Compositions for use in golf balls

• US 7,358,309 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2005
• Issued: 04/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Bulpett, David A., Sullivan, Michael J., Rajagopalan, Murali, Harris, Kevin M., Comeau, Brian, Voorheis, Peter R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Buttner; David J.
• Application Number:
  US11/173,277
• Publication Number:
  US 20060281586A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,019 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 525/251
• 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 37/0043 Hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0064 Diameter
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0065 Deflection or compression
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0078 Coefficient of restitution
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0087 Deflection or compression
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 3/38 Boron-containing compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 5/55 Boron-containing compounds C08K5/0091 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 21/00 Compositions of unspecified rubbers

Abstract

A golf ball including a core and at least one layer disposed about the core, wherein the core or the layer includes a composition formed from a base polymer, a crosslink initiator, and at least one additive. The additive has at least one C—O—B linkage, the carbon in the linkage being a secondary or tertiary carbon. The additive is also selected from the group consisting of boranes, borates, boronates, borinates, heterocylic compounds having at least one boron atom as a ring member, boron-containing organosulfides, sulfur-containing silicocompounds, salts of such additives, and metal salts, organometallic salts, and non-metal salts of boron complexes.

Claims

1. A golf ball comprising a core and at least one layer disposed about the core, wherein the core or the layer comprises a composition formed from a base polymer, a crosslink initiator, and at least one additive, the additive having at least one C—

O—

B linkage, the carbon in the linkage being a secondary or tertiary carbon, and being selected from the group consisting of boranes, borates, boronates, borinates, heterocylic compounds having at least one boron atom as a ring member, boron-containing organosulfides, salts of such additives, and metal salts, organometallic salts, and non-metal salts of boron complexes.

2. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the additive is selected from the group consisting of monoorgano-, diorgano-, and triorgano-borane compounds of or containing BR₃, boric acids, sulfur-substituted borates, amine borate esters, boronic acids, diboronates, boriic acids, dioxaborolanes, dioxaborinanes, compounds having the structures of B(OR)₃, B(OR″

)₃N, R′

B(OR)₂, YR″

B(OR)₂, Y′

[R″

B(OR)₂]and R′

₂B(OR), metal and non-metal salts of such additives, salts containing tetraorgano-borane anions R₄B_⊖

, where R and R′

are the same or different monovalent radicals selected from the group consisting of H and organic radicals having 40 or less carbon atoms, optionally having one or more heteroatoms, optionally substituted with one or more electron-withdrawing groups;

R″

is the same or different divalent radicals selected from the group consisting of organic radicals having 20 or less carbon atoms, optionally having one or more heteroatoms, optionally substituted with one or more electron-withdrawing groups;

Y is selected from the group consisting of thiocyano, epoxyl, glycidyl, epithio, vinyl, allyl, amine, and AZ groups where A is oxygen or sulfur atom, and Z is selected from the group consisting of H, metal cations, organometallic cations, and non-metal organic cations;

Y′

is a divalent radical of polysulfide S_y, or polyselenium Se_y; and

y is an integer of 1 to 8.

3. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the composition further comprises at least one component selected from the group consisting of metal salts of unsaturated acids having 3 to 8 carbon atoms, fillers, fatty acids and salts thereof.

4. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core has a first coefficient of restitution, the golf ball has a second coefficient of restitution, and at least one of the first and second coefficients of restitution is 0.8 or greater.

5. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the additive is present in an amount of 0.1 phr to 5 phr by weight of the base polymer.

6. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the composition further comprises at least one amine-based compound.

7. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core has a diameter of 1.5 inches or greater and a compression of 45 to 80.

8. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core has a diameter of 1.5 inches or greater and a compression of 50 to 90, and comprises a center and an outer core layer.

9. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the at least one layer is an outer cover layer having a thickness of 0.05 inches or less and a flexural modulus of 2,000 psi to 30,000 psi.

10. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the golf ball further comprises an outer cover layer, and the at least one layer is an intermediate layer disposed between the core and the outer cover layer, each of the layers having a thickness of 0.05 inches or less.

11. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core has a compression of 45-70, and the golf ball has a coefficient of restitution of 0.8 or greater.

12. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the golf ball further comprises an intermediate layer having a thickness of 0.05 inches or less disposed between the core and the outer cover layer.

13. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core has a compression of 45-70, and the golf ball has a coefficient of restitution of 0.8 or greater.

14. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the at least one layer is an outer cover layer, and the golf ball further comprises an intermediate layer having a thickness of 0.05 inches or less disposed between the core and the outer cover layer.