Multi-layer high spin golf ball

• US 7,052,413 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2002
• Issued: 05/30/2006
• 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: Dalton, Jeffrey L., Cavallaro, Christopher, Rajagopalan, Murali
• Primary Examiner(s): Gorden, Raeann
• Application Number:
  US10/115,540
• Publication Number:
  US 20040192470A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,518 Days
• Field of Search: 473/376, 473/373, 473/374, 473/368, 473/367
• US Class Current: 473/373
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0003 Golf balls
• 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 37/0064 Diameter
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/008 Diameter
• 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: B32B 27/36 comprising polyesters
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/40 comprising polyurethanes
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 210/02 Ethene
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 220/06 Acrylic acid; Methacrylic acid; Metal salts or ammonium salts thereof
• 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 23/0869 Acids or derivatives thereof
• 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 2666/06 Homopolymers or copolymers of unsaturated hydrocarbons; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/14 Macromolecular compounds according to C08L59/00 - C08L87/00; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/18 : Polyesters or polycarbonates according to C08L67/00 - C08L69/00; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/20 : Macromolecular compounds having nitrogen in the main chain according to C08L75/00 - C08L79/00; 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 51/00 : Compositions of graft polymers in which the grafted component is obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds for ABS polymers C08L55/02; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers
• 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 53/025 : modified
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 67/025 : containing polyether sequences
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 75/04 : Polyurethanes
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 75/06 : from polyesters
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 9/00 : Compositions of homopolymers or copolymers of conjugated diene hydrocarbons

Abstract

A golf ball comprising a core of one or more layers, a cover layer of one or more layers and a mantle layer disposed between the core and the cover. The mantle layer comprises a thermoplastic material, preferably having a hardness of greater than 60 Shore D and a Bashore resilience of greater than 34 and the cover is comprised of urethane.

Claims

1. A golf ball comprising:

(a) a core of at least one layer;

(b) a cover layer of one or more layers; and

(c) a mantle layer disposed between the core and the cover;

wherein the mantle layer comprises a dynamically vulcanized thermoplastic elastomer, functionalized styrene-butadiene elastomer, thermoplastic polyurethane or metallocene polymer or blends thereof and the cover is comprised of urethane having a thickness of between about 0.01 and 0.1 inches.

2. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the mantle layer is from about 0.025 inches to about 0.125 inches.

3. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core is comprised of an inner core layer and outer core layer and the inner core layer is comprised of a polybutadiene rubber and organosulfur compound.

4. The golf ball of claim 3, wherein the diameter of the core is about 1.40 inches to about 1.570 inches.

5. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the mantle has a flex modulus of about 3240 psi to about 156,070 psi.

6. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the mantle has a tensile modulus of about 2078 psi to about 182,869 psi.

7. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the overall diameter of the finished ball is about 1.68 inches to about 1.80 inches.

8. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cover is a thermoset polyurethane.

9. The golf ball of claim 1, further comprising an inner cover comprised of a thermoplastic elastomer or thermoplastic rubber.

10. The golf ball of claim 9, wherein the inner cover has a thickness of about 0.005 to 0.04.

11. The golf ball of claim 1, further comprising an inner cover comprised of ethylene or propylene based homopolymers or copolymers, fully or partially neutralized ionomers and their blends, methyl acrylate or methyl methacrylate homopolymers and copolymers, imidized, amino group containing polymers, polycarbonate, reinforced polyamides, polyphenylene oxide, polystyrene, polyether ketone, polysulfone, poly(ethylene terephthalate), reinforced engineering plastics, acrylonitrile-butadiene, acrylic-styrene-acrylonitrile, poly(ethylene-vinyl alcohol), poly(tetrafluoroethylene) and their copolymers and blends thereof.