Patent Grant
12059601
This application is related to and claims priority benefits from German Patent Application No. 102021202706.7, filed Mar. 19, 2021 (“the '706 application”), and European Patent Application No. 22162392.9, filed Mar. 16, 2022 (“the '392 application”). Both applications are hereby incorporated herein in their entirety by this reference.
Various embodiments herein relate to an inflatable ball (such as a soccer ball) having an outer shell comprising panels.
High quality balls generally comprise an outer shell which is composed of a multitude of prefabricated panels. A panel is in the following understood as being a separately prefabricated portion which forms less than a half of the ball shell.
The panels may be suitably attached relative to each other, for example by sewing of their edges or by gluing to the surface of the carcass. A direct gluing (or laser) welding of the edges of the panels to each other is also possible. For the sake of simplicity, the region where two adjacent panels contact each other, is simply called a “seam” in the following description, regardless of whether the panels are actually sewn to each other in a standard manner or whether they are fixed relative to each other in another way for providing the outer shell of the ball.
In the past, the shell of soccer balls consisted typically of 32 panels having pentagonal and hexagonal shapes, respectively. Based on the high number of small panels, a high percentage of time for ball manufacture was incurred for sewing, which is a labor-intensive step of the manufacturing process, often made by hand to provide a high-quality ball. However, it also has been realized that balls having large panels can have negative flight properties and can, for example, lead to instability. Nevertheless, the trend clearly goes to less and bigger panels. But due to aerodynamic effects there may be unintended and unpredictable flutter movements of a ball with bigger, smooth surface panels. It is immediately apparent that such aerodynamic effects essentially impair a controlled play and precise shots. Moreover, a smooth surface of the panels also reduces a level of control over the ball at the shoe, e.g. by a soccer player during dribbling. Similar problems also occur for inflatable balls for other sports, such as handball, volleyball, etc.
Several attempts have been made in the past to improve the aerodynamic properties of balls. For example, prior art document U.S. Pat. No. 4,318,544 discloses a soccer ball having an outer shell with a plurality of indentations arranged so as to provide a wind channel configuration which aids in aerodynamic control of the ball. Prior art document BE 1,016,122 relates to a football which has panels with recessed regions in form of holes, embossed areas or grooves. Further, prior art documents US 2020/0230468 A1 and U.S. Pat. No. 8,617,011 B2 show large elongated rib-like indentations. The plurality of indentations may include a plurality of peripheral channels or seams and a plurality of interior channels.
Furthermore, prior art document US 2004/0142780 A1 discloses sports balls provided with an external pattern applied all over their outer surface, said pattern being composed by a plurality of cavities equally spaced apart and of identical dimensions. Similarly, prior art document US 2007/0117662 A1 relates to a soccer ball, with a plurality of air-turbulence-producing depressions distributed over a majority of the outer surface of the skin.
Further prior art may be found in: Hong Sungchan et al., Effect of a soccer ball's surface texture on its aerodynamics and trajectories, 2018; Rogers David, A study of the relationship between surface features and the in-flight performance of footballs, UK 2011; Ward Matthew et al., Comparing the aerodynamic behavior of real footballs to a smooth sphere using tomographic PIV, 2020; BE 1,016,110 A6; BE 1,016,122 A6; U.S. Pat. No. 8,617,011 B2; and US 2020/0230468 A1.
While these existing constructions all try to have an influence on the flight properties or a ball control in general, they either lead to a ball with a heavily increased swerve or to trajectories with minimal swerve. Moreover, the parallel grooves also have an influence on an aimed shot, based on whether the shoe of the player directly hits such grooves or a smoother region of the shell. So far, the ideal balance has not been found.
Therefore, as described further herein, it may be beneficial to provide a ball, in particular a soccer ball, having good properties including an improved level of control at the shoe but also a balanced magnus effect in the air leading to a controlled degree of swerve which reduces the so called fluttering. Such a ball allows a more precise play so that the above outlined disadvantages of the prior art are at least partly overcome.
