The golf ball of claim 56, wherein the moment of inertia is greater than 0.575 oz·

inch².