Golf ball comprising saturated polyurethanes and methods of making the same

• US 6,867,279 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2002
• Issued: 03/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Wu, Shenshen
• Primary Examiner(s): Buttner, David J.
• Application Number:
  US10/194,057
• Publication Number:
  US 20030088048A1
• Time in Patent Office: 974 Days
• Field of Search: 528/61, 528/65, 528/76, 528/80, 528/83, 473/374, 473/378
• US Class Current: 528/61
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0003 Golf balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0033 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0045 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/12 Special coverings , i.e. outer layer material balls with finger holes A63B37/0001, golf ball covers A63B37/0023

Abstract

A golf ball comprising a layer including a saturated polyurethane composition formed of a saturated prepolymer and a saturated curing agent, wherein the layer may be casted as an outer cover, formed as an intermediate layer, or both.

Claims

1. A golf ball comprising at least one light stable cover layer formed from a composition comprising at least one castable reactive polyurethane liquid material formed from a saturated polyurethane prepolymer and a saturated curing agent, wherein the saturated polyurethane prepolymer is formed from the reaction product of a saturated diisocyanate and a dimerate polyester polyol.

2. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the saturated diisocyanate is selected from the group consisting of ethylene diisocyanate;

propylene-1,2-diisocyanate;

tetramethylene diisocyanate;

tetramethylene-1,4-diisocyanate;

1,6-hexamethylene-diisocyanate;

octamethylene diisocyanate;

decamethylene diisocyanate;

2,2,4-trimethylhexamethylene diisocyanate;

2,4,4-trimethylhexamethylene diisocyanate;

dodecane-1,12-diisocyanate;

dicyclohexylmethane diisocyanate;

cyclobutane-1,3-diisocyanate;

cyclohexane -1,2-diisocyanate;

cyclohexane-1,3-diisocyanate;

cyclohexane-1,4-diisocyanate;

methyl-cyclohexylene diisocyanate;

2,4-methylcyclohexane diisocyanate;

2,6-methylcyclohexane diisocyanate;

4,4′

-dicyclohexyl diisocyanate;

2,4-dicyclohexyl diisocyanate;

1,3,5-cyclohexane triisocyanate;

isocyanatomethylcyclohexane isocyanate;

1-isocyanato-3,3,5-trimethyl-5-isocyanatomethylcyclohexane;

isocyanatoethylcyclohexane isocyanate;

bis(isocyanatomethyl)-cyclohexane diisocyanate;

4,4′

-bis(isocyanatomethyl)dicyclohexane;

2,4′

-bis(isocyanatomethyl) dicyclohexane;

isophoronediisocyanate;

triisocyanate of HDI;

triisocyanate of 2,2,4-methyl-1,6-hexane diisocyanate;

4,4′

-dicyclohexylmethane diisocyanate;

2,4-hexahydrotoluene diisocyanate;

2,6-hexahydrotoluene diisocyanate;

trimerized isocyanurate of any polyisocyanate;

dimerized uretdione of any polyisocyanate;

modified polyisocyanate; and

mixtures thereof.

3. The golf ball of claim 2, wherein the saturated diisocyanate is selected from the group consisting of isophoronediisocyanate, 4,4′

-dicyclohexylmethane diisocyanate, 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate, or a combination thereof.

4. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the saturated curing agent is selected from the group consisting of hydroxy-terminated curing agents, amine-terminated curing agents, and mixtures thereof.

5. The golf ball of claim 4, wherein the hydroxy-terminated curing agents are selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol;

diethylene glycol;

polyethylene glycol;

propylene glycol;

2-methyl-1,3-propanediol;

2,-methyl-1,4-butanediol;

dipropylene glycol;

polypropylene glycol;

1,2-butanediol;

1,3-butanediol;

1,4-butanediol;

2,3-butanediol;

2,3-dimethyl-2,3-butanediol;

trimethylolpropane;

cyclohexyldimethylol;

triisopropanolamine;

tetra-(2-hydroxypropyl)-ethylene diamine;

diethylene glycol di-(aminopropyl ether;

1,5-pentanediol;

1,6-hexanediol;

1,3-bis-(2-hydroxyethoxy) cyclohexane 1,4-cyclohexyldimethylol;

1,3-bis-[2-(2-hydroxyethoxy) ethoxy]cyclohexane;

1,3-bis-{2-[2-(2-hydroxyethoxy) ethoxy]ethoxy}cyclohexane;

trimethylolpropane;

polytetramethylene ether glycol; and

mixtures thereof.

