IP Library Granted Patent US 8,137,211
Granted Patent B2
US 8,137,211 · App. 12/568,492 · Granted Mar 20, 2012

Method of making a golf ball with a multi-layer core

Assignee: Acushnet Company
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,137,211
App. No.
12/568,492
Granted
Mar 20, 2012
Kind
B2
Abstract

A multilayer golf ball including a solid center having a center hardness, a plurality of laminates cut into a plurality of shapes formed around the center to create an inner ball, and a cover formed around the inner ball, wherein the plurality of layers can include at least a first layer having a hardness greater than the center hardness and a second layer having a hardness greater than the first layer hardness, and optionally a third layer disposed between the first and the second layers having a hardness greater than the first layer hardness.

Claims (33)

1. A golf ball comprising:

a center;

a cover comprising a castable reactive liquid material; and

a laminate, wherein the laminate comprises:

a plurality of layers comprising at least a first layer adjacent the center, a second layer comprising a first thermoset material, and a third layer disposed between the first and second layers formed from a material selected from the group consisting of an ethylene methacrylic acid/acrylic acid copolymer, a second thermoset material, or a mixture thereof.

2. The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the center has a center hardness, the first layer has a first hardness greater than the center hardness, the second layer has a second hardness, and the third layer has a third hardness greater than the first hardness.

3. The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the first layer has a first hardness of 70 Shore C to 75 Shore C, the second layer has a second hardness of 75 Shore C to 80 Shore C, and the third layer has a third hardness of 72 Shore C to 77 Shore C.

4. The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the center has a center hardness, the first layer has a first hardness, and the second layer has a second hardness, and wherein the first hardness is less than the center hardness.

5. The golf ball of claim 4 , wherein the third layer has a third hardness less than the first hardness.

6. The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the first thermoset material comprises polybutadiene.

7. The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the cover is formed of a composition comprising at least one castable reactive liquid material.

8. The golf ball of claim 7 , wherein the at least one castable reactive liquid material comprises cast polyurethane.

9. The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the thickness of each of the layers of the laminate is less than 0.05 inches.

10. A golf ball comprising:

a center having a center hardness;

a cover cast from polyurethane; and

a laminate, wherein the laminate comprises:

a plurality of layers comprising a first layer adjacent the center having a first hardness, a second layer having a second hardness and comprising at least one thermoset material, and a third layer having a third hardness and disposed between the first and second layers, wherein the third layer consists essentially of a material having the following structure:

wherein x is from 50 to 99 percent, y is from 1 to 50 percent, z is from 0 to 49 percent, R 1 comprises H or CH 3 , R 2 comprises CH 3 or isobornyl, and n is from 0 to 12.

11. The golf ball of claim 10 , wherein the first hardness is greater than the center hardness and the third hardness is greater than the first hardness.

12. The golf ball of claim 10 , wherein the first hardness is less than the center hardness and the third hardness is less than the first hardness.

13. The golf ball of claim 10 , wherein the material of the third layer is selected from the group consisting of ethylene/acrylic acid; ethylene/methacrylic acid; ethylene/acrylic acid/n- or isobutyl acrylate; ethylene/methacrylic acid/n- or iso-butyl acrylate; ethylene/acrylic acid/methyl acrylate; ethylene/methacrylic acid/methyl acrylate; ethylene/acrylic acid/iso-bornyl acrylate or methacrylate and ethylene/methacrylic acid/isobornyl acrylate or methacrylate.

14. The golf ball of claim 10 , wherein the thermoset material comprises polybutadiene.

15. The golf ball of claim 10 , wherein the thickness of each of the layers of the laminate is less than 0.05 inches.

16. A golf ball comprising:

a center;

a cover comprising a castable reactive liquid material; and

a laminate disposed between the center and the cover, wherein the laminate comprises:

a plurality of layers comprising at least a first layer adjacent the center, a second layer comprising a high acid ionomer, and a third layer disposed between the first and second layers formed from a blend of an ethylene methacrylic acid/acrylic acid copolymer and a thermoplastic material.

17. The golf ball of claim 16 , wherein the thermoplastic material comprises polyesterester block copolymers, polyetherester block copolymers, polyetheramide block copolymers, ionomer resins, dynamically vulcanized thermoplastic elastomers, styrene-butadiene elastomers with functional groups, thermoplastic polyurethanes, thermoplastic polyesters, metallocene polymers, or mixtures thereof.

18. The golf ball of claim 16 , wherein the blend comprises 10 to 50 percent by weight ethylene methacrylic/acrylic acid copolymer, 25 to 75 percent by weight of the thermoplastic material and 5 to 40 percent by weight zinc oxide.

19. The golf ball of claim 18 , wherein the blend comprises 15 to 25 percent by weight ethylene methacrylic/acrylic acid copolymer, 50 to 60 percent by weight of the thermoplastic material and 20 to 30 percent by weight zinc oxide.

20. The golf ball of claim 16 , wherein the thickness of each of the layers of the laminate is less than 0.05 inches.

Assignments (3)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (027347/0053) Recorded Sep 7, 2016
From: KOREA DEVELOPMENT BANK, NEW YORK BRANCH
To: ACUSHNET COMPANY
Reel/Frame 039939/0259 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Dec 8, 2011
From: ACUSHNET COMPANY
To: KOREA DEVELOPMENT BANK, NEW YORK BRANCH
Reel/Frame 027347/0053 →
PATENT OWNERSHIP Recorded Oct 6, 2009
From: DALTON, JEFFREY L.; BOEHM, HERBERT C.; CAVALLARO, CHRISTOPHER
To: ACUSHNET COMPANY
Reel/Frame 023329/0784 →
Continuity (13)
Continuation 11508180 · Aug 23, 2006
Continuation 10347698 · Jan 22, 2003
Division 09948692 · Sep 10, 2001
Continuation In Part 09172608 · Oct 15, 1998
Division 08943932 · Oct 3, 1997
Continuation In Part 09630387 · Aug 1, 2000
Continuation In Part 08603057 · Feb 16, 1996
Continuation In Part 08996718 · Dec 23, 1997
Continuation In Part 08746362 · Nov 8, 1996
Continuation In Part 08706008 · Aug 30, 1996
Continuation In Part 08603057 · Feb 16, 1996
Continuation In Part 08606373 · Feb 23, 1996
Related Publication 20100016099A1 · Jan 21, 2010