The terms “invention,” “the invention,” “this invention” and “the present invention” used in this patent are intended to refer broadly to all of the subject matter of this patent and the patent claims below. Statements containing these terms should be understood not to limit the subject matter described herein or to limit the meaning or scope of the patent claims below. Embodiments of the invention covered by this patent are defined by the claims below, not this summary. This summary is a high-level overview of various embodiments of the invention and introduces some of the concepts that are further described in the Detailed Description section below. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used in isolation to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter. The subject matter should be understood by reference to appropriate portions of the entire specification of this patent, any or all drawings and each claim.
In some embodiments, an inflatable ball is provided. The inflatable ball may include an outer shell. The outer shell may include panels. The panels may include at least one surface texture. At least a subset of the panels may include indentations in addition to the surface texture. The indentations may include a shape which is different from a shape of the surface texture.
In some embodiments, the inflatable ball may include a soccer ball.
In some embodiments, only the subset of the panels may include the indentations in addition to the surface texture, or all of the panels may include the indentations in addition to the surface texture.
In some embodiments, the indentations are polygonal. The indentations may be essentially kite-shaped, essentially elliptical, or essentially circular.
In some embodiments, the indentations are not in contact with panel edges. Additionally or alternatively, the indentations may be essentially placed within a central region of a panel.
In some embodiments, the indentations are distributed in-homogeneously on each panel having indentations.
In some embodiments, the indentations are distributed homogeneously on each panel having indentations.
In some embodiments, each panel may include only one surface texture. The surface texture may be essentially uniformly distributed on each of the panels, and/or a shape of the surface texture may be the same on each panel.
In some embodiments, at least some panels may include more than one surface texture.
In some embodiments, the surface texture may include multiple different shapes which are grouped relative to each other in a formation. A plurality of formations may be distributed at least partly across the panels, such that a distribution of the different shapes is repeatedly the same within the plurality of formations.
In some embodiments, a maximum extent of the at least one surface texture perpendicular to a surface of the inflatable ball is smaller than a maximum depth of the indentations.
In some embodiments, each panel having indentations may include at least two distinct indentation depths, indentation lengths, indentation widths, or a combination thereof. Additionally or alternatively, on each panel having indentations an indentation depth, indentation length, indentation width, or a combination thereof decreases on average in a direction from an inner region to an outer/edge region of the panel.
In some embodiments, at least one of: an indentation length varies between 1.0 and 30.0 mm; an indentation depth varies between 0 and 10 mm; or an indentation width varies between 0.1 and 15.0 mm.
In some embodiments, each panel may include an outer layer that may include polyurethane, and/or each panel may include an inner layer that may include a foamed material. At least some indentations may extend partly into a top surface of the inner layer and/or the at least one surface texture may extend only in the outer layer.
In some embodiments, the subset may include less than 32 panels, and/or the number of panels not within the subset is less than 24 panels.
In some embodiments, a maximum extent of the at least one surface texture perpendicular to a surface of the inflatable ball is less than 1.5 mm. Additionally or alternatively, a shape of at least one surface texture is polygonal. A maximum length of a side of the polygonal surface texture may be less than 20 mm.
In some embodiments, an overall roughness volume of the surface of the inflatable ball ranges between 7000 and 30000 mm3.
In the following detailed description, embodiments of the invention are described referring to the following figures.
In some embodiments, an inflatable ball (such as a soccer ball) is provided having an outer shell comprising panels. The panels comprise at least one surface texture, wherein at least a subset of the panels comprises indentations in addition to the surface texture. The indentations further comprise a shape which is different from a shape of the surface texture.
In general, a moving object, such as a ball flying through the air, has a high-pressure area on its front side compared to its back side. Air flows smoothly over the contours of the front side and eventually separates from the ball toward the back side. A flying ball also leaves behind a turbulent wake region where the air flow is fluctuating or agitated, resulting in lower pressure behind it. The size of the wake affects the amount of drag on the object. At least one surface texture(s) on the outer shell of the ball create(s) a thin turbulent boundary layer of air that clings to the ball's surface. This allows the smoothly flowing air to follow the ball's surface a little farther around the back side of the ball, thereby decreasing the size of the wake. Thus, the at least one surface texture provides a reduced drag of the ball compared to a ball with a smooth surface, which can result in longer shots.
