Sportsball and manufacturing method thereof

• US 10,343,027 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2017
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tsung Ming Ou
• Original Assignee: Tsung Ming Ou
• Inventors: Ou, Tsung Ming
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Steven B
• Application Number:
  US15/791,360
• Publication Number:
  US 20190118043A1
• Time in Patent Office: 624 Days
• Field of Search: 473603-605
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/0025 Football American football A63B2243/007
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/0095 Volleyball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 41/08 Ball covers; Closures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 45/00 Apparatus or methods for manufacturing balls working of plastics or substances in a plastic state B29

Abstract

A sportsball and manufacturing method thereof are provided. The sportsball includes a carcass and a ball cover. The ball cover includes two or more cover panels having connecting sides connected with each other in edge to edge manner to form a plurality of connecting seams. The ball cover is supported and retained by the construction layer of the carcass in a desired roundness after air inflation. At least one the cover panels of the ball cover provides one or more virtual stitching seams molded to form thereon each imitating an actual stitching seam but having no stitching hole and gap. Each of the virtual stitching seams has a virtual seam recess and a plurality of virtual stitching marks along a bottom of the virtual seam recess imitating actual stitching marks of stitching thread like the actual stitching seam after sides of panels being sewn edge to edge together, so as to reduce the number of cover panels of the ball cover and minimize the presence of stitching holes and gaps of the ball cover.

Claims

1. A sportsball, comprising:

a carcass comprising an inflatable bladder ball and an exterior construction layer covering the bladder ball to reinforce and strengthen the bladder ball; and

a ball cover comprising two or more cover panels having connecting sides connected with each other in edge to edge manner to form one or more connecting seams, wherein said ball cover is supported and retained by the construction layer in a desired roundness after air inflation, wherein at least one of said cover panels of said ball cover further provides one or more virtual stitching seams molded to form thereon, wherein said virtual stitching seams are pre-formed on at least one of said cover panels before said cover panels are connected with each other, each of which is adapted for imitating an actual stitching seam but having no stitching hole and gap, wherein each of said virtual stitching seams has a virtual seam recess and a plurality of virtual stitching marks formed along a bottom of said virtual seam recess for imitating actual stitching marks of stitching thread like the actual stitching seam formed at sides of panels being sewn edge to edge together, such that two different seam structures with the same appearance are formed at said ball cover that said virtual stitching seam is formed on said cover panel while said actual stitching seam is formed along a connection between said cover panels, wherein at least one of said virtual stitching seams is extended from said actual stitching seam.

2. The sportsball, as recited in claim 1, wherein said carcass comprises a valve stem mounted on said bladder ball and said ball cover has a valve hole where said valve stem extended thereat for air inflation.

3. The sportsball, as recited in claim 2, wherein said construction layer is a construction web layer integrally provided on an outer surface of said bladder ball such that said bladder ball is entirely embraced by said construction web layer.

4. The sportsball, as recited in claim 1, wherein said connecting sides of every two of said cover panels are sewn together by at least a stitching thread in edge to edge manner to form an actual recessed stitching seam having an actual seam recess and a plurality of actual stitching marks, wherein each of said virtual stitching seams is molded to look like said actual recessed stitching seam and have said virtual seam recess and said virtual stitching marks imitating said actual seam recess and said actual stitching marks of said actual recessed stitching seam.

5. The sportsball, as recited in claim 2, wherein said connecting sides of every two of said cover panels are sewn together by at least a stitching thread in edge to edge manner to form an actual recessed stitching seam having an actual seam recess and a plurality of actual stitching marks, wherein each of said virtual stitching seams is molded to look like said actual recessed stitching seam and have said virtual seam recess and said virtual stitching marks imitating said actual seam recess and said actual stitching marks of said actual recessed stitching seam.

6. The sportsball, as recited in claim 3, wherein said connecting sides of every two of said cover panels are sewn together by at least a stitching thread in edge to edge manner to form an actual recessed stitching seam having an actual seam recess and a plurality of actual stitching marks, wherein each of said virtual stitching seams is molded to look like said actual recessed stitching seam and have said virtual seam recess and said virtual stitching marks imitating said actual seam recess and said actual stitching marks of said actual recessed stitching seam.

