Golf ball having a high moment of inertia

• US 20040171436A1
• Filed: 02/27/2004
• Published: 09/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Sullivan, Michael J.
• Granted Patent: US 6,939,249 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/371
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0003 Golf balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0009 Polygonal
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0021 Occupation ratio, i.e. percentage surface occupied by dimples
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0031 Hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0033 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0045 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0047 Density; Specific gravity
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0055 with non-spherical insert(s)
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0064 Diameter
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0065 Deflection or compression
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0066 Density; Specific gravity
• 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 37/0097 Layers interlocking by means of protrusions or inserts, lattices or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/02 Special cores balls with finger holes A63B37/0001, golf ball cores A63B37/005

Abstract

A golf ball formed to have a low spin, high moment of inertia core assembly, which comprises a low specific gravity core and non-continuous high specific gravity intermediate layer. This core assembly is encased within a soft cover with Shore D hardness less than 65. The low specific gravity core is preferably made from a foamed polymer, and the non-continuous high specific gravity core is preferably a geodesic or polyhedron screen or a perforated shell.

Claims

1. A ball comprising a thin dense layer encasing a core, wherein the thin dense layer is encased by a cover, the thin dense layer is comprised of a fully neutralized ionomer and has an inner diameter of at least 38.4 mm, has a specific gravity of greater than 1.2, has a thickness from 0.025 mm to 1.27 mm and is positioned at a distance of less than 4.83 mm from the surface of the ball.

2. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the thin dense layer is a non-continuous layer.

3. The golf ball of claim 2, wherein the non-continuous layer comprises a polyolefin.

4. The golf ball of claim 3, wherein the non-continuous layer comprises a coplymer of polyethylene and an acrylic or methacrylic acid.

5. The golf ball of claim 4, wherein the non-continuous layer comprises a terpolymer of ethylene, a softening acrylate class ester selected from the group of methyl acrylate, n-butyl-acrylate and iso-butyl-acrylate, and a unsaturated carboxylic acid selected from the group of acrylic acid and methacrylic acid.

6. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the thin dense layer is a non-continuous layer and is comprised of a material selected from a group consisting of metallocene catalyzed polyolefins, polyesters, polyamides, non-ionomeric thermoplastic elastomers, copolyether-esters, copolyether-amides, thermoplastic or thermosetting polyurethanes, polyureas, polyurethane ionomers, epoxies, polycarbonates, polybutadiene, polyisoprene, and blends thereof.

7. The golf ball of claim 2, wherein the non-continuous layer further comprises fibers.

8. The golf ball of claim 7, wherein the fibers are selected from a group consisting of carbon graphite, glass, aramid, polyester, polyethylene, polypropylene, silicon carbide, boron carbide, natural and synthetic silk.

9. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cover has a Shore D hardness of less than about 65.

10. The golf ball of claim 9, wherein the cover has a Shore D hardness of between about 30 and about 60.

11. The golf ball of claim 10, wherein the cover has a Shore D hardness of between about 35 and about 50.

12. The golf ball of claim 11, wherein the cover has a Shore D hardness of between about 40 and about 45.

13. The ball of claim 2, wherein the specific gravity of the non-continuous layer is greater than 1.5.

14. The ball of claim 13, wherein the specific gravity of the non-continuous layer is greater than 1.8.

15. The ball of claim 14, wherein the specific gravity of the non-continuous layer is greater than 2.0.

16. The ball of claim 2, wherein the thickness of the non-continuous layer is from 0.127 mm to 0.76 mm.

17. The ball of claim 16, wherein the thickness of the non-continuous layer is from 0.25 mm to 0.5 mm.

18. The ball of claim 1, wherein the core has a specific gravity of less than 1.0.

19. The ball of claim 2, wherein the core has a specific gravity of less than 0.9.

20. The ball of claim 1, wherein the core is made from a foamed material.