Patents by Inventor Satoko Okabe

Satoko Okabe has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9884226
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a golf ball excellent in hitting durability. The present invention provides a golf ball comprising a spherical core and at least one cover layer covering the spherical core, wherein at least a part of the spherical core is formed from a rubber composition containing (a) a base rubber, (b) a co-crosslinking agent, (c) a crosslinking initiator, and (x) an olefin-alkyl (meth)acrylate copolymer, and a content of (x) the olefin-alkyl (meth)acrylate copolymer in the rubber composition ranges from 0.5 part by mass to 7.0 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of (a) the base rubber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: DUNLOP SPORTS CO. LTD.
    Inventors: Satoko Okabe, Masatoshi Yokota
  • Patent number: 9789365
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a golf ball showing excellent impact durability. The present invention provides a golf ball comprising a spherical core and at least one cover layer covering the spherical core, wherein the golf ball comprises a reinforcing layer containing a polyvinyl acetal resin on the surface of the spherical core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: DUNLOP SPORTS CO. LTD.
    Inventors: Satoko Okabe, Masatoshi Yokota
  • Patent number: 9751272
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a golf ball excellent in kneading workability when preparing a core rubber composition containing (d) a carboxylic acid and/or a salt thereof. The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a golf ball comprising the steps of blending (a) a base rubber and at least (b) a carboxylic acid and/or a salt thereof to prepare a first masterbatch; blending (a) a base rubber and at least (c) a crosslinking initiator to prepare a second masterbatch; blending the first masterbatch and second masterbatch to form a core rubber composition; molding the core rubber composition into a spherical core; and forming one or more cover layers covering the spherical core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: DUNLOP SPORTS CO. LTD.
    Inventors: Satoko Okabe, Masatoshi Yokota, Koichi Fujisawa, Yusuke Tanigawa
  • Patent number: 9694249
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a novel method of manufacturing a golf ball comprising forming a spherical core having less-variable compression deformation amount and stabilized properties. The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a golf ball, comprising the steps of: blending (a) a base rubber, (b) an ?,?-unsaturated carboxylic acid having 3 to 8 carbon atoms and/or a metal salt thereof as a co-crosslinking agent, (c) a crosslinking initiator, (d) a carboxylic acid and/or a salt thereof having a number-average particle size ranging from 15 ?m to 60 ?m, and (e) where necessary a metal compound to prepare a core rubber composition; molding the core rubber composition into a spherical core under specific conditions; and forming at least one cover layer on the spherical core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: DUNLAOP SPORTS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Satoko Okabe, Masatoshi Yokota, Koichi Fujisawa, Yusuke Tanigawa
  • Patent number: 9517385
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a golf ball providing a great distance. Another object of the present invention is to provide a golf ball striking a balance between a flight distance on a driver shot and an approach performance on an approach shot while providing an excellent shot feeling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2016
    Assignee: DUNLOP SPORTS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Satoko Okabe, Keiji Ohama, Takahiro Shigemitsu
  • Patent number: 9498681
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a golf ball comprising a core formed from a rubber composition containing (d) a carboxylic acid and/or a salt thereof and traveling a great flight distance on driver shots. The present invention provides a golf ball comprising a spherical core and at least one cover layer covering the spherical core, wherein the spherical core is formed from a rubber composition containing (a) a base rubber, (b) an ?,?-unsaturated carboxylic acid having 3 to 8 carbon atoms and/or a metal salt thereof as a co-crosslinking agent, (c) a crosslinking initiator, (d) a carboxylic acid and/or a salt thereof and two or more kinds of (e) organic sulfur compounds, provided that the rubber composition further contains (f) a metal compound in case of containing only (b) the ?,?-unsaturated carboxylic acid having 3 to 8 carbon atoms as the co-crosslinking agent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: DUNLOP SPORTS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Satoko Okabe, Masatoshi Yokota, Koichi Fujisawa, Yusuke Tanigawa
  • Publication number: 20160059082
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a golf ball showing excellent impact durability. The present invention provides a golf ball comprising a spherical core and at least one cover layer covering the spherical core, wherein the golf ball comprises a reinforcing layer containing a polyvinyl acetal resin on the surface of the spherical core.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2015
    Publication date: March 3, 2016
    Applicant: DUNLOP SPORTS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Satoko OKABE, Masatoshi YOKOTA
  • Publication number: 20150375052
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a golf ball excellent in hitting durability. The present invention provides a golf ball comprising a spherical core and at least one cover layer covering the spherical core, wherein at least a part of the spherical core is formed from a rubber composition containing (a) a base rubber, (b) a co-crosslinking agent, (c) a crosslinking initiator, and (x) an olefin-alkyl (meth)acrylate copolymer, and a content of (x) the olefin-alkyl (meth)acrylate copolymer in the rubber composition ranges from 0.5 part by mass to 7.0 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of (a) the base rubber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2015
    Publication date: December 31, 2015
    Applicant: DUNLOP SPORTS CO. LTD.