7. The sportsball, as recited in claim 4, wherein said actual seam recess of each of said actual recessed stitching seams is an indented recess formed between connecting edges of said two cover panels sewn together and extended along a length of said connecting edges of said two cover panels, and that said actual stitching marks of each of said actual recessed stitching seams are portions of said stitching thread exposed between stitching holes of said connecting sides of said two cover panels respectively in short transversal line form at a bottom of said actual seam recess, wherein said virtual seam recess of each of said virtual stitching seams is an indented recess molded on said cover panel and extended along said respective virtual stitching seam with width and depth like said actual seam recess of said actual stitching seam to divide said cover panel into two or more panels, wherein said virtual stitching marks are molded to imitate said short transversal line form of said actual stitching marks along a bottom of said virtual seam recess.

8. The sportsball, as recited in claim 5, wherein said actual seam recess of each of said actual recessed stitching seams is an indented recess formed between connecting edges of said two cover panels sewn together and extended along a length of said connecting edges of said two cover panels, and that said actual stitching marks of each of said actual recessed stitching seams are portions of said stitching thread exposed between stitching holes of said connecting sides of said two cover panels respectively in short transversal line form at a bottom of said actual seam recess, wherein said virtual seam recess of each of said virtual stitching seams is an indented recess molded on said cover panel and extended along said respective virtual stitching seam with width and depth like said actual seam recess of said actual stitching seam to divide said cover panel into two or more panels, wherein said virtual stitching marks are molded to imitate said short transversal line form of said actual stitching marks along a bottom of said virtual seam recess.

9. The sportsball, as recited in claim 6, wherein said actual seam recess of each of said actual recessed stitching seams is an indented recess formed between connecting edges of said two cover panels sewn together and extended along a length of said connecting edges of said two cover panels, and that said actual stitching marks of each of said actual recessed stitching seams are portions of said stitching thread exposed between stitching holes of said connecting sides of said two cover panels respectively in short transversal line form at a bottom of said actual seam recess, wherein said virtual seam recess of each of said virtual stitching seams is an indented recess molded on said cover panel and extended along said respective virtual stitching seam with width and depth like said actual seam recess of said actual stitching seam to divide said cover panel into two or more panels, wherein said virtual stitching marks are molded to imitate said short transversal line form of said actual stitching marks along a bottom of said virtual seam recess.

10. The sportsball, as recited in claim 1, wherein said virtual seam recesses of each of said virtual stitching seams is an indented recess molded on said cover panel and extended along said respective virtual stitching seam with width and depth like said actual seam recess of said actual stitching seam to divide said cover panel into two or more panels, wherein said virtual stitching marks is molded in short transversal line form to imitate said actual stitching marks along a bottom of said virtual seam recess.

11. The sportsball, as recited in claim 2, wherein said virtual seam recesses of each of said virtual stitching seams is an indented recess molded on said cover panel and extended along said respective virtual stitching seam with width and depth like said actual seam recess of said actual stitching seam to divide said cover panel into two or more panels, wherein said virtual stitching marks is molded in short transversal line form to imitate said actual stitching marks along a bottom of said virtual seam recess.

12. The sportsball, as recited in claim 3, wherein said virtual seam recesses of each of said virtual stitching seams is an indented recess molded on said cover panel and extended along said respective virtual stitching seam with width and depth like said actual seam recess of said actual stitching seam to divide said cover panel into two or more panels, wherein said virtual stitching marks is molded in short transversal line form to imitate said actual stitching marks along a bottom of said virtual seam recess.

