Game ball lacing

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6761654
  • Patent Number
    6,761,654
  • Date Filed
    Tuesday, May 20, 2003
    21 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, July 13, 2004
    20 years ago
Abstract
A game ball including a casing and a lacing. The casing has a laced region. The lacing is coupled to the laced region of the casing. The lacing has an exposed surface comprised of an outer material that is compressible, resilient, and tactile. The outer material has a modulus of elasticity of between 14 and 170 kg/cm2 and a tensile strength between 100 and 650 kg/cm2. At least a portion of the lacing can have an exposed pebbled surface.
Description




FIELD OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates generally to a laced game ball. In particular, the present invention relates to an improved lacing for a laced game ball.




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




Laced game balls, such as footballs, are well known and are included among the most popular game balls in the United States. Footballs typically include an inner inflatable air bladder and an outer casing having a longitudinally extending, elongate slot. The air bladder is inserted into the casing through the slot and secured within the outer casing by a lacing. The lacing resembles a shoelace and typically is made of one or more leather strips, braided fibers, or braided fibers having an outer latex coating. When assembled, the lacing generally outwardly extends from the casing forming a number of raised ridges that facilitate grasping and passing of the football. The lacing further facilitates a player's ability to impart a spin onto the football during passing thereby producing a spiral trajectory of the ball. The spiral trajectory generally improves the distance of a thrown football.




In football, as in many other sports, the gripping and tactile characteristics of the ball can considerably affect the performance of the participating players. In particular, the lacing of a football significantly contributes to the football's gripping and tactile characteristics, and, not surprisingly, to the player's ability to pass the ball accurately and for distance. The lacing also typically plays a role in the player's ability to catch or to hold on to the football. Further, because football games are typically played outdoors, in unpredictable and inclement weather conditions including rain, sleet and snow, the player's ability to adequately grip the ball is particularly dependent upon the gripping and tactile characteristics of the ball and the lacing.




Lacings on earlier football designs typically included leather strips or braided fibers, such as cotton fibers. These lacing materials sufficiently enclosed the slot and retained the bladder within the outer casing, but they generally did not wear well, could become slippery when wet, and portions of the lacings could be shifted or dislodged during use. Existing lacings in more recent football designs are typically formed of braided fibers or extruded strands and include an outer layer of latex or plastic. Such existing lacings wear, and retain their position, well, but can be quite hard, and are relatively smooth and slippery, particularly in wet play conditions. Even when such lacings have a roughened exterior surface, they often remain quite slippery and difficult to grasp, particularly in wet conditions. Hard, relatively smooth or slippery lacings can contribute to poorly thrown passes, incompletions and fumbles. Others have attempted to solve these problems by significantly changing the shape of the football or by applying multiple sets of lacings to a football. These types of proposed solutions are radical departures from the design and look of a traditional American football. Not surprisingly, these types of radical design changes are not widely accepted, particularly in organized play.




Thus, there is a need for a lacing for a sports ball, such as a football, that improves the gripping and tactile characteristics of the sports ball without radically departing from the ball's traditional design. What is needed is a lacing that improves a player's ability to pass, catch or grip a ball. Further, it would be advantageous to provide a football and lacing that can be more readily thrown in a spiral trajectory. What is also needed is a football that can contribute to reducing the number of fumbles, incompletions and poorly thrown balls during the course of a game or a season, particularly during inclement weather.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The present invention provides a game ball including a casing and a lacing. The casing has a laced region. The lacing is coupled to the laced region of the casing. The lacing has an exposed surface comprised of an outer material that is compressible, resilient, and tactile. The outer material has a modulus of elasticity of between 14 and 170 kg/cm


2


and a tensile strength between 100 and 650 kg/cm


2


.




According to a principal aspect of a preferred form of the invention, a game ball includes a casing and a lacing. The casing has a laced region. The lacing is coupled to the laced region of the casing. The lacing has an exposed surface. At least a portion of the exposed surface of the lacing has a pebbled texture.




According to another preferred aspect of the invention provides a game ball includes a casing and a lacing. The casing has a laced region. The lacing is coupled to, and generally surrounds the laced region of the casing. The lacing includes an inner substrate attached to an outer layer. The outer layer of the lacing has an exposed surface made of an outer material that is compressible, resilient, and tactile.




According to another preferred aspect of the invention provides a lacing for a sporting goods product. The lacing includes an inner substrate and an outer layer. The inner substrate is made of a high tensile strength material. The outer layer is coupled to the inner substrate. The outer layer is made of a material that is soft, compressible, resilient, and tactile. The material of the outer layer has a modulus of elasticity of between 14 and 170 kg/cm


2


and a tensile strength between 100 and 650 kg/cm


2


.




