Golf ball

• US 6,905,425 B2
• Filed: 07/19/2001
• Issued: 06/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited
• Inventors: Sasaki, Takashi, Kato, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Vidovich, Gregory
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hunter, Jr., Alvin A.
• Application Number:
  US09/907,664
• Publication Number:
  US 20020034991A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,426 Days
• Field of Search: 473351-378, 525/93, 525/94
• US Class Current: 473/378
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0003 Golf balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0024 Materials other than ionomers or polyurethane
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0031 Hardness
• 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 is provided that is soft and thus provides an excellent shot feeling, the golf ball exhibiting less deterioration in impact resilience and a superior spin characteristic. The golf ball is further superior in burr resistance and scuff resistance when being shot by an iron club. The golf ball is formed of a core and a cover surrounding the core and the cover composition contains a polymer component including 10 to 80 parts by weight of an ethylene-(meth)acrylic acid copolymer-based ionomer resin (Component A), 0 to 60 parts by weight of an ethylene-(meth)acrylic acid-(meth)acrylic acid ester ternary copolymer-based ionomer resin (Component B), and 5 to 60 parts by weight of a thermoplastic elastomer containing a styrene block (Component C). The cover composition has a shore D hardness of 40 to 60.

Claims

1. A golf ball including a core and a cover surrounding said core, said cover formed of a cover composition containing a polymer component including 10 to 80 parts by weight of an ethylene-(meth)acrylic acid copolymer-based ionomer resin (Component A), greater than 0 and up to 60 parts by weight of an ethylene-(meth) acrylic acid-(meth) acrylic acid ester ternary copolymer-based ionomer resin (Component B), and 5 to 60 parts by weight of a thermoplastic elastomer which comprises a polymer alloy of a polymer containing a styrene block and a polyolefin (Component C), said cover composition having a shore D hardness of 40 to 60.

2. The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein

said polymer containing the styrene block is a styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymer (SBS), styrene-isoprene-styrene block copolymer (SIS), styrene-isoprene-butadiene-styrene block copolymer (SIBS), or hydrogenated copolymers of respective copolymers.

3. The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein

said polymer containing the styrene block is a styrene-ethylene-butadiene-styrene block copolymer (SEBS).

4. The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein

said thermoplastic elastomer has a shore A hardness of at most 95.

5. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein component A has a shore D hardness of 55 to 70 and a flexural modulus of 200 to 500 MPa.

6. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein component B has a shore D hardness of 30 to 55 and a flexural modulus of 10 to 100 MPa.

7. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein component A has a composition ratio of ethylene and the acrylic acid and or methacrylic acid constituting the copolymer of 70 to 95% by weight ethylene and 5 to 30% by weight of the acrylic acid or methacrylic acid.

8. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein component B has a composition ratio of ethylene, an acrylic acid or methacrylic acid, and an acrylic acid ester of methacrylic acid ester constituting the terpolymer of 70 to 85% by weight ethylene, 5 to 20% by weight of acrylic or methacrylic acid and 10 to 25% by weight of acrylic or methacrylic acid ester.

9. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the styrene in the copolymer is 10 to 50% by weight.

10. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein component B is present in an amount of 15 parts to 40 parts by weight.

11. The golf ball of claim 10, wherein component B has a Shore D hardness of 30 to 55 and a flexural modulus of 10 to 100 Mpa.