Patent Application
20140274504
The invention relates generally to sports balls, such as basketballs, footballs, volleyballs and soccer balls.
Sports balls of the type traditionally inflated (e.g., basketballs, footballs, volleyballs and soccer balls) are well known in the art and are sometimes referred to as “inflatables.” For example, basketballs are generally manufactured to include an inflatable air bladder surrounded by an outer covering of cover panels. Other inflatable sports balls such as volleyballs, soccer balls and footballs also feature the well-known inflatable air bladder (often comprising rubber, such as 80% butyl rubber and 20% natural rubber) and various other outer coverings. One limitation of current inflatable technology is that the inflatable air bladder may lose pressure after a period of time due to air loss, which may occur by seepage from valves, or by migration of the filled air across the air bladder membrane, or otherwise. When pressure loss occurs, the inflatable must be re-inflated by some mechanism, such as a pump. Any physical damage that pierces the bladder, even small holes or tears may result in loss of pressure and even the inability to be re-pressurized.
Foam balls, such as NERF® brand balls, are also known in the art, but foam balls to date have exhibited substantially different playing characteristics and feel that traditional sports balls, and do not comport with or approximate the standards set by sports organizations for regulation play, such as size, rebound response, weight or other characteristics.
As such, a sports ball 5 with a core 15 and outer covering 10 that does not include an air bladder and that comports with the standards set by sports organizations for regulation play, such as size, rebound response, weight, or other characteristics is desirable. Such a sports ball 5 is disclosed herein.
In some aspects, the invention relates to a inflation independent sports ball comprising a foam core 15 and an outer covering 10, wherein the sports ball is selected from the group consisting of a football, a basketball, a volleyball and a soccer ball, wherein the sports ball 5 is devoid of an inflatable air bladder.
In other aspects, the invention relates to a sports ball having a diameter and comprising a synthetic leather outer covering 10 at least partially covering a polyurethane foam core 15, wherein the foam core further comprises at least one internal compartment and a cylindrical body spanning at least part of the length of the diameter of the sports ball.
In other aspects, the invention relates to a sports ball having an outer covering and a foam core, wherein the foam core 15 is not filled with foam entirely throughout its internal volume, but rather includes space for air.
Other aspects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the appended claims.
To aid in the appreciation of further advantages and features of the present disclosure, a more particular description will be provided by reference to specific embodiments which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is appreciated that these drawings are not to be considered limiting in scope. The disclosure herein will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:
This detailed description is provided for amplifying the invention and aiding in understanding of the disclosure, by reference to a possible embodiment(s). The invention shall not be interpreted as limited to any particular embodiment shown, except as set forth in the claims.
A sports ball 5, such as for use where inflatables are typically employed, is disclosed herein,
The core 15 may comprise a foam, such as polyurethane (“PU”), EVA, or other foamed structure. Other materials with resiliency, such as rubbers, may also be used. In one embodiment, the PU foam is open cell PU foam wherein the cell walls comprising the foam are broken and the air or other gasses may freely enter and exit the broken cells. In an alternate embodiment, the PU foam is closed cell foam wherein the cells comprising the foam are not broken and air or other gases are “trapped” within the intact cells comprising the foam. In an alternate embodiment, the PU foam core may comprise both open and closed cell foam. Other foams such as foamed natural rubber or soy bean based foams should be considered within the scope of this disclosure.
In one embodiment, the core 15 may comprise PU foam of a single density. For example, the density of the PU core 15 may be constant, or nearly constant throughout the circumference of the core 15. In an alternate embodiment, as shown in
In an embodiment where multiple densities of PU foam are present, the core 15 may comprise a “constant” density gradient (i.e., density increasing at a generally constant rate from the outer surface to the center or ice versa), a “step wise” density gradient (i.e., the density increases (or decreases), in discrete “steps” from the outer surface to the center), a combination of the forgoing, or many other conceivable density gradient (such as a “peak” gradient wherein the density of the PU increases from the outer surface of the core 15 to a point in the interior and then begins to decrease again closer to the center of the core 15). Any possible density gradient should be considered within the scope of this disclosure. For example, as shown in
In one alternate embodiment as shown in
Without relying on increased internal air pressure in a cavity for structural integrity, shape, rebound characteristics and the like, these characteristics are imparted to and controlled for sports ball 5 by the material comprising the core 15 and the particular construction of that core 15. For example, in a single cavity embodiment, the outer boundary 20 will be thicker than would be, for example, the bladder, winding, and covering of a basketball. In some embodiments, this outer boundary 20 will be between one (1) centimeter and one (1) inch (2.54 cm) thick. In other embodiments, the structural integrity of the sports ball 5 may be enhanced by incorporating struts or other structures within the cavity space, such as spines that extend outwardly from the center, or from a center mass (such that if the outer boundary 20 were removed, the struts may look like a starburst, for example). Other, more elaborate internal structures can be employed, such as grid patterns, scaffolding, internal ribbing about the inner circumference of the outer boundary 20 and any other structure that may enhance the ability of the sports ball 5 to maintain its round configuration even in the absence of an internal air pressure higher than ambient air pressure.