13. A manufacturing method of a sportsball, comprising the steps of:

(a) preparing two or more cover panels, each having connecting sides and a ball carcass comprising an inflatable bladder ball and an exterior construction layer covering said bladder ball to reinforce and strengthen said bladder ball;

(b) forming one or more virtual stitching seams on each of said cover panels, wherein each of said virtual stitching seams has a seam recess and a plurality of virtual stitching marks along a bottom of each of said virtual seam recesses for imitating actual stitching marks of stitching thread like an actual stitching seam formed at sides of panels being sewn edge to edge together;

(c) connecting said connecting sides of said cover panels in edge to edge manner forming a plurality of connecting seams to form a ball cover having a ball shape, wherein said connecting sides of said cover panels are sewed with each other to form a plurality of actual recessed stitching seams, wherein each of said virtual stitching seams imitates said actual stitching seam but having no stitching hole and gap, such that two different seam structures with the same appearance are formed at said ball cover that said virtual stitching seam is formed on said cover panel while said actual stitching seam is formed along a connection between said cover panels; and

(d) receiving said ball carcass inside said ball cover, wherein said ball cover is supported and retained by said construction layer in a desired roundness after air inflation in said ball carcass.

14. The manufacturing method, as recited in claim 13, wherein each of said actual recessed stitching seams has an actual seam recess and a plurality of actual stitching marks along a bottom of said actual seam recess, wherein said virtual stitching seams on said cover panels are molded to look like said actual recessed stitching seams and to have said virtual seam recess and said plurality of virtual stitching marks.

15. The manufacturing method, as recited in claim 13, wherein said carcass comprises a valve stem mounted on said bladder ball and said ball cover has a valve hole where said valve stem extended thereat for air inflation.

16. The manufacturing method, as recited in claim 14, wherein said carcass comprises a valve stem mounted on said bladder ball and said ball cover has a valve hole where said valve stem extended thereat for air inflation.

17. The manufacturing method, as recited in claim 15, wherein said construction layer is a construction web layer integrally provided on an outer surface of said bladder ball such that said bladder ball is entirely embraced by said construction web layer.

18. The manufacturing method, as recited in claim 16, wherein said construction layer is a construction web layer integrally provided on an outer surface of said bladder ball such that said bladder ball is entirely embraced by said construction web layer.

19. The manufacturing method, as recited in claim 14, wherein said connecting sides of every two of said cover panels are sewn together by at least a stitching thread in edge to edge manner to form said actual recessed stitching seams having said actual seam recess and said plurality of actual stitching marks, wherein each of said virtual stitching seams is molded to look like said actual recessed stitching seam and have said virtual seam recess and said virtual stitching marks imitating said actual seam recess and said actual stitching marks of said actual recessed stitching seam.

20. The manufacturing method, as recited in claim 18, wherein said connecting sides of every two of said cover panels are sewn together by at least a stitching thread in edge to edge manner to form said actual recessed stitching seams having said actual seam recess and said plurality of actual stitching marks, wherein each of said virtual stitching seams is molded to look like said actual recessed stitching seam and have said virtual seam recess and said virtual stitching marks imitating said actual seam recess and said actual stitching marks of said actual recessed stitching seam.

21. The manufacturing method, as recited in claim 19, wherein said actual seam recess of each of said actual recessed stitching seams is an indented recess formed between connecting edges of said two cover panels sewn together and extended along a length of said connecting edges of said two cover panels, and that said actual stitching marks of each of said actual recessed stitching seams are portions of said stitching thread exposed between stitching holes of said connecting sides of said two cover panels respectively in short transversal line form at a bottom of said actual seam recess, wherein said virtual seam recess of each of said virtual stitching seams is an indented recess molded on said cover panel and extended along said respective virtual stitching seam with width and depth like said actual seam recess of said actual stitching seam to divide said cover panel into two or more panels, wherein said virtual stitching marks is molded to imitate said short transversal line form of said actual stitching marks along a bottom of said virtual seam recess.

22. The manufacturing method, as recited in claim 20, wherein said actual seam recess of each of said actual recessed stitching seams is an indented recess formed between connecting edges of said two cover panels sewn together and extended along a length of said connecting edges of said two cover panels, and that said actual stitching marks of each of said actual recessed stitching seams are portions of said stitching thread exposed between stitching holes of said connecting sides of said two cover panels respectively in short transversal line form at a bottom of said actual seam recess, wherein said virtual seam recess of each of said virtual stitching seams is an indented recess molded on said cover panel and extended along said respective virtual stitching seam with width and depth like said actual seam recess of said actual stitching seam to divide said cover panel into two or more panels, wherein said virtual stitching marks is molded to imitate said short transversal line form of said actual stitching marks along a bottom of said virtual seam recess.