6. The golf ball of claim 5, wherein the polytetramethylene ether glycol has a molecular weight from about 250 to about 3900.

7. The golf ball of claim 4, wherein the amine-terminated curing agents are selected from the group consisting of ethylene diamine;

hexamethylene diamine;

1-methyl-2,6-cyclohexyl diamine;

tetrahydroxypropylene ethylene diamine;

2,2,4- and 2,4,4-trimethyl-1,6-hexanediamine;

4,4′

-bis-(sec-butylamino) -dicyclohexylmethane;

1,4-bis-(sec-butylamino)-cyclohexane;

1,2-bis-(sec -butylamino)-cyclohexane;

derivatives of 4,4′

-bis-(sec-butylamino) -dicyclohexylmethane;

4,4′

-dicyclohexylmethane diamine;

1,4-cyclohexane-bis -(methylamine);

1,3-cyclohexane-bis-(methylamine);

diethylene glycol di-(aminopropyl) ether;

2-methylpentamethylene-diamine;

diaminocyclohexane;

diethylene triamine;

triethylene tetramine;

tetraethylene pentamine;

propylene diamine;

1,3-diaminopropane;

dimethylamino propylamine;

diethylamino propylamine;

imido-bis-propylamine;

monoethanolamine, diethanolamine;

triethanolamine;

monoisopropanolamine, diisopropanolamine;

isophoronediamine; and

mixtures thereof.

8. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the material further comprises a catalyst selected from the group consisting of a bismuth catalyst, an oleic acid, triethylenediamine, di-butyltin dilaurate, acetic acid, and mixtures thereof.

9. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cover layer has a difference in yellowness index of about 12 or less after 5 days of ultraviolet light exposure.

10. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cover layer has a difference in b chroma dimension of about 6 or less after 5 days of ultraviolet light exposure.

11. A golf ball comprising:

a core;

a layer disposed about the core forming a center; and

a cover cast onto the center, wherein the cover comprises a saturated castable reactive liquid polyurethane material comprising a saturated diisocyanate, a dimerate polyester polyol, and at least one of a saturated hydroxy-terminated curing agent, a saturated amine-terminated curing agent, or a mixture thereof.

12. The golf ball of claim 11, wherein the layer comprises a saturated polyurethane composition.

13. The golf ball of claim 11, wherein the cover has a thickness of about 0.02 inches to about 0.35 inches.

14. The golf ball of claim 11, wherein the layer thickness of the is about 0.02 inches or greater.

15. A golf ball comprising a core, an inner cover layer, and an outer cover layer, wherein the outer cover layer comprises a composition comprising a saturated polyurethane prepolymer formed from the reaction product of a saturated isocyanate and a saturated dimerate polyester polyol and a curing agent, wherein the outer cover layer has a difference in yellowness index of about 12 or less after 5 days of ultraviolet light exposure.

16. The golf ball of claim 15, wherein the outer cover layer has a difference in yellowness index of about 2 or less after 5 days of ultraviolet light exposure.

17. The golf ball of claim 15, wherein the curing agent is a saturated hydroxy-terminated curing agent.

18. The golf ball of claim 17, wherein the saturated hydroxy-terminated curing agent is selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol;

diethylene glycol;

polyethylene glycol;

propylene glycol;

2-methyl-1,3-propanediol;

2,-methyl-1,4-butanediol;

dipropylene glycol;

polypropylene glycol;

1,2-butanediol;

1,3-butanediol;

1,4-butanediol;

2,3-butanediol;

2,3-dimethyl-2,3-butanediol;

trimethylolpropane;

cyclohexyldimethylol;

triisopropanolamine;

tetra -(2-hydroxypropyl)-ethylene diamine;

diethylene glycol di-(aminopropyl)ether;

1,5-pentanediol;

1,6-hexanediol;

1,3-bis-(2-hydroxyethoxy)cyclohexane;

1,4-cyclohexyldimethylol;

1,3-bis-[2-(2-hydroxyethoxy) ethoxy]cyclohexane;

1,3-bis-{2-[2-(2-hydroxyethoxy)ethoxy]ethoxy}cyclohexane;

trimethylolpropane;

polytetramethylene ether glycol; and

mixtures thereof.