Golf balls comprising highly-neutralized acid polymers

• US 6,994,638 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2004
• Issued: 02/07/2006
• 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:
  US10/839,595
• Publication Number:
  US 20040209705A1
• Time in Patent Office: 643 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 comprising a center and an outer core layer, the center comprising a thermoset polybutadiene rubber composition having a first hardness; and

the outer core layer comprising a polymer comprised of an acid group fully-neutralized by an organic acid or a salt of the organic acid, and a cation source or a suitable base of the cation source; and

having a second hardness; and

an inner cover layer and an outer 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, polyurethnnes, polyureas, polyurethane-ureas;

polyurea-urethanes;

or cationic ionomers;

wherein the first hardness is from about 50 Shore A to about 55 Shore D and first hardness is less than the second Shore D hardness by at least about 10 points.

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

3. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the organic acid is selected from the group consisting 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 salt 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, and mixtures thereof.

5. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the center has a first elastic modulus and the outer core layer has a second elastic modulus, and the first elastic modulus is less than the second elastic modulus by at least 10%.

6. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cover layer is formed from a non-castable material, or is castable, injection molded, or compression molded over the core.

7. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polymer comprises jonomeric 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, and mixtures thereof.

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

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

10. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein at least one of the inner cover or outer cover comprises a polyurethane material, a polyurea material, a polyurethane-urea hybrid material, or a polyurea-urethane hybrid material.

11. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein at least one of the inner cover or outer cover comprise a polymer comprising an acid group fully-neutralized by an organic acid or a salt, a cation source, or a suitable base thereof.

12. The golf ball of claim 1, 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.

13. The golf ball of claim 1, 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.

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

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

16. A golf ball comprising:

a core comprising a center and an outer core layer, the center comprising a thermoset polybutadiene rubber composition having a first hardness and a first elastic modulus; and

the outer core layer comprising a polymer comprised of an acid group fully-neutralized by an organic acid or a salt of the oraanic acid, and a cation source or a suitable base of the cation source; and

having a second hardness and a second elastic modulus; and

a cover layer comprising an inner cover layer and an outer cover layer, at least one of the inner or outer cover layers 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, polyurethanes, polyureas, polyurethane-ureas;

polyurea-urethanes;

or cationic ionomers;

wherein the first hardness is from about 50 Shore A to about 55 Shore D and first hardness is less than the second Shore D hardness by at least about 10 points; and

the first elastic modulus is less than the second elastic modulus by at least 10%.