Abrasion resistant coated golf equipment

Details Abrasion resistant coated golf equipment Abrasion resistant coated golf equipment

2001-03-27

2003-07-22

Gorr, Rachel (Department: 1711)

Synthetic resins or natural rubbers -- part of the class 520 ser

Synthetic resins

From reactant having at least one -n=c=x group as well as...

C528S028000, C524S790000, C427S385500, C473S324000, C473S378000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06596837

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a coating for golf equipment that is a two component curable composition that contains colloidal silica, reactive coupling agents, and a solvent system. Such a curable composition is particularly useful in golf equipment coating compositions that are curable at ambient, thermal, ultraviolet, electron beam, or some combination of the listed conditions. These compositions have been adapted for application to golf equipment, in particular golf balls, for improving the abrasion resistance of the so-coated surfaces.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Materials used in forming golf ball covers, such as balata, SURLYN®, and urethane elastomer suffer from abrasion and shear produced by multiple oblique hits by a golf club. It is known to apply coatings to the surface of golf balls to increase the abrasion resistance of the coated surfaces but the results achieved with the use of such coatings has not entirely met the requirements of the golfing public. Thus, there is a need to improve the abrasion resistance of such coating materials.
More than five hundred million golf balls are produced each year. Most of these balls have covers molded from the ionomeric resin SURLYN® or its counterparts and, to a lesser extent, balata (i.e., trans polyisoprene). Conventionally, coating compositions are applied to the ball surface to protect the ball, the identifying indicia and any paint layers, and to add a pleasing appearance to the ball due to their high gloss. Typically such coatings comprise a clear primer coat and a clear top coat, although for certain applications a single top coat may suffice. The primer layer is applied to promote adhesion or to smooth the surface roughness before the top coat(s) are added to the golf ball. Coating compositions are generally free of pigmentation and are water white. However, they may contain small amounts of dye, pigment, and optical brighteners so long as they still allow for a bright ball cover. In golf balls of the type described above, the various identifying indicia may be applied either directly upon or alternatively upon the cover, the primer coat or the top coat.
Coating composition materials are well known in the art. Generally, they consist of urethanes, urethane hybrids, polyesters and acrylics. In particular, a cured polyurethane top coat is most widely used as a protective coating composition material. Polyurethane systems are typically either “one component” or “two component” systems. One component systems are generally made up of minute polymeric particles (reacted or partially reacted) which are suspended or dispersed in one or more solvents.
Curing and subsequent formation of a coating results from the evaporation of the solvent and/or the addition of a curing agent. The two component systems rely on keeping he primary reactants separate from one another until the time for forming the coating. Upon the addition of the reactants to one another, polymerization occurs. In forming such a coating, the reaction may be accompanied or followed by evaporation of the solvent. Typical two component polyurethane systems include separate packages of polyol and diisocyanate, which are mixed together to yield a thermoset coating composition. In some cases, more than one curing mechanism may be used to cure the coating system, i.e. evaporation of solvent via ambient air in addition to the coating be subjected to ultraviolet light. Polyurethane systems may be classified as either water-based or nonaqueous solvent-based systems. The following references are examples of polyurethane coating systems known in the golf ball art.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,784,209 discloses that golf balls can be painted via use of enamel, polyurethane, epoxy, acrylic or vinyl based coatings. However, system specific compositions and teaching of novel compositions are not provided.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,233 discloses a clear coating for a golf ball which comprises about 35-90% by weight of a polymer including a hydroxyl-containing resin an isocyanate such that an equivalent weight ratio of —NCO to —OH is in the range of 0.9 to 1.4, as well as up to 65% by weight of a solvent system including methylamyl ketone (MAK). This particular solvent system allows for an increased solids content (more than 45%) than that of conventional coatings (about 35%).
International Publication No. WO 92/19656 discloses a coating composition for golf balls which is a mixture of a hard acrylic polymer having a functionality reactive with an isocyanate and isocyanate-reactive modifiers, reacted together in a solvent with an isocyanate such as polyisocyanate. Golf balls employing such coatings are said to have improved hardness and flexibility.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,458 is directed towards a golf ball with an optical brightener incorporated in the primer coat, wherein the primer coat has an optical brightener admixed there such that the optical brightener constitutes about 0.45 to 2.7% by weight of the solids content of the primer coat.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,300,325 relates to a primer which improves the adhesion of a polyurethane top coat to a thermoplastic ionomer resin-based composition. The primer composition consists essentially of from about 90% by weight to about 96% by weight of a water-borne dispersion of acrylic resin or polyurethane resin or both and from about 4% to about 10% by weight of a polyfunctional aziridine.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,459,220 is directed towards a golf ball having an improved urethane top coat. The top coat is formed from a two-part polyurethane system wherein the first part contains a hydroxyl functional polyol and the second part contains a diisocyanate crosslinking agent selected from the group consisting of biurets of hexamethylene diisocyanate and isocyanurate trimers of hexamethylene diisocyanate. Top coats containing such crosslinking agents are said to exhibit superior adhesion and abrasion resistance, and superior non-yellowing properties upon exposure to U.V. radiation as compared to conventional top coats.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,461,109 discloses a water-reducible, two component polyurethane coating composition, wherein the first component comprises a compound having a hydroxyl functionality, an organic solvent, an optical brightener and water, and the second component comprises an aliphatic polyisocyanate and an organic solvent. The advantage of these water-reducible coating compositions is that they avoid the foaming problem generally associated with two component polyurethane systems. Additionally, these coating compositions may be applied to a SURLYN® covered ball without the need for a primer coat or an adhesion promoting layer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,486,319 teaches that the lower the Melt Flow Index of the coating polymer, the higher the abrasion resistance of the composition.
U.K. Patent No. GB 2,285,401 A discloses a coated golf ball having a constant film thickness at the dimple edge using a urethane and/or an epoxy based paint containing one or more of the following silica, clay and calcium carbonate. Here, the silica and other noted materials are used to exhibit high viscosity at low shear forces, so the paint does not creep from the dimples. The silica used is solid and is described as a filler with levels not exceeding 3% by weight of paint resin. Use of a coupling agent is also described here, but is used to keep the silica and other noted materials from sedimentation.
U.K. Patent No. GB 2,177,093 A discloses an ultra-violet coating composition that comprises of a multifunctional epoxy oligomer and a finely powdered inorganic filler (such as silica) that has been surface treated via the hydrolysis with an epoxy-containing silane coupling agent.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,368,941, 5,260,350, and 4,478,876 disclose ultra-violet curing systems to cure aminofunctional or acryloxy functional silanes and colloidal silica to produce abrasion resistant hardcoats for use on glass, plastic, and polycarbonate substrates. While the coatings are abrasion resistant, they are intended for use when deformation is not critical.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,853,809 and EP 0,83

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