PROCESS OF REMANUFACTURE FOR BASEBALLS

Abstract

The present invention is a process for reconstituting the cores of baseballs which would otherwise be discarded once their covers have been sufficiently worn or damaged into newly recycled baseballs. The present invention utilizes machinery to improve the efficiency of what has been a traditionally labor-intensive, artisanal activity. By leveraging a true manufacturing process, the reuse of baseball cores can significantly contribute to the conservation of resources within the sport.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to remanufacturing and recycling of previously utilized sporting equipment. Specifically, the present invention is a process to refurbish baseballs and similarly constructed balls.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Baseball is the American pastime. A hidden element of the sport is just how many baseballs are used in a typical season. In Major League Baseball, any mark or discoloration on a ball is sufficient to require a replacement. A typical game uses one hundred (100) or more balls over the course of 9 innings. This rule is relaxed as the budget for individual games is reduced as one proceeds to lower levels of competition, but a ball is generally considered less and less usable as it becomes worn. Even college baseball games will use sixty (60) or more balls per game, particularly during the College World Series. Only a small portion of the balls used become keepsakes or collectibles. Most of them are reused for training purposes until they become unfit for even that utility.

What is not as obvious to many is that while, primarily, the covering of a baseball is what dictates whether it can still be used, the core of the baseball is often considered to be improved over time. Essentially, the regular and repeated use of a ball over time further compresses and compacts the core such that it may improve upon its attributes or performance. Despite this, most baseballs are discarded when the cover becomes too worn or damaged to continue being used. Some amount of craft exists that replaces baseball coverings, but such options are generally manual processes with considerable time and labor investment necessary for each restored ball. Ultimately, it is not feasible for restored baseballs to be a considerable factor in sourcing effectively new baseballs, due to the inefficiency of the manual processes involved.

The present invention is directed towards efficient manufacturing processes for remanufacturing baseballs such that they can be restored into. The present process allows for baseballs to be recovered at a much greater rate than the purely manual processes that currently make up the state of the art. By reusing the cores of even some baseballs, a significant amount of resources may be conserved when procuring balls to replace the many used over the course of each season. This process can also be applied to similarly constructed balls, such as softballs, and remain within the scope of the present invention.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a process utilized to improve upon the labor intensive process of producing a baseball from recycled materials. Baseballs are, essentially, comprised of a spherical core of raveled, compressed material encased in a shell formed from two pieces of leather or similar material. The shell is sewn together with cloth threads to form spherically around the core with the threaded seams being the only surface elements which are not uniform to the generally spherical shape. The process takes the core of a baseball and removes it from another baseball which, generally, has a worn or damaged casing. The core is then provided with a new casing and threading to be restored to a regulation state. Additional steps can be taken to customize the restored ball or mark it for tracking purposes, such as indicating in how many instances it has been remanufactured.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram demonstrating the process steps for an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram demonstrating the process steps for an alternate embodiment of the present invention.

DETAIL DESCRIPTIONS OF THE INVENTION

All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Though baseball is the term used to identify the preferred embodiment for the object subjected to the process, other similarly constructed balls would be considered within the scope of the present invention by a person of ordinary skill in the art.

FIG. 1 demonstrates the remanufacturing process steps (100). A baseball that has been damaged or worn such that it is deemed in need of recycling is where the process begins (101). The cover of the ball is removed from the core (102) by cutting and/or shredding the laces then removing the core from within the leather casing. A machine, such as a rolling drum with abrasive surfaces, may be utilized to rapidly unbind the lacing of a ball at this stage for some embodiments. Some embodiments may also employ robotic arms or additional abrasive friction machines to remove the core from the casing. The current preferred embodiment would generally have an operator remove the casing at this stage to trivially remove the core from the casing once the stitching has been eliminated. However, some baseballs are initially constructed with an adhesive layer formed between cover and the core itself, which may be removed in some embodiments while ignored in others. Embodiments where removal of the adhesive layer is employed may also use abrasive friction machines to remove the adhesive layer.

Once the cover and any undesired materials have been removed from the core (102), a new cover is cut using a template of the two pieces that form a baseball's casing (103). Embodiments may utilize a clicker press or other machines capable of die cutting leather for the casing. Other embodiments would allow for templates to be created using other materials. Once the new cover components have been produced (103), a 2D sewing machine will substantially sew together the casing components before they can be pulled around to encase the core and have the threads tightened into place (104). Alternate embodiments would utilize a 3D, robotic sewing machine which can sew the threading of the cover while it already encases the core. A cotton thread would typically be used for sewing baseballs intended for regulation usage, though other embodiments may utilize alternate materials. Once the casing is firmly in place, the baseball may then be customized with printed materials and/or dyes (105), including logos or text. Embodiments may utilize hand-crafted customizations or printed using machinery, as desired. Once completed, the core may be returned to circulation as, essentially, a new ball (106).

