Golf balls comprising highly-neutralized acid polymers

• US 6,824,477 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2003
• Issued: 11/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Sullivan, Michael J., Rajagopalan, Murali
• Primary Examiner(s): Gorden, Raeann
• Application Number:
  US10/360,238
• Publication Number:
  US 20030181260A1
• Time in Patent Office: 663 Days
• Field of Search: 473/351, 473/376, 473/377
• US Class Current: 473/377
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0004 Surface depressions or protrusions
• 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 37/0033 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0043 Hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0045 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0047 Density; Specific gravity
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0051 Materials other than polybutadienes; Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0056 Hollow; Gas-filled
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0061 Coefficient of restitution
• 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 37/0075 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 37/0091 Density distribution amongst the different ball layers
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/00922 whereby hardness of the cover is lower than hardness of the 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
• 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

Abstract

A golf ball comprising a core comprised of a polymer containing an acid group fully-neutralized by an organic acid or a salt, a cation source, or a suitable base thereof, the core having a first Shore D hardness, a compression of no greater than about 90, and a diameter of between about 1.00 inches and about 1.64 inches; and a cover layer comprising ionomeric copolymers and terpolymers, ionomer precursors, thermoplastics, thermoplastic elastomers, polybutadiene rubber, balata, grafted metallocene-catalyzed polymers, non-grafted metallocene-catalyzed polymers, single-site polymers, high-crystalline acid polymers and their ionomers, or cationic ionomers.

Claims

1. A golf ball comprising:

a core comprised of a first polymer containing an acid group fully-neutralized by a first salt of an organic acid, a first cation source, or a suitable base of the organic acid, the core having a first Shore D hardness, a compression of no greater than about 90, and a diameter of between about 1.00 inches and about 1.64 inches; and

a cover layer comprising ionomeric copolymers and terpolymers, ionomer precursors, thermoplastics, thermoplastic elastomers, polybutadiene rubber, balata, grafted metallocene-catalyzed polymers, non-grafted metallocene-catalyzed polymers, single-site polymers, high-crystalline acid polymers and their ionomers, or cationic ionomers; and

further comprises a polymer containing an acid group fully-neutralized by a second salt of an organic acid, a second cation source, or a suitable base of the organic acid.

2. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the first and second cation source are selected from a group consisting of metal cations of lithium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, barium, lead, tin, zinc, and aluminum.

3. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the first and second salts of the organic acid are selected from the group consisting of salts of aliphatic organic acids, aromatic organic acids, saturated mono-functional organic acids, unsaturated mono-functional organic acids, and multi-unsaturated mono-functional organic acids.

4. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the first and second salts of organic acids comprise the salts of barium, lithium, sodium, zinc, bismuth, chromium, cobalt, copper, potassium, strontium, titanium, tungsten, magnesium, cesium, iron, nickel, silver, aluminum, tin, calcium, stearic, behenic, erucic, oleic, linoelic, dimerized derivatives, or mixtures thereof.

5. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cover layer is formed from a non-castable material.

6. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the first polymer further comprises ionomeric copolymers and terpolymers, ionomer precursors, thermoplastics, thermoplastic elastomers, polybutadiene rubber, balata, grafted metallocene-catalyzed polymers, non-grafted metallocene-catalyzed polymers, single-site polymers, high-crystalline acid polymers and their ionomers, cationic ionomers, or a mixtures thereof.

7. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core further comprises a second polymer component comprising ionomeric copolymers and terpolymers, ionomer precursors, thermoplastics, thermoplastic elastomers, polybutadiene rubber, balata, grafted metallocene-catalyzed polymers, non-grafted metallocene-catalyzed polymers, single-site polymers, high-crystalline acid polymers, or cationic ionomers, and wherein the second polymer component has a Shore D hardness less than the first hardness and is present in an amount sufficient to reduce the core compression to less than or equal to about 80.

8. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core has a diameter of about 1.53 inches to about 1.64 inches.

9. The golf ball of claim 8, wherein the core comprises two or more layers.

10. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cover is injection molded or compression molded over the core.

11. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cover layer comprises an inner cover layer and an outer cover layer.

12. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the golf ball further comprises an inner cover disposed between the cover and the core comprising a polyurethane material, a polyurea material, a polyurethane-urea hybrid material, or a polyurea-urethane hybrid material.

13. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cover layer is an outer cover and the golf ball further comprises an inner cover comprising a polymer containing an acid group fully-neutralized by a salt of an organic acid, a cation source, or a suitable base of the organic acid.

14. The golf ball of claim 11, wherein the inner cover layer has material hardness of at least about 60 Shore D and the outer cover layer has a material hardness of no greater than about 60 Shore D.

15. The golf ball of claim 11, wherein the outer cover layer has material hardness of at least about 60 Shore D and the inner cover layer has a material hardness of no greater than about 60 Shore D.

16. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core compression is no greater than about 80.

17. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core further comprises an organosulfur or the metal salt thereof.

18. A golf ball comprising:

a core comprising a solid center and an outer core layer, the core having a first Shore D hardness, a compression of no greater than about 90, and a diameter of between about 1.00 inches and about 1.64 inches;

a first cover layer comprising a polyurea formed from a polyisocyanate, a polyamine, and a curing agent; and

a second layer containing an acid group fully-neutralized by a salt of organic acid, a cation source, or a suitable base of the organic acid;

wherein at least one of the solid center or the outer core layer comprises a polymer containing an acid group fully-neutralized by a salt of an organic acid, a cation source, or a suitable base of the organic acid; and

the ball has a compression of between about 50 and about 120.

19. A golf ball comprising:

a core comprised of a thermoplastic polymer containing an acid group fully-neutralized by a salt of an organic acid, a cation source, or a suitable base of the organic acid, the core having a first Shore D hardness, a compression of no greater than about 90, and a diameter of between about 1.00 inches and about 1.64 inches;

a cover layer comprising ionorneric copolymers and terpolymers, ionomer precursors, thermoplastics, thermoplastic elastomers, polybutadiene rubber, balata, grafted metallocene-catalyzed polymers, non-grafted metallocene-catalyzed polymers, single-site polymers, high-crystalline acid polymers and their ionomers, or cationic ionomers; and

a second layer containing an acid group fully-neutralized by a salt of an organic acid, a cation source, or a suitable base of the organic acid.