Back to results
US 5,922,252 AGranted
Method for making a liquid golf ball center core
AssigneeAcushnet Company
InventorsLawrence E. Stanton, Walter L. Reid, Jr., Stephen K. Scolamiero, Jeffrey L. Dalton
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention is directed towards several methods for forming liquid filled centers from thermoplastic materials, including methods for sealing the liquid filled centers subsequent to filling with liquid. The methods exploit the beneficial processing characteristics of thermoplastic materials so as to provide efficient methods for producing liquid filled center cores.
Claims26
A method for making a liquid filled golf ball center core comprising:
- (a) forming a hollow spherical air-filled center core shell from a thermoplastic material;
- (b) piercing the hollow spherical air-filled center core shell to form an aperture.
- (c) introducing a sufficient amount of liquid through the aperture to substantially fill the center core shell with the liquid;
- (d) exposing a portion of the thermoplastic material immediately surrounding the aperture to an elevated temperature produced by a first heat source having a temperature sufficient to at least partially melt said portion, causing the material of said portion to flow into the aperture and form a molten preseal area therein;
- (e) exposing the preseal area to an elevated temperature produced by a second heat source having a temperature sufficient to maintain the preseal area in a molten state and enhance bonding of a molten thermoplastic material filler to the preseal area;
- (f) placing a predetermined amount of the molten thermoplastic material filler on the preseal area while the thermoplastic material of the preseal area is in a molten state;
- and
- (g) contacting the molten preseal area and the molten thermoplastic material filler with a finishing mold while the filler and preseal are in a molten state to form a seamless and smooth seal for said aperture.
5 more elements
A method for making a liquid filled golf ball center core comprising:
- (a) forming a hollow spherical air-filled center core shell from a polyether-amide block copolymer;
- (b) piercing the hollow spherical air-filled center core shell with a needle to form an aperture;
- (c) removing air from the shell;
- (d) injecting a sufficient amount of liquid through said needle to substantially fill the shell with the liquid;
- (e) exposing a portion of the polyether-amide block copolymer immediately surrounding the aperture to an elevated temperature produced by a first heat source having a temperature sufficient to at least partially melt said portion, causing the material of said portion to flow into the aperture and form a molten preseal area therein;
- (f) exposing the preseal area to an elevated temperature produced by a second heat source having a temperature sufficient to maintain the preseal area in a molten state and enhance bonding of a molten thermoplastic material filler to the preseal area;
- (g) placing a predetermined amount of the molten thermoplastic material filler on the preseal area while the polyether-amide block copolymer of the preseal area is in a molten state;
- and
- (h) contacting the preseal area and the molten thermoplastic material filler with a finishing mold while the thermoplastic material filler and the preseal area are in a molten state to form a seamless and smooth seal for said aperture.
6 more elements
A method for making a liquid filled golf ball center core comprising:
- (a) forming a hollow spherical air-filled center core shell from a polyether-amide block copolymer;
- (b) forming an aperture in the hollow spherical air-filled center core shell by piercing the shell with a single needle which is scored along at least a portion of its length;
- (c) removing air from the shell while injecting a sufficient amount of a liquid into the center core shell to substantially fill the shell;
- (d) contacting the polyether-amide block copolymer immediately surrounding the aperture with a first rod heated to a temperature sufficient to at least partially melt the polyether-amide block copolymer, causing the polyether-amide block copolymer to flow into the aperture and form a molten preseal therein;
- (e) contacting the preseal with a second heated rod having a larger diameter than the first heated rod and heated to a temperature to maintain the preseal in a molten state and enhance bonding of a molten thermoplastic material filler to the preseal area;
- (f) placing a filler comprising a predetermined amount of molten polyether-amide block copolymer on the preseal while the thermoplastic material of the preseal is in a molten state;
- and
- (g) contacting the filler and the preseal with a preheated concave finishing mold while the polyether-amide block copolymer filler and preseal are in a molten state to form a seamless and smooth seal for said aperture.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.