This invention will become more fully understood from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings described herein below, and wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a top plan view of an American football in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 2

is a side elevational view of the football of FIG.


1


.





FIG. 3

is a sectional, front perspective view of a lacing of the football of FIG.


1


.





FIG. 4

is a top plan view of an American football according to an alternative preferred embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 5

is a sectional, front perspective view of a lacing of the football of FIG.


4


.





FIG. 6

is a cross-sectional view of a lacing in accordance with another alternative preferred embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 7

is a cross-sectional view of a lacing in accordance with another alternative preferred embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 8

is a cross-sectional view of a lacing in accordance with another alternative preferred embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 9

is a cross-sectional view of a lacing in accordance with another alternative preferred embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 10

is a cross-sectional view of a lacing in accordance with another alternative preferred embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 11

is a front perspective view of a lacing in accordance with another alternative preferred embodiment of the present invention.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS




Referring to

FIGS. 1 and 2

, an American football is indicated generally at


10


. The football


10


is one example of a laced sports ball. The present application is directly applicable to all laced sports balls and other sporting goods products including, for example, footballs, rugby balls, soccer balls, basketballs, baseball mitts and volleyballs.




The football


10


is a generally prolate spheroidal shaped inflatable object having a major longitudinal dimension and a minor transverse dimension. The football


10


includes a casing


12


, a bladder


14


and a lacing


16


. The casing


12


is a prolate spheroidal shaped outer body preferably formed from four quarter sections (first and second quarter sections


18


and


20


are shown in

FIG. 1

) that are joined to one another along longitudinal seams (a first longitudinal seam


22


is also shown in FIG.


1


). The casing


12


, when assembled, has first and second end portions


24


and


26


separated by a central portion


28


. The central portion


28


of the casing


12


includes a valve aperture


30


and a longitudinally extending slot


32


positioned in line with the first longitudinal seam


22


and between two parallel longitudinally extending rows of spaced apart lace holes


34


. The casing


12


is typically made of leather, rubber or a synthetic polymeric plastic material. An outer surface of the casing


12


preferably includes a pebbled texture for enhancing the grip and improving the aesthetics of the football


10


.




The bladder


14


is an inflatable air tube preferably having a prolate spheroidal shape. The bladder


14


is inserted into the casing


12


through the slot


32


. The bladder


14


enables the football


10


to retain a predetermined amount of air thereby achieving the desired firmness to the football


10


. The bladder


14


is typically made of latex, butyl rubber or other suitable material. The bladder


14


includes a valve


38


that extends through the valve aperture


30


of the casing


12


for access by a user. In an alternative embodiment, the casing


12


and the bladder


14


can be integrally formed together. In another alternative embodiment, the football can be formed without a bladder.




The lacing


16


is preferably a single elongate cord. Alternatively, the lacing


16


can include a plurality of cords. The lacing


16


is threaded through the lace holes


34


of the casing


12


. The lacing


16


enables the two parallel longitudinally extending rows of spaced apart lace holes


34


to be drawn together thereby closing the slot


32


retaining the bladder


14


within the casing


12


. When installed onto the football


10


, the lacing


16


preferably includes two substantially exposed longitudinally extending segments


40


and eight substantially exposed transversely extending segments


42


. In alternative preferred embodiments, other numbers of substantially exposed longitudinal and transverse segments


40


and


42


can be used. The longitudinal and transverse segments


40


and


42


of the lacing outwardly extend from the casing


12


to provide raised surfaces for a player to contact when passing, catching or holding onto the football


10


. Players when passing the football


10


will typically place one or more of their fingertips onto the raised surfaces of the lacing


16


in order to throw a more accurate pass and to impart a spiral trajectory onto the thrown ball. In one preferred embodiment, an installed lacing


16


has a length of approximately 4.5 inches.





FIG. 3

illustrates a preferred embodiment of the lacing


16


. The lacing


16


includes at least one elongate strand


44


, an inner layer


46


, and an outer layer


48


. The strand


44


is formed of a high tensile strength material, preferably nylon. In alternative preferred embodiments, the strand or strands


44


can be formed of polyester, metal, braided fibers, a high tensile strength polymer or combinations thereof. In a particularly preferred embodiment, three strands


14


are included in a spaced apart configuration within the lacing


16


. The strand


44


increases the tensile strength of the lacing


16


enabling the lacing


16


to withstand significant stresses during use without failing.




