Multilayered golf ball and composition

• US 7,015,300 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2003
• Issued: 03/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Wu, Shenshen, Rajagopalan, Murali
• Primary Examiner(s): Buttner, David J.
• Application Number:
  US10/615,936
• Publication Number:
  US 20040010096A1
• Time in Patent Office: 985 Days
• Field of Search: 528/76, 528/77, 528/80, 528/81, 528/85, 473/374, 473/377, 473/378
• US Class Current: 528/76
• 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 37/0033 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0037 Flexural modulus; Bending stiffness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0043 Hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0045 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0064 Diameter
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0075 Three piece balls, i.e. cover, intermediate layer and core
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2043/3644 Vacuum bags; Details thereof, e.g. fixing or clamping
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 43/305 Making multilayered articles
• 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: C08L 23/08 Copolymers of ethene C08L23/16 takes precedence
• 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 2666/14 Macromolecular compounds according to C08L59/00 - C08L87/00; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/24 Graft or block copolymers according to groups C08L51/00, C08L53/00 or C08L55/02; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 75/08 from polyethers
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 9/00 Compositions of homopolymers or copolymers of conjugated diene hydrocarbons
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 175/04 : Polyurethanes

Abstract

A multilayer golf ball formed of a core, a cover layer and an optional intermediate layer disposed between the core and cover, wherein at least one layer includes a composition including a diisocyanate, a polyol or amine-terminated compound, and a curing agent, wherein the curing agent includes a diol or secondary diamine.

Claims

1. A golf ball comprising:

a core;

a layer disposed about the core having a hardness of about 30 Shore D or greater, a flexural modulus of about 1,000 psi to about 80,000 psi, and a thickness of about 0.01 inches to about 0.100 inches, wherein the layer is formed from a thermoplastic composition comprising p-phenylene diisocyanate and at least one hydroxy-terminated curing agent selected from the group consisting of poly(phthalate carbonate)glycol, poly(hexamethylene carbonate)glycol, polycarbonate polyols containing bisphenol A, and mixtures thereof; and

a cover having a hardness of about 20 Shore D or greater, a flexural modulus of about 1,000 psi to about 30,000 psi, and a thickness of about 0.01 inches to about 0.05 inches, wherein the cover is formed from a thermoset material.

2. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core comprises a center and an outer core layer, and wherein the center has a diameter of about 0.5 inches to about 1.3 inches.

3. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic composition further comprises a hydroxy-terminated curing agent selected from the group consisting of polyethylene propylene glycol, polytetramethylene ether glycol, polyoxypropylene glycol, ethylene oxide capped poly(oxypropylene)glycol, and mixtures thereof.

4. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic composition further comprises a hydroxy-terminated curing agent selected from the group consisting of 1,6-hexanediol-initiated polycaprolactone, diethylene glycol initiated polycaprolactone, trimethylol propane initiated polycaprolactone, neopentyl glycol initiated polycaprolactone, 1,4-butanediol-initiated polycaprolactone, polytetramethylene ether glycol initiated polycaprolactone, and mixtures thereof.

5. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the thermoset material comprises polyurethane, polyurea, or combinations thereof.

6. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core has a diameter of about 1.55 inches or greater.

7. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cover has a thickness of about 0.025 inches to about 0.04 inches.

8. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the layer has a thickness of about 0.01 to about 0.045 inches.

9. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the layer has a hardness of about 50 to about 75 Shore D.

10. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cover has a hardness of about 35 Shore D to about 55 Shore D.

11. A golf ball comprising:

a core;

a layer disposed about the core having a hardness of about 30 Shore D or greater, a flexural modulus of about 1,000 psi to about 80,000 psi, and a thickness of about 0.01 inches to about 0.100 inches, wherein the intermediate layer is formed from a thermoset material; and

a cover having a hardness of about 20 Shore D or greater, a flexural modulus of about 1,000 psi to about 30,000 psi, and a thickness of about 0.01 inches to about 0.05 inches, wherein the cover is firmed from a thermoplastic composition comprising p-phenylene diisocyanate and at least one hydroxy-terminated curing agent having the following structure;

wherein R₃ comprises at least one phthlatate group, at least one hexamethylene group, at least one bisphenol A group, or combinations thereof, and wherein n ranges from about 1 to about 25.

12. The golf ball of claim 11, wherein the core comprises a center and an outer core layer, and wherein the center has a diameter of about 0.5 inches to about 1.3 inches.

13. The golf ball of claim 11, wherein the thermoplastic composition further comprises at least one density-adjusting filler.

14. The golf ball of claim 11, wherein the thermoset material comprises polyurethane, polyurea, or polybutadiene.

15. The golf ball of claim 11, wherein the thermoplastic composition comprises an additional curing agent.

16. The golf ball of claim 15, wherein the additional curing agent comprises hydroxy-terminated curing agents, amine-terminated curing agents, or a combination thereof.

17. The golf ball of claim 11, wherein the layer has a first hardness and the cover has a second hardness, and wherein the ratio of the second hardness to first hardness is about 1.33 or less.

18. The golf ball of claim 17, wherein the ratio of the second hardness to first hardness is about 1.14 or less.

19. The golf ball of claim 11, wherein the cover has a hardness of about 54 Shore D to 72 Shore D.

20. The golf ball of claim 11, wherein the at least one hydroxy-terminated curing agent s selected from the group consisting of poly(phthalate carbonate)glycol, poly(hexamethylene carbonate)glycol, polycarbonate polyols containing bisphenol A, and mixtures thereof.