Advantageously, instead of a single cavity, the core 15 may comprise a plurality of internal compartments 25 in which the air of one compartment 25 does not flow freely to another compartment 25. Compartments 25 are separated by walls such as the ribs 30 shown in
In one embodiment, the internal compartments 25 are generally trapezoidal in shape and are formed by the outer boundary 20 of the core 15, two (2) ribs 30 and the internal cylinder wall 45. Other shapes for the internal compartments 25, including square, rectangular and circular internal compartments 25 should be considered within the scope of this disclosure. The internal compartments 25 may be exterior to the cylindrical body 35. In one embodiment, the core 15 comprises between two (2) and eight (8) internal compartments 25. The core 15 may comprise between nine (9) and sixteen (16) internal compartments. In another embodiment, the core 15 comprises between seventeen (17) and thirty two (32) internal compartments and finally in yet another embodiment, the core 15 comprises between thirty three (33) and one hundred (100) internal compartments.
The material comprising the walls of the compartments 25 may be a porous material, such as open-cell foam. If the material is so porous that air would otherwise move freely among the compartments 25, the compartments 25 may have a material (possibly in the form of a coating or a paint) applied to the interior surface of the internal compartments 25 that reduces or prevents air (or other gases) from migrating across or escaping from the internal compartments 25. In one embodiment the material may be an additional PU coating or film. In an alternate embodiment, the composition of the PU foam forming the internal compartments 25, ribs 30 and internal cylinder wall 45 may be adjusted to prevent air (or other gases) from escaping the internal compartments 25. Certainly, non-porous materials, including closed cell foam, may be used to prevent the free movement of air among compartments 25. By way of non-limiting example, a closed cell PU foam may be used to form the 25, ribs 30 and internal cylinder wall 45. Without being bound by this theory, it is believed that in this embodiment, the internal compartments 25 may create greater rebound via the compression and expansion of the air trapped inside the internal compartments 25 as the sports ball 5 contacts a surface (i.e., as the ball is bounced on the floor).
With specific reference to the sports ball 5 shown in
The sports ball 5 may also comprise an outer covering 10, whether the core 15 includes a cavity or not. Generally, the outer covering 10 is the primary contact surface when a player handles the sports ball 5. In one embodiment, the outer covering 10 fully encases the core 15. In an alternate embodiment, the outer covering 10 does not hilly encase the core 15. By way of a non-limiting example, the outer covering 10 may comprise one or more cover panels 11, with groves, lines, or other gaps between the cover panels 11, permitting the core 15 to be seen or touched. In one embodiment, an additional material may be inserted between the cover panels 11. In one embodiment, the additional material may provide tactile feedback to a player allowing the player to determine the position or orientation of the sports ball 5 in relation to the player's hand.
The outer covering 10 may be configured to comprise the features of a football, volleyball, basketball or soccer ball. For example, in an embodiment where the sports ball 5 is a basketball, the outer covering 10 may comprise a plurality of cover panels 11 which are adjacent to channels 12 as shown in
The outer covering 10 may be affixed to the core 15. The outer covering 10 may be affixed to the core 15 by any method known to one of ordinary skill in the art. By way of non-limiting example, the outer covering 10 may be glued to the core 15 at least partially by an adhesive such as styrene butadiene, acrylonitrile butadiene or a two (2) part urethane. In an alternate embodiment, the outer covering 10 may not be attached to the core 15 and in this embodiment the core may “float” inside of the outer covering 10 if desirable. The sports ball 5 may also comprise one or more additional layers of material between the outer covering 10 and the core 15. In one embodiment, an additional layer of windings comprised of a natural or synthetic thread may be present between the outer covering 10 and the core 15.
