JPS58218977A - Golf ball - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to golf balls, and more particularly to golf balls having a fluorescent appearance.

For the last 40-50 years, golf balls have been manufactured by placing a cover around a core. The cover may be applied by compression molding the two half-shells around the core, or it may be applied by injection molding directly around the core. 1960
Until the mid-1990s, most golf ball covers were made of natural resins, particularly balata. However, after the mid-1960s, DuPont began selling 1 Surlyn (8urly).
n) Synthetic resin sold under the trademark J has gradually come to be used as a cover material, and today /
It occupies most of the air. A cover made of such a synthetic resin is disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,454,2.
No. 90 and No. 3.869.281.

Attempts have been made over the years to create solid one-piece balls. However, there is no example of successful production of a first-class one-piece ball. Today's first-class golf balls have a wound core or a solid core with a cover around it.7 Regardless of the golf ball's construction or the composition of the cover's material, the surface of the cover must be finished. is normal. This finishing requires expensive and precise technology.In the normal process of printing on the balls of Surlyn covers, the surface of the ball is first sand-plated (1).
After applying, washing and drying, apply a primer and dry the primer at about 100°C for the first white coating! Strain, dry it at about 100°F, and
A white coating is applied, which is dried at about 100F, stamped with the trademark and number, and a clear coat is applied, which is then dried at about 100F. Despite these numerous steps, even the highest quality balls suffer from the problem of paint peeling off, especially after long-term use.

This problem is especially noticeable in the case of the ball in the cover of Hasarlin.

The problem of paint peeling becomes even more of a problem when the paint and cover are different colors, such as when covering a Balata or Surlyn cover with white paint. Whitening agent (
This method attempts to solve this problem by adding titanium dioxide (usually titanium dioxide). Although it is possible to make the cover white using this method, the white color is a dull white color with a slight difference from the white color of the paint. There is, and when the paint peels off, it is instantly recognizable as a town.

Although the popularity has waned considerably now, so-called colored balls are now on sale. This colored ball was not used much, especially in the snow.

One reason for this is that the colored paint is easy to peel off, exposing the white cover underneath, although it is much more noticeable than a white ball when played during heavy frost. 3 This gave the impression that the quality of the balls was poor and resulted in a reduction in sales growth. - There was also an attempt to sell pastel-colored balls as balls for women. However, this too was not very successful, probably due to problems with appearance durability.

At present, many attempts are being made to make balls coated with fluorescent paint. Fluorescent balls are much more noticeable than traditional white balls. Some believe that these fluorescent balls will soon become obsolete like aluminum, graphite, and steel centers, while others believe that they will become a large part of the market in the future.3 Fluorescent balls also suffer from the age-old problem of easy paint peeling.

Just like traditional colored balls and pastel colored balls, fluorescent balls also have the problem of paint peeling.In particular, the fluorescent balls currently on the market have a particularly poor exterior appearance, with the paint only peeling off in places. Instead, the paint would fall off over a wide area, exposing the cover underneath.

In view of the above circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a fluorescent golf ball with a durable appearance. It has been discovered that by mixing the appearance durability problem of fluorescent balls can be solved. This is by no means simply replacing the titanium dioxide in the white ball with a fluorescent colorant. On the contrary, it has been found that a cover mixed with fluorescent material can be used as a complete cover on its own.

The outermost surface of the fluorescent ball of the present invention may be coated with a transparent coating in the conventional manner, but must not be coated with an opaque coating.

In the present invention, it is preferred that the cover material be transparent, such as most Surlyn resins.

In addition, a thread-wound core may be used to achieve a special effect, but it is preferable that the core be a one-piece solid core. It is also desirable that the core be substantially white. If the core is white against a transparent cover, you can stamp it directly onto the core and make it visible over the cover.

This is the same even when the cover material is entirely colored with a fluorescent material. In this way, by stamping a trademark, number, etc. on the core and making it visible through the transparent cover, the stamp will be maintained semi-permanently. This also solves the problem of poor printability in manufacturing high-quality balls. This also eliminates the need to use highly durable foil for stamps, leading to cost reductions.