Despite the potential of longer shots based on the surface texture(s) of the panels, the inventors found that additionally incorporating indentations on at least a subset of panels can greatly improve the accuracy of the ball flying. For example, a prediction of a trajectory of the ball is greatly improved, which is highly relevant for all players on the field including the goal keepers. However, spectators live and on television may also follow the game more easily, leading to a more compelling and pleasant experience. Even a shooter himself or herself can more reliably trust the flight behavior of the ball, enabling more accurate shots. Additionally, an unintended fluttering of the ball may be reduced by the indentations. Thus, for example the difficult decision of a player to go for a high risk and long-range shot will be facilitated making a game more spectacular by the inflatable ball herein.
Furthermore, not only may the flight behavior be enhanced, but the at least one surface texture of the panels may also provide an inflatable ball having an improved level of control at the shoe, allowing for a more enhanced dribbling with the ball.
In some embodiments, only the subset of the panels may comprise indentations in addition to the surface texture. In this manner, the flight behavior of the inflatable ball may be precisely optimized by carefully selecting the number of panels of the subset. Moreover, carefully arranging the panels of the subset on the outer shell of the inflatable ball enables a further tuning of the flight behavior, in particular the predictability of the flight behavior, of the inflatable ball.
Alternatively, all panels may comprise indentations in addition to the surface texture. A higher number of panels having indentations may increase the magnus effect of the ball in the air. This leads to an increased swerve of the inflatable ball.
The surface texture and the indentations may be arranged independently from each other on the panels. Thus, a pattern of the surface texture may not be interrupted or significantly changed at the indentations. In this manner, the surface texture may be present in the indentations and vice versa.
The indentations may be polygonal, in particular essentially kite-shaped, diamond-shaped, or even square-shaped. Additionally or alternatively, elliptical, in particular essentially circular indentations, may also be applicable. The inventors found that the shape of the indentations has an influence on the flight behavior of the inflatable ball. Both kind of shapes of indentations, polygonal or elliptical, improve a predictability of a trajectory of a ball. The inventors further found that polygonal shaped indentations provide a slightly higher level of predictability. On the other hand, elliptically shaped indentations enable a slightly higher speed of a ball. The term “essentially” as used herein is to be understood as also including small deviations in the range of 5 to 10%. The deviations can, for example, be based on material properties, and/or manufacturing uncertainties which are well known by a person skilled in the art.
The indentations may be not in contact with panel edges and/or may be essentially placed within a central region of the panel. For example, the indentations may have a minimal distance of at least 10 mm (or in some embodiments 15 mm), to the panel edges. In this manner, the indentations do not interfere with or negatively affect a seam between two panels. Moreover, while seams of the outer shell of the inflatable ball in general are positioned in slight depressions compared to the central region of the panel, the indentations placed within that central region of the panel can influence the flight behavior of the ball more significantly.
The indentations may be distributed in-homogeneously on each panel having indentations. The term “in-homogeneously distributed” as used herein may be understood in that each panel may comprise regions with a higher amount of indentations and regions with less or even no indentations. An in-homogenous distribution of indentations can also be defined based on an average spacing between adjacent indentations. Thus, an average spacing between adjacent indentations may be different in a first subset than in a second subset. In this manner, a density of the indentations may be varied across the panel. The term density as used in the present application refers to a number of indentations per surface area unit. An in-homogenous distribution of indentations can provide an inflatable ball with an optimized flight behavior. The distribution of indentations may further be individually adapted to a preferred flight behavior.
In some embodiments, the indentations may be homogeneously distributed on each panel having indentations. In a homogenous distribution an average distance between adjacent indentations may be essentially constant. It may be noted that a deviation in the average distance in the order of 5% between indentations on the same panel may still be referred to as a homogenous distribution. Indentations having an elliptical shape may be distributed homogeneously on each panel of the subset. However, a homogenous distribution of polygonal-shaped indentations may also applicable.
