Variable density core golf balls

• US 9,056,228 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2012
• Issued: 06/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Ladd, Derek A., Sullivan, Michael J., DeSimas, Antonio U., Hebert, Edmund A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gorden, Raeann
• Application Number:
  US13/539,689
• Publication Number:
  US 20120270677A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,079 Days
• Field of Search: 473/373, 473/374
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0003 Golf balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0066 Density; Specific gravity
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0082 Density; Specific gravity
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0091 Density distribution amongst the different ball layers

Abstract

A golf ball is provided having a modified density gradient among the inner layers to produce a desired high or low moment of inertia and controlled spin rate is disclosed. The golf ball has three or more inner layers in addition to a cover, and the density of the inner layers is selected such that the layers inside the cover have a density progression from the core to the cover or from the cover to the core.

Claims

1. A golf ball comprising a cover, a core and at least one intermediate layer positioned between the cover and core layers, wherein the specific gravity of the cover layer is at least 1.5 times the specific gravity of the intermediate layer and further wherein the specific gravity of the intermediate layer is at least 1.5 times the specific gravity of the core, and wherein the cover is a thin dense layer having a specific gravity of at least about 1.5 and a thickness from about 0.001 inch to about 0.050 inch.

2. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the specific gravity of the cover layer is at least 2.0 times the specific gravity of the intermediate layer and wherein the specific gravity of the intermediate layer is at least 2.0 times the specific gravity of the core.

3. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the specific gravity of the thin dense layer is at least about 2.0.

4. The golf ball of claim 3, wherein the specific gravity of the thin dense layer is at least about 3.0.

5. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the thin dense layer is from about 0.005 inch to about 0.030 inch.

6. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the thin dense layer is from about 0.010 inch to about 0.020 inch.