Golf bowls with fluorescent materials added into the cover have a good appearance on their own, but the gloss can be further enhanced by applying one to several layers of a nearly transparent surface coating on the cover. I can do it. The surface coating must be transparent to the extent that the underlying cover material is visible through it. Of course, if the surface coating is opaque, the advantages of the invention described above will not be achieved.

As the fluorescent material, commercially available fluorescent pigments and fluorescent dyes can be used. Such fluorescent pigments and dyes are described, for example, in U.S. Pat.
8,873, No. 2, 851.

424, No. 3.412.036, etc., for example, Dayg Color Corporation (Dayg Color Corporation).
LO CO1OR CORPORATION). The amount of fluorescent material to be used depends to a large extent on the desired gloss, but in the case of fluorescent dyes, about 0.0% of the cover composition. O1 to about 0.40% by weight is desirable, and in the case of fluorescent pigments, about 0.05 to about 6% by weight. Fluorescent pigments and fluorescent dyes are relatively free. It is desirable to include a UV stabilizer in the cover composition because of its stability and because the golf ball is intended for outdoor use. if,
When either the fluorescent material or the cover material already contains sufficient UV stabilizer, it is not beneficial to add more. On the contrary, the amount of UV stabilizer, whether inherent in the cover material or added, desirably ranges from about 0.1% to about 3.0% by weight of the cover, and preferably from about 0.5% to about 2.0% by weight of the cover. % by weight is particularly preferred.

If a trademark or number is desired to be stamped on the surface of the cover rather than on the core, a fluorescent pigment can be used instead of a fluorescent dye to create a translucent fluorescent cover. However, as with the use of fluorescent dyes, there is no opaque coating on the surface, and if there is, it is a transparent coating.

Special effects can also be obtained by adding other colorants. For example, a white opacifying agent such as titanium dioxide or calcium carbonate may be used to make the cover nearly opaque. This makes it possible, for example, to hide the threads of a wound ball. In this case as well, it is desirable that the surface coating (if applied) be transparent.

The present invention will be explained in more detail below based on Examples.

Example 1 Commercially available golf ball Hinakle
A golf ball was manufactured using the white solid core used in the company's golf ball.

The cover composition is 99.966% Surlyn and 0.04% by weight.
Heavy i% dichroic/fluorescent die contest turn e
Ix o -(Daygl・o Fluo -resc
ent Dye 5turn Yellow+Trademark)
It was adjusted by mixing 1. This cover composition is standard.

A Fushiel was produced by molding with an injection molding machine. At the same time, stamp the trademark and number on the aforementioned core.
Ta. Next, a half shell was placed around the core by compression molding. The compression molded sushi was removed by puffing. At this time, I did not need to be as careful in puffing as I was in puffing Kabani colored with titanium dioxide pigment. After puffing, a clear coating was applied using standard methods.

The resulting ball had a shiny, well-fluorescent appearance. The trademark was clearly visible through the cover. We repeatedly conducted hitting tests and found that the ball was significantly more durable in appearance than fluorescently colored balls currently on the market. moreover,
Even after hitting the ball 200 times with the force of 200 yards, the appearance remained almost the same as when it first appeared, and the trademark remained intact and became clearer.

Example 2 A golf ball was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 using a wound core. Also, at this time, the trademark was stamped on the surface of the cover instead of the core, and a transparent coating was applied over it. A ball was obtained in which the thread wound around the core was visible.

-Tuesday JL Example''- A golf ball was produced in exactly the same manner as in Example 1, except that no transparent coating was applied to the surface. A ball almost identical to the ball obtained in Example 1 was obtained, except that the gloss was somewhat poor.

Example 4 Instead of Saturn Yellow, 〇- from Skokie, Illinois
A golf ball was produced in exactly the same manner as in Example 1 except that Lemon Yellow from Tar Chemical Co. was used. Example 1
Similar results were obtained.

