Method of making a golf ball with a multi-layer core

• US 7,407,450 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2005
• Issued: 08/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Dalton, Jeffrey L., Cavallaro, Christopher, Boehm, Herbert C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hunter; Alvin A
• Application Number:
  US11/118,329
• Publication Number:
  US 20050202903A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,191 Days
• Field of Search: 473351-378
• US Class Current: 473/361
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0003 Golf balls
• 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 37/0045 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/00621 Centre hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0069 Flexural modulus; Bending stiffness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0076 Multi-piece balls, i.e. having two or more intermediate layers
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/00921 whereby hardness of the cover is higher than hardness of the intermediate layers
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 45/00 Apparatus or methods for manufacturing balls working of plastics or substances in a plastic state B29
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2043/3644 Vacuum bags; Details thereof, e.g. fixing or clamping
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 43/146 for making multilayered articles
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 43/18 incorporating preformed parts or layers, e.g. compression moulding around inserts or for coating articles B29C43/206 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 43/305 Making multilayered articles
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/70 Completely encapsulating inserts B29C70/86 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 99/0042 Producing plain balls hollow balls B29D22/04
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/256 Sheets, plates, blanks or films
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/52 Sports equipment ; Games; Articles for amusement; Toys B29L2031/54 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/54 Balls
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 210/02 : Ethene
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 220/06 : Acrylic acid; Methacrylic acid; Metal salts or ammonium salts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 220/12 : of monohydric alcohols or phenols
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 21/00 : Compositions of unspecified rubbers
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2205/02 : containing two or more polymers of the same C08L -group
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2205/03 : containing three or more polymers in a blend
• 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 2666/02 : Organic macromolecular compounds, natural resins, waxes or and bituminous materials
• 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 2666/06 : Homopolymers or copolymers of unsaturated hydrocarbons; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/08 : Homopolymers or copolymers according to C08L7/00 - C08L21/00; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/14 : Macromolecular compounds according to C08L59/00 - C08L87/00; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/20 : Macromolecular compounds having nitrogen in the main chain according to C08L75/00 - C08L79/00; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/24 : Graft or block copolymers according to groups C08L51/00, C08L53/00 or C08L55/02; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 51/006 : grafted on to block copolymers containing at least one sequence of polymer obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 53/00 : Compositions of block copolymers containing at least one sequence of a polymer obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 53/02 : of vinyl-aromatic monomers and conjugated dienes
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 75/04 : Polyurethanes
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 9/00 : Compositions of homopolymers or copolymers of conjugated diene hydrocarbons

Abstract

A method for making a multilayer golf ball including a solid center having a center hardness, a plurality of laminates cut into a plurality of shapes formed around the center to create an inner ball, and a cover formed around the inner ball, wherein the plurality of layers can include at least a first layer having a hardness greater than the center hardness and a second layer having a hardness greater than the first layer hardness, and optionally a third layer disposed between the first and the second layers having a hardness greater than the first layer hardness.

Claims

1. A golf ball comprising:

a center;

a cover; and

a laminate, wherein the laminate comprises;

a plurality of layers comprising at least a first layer comprising at least one thermoplastic material and at least a second layer comprising at least one thermoset material, wherein the thermoset material comprises polybutadiene.

2. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the first layer is adjacent the center and the at least one thermoplastic material comprises dynamically vulcanized thermoplastic elastomers, functionalized styrene-butadiene elastomers, thermoplastic rubbers, thermoplastic urethanes, metallocene polymers, ionomer resins, or blends thereof.

3. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the first layer has a first hardness and the center has a center hardness, wherein the first hardness is greater than the center hardness.

4. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the center has a center hardness, the first layer has a first hardness, and the second layer has a second hardness, and wherein the first hardness is less than the center hardness.

5. The golf ball of claim 4, wherein the laminate further comprises a third layer disposed in between the first layer and the second layer, wherein the third layer has a third hardness less than the first hardness.

6. The golf ball of claim 5, wherein the first hardness is from about 70 to about 75 Shore C, the second hardness is from about 75 to about 80 Shore C, and the third hardness is from about 72 to about 77 Shore C.

7. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the second layer is adjacent the cover and the at least one thermoset material has a flexural modulus of about 50,000 psi or greater.

8. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cover comprises at least one layer formed of a material having a flexural modulus of about 50,000 psi or less.

9. The golf ball of claim 1, further comprising a third layer disposed in between the first layer and the second layer, wherein the third layer has a third hardness greater than the first hardness.

10. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cover is formed of a composition comprising at least one castable reactive liquid material.

11. The golf ball of claim 10, wherein the at least one castable reactive liquid material comprises cast polyurethane.

12. A golf ball comprising:

a center;

a cover; and

a laminate, wherein the laminate comprises;

a plurality of layers comprising at least a first layer having a first hardness, a second layer having a second hardness, and a third layer disposed between the first and second layers having a third hardness greater than the first hardness, wherein at least one of the first layer, second layer, or third layer comprises at least one thermoset material.

13. The golf ball of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of layers has a thickness of about 0.1 inches or less.

14. The golf ball of claim 13, wherein the thickness is about 0.05 inches or less.

15. The golf ball of claim 12, wherein the first hardness is about 70 Shore C to about 75 Shore C, the second hardness is about 75 Shore C to about 80 Shore C, and the third hardness is about 72 Shore C to about 77 Shore C.

16. A golf ball comprising:

a core having a core hardness;

a cover having a cover hardness; and

a laminate disposed between the core and the cover, wherein the laminate comprises;

a plurality of layers comprising at least a first layer having a first hardness and comprising a thermoplastic material, a second layer having a second hardness and comprising a thermoset material, and a third layer disposed between the first and second layers having a third hardness greater than the first hardness.

17. The golf ball of claim 16, wherein the first layer is adjacent the core and the first hardness is greater than the core hardness, and wherein the second layer is adjacent the cover and the second hardness is greater than the first hardness.

18. The golf ball of claim 16, wherein the first layer is adjacent the core and the first hardness is less than the core hardness, and wherein the second layer is adjacent the cover and the second hardness is less than the first hardness.

19. The golf ball of claim 16, wherein the first, second, and third layers each have a thickness of about 0.1 inches or less.