# US 10,119,008 B2 · Golf balls incorporating HNP ionomers based on highly diverse mixtures of organic acids > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,119,008 B2 - Document ID: US10119008B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/216,751 - Filed: 2016-07-22 - Published: 2016-11-10 - Granted: 2018-11-06 - Earliest claimed: 2005-12-15 - Assignees: Acushnet Company - Applicants: Acushnet Company - Inventors: David A. Bulpett; Robert Blink; Michael J. Sullivan - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10119008B2 ## CPC - C08K 5/09: Carboxylic acids; Metal salts thereof; Anhydrides thereof - A63B 37/0023: {Covers} - A63B 37/0024: {Materials other than ionomers or polyurethane} - A63B 37/0049: {Flexural modulus; Bending stiffness} - A63B 37/0051: {Materials other than polybutadienes; Constructional details} - A63B 37/0063: {Hardness gradient} - A63B 37/0064: {Diameter} - A63B 37/0072: {with a specified number of layers} - A63B 37/0075: {Three piece balls, i.e. cover, intermediate layer and core} - A63B 37/0076: {Multi-piece balls, i.e. having two or more intermediate layers} - A63B 37/008: {Diameter} - A63B 37/02: Special cores {(balls with finger holes A63B37/0001, golf ball cores A63B37/005)} - C08K 3/08: Metals - C08K 5/098: Metal salts of carboxylic acids - C08L 23/0876: Salts thereof, i.e. ionomers - A63B 37/0043: {Hardness} - A63B 2209/00: Characteristics of used materials - C08K 2003/0893: {Zinc} - C08K: Use of inorganic or non-macromolecular organic substances as compounding ingredients (paints, inks, varnishes, dyes, polishes, adhesives C09) - A63B: APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT (apparatus for passive exercising, massage A61H) - C08L: COMPOSITIONS OF MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS (compositions based on polymerisable monomers C08F, C08G; artificial filaments or fibres D01F; textile treating compositions D06) ## Abstract Golf ball incorporating an HNP composition consisting of a mixture of: at least one ethylene acid copolymer; sufficient amount of cation source to neutralize greater than about 100% of all acid groups present; and a highly diverse mixture of at least four organic acids having different characteristics such as relating to: carbon chain lengths, number of double bonds on carbon chains, positioning of double bonds on carbon chains, number of branches, types of branches, positioning of branches on carbon chains, positioning of acid groups on carbon chains, configurations (cis/trans), functional groups on carbon chains, being saturated/unsaturated, being conjugated/non-conjugated; presence/absence of functional group(s) on carbon chain; being aliphatic/aromatic, or combinations thereof. No organic acid is present in highly diverse mixture in a concentration greater than 80%, or, in some embodiments, greater than 60%, or greater than 40%. HNP composition may be relatively soft/relatively low modulus, relatively hard/relatively high modulus, or blends thereof. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A golf ball having at least one layer comprising a highly neutralized acid polymer composition consisting of a mixture of: at least one ethylene acid copolymer; a sufficient amount of cation source to neutralize greater than about 100% of all acid groups present; and a highly diverse mixture of at least 20 organic acids exhibiting the chromatogram of FIG. 1. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The golf ball of claim 1, wherein all organic acids of the highly diverse mixture are carboxylic acids. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The golf ball of claim 1, wherein at least 90% of the organic acids of the highly diverse mixture are fatty acids. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The golf ball of claim 1, wherein at least two organic acids of the highly diverse mixture have different carbon chain lengths. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The golf ball of claim 4, wherein the carbon chain lengths differ by at least two carbon atoms. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The golf ball of claim 1, wherein at least three organic acids of the highly diverse mixture have different carbon chain lengths. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The golf ball of claim 6, wherein the carbon chain lengths differ by at least two carbon atoms. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The golf ball of claim 1, wherein no single organic acid is present in the highly diverse mixture in a concentration greater than 40%. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the highly diverse mixture contains saturated organic acids and unsaturated organic acids. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The golf balls of claim 9, wherein one organic acid has a carbon chain having a different number of carbon-carbon double bonds than a carbon chain of at least one other organic acid. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The golf ball of claim 1, wherein a first organic acid has a first carbon chain and a second organic acid has a second carbon chain having the same number of carbon-carbon double bonds as the first carbon chain; and wherein at least one carbon-carbon double bond position on the first carbon chain is not a carbon-carbon double bond position on the second carbon chain. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The golf ball of claim 10, wherein at least one organic acid has a cis-type carbon-carbon double bond configuration and at least one other organic acid has a trans-type carbon-carbon double bond configuration. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The golf ball of claim 1, wherein at least one organic acid has a carbon chain that is branched differently than a carbon chain of at least one other organic acid. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The golf ball of claim 13, wherein one organic acid has a carbon chain having a different number of branches than a carbon chain of at least one other organic acid. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The golf ball of claim 1, wherein a first organic acid has a first carbon chain and a second organic acid has a second carbon chain having the same number of branches as the first carbon chain; and wherein at least one branch position on the first carbon chain is not a branch position on the second carbon chain. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The golf ball of claim 1, wherein at least two organic acids have different functional groups. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The golf ball of claim 16, wherein one functional group is carboxylic acid. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the highly diverse mixture comprises at least one aliphatic organic acid and at least one aromatic organic acid. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the highly diverse mixture contains organic acids having two or more different characteristics. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the highly diverse mixture contains organic acids having three or more different characteristics. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the highly diverse mixture contains organic acids having four or more different characteristics. ### Claim 22 (depends on 1) The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the highly diverse mixture contains organic acids having five or more different characteristics. ### Claim 23 A golf ball having at least one layer comprising a highly neutralized acid polymer composition consisting of a mixture of: at least one ethylene acid copolymer; a sufficient amount of cation source to neutralize greater than about 100% of all acid groups present; and a highly diverse mixture of at least 14 organic acids exhibiting the chromatogram of FIG. 2. ### Claim 24 A golf ball having at least one layer comprising a highly neutralized acid polymer composition consisting of a mixture of: at least one ethylene acid copolymer; a sufficient amount of cation source to neutralize greater than about 100% of all acid groups present; and a highly diverse mixture of at least 15 organic acids exhibiting the chromatogram of FIG. 3.