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Golf ball layers having improved barrier propertiesRelated Patent Categories: Games Using Tangible Projectile, Golf, Ball, Particular Unitary Or Layered ConstructionGolf ball layers having improved barrier properties description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060128505, Golf ball layers having improved barrier properties. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This non-provisional utility patent application is a continuation-in-part of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/083,453, filed Mar. 18, 2005, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/754,781, filed Jan. 9, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,932,720, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/103,414, filed Mar. 21, 2002, now abandoned, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/973,342, filed Oct. 9, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,632,147. This non-provisional utility patent application is also a continuation-in-part of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/789,252, filed Feb. 27, 2004, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/157,521, filed May 29, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,802,784. These parent applications and patents are each hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates generally to golf balls and golf ball layers having improved moisture and/or oxygen barrier properties resulting from relatively low transmission/permeation rates. In particular, these improved barrier properties can be obtained by utilizing functionalized platelets that can simultaneously act as physical and chemical obstacles for moisture and/or oxygen transmission. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Solid core golf balls are well known in the art. Typically, the core is made from polybutadiene rubber material, which provides the primary source of resiliency for the golf ball. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,241,834 and 3,313,545 disclose the early work in polybutadiene chemistry. It is also known in the art that increasing the cross-link density of polybutadiene can increase the resiliency of the core. The core is typically protected by a cover from repeated impacts from the golf clubs. The golf ball may comprise additional layers, which can be an outer core or an inner cover layer. One or more of these additional layers may be a wound layer of stretched elastic windings to increase the ball's resiliency. [0004] A known drawback of polybutadiene cores cross-linked with peroxide and/or zinc diacrylate is that this material is adversely affected by moisture. Water moisture vapor reduces the resiliency of the cores and degrades its properties. A polybutadiene core will absorb water and loose its resilience. Thus, these cores must be covered quickly to maintain optimum ball properties. The cover is typically made from ionomer resins, balata, and urethane, among other materials. The ionomer covers, particularly the harder ionomers, offer some protection against the penetration of water vapor. However, it is more difficult to control or impart spin to balls with hard covers. Conventional urethane covers, on the other hand, while providing better ball control, offer less resistance to water vapor than ionomer covers. [0005] Prolonged exposure to high humidity and elevated temperature may be sufficient to allow water vapor to invade the cores of some commercially available golf balls. For example at 110.degree. F. and 90% humidity for a sixty day period, significant amounts of moisture enter the cores and reduce the initial velocity of the balls by 1.8 ft/s to 4.0 ft/s or greater. The change in Atti compression may vary from about 5 to about 10, or greater. The absorbed water vapor also reduces the coefficient of restitution ("COR") of the ball. [0006] Several prior patents have addressed the water vapor absorption problem. U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,488 discloses a golf ball with a solid inner core, an outer core, and a water vapor barrier layer disposed therebetween. The water vapor barrier layer preferably has a water vapor transmission rate lower than that of the cover layer. The water vapor barrier layer can be a polyvinylidene chloride layer. It can also be formed by an in situ reaction between a barrier-forming material and the outer surface of the core. Alternatively, the water vapor barrier layer can be a vermiculite layer. U.S. Patent Nos. 5,885,172 and 6,132,324 disclose, among other things, a golf ball with a polybutadiene or wound core with an ionomer resin inner cover and a relatively soft outer cover. The hard ionomer inner cover offers some resistance to water vapor penetration and the soft outer cover provides the desirable ball control. It is also desirable to minimize the water vapor barrier layer such that other properties of the ball are unaffected. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,875,891 discloses an impermeable packaging for golf balls. The impermeable packaging acts as a moisture barrier limiting moisture absorption by golf balls during storage. [0007] Generally, the addition of platelet particles, derived from certain clays, to polymers to improve the physical barrier properties of a polymer has also been taught. These so-called nanocomposites are formed by dispersing the platelet particles in a matrix polymer. To effectively improve the gas barrier properties as well as to produce an adequate level of clarity in the matrix polymer, the platelet particles should be partially or fully exfoliated. To achieve this exfoliation, tether molecules are contacted onto the clay. The use of a variety of possible tether molecules has been taught. The tethers are generally organic cations, such as quaternary ammonium salts, phosphonium salts, and sulfonium salts. These nanocomposite materials have been used in packaging and container applications as monolayers or as one or more layers of a multilayer structure. [0008] Oxygen transmission is another potential, though less addressed, problem in golf balls. To extend the lifetime of oxygen sensitive products (e.g., beer and fruit drinks), there are many commercial containers that incorporate physical oxygen barriers (passive barrier) and/or oxygen absorbers (active chemical barrier). In these packages, a physical oxygen barrier is used to effectively reduce the permeation of oxygen into the package, while a separate oxygen absorber is used to chemically react with oxygen permeating into or trapped in the package. [0009] Similarly, chemical scavengers incorporated into packaging materials such as polyester polymers are known. For instance, International Publication Nos. WO 98/12127 and WO 98/12244 disclose the preparation of blends of PET containing either oxidizable metals or modified polybutadienes. However, these materials offer only chemical scavenging and no passive (physical) barrier. In addition, these materials have not heretofore been contemplated for use in golf balls. [0010] Hence, there remains a need for golf balls with improved water vapor and/or oxygen barrier layers and improved methods for applying water vapor/oxygen barrier layers over the center or core of the golf ball. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0011] The present invention is directed to a golf ball including a core having an outer diameter of about 1.50 inches to about 1.62 inches; a cover including polyurethanes, polyureas, polyurea-urethanes, polyurethane-ureas, or a combination thereof; and an intermediate layer disposed between the core and the cover, the intermediate layer having a thickness of about 0.005 inches to about 0.030 inches and including a matrix polymer and a barrier component comprising a physical barrier to moisture transmission and a chemical barrier to moisture transmission. [0012] The intermediate layer should have a moisture vapor transmission rate that is lower than that of the cover. The matrix polymer preferably includes polyurethanes, polyureas, polyurea-urethanes, polyurethane-ureas, ionomers, or a combination thereof. The core can include a center and an outer core layer. Preferably, the outer core layer has a thickness of about 0.05 inches to about 0.15 inches, the intermediate layer has a thickness of about 0.010 inches to about 0.025 inches, and the cover has a thickness of about 0.010 inches to about 0.050 inches. [0013] The barrier component preferably includes an intercalated organoclay chemically-modified with an ammonium compound, a phosphonium compound, a sulfonium compound, or a combination thereof to provide the chemical barrier to moisture transmission. In a preferred embodiment, the barrier component includes a compound having the formula: where M comprises nitrogen, phosphorous, or sulfur; where X.sup.- comprises an anionic counterion; and where R.sub.1, R.sub.2, R.sub.3, and R.sub.4 comprise hydrogen, an organic moiety, or an oligomeric organic moiety. Ideally, the intermediate layer has a moisture vapor transmission rate of less than about 0.4 gmm/m.sup.2day. [0014] The present invention is also directed to a golf ball including a core; a cover; and an intermediate layer disposed between the core and the cover, the intermediate layer having a thickness of about 0.005 inches to about 0.030 inches and being formed from a matrix polymer and a barrier component, the barrier component including a physical barrier to moisture transmission, and being chemically-modified with an ammonium compound, a phosphonium compound, a sulfonium compound, or a combination thereof to provide a chemical barrier to moisture transmission. [0015] The present invention is further directed to a golf ball including a core having an outer diameter of about 1.50 inches to about 1.62 inches, the core including a center and an outer core layer; a cover including polyurethanes, polyureas, polyurea-urethanes, polyurethane-ureas, or a combination thereof; and an intermediate layer having a thickness of about 0.005 inches to about 0.030 inches disposed between the core and the cover, the intermediate layer including a matrix polymer selected from the group consisting of polyurethanes, polyureas, polyurea-urethanes, polyurethane-ureas, and ionomers; and a barrier component comprising a physical barrier to moisture transmission and a chemical barrier to moisture transmission, wherein the barrier component comprises a compound having the formula: where M comprises nitrogen, phosphorous, or sulfur; where X.sup.- comprises an anionic counterion; and where R.sub.1, R.sub.2, R.sub.3, and R.sub.4 comprise hydrogen, an organic moiety, or an oligomeric organic moiety. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [0016] One aspect of the present invention involves a golf ball containing, in one or more core, cover or intermediate layers, a single composite component that provides both physical and chemical obstacles for moisture and/or oxygen transmission. In a preferred embodiment, the single composite component comprises a first element capable of providing a physical barrier to moisture and/or oxygen transmission and a second element, attached to the first element, and capable of providing a chemical barrier to moisture and/or oxygen transmission. [0017] In some embodiments, the single component is present in one layer. In other embodiments, the single component is present in more than one layer. In one embodiment, one or more of the layers of the golf ball contains at least about 0.1% of the single component, based on the weight of each layer. The single component is preferably present in one or more intermediate layers between the one or more core layers and the one or more cover layers. [0018] In one embodiment, the single composite component includes platelet particles having attached thereto at least one moisture and/or oxygen scavenging moiety. In this embodiment, the platelet particles themselves can provide the physical obstacles to moisture and/or oxygen transmission, while the at least one moisture and/or oxygen scavenging moiety can provide a chemically reactive trap for moisture and/or oxygen, thus reducing, inhibiting, and/or preventing moisture and/or oxygen transmission. Preferably, in this embodiment, the moisture and/or oxygen scavenging moiety can be an organic cation, so that the platelets have attached thereto at least one moisture and/or oxygen scavenging organic cation, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,610,772, which is incorporated herein by express reference thereto. [0019] In another embodiment, the platelet particles are intercalated and/or layered platelet particles made using techniques known in the art, e.g., by reaction of an organic cation salt with a swellable layered platelet particle precursor material. In this embodiment, the cation salt of the present invention can advantageously serve the dual purpose of aiding the exfoliation of the swellable layered platelet precursor and imparting a moisture- and/or oxygen-scavenging capability to the platelet particles (e.g., which may be activated by an oxidation catalyst). It should be understood that one, or more than one, organic salt may be used to treat the swellable layered platelet particle precursor material, and that each organic salt need not necessarily serve both purposes of exfoliating and scavenging. For example, two distinct organic salts may be used, of which one would predominantly impart the exfoliation properties while the second would predominantly serve to impart the scavenging capability. In addition, some organic salts may serve the purpose of binding the oxidation catalyst, if present, near the platelet particles. Continue reading about Golf ball layers having improved barrier properties... Full patent description for Golf ball layers having improved barrier properties Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Golf ball layers having improved barrier properties patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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