Golf balls comprising highly-neutralized acid polymers

• US 7,230,045 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2004
• Issued: 06/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Sullivan, Michael J., Rajagopalan, Murali
• Primary Examiner(s): Buttner; David J.
• Application Number:
  US10/959,751
• Publication Number:
  US 20050049367A1
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 524/322
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0004 Surface depressions or protrusions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0024 Materials other than ionomers or polyurethane
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0027 Polyurea
• 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 37/0043 Hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0045 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0047 Density; Specific gravity
• 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 37/0061 Coefficient of restitution
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0062 Hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0064 Diameter
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0065 Deflection or compression
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0075 Three piece balls, i.e. cover, intermediate layer and core
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0091 Density distribution amongst the different ball layers
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0092 Hardness distribution amongst different ball layers
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0097 Layers interlocking by means of protrusions or inserts, lattices or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/02 : Special cores balls with finger holes A63B37/0001, golf ball cores A63B37/005
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 8/00 : Chemical modification by after-treatment graft polymers, block polymers, crosslinking with unsaturated monomers or with polymers C08F251/00 - C08F299/00; of conjugated diene rubbers C08C
• 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

Abstract

A golf ball comprising a single-layer core having a diameter of 0.10 inches to 1.50 inches, a PGA compression of 110 or less and, and comprising a copolymer of ethylene and an α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid, the acid being 100% neutralized by a salt of an organic acid, a cation source, or a suitable base of the organic acid; and a thermoplastic or thermoset cover comprising polyurethane, polyurea, epoxy resins, polyamides, polyesters, polycarbonates, or a copolymer comprising urethane and urea segments.

Claims

1. A golf ball comprising:

a single-layer core having a diameter of 0.10 inches to 1.50 inches, a PGA compression of 110 or less and, and comprising a copolymer of ethylene and an α

,β

-unsaturated carboxylic acid, an organic acid or salt thereof, and sufficient cation source to fully-neutralize the acid groups of the copolymer; and

a thermoplastic or thermoset cover comprising a castable reactive liquid polyurethane, polyurea, epoxy resin, polyamide or a copolymer comprising urethane and urea segments;

wherein the core is injection molded or compression molded and has an outer surface treated by plasma treatment, corona discharge, or chemical treatment.

2. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cation source is selected from a group consisting of metal cations of lithium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, barium, lead, tin, zinc, or aluminum.

3. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the salt of an organic acid comprises an organic acid selected from the group consisting of aliphatic organic acids, aromatic organic acids, saturated mono- or multi-functional organic acids, unsaturated mono- or multi-functional organic acids, and multi-unsaturated mono- or multi-functional organic acids.

4. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the salt of an organic acid comprises stearic acid, behenic acid, erucic acid, oleic acid, linoelic acid or dimerized derivatives thereof.

5. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the salt of an organic acid comprises a cation selected from the group consisting of barium, lithium, sodium, zinc, bismuth, chromium, cobalt, copper, potassium, strontium, titanium, tungsten, magnesium, cesium, iron, nickel, silver, aluminum, tin, and calcium.

6. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core further comprises ionomeric copolymers and terpolymers, ionomer precursors, thermoplastics, thermoplastic elastomers, grafted metallocene-catalyzed polymers, non-grafted metallocene-catalyzed polymers, single-site polymers, high-crystalline acid polymers and their ionomers, cationic ionomers, and mixtures thereof.

7. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core diameter is 0.2 inches to 1.47 inches.

8. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cover is injection molded, cast, reaction injection molded, or compression molded over the core.

9. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cover layer material hardness is 60 Shore D or less.

10. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core compression is 15 to 90.

11. A golf ball comprising:

a single-layer core comprised of a polymer comprising a copolymer of ethylene and an α

,β

-unsaturated carboxylic acid, an organic acid or salt thereof, and sufficient cation source to fully-neutralize the acid groups of the copolymer, and the core having a PGA compression of 110 or less and a diameter of 0.10 inches to 1.50 inches; and

a cover comprising a thermoplastic cover layer comprising ionomeric copolymers and terpolymers, ionomer precursors, thermoplastics, thermoplastic elastomers, grafted metallocene-catalyzed polymers, non-grafted metallocene-catalyzed polymers, single-site polymers, high-crystalline acid polymers and their ionomers, or cationic ionomers;

wherein the core is injection molded or compression molded and has an outer surface treated by plasma treatment, corona discharge, or chemical treatment.

