Patent Application
20250161761
The present invention is generally directed to balls used in sports play, especially soccer balls. More particularly, the present invention is directed to soccer balls having improved resistance to the ingress of water.
Soccer is a game played under a variety of situations. It can be played in the rain, sleet and/or snow; it can be played in the morning when the field is covered in dew. A soccer ball, like many sports balls, from time to time, are also exposed to a variety of soaps and other cleaning solutions. It is also noted that sports balls are also repeatedly impacted by various human body parts and, as a result various foreign substances may inadvertently be driven into the interior of the ball. While the present invention provides advantages regarding mitigating the undesirable introduction of foreign substances into soccer balls, its primary function is mitigating the introduction of water into soccer balls.
The game of soccer, is governed by the FIFA (Fédération internationale de football association which is French for ‘International Association Football Federation), and has rules and laws regarding the game and the equipment that is used in soccer. The soccer ball must have a certain weight and limited absorption of water level when played on wet grass or other water infiltrated ground. If a soccer ball absorbs more than an acceptable level of water it is not approved for official soccer matches by the FIFA.
Soccer ball manufacturers use waterproof exterior materials to overcome these problems and the soccer ball seams are sealed with adhesive from the outside to prevent the ingress of water into the ball. However, these methods have their own drawbacks. In particular, adhesive material applied by hand is hard to apply evenly. This results in the removal of adhesive from the stitched area after just a few games. The other problem is that when water gets inside the ball it stays on the interior side of the outer cover which is usually a fabric layer. The water soon penetrates from the fabric layer to the other layers below it. In the circumstance that there are three (3) to four (4) fabric layers, which is often not unusual, this makes the ball heavier and therefore is no longer qualified under the FIFA regulations.
Like other sports balls, soccer balls may be manufactured either by hand sewing or by machine sewing. In a machine sewn ball another problem that is faced (that is, other than the inside part of the exterior material panels absorbing water) is that the ball also includes a bladder which is wound with yarn which is capable of absorbing undesirable levels of water. This occurs even though latex is used in fabric layers present within the geometric panels that are present on the interior side of the exterior cover material. With respect to the yarn wound over the bladder, there are inevitable gaps or pores in the winding. If these gaps or pores fill up with water, it will sit there and, as a result of this water, there is an increase in the ball's weight. If the ball is not properly dried and if it is stored in a wet condition, it tends to grow mold from the inside and soon permanently damages the ball. As used throughout the present application, the term “panel” refers to one of the geometrically shaped pieces that are stitched together (either by hand or by machine) to form a volume which will eventually contain an inflatable bladder.
Another problem faced in the production of sports balls, and soccer balls in particular, is that in hot weather the latex applied to laminate the fabric on the interior of cover material gets tacky and when bladder is inflated. As a result, the ball does not evenly inflate. Interior ball parts where the interior of external panels are tackier, it is found that the bladder is already attached to the interiors of the geometric panels that form the desired three-dimensional ball structure. The uneven expanding of bladder due to its attachment with latex on the interior side of exterior cover make the ball behave in an imbalanced fashion. Thus, when the ball is dropped on the floor, instead coming up straight, it wobbles or sways. Similarly when hit on the ground, instead of going straight. the ball moves off course. This problem exists in both hand-sewn, and machine sewn balls. In hand sewn balls the bladder is not covered with thread and the bladder tends to get stuck due to latex tackiness on the interior side of exterior panel.
In machine sewn balls there is also a problem because the bladder is covered with latex dipped thread. This is that much more problematic because it results in the bladder sticking to the interior side of exterior panels. No solution has been previously provided and therefore this problem needs to be addressed.
There is also a problem which exists in all kinds of bladders in which latex rubber and a dipping process are employed. The bladder material may comprise natural rubber, synthetic rubber (SR) or butyl rubber, which is a mixture of synthetic and natural rubber bladder. In all of these bladders, the retention of air in synthetic rubber bladders is best followed by butyl rubber and latex rubber bladders. Nonetheless, it would therefore be desirable to improve air retention in any of the bladder materials employed. By improving bladder air retention, this eliminates the need for adding air to the ball every few days, which would be an improvement over the existing structures.
From the above, it is therefore seen that there exists a need in the art to overcome the deficiencies and limitations described herein and above.
The shortcomings of the prior art are overcome and additional advantages are provided through the construction of a ball for sports play comprising: a plurality of exterior, stitched together panels sewn at their edges, configured to form a closed volume by said stitching; an inflatable bladder occupying the interior of said closed volume; and water repelling means lying between the bladder and the exterior panels. The present invention also includes methods for carrying out processes which produce the desired structures.
In a first embodiment of the present invention water repelling means comprises a waterproof film applied over the inner fabric layer of the geometrically shaped exterior panels. In a second embodiment of the present invention the water repelling means comprises winding or wrapping the bladder with TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane), PU (polyurethane) or any combination of such films.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to mitigate the ingress of water and/or other fluids into the interior of a sports ball and correspondingly it is intended to eliminate or reduce all of the negative consequences associated with the introduction of water into a sports ball.
It is another object of the present invention to provide better sports balls for playing soccer and is particularly useful for increasing the flexibility of balls having interior bladders.
It is yet another object of the present invention to improve air retention in sports balls.
It is a still further object of the present invention to improve the useful life of various kinds of sports balls.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a process for carrying out the manufacture of sports balls which exhibit improved water impervious properties.
Lastly, but not limited hereto, it is an even further object of the present invention to describe structures and processes for sports ball manufacture which are applicable to both hand-sewn and machine-sewn balls, although not necessarily to both such ball types at the same time.
Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniques of the present invention. Other embodiments and aspects of the invention are described in detail herein and are considered a part of the claimed invention.
The recitation herein of desirable objects which are met by various embodiments of the present invention is not meant to imply or suggest that any or all of these objects are present as essential features, either individually or collectively, in the most general embodiment of the present invention or in any of its more specific embodiments.
The subject matter which is regarded as the invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. The invention, however, both as to organization and method of practice, together with the further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:
The construction of sports balls especially soccer balls is carried out by stitching together a plurality of geometrically shaped panels. In the case of soccer balls, these panels generally include hexagonally shaped and pentagonally shaped panels. These panels have a layered structure. Panel 100 employed in the present invention is shown in
In one embodiment all four reinforced backing fabric layers of the outer material are bonded together with water proof film and finally attached to the outer material with latex. This process makes the lamination process for the fabric layers very fast compared to the conventional method of laminating each fabric layer by hand using latex rubber. Using latex by hand is laborious and needs at 48 hours to dry and even then it is not 100% waterproof because water can seep into fabric pores. This method is faster and gives far better waterproofing results than the conventional method of using latex by hand in all layers.
In another embodiment three layers of fabric are bonded together with the waterproof film and then with foam by using latex and, finally, all fabric layers and foam are attached to the outer material using latex rubber. In yet other embodiment any combination of a plurality of fabric layers with waterproof film and the application of latex for bonding is used depending upon ball quality and price factors.
Many sports balls do not include a layer of thread wound around an interior bladder. However, it is commonly present in many soccer balls, especially those sewn by machine. Initial stages of the wrapping of bladder 900 are shown in
In yet another embodiment, only waterproof film is used on the bladder instead of first winding it with yarn or thread and then wrapping it. The water proof film in itself has is provided with a fabric layer that helps to control expansion of the bladder. This process is easier and faster than other methods.
All the bonding of fabric and waterproof film is either done using the film that melts when put in a heated mold or using compatible adhesive and use of latex for fabric bonding with foam and outer material.
In accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention, waterproofing is provided by directly applying a layer of waterproofing ribbon 500 (which may also include an inner layer of fabric directly over the bladder which may or may not also include the above-described layer of thread. While it is not essential that a layer of thread is disposed beneath the waterproof ribbon, this ribbon is most desirable in those circumstances where the threaded layer is not present since this is a layer which is most easily saturated with water.
To waterproof the interior of the ball's exterior panels the last fabric layer is applied with a waterproof film of polyurethane thermoplastic polyurethane or any other suitable material that mitigates the ingress of water or other liquids into the panels. This film layer helps to prevent water from seeping into the backing layers of the exterior cover panels. The lack of such a film (or other waterproofing method) the ball's weight increases during play in wet conditions. This film application also guards against the growth of mold inside the ball.
In the case of handsewn balls, the waterproof film which is adhered to the interior fabric of exterior panels also stops the bladder from sticking to the interior of the exterior cover panels In the case of machine sewn balls, the waterproofing film waterproofs the interior of outer cover material as well. Bladders prepared for machine sewn balls are covered with thread which is passed through latex for bonding. This is also particularly problematic since the bladder then also possesses a latex content which can thus adhere to the interior fabric of the exterior cover. This latex-containing fabric layer is thus rendered capable of adhering to the bladder structure especially during hot weather. The latex used on the bladder and the latex in the interior fabric of the ball often undesirably stick together. A layer of PU, TPU, or any other suitable material, is used to cover the bladder by winding or wrapping the bladder. with any of these materials.
This solves several problems. First, covering the thread wound bladder with TPU, PU or any other suitable material guards against the bladder sticking to the interior of ball and prevents the ball from becoming wobbly and swaying especially when it impacts the ground. Secondly, covering the bladder with TPU, PU or any other suitable material helps to prevent water from seeping into the thread wound around the bladder and thus sitting in the spaces (pores) formed by the thread winding. Thirdly, air retention by the bladder is enhanced by the winding or wrapping the bladder with TPU, PU or any other combination of suitable films.
While the present application refers to “waterproof, waterproofed or waterproofing,” it is not intended to suggest that the means for reducing the ingress of water or other materials into a sports ball of the present invention are perfect in performing this function. While the description of the present invention is generally directed to soccer balls, the construction of sports balls as found herein is not limited to soccer balls. While the present invention is generally directed to the prevention of the ingress of liquids into a sports ball, it is also useful in preventing the ingress of particulate matter, especially those particulates that might be carried in by liquids. It is also noted that the present description does not include an air valve since such items are well known in the art of sports ball manufacture.
All publications and patent applications mentioned in this specification are indicative of the level of skill of those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains. All publications and patent applications are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.
Although the description above contains many specifics, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention. Thus, the scope of this invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents. Therefore, it will be appreciated that the scope of the present invention fully encompasses other embodiments which may become obvious to those skilled in the art, and that the scope of the present invention is accordingly to be limited by the appended claims, in which reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless explicitly so stated, but rather “one or more.” All structural, chemical, and functional equivalents to the elements of the above-described preferred embodiment that are known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the present claims. Moreover, it is not necessary for a device or method to address each and every problem sought to be solved by the present invention, for it to be encompassed by the present claims. Furthermore, no element, component, or method step in the present disclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether the element, component, or method step is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element herein is to be construed under the provisions of 35 USC § 112, sixth paragraph, unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for.”
While the invention has been described in detail herein in accordance with certain preferred embodiments thereof, many modifications and changes therein may be effected by those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.