In some embodiments, each panel may comprise only one surface texture. The surface texture may be essentially uniformly distributed on each of the panels. The shape of the surface texture may vary across various panels, in particular each panel can have a different surface texture. In this manner, a precise selection of various surface textures and/or arrangements of different surface textures across various panels can provide a high degree of customization of the inflatable ball to a preferred flight behavior.
The surface texture may comprise multiple different shapes. The different shapes may be grouped relative to each other, building a formation. A plurality of formations may be distributed at least partly across the panel(s), such that a distribution of the different shapes may be repeatedly the same within the plurality of formations.
A shape of the surface texture may be the same on each panel. Thus, the level of control over the ball at the shoe may be nearly identical independent of a location of a contacting area on the outer shell. Each panel of the inflatable ball may comprise the surface texture.
Alternatively, at least some panels may comprise more than one surface texture. The at least two surface textures on the same panel may be at least partly overlapping or be arranged next to each other. Different surface textures on the same panel may provide a more specific adaptation of the surface of the inflatable ball regarding the flight behavior, the control at the shoe, and other properties.
A maximum extent of the at least one surface texture perpendicular to a surface of the inflatable ball may be smaller than a maximum depth of the indentations. As described above, the at least one surface texture, in particular if essentially uniformly distributed on each of the panels, can lead to a thin turbulent boundary layer of air that clings to the ball's surface. The larger depth of the indentations can than intentionally disturb the thin boundary layer of air at the panels having indentations, creating the ability to influence the flight behavior of the ball. Thus, depending on the depth of the indentations, a higher stability of the ball in the air may be created.
Each panel having indentations may comprise at least two (or at least three or at least four) distinct indentation depths, indentation lengths, indentation widths, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, on each panel having indentations an indentation depth, indentation length, indentation width, or a combination thereof may decrease on average in a direction from an inner region to an outer/edge region of the panel. It may be noted that the term “decrease on average in a direction from an inner region to an outer/edge region” may generally allow for neighboring indentations having the same but not increasing size in the defined direction. Carefully varying the parameters of each indentation or a group of indentations on a panel may be used to positively influence the flight behavior of the inflatable ball. Optimized parameters can, for example, be found by standardized experiments (in a lab, a wind channel, etc.) or calculated using a theoretical model.
An indentation length may vary between 1.0 and 30.0 mm, between 1.5 and 20.0 mm, or between 2.0 and 10.0 mm. The term length as used herein relates to the extent of the indentation between two points, wherein the greater of two dimensions parallel to the surface of the inflatable ball corresponds to the length. For example, for a (convex) kite-shaped indentation, the length corresponds to the extent along the line of symmetry. For a circular indentation, the length corresponds to the diameter, and for an elliptical shape, the length corresponds to twice the semi-major axis. An indentation depth may vary between 0 and 10 mm, between 0 and 8 mm, or between 0 and 6 mm. An indentation width may vary between 0.1 and 15.0 mm, 0.2 and 7.5 mm, or between 0.4 and 2.5 mm. Like the definition of the length, the width corresponds to the smaller extent of two dimensions along the surface. For example, for kite-shaped indentations, the width corresponds to the maximum extension between two corners perpendicular to the main direction of extension. For an elliptical shape, the width corresponds to twice the semi-minor axis. The inventors found that the listed ranges provide indentations not too small to show no influence on the flight behavior. But also, not to large/deep to introduce different responses on the shoe depending on contacting area being on a panel of the subgroup or not.
A flight behavior, in particular a predictability of the flight behavior, of the inflatable ball may depend on one of: a position of the indentations on the panel, a shape of the indentations, a depth of the indentations, a distance of the indentations to each other, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, a shortest distance between two neighboring indentations on the same panel may be between 0.5 and 45.0 mm, between 1.0 and 30.0 mm, or between 1.5 and 15.0 mm. In this manner, the indentations optimally cooperate to beneficially affect the flight behavior, particularly the predictability of the flight behavior.