    Inventors: Satoko OKABE, Masatoshi YOKOTA
  • Patent number: 9205305
    Abstract: The present invention provides a golf ball having a center and at least one intermediate layer covering the center and a cover, wherein at least one of the intermediate layer is formed from a composition comprising, as a resin component, (A) a polyamide copolymer containing (a-1) a polymerized fatty acid, (a-2) sebacic acid and/or azelaic acid, (a-3) a polyamine component as an essential component, and (B) at least one member selected from (b-1) a binary copolymer composed of an olefin and an ?,?-unsaturated carboxylic acid, (b-2) a metal ion-neutralized product of a binary copolymer composed of an olefin and an ?,?-unsaturated carboxylic acid, (b-3) a ternary copolymer composed of an olefin, an ?,?-unsaturated carboxylic acid and an ?,?-unsaturated carboxylic acid ester, and (b-4) a metal ion-neutralized product of a ternary copolymer composed of an olefin, an ?,?-unsaturated carboxylic acid and an ?,?-unsaturated carboxylic acid ester.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: DUNLOP SPORTS CO. LTD.
    Inventor: Satoko Okabe
  • Patent number: 9149687
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a golf ball excellent in resilience and durability, with a good moldability of the intermediate layer. The present invention provides a golf ball having a center, a cover, and an intermediate layer disposed between the center and the cover, wherein the intermediate layer is formed from an intermediate layer composition having a flexural modulus ranging from 150 MPa to 450 MPa, a maximum loss factor (tan ?) between ?20° C. and 0° C. of 0.08 or less, a rebound resilience of 55% or more, and a slab hardness ranging from 40 to 60 in Shore D hardness, and the intermediate layer composition comprises, as a resin component, 30 mass % to 70 mass % of (A) a modified polyester elastomer having a Shore A hardness of 95 or less; 70 mass % to 30 mass % of (B) a binary ionomer resin having a Shore D hardness of 65 or more, a flexural modulus of 300 MPa or more, and a melt flow rate (190° C., 2.16 kg) of 1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignees: DUNLOP SPORTS CO. LTD., MITSUBISHI CHEMICAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Satoko Okabe, Kazuhiko Isogawa, Keiko Matsuhisa
  • Patent number: 9061181
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a golf ball having a spherical core with an outer-hard inner-soft structure formed from a rubber composition excellent in kneading workability. Another object of the present invention is to provide a golf ball traveling a great flight distance on driver shots. The present invention provides a golf ball having a spherical core and at least one cover layer covering the spherical core, wherein the spherical core is formed from a rubber composition containing (a) a base rubber, (b) an ?,?-unsaturated carboxylic acid having 3 to 8 carbon atoms and/or a metal salt thereof as a co-crosslinking agent, (c) a crosslinking initiator, and (d) a basic metal salt of a fatty acid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Assignee: DUNLOP SPORTS CO. LTD.
