Thin-layer-covered golf ball with improved velocity

• US 7,001,954 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2003
• Issued: 02/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Wu, Shenshen, Bulpett, David A., Bissonnette, Laurent, Hebert, Edmund A., Rajagopalan, Murali, Voorheis, Peter, Wrigley, Mark N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Buttner, David J.
• Application Number:
  US10/694,798
• Publication Number:
  US 20040092338A1
• Time in Patent Office: 846 Days
• Field of Search: 525/261, 525/264, 525/274, 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 37/0051 Materials other than polybutadienes; Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0064 Diameter
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0066 Density; Specific gravity
• 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 37/0078 Coefficient of restitution
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0082 Density; Specific gravity
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0087 Deflection or compression
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/02 Special cores balls with finger holes A63B37/0001, golf ball cores A63B37/005
• 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: 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
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 75/04 : Polyurethanes
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 9/00 : Compositions of homopolymers or copolymers of conjugated diene hydrocarbons
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 175/04 : Polyurethanes

Abstract

A golf ball comprising a center comprising a polybutadiene having a molecular weight of greater than 200,000 and a resilience index of at least about 40; and a cover layer comprising a polyurethane composition formed from a prepolymer having no greater than 7.5 percent by weight unreacted isocyanate groups.

Claims

1. A golf ball comprising:

a center comprising;

a resilient polymer comprising polybutadiene having a molecular weight of greater than about 200,000;

a crosslinking material present in an amount of about 10 to about 40 parts per hundred of the resilient polymer;

a free radical source present in an amount of about 0.1 to about 15 parts per hundred of the resilient polymer;

a cis-to-trans catalyst present in an amount sufficient to produce a center having a first amount of trans-isomer at an interior location and a second amount of trans-isomer at a surface location, wherein the first amount is at least about 6 percent less than the second amount, and wherein the cis-to-trans catalyst comprises a metal organosulfur compound; and

a cover comprising a thermoplastic or thermoset polyurethane.

2. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the first amount is at least about 10 percent less than the second amount.

3. The golf ball of claim 2, wherein the first amount is at least about 20 percent less than the second amount.

4. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the center has an Atti compression of less than about 50.

5. The golf ball of claim 4, wherein the center has an Atti compression of less than about 25.

6. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the interior location is a midpoint of the center.

7. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cover has a thickness of about 0.02 inches to about 0.04 inches.

8. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the resilient polymer comprises at least 12 percent trans-isomer at the center.

9. A golf ball comprising:

a center comprising;

a cured resilient polymer component comprising polybutadiene having a molecular weight of greater than about 200,000, wherein the cured resilient polymer component comprises an amount of trans-isomer at least about 32 percent or greater based on the resilient polymer component;

a crosslinking material present in an amount of about 10 to about 40 parts per hundred of the resilient polymer;

a free radical source present in an amount of about 0.1 to about 15 parts per hundred of the resilient polymer;

a cis-to-trans catalyst present in an amount sufficient to produce a center having a first amount of trans-isomer at an interior location and a second amount of trans-isomer at a surface location; and

a cover comprising a thermoplastic or thermoset polyurethane.

10. The golf ball of claim 9, wherein the first amount is at least about 6 percent less than the second amount.

11. The golf ball of claim 10, wherein the second amount is at least about 10 percent less than the second amount.

12. The golf ball of claim 11, wherein the second amount is at least about 20 percent less than the second amount.

13. The golf ball of claim 9, wherein the cis-to-trans catalyst comprises a metal organosulfur compound.

14. A golf ball comprising:

a center comprising;

a resilient polymer comprising polybutadiene having a molecular weight of greater than about 250,000;

a crosslinking material present in an amount of about 10 to about 30 parts per hundred of the resilient polymer;

a free radical source present in an amount of about 0.2 to about 5 parts per hundred of the resilient polymer;

a cis-to-trans catalyst present in an amount from about 0.1 to 5 parts per hundred of the resilient polymer, wherein the center has a first amount of trans-isomer at an interior location and a second amount of trans-isomer at a surface location, wherein the first amount is at least about 6 percent less than the second amount, and wherein the resilient polymer comprises at least about 32 percent trans-isomer; and

a cover comprising a castable reactive liquid material.

15. The golf ball of claim 14, wherein the first amount is at least about 10 percent less than the second amount.

16. The golf ball of claim 15, wherein the first amount is at least about 20 percent less than the second amount.

17. The golf ball of claim 14, wherein the castable reactive liquid material comprises polyurethane.

18. The golf ball of claim 14, wherein the cis-to-trans catalyst comprises an organosulfur compound.

19. The golf ball of claim 14, wherein the cis-to-trans catalyst comprises an aromatic organic compound.

20. The golf ball of claim 19, wherein the aromatic organic compound comprises a fused ring C₆ to C₂₄ aromatic group, a hydroxy group, a metal salt of a hydroxyl, a mercapto group, a metal salt of a mercapto group, or a combination thereof.