Synthetic resins or natural rubbers -- part of the class 520 ser – Synthetic resins – Mixing of two or more solid polymers; mixing of solid...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-16
2002-08-27
Buttner, David J. (Department: 1712)
Synthetic resins or natural rubbers -- part of the class 520 ser
Synthetic resins
Mixing of two or more solid polymers; mixing of solid...
C525S274000, C525S332600, C473S329000, C473S332000, C473S340000, C473S349000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06441098
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to golf clubs and, more particularly, to a golf club that has an insert on the strike surface of the club formed from the conversion reaction of an amount of polybutadiene, a free radical source, and a cis-to-trans catalyst at a sufficient reaction temperature to form a polybutadiene reaction product.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Golf clubs have long been developed to improve the “touch” and “feel” of the club, most particularly with, but not limited to, the clubs used on and around the green, such as a putter. One approach to improve the touch and feel of a club is to modify either the grip, the shaft, or the head of the golf club, in particular, the strike face of the head. For example, modifications to the club head could include an insert that is placed on the club head strike surface to affect the impact of the club with the golf ball and to improve the sensory feedback to the golfer during and subsequent to impact.
A number of club face insert materials have been employed by golf club manufacturers in an effort to improve the touch and feel of golf clubs, such as metals, plastics, alloys, rubbers, and ceramics. A few exemplary such references are discussed below.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,332,214 discloses a golf putter having an elastomeric striking face secured to a support member and a weight within a recessed cavity. The preferred elastomeric material is HYTREL®, a polyester elastomer commercially available from E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co. of Wilmington, Del.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,485,997 discloses a putter head having a recess in the front face, the recess containing a face plate constructed of a non-metallic material, such as an elastomer, a synthetic resin, or glass.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,331 discloses a method for manufacturing a golf club head including a recess containing a curable, non-metal insert, such as a void-free epoxy impregnated carbon fiber sheet, ambient temperature resins, UV curable resins, thermosetting polymers, and/or thermoplastic polymers.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,472 discloses a golf putting head having a recessed cavity on its front face that includes a raised perimeter bead. An insert is cast within the cavity and the club face is finished to provide a smooth planar surface. The insert material is preferably a polymeric or elastomeric material, ambient temperature resins, UV curable resins, thermosetting polymers, and/or thermoplastic polymers.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,605,510 and 5,460,377 are directed to a golf putter having a non-metallic face, typically consisting of synthetic resin or lightweight plastic.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,674,132 discloses a golf club having a resilient insert comprising one or more laminations. Preferably, the insert is made of a synthetic polymer material, such as solid polyurethane, having a hardness in the range of 70 Shore A to 70 Shore D.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,562 discloses a golf putter head having an insert in the front face, the insert being constructed of an elastomeric material having a Durometer value of at least about 60 Shore D.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,718,644 discloses an insert member for a golf putter, the insert comprising a regular, elongated curved surface, such as an arc section of a cylinder. The insert is comprised of titanium, titanium alloy, anodized aluminum, or high strength plastic.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,842,935 discloses a golf putter head that includes a low density insert disposed in a cavity formed in a body. The insert is preferably formed of polyurethane having a Shore D hardness of 65.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,921,871 discloses a golf putter having a resilient insert having a controlled rebound factor fitted into a wedge-shaped recess in the face of the putter head. The insert pad is preferably made of a synthetic polymer material, such as polyurethane having a hardness in the range of 70 Shore A to 80 Shore D.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,924,939 discloses a golf club head having a two-layered insert preferably comprising a thermoset rubber, such as one formed from a cured mixture comprising a polymer blend, a metal salt of an unsaturated carboxylic acid, a free radical initiator, and silica.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,931,743 discloses a club head for a golf club having a resilient member on the front face, the resilient member preferably comprising a polyurethane elastomer exhibiting zero compression for imparting top spin to a golf ball.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,030,294 discloses a method of making a golf club head or an insert for a golf club head which comprises preparing a porous base selected from the group consisting of metals, metal alloys, and cements, and coating at least the face of the base with a plastic material, such as monomers, polymers, urethanes, epoxies, lacquers, paints, and the like.
PCT Publication No. WO 00/20076 discloses a golf club head having a polyether block amide insert that has a Shore A hardness of at least 90 and a rebound factor of at least 60%.
Another resilient yet durable material, commonly used in the various layers and cores of golf balls, is polybutadiene and, in particular, polybutadiene having a high cis-isomer polybutadiene concentration. In general, various polybutadiene compositions are used in golf balls, and some of these core compositions are discussed below.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,239,228 discloses a solid golf ball having a core molded of polybutadiene rubber with a high sulfur content, and a cover. The polybutadiene content of the core is stereo-controlled to the configuration 25-100 percent cis- and 0-65 percent trans-1,4-polybutadiene, with any remainder having a vinyl configuration of polybutadiene. A preferred embodiment of the polybutadiene golf ball core contains 35 percent cis-, 52 percent trans-, and 13 percent vinyl-polybutadiene.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,572,721 and 3,572,722 disclose a solid, one- or two-piece golf ball, with the two-piece ball having a core and a cover. The cover material can include any one of a number of materials, or blends thereof, known to those of ordinary skill in the art, including trans-polybutadiene which may be present in an amount from at least 90 percent, with the remainder being the cis- and/or vinyl configuration.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,992,014 discloses a one-piece, solid golf ball. The golf ball material is typically polybutadiene, with a stereo-configuration selected to be at least 60 percent cis-polybutadiene, with the remaining 40 percent being the trans-polybutadiene and/or 1,2-polybutadiene (vinyl) isomers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,692,497 discloses a golf ball and material thereof formed by curing a diene polymer including polybutadiene and a metal salt of an alpha, beta ethylenically unsaturated acid using at least two free radical initiators.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,931,376 discloses a process for producing butadiene polymers for use in various applications, including golf ball cover materials. One embodiment of the invention employs a blended polymeric resin material, including at least 30 percent by weight of a trans-polybutadiene polymer as a golf ball cover on a two-piece ball. In a preferred embodiment, the golf ball cover material contains a blend including 30 to 90 percent by weight of a trans-polybutadiene polymer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,329 discloses a solid golf ball made from a polybutadiene admixture of cis-1,4 polybutadiene and 1,2 polybutadiene, a metal salt of an unsaturated carboxylic acid, an inorganic filler, and a free radical initiator. The admixture has about 99.5 percent to about 95 percent by weight of cis-1,4 polybutadiene and about 0.5 percent to about 5 percent by weight of 1,2 polybutadiene.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,252,652 discloses a one-piece or multi-layered golf ball core with improved flying performance from a rubber composition comprising a base rubber, preferably 1,4-polybutadiene with a cis-content of at least 40 mole percent, an unsaturated carboxylic acid metal salt, an organic peroxide, and an organic sulfur compound and/or a metal salt thereof. The organic sulfur compound and/or a metal salt is typically present in an amount from about 0.05 to 2 parts per hundred by weight and the organic peroxide is typically present in an
Halko Roman D.
Ladd Derek A.
Acushnet Company
Buttner David J.
Swidler Berlin Shereff & Friedman, LLP
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