Each panel may comprise an outer layer comprising polyurethane (PU). Each panel may comprise an inner layer comprising a foamed material. In some embodiments, the inner layer may include ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM). In some embodiments, at least some indentations on each panel having indentations may extend partly into a top surface of the inner layer. The at least one surface texture may extend only in the outer layer.
The inflatable ball may further comprise a carcass. The carcass covers the surface of an inner bladder. The inner bladder provides for suitable airtightness of the ball and the carcass stabilizes the bladder and protects it against external shocks. The carcass further provides a constricting force towards the inner bladder.
In some embodiments, the panels and the carcass may be at least partly spray-coated with a glue, in some embodiments comprising latex. Panel edges of neighboring panels may be connected to each other via thermo activated bonding.
The indentations may be applied after a panel forming process. The panel forming process corresponds to a process in which the inner layer and the outer layer of each panel are attached to each other. No changes on typical machines for panel productions are incurred for manufacturing the inflatable ball, thereby improving a cost efficiency of the manufacturing process. Further, reusing already existing machinery reduces the overall carbon footprint of the manufacturing process. In some embodiments, the indentations may be created by pressing a plate having protrusions onto at least one panel.
The subset may comprise less than 32 panels, or less than 24 panels, or 12 panels. The number of panels not within the subset may be less than 24 panels, less than 16 panels, or 8 panels. As noted above, less and bigger panels reduce the amount of sewing incurred during manufacture, making the inflatable ball more cost-efficient.
A maximum extent of the at least one surface texture perpendicular to a surface of the inflatable ball may be less than 1.5 mm, less than 1.0 mm, or less than 0.5 mm. A shape of the at least one surface texture may be polygonal, in some embodiments tetragonal. A maximum length of a side of the polygonal surface texture may be less than 20 mm, less than 15 mm, or less than 10 mm.
An overall roughness volume of the surface of the inflatable ball may range between 7000 and 30000 mm3, between 14000 and 25000 mm3, or between 18000 and 22000 mm3. The overall roughness volume may be best described starting from a base sphere. The base sphere corresponds to a smallest possible sphere encompassing an (idealized) inflatable ball having smooth panels, i.e., in particular no surface texture and no indentations. The overall roughness volume then corresponds to an absolute value of a volume difference between the base sphere and a volume of the inflatable ball defined by its surface. It may be noted that the overall roughness volume can comprise a first volume, which is inside the base sphere, for example the volume difference based on the seams, the indentations, and/or dented surface texture(s) of the inflatable ball. The overall roughness volume can further comprise a second volume, which is outside the base sphere, for example the volume difference based on at least one protruding surface texture(s). In these embodiments, the overall roughness volume corresponds to the sum of the absolute values of the first and second volume. Alternatively, the overall surface texture may consist only of the first volume, in particular for dented surface texture(s). Thus, the overall roughness volume depends at least on the indentations, the surface texture(s), and/or the seams. The inventors found that for a ball having an overall roughness volume within the defined range, the critical Reynolds number of the ball when flying through air may be shifted towards lower velocities, at which the flight behavior of the ball essentially does not depend on its drag. As a result, at higher velocities at which the drag is relevant for the ball's flight behavior, an essentially constant drag across various velocities may be accomplished. In this manner, a prediction of a trajectory of the ball may be greatly improved. Additionally, unintended fluttering of the ball may be reduced.
For example, when developing a new inflatable ball, a roughness volume of the seams may be determined first. Then, a plurality of indentations and/or at least one surface texture matching the suitable amount of roughness volume may be added to result at an overall roughness volume in the beneficially defined above ranges. The indentations and/or the at least one surface texture in some embodiments corresponds to the indentations and surface texture(s) as described herein.
The subject matter of embodiments of the present invention is described here with specificity to meet statutory requirements, but this description is not necessarily intended to limit the scope of the claims. The claimed subject matter may be embodied in other ways, may include different elements or steps, and may be used in conjunction with other existing or future technologies. This description should not be interpreted as implying any particular order or arrangement among or between various steps or elements except when the order of individual steps or arrangement of elements is explicitly described.