The inner layer


46


surrounds the strands


44


within the lacing


16


. The inner layer


46


is formed of a pliable material, preferably vinyl or plastic. Alternatively, other materials can be used, such as, for example, a cloth, leather or other polymers. The inner layer


46


is preferably formed with a generally uniform cross-sectional area resembling a flattened oval. Alternatively, the inner layer


46


can have a circular cross-section or other shapes. The strands


44


and the inner layer


46


are preferably produced as a co-extrusion. Alternatively, the strands


44


alone can be extruded and the inner layer


46


can be attached to, and substantially surround, the strands


44


.




The outer layer


48


is a sheet of material that is preferably soft, compressible, resilient, tactile, porous and spongy. The outer layer


48


has an inner surface


50


and an outer surface


52


. The inner surface


50


of the outer layer


48


is attached to, and preferably substantially surrounds, the inner layer


46


. The outer layer


48


is preferably affixed to the inner layer


46


. In other alternative embodiments, the outer layer


48


can be attached to the inner layer


46


through stitching, stapling, mechanical bonding, heat bonding or other conventional fastening means. The outer layer


48


provides the lacing


16


, and in particular the exposed portions of the lacing


16


, with a soft, tactile and resilient feel that enhances the player's ability to easily grip, throw, or retain the football


10


when contacting the lacing


16


. The outer layer


48


of the lacing


16


is preferably made of a wet process polyurethane material. Alternatively, the outer layer


48


can be formed of other materials, such as, for example, dry process polyurethane, a polyvinylchloride foam, other polymers, other foams or combinations thereof. The material of the outer layer preferably has a modulus of elasticity of between 14 and 170 kg/cm


2


and a tensile strength of between 100 and 650 kg/cm


2


. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the material of the outer layer has a modulus of elasticity of between 30 and 110 kg/cm


2


and a tensile strength between 450 and 600 kg/cm


2


. The outer surface


52


of the outer layer


48


includes a roughened texture. Further, the outer layer


48


of the lacing


16


preferably has a white or a brown color. Alternative colors or combination of colors are also contemplated.




Unlike existing lacings that typically include a relatively hard, and often slippery, outer surface, the soft tactile outer layer


48


significantly improves the grip-ability of the lacing


16


thereby facilitating the player's ability to firmly grasp, throw or catch the football


10


. The outer layer


48


of the lacing


16


provides an increased frictional interaction between the lacing


16


and the fingertips of the player. The soft tactile outer layer


48


also enhances the player's ability to impart a spin onto the football


10


. The tactile, compressible and resilient outer layer


48


of the improved lacing


16


can also assist in reducing turnovers and incompletions and is well suited for inclement weather. Moreover, the lacing


16


provides the strength and durability of a traditional lacing with a soft, tactile outer surface that improves the overall feel, grip-ability and performance of the lacing


16


. The lacing


16


is strong enough to withstand the stresses encountered during normal use without significantly wearing, fraying or elongating, while improving the overall feel of the lacing


16


to the user.





FIGS. 4 and 5

illustrate another preferred embodiment of the present invention in which the roughened texture or grain of the outer surface


52


of the lacing


16


includes a plurality of pebble-like projections


54


. The lacing


16


of

FIGS. 4 and 5

is substantially similar to the lacing


16


of

FIGS. 1 through 3

. The pebble-like projections


54


provide the outer surface


52


of the lacing


16


with a pebbled texture that is substantially similar to the grip enhancing pebbled outer surface present on the casing of conventional footballs. The pebble-like projections


54


are preferably convex, rounded and spaced apart from one another. The pebble-like projections


54


further improve the player's ability to grip the football


10


and they also provide the lacing


16


with a unique appealing aesthetic. In an alternative preferred embodiment, the outer surface


52


of the lacing


16


can include a plurality of concave pebble-like projections. In other embodiments, the outer surface


52


can be cross-hatched, grainy, grooved or otherwise irregular to roughen the texture of the lacing


16


.




The pebble-like projections


54


are preferably embossed, using a suitable stamping or rolling device under pressure and/or temperature, onto the outer surface


52


of the outer layer


48


. Alternatively, the pebble-like projections


54


can be applied to the outer surface


52


via injection or compression molding. In another alternative preferred embodiment, the pebbled texture can be applied to the outer surface of virtually any type of lacing, such as, for example, a urethane or latex impregnated cloth lacing, a braided fiber lacing, a plastic lacing, a rubber lacing, and a leather lacing. In another alternative preferred embodiment, the pebble-like projections


54


are included on one of either the transverse segments


42


and the longitudinal segments


40


. In another alternative preferred embodiment, the pebble-like projections are formed onto a portion of the outer surface


52


of the lacing


16


.




