# US 9,433,827 B2 · Golf equipment formed from castable formulation with unconventionally low hardness and increased shear resistance > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,433,827 B2 - Document ID: US9433827B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/539,321 - Filed: 2014-11-12 - Published: 2015-03-12 - Granted: 2016-09-06 - Earliest claimed: 2007-08-30 - Assignees: Acushnet Company - Applicants: Acushnet Company - Inventors: Shawn Ricci; Christopher Cavallaro - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9433827B2 ## CPC - A63B 37/004: {Physical properties} - A63B 53/04: Heads - A63B 37/0023: {Covers} - A63B 37/0024: {Materials other than ionomers or polyurethane} - A63B 37/0031: {Hardness} - A63B 37/0037: {Flexural modulus; Bending stiffness} - A63B 37/0049: {Flexural modulus; Bending stiffness} - A63B 37/0078: {Coefficient of restitution} - A63B 37/0086: {Flexural modulus; Bending stiffness} - A63B 37/0096: {Spin rate} - C08G 18/10: Prepolymer processes involving reaction of isocyanates or isothiocyanates with compounds having active hydrogen in a first reaction step - C08G 18/4854: {Polyethers containing oxyalkylene groups having four carbon atoms in the alkylene group} - C08G 18/5024: {containing primary and/or secondary amino groups} - C08G 18/73: acyclic - A63B 53/0408: {characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness} - A63B 53/0416: {Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert} - A63B 53/0487: {for putters (A63B53/065 takes precedence)} - A63B 2209/00: Characteristics of used materials - 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 ## Abstract Golf equipment including compositions including castable formulations that have low material hardness and increased shear resistance. The compositions may be used in any layer of a golf ball including cores, intermediate layers, and covers and result in high spin rates. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A golf ball comprising: a core; an inner cover layer disposed about the core; and an outer cover layer disposed about the inner cover layer, wherein the outer cover layer has a hardness of about 30 Shore D to about 60 Shore D and is formed from a castable material comprising: a prepolymer formed from the reaction product of at least one isocyanate and polytetramethylene ether glycol, wherein the NCO content of the prepolymer ranges from about 5 percent to about 7 percent; and a polyether diol having a molecular weight of about 400 to about 2500 and having the following structure: wherein n is the chain length from 2 to 30; wherein the castable material has a hardness of about 8 Shore D to about 16 Shore D. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the composition comprises a ratio of prepolymer to polyether diol of about 1:0.95. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the material hardness is about 10 Shore D to about 14 Shore D. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the golf ball has a COR of about 0.810 or greater at 125 ft/s. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the prepolymer has an NCO content of about 6 percent to about 6.5 percent. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the difference between the flexural moduli of the inner cover layer and outer cover layer is about 5,000 psi or less. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polyether diol has a chain length n of about 7 to about 27. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polyether diol has a molecular weight of about 650 to about 2000. ### Claim 9 A golf ball comprising: a core; and a cover having a hardness of about 40 Shore D to about 55 Shore D, wherein the cover is formed from a castable material comprising: a prepolymer formed from the reaction product of at least one isocyanate-containing component and at least one isocyanate-reactive component; and a polyether diol having a molecular weight of about 400 to about 2500 and having the following structure: wherein n is the chain length from 2 to 30; wherein the castable material has a hardness of about 8 Shore D to about 16 Shore D. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The golf ball of claim 9, wherein the golf ball has a COR of about 0.810 or greater at 125 ft/s. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The golf ball of claim 9, wherein the prepolymer comprises a reaction product of di phenyl methane diisocyanate and polytetramethylene ether glycol. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The golf ball of claim 9, wherein the golf ball has an 8-iron spin rate of about 10,000 rpm or greater. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The golf ball of claim 9, wherein the castable material comprises a ratio of prepolymer to polyether diol of about 1:0.95. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The golf ball of claim 9, wherein the polyether diol has a chain length n of about 7 to about 27. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The golf ball of claim 9, wherein the castable material has a hardness of about 8 Shore D to about 14 Shore D. ### Claim 16 A golf ball comprising: a core; a cover; and an intermediate layer disposed between the core and the cover, wherein the cover has a hardness of about 40 Shore D to about 55 Shore D and is formed from a castable material comprising: a prepolymer formed from at least one aromatic diisocyanate and at least one polyol, wherein the NCO content of the prepolymer ranges from about 5 percent to about 7 percent; and a polyether diol having the following structure: wherein n is the chain length from 2 to 30; wherein the castable material has a hardness of about 8 Shore D to about 16 Shore D. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The golf ball of claim 16, wherein the flexural modulus of the intermediate layer is about 2,000 psi to about 200,000 psi. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The golf ball of claim 16, wherein the golf ball has a driver spin rate of about 5,000 rpm or greater. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The golf ball of claim 16, wherein the polyether diol has a molecular weight of about 650 to about 2000. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The golf ball of claim 16, wherein the polyether diol has a chain length n of about 7 to about 27.