    Inventor: Satoko Okabe
  • Patent number: 9040632
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a golf ball having an excellent properties like flight distance and low temperature durability. The present invention provides a golf ball comprising: a core consisting of a center and one or more intermediate layers covering the center; and a cover covering the core, wherein at least one piece or one layer of said intermediate layers is formed from a highly elastic intermediate layer composition that contains (A) a highly elastic polyamide resin having a flexural modulus in a range from 700 MPa to 5,000 MPa; (B) a metal-neutralized product of ethylene-(meth)acrylic acid copolymer and (C) a resin having a polar functional group in a specific way.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: DUNLOP SPORTS CO. LTD.
    Inventors: Satoko Okabe, Keiji Ohama
  • Patent number: 9005050
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a golf ball that decrease the spin rate on the driver shots while suppressing the decrease in the spin rate on the approach shots in a golf ball having a urethane cover. The present invention provides a golf ball having a core consisting of a center and at least one intermediate layer covering the center, and a cover covering the core, wherein the cover contains polyurethane, and has a slab hardness of 85 or less in JIS A hardness, the core has a surface hardness of 60 or more in Shore D hardness, the intermediate layer has a thickness ranging from 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm, and a resin component constituting the intermediate layer has a hardness from 62 to 68 in Shore D hardness, a flexural modulus from 300 MPa to 500 MPa, and a maximum storage modulus E? between ?30° C. to 0° C. ranging from 1,000 MPa to 2,000 MPa.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignee: SRI Sports Limited
    Inventor: Satoko Okabe
  • Patent number: 8951147
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a golf ball having an improved controllability and shot feeling while maintaining a flight distance on driver shots. The present invention provides a golf ball having a core, an intermediate layer disposed around the core, and a cover disposed around the intermediate layer, wherein the core has a center and an envelope layer disposed around the center, and has a specific hardness distribution, and the intermediate layer is formed from an intermediate layer composition comprising, as a resin component, (A) a modified polyester elastomer and (B) a binary ionomer resin, and having a flexural modulus ranging from 150 MPa to 450 MPa, a maximum loss factor (tan ?) between ?20° C. and 0° C. of 0.08 or less, a repulsive modulus of 55% or more, and a slab hardness ranging from 60 to 90 in JIS-hardness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2015
    Assignee: SRI Sports Limited
    Inventors: Satoko Okabe, Takahiro Sajima, Yoshiko Matsuyama
  • Patent number: 8932152
    Abstract: A center of a golf ball is formed from a composition having a flexural modulus from 150-450 MPa, a maximum loss factor (tan ?) between ?20 and 0° C. of 0.08 or less, a rebound resilience of 55% or more, and a slab hardness ranging from 40-60 in Shore D hardness. The center composition includes, as a resin component, 30 to 70 mass % of (A) a modified polyester elastomer having a Shore A hardness of 95 or less; 70-30 mass % of (B) a binary ionomer resin having a Shore D hardness of 65 or more, a flexural modulus of 300 MPa or more, and a melt flow rate (190° C., 2.16 kg) of 1.0 g/10 min or more; and 0-50 mass % of (C) a thermoplastic resin other than (A) and (B) components (provided that a total content of (A), (B), and (C) components is 100 mass %).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: Dunlop Sports Co. Ltd.
    Inventor: Satoko Okabe
  • Patent number: 8883923
    Abstract: The present invention provides a golf ball comprising a core and a cover covering the core, wherein the cover is formed from a cover composition containing a non-petroleum based polyester resin as a resin component (A) and a needle-like and/or fibrous filler (B). The present invention further provide a golf ball comprising a core and a cover covering the core, wherein the cover is formed from a cover composition containing, a non-petroleum based polyester resin (A-1), at least one petroleum based thermoplastic resin (A-2), and a compatibilizer (C) containing at least a (meth)acrylic resin (C-1) having a polar functional group and an olefin resin (C-2) having a polar functional group. According to the present invention, durability, abrasion resistance and repulsion of a golf ball can be improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Dunlop Sports Co. Ltd.
