Golf ball and thermoplastic material

• US 7,612,135 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2007
• Issued: 11/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
• Original Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
• Inventors: Kennedy, Thomas J. III, Binette, Mark L.
• Primary Examiner(s): BUTTNER, DAVID J
• Application Number:
  US11/929,309
• Publication Number:
  US 20080058451A1
• Time in Patent Office: 735 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 524/322
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 5/09 Carboxylic acids; Metal salts thereof; Anhydrides thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 23/04 Homopolymers or copolymers of ethene
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 23/0815 Copolymers of ethene with aliphatic 1-olefins
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 23/0869 Acids or derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 23/0876 Neutralised polymers, i.e. ionomers
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2314/06 Metallocene or single site catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/02 Organic macromolecular compounds, natural resins, waxes or and bituminous materials

Abstract

Disclosed herein are a novel thermoplastic material and a golf ball utilizing the thermoplastic material of the invention. The golf ball (10) preferably comprises a core (12), a cover (16) and, optionally, a boundary layer (14). At least one of the core (12), cover (16) or boundary layer (14) of the golf ball (10) comprises a thermoplastic material according to the invention. A thermoplastic material of the invention comprises a partially to highly neutralized blend of an acid copolymer, a copolymer comprising a metallocene-catalyzed alpha-olefin and a softening comonomer, and a fatty acid or fatty acid salt.

Claims

1. A thermoplastic material comprising:

a copolymer comprising an alpha olefin and an alpha, beta-unsaturated carboxylic acid in an amount of fifty parts by weight;

a plastomer comprising a metallocene-catalyzed ethylene/butane copolymer in an amount of fifty parts by weight;

an oleic acid in an amount of approximately 67 parts by weight;

magnesium hydroxide in an amount of approximately 8 parts by weight; and

barites in amount of 40 parts by weight;

wherein the thermoplastic material is 100% neutralized.