Golf ball cores comprising a halogenated organosulfur compound

• US 6,881,794 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2002
• Issued: 04/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Cavallaro, Christopher, Rajagopalan, Murali, Voorheis, Peter, Jordan, Michael D
• Primary Examiner(s): Buttner, David J.
• Application Number:
  US10/308,581
• Publication Number:
  US 20030130396A1
• Time in Patent Office: 868 Days
• Field of Search: 524/393, 525/261, 525/274, 525/201, 525/221, 473/371, 473/372, 473/377
• US Class Current: 525/261
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0003 Golf balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0033 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/00621 Centre hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/00622 Surface hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0064 Diameter
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0065 Deflection or compression
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0078 Coefficient of restitution

Abstract

A golf ball consisting of a core having a diameter of between about 1.54 and about 1.61 inches and a compression of between about 70 and about 80, the core comprising a polybutadiene rubber having a Mooney viscosity of less than about 50 and a halogenated organosulfur compound, or a salt thereof, present in an amount of at least about 2.2 parts per hundred parts of polybutadiene rubber, the halogenated organosulfur compound having the formula:
where R₁-R₅ are C₁-C₈ alkyl groups; halogen groups; thiol groups; carboxylated groups; sulfonated groups; or hydrogen; and a cover having a thickness of less than about 0.05 inches, the cover consisting essentially of a first ionomeric material, a second ionomeric material, and a metallocene-catalyzed polymer.

Claims

1. A golf ball consisting of:

a core having a diameter of between about 1.54 and about 1.61 inches and a compression of between about 70 and about 80, the core comprising a polybutadiene rubber having a Mooney viscosity of less than about 50 and a halogenated organosulfur compound, or a salt thereof, present in an amount of at least about 2.2 parts per hundred parts of polybutadiene rubber, the halogenated organosulfur compound having the formula;

where R₁-R₅ are C₁-C₈ alkyl groups;

halogen groups;

thiol groups;

carboxylated groups;

sulfonated groups;

or hydrogen; and

a cover having a thickness of less than about 0.05 inches, the cover consisting essentially of a first ionomeric material, a second ionomeric material, and a metallocene-catalyzed polymer.

2. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core has a diameter of between about 1.57 and about 1.59 inches.

3. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cover layer has a thickness of between about 0.04 inches and about 0.05 inches.

4. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polybutadiene composition further comprises an α

,β

-unsaturated carboxylic acid or a metal salt thereof, an organic peroxide, and a filler.

5. The golf ball of claim 4, wherein the α

,β

-unsaturated carboxylic acid or a metal salt thereof is present in an amount greater than about 30 parts per hundred parts of polybutadiene rubber.

6. The golf ball of claim 5, wherein the α

,β

-unsaturated carboxylic acid or a metal salt thereof is present in an amount greater than about 40 parts per hundred parts of polybutadiene rubber.

7. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the first and second ionomeric materials contain α

,β

-unsaturated carboxylic acid groups, or the salts thereof, that have been partially- or fully-neutralized.

8. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the halogenated organosulfur compound is present in an amount between about 2.2 parts and about 5 parts.

9. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the halogenated organosulfur compound is selected from the group consisting of pentachlorothiophenol or a metal salt of pentachlorothiophenol.

10. The golf ball of claim 9, wherein the metal salt is selected from the group consisting of zinc, calcium, magnesium, sodium, and lithium.

11. The golf ball of claim 10, wherein the metal salt is zinc.

12. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the first and second ionomeric materials comprise copolymers or terpolymers of ethylene and methacrylic acid or acrylic acid partially- or fully-neutralized with salts of zinc, sodium, lithium, magnesium, potassium, calcium, manganese, or nickel.

13. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polybutadiene has a Mooney viscosity between about 35 and about 50.

14. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polybutadiene has a polydispersity of less than about 2.

15. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the first ionomeric material present in an amount between about 50% and about 60%, the second ionomeric material present in an amount between about 15% and about 25%, and the metallocene-catalyzed polymer present in an amount between about 20% and about 30%.

16. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core has a surface hardness and a geometric center hardness that differs from the surface hardness by at least about 20 Shore D.

17. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the golf ball has a coefficient of restitution of between about 0.813 and about 0.823.

18. A golf ball consisting of:

a core having a diameter of between about 1.58 and about 1.61 inches and a compression of between about 70 and about 80, the core comprising a polybutadiene rubber having a Mooney viscosity of less than about 50 and a halogenated organosulfur compound or a salt thereof; and

a cover having a thickness of less than about 0.05 inches, the cover consisting essentially of a first ionomeric material, a second ionomeric material, a metallocene-catalyzed polymer;

wherein the golf ball has a coefficient of restitution of greater than about 0.813.

19. The golf ball of claim 18, wherein the halogenated organosulfur compound is present in an amount of at least about 2.2 parts per hundred parts of the polybutadiene rubber, the halogenated organosulfur compound having the formula:

where R₁-R₅ are C₁-C₈ alkyl groups;

halogen groups;

thiol groups;

carboxylated groups;

sulfonated groups;

or hydrogen.

20. A golf ball consisting of:

a core having a diameter of between about 1.57 and about 1.59 inches and a compression of between about 70 and about 80, the core comprising a polybutadiene rubber having a Mooney viscosity of less than about 50 and a halogenated organosulfur compound selected from the group consisting of pentafluorothiophenol;

2-fluorothiophenol;

3-fluorothiophenol;

4-fluorothiophenol;

2,3-fluorothiophenol;

2,4-fluorothiophenol;

3,4-fluorothiophenol;

3,5-fluorothiophenol 2,3,4-fluorothiophenol;

3,4,5-fluorothiophenol;

2,3,4,5-tetrafluorothiophenol;

2,3,5,6-tetrafluorothiophenol;

4-chlorotetrafluorothiophenol;

pentachlorothiophenol;

2-chlorothiophenol;

3-chlorothiophenol;

4-chlorothiophenol;

2,3-chlorothiophenol;

2,4-chlorothiophenol;

3,4-chlorothiophenol;

3,5-chlorothiophenol;

2,3,4-chlorothiophenol;

3,4,5-chlorothiophenol;

2,3,4,5-tetrachlorothiophenol;

2,3,5,6-tetrachlorothiophenol;

pentabromothiophenol;

2-bromothiophenol;

3-bromothiophenol;

4-bromothiophenol;

2,3-bromothiophenol;

2,4-bromothiophenol;

3,4-bromothiophenol;

3,5-bromothiophenol;

2,3,4-bromothiophenol;

3,4,5-bromothiophenol;

2,3,4,5-tetrabromothiophenol;

2,3,5,6-tetrabromothiophenol;

pentaiodothiophenol;

2-iodothiophenol;

3-iodothiophenol;

4-iodothiophenol;

2,3-iodothiophenol;

2,4-iodothiophenol;

3,4-iodothiophenol;

3,5-iodothiophenol;

2,3,4-iodothiophenol;

3,4,5-iodothiophenol;

2,3,4,5-tetraiodothiophenol;

2,3,5,6-tetraiodothiophenoland;

zinc salts thereof, and metal salts thereof; and

a cover having a thickness of between about 0.02 inches and about 0.05 inches, the cover consisting essentially of a first ionomeric material present in an amount between about 50% and about 60%, a second ionomeric material present in an amount between about 15% and about 25%, and a metallocene-catalyzed polymer present in an amount between about 20% and about 30%.