In the following, exemplary embodiments are described in more detail, with reference to an inflatable ball. While specific feature combinations are described in the following with respect to the exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited to such embodiments. In particular, not all features have to be present, and the embodiments may be modified by combining certain features of one embodiment with at least one feature of another embodiment.
A subset of panels 150 comprises, in addition to the surface texture 120, indentations 110. Panels 140 not within the subset of panels 150 are free of such indentations 110. As depicted in
The inflatable ball 100 further comprises a bladder, which may be covered by a carcass (not shown). For inflating the ball 100 using, e.g., an air pump or a compressor, a sealable opening 160 connected to the inner bladder is guided through the carcass and the outer shell. During manufacture of the ball 100, the panels 140, 150 and the carcass are in some embodiments spray-coated with glue and, in a subsequent step, attached to each other. The glue can comprise latex.
The various features of the inflatable ball 100 described above, in particular the combination of indentations 110 and the surface texture 120, all play a part in contributing to a ball 100 with enhanced control and a more reliable flight behavior. In this manner, the surface texture 120 not only increases the control over the ball 100 at the shoe but also positively increases a potential range of a shot. Based on the small vertical extent and the essentially regular pattern of the surface texture 120, a thin, turbulent boundary layer of air that clings to the ball's surface is created, which reduces an amount of drag of the ball 100 compared to balls known in the art having a smooth outer surface. Additionally, while these known balls, in particular if made of less but larger panels, are prone to fluttering during long range shots, these effects are remarkably well suppressed by the inflatable ball 100. The indentations 110 of the panels 150 result in a more balanced magnus effect in the air leading to a controlled and stable degree of swerve, which may be understood as the main reason for reducing the fluttering of the inflatable ball 100. In this regard, the positioning of the indentations 110 on the panel 150, the polygonal shape of the indentations 110, a depth of the indentations 110, a distance of the indentations to each other, or a combination thereof, for example as depictable from
The inventors found that for a ball having an overall roughness volume within the range of 7000 and 30000 mm3, the critical Reynolds number of the ball when flying through air may be shifted towards lower velocities, at which the flight behavior of the ball essentially does not depend on its drag or at which the flight behavior of the ball depends significantly less on its drag. This may be based on an exponential relationship between aerodynamic forces and airspeed. As a result, at higher velocities at which the drag is relevant for the ball's flight behavior, an essentially constant drag across various velocities may be accomplished. In this manner, a prediction of a trajectory of the ball may be greatly improved. Additionally, unintended fluttering of the ball may be reduced. For example, when developing a new inflatable ball, a roughness volume of the seams may be determined first. Then, a plurality of indentations and/or at least one surface texture matching the suitable amount of roughness volume may be added to result at an overall roughness volume in the beneficially defined above ranges. The indentations and/or the at least one surface texture in some embodiments corresponds to the indentations and surface texture(s) as described herein.
It may be noted, while the described embodiments above and the figures mainly depict a single surface texture, more than one surface texture on adjacent panels or even on the same panel are also applicable. Moreover, embodiments comprising a combination of various shapes of indentations on different panels or even the same panel of an inflatable ball are also possible. For example, the different shapes may be grouped relative to each other building a formation. A plurality of formations may be distributed at least partly across the panel(s), such that a distribution of the different shapes may be repeatedly the same within the plurality of formations.
In the following, further examples are described to facilitate the understanding of the invention:
Example 1. Inflatable ball (100, 200), in particular soccer ball, having an outer shell comprising panels (140, 150, 240, 250, 340, 350, 600), wherein:
Example 2. Inflatable ball according to example 1, wherein only the subset of the panels comprises indentations in addition to the surface texture.
Example 3. Inflatable ball according to example 1, wherein all panels comprise indentations in addition to the surface texture.
Example 4. Inflatable ball according to one of the previous examples, wherein the indentations are polygonal, in particular essentially kite-shaped, and/or elliptical, in particular essentially circular.
Example 5. Inflatable ball according to one of the previous examples, wherein the indentations are not in contact to panel edges (130, 230, 330) and/or essentially placed within a central region of a panel.
