Compositions for golf equipment

• US 7,101,951 B2
• Filed: 06/02/2004
• Issued: 09/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Wu, Shenshen, Ricci, Shawn
• Primary Examiner(s): Buttner, David J.
• Application Number:
  US10/859,538
• Publication Number:
  US 20040220357A1
• Time in Patent Office: 825 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 528/61
• 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 37/0039 characterised by the material
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0045 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/12 Special coverings , i.e. outer layer material balls with finger holes A63B37/0001, golf ball covers A63B37/0023

Abstract

A golf ball comprising at least one thermoplastic, thermoset, castable, or millable material formed from a composition comprising at least one telechelic polycarbonate having a generic structure of:

where R₁ and R₂ independently include hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, aralkyl, alicyclic, cycloalkyl, and alkoxy groups; R₃ to R₆ independently include linear, branched, cyclic, aliphatic, alicyclic, araliphatic, aromatic, and ether moieties having 2–60 carbon atoms; x is 1 to 200; and y and z are independently 0 to 200.

Claims

1. A golf ball comprising at least one thermoplastic, thermoset, castable, or millable material formed from a composition comprising at least one telechelic polycarbonate comprising α

,ω

-diamino poly(hexamethylene carbonate-block-trioxyethylene carbonate-block-hexamethylene carbonate) or α

,ω

-dihydroxy poly(hexamethylene carbonate-block-trioxyethylene carbonate-block-hexamethylene carbonate).

2. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the telechelic polycarbonate has a molecular weight of 200to 12,000.

3. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the composition further comprises at least one reactant chosen from isocyanates and curatives.

4. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the composition further comprises at least one isocyanate-containing prepolymer, and wherein the telechelic polycarbonate copolymer is used to cure the prepolymer.

5. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the material at least in part forms at least one portion of the golf ball comprising an inner center, core, inner core layer, intermediate core layer, outer core layer, intermediate layer, cover, inner cover layer, intermediate cover layer, outer cover layer, discontinuous layer, wound layer, foamed layer, lattice network layer, web or net, adhesion or coupling layer, barrier layer, layer of uniformed or non-uniformed thickness, layer having a plurality of discrete elements, or a layer filled with liquid, gel, powder, or a gas.

6. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the material forms at least one cover layer having a thickness of 0.125 inches or less and a Shore D hardness of 20 to 80.

7. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the composition further comprises an amorphous telechelic polycarbonate comprising amorphous polyamine polycarbonate or amorphous polyol polycarbonate.

8. The golf ball of claim 7, wherein the amorphous telechelic polycarbonate is substantially free of ether linkages.

9. The golf ball of claim 7, wherein the amorphous telechelic polycarbonate has a molecular weight of 200 to 12,000.