Thin-layer-covered golf ball with improved velocity

• US 7,105,610 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2004
• Issued: 09/12/2006
• 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:
  US10/828,253
• Publication Number:
  US 20040198918A1
• Time in Patent Office: 874 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 material having a molecular weight of greater than about 200,000 and a resilience index of at least about 40, wherein the material is formed from a conversion reaction comprising a cis-to-trans catalyst and a polybutadiene material; and

a cover layer comprising a polyurethane composition formed from a prepolymer having less than about 14 percent by weight unreacted isocyanate groups.

2. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polybutadiene has a vinyl-isomer content of less than about 2 percent by weight, a cis-isomer content of at least about 95 percent by weight, or both.

3. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cis-to-trans catalyst comprises at least one of an organosulfur compound, an inorganic sulfur compound, an aromatic organometallic compound, a metal-organosulfur compound, tellurium, selenium, elemental sulfur, a polymeric sulfur, or an aromatic organic compound.

4. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the prepolymer has less than about 7.5 percent by weight unreacted isocyanate groups.

5. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polyurethane composition comprises an isocyanate, a polyol, and a curing agent.

6. The golf ball of claim 5, wherein the isocyanate comprises 4,4′

-diphenylmethane diisocyanate, polymeric 4,4′

-diphenylmethane diisocyanate, carbodiimide-modified liquid 4,4′

-diphenylmethane diisocyanate, 4,4′

-dicyclohexylmethane diisocyanate, p-phenylene diisocyanate, toluene diisocyanate, isophoronediisocyanate, p-methylxylene diisocyanate, m-methylxylene diisocyanate, o-methylxylene diisocyanate, or a mixture thereof.

7. The golf ball of claim 5, wherein the polyol comprises a polyether polyol, hydroxy-terminated polybutadiene, polyester polyol, polycaprolactone polyol, polycarbonate polyol, or mixtures thereof.

8. The golf ball of claim 5, wherein the curing agent comprises a polyamine curing agent, a polyol curing agent, or a mixture thereof.

9. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cover layer has a thickness of less than about 0.05 inches.

10. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the center has an outer diameter of at least about 1.55 inches.

11. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cover comprises an inner cover layer and an outer cover layer, the inner cover layer disposed between the center and the outer cover layer.

12. The golf ball of claim 11, wherein the inner cover layer comprises an ionomer resin, a polyurethane, a polyetherester, a polyetheramide, a polyester, a dynamically vulcanized elastomer, a functionalized styrenebutadiene elastomer, a metallocene polymer nylon, acrylonitrile butadiene-styrene copolymer, or blends thereof.

13. A golf ball comprising:

a center comprising a material having a molecular weight of greater than about 200,000 and a resilience index of at least about 40, wherein the material is formed from a conversion reaction comprising a cis-to-trans catalyst and a polybutadiene material; and

a cover layer having a thickness of about 0.05 inches or less comprising a polyurethane composition formed from a prepolymer having less than about 7.5 percent by weight unreacted isocyanate groups.

14. The golf ball of claim 13, wherein the prepolymer comprises an isocyanate and a polyol.

15. The golf ball of claim 14, wherein the isocyanate comprises less than about 0.1 percent free monomer groups.

16. The golf ball of claim 13, wherein the molecular weight of the center material is about 300,000 to about 500,000.

17. The golf ball of claim 13, wherein the golf ball further comprises an intermediate layer formed of an ionomer resin.

18. The golf ball of claim 13, wherein the polyurethane composition is thermoset.

19. The golf ball of claim 13, wherein the cis-to-trans catalyst comprises at least one of an organosulfur compound, an inorganic sulfur compound, an aromatic organometallic compound, a metal-organosulfur compound, tellurium, selenium, elemental sulfur, a polymeric sulfur, or an aromatic organic compound.