Example 6. Inflatable ball according to one of the previous examples, wherein the indentations are distributed in-homogeneously on each panel having indentations.
Example 7. Inflatable ball according to one of the examples 1 to 5, wherein the indentations are distributed homogeneously on each panel having indentations.
Example 8. Inflatable ball according to one of the previous examples, wherein each panel comprises only one surface texture.
Example 9. Inflatable ball according to the previous example, wherein the surface texture is essentially uniformly distributed on each of the panels.
Example 10. Inflatable ball according to one of the previous examples, wherein a shape of the surface texture is the same on each panel.
Example 11. Inflatable ball according to one of the examples 1 to 7, wherein at least some panels comprise more than one surface texture.
Example 12. Inflatable ball according to one of the previous examples, wherein a maximum extent of the at least one surface texture perpendicular to a surface of the inflatable ball is smaller than a maximum depth of the indentations.
Example 13. Inflatable ball according to one of the previous examples, wherein each panel having indentations comprises at least two, preferably at least three and more preferably at least four distinct indentation depths, indentation lengths (612, 613), indentation widths (611, 614) or a combination thereof.
Example 14. Inflatable ball according to one of the previous examples, wherein on each panel having indentations an indentation depth, indentation length, indentation width or a combination thereof decreases on average in a direction (675) from an inner region to an outer/edge region (170, 370, 570) of the panel.
Example 15. Inflatable ball according to one of the previous examples, wherein an indentation length (612, 613) varies between 1.0 and 30.0 mm, preferably between 1.5 and 20.0 mm and more preferably between 2.0 and 10.0 mm.
Example 16. Inflatable ball according to one of the previous examples, wherein an indentation depth varies between 0 and 10 mm, preferably between 0 and 8 mm and more preferably between 0 and 6 mm.
Example 17. Inflatable ball according to one of the previous examples, wherein an indentation width (611, 614) varies between 0.1 and 15.0 mm, preferably between 0.2 and 7.5 mm and more preferably between 0.4 and 2.5 mm.
Example 18. Inflatable ball according to one of the previous examples, wherein a flight behavior, in particular a predictability of the flight behavior, of the inflatable ball depends on one of: a position of the indentations on the panel, a shape of the indentations, a depth of the indentations, a distance of the indentations to each other, or a combination thereof.
Example 19. Inflatable ball according to one of the previous examples, wherein a shortest distance (615) between two neighboring indentations on the same panel is between 0.5 and 45.0 mm, preferably between 1.0 and 30.0 mm and most preferably between 1.5 and 15.0 mm.
Example 20. Inflatable ball according to one of the previous examples, wherein each panel comprises an outer layer comprising polyurethane, PU.
Example 21. Inflatable ball according to one of the previous examples, wherein each panel comprises an inner layer comprising a foamed material, preferably ethylene propylene diene monomer, EPDM.
Example 22. Inflatable ball according to one of the examples 20 and 21, wherein at least some indentations extend partly into a top surface of the inner layer.
Example 23. Inflatable ball according to one of the examples 20 to 22, wherein the at least one surface texture extends only in the outer layer.
Example 24. Inflatable ball according to one of the previous examples, further comprising a carcass.
Example 25. Inflatable ball according to the previous example, wherein the panels and the carcass are at least partly spray-coated with a glue, preferably comprising latex.
Example 26. Inflatable ball according to one of the previous examples, wherein panel edges of neighboring panels are connected to each other via thermo activated bonding.
Example 27. Inflatable ball according to one of the previous examples, wherein the indentations are applied after a panel forming process.
Example 28. Inflatable all according to one of the previous examples, wherein the indentations are created by pressing a plate (500) having protrusions (510) onto at least one panel.
Example 29. Inflatable ball according to one of the previous examples, wherein the subset comprises less than 32 panels, preferably less than 24 panels and most preferably 12 panels.
Example 30. Inflatable ball according to one of the previous examples, wherein the number of panels not within the subset is less than 24 panels, preferably less than 16 panels and most preferably 8.
