Patent Application
20070161439
1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to an improvement in the structure of a softball, and in particular to one which the core can be prevented from becoming damp.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As shown in
Moreover, even if the softball 1 is stored in a humid environment, the moisture can still be able to pass through the cover 12 into the spherical core 11 thereby dampening spherical core 11 and therefore lowering the compression value and coefficient of restitution.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved softball which can obviate and mitigate the above-mentioned drawbacks.
This invention is related to an improvement in the structure of a softball.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a softball which uses a vapor block to prevent water or moisture from entering into the core thereby extending the service life of the softball.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a softball which will produce a crack sound when hit by a bat.
According to the present invention, there is provided a softball which includes a spherical core, a vapor block made of yams and wound under high tension so as to imbed and to ensure the wound layer will not slip over the core during game use. The spherical core is then immersed into an adhesive agent to fill up clearances between the yarns, and a cover made of two sheets of flexible material stitched together to enclose the vapor block, whereby even if the softball is stored in a humid environment or comes into contact with water when playing, no water or moisture can pass through the vapor block to the spherical core.
The foregoing objects and summary provide only a brief introduction to the present invention. To fully appreciate these and other objects of the present invention as well as the invention itself, all of which will become apparent to those skilled in the art, the following detailed description of the invention and the claims should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Throughout the specification and drawings identical reference numerals refer to identical or similar parts.
Many other advantages and features of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description and the accompanying sheets of drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example.
The following descriptions are of exemplary embodiments only, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the following description provides a convenient illustration for implementing exemplary embodiments of the invention. Various changes to the described embodiments may be made in the function and arrangement of the elements described without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.
Referring to
The spherical core 3 is made of polyurethane for providing better compression ability so as to comply with the requirements for a standard softball.
The separation layer 4 is made of yarns wound under high tension around the surface as to imbed the spherical core 3. The yarns are made of polyester to further increase the waterproof ability thereof Then, the core with the vapor block 4 is immersed into an adhesive agent for filling up the clearances between the yarns and enabling the vapor block 4 to be firmly adhered to the core 3 and the cover 5 thereby providing an unitary member. When the clearance between the yarn is filled with an adhesive agent, the vapor block 4 will become waterproof thereby preventing water from passing there through.
The cover 5 is made of two pieces of flexible cover or foamed plastic which are stitched together to enclose the vapor block 4.
In manufacturing the softball according to the present invention, polyurethane is first foamed into a spherical core 3 so as to provide the spherical core with the required compression. Then, the spherical core 3 is wound with polyester yarn to form a vapor block 4. Thereafter, the spherical core 3 with the vapor block 4 is immersed into an adhesive agent for filling up the clearances between the yams and enabling the vapor block 4 to be firmly adhered to the core 3. Finally, two pieces of flexible cover or foamed plastic are stitched together to form the cover 5 for enclosing the vapor block 4 thereby providing a softball according to the present invention.
The present invention is characterized by the vapor block 4 between the cover 5 and the spherical core 3. As the spherical core 3 is imbedded within the vapor block 4 made of polyester yarn and then is immersed into an adhesive agent for filling up the clearances between the yarn, the softball becomes waterproof, so that even if the softball is stored in a humid environment or comes into contact with water when playing, no water or moisture can pass through the vapor block 4 to the spherical core 3 thereby extending the service life of the softball. Furthermore, since the vapor block 4 is constituted by yarn and adhesive agent, the softball 2 will produce a crack sound when hit by a bat thus increasing the function of the softball.
It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together may also find a useful application in other types of methods differing from the type described above.
While certain novel features of this invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claim, it is not intended to be limited to the details above, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.
