Low compression, resilient golf balls with rubber core

• US 7,655,732 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2008
• Issued: 02/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Ladd, Derek A., Bulpett, David A., Bissonnette, Laurent C., Rajagopalan, Murali
• Primary Examiner(s): BUTTNER, DAVID J
• Application Number:
  US12/212,045
• Publication Number:
  US 20090011856A1
• Time in Patent Office: 503 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 525/245
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/30 Maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0003 Golf balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0024 Materials other than ionomers or polyurethane
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0051 Materials other than polybutadienes; Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0054 Substantially rigid, e.g. metal
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/00621 Centre hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/00622 Surface hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0063 Hardness gradient
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0074 Two piece balls, i.e. cover and core
• 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 37/0092 Hardness distribution amongst different ball layers
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0096 Spin rate
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/02 Special cores balls with finger holes A63B37/0001, golf ball cores A63B37/005
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/08 Liquid cores; Plastic cores
• 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: 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: B29D 99/0042 Producing plain balls hollow balls B29D22/04
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/54 Balls
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/545 Football balls
• CPC Class Codes: C08C 19/10 : Isomerisation; Cyclisation
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 285/00 : Macromolecular compounds obtained by polymerising monomers on to preformed graft polymers
• 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 18/3215 : containing aromatic groups or benzoquinone groups
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/4854 : Polyethers containing oxyalkylene groups having four carbon atoms in the alkylene group
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 3/30 : Sulfur-, selenium- or tellurium-containing compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 5/14 : Peroxides
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 5/36 : Sulfur-, selenium-, or tellurium-containing compounds C08K5/0091 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 5/37 : Thiols
• 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 2666/02 : 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 51/04 : grafted on to rubbers
• 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 9/00 : Compositions of homopolymers or copolymers of conjugated diene hydrocarbons
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 175/04 : Polyurethanes

Abstract

A low compression, resilient golf ball having a center including a material formed from the conversion reaction of sufficient amounts of polybutadiene, a free radical source, and a cis-to-trans catalyst to convert a portion of cis-isomer to trans-isomer in the polybutadiene, wherein said material has an amount of trans-isomer greater than the amount of trans-isomer present before the conversion reaction, and wherein the reaction product includes low levels or substantially no antioxidant.

Claims

1. A golf ball comprising a core and a cover, wherein the core comprises a material formed from the conversion reaction of polybutadiene having a first amount of trans-isomer content, a free radical source, and a cis-to-trans catalyst,

wherein the conversion reaction occurs at a sufficient temperature to form a polybutadiene reaction product comprising a second amount of trans-isomer content greater than the first amount of trans-isomer content,

wherein the material has a free radical source to antioxidant ratio of about 25 or greater,

wherein the cis-to-trans catalyst comprises a blend of an organosulfur compound and an inorganic sulfide compound, wherein the organosulfur compound is selected from the group consisting of pentafluorothiophenol;

2-fluorothiophenol;

3-fluorothiophenol;

4-fluorothiophenol;

2,3-fluorothiophenol;

2,4-fluorothiophenol;

3,4-fluorothiophenol;

3,5-fluorothiophenol 2,3,4-fluorothiophenol;

3,4,5-fluorothiophenol;

2,3,4,5-tetrafluorothiophenol;

2,3,5,6-tetrafluorothiophenol;

4-chlorotetrafluorothiophenol;

pentachlorothiophenol;

2-chlorothiophenol;

3-chlorothiophenol;

4-chlorothiophenol;

2,3-chlorothiophenol;

2,4-chlorothiophenol;

3,4-chlorothiophenol;

3,5-chlorothiophenol;

2,3,4-chlorothiophenol;

3,4,5-chlorothiophenol;

2,3,4,5-tetrachlorothiophenol;

2,3,5,6-tetrachlorothiophenol;

pentabromothiophenol;

2-bromothiophenol;

3-bromothiophenol;

4-bromothiophenol;

2,3-bromothiophenol;

2,4-bromothiophenol;

3,4-bromothiophenol;

3,5-bromothiophenol;

2,3,4-bromothiophenol;

3,4,5- bromothiophenol;

2,3,4,5-tetrabromothiophenol;

2,3,5,6- tetrabromothiophenol;

pentaiodothiophenol;

2-iodothiophenol;

3-iodothiophenol;

4-iodothiophenol;

2,3-iodothiophenol;

2,4- iodothiophenol;

3,4-iodothiophenol;

3,5-iodothiophenol;

2,3,4- iodothiophenol;

3,4,5-iodothiophenol;

2,3,4,5- tetraiodothiophenol;

2,3,5,6-tetraiodothiophenoland; and

their zinc salts, the metal salts thereof, and mixtures thereof and wherein the percent change in dynamic stiffness measured at 0°

C. and −

50°

C. at the center and edge of the core is less than 121 percent.

2. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the organosulfur compound is a zinc salt of pentachlorothiophenol.

3. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the free radical source to antioxidant ratio is about 100 or greater.

4. The golf ball of claim 3, wherein the free radical source comprises a single peroxide.

5. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the material is substantially free of antioxidant.

6. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the free radical source is present in an amount of about 3 parts per hundred or less of the material and the antioxidant is present in an amount of about 0.1 parts per hundred or less of the material.

7. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein a ratio of the free radical source to the cis-to-trans catalyst is about 1 or less.

8. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein a ratio of the free radical source to the cis-to-trans catalyst is greater than about 1.

9. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein a first hardness measured at an interior location in the core differs from a second hardness measured at an exterior surface on the core by at least about 10 percent.

10. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cover comprises polyurea.

11. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cover is formed of a polyurethane composition comprising a prepolymer formed of a polyisocyanate and a polyol, and a curing agent.

12. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the material has a first hardness measured at an interior location in the core that differs from a second hardness measured at an exterior surface on the core by at least about 10 percent.

13. A golf ball having a cover and a core, wherein the core comprises a reaction product of polybutadiene having a first amount of trans-isomer, a free radical source, and a cis-to-trans catalyst comprising a blend of a halogenated organosulfur compound comprising thiophenol and an inorganic sulfide compound, wherein the reaction product comprises a second amount of trans-isomer content greater than the first amount of trans-isomer content, less than about 0.01 parts per hundred of antioxidants, and has a first hardness measured at an interior location in the core that differs from a second hardness measured at an exterior surface on the core by at least about 10 percent.

14. The golf ball of claim 13, wherein the material is substantially free of antioxidant.

15. The golf ball of claim 13, wherein a ratio of the free radical source to the antioxidant is about 50 or greater.

16. The golf ball of claim 13, wherein the second amount of trans-isomer content is about 10 percent or greater.

17. The golf ball of claim 13, wherein the cover comprises polyurethane, polyurea, or a mixture thereof.

18. A golf ball having a cover and a core, wherein the core comprises a reaction product of polybutadiene comprising:

a first amount of trans-isomer;

a free radical source; and

a cis-to-trans catalyst comprising a blend of;

a halogenated organosulfur compound having the formula

19. The golf ball of claim 18, wherein the reaction product comprises about 0.01 parts per hundred of antioxidants.