Example 31. Inflatable ball according to one of the previous examples, wherein a maximum extent of the at least one surface texture perpendicular to a surface of the inflatable ball is less than 1.5 mm, preferably less than 1.0 mm and more preferably less than 0.5 mm.
Example 32. Inflatable ball according to one of the previous examples, wherein a shape of at least one surface texture is polygonal, preferably tetragonal.
Example 33. Inflatable ball according to the previous example, wherein a maximum length of a side of the polygonal surface texture is less than 20 mm, preferably less than 15 mm more preferably less than 10 mm.
Different arrangements of the components depicted in the drawings or described above, as well as components and steps not shown or described are possible. Similarly, some features and sub-combinations are useful and may be employed without reference to other features and sub-combinations. Embodiments of the invention have been described for illustrative and not restrictive purposes, and alternative embodiments will become apparent to readers of this patent. Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above or depicted in the drawings, and various embodiments and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the claims below.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102021202706.7 | Mar 2021 | DE | national |
| 22162392 | Mar 2022 | EP | regional |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2931653 | Gow | Apr 1960 | A |
| 4000894 | Butzen | Jan 1977 | A |
| 4318544 | Brine, Jr. | Mar 1982 | A |
| 4570931 | Martin | Feb 1986 | A |
| 4991842 | Finley | Feb 1991 | A |
| 5354053 | Ratner | Oct 1994 | A |
| 5427372 | Ratner | Jun 1995 | A |
| 5518234 | Palmquist | May 1996 | A |
| 5984812 | Sassak | Nov 1999 | A |
| 6283881 | Feeney | Sep 2001 | B1 |
| 7585236 | Krysiak | Sep 2009 | B2 |
| 8617011 | Berggren et al. | Dec 2013 | B2 |
| 11097164 | Krysiak | Aug 2021 | B2 |
| 20040142780 | Estefano | Jul 2004 | A1 |
| 20040185245 | Akamata | Sep 2004 | A1 |
| 20070117662 | Ma | May 2007 | A1 |
| 20100255940 | Nuernberg | Oct 2010 | A1 |
| 20150174458 | Tompkins | Jun 2015 | A1 |
| 20170291076 | Campbell | Oct 2017 | A1 |
| 20180133562 | Berggren et al. | May 2018 | A1 |
| 20180339202 | Molinari | Nov 2018 | A1 |
| 20200230468 | Molinari et al. | Jul 2020 | A1 |
| 20210346767 | Campbell | Nov 2021 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1016110 | Mar 2006 | BE |
| 1016122 | Mar 2006 | BE |
| 2287982 | Aug 1998 | CN |
| 105459423 | Apr 2016 | CN |
| 108635779 | Oct 2018 | CN |
| 3703225 | Aug 1988 | DE |
| 2010-240427 | Oct 2010 | JP |
| 6564735 | Aug 2019 | JP |
| 2020-520733 | Jul 2020 | JP |
| Entry |
|---|
| European Patent Application No. 22162392.9, Extended European Search Report, Aug. 8, 2022, 8 pages. |
| German Patent Application No. 102021202706.7, Office Action mailed Nov. 29, 2021, 10 pages (English machine translation provided). |
| Hong et al., “Effect of a soccer ball's surface texture on its aerodynamics and trajectories”, Proc IMechE Part P: J Sports Engineering and Technology, 2018, 8 pages. |
| Rogers , “A study of the relationship between surface features and the in-flight performance of footballs”, Doctoral Thesis, Loughborough University, 2011, 250 pages. |
| Ward et al., “Comparing the Aerodynamic Behaviour of Real Footballs to a Smooth Sphere Using Tomographic PIV”, MDPI Proceedings, 49, 150, 2020, 7 pages. |
| Office Action, Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-045547, Nov. 28, 2023, 10 pages. |
| Office Action, Chinese Patent Application No. 202210275940.6, Jul. 13, 2023, 13 pages. |
| Office Action, Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-045547, Jun. 20, 2023, 12 pages. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20220296969 A1 | Sep 2022 | US |