Referring to

FIG. 6

, in an alternative preferred embodiment of the present invention, the outer layer


48


is attached to, and substantially covers, an outer (otherwise exposed) side


56


of the inner layer


46


of the lacing


16


. In this embodiment, the soft, compressible, resilient and tactile outer layer


48


can be positioned on the outer side


56


of the lacing


16


while the remaining surfaces of the inner layer


46


of the lacing


16


are substantially uncovered by the outer layer


48


. Placement of the outer layer


48


onto the outer side


56


of the inner layer


46


reduces the amount of material used to form the lacing


16


. Moreover, placement of the outer layer


48


onto only the outer side


56


of the inner layer


46


reduces the overall thickness and weight of the lacing


16


. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the outer surface


52


of the outer layer


48


includes a pebbled texture.




Referring to

FIG. 7

, another alternative preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. The outer layer


48


is placed onto an outer surface


56


of the inner layer


46


and onto an inner surface


58


of the inner layer


46


leaving the remaining surfaces of the lacing substantially uncovered. In this preferred embodiment, the thickness of the lacing


16


is substantially unchanged from the preferred embodiment of the lacing


16


of

FIGS. 1 through 3

. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the outer surface


42


of the outer layer


48


includes a pebbled texture.




Referring to

FIG. 8

, another alternative embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. A lacing


116


includes a substrate


146


and an outer layer


148


. The outer layer


148


is substantially similar to the outer layer


48


. The substrate


146


is a conventional lacing formed from a known lacing material, such as, for example, woven cloth, unwoven cloth, urethane or latex impregnated carrier cloth, nylon, plastic, braided fibers, rope, metal wire, leather, or a combination thereof. The lacing


116


has a circular cross-sectional shape. Other cross-sectional shapes are also contemplated. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the outer layer


148


includes a pebbled outer surface.




Referring to

FIGS. 9 and 10

, additional preferred embodiments of the present invention are illustrated. The lacing


216


is formed of a single continuous material that is soft, compressible, resilient and tactile. The material of the lacing


216


is substantially similar to the material of the outer layer


48


. The lacing


216


can be formed in a circular or oval cross-sectional area. Other cross-sectional shapes are also contemplated. In a particularly preferred embodiment, an outer surface


252


of the lacing


216


is pebbled.




Referring to

FIG. 11

, another preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. A lacing


316


is shown in a shape resembling an assembled lacing. The lacing


316


preferably includes two longitudinal lace segments


318


and eight transverse lace segments


320


. In other preferred embodiments, other numbers and combinations of longitudinal and transverse lace segments


318


and


320


can be used. Each lace segment


320


can be formed to outwardly extend from the longitudinal lace segments


318


curve downward and then back toward the longitudinal lace segments. The lacing


316


can be molded as a single piece resembling an assembled lace. Alternatively, the longitudinal and transverse segments


318


and


320


can be formed separately and subsequently connected to each other to form the lacing


316


. The lace segments


320


are configured to attach to the football


10


at the lace holes


34


(see FIG.


1


). The lacing


316


is substantially similar to the lacing


16


of

FIGS. 1 through 3

. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the lacing


316


includes an outer layer


348


with a pebbled outer surface


352


.




While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described and illustrated, numerous departures therefrom can be contemplated by persons skilled in the art, for example, the lacing can be a generally longitudinally ridge outwardly extending from the casing of the football. An outer layer of the ridge can be formed of a soft, compressible, tactile and resilient material, and an outer surface of the ridge can include a pebbled texture. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the foregoing description but only by the scope and spirit of the appended claims.



