Compositions for use in golf balls

• US 7,417,106 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2005
• Issued: 08/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Wu, Shenshen, Kuntimaddi, Manjari, Rajagopalan, Murali
• Primary Examiner(s): BUTTNER, DAVID J
• Application Number:
  US11/162,544
• Publication Number:
  US 20060014923A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,077 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 528/61
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0003 Golf balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0061 Coefficient of restitution
• 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 37/0076 Multi-piece balls, i.e. having two or more intermediate layers
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/12 Special coverings , i.e. outer layer material balls with finger holes A63B37/0001, golf ball covers A63B37/0023
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/0852 the solvents being organic
• 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 18/3206 aliphatic
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/3234 cycloaliphatic
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/324 containing only one aromatic ring
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/5021 having nitrogen
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/5024 containing primary and/or secondary amino groups
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/69 Polymers of conjugated dienes hydrogenated polymers of conjugated dienes C08G18/6208
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/758 containing two or more cycloaliphatic rings
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/792 formed by oligomerisation of aliphatic and/or cycloaliphatic isocyanates or isothiocyanates
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 175/12 from compounds containing nitrogen and active hydrogen, the nitrogen atom not being part of an isocyanate group

Abstract

A golf ball having a core and at least one layer disposed about the core is disclosed. The at least one layer is formed from a composition having multiple reactive and/or non-reactive ingredients. At least one of these ingredients is a sterically hindered polyamine, preferably formed from an active hydrogen functional compound and an amine/acid ortho- or meta-substituted cyclic compound.

Claims

1. A golf ball comprising:

a core, the core having a diameter; and

at least one layer disposed about the core, the layer having a thickness, wherein the layer is formed from a polyurea composition, wherein the polyurea is formed by reacting a polyurea prepolymer with an amine curative, and wherein the polyurea prepolymer is formed by reacting a polyisocyanate with a sterically hindered polyamine having one of the following structures;

2. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the diameter is 1 inch or greater, and the thickness is 0.005 inches to 0.1 inches.

3. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core is a solid core having a compression of 40 to 100 or a coefficient of restitution of 0.7 or greater, and the layer has a flexural modulus of 1,000 psi to 100,000 psi or a Shore D hardness of 90 or less.

4. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the golf ball has a coefficient of restitution of 0.7 or greater.

5. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein A is O.

6. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein at least one of x and y is 0.

7. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein R₁ has one or more heteroatoms.

8. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein R₁ is a divalent alkylene.

9. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the golf ball further comprises:

an intermediate layer disposed between the at least one layer and the core;

or

an outer cover layer disposed about the at least one layer.

10. A golf ball comprising:

a core, the core having a diameter; and

at least one layer disposed about the core, the layer having a thickness, wherein the layer is formed from a polyurea composition, wherein the polyurea is formed by reacting a polyurea prepolymer with an amine curative, and wherein the polyurea prepolymer is formed by reacting a polyisocyanate with a sterically hindered polyamine formed from;

a first compound being an active hydrogen functional compound, and

a second compound chosen from cyclic compounds having ortho- or meta- positioned (organo)amine and (organo)acid substitutions, esters thereof, and substituted or unsubstituted oxazine diones.

11. The golf ball of claim 10, wherein the active hydrogen functional compound is chosen from alkanediols, alkanetriols, polyalkanediols, dihydroxy telechelics, and trihydroxy telechelics.

12. The golf ball of claim 10, wherein the active hydrogen functional compound is chosen from ethylene glycol, 1-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol, 1,2-propanediol, 1,3-propanediol, 2-methyl-1,3-propanediol, 1,3-butanediol, 1,4-butanediol, 2,3-butanediol, 2-methyl-1,4-butanediol, 1,1,4,4-tetraphenyl-1,4-butanediol, 2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-1,3-cyclobutanediol, 1,5-pentanediol, 2,4-pentanediol, 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol, 1,6-hexanediol, 2,5-hexanediol, 1,7-heptanediol, 1,8-octanediol, 1,12-dodecanediol, 2-n-butyl-2-ethyl-1,3-propanediol, 3-chloro-1,2-proanediol, 1,4-cyclohexanediol, 2,5-dimethyl-2,5-hexanediol, 2,2-dimethyl-1,3-propanediol, 2,2-diphenyl-1,3-propanediol, 2-ethyl-1,3-hexanediol, 2-ethyl-2-methyl-1,3-propanediol, hydroquinone di(β

-hydroxyethyl)ether, hydroquinone di(β

-hydroxypropyl)ether, resorcinol di(β

-hydroxyethyl)ether, resorcinol di(β

-hydroxypropyl)ether, 2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenol)propane.

13. The golf ball of claim 10, wherein the second compound has one of the following structures:

14. The golf ball of claim 10, wherein the second compound has one of the following structures:

15. The golf ball of claim 10, wherein the diameter is 1 inch or greater, and the thickness is 0.005 inches to 0.1 inches.

16. The golf ball of claim 10, wherein the core is a solid core having a compression of 40 to 100 or a coefficient of restitution of 0.7 or greater, and the layer has a flexural modulus of 1,000 psi to 100,000 psi or a Shore D hardness of 90 or less.

17. The golf ball of claim 10, wherein the golf ball has a coefficient of restitution of 0.7 or greater.

18. The golf ball of claim 10, wherein the golf ball further comprises:

an intermediate layer disposed between the at least one layer and the core;

or

an outer cover layer disposed about the at least one layer.