Appeal No. 2004-0242 Page 9
Application No. 09/873,594
It has been proposed to employ polyurethane as a cover stock for golf
balls because, like SURLYNŽ, it has a relatively low price compared to balata
and provides superior cut resistance over balata. However, unlike
SURLYNŽ-covered golf balls, polyurethane-covered golf balls can be made to
have the "click" and "feel" of balata.
. . .
It has now been discovered that a polyurethane prepolymer cured with a
slow-reacting curing agent selected from the group of slow-reacting polyamine
curing agents or difunctional glycols produces a golf ball cover that has good
durability and performance. Golf balls made in accordance with the present
invention have been found to have improved shear resistance and cut resistance
compared to golf balls having covers made from either balata or SURLYNŽ.
Broadly, the present invention is a golf ball product made from a
polyurethane prepolymer cured with a slow-reacting curing agent selected from
the group of slow-reacting polyamine curing agents or difunctional glycols. The
term "golf ball product" as used in the specification and claims means a cover, a
core, a center or a one-piece golf ball. The cover of a golf ball made in
accordance with the present invention has been found to have good shear
resistance, cut resistance, durability and resiliency. Preferably, the polyurethane
composition of the present invention is used to make the cover of a golf ball.
The examiner's rejection
In the rejection of claims 1, 4 to 7, 10 to 13 and 16 to 18 under 35 U.S.C. § 103
(answer, p. 3), the examiner ascertained3 that Nesbitt discloses all of the claimed
subject matter except for the outer cover of the golf ball comprising a polyurethane
material. The examiner, in essence, concluded that in view of the teachings of Wu it
3 After the scope and content of the prior art are determined, the differences between the prior art
and the claims at issue are to be ascertained. Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 17-18, 148 USPQ
459, 467 (1966).
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007