Compositions for golf balls

• US 7,014,574 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2005
• Issued: 03/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Wu, Shenshen, Ricci, Shawn
• Primary Examiner(s): Acquah, Samuel A.
• Application Number:
  US11/063,511
• Publication Number:
  US 20050143525A1
• Time in Patent Office: 391 Days
• Field of Search: 528/295.3, 528/296, 528/302, 525/437, 525/440, 525/439, 473/374, 473/378
• US Class Current: 473/374
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0003 Golf balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/00221 characterised by the material
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0024 Materials other than ionomers or polyurethane
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0031 Hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0033 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0039 characterised by the material
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0043 Hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0061 Coefficient of restitution
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0064 Diameter
• 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 37/0087 Deflection or compression
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0092 Hardness distribution amongst different ball layers
• 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 18/42 Polycondensates having carboxylic or carbonic ester groups in the main chain
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/4233 derived from polymerised higher fatty acids or alcohols
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/4277 Caprolactone and/or substituted caprolactone
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/758 containing two or more cycloaliphatic rings
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 63/52 Polycarboxylic acids or polyhydroxy compounds in which at least one of the two components contains aliphatic unsaturation

Abstract

Golf balls comprising thermoplastic, thermoset, castable, or millable elastomer compositions are presently disclosed. These elastomer compositions comprise reaction products of polyisocyanates and telechelic polymers having isocyanate-reactive end-groups such as hydroxyl groups and/or amine groups. These elastomer compositions can be used in any one or more portions of the golf balls, such as inner center, core, inner core layer, intermediate core layer, outer core layer, intermediate layer, cover, inner cover layer, intermediate cover layer, and/or outer cover layer.

Claims

1. A golf ball comprising a core and at least one layer disposed about the core, wherein the layer comprises a composition comprising a polyester polyol formed from a polyol and a polyacid, and wherein at least one of the polyol and the polyacid is a fatty compound.

2. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polyacid is a fatty polyacid comprising suberic acid, azelaic acid, sebacic acid, undecanedioic acid, dodecanedioic acid, brassylic acid, tetradecanedioic acid, pentadecanedioic acid, heptadecanedioic acid, heptadecanedioic acid, octadecanedioic acid, heptadecanedicarboxylic acid, octadecanedicarboxylic acid, nonadecanedicarboxylic acid, eicosanedicarboxylic acid, hydrogenated vinyl-tetradecenedioic acid, hydrogenated eicosedienedioic acid, hydrogenated dimethyl-eicosedienedioic acid, hydrogenated 8-vinyl-10-octadecenedioic acid, or a polymerized fatty polyacid.

3. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polyacid comprises a dimer diacid, a trimer triacid, or an adduct diacid.

4. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polyacid has a structure of:

where

R comprises hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, aralkyl, alicyclic, cycloalkyl, or alkoxy group;

m+n≧

8; and

x+y≧

8.

5. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polyol is a fatty polyol.

6. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polyol is a dimer diol.

7. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polyol has a structure of:

where

R comprises hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, aralkyl, alicyclic, cycloalkyl, or alkoxy group;

m+n≧

8; and

x+y≧

8.

8. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polyester polyol is formed from at least one dimer diol and at least one dimer diacid.

9. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polyester polyol has a molecular weight of 1,000 to 3,000.

10. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polyester polyol has a hydroxyl number of 20 to 150.

11. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polyester polyol has a hydroxyl number of 30 to 80.

12. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the composition further comprises a polyisocyanate.

13. The golf ball of claim 12, wherein the polyisocyanate and the polyester polyol react to form a prepolymer having a % NCO of 3% to 15%.

14. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the composition further comprises a triol or a tetraol.

15. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the composition further comprises a polycaprolactone triol having a molecular weight of 230 to 1,000.

16. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the layer is an outer cover layer.

17. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the layer is an intermediate layer disposed between the core and an outer cover layer.

18. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the layer is a coating layer.

19. A golf ball, the golf ball having a compression of 50 to 120 and comprising:

a core, the core having a diameter of 1.5 inches to 1.65 inches;

an intermediate layer disposed about the core, the intermediate layer having a first Shore D hardness of 20 to 80;

an outer cover layer disposed about the intermediate layer;

the outer cover layer having a thickness of 0.005 inches to 0.05 inches and a second Shore D hardness of 30 to 70; and

an optional coating layer disposed about the outer cover layer, wherein at least one of the intermediate layer, the outer cover layer, and the coating layer is formed from a composition comprising a polyester polyol formed from a dimer diol and a dimer diacid, a polyisocyanate, and a triol or tetraol.

20. The golf ball of claim 19, wherein the core or the golf ball has a coefficient of restitution of 0.8 or greater.