FIG. 2 demonstrates the remanufacturing process steps (200) for a specific alternate embodiment. A provided baseball that has been damaged or worn such that it is deemed in need of recycling begins the process (201), as in other embodiments. The cover of the ball is removed from the core (202) by cutting and/or shredding the laces then removing the core from within the leather casing. Once the cover and any undesired materials have been removed from the core (202), the core is then stamped to indicate how many times that core has been incorporated into a remanufactured baseball or other identifying information (203). A new cover is then cut using a template of the two pieces that form a baseball's casing (204). Once the new cover has been produced (204), a 2D sewing machine will substantially sew together the casing components before they can be pulled around to encase the core and have the threads tightened into place (205). Once the casing is firmly in place, the baseball may then be customized with printed materials and/or dyes (206), including logos or text. Once completed, the core may be returned to circulation as a newly restored ball (207).

Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A machine aided process for the recycling and remanufacture of balls, the steps comprising: Providing a ball which comprises a multi-part casing sewn together around a core;Providing an amount of threading material;Providing an amount of casing material;Providing a casing template;Cutting through the sewn casing of the ball;Detaching the casing of the ball from the core of the ball;Cutting new casing components from the amount of casing material provided using the casing template;Sewing the casing components loosely together with the threading material forming a new casing, whereinThe threading material is left partially untightened so as to allow the new casing to be pulled around the core;Enclosing the new casing around the core; andTightening the threading to secure the new casing about the core.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein a rolling drum incorporating an abrasive surface is used to cut through the sewn casing of the ball.

3. The process of claim 1, wherein the new casing components are sewn together using a two-dimensional sewing machine.

4. The process of claim 3, further comprising the step: Stamping the core with a marker indicating how many times the core has been remanufactured using this process.wherein The step is taken between the steps of detaching the casing from the core and cutting new casing components.

5. The process of claim 4, further comprising the steps: Providing an amount of adhesive material; andForming an adhesive layer around the core;wherein These steps are taken between the steps of stamping the core and cutting new casing components.

6. The process of claim 1, wherein customizations are applied to the surface of the new casing after it has been tightened about the core.

7. A machine aided process for the recycling and remanufacture of balls, the steps comprising: Providing a ball which comprises multi-part casing sewn together around a core which includes an adhesive layer to bind the core to the casing;Providing an amount of threading material;Providing an amount of casing material;Providing a casing template;Cutting through the sewn casing of the ball;Detaching the casing of the ball from the adhesive layer of the ball;Removing the adhesive layer of the ball from the core;Cutting new casing components from the amount of casing material provided using the casing template;Sewing the casing components loosely together with the threading material forming a new casing, whereinThe threading material is left partially untightened so as to allow the new casing to be pulled around the core;Enclosing the new casing around the core; andTightening the threading to secure the new casing about the core.

8. The process of claim 7, wherein a rolling drum incorporating an abrasive surface is used to cut through the sewn casing of the ball.

9. The process of claim 7, wherein the new casing components are sewn together using a two-dimensional sewing machine.

10. The process of claim 9, further comprising the step: Stamping the core with a marker indicating how many times the core has been remanufactured using this process.wherein The step is taken between the steps of detaching the casing from the core and cutting new casing components.

11. The process of claim 10, further comprising the steps: Providing an amount of adhesive material; andForming a new adhesive layer around the core;whereinThese steps are taken between the steps of stamping the core and cutting new casing components.

12. The process of claim 7, wherein customizations are applied to the surface of the new casing after it has been tightened about the core.

13. A machine aided process for the recycling and remanufacture of balls, the steps comprising: Providing a ball which comprises multi-part casing sewn together around a core which includes an adhesive layer to bind the core to the casing;Providing an amount of threading material;Providing an amount of casing material;Providing an amount of adhesive material;Providing a casing template;Cutting through the sewn casing of the ball;Detaching the casing of the ball from the adhesive layer of the ball;Restoring the adhesive layer of the ball using the provided adhesive material;Cutting new casing components from the amount of casing material provided using the casing template;Sewing the casing components loosely together with the threading material forming a new casing, whereinThe threading material is left partially untightened so as to allow the new casing to be pulled around the core;Enclosing the new casing around the core; andTightening the threading to secure the new casing about the core.

14. The process of claim 13, wherein a rolling drum incorporating an abrasive surface is used to cut through the sewn casing of the ball by destroying.

15. The process of claim 13, wherein the new casing components are sewn together using a two-dimensional sewing machine.

16. The process of claim 15, further comprising the step: Stamping the core with a marker indicating how many times the core has been remanufactured using this process.wherein The step is taken between the steps of restoring the adhesive layer and cutting new casing components.

17. The process of claim 13, wherein customizations are applied to the surface of the new casing after it has been tightened about the core.