Golf ball compositions containing oxa esters

• US 20020072556A1
• Filed: 02/08/2002
• Published: 06/13/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1995
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kevin M. Harris, Murali Rajagopalan
• Original Assignee: Kevin M. Harris, Murali Rajagopalan
• Inventors: Rajagopalan, Murali, Harris, Kevin
• Granted Patent: US 6,844,384 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 524/308
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0003 Golf balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0031 Hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0037 Flexural modulus; Bending stiffness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0039 characterised by the material
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0043 Hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0047 Density; Specific gravity
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0054 Substantially rigid, e.g. metal
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0062 Hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0069 Flexural modulus; Bending stiffness
• 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 37/0078 Coefficient of restitution
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0087 Deflection or compression
• 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: A63B 45/00 Apparatus or methods for manufacturing balls working of plastics or substances in a plastic state B29
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 5/09 Carboxylic acids; Metal salts thereof; Anhydrides thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 5/11 of acyclic polycarboxylic acids
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 23/0869 Acids or derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/02 Organic macromolecular compounds, natural resins, waxes or and bituminous materials
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 33/02 Homopolymers or copolymers of acids; Metal or ammonium salts thereof

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a golf ball and to a process for forming a golf ball having at least one layer, where the layer is formed of a polymer blend comprising an oxa ester or a saponified polymer/oxa ester blend, having from about 65 to about 99 parts of at least one saponified polymer and from about 35 to 1 parts of at least one oxa ester, based on 100 parts by weight of the saponified polymer/oxa ester blend. The layer may be foamed or unfoamed, and may form at least a portion of any of the cover, the core, or a mantle layer situated between the cover and the core.

Claims

1. A golf ball having least one layer, the layer formed of a polymer blend comprising at least one oxa ester.

2. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the golf ball has an Atti compression of at least 50 and a coefficient of restitution of at least 0.7.

3. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the layer has a hardness of at least 15 Shore A, a flexural modulus of at least 500 psi and a specific gravity of at least 0.7.

4. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein said layer further comprises, at least one density adjusting filler.

5. The golf ball of claim 4 wherein the density adjusting filler is a metallic powder.

6. The golf ball of claim 5 wherein the metallic powder is titanium, tungsten, tin or copper powder.

7. The golf ball of claim 4, wherein the density adjusting filler is a metallic oxide derivative.

8. The golf ball of claim 7, wherein the metallic oxide derivative is an oxide derivative selected from the group consisting of titanium, tungsten, copper and tin.

9. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the layer has a foamed structure.

10. The golf ball according to claim 1, comprising a cover, wherein the layer forms at least a portion of the cover.

11. The golf ball of claim 10, wherein the cover layer has a hardness at least 40 Shore D to about 70 Shore D and a flexural modulus at least 10,000 to about 100,000 psi.

12. The golf ball according to claim 10, further comprising a core, wherein the layer forms at least a portion of the core.

13. The golf ball of claim 12, wherein said core layer has a hardness at least 40 Shore A to about 70 Shore D and a flexural modulus at least 500 to about 150,000 psi.

14. The golf ball of claim 13, wherein the core further comprises cis-polybutadiene.

15. A golf ball according to claim 12, wherein the portion of the core is solid or fluid.

16. A golf ball according to claim 15, wherein the portion of the core is fluid further comprising a tensioned elastomeric material.

17. The golf ball according to claim 16, wherein the tensioned elastomeric material further comprises natural or synthetic elastomers or blends thereof.

18. The golf ball according to claim 12, further comprising at least one intermediate layer situated between the cover and the core.

19. The golf ball of claim 18, wherein the at least one intermediate layer has a hardness at least 20 Shore D to 70 Shore D and flexural modulus at least 500 to about 100,000 psi.

20. The golf ball according to claim 18, wherein the layer forms at least a portion of at least one intermediate layer.