The outer covering 10 may be manufactured from any material that is suitable to one of ordinary skill in the art and may comprise leather, synthetic leather, rubber or other synthetic materials. Additionally, the outer covering 10 may be manufactured from differing materials based upon the sports ball 5 being constructed. For example, the outer covering 10 for a football may comprise differing materials than the outer covering 10 for volleyball. In one embodiment, the outer covering 10 may additionally comprise a tuftane thermoplastic polyurethane film.
In one embodiment, the outer covering 10 is between 0.1 mm and 2.0 mm in thickness. In an alternate embodiment, the outer covering 10 is between 0.8 and 1.25 mm in thickness.
The sports ball 5 disclosed herein may be manufactured by any means known to be suitable to those of ordinary skill in the art. The core 15 may be formed in segments and glued together to form the core 15. In one embodiment, the core 15 may be formed by two (2) halves glued together while in other embodiments four (4) segments may be formed and glued together to form the core 15.
The sports ball 5 of the present disclosure substantially meets the requirements set forth by the pertinent governing body to be considered a competition ball.
The sports ball 5 disclosed herein may meet or exceed the standards set forth by the National Federation of State High School Associations (“NFSHA”), in one embodiment, a football constructed as described herein may weigh between fourteen (14) and fifteen (15) ounces (398.9-425.2 grams) as required by the NFSHA as well as meet the size requirements set forth by the NFSHA.
In an alternate embodiment, a volleyball constructed as described herein may be spherical comprising twelve (12) or more covering panels 11, measure between twenty five (25) and twenty seven (27) inches (63.5-86.8 centimeters) in diameter and weigh between nine (9) and ten (10) ounces (255.2-283.5 grams) as required by the NFSHA.
A soccer ball constructed as described herein may be spherical with a circumference of between twenty seven (27) and twenty eight (28) inches (68.6-71.1 centimeters) and weigh between fourteen (14) and sixteen (16) ounces (396.9-453.6 grams) as required by the NFSHA. In an alternate embodiment, a soccer ball as described herein may meet the Federation Internationale de Football Association (“FIFA”) specifications for rebound and other characteristics. In one embodiment, a size five (5) soccer ball as described herein may exhibit a rebound of between one hundred and thirty five (135) and one hundred and fifty five (155) centimeters (53.1-61 inches) at 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees F.) after being dropped from two (2) meters (78.7 inches) onto a steel panel.
A basketball constructed as described herein may meet the standards set forth by the NFSHA. For a boy's basketball, the basketball may be spherical with a circumference of between twenty nine and one-half (29.5) and thirty (30) inches (74.9-76.2 centimeters) and weigh between twenty (20) and twenty two (22) ounces (567.0-623.7 grams). For a girl's basketball, the basketball may be spherical with a circumference of between twenty eight and one-half (28.5) and twenty nine (29) inches (72.4-73.7 centimeters) and weigh between eighteen (18) and twenty (20) ounces (510.3-567.0 grams). Further, a basketball as described herein may rebound to a height of not less than forty nine (49) inches (124.5 centimeters) and not more than fifty four (54) inches (137.2 centimeters) when dropped from seventy two (72) inches (182.9 centimeters) onto a basketball playing surface (such as a hardwood basketball court).
The sports ball 5 disclosed herein will also have a similar coefficient of restitution (“CoR”) as a regulation inflatable sports ball. In one embodiment the sports ball 5 has a CoR of about 0.60 to 1.00. In another embodiment, the sports ball 5 has a CoR of about 0.70 to 1.00 or about 0.80 to 1.00. In a final example, the sports ball 5 has a CoR of about 0.90 to 1.00.
The sports ball 5 disclosed herein offers many advantages over the prior art, including without limitation: (i) being inflation independent and puncture resistant through the use of the core 15 described herein rather than a traditional air bladder and (ii) being the first sports ball 5 comprising a foam core 15 that satisfies the standards set by sports organizations for regulation play, such as size, rebound response, weight, or other characteristics.
While the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments, those skilled in the art, having benefit of this disclosure, will appreciate that other embodiments can be devised which do not depart from the scope of the invention as disclosed here. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be limited only by the attached claims.
