# US 10,500,443 B2 · Golf balls incorporating thermoplastic blend(s) of ionomer(s), thermoplastic polymer(s), and polymethyl methacrylate-based polymer(s) > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,500,443 B2 - Document ID: US10500443B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/186,806 - Filed: 2018-11-12 - Published: 2019-05-16 - Granted: 2019-12-10 - Earliest claimed: 2017-11-15 - Assignees: Acushnet Company - Applicants: Acushnet Company - Inventors: Michael J. Sullivan; Brian Comeau; Michael Michalewich - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10500443B2 ## CPC - A63B 37/0024: {Materials other than ionomers or polyurethane} - A63B 37/0031: {Hardness} - A63B 37/0038: {Intermediate layers, e.g. inner cover, outer core, mantle} - A63B 37/0039: {characterised by the material} - A63B 37/0043: {Hardness} - A63B 37/0075: {Three piece balls, i.e. cover, intermediate layer and core} - C08G 18/10: Prepolymer processes involving reaction of isocyanates or isothiocyanates with compounds having active hydrogen in a first reaction step - C08G 18/42: Polycondensates having carboxylic or carbonic ester groups in the main chain - C08G 18/44: Polycarbonates - C08G 18/48: Polyethers - C08G 18/4825: {Polyethers containing two hydroxy groups (C08G18/4833 - C08G18/5096 take precedence)} - C08G 18/4837: {and other oxyalkylene units} - C08G 18/4854: {Polyethers containing oxyalkylene groups having four carbon atoms in the alkylene group} - C08G 18/73: acyclic - C08G 18/751: {containing only one cycloaliphatic ring} - C08G 18/755: {and at least one isocyanate or isothiocyanate group linked to a secondary carbon atom of the cycloaliphatic ring, e.g. isophorone diisocyanate} - C08G 18/758: {containing two or more cycloaliphatic rings} - C08G 18/765: {alpha, alpha, alpha', alpha', -tetraalkylxylylene diisocyanate or homologues substituted on the aromatic ring} - C08G 18/792: {formed by oligomerisation of aliphatic and/or cycloaliphatic isocyanates or isothiocyanates} - C08L 23/0876: Salts thereof, i.e. ionomers - A63B 37/0033: {Thickness} - 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 Golf ball incorporating thermoplastic blend of (i) ionomer(s); (ii) different thermoplastic polymer(s) selected from thermoplastic polyurethane(s), thermoplastic urea(s), thermoplastic urea-urethane hybrid(s), or combinations thereof; and (iii) polymethyl (meth)acrylate-based copolymer(s) and/or core-shell polymer(s) having a core and/or a shell containing polymethyl (meth)acrylate-based copolymer(s). Ionomer(s) are present in thermoplastic blend in amount of about 45 wt % or greater. Different thermoplastic polymer present in blend in amount of: from about 8 wt % to about 50 wt %; or greater than 20 wt %, or from about 25 wt % to about 45 wt %; or from about 35 wt % to about 50 wt %. In a particular embodiment, amount of ionomer(s) is greater than thermoplastic polyurethane amount. Component (iii) may be present in an amount of about 2 wt % to about 35 wt %, and in a specific embodiments, polymethyl (meth)acrylate-based copolymer(s) and/or core-shell polymer(s) included in blend in amount of from about 15 wt % to about 35 wt %. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A golf ball comprising a core and at least one layer comprising a thermoplastic blend of (i) at least one ionomer; (ii) at least one thermoplastic polyurethane; and (iii) at least one core-shell polymer; wherein a core of the core-shell polymer comprises a polyurethane and a shell of the core-shell polymer comprises a polymethyl (meth)acrylate-based copolymer; and wherein the ionomer is present in an amount of about 45 wt % or greater and the core-shell polymer is present in an amount of about 2 wt % to about 35 wt %. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic polyurethane is present in an amount of from about 8 wt % to about 50 wt %. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The golf ball of claim 2, wherein the thermoplastic polyurethane is present in an amount of from about 25 wt % to about 45 wt %. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The golf ball of claim 2, wherein the thermoplastic polyurethane is present in an amount of from about 35 wt % to about 50 wt %. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The golf ball of claim 2, wherein the ionomer is present in an amount greater than the amount of thermoplastic polyurethane. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the ionomer is present in an amount of from about 45 wt % to about 70 wt %. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic polyurethane is present in an amount of from about 10 wt % to about 40 wt % and the core-shell polymer is present in an amount of from about 5 wt % to about 20 wt %. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core-shell polymer has a diameter of from about 0.05 microns to about 20.0 microns. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The golf ball of claim 7, wherein the core-shell polymer has a diameter of from about 0.05 microns to about 0.20 microns. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core of the core-shell polymer comprises a non-urethane. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polymethyl (meth)acrylate-based copolymer is selected from the group consisting of polymethyl (meth)acrylate-based-n-butyl acrylate; polymethyl (meth)acrylate-based-ethyl acrylate; polymethyl (meth)acrylate-based-n-butyl acrylate-styrene; polymethyl (meth)acrylate-based-butadiene-styrene; polymethyl (meth)acrylate-based-acyrlonitrile-butadiene-styrene; polymethyl (meth)acrylate-based-ethylene-propylene-diene (EPDM); polymethyl (meth)acrylate-based-EPDM-styrene; polymethyl (meth)acrylate-based-glycidyl methacrylate-ethyl acrylate; polymethyl (meth)acrylate-based-glycidyl; (meth)acrylate-n-butyl acrylate; polymethyl (meth)acrylate-based-styrene-acrylonitrile; polymethyl (meth)acrylate-based-butadiene; alternating polymethyl (meth)acrylate-based copolymers, block polymethyl (meth)acrylate-based copolymers, random polymethyl (meth)acrylate-based copolymers, graft polymethyl (meth)acrylate-based copolymers, and gradient polymethyl (meth)acrylate-based copolymers, and combinations thereof. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polymethyl (meth)acrylate-based copolymer comprises (meth)acrylates selected from the group consisting of (meth)acrylates derived from saturated alcohols; (meth)acrylates derived from unsaturated alcohols; aryl(meth)acrylates; cycloalkyl(meth)acrylates; hydroxyalkyl(meth)acrylates; glycol di(methacrylates); (meth)acrylates of ether alcohols; amides of (meth)acrylic acid; nitriles of (meth)acrylic acid; sulfur-containing (meth)acrylates; and polyfunctional (meth)acrylates; and combinations thereof. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polymethyl (meth)acrylate-based copolymer comprises acrylates selected from the group consisting of methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, propyl acrylate, iso-butyl acrylate, n-butyl acrylate, n-amyl acrylate, n-hexyl acrylate, isohexyl acrylates, n-heptyl acrylate, isoheptyl acrylates, capryl acrylate, (1-methylheptyl acrylate), n-octyl acrylate, ethylhexyl acrylate, isooctyl acrylates, methylheptyl acrylate, n-nonyl acrylate, isononyl acrylates, 3,5,5-trimethylhexyl acrylate, n-decyl acrylate, lauryl acrylate, n-amyl acrylate, n-hexyl acrylate, capryl acrylate (1-methylheptyl acrylate), n-octyl acrylate, and isooctyl acrylates. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polymethyl (meth)acrylate-based copolymer comprises a comonomer selected from the group consisting of 1-alkenes; branched alkenes; acrylonitrile; styrenes; maleic acid derivatives; and dienes; and combinations thereof. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic polyurethane has a material hardness of from about 20 Shore D to about 65 Shore D. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic blend has a material hardness that is different than the material hardness of the thermoplastic polyurethane. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic blend has a material hardness of from about 20 Shore D and to about 70 Shore D. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the at least one layer is a cover layer and has a hardness H that differs from a hardness H(ii) of the thermoplastic polyurethane by at least about 5 Shore D hardness points; and wherein the thermoplastic polyurethane has a hardness of from about 20 Shore D to about 70 Shore D. ### Claim 19 A golf ball comprising a core and at least one layer comprising a thermoplastic blend of (i) at least one ionomer; (ii) at least one thermoplastic polyurethane; and (iii) at least one core-shell polymer; wherein at least one of a core and a shell of the core-shell polymer comprises a polymethyl (meth)acrylate-based copolymer; and wherein the ionomer is present in an amount of about 45 wt % or greater and the core-shell polymer is present in an amount of about 2 wt % to about 35 wt %; and wherein the at least one layer is an inner cover layer and is surrounded by an outer cover layer, the inner cover layer having a hardness H that differs from a hardness H(ii) of the thermoplastic polyurethane by at least about 5 Shore D hardness points; and wherein the thermoplastic polyurethane has a hardness of from about 20 Shore D to about 70 Shore D. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the at least one layer consists of the thermoplastic blend.