12. A golf ball comprising:

a core comprised of a polymer comprising an E/X/Y terpolymer of ethylene, an α

,β

-unsaturated carboxylic acid, and a softening co-monomer present in an amount of 30-50 wt. % of the polymer, an organic acid or salt thereof and sufficient cation source to fully-neutralize the acid groups of the copolymer, and the core having a PGA compression of 90 or less and a diameter of 1.0 inch or less;

an intermediate layer having a thickness of 0.05 inches to 0.3 inches; and

an outer cover layer having a thickness of 0.01 inches to 0.1 inches and comprising a thermoplastic or thermoset cover layer comprising ionomeric copolymers and terpolymers, ionomer precursors, thermoplastics, thermoplastic elastomers, grafted metallocene-catalyzed polymers, non-grafted metallocene-catalyzed polymers, single-site polymers, high-crystalline acid polymers and their ionomers, cationic ionomers, polyurethane, polyurea, epoxy resins, polyethylenes, polyamides, polyesters, polycarbonates, or a copolymer comprising urethane and urea segments;

wherein the core has first specific gravity, intermediate layer has a second specific gravity, and the first specific gravity differs from the second specific gravity by at least 0.1.

13. The golf ball of claim 12, wherein the intermediate layer thickness is 0.08 inches to 0.15 inches.

14. The golf ball of claim 12, wherein the outer cover layer thickness is 0.03 inches to 0.05 inches.

15. The golf ball of claim 12, wherein the core compression is 50 or less.

16. The golf ball of claim 12, wherein the core comprises a fluid-filled center.

17. The golf ball of claim 12, wherein the cover is a castable reactive liquid.

18. The golf ball of claim 12, wherein the core has an outer surface treated by plasma treatment, corona discharge, or chemical treatment.

19. The golf ball of claim 12, wherein the core is compression molded or injection molded.

20. A golf ball comprising:

a core comprised of a polymer comprising an E/X/Y terpolymer of ethylene, an α

,β

-unsaturated carboxylic acid, and a softening co-monomer present in an amount of 30-50 wt. % of the polymer, an organic acid or salt thereof, and sufficient cation source to fully-neutralize the acid groups of the copolymer, and the core having a PGA compression of 90 or less and a diameter of 1.0 inch or less;

an intermediate layer having a thickness of 0.05 inches to 0.3 inches; and

an outer cover layer having a thickness of 0.01 inches to 0.1 inches and comprising a thermoplastic or thermoset cover layer comprising ionomeric copolymers and terpolymers, ionomer precursors, thermoplastics, thermoplastic elastomers, grafted metallocene-catalyzed polymers, non-grafted metallocene-catalyzed polymers, single-site polymers, high-crystalline acid polymers and their ionomers, cationic ionomers, polyurethane, polyurea, epoxy resins, polyethylenes, polyamides, polyesters, polycarbonates, or a copolymer comprising urethane and urea segments;

wherein the cover is a castable reactive liquid.

21. A golf ball comprising:

a core comprised of a polymer comprising an E/X/Y terpolymer of ethylene, an α

,β

-unsaturated carboxylic acid, and a softening co-monomer present in an amount of 30-50 wt. % of the polymer, an organic acid or salt thereof, and sufficient cation source to fully-neutralize the acid groups of the copolymer, and the core having a PGA compression of 90 or less and a diameter of 1.0 inch or less;

an intermediate layer having a thickness of 0.05 inches to 0.3 inches; and

an outer cover layer having a thickness of 0.01 inches to 0.1 inches and comprising a thermoplastic or thermoset cover layer comprising ionomeric copolymers and terpolymers, ionomer precursors, thermoplastics, thermoplastic elastomers, grafted metallocene-catalyzed polymers, non-grafted metallocene-catalyzed polymers, single-site polymers, high-crystalline acid polymers and their ionomers, cationic ionomers, polyurethane, polyurea, epoxy resins, polyethylenes, polyamides, polyesters, polycarbonates, or a copolymer comprising urethane and urea segments;

wherein the core has an outer surface treated by plasma treatment, corona discharge, or chemical treatment.