    Inventor: Satoko Okabe
  • Patent number: 8790197
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a golf ball having a center, an envelope layer, an intermediate layer and a cover, wherein the intermediate layer has a thickness less than 1.2 mm, the envelope layer has a hardness Hs of 60 or more, the intermediate layer has a hardness Hm from 40 to 60, and the cover has a hardness Hc less than 40 in Shore D hardness, and the hardness Hs, Hm and Hc satisfy a following mathematical expression: Hs>Hm>Hc, and the intermediate layer composition has a flexural modulus from 150 MPa to 450 MPa, a maximum loss factor (tan ?) between ?20° C. and 0° C. of 0.08 or less, a rebound resilience of 55% or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: SRI Sports Limited
    Inventors: Satoko Okabe, Kazuya Kamino
  • Patent number: 8663031
    Abstract: A golf ball 2 includes a core 4, a mid layer 6, and a cover 8. The difference between: a hardness H(5.0) at a point located at a distance of 5 mm from the central point of the core 4; and a hardness Ho at the central point is 6.0 or greater. The difference between: a hardness H(12.5) at a point located at a distance of 12.5 mm from the central point; and the hardness H(5.0) is 4.0 or less. The difference between a hardness Hs at the surface of the core 4 and the hardness H(12.5) is 10.0 or greater. The difference between the hardness Hs and the hardness Ho is 22.0 or greater. In the core 4, there is no zone in which a hardness decreases from the central point to the surface. A hardness H3 of the cover 8 is greater than a hardness H2 of the mid layer 6. The cover 8 is formed from a resin composition containing a polyamide copolymer including a polymerized fatty acid (a-1), sebacic acid and/or azelaic acid (a-2), and a polyamine component (a-3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: SRI Sports Limited
    Inventors: Satoko Okabe, Kazuhiko Isogawa, Hirotaka Nakamura
  • Publication number: 20130320587
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a novel method of manufacturing a golf ball comprising forming a spherical core having less-variable compression deformation amount and stabilized properties. The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a golf ball, comprising the steps of: blending (a) a base rubber, (b) an ?,?-unsaturated carboxylic acid having 3 to 8 carbon atoms and/or a metal salt thereof as a co-crosslinking agent, (c) a crosslinking initiator, (d) a carboxylic acid and/or a salt thereof having a number-average particle size ranging from 15 ?m to 60 ?m, and (e) where necessary a metal compound to prepare a core rubber composition; molding the core rubber composition into a spherical core under specific conditions; and forming at least one cover layer on the spherical core.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2013
    Publication date: December 5, 2013
    Inventors: Satoko OKABE, Masatoshi YOKOTA, Koichi FUJISAWA, Yusuke TANIGAWA
  • Publication number: 20130324312
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a golf ball comprising a core formed from a rubber composition containing (d) a carboxylic acid and/or a salt thereof and traveling a great flight distance on driver shots. The present invention provides a golf ball comprising a spherical core and at least one cover layer covering the spherical core, wherein the spherical core is formed from a rubber composition containing (a) a base rubber, (b) an ?,?-unsaturated carboxylic acid having 3 to 8 carbon atoms and/or a metal salt thereof as a co-crosslinking agent, (c) a crosslinking initiator, (d) a carboxylic acid and/or a salt thereof and two or more kinds of (e) organic sulfur compounds, provided that the rubber composition further contains (f) a metal compound in case of containing only (b) the ?,?-unsaturated carboxylic acid having 3 to 8 carbon atoms as the co-crosslinking agent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2013
    Publication date: December 5, 2013
    Inventors: Satoko OKABE, Masatoshi YOKOTA, Koichi FUJISAWA, Yusuke TANIGAWA