Compositions for golf equipment

• US 7,709,590 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2008
• Issued: 05/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Wu, Shenshen, Ricci, Shawn
• Primary Examiner(s): BUTTNER, DAVID J
• Application Number:
  US12/061,960
• Publication Number:
  US 20080188326A1
• Time in Patent Office: 761 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 528/64
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0003 Golf balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0022 Coatings, e.g. paint films; Markings
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0023 Covers
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0024 Materials other than ionomers or polyurethane
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0031 Hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0032 Hardness gradient
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0033 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0035 Density; Specific gravity
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0037 Flexural modulus; Bending stiffness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0038 Intermediate layers, e.g. inner cover, outer core, mantle
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0043 Hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0045 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0047 Density; Specific gravity
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0049 Flexural modulus; Bending stiffness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/005 Cores
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0061 Coefficient of restitution
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0062 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 37/0084 : Initial velocity
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0087 : Deflection or compression
• 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 18/3237 : aromatic C08G18/3234 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/3243 : containing two or more aromatic rings
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/3857 : having nitrogen in addition to sulfur
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/44 : Polycarbonates
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/4615 : containing nitrogen
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/4854 : Polyethers containing oxyalkylene groups having four carbon atoms in the alkylene group
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/5024 : containing primary and/or secondary amino groups
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/5039 : containing amide groups
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/69 : Polymers of conjugated dienes hydrogenated polymers of conjugated dienes C08G18/6208
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/696 : containing heteroatoms other than oxygen and other than the heteroatoms of copolymerised vinyl monomers
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/758 : containing two or more cycloaliphatic rings
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/798 : containing urethdione groups

Abstract

A golf ball comprising a core, an inner cover layer, and an outer cover layer, the outer cover layer being formed from a polyurea including a prepolymer and an amine curative. The prepolymer is formed from an aliphatic isocyanate and a secondary polyamine polyether having a formula:

where x=1-70; R₁ and R₂ each independently=a C_1-20 alkyl group, phenyl, or a mixture thereof; and R₃=H, CH₃, or a mixture thereof.

Claims

1. A golf ball comprising a core, an inner cover layer, and an outer cover layer, the outer cover layer being formed from a polyurea comprising:

a prepolymer comprising;

an aliphatic isocyanate; and

a secondary polyamine polyether having a formula;

2. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the amine curative comprises 3,5-diethyl-2,4-toluenediamine or 3,5-diethyl-2,6-toluenediamine.

3. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the aliphatic isocyanate comprises 2% by weight to 15% by weight reactable isocyanate moieties.

4. The golf ball of claim 3, wherein the aliphatic isocyanate comprises 5% by weight to 11% by weight reactable isocyanate moieties.

5. The golf ball of claim 4, wherein the aliphatic isocyanate comprises 6% by weight to 9.5% by weight reactable isocyanate moieties.

6. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the aliphatic isocyanate comprises 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate.

7. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the aliphatic isocyanate comprises uretdione of hexamethylene diisocyanate.

8. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the aliphatic isocyanate comprises isocyanurate of hexamethylene diisocyanate.

9. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the aliphatic isocyanate comprises dimerized uretdione of hexamethylene diisocyanate, trimerized isocyanurate of hexamethylene diisocyanate, and trimerized biuret of hexamethylene diisocyanate.

10. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the secondary polyamine polyether does not contain an —

OH group.

11. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core comprises a solid center and an outer core layer.

12. The golf ball of claim 11, wherein the center has an outer diameter of 0.095 inches to 1.1 inches.

13. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the outer cover layer has a material hardness of 70 Shore C to 80 Shore C and a hardness, as measured on the golf ball, of 40 Shore D to 55 Shore D.

14. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the outer cover layer has a first hardness and the inner cover layer has a second hardness, and a ratio of the first to second hardness is 0.8 to 0.7.

15. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the outer cover layer has a thickness of 0.025 inches to 0.04 inches.

16. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the inner cover layer has a thickness of 0.01 inches to 0.045 inches.

17. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the inner cover layer has a thickness of 0.025 inches to 0.035 inches.

18. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core has an outer diameter of 1.5 inches to 1.6 inches.