Golf balls comprising blends of polyamides and ionomers

• US 6,774,184 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2002
• Issued: 08/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Rajagopalan, Murali
• Primary Examiner(s): Buttner, David J.
• Application Number:
  US10/066,636
• Publication Number:
  US 20020147280A1
• Time in Patent Office: 916 Days
• Field of Search: 525/183, 473/372, 473/373, 473/374
• US Class Current: 525/183
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0003 Golf balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0024 Materials other than ionomers or polyurethane
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0037 Flexural modulus; Bending stiffness
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 23/08 Copolymers of ethene C08L23/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/20 Macromolecular compounds having nitrogen in the main chain according to C08L75/00 - C08L79/00; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 77/00 Compositions of polyamides obtained by reactions forming a carboxylic amide link in the main chain of polyhydrazides C08L79/06; of polyamideimides or polyamide acids C08L79/08; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers

Abstract

The present invention relates to a golf ball comprising at least one core layer, a cover layer, and at least one intermediate layer disposed between the core and the cover, wherein the at least one layer is formed of a polymer composition comprising at least one ionomer and at least one polyamide polymer.

Claims

1. A golf ball comprising:

a core;

a cover comprising a non-ionomeric polymer material comprising a thermoset polymer; and

an intermediate layer disposed between the core and the cover, wherein the intermediate layer comprises a polymer composition comprising at least one ionomer and at least one polyamide polymer.

2. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the thermoset polymer comprises a functionalized thermoset polymer, a thermoset copolymer, a functionalized thermoset copolymer, or mixtures thereof.

3. The golf ball of claim 2, wherein the thermoset polymer comprises polyurethane.

4. The golf ball of claim 2, wherein the thermoset polymer comprises polyurea.

5.The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the thermoset polymer comprises transpolyisoprene.

5. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the ionomer comprises homopolymers or copolymers of olefin, polyester, copoly(ether-ester), copoly(ester-ester), polyamide, polyimide, polyether, polyurethane, polyacrylate, polystyrene, hydrogenated styrene butadiene styrene, polycarbonate, or mixtures thereof.

6. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the jonomer comprises a copolymer of an olefin and an α

,β

-ethylenically unsaturated mono- or di-carboxylic acid, wherein the carboxylic acid groups are at least partially neutralized with at least one metal ion.

8. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polyamide polymer is selected from the group consisting of nylon 4, nylon 6, nylon 7, nylon 11, nylon 12, nylon 13, nylon 4,6, nylon 6,6, nylon 6,9, nylon 6,10, nylon 6,12, nylon 12,12, nylon 13,13, and mixtures thereof.

7. The golf ball claim 7, wherein the metal ion comprises zinc, sodium, magnesium, manganese, calcium, lithium, or potassium.

9. A golf ball comprising:

a core;

a cover comprising a non-ionomeric polymer material comprising at least one thermoset polvmer; and

an intermediate layer disposed between the core and the cover, wherein the intermediate layer comprises a polymer composition comprising about 10 percent to about 80 percent of at least one ionomer and about 90 percent to about 20 percent of at least one polyamide polymer, with the proviso that the at least one polyamide polymer is not a block polyamide copolymer comprising main-chain polyether blocks.

10. The golf ball of claim 10, wherein the ionomer is present in an amount of about 15 percent to about 75 percent by weight of the polymer composition, and wherein the polyamide polymer is present in an amount of about 85 percent to about 25 percent by weight of the polymer composition.

11. The golf ball of claim 10, wherein the at least one polyamide polymer is selected from the group consisting of polyamide homopolymers, polyamide copolymers, block polyamide copolymers, and mixtures thereof.

12. The golf ball of claim 10, wherein the at least one ionomer comprises a copolymer of ethylene and about 5 percent to about 30 percent acrylic acid or methacrylic acid.