Golf ball with multi-layered core

• US 6,786,838 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2003
• Issued: 09/07/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: DeSimas, Antonio U., Sullivan, Michael J., Ladd, Derek A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Garbe, Stephen P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUNTER, ALVIN A
• Application Number:
  US10/373,938
• Publication Number:
  US 20030148827A1
• Time in Patent Office: 560 Days
• Field of Search: 473/351-378
• US Class Current: 473/373
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0003 Golf balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0045 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0062 Hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0076 Multi-piece balls, i.e. having two or more intermediate layers
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0093 Moisture vapour transmission rate [MVTR]
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/04 Rigid cores
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 45/00 Apparatus or methods for manufacturing balls working of plastics or substances in a plastic state B29
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2043/3644 Vacuum bags; Details thereof, e.g. fixing or clamping
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 43/146 for making multilayered articles
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 43/18 incorporating preformed parts or layers, e.g. compression moulding around inserts or for coating articles B29C43/206 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 43/305 Making multilayered articles
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/70 Completely encapsulating inserts B29C70/86 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 99/0042 Producing plain balls hollow balls B29D22/04
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/256 Sheets, plates, blanks or films
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/52 Sports equipment ; Games; Articles for amusement; Toys B29L2031/54 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/54 Balls
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 21/00 Compositions of unspecified rubbers
• 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 2314/06 Metallocene or single site catalysts
• 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 2666/08 : Homopolymers or copolymers according to C08L7/00 - C08L21/00; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/14 : Macromolecular compounds according to C08L59/00 - C08L87/00; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/24 : Graft or block copolymers according to groups C08L51/00, C08L53/00 or C08L55/02; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 9/00 : Compositions of homopolymers or copolymers of conjugated diene hydrocarbons

Abstract

A golf ball having a multi-layered core comprising at least three core layers and a dimpled cover is disclosed. The core may have three layers, A, B and C, four layers, A, B, C and D, five layers, A, B, C, D and E or up to six layers, A, B, C, D, E and F. In accordance to the present invention, the radius or thickness of each core layer is at least twice as much as the adjacent outer core layer. One outer core layer can be a water vapor barrier layer to protect the ball from water vapor encroachment, which reduces the performance of the ball. Another outer core layer can be a thin dense layer with high specific gravity to increase the rotational moment of inertia to reduce the spin of the ball during flight. Another outer core layer can be a perforated spherical shell to increase the resilience and/or coefficient of restitution of the ball. Another outer core layer could be a cushioning layer to act as a shock absorber. The core layers may also have increasing or decreasing hardness.

Claims

1. A golf ball comprising a core and a cover, wherein the core comprises at least three layers having a thickness and radius, at least one of the core layers being a water vapor barrier layer, and wherein the radius and the thickness (T) of the core layers follow the equation T_A≧

2T_B≧

4T_C, wherein T_A is the radius of the inner most core, T_B is the thickness of the adjacent outer core layer and T_C is the thickness of the next adjacent outer core layer and wherein the water vapor barrier layer has a thickness of about 0.001 to about 0. 010 inches.

2. The golf ball of claim 1 further comprising a fourth core layer and wherein the radius and the thickness (T) of the core layers follow the equation T_A≧

2T_B≧

4T_C≧

8T_D, wherein T_D is the thickness of the next adjacent outer core layer.

3. The golf ball of claim 2 further comprising a fifth core layer and wherein the radius and the thickness (T) of the core layers follow the equation T_A≧

2T_B≧

4T_C≧

8T_D≧

16T_E, wherein T_E is the thickness of the next adjacent outer core layer.

4. The golf ball of claim 3 further comprising a sixth core layer and wherein the radius and the thickness (T) of the core layers follow the equation T_A≧

2T_B≧

4T_C≧

8T_D≧

16T_E≧

32T_F, wherein T_F is the thickness of the next adjacent outer core layer.

5. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the water vapor barrier layer is a compressed exfoliated graphite layer.

6. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein one of the core layers is a thin dense layer.

7. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein one of the core layers is a perforated spherical shell.

8. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein one of the core layers is capable of absorbing shock.

9. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein one of the core layers comprises substantially no fillers.

10. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein one of the core layers is foamed.

11. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein at least one core layer comprises polybutadiene, a crosslinking agent, a co-crosslinking agent, and a cis-to-trans catalyst.

12. The golf ball of claim 11, wherein the cis-to-trans catalyst is a halogenated organo-sulfur compound.

13. A golf ball comprising a core and a cover, wherein the core comprises at least four layers having a thickness and wherein the thickness (T) of the core layers follow the equation T_A≧

2T_B≧

4T_C≧

8T_D, wherein T_A is the radius of the innermost core, T_B is the thickness of the adjacent outer core layer, T_C is the thickness of the next adjacent outer core layer, and T_D is the thickness of the next adjacent outer core layer, wherein the outer core layers are formed as a laminate and at least one is a water vapor barrier and wherein the core layers have progressively decreasing hardness from the innermost core layer toward the outermost layer, and wherein the hardness of the innermost core layer is at least 15 points on the Shore D scale higher than the hardness of one of the outer core layers.

14. A golf ball comprising a core and a cover, wherein the core comprises at least four layers having a thickness and wherein the thickness (T) of the core layers follow the equation T_A≧

2T_B≧

4T_C≧

8T_D, wherein T_A is the radius of the innermost core, T_B is the thickness of the adjacent outer core layer and T_C is the thickness of the next adjacent outer core layer, and T_D is the thickness of the next adjacent outer core layer, wherein the outercore layers are formed as a laminate and at least one is a water vapor barrier and wherein the core layers have progressively increasing hardness from the innermost core layer toward the outermost layer, and wherein the hardness of the innermost core layer is at least 15 points on the Shore D scale lower than the hardness of one of the outer core layers.

15. A golf ball comprising a core and a cover, wherein the core comprises at least four layers having a thickness and wherein the thickness (T) of the core layers follow the equation T_A≧

2T_B≧

4T_C≧

8T_D, wherein T_A is the radius of the innermost core, T_B is the thickness of the adjacent outer core layer and T_C is the thickness of the next adjacent outer core layer, and T_D is the thickness of the next adjacent outer core layer, wherein the outercore layers are formed as a laminate and at least one is a water vapor barrier and wherein the thickness of the layers that are not the innermost core is about 0.001 inches to about 0.010 inches.

16. A golf ball comprising a core and a cover, the core comprising at least three layers having a thickness and a radius, at least one of the core layers being a thin dense layer of a foamed layer, wherein the radius and thickness (T) of the core layers follow the equation T_A≧

2T_B≧

4T_C, wherein T_A is the radius of the innermost core, T_B is the thickness of the adjacent outer core layer and T_C is the thickness of the next adjacent outer core layer and wherein the thin dense layer or foamed layer has a thickness of about 0.001 to about 0.010 inches.