Low compression, resilient golf balls with rubber core

• US 6,998,445 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2002
• Issued: 02/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Bulpett, David A., Bissonnette, Laurent C., Rajagopalan, Murali, Ladd, Derek A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Buttner, David J.
• Application Number:
  US10/190,705
• Publication Number:
  US 20030119989A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,316 Days
• Field of Search: 525/261, 525/274, 473/371, 473/372, 473/377
• US Class Current: 525/261
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/30 Maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0003 Golf balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0024 Materials other than ionomers or polyurethane
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0051 Materials other than polybutadienes; Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0054 Substantially rigid, e.g. metal
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/00621 Centre hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/00622 Surface hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0063 Hardness gradient
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0074 Two piece balls, i.e. cover and core
• 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 37/0092 Hardness distribution amongst different ball layers
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0096 Spin rate
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/02 Special cores balls with finger holes A63B37/0001, golf ball cores A63B37/005
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/08 Liquid cores; Plastic cores
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/12 Special coverings , i.e. outer layer material balls with finger holes A63B37/0001, golf ball covers A63B37/0023
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 43/18 incorporating preformed parts or layers, e.g. compression moulding around inserts or for coating articles B29C43/206 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 99/0042 Producing plain balls hollow balls B29D22/04
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/54 Balls
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/545 Football balls
• CPC Class Codes: C08C 19/10 : Isomerisation; Cyclisation
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 285/00 : Macromolecular compounds obtained by polymerising monomers on to preformed graft polymers
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/10 : Prepolymer processes involving reaction of isocyanates or isothiocyanates with compounds having active hydrogen in a first reaction step
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/3215 : containing aromatic groups or benzoquinone groups
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/4854 : Polyethers containing oxyalkylene groups having four carbon atoms in the alkylene group
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 3/30 : Sulfur-, selenium- or tellurium-containing compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 5/14 : Peroxides
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 5/36 : Sulfur-, selenium-, or tellurium-containing compounds C08K5/0091 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 5/37 : Thiols
• 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 2666/02 : Organic macromolecular compounds, natural resins, waxes or and bituminous materials
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/04 : Macromolecular compounds according to groups C08L7/00 - C08L49/00, or C08L55/00 - C08L57/00; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 51/04 : grafted on to rubbers
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 53/00 : Compositions of block copolymers containing at least one sequence of a polymer obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 53/02 : of vinyl-aromatic monomers and conjugated dienes
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 9/00 : Compositions of homopolymers or copolymers of conjugated diene hydrocarbons
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 175/04 : Polyurethanes

Abstract

A low compression, resilient golf ball having a center including a material formed from the conversion reaction of sufficient amounts of polybutadiene, a free radical source, and a cis-to-trans catalyst to convert a portion of cis-isomer to trans-isomer in the polybutadiene, wherein said material has an amount of trans-isomer greater than the amount of trans-isomer present before the conversion reaction, and wherein the reaction product is susbstantially free of antioxidant.

Claims

1. A golf ball having a cover and a core, wherein the core comprises a material formed from the conversion reaction of polybutadiene, a free radical source comprising a single peroxide, and a cis-to-trans catalyst comprising zinc pentachlorothiophenol, wherein the conversion reaction occurs at a sufficient temperature to form a polybutadiene reaction product comprising:

a second amount of trans-isomer content greater than the first amount of trans-isomer content, wherein the material has a free radical source to antioxidant ratio of about 25 or greater, wherein the cis-to-trans catalyst is present in an amount of about 2.2 parts per hundred or greater, and wherein a first hardness measured at an interior location in the core differs from a second hardness measured at an exterior surface on the core by at least about 10 percent wherein the golf ball has a coefficient of restitution of about 0.81 or greater.

2. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the free radical source to antioxidant ratio is about 50 or greater.

3. The golf ball of claim 2, wherein the free radical source to antioxidant ratio is about 100 or greater.

4. The golf ball of claim 3, wherein the free radical source to antioxidant ratio is about 200 or greater.

5. The golf ball of claim 4, wherein the free radical source to antioxidant ratio is about 300 or greater.

6. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cover comprises at least one of a vinyl resin, a polyolefin, a polyurethane, a polyurea, a polyamide, an acrylic resin, a polyphenylene oxide resin, a thermoplastic polyester, a thermoplastic rubber, a fully-neutralized polymer, a partially-neutralized polymer, or a mixture thereof.

7. The golf ball of claim 6, wherein the cover is formed of a polyurethane composition comprising a prepolymer formed of a polyisocyanate and a polyol, and a curing agent.

8. The golf ball of claim 7, wherein at least one of the prepolymer and curing agent are saturated.

9. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the material is substantially free of antioxidants.

10. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the free radical source is present in an amount of about 3 parts per hundred or less of the material and the antioxidant is present in an amount of about 0.1 parts per hundred or less of the material.

11. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein a ratio of the free radical source to the cis-to-trans catalyst is about 1 or less.

12. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein a ratio of the free radical source to the cis-to-trans catalyst is greater than about 1.

13. The golf ball of claim 9, wherein the material comprises less than about 0.05 parts per hundred or less of antioxidants.

14. A golf ball having a cover and a core,

wherein the core comprises a material formed from the conversion reaction of polybutadiene, a free radical source comprising a single peroxide, and a cis-to-trans catalyst comprising zinc pentachlorothiophenol present in an amount of about 2.2 parts per hundred or greater, wherein the conversion reaction occurs at a sufficient temperature to form a polybutadiene reaction product comprising a second amount of trans-isomer content greater than the first amount of trans-isomer content, wherein the material has a free radical source to antioxidant ratio of about 25 or greater, wherein the reaction product has a first hardness measured at an interior location in the core that differs from a second hardness measured at an exterior surface on the core by at least about 10 percents

wherein the cover comprises an inner cover and an outer cover, wherein at least one of the inner and outer cover has a thickness of 0.02 to 0.04 inches, and

wherein the golf ball has a coefficient of restitution of about 0.81 or greater.

15. The golf ball of claim 14, wherein the free radical source to antioxidant ratio is about 100 or greater.

16. The golf ball of claim 15, wherein the material is substantially free of antioxidants.

17. The golf ball of claim 14, wherein the second amount of trans-isomer content is about 10 percent or greater.

18. The golf ball of claim 17, wherein the second amount of trans-isomer is about 20 percent or greater.

19. The golf ball of claim 14, wherein the cis-to-trans catalyst is present in an amount of about 2.3 parts per hundred to about 5 parts per hundred.

20. The golf ball of claim 16, wherein the material comprises less than about 0.01 parts per hundred or less of antioxidants.

21. The golf ball of claim 14, wherein the cover comprises polyurethane.