Compositions for golf equipment

• US 7,105,628 B2
• Filed: 06/02/2004
• Issued: 09/12/2006
• 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, Kuntimaddi, Manjari
• Primary Examiner(s): Buttner, David J.
• Application Number:
  US10/859,557
• Publication Number:
  US 20040220378A1
• Time in Patent Office: 832 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 528/326
• 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 37/0051 Materials other than polybutadienes; Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0052 Liquid cores
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0056 Hollow; Gas-filled
• 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

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 at least one thermoplastic, thermoset, castable, or millable material formed from a composition comprising at least one hydroxy-terminated polyamide, wherein the hydroxy-terminated polyamide is a reaction product of at least one polyamine polyamide or polyamine and at least one cyclic ester or hydroxy acid, or a reaction product of polyacid polyamide and at least one aminoalcohol or polyol amine.

2. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cyclic ester is chosen from β

-propiolactone, methyl propiolactone, bis(chloromethyl)propiolactone, β

-butyrolactone, γ

-butyrolactone, 3-hydroxy-γ

-butyrolactone, 4-hydroxy-3-pentenoic acid lactone, hydroxymethyl-butyrolactone, α

-angelicalactone, β

-angelicalactone, 4-methyl-butyrolactone, γ

-methyl-γ

-butyrolactone, γ

-hexalactone, γ

-heptalactone, γ

-octalactone, γ

-nonalactone, γ

-decalactone, γ

-undecalactone, 3-methyl-γ

-decalactone, γ

-dodecalactone, β

-valerolactone, γ

-valerolactone, γ

-hydroxy-valerolactone, mevalonic acid lactone, δ

-valerolactone, methyl-δ

-valerolactone, trimethoxyvalerolactone, δ

-heptalactone, δ

-octalactone, δ

-nonalactone, δ

-decalactone, δ

-undecalactone, δ

-dodecalactone, δ

-tridecalactone, δ

-tetradecalactone, ε

-caprolactone, ε

-caprolactone diol, ε

-caprolactone triol, γ

-methyl-ε

-caprolactone, ε

-methyl-ε

-caprolactone, β

,δ

-dimethyl-ε

-caprolactone, β

-methyl-ε

-isopropyl-caprolactone, ε

-decalactone, ε

-undecalactone, ε

-dodecalactone, γ

-caprylolactone, γ

-ethyl-γ

-caprylolactone, ζ

-enantholactone, ω

-octalactone, ω

-nonalactone, ω

-decalactone, ω

-undecanolactone, ω

-laurolactone, ω

-tridecalactone, ω

-tetradecalactone, (ω

-pentadecalactone, ω

-hexadecalactone, ω

-heptadecalactone, ω

-octadecalactone, neptalactone, ambrettolide, 3-butylidenephthalide, 7-decen-1,4-lactone, 9-decen-5-olide, δ

-2-decenolactone, δ

-7-decenolactone, dihydroactinidiolide, dihydroambrettolide, 3,3-dimethyl-2-hydroxy-4-butanolide, 3,4-dimethyl-5-pentyl-2(5H)-furanone, γ

-6-dodecenolactone, dihydrocoumarin, 5-ethyl-3-hydroxy-4-methyl-2(5H)-furanone, 5-(cis-3-hexenyl)dihydro-5-methyl-2(3H)-furanone, 3-hydroxy-4,5-dimethyl-2(5H)-furanone, 5-hydroxy-8-undecenoic acid δ

-lactone, jasmolactone, massoia lactone, menthone lactone, β

-methyl-γ

-octalactone, mintlactone, γ

-2-nonenolactone, δ

-octadecalactone, 4,4-dibutyl-γ

-butyrolactone, 6-hydroxy-3,7-dimethyloctanoic acid lactone, ω

-6-hexadecenlactone, 5-hydroxy-2,4-decadienoic acid δ

-lactone, octahydrocoumarin, 6-pentyl-α

-pyrone, 3-propylidenephthalide, sclareolide, 4-vinyl-γ

-valerolactone, 2,3-dimethyl-2,4-nonadien-4-olide, 2-buten-4-olide, 3,4-dimethyl-5-pentylidene-5H-furan-2-one, 3-decen-4-olide, 3-methyl-trans-5-decen-4-olide, 3-nonen-4-olide, α

-oxo-β

-ethyl-γ

-butyrolactone, β

-methyl-γ

-nonalactone, cis-7-decen-4-olide, 2-hydroxy-3,3-dimethyl-γ

-butyrolactone, hexahydro-3,6-dimethyl-2(3H)-benzofuranone, γ

-thiobutyrolactone, and mixtures thereof.

3. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the hydroxy acid is chosen from benzilic acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, gallic acid, gentisic acid, isovanillic acid, mandelic acid, resorcylic acid, salicylic acid, tropic acid, vanillic acid, pamoic acid, malic acid, tartaric acid, citric acid, ascorbic acid, D,L-lactic acid, D-lactic acid, L-lactic acid, glycolic acid, hydroxy-functional amino acids, and mixtures thereof.

4. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the aminoalcohol is chosen from alkanolamines, N-(hydroxyhydrocarbyl)amines, hydroxypoly(hydrocarbyloxy)amines, hydroxypoly(hydroxyl-substituted oxyalkylene)amines, monoethanolamine, diethanolamine, diethylethanolamine, ethylethanolamine, monoisopropanolamine, diisopropanolamine, butyldiethanolamine, 2-hydroxyethylhexylamine, 2-hydroxyethyloctylamine, 2-hydroxyethylpentadecylamine, 2-hydroxyethyloleylamine, 2-hydroxyethylsoyamine, 2-hydroxyethoxyethylhexylamine, N,N-(diethanol)ethylene diamines, N-(2-hydroxyethyl)ethylenediamine, N,N′

-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)ethylenediamine, 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)piperazine, mono(hydroxypropyl)-substituted tetraethylenepentamine, N-(3-hydroxybutyl)-tetramethylene diamine, N-(2-hydroxyethyl)cyclohexylamine, 3-hydroxycyclopentylamine, parahydroxyaniline, 2-propanol-1,1′

-phenylaminobis, N-hydroxyethylpiperazine, 2-aminoethanol, 3-amino-1-propanol, 1-amino-2-propanol, 2-(2-aminoethoxy)ethanol, 2-[2-aminoethyl)amino]ethanol, 2-methylaminoethanol, 2-(ethylamino)ethanol, 2-butylaminoethanol, diethanolamine, 3-[(hydroxyethyl)amino]-1-propanol, diisopropanolamine, bis(hydroxyethyl)-aminoethylamine, bis(hydroxypropyl)-aminoethylamine, bis(hydroxyethyl)-aminopropylamine, bis(hydroxypropyl)-aminopropylamine, hydroxy-functional amino acids, and mixtures thereof.

5. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the hydroxy-teminated polyamide has a general structure of:

6. A golf ball comprising at least one thermoplastic, thermoset, castable, or millable material formed from a composition comprising at least one hydroxy-terminated polyamide, wherein the hydroxy-terminated polyamide is polyol polycaprolactam having a generic structure of:

7. A golf ball comprising at least one thermoplastic, thermoset, castable, or millable material formed from a composition comprising at least one hydroxy-terminated polyamide, wherein the hydroxy-terminated polyamide has a weight average molecular weight of 200–

5,000.