Exterior coatings for golf balls

Abstract

Improved golf ball exterior coatings which are used to create an extremely uniform hydrophobic or hydrophilic exterior surface on the golf ball. When the surface of the golf ball is hydrophobic, it tends to repel water, and this reduces drag on the golf ball surface as the golf ball travels through the air. When the surface of the golf ball is hydrophilic, the surface of the golf ball wets uniformly and the ball rolls straighter on a wet green, as the forces acting on the ball are more uniform. The hydrophobic or hydrophilic exterior coating is applied to the golf ball using vapor-phase deposition in instances where strict control over coating thickness uniformity, and / or reduced surface roughness is desired.

Description

[0001] This application is related to a series of patent applications pertaining to the application of thin film coatings on various substrates, particularly including U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 862,047, filed Jun. 4, 2004, and entitled “Controlled Deposition of Silicon-Containing Coatings Adhered by an Oxide Layer”; and, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 996,520, filed Nov. 19, 2004, and entitled “Controlled Vapor Deposition of Multilayered Coatings Adhered by an Oxide Layer”. Both of these applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The present invention pertains to golf balls coated with exterior thin film coatings which affect the performance of the golf ball during play. [0004] 2. Brief Description of the Background Art [0005] This section describes background subject matter related to the invention, with the purpose of aiding one skilled in the art to better understand the ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 6,509,410 to Ohira et al., issued Jan. 21, 2003, describes an aqueous coating composition for a golf ball. The aqueous coating composition is said to form a high crosslink density owing to the high hydroxyl value, to contain. The coating produced is said to have high impact resistance, abrasion resistance, contamination resistance, etc. which are equivalent to films produced from organic solvent type coatings. The coating formed is said to be free from cracking or film peeling when hit by a golf club; is said to be low in scratch, abrasion and contamination with grass sap, and is said to provide a coated golf ball which retains gloss and fine appearance.

[0016] In an article entitled “Organized Monolayers by Adsorption. 1. Formation and Structure of Oleophobic Mixed Monolayers on Solid Surfaces”, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, Jan. 2, 1980, pp. 92-98, Jacob Sagiv discussed the possibility of producing oleophobic monolayers containing more than one component (mixed monolayers). The article is said to show that homogeneous mixed monolayers containing components which are very different in their properties and molecular shape may be easily formed on various solid polar substrates by adsorption from organic solutions. Irreversible adsorption is said to be achieved through covalent bonding of active silane molecules to the surface of the substrate.

[0026] The present application is related to an exterior coating for application to a golf ball. In a first instance the exterior coating provides a hydrophobic surface on the golf ball. In a second instance the exterior coating provides a hydrophilic surface on the golf ball. Use of the disclosed method of coating deposition described below enables the precise control of process conditions during deposition of the coatings, the coatings exhibit a uniform functionality over the entire golf ball surface, a nanometer scale functionality which is superior to previous golf ball coatings. Due to the accurate delivery of quantities of reactive materials and the conditions under which the materials can be processed, the cost of coating application is greatly reduced as well.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Problems solved by technology

However, too great an RMS surface area is said to result in large surface peaks, widely spaced apart, which begins to diminish the desirable surface area for subsequent reaction with the chloroalkylsilane by vapor deposition.

Too small an RMS surface is said to result in the surface being too smooth, that is to say an insufficient increase in the surface area / or insufficient depth of the surface peaks and valleys on the surface.

Without precise control of the deposition process, the coating may lack thickness uniformity and surface coverage.

The presence of non-uniformities may result in functional discontinuities and defects on the coated substrate surface which are unacceptable for the intended application of the coated substrate.

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