Claims
  • 1. A game ball comprising:a casing having a curved outer surface and a laced region; and a lacing coupled to the laced region of the casing and outwardly extending from the curved outer surface of the casing, the lacing including an outer layer having an exposed surface comprised of an outer material that is compressible, resilient, and tactile, the outer material having a modulus of elasticity of between 14 and 170 kg/cm2 and a tensile strength between 100 and 650 kg/cm2, the lacing including a plurality of transversely extending lace segments and at least one longitudinally extending segment, the lacing being a unitary integral cord assembly along the length of the at least one longitudinally extending segment and at least one of the transversely extending lace segments, the lacing further comprising an inner substrate coupled to the outer layer.
  • 2. The game ball of claim 1, wherein the outer layer is attached to the inner substrate using a means selected from the group consisting of adhesive bonding, stitching, stapling, mechanical bonding, heat bonding and combinations thereof.
  • 3. The game ball of claim 1, wherein the inner substrate is formed from one or more inner materials selected from the group consisting of a woven cloth, a non-woven cloth, a urethane impregnated cloth, at least one nylon strand, at least one polyester strand, braided fibers, plastic, latex, vinyl, a rope, a wire, a leather strip and a combination thereof.
  • 4. The game ball of claim 1 wherein the inner substrate includes at least one strand of a high tensile strength material and a plastic generally surrounding to the strand.
  • 5. The game ball of claim 4, wherein the at least one strand is formed of a strand material selected from the group consisting of a polyester, a nylon, a metal and a polymer.
  • 6. The game ball of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the exposed surface includes a pebbled texture.
  • 7. The game ball of claim 1, wherein the inner substrate has a top side and a bottom side, and wherein the outer layer is attached only to the top side.
  • 8. The game ball of claim 1, wherein the inner substrate has a top side and a bottom side, and wherein the outer layer is attached only to the top side and the bottom side.
  • 9. The game ball of claim 1, wherein the outer layer substantially surrounds the inner substrate.
  • 10. A game ball comprising:a casing having a laced region; and a lacing coupled to the laced region of the casing, the lacing including an outer layer having an exposed surface comprised of an outer material that is compressible, resilient, and tactile, the outer material having a modulus of elasticity of between 14 and 170 kg/cm2, the lacing defining a non-diverging path as it extends about the laced region, the lacing further comprising an inner substrate coupled to the on outer layer.
  • 11. The game ball of claim 10, wherein the outer layer is attached to the inner substrate using a means selected from the group consisting of adhesive bonding, stitching, stapling, mechanical bonding, heat bonding and combinations thereof.
  • 12. The game ball of claim 10, wherein the inner substrate is formed from one or more inner materials selected from the group consisting of a woven cloth, a non-woven cloth, a urethane impregnated cloth, at least one nylon strand, at least one polyester strand, braided fibers, plastic, latex, vinyl, a rope, a wire, a leather strip and a combination thereof.
  • 13. The game ball of claim 10, wherein the inner substrate includes at least one strand of a high tensile strength material and a plastic generally surrounding to the strand.
  • 14. The game ball of claim 13 wherein the at least one strand is formed of a strand material selected from the group consisting of a polyester, a nylon, a metal and a polymer.
  • 15. The game ball of claim 10 wherein at least a portion of the exposed surface includes a pebbled texture.
  • 16. The game ball of claim 10, wherein the inner substrate has a top side and a bottom side, and wherein the outer layer is attached only to the top side.
  • 17. The game ball of claim 10, wherein the inner substrate has a top side and a bottom side, and wherein the outer layer is attached only to the top side and the bottom side.
  • 18. The game ball of claim 10, wherein the outer layer substantially surrounds the inner substrate.
  • 19. The game ball of claim 1 wherein the outer material has a modulus of elasticity of between 30 and 110 kg/cm2 and a tensile strength between 450 and 600 kg/cm2.
  • 20. The game ball of claim 1, wherein the outer material is selected from the group consisting of a wet process polyurethane, a dry process polyurethane, a polyvinylchloride foam, and a combination thereof.
  • 21. The game ball of claim 10 wherein the outer material has a modulus of elasticity of between 30 and 110 kg/cm2.
  • 22. The game ball of claim 10 wherein the outer material is selected from the group consisting of a wet process polyurethane, a dry process polyurethane, a polyvinylchloride foam, and a combination thereof.
  • 23. The game ball of claim 10, wherein the outer material has a tensile strength between 100 and 650 kg/cm2.
  • 24. The game ball of claim 23, wherein the outer material has a tensile strength between 450 and 600 kg/cm2.
RELATED U.S. APPLICATION DATA

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/946,037, entitled “Game Ball Lacing,” filed on Sep. 4, 2001 by Murphy et al.

US Referenced Citations (5)
Number Name Date Kind
723606 Jacobs Mar 1903 A
1916935 Savaria Jul 1933 A
2148082 McMillan Feb 1939 A
5997422 Cooper Dec 1999 A
6629902 Murphy et al. Oct 2003 B2
Continuations (1)
Number Date Country
Parent 09/946037 Sep 2001 US
Child 10/441556 US