Method for making a multilayered golf ball

• US 6,797,097 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2003
• Issued: 09/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Cavallaro, Christopher, Pasqua, Samuel A. Jr., Reid, Walter L., Morgan, William E., Dalton, Jeffrey L., Boehm, Herbert C., Harris, Kevin M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Purvis, Sue A.
• Application Number:
  US10/336,023
• Publication Number:
  US 20030131921A1
• Time in Patent Office: 634 Days
• Field of Search: 156/146, 156/220, 156/228, 156/245, 156/304.2, 264/239, 264/248, 264/250, 264/322, 473/354, 473/377
• US Class Current: 156/146
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2037/085 liquid, jellylike
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0003 Golf balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0076 Multi-piece balls, i.e. having two or more intermediate layers
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/08 Liquid cores; Plastic 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 2043/023 having a plurality of grooves
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/0022 Multi-cavity moulds B29C33/301 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 43/027 having an axis of symmetry B29C43/102 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 43/146 for making multilayered articles
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/02 by heating, with or without pressure
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/48 using adhesives , i.e. using supplementary joining material; solvent bonding
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/483 Reactive adhesives, e.g. chemically curing adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/4835 Heat curing adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/484 Moisture curing adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/1142 Single butt to butt joints
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/54 Joining several hollow-preforms, e.g. half-shells, to form hollow articles, e.g. for making balls, containers; Joining several hollow-preforms, e.g. half-cylinders, to form tubular articles
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/71 characterised by the composition of the plastics material of the parts to be joined welding bar compositions B29C65/125
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/73755 the to-be-joined area of at least one of the parts to be joined being fully cured, i.e. fully cross-linked, fully vulcanized
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/7392 characterised by the material of at least one of the parts being a thermoplastic
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/73921 characterised by the materials of both parts being thermoplastics
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/7394 : characterised by the material of at least one of the parts being a thermoset
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/73941 : characterised by the materials of both parts being thermosets
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/8322 : Joining or pressing tools reciprocating along one axis
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/83221 : cooperating reciprocating tools, each tool reciprocating along one axis
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 99/0042 : Producing plain balls hollow balls B29D22/04
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2009/06 : SB polymers, i.e. butadiene-styrene polymers
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2021/00 : Use of unspecified rubbers as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2023/06 : PE, i.e. polyethylene
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2023/08 : Copolymers of ethylene B29K2023/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2023/086 : EVOH, i.e. ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2023/12 : PP, i.e. polypropylene
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2023/18 : Polymers of hydrocarbons having four or more carbon atoms, e.g. polymers of butylene, e.g. PB, i.e. polybutylene
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2025/08 : Copolymers of styrene, e.g. AS or SAN, i.e. acrylonitrile styrene B29K2055/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2027/18 : PTFE, i.e. polytetrafluorethene , e.g. ePTFE, i.e. expanded polytetrafluorethene
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2033/08 : Polymers of acrylic acid esters, e.g. PMA, i.e. polymethylacrylate
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2033/12 : Polymers of methacrylic acid esters, e.g. PMMA, i.e. polymethylmethacrylate
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2067/003 : PET, i.e. poylethylene terephthalate
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2067/006 : PBT, i.e. polybutylene terephthalate
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2069/00 : Use of PC, i.e. polycarbonates or derivatives thereof, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2071/00 : Use of polyethers , e.g. PEEK, i.e. polyether-etherketone or PEK, i.e. polyetherketone or derivatives thereof, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2071/12 : PPO, i.e. polyphenylene oxide; PPE, i.e. polyphenylene ether
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2077/00 : Use of PA, i.e. polyamides, e.g. polyesteramides or derivatives thereof, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/54 : Balls
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/545 : Football balls

Abstract

The invention provides a method for making a golf ball. Two cups are molded from an elastomer separately from an inner sphere. In one embodiment of the method, the cups are molded on both sides of a single mold part with hemispherical protrusions that form cavities in the cups. An inner sphere is placed within the cavities, and the cups are joined, by preferably crosslinking the cups together or applying adhesive there between. To retain the characterisitics of the cup material where the cups meet, an embodiment of the cups can be formed with nonplanar mating surfaces that mesh with each other. The nonplanar mating surfaces preferably have a pattern that is symmetrical about the inner sphere, such as concentric ridges, for example a tongue and a groove.

Claims

1. A method for making a golf ball having a multilayer core comprising:

forming an inner sphere;

preforming top and bottom cups in a compression mold using an inner fixture;

opening the mold and removing the inner fixture;

closing the mold with the inner sphere between the top and bottom cups and then crosslinking the top and bottom cups by compressing them together at an elevated temperature to form the golf ball core; and

forming a cover over the golf ball core.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein crosslinking the top and bottom cups comprises applying heat and pressure to the top and bottom cups from the elastomeric material on opposite sides of a single mold part.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein forming an inner sphere comprises freezing a sphere of fluid.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of forming an inner sphere comprises the step of forming an outer shell with a fluid mass center.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein crosslinking the cups comprises running the mold through a temperature and pressure cycle.

6. A method of making a golf ball, comprising:

forming an inner sphere by forming an outer shell with a fluid mass center;

forming a plurality of core cups from elastomeric material in a mold using an inner fixture;

removing the inner fixture;

molding the core cups around the inner sphere with temperature and pressure to crosslink the core cups to each other to form a substantially spherical core; and

molding a cover around the assembled core.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the forming of the plurality of core cups comprises forming first and second substantially hemispherical cups having cavities.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the forming of the cups comprises forming nonplanar corresponding mating surfaces on the cups.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein crosslinking the cups comprises applying heat and pressure to the first and second cups from the elastomeric material on opposite sides of a single mold part.

10. The method according to claim 6, wherein forming an inner sphere comprises freezing a sphere of fluid.

11. The method according to claim 6, wherein the step of forming an inner sphere comprises the step of forming an outer shell with a fluid mass center.

12. A method for making a golf ball having a multilayer core, comprising:

forming an inner sphere;

molding from elastomeric material two substantially hemispherical cups having substantially hemispherical cavities using a top mold, a bottom mold, and an inner fixture;

opening the top and bottom molds and removing the inner fixture;

molding the inner sphere between the two cups in the top and bottom molds; and

forming a cover over the golf ball core.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the elastomeric material is selected from the group consisting of thermoset rubber, including polyisoprene, styrene butadiene, polybutadiene and combinations thereof.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein forming an inner sphere comprises freezing a sphere of fluid.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein the step of forming an inner sphere comprises the step of forming an outer shell with a fluid mass center.

16. A method for making a golf ball having a multilayer core comprising:

forming an inner sphere;

preforming top and bottom cups in a compression mold using an inner fixture;

opening the mold and removing the inner fixture;

closing the mold with the inner sphere between the top and bottom cups and then crosslinking the top and bottom cups by compressing them together at an elevated temperature to form the golf ball core; and

forming a cover over the golf ball core.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein forming an inner sphere comprises freezing a sphere of fluid.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the step of forming an inner sphere comprises the step of forming an outer shell with a fluid mass center.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein the forming of the cups comprises forming nonplanar corresponding mating surfaces on the cups.