# US 10,245,470 B1 · Golf ball compositions comprising thermoplastic polyurethane ionomers

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- Number: US 10,245,470 B1
- Document ID: US10245470B1
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B1
- Application number: 15/843,091
- Filed: 2017-12-15
- Granted: 2019-04-02
- Earliest claimed: 2017-12-15
- Assignees: Acushnet Company
- Applicants: Acushnet Company
- Inventors: Mark L. Binette; Michael J. Sullivan; Robert Blink; Brian Comeau; David A. Bulpett
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10245470B1

## CPC

- A63B 37/0058: {Polyurethane}
- A63B 37/0031: {Hardness}
- A63B 37/0043: {Hardness}
- A63B 37/0059: {Ionomer}
- A63B 37/00622: {Surface hardness}
- A63B 37/0075: {Three piece balls, i.e. cover, intermediate layer and core}
- A63B 37/0092: {Hardness distribution amongst different ball layers}
- C08G 18/0828: {containing sulfonate groups or groups forming them}
- C08G 18/3857: {having nitrogen in addition to sulfur}
- C08L 75/04: Polyurethanes
- A63B: APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT (apparatus for passive exercising, massage A61H)
- C08G: MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS OBTAINED OTHERWISE THAN BY REACTIONS ONLY INVOLVING UNSATURATED CARBON-TO-CARBON BONDS
- C08L: COMPOSITIONS OF MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS (compositions based on polymerisable monomers C08F, C08G; artificial filaments or fibres D01F; textile treating compositions D06)

## Abstract

The present invention provides a golf ball comprising an inner core and an outer cover layer, wherein at least one of the inner core and outer cover layer is formed from a thermoplastic polyurethane ionomer.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A golf ball comprising:
an inner core layer having an outer surface hardness of 85 Shore C or less and formed from a thermoplastic polyurethane ionomer composition,
an outer core layer having an outer surface hardness of 50 Shore C or greater and formed from a thermoset rubber composition, and
a cover;
wherein the thermoplastic polyurethane ionomer composition of the inner core layer includes an ionic monomer covalently bonded to the polyurethane ionomer backbone, and wherein the ionic monomer comprises a sulfonate containing polyol ion and a quaternary ammonium counterion; and
wherein the outer surface hardness of the outer core layer is greater than the outer surface hardness of the inner core layer.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the sulfonate containing polyol is an ionic diol.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the sulfonate containing polyol ion is N,N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)-2-aminoethanesulfonic acid.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the quaternary ammonium counterion is an alkyl ammonium cation.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the quaternary ammonium counterion is selected from the group consisting of didodecyldimethylammonium, tetrahexylammonium, terakis (decyl) ammonium, trimethyloctadecylammonium, hexadecyltrimethylammonium, tetradecyltrimethylammonium, dodecyltrimethylammonium, decyltrimethylammonium, trimethyloctyl ammonium, hexyltrimethylammonium, dimethyldioctadecylammonium, dihexadecyldimethylammonium, dimethylditetradecylammonium, didodecyldimethylammonium, didecyldimethylammonium, methyltrioctadecylammonium, tridodecylmethylammonium, tricaprylylmethylammonium methyltrioctylammonium, tributylmethyl ammonium, tetraoctadecylammonium, tetrahexadecylammonium, tetradodecylammonium, tetrakis (decyl) ammonium, tetraoctyl ammonium, tetraheptylammonium, tetrahexylammonium, tetrabutylammonium, and combinations of two or more thereof.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the outer surface hardness of the inner core layer is 80 Shore C or less.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the outer surface hardness of the inner core layer is 75 Shore C or less.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the outer surface hardness of the outer core layer is 65 Shore C or greater.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the outer surface hardness of the outer core layer is 75 Shore C or greater.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the outer surface hardness of the outer core layer is 85 Shore C or greater.