On the other hand, "Example" - A golf ball was produced in exactly the same manner as in Example 1, except that the amount of Daiglo Saturn Yellow was increased to 0.40%. Due to the large amount of dye, the brightness was slightly low and somewhat less noticeable, but a ball equivalent to the ball obtained in Example 1 was obtained.Example 6 The amount of Dichro Saturn Yellow was reduced to i0.01%. A golf ball was produced in exactly the same manner as in Example 1, except that the amount was reduced. Although the color of the ball was lighter than that of the ball obtained in Example 1, a ball that was almost the same as that obtained in Example 1 was obtained.

Example 7 A golf ball was made as in Example 1 except that a fluorescent pigment was used in place of the fluorescent dye and the trademark was stamped on the surface of the cover before applying the transparent coating. The pigment used was Daiglo Saturn Yellow A-17-N, and its amount was 2.0% by weight. The resulting ball had a very good fluorescent appearance and the cover was translucent.

(Voluntary) Procedural amendment entry 1, Indication of the case Japanese Patent Application No. 58-93908 2, Name of the invention golf ball 3, Relationship between the person making the amendment and the case Appointment of patent applicant Location Belleville Avenue, New Bedford, Massachusetts, United States of America (No street address) Name Acushnet Company 4, Agent 5-2-1-6 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo Number of inventions to be increased by amendment None 7
Target of amendment “Claims” and “Claims” of the specification
18. Contents of amendment 1) The "Claims" of the specification will be corrected as shown in the attached sheet.

2) Specification page 10, line 19 Correct rO,05J to IO,,5J.

Claims (1) A golf ball comprising a core and a cover, characterized in that the material of the cover contains a fluorescent material.

(2) The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein the fluorescent material is a fluorescent dye.

(3) the fluorescent dye is about 0.01% of the material of the cover;
3. The golf ball of claim 2, wherein the golf ball contains about 0.40% by weight.

(4) The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein the fluorescent material is a fluorescent pigment.

(5) The fluorescent pigment is about 0.5 to about 0.5 of the material of the cover.
The golf ball according to claim 4, wherein the golf ball contains about 6.0% by weight.

(6) The golf ball according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the material of the cover is made of a substantially transparent resin.

(7) The golf ball according to claim 6, wherein the transparent resin is an ionomer resin.

(8) The golf ball according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the material of the cover contains an ultraviolet stabilizer.

(9) The UV stabilizer is about 0.1% of the cover material.
9. The golf ball of claim 8, wherein the golf ball contains up to about 3.0% by weight.

(10) The golf ball according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the core is a one-piece solid core.

(11) The golf ball according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the material of the cover contains a white opacifying agent.

(12) The golf ball according to claim 11, wherein the white opacifying agent is titanium dioxide.

Claims (12)

[Claims] (1) A golf ball consisting of a core and a cover, characterized in that the material of the cover contains a fluorescent material. (2) The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein the fluorescent material is a fluorescent dye. (3) The fluorescent dye covers about 0.0% of the material of the cover.
3. The golf ball of claim 2, wherein the golf ball has a weight ratio of 0.01 to about 0.40. (4) The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein the fluorescent material is a fluorescent pigment. (5) The fluorescent pigment is about 0.00% of the material of the cover.
The golf ball according to claim 4, wherein the golf ball contains 5 to about 6.0% by weight. (6) The golf ball according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the material of the cover is made of a substantially transparent resin. (7) The golf ball according to claim 6, wherein the transparent resin is an ionomer resin. (8) The golf ball according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the material of the cover contains an ultraviolet stabilizer. (9) The ultraviolet stabilizer is about 0% of the material of the cover.
9. The golf ball of claim 8, wherein the golf ball contains 1 to about 30% by weight. (10) The golf ball according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the core is a one-piece solid core. (11) The golf ball according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the material of the cover contains a white opacifying agent. (12) The golf ball according to claim 11, wherein the white opacifying agent is titanium dioxide. −