Panel configuration for a game ball

• US 20080070727A1
• Filed: 09/20/2006
• Published: 03/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Raynak, Geoffrey C., Avis, Richard, Page, Chris S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,862,458 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/604
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 41/08 Ball covers; Closures therefor

Abstract

A game ball, which may be a soccer ball or a variety of other types of ball. The game ball includes a plurality of pentagonal panels, with each of the pentagonal panels having five convex edges. The game ball also includes a plurality of hexagonal panels, with each of the hexagonal panels having three substantially linear edges and three concave edges. The pentagonal panels and the hexagonal panels are connected along abutting concave edges and convex edges, and the hexagonal panels are connected each other along abutting linear edges.

Claims

1. A substantially spherical game ball comprising:

a plurality of pentagonal panels, each of the pentagonal panels having first edges, at least one of the first edges having a non-linear configuration; and

a plurality of hexagonal panels, each of the hexagonal panels having second edges, at least one of the second edges having a non-linear configuration,

the pentagonal panels and the hexagonal panels being connected along abutting first edges and second edges, and the hexagonal panels being connected to each other along abutting second edges.

2. The game ball recited in claim 1, wherein the first edges having the non-linear configuration are convex, and the second edges having the non-linear configuration are concave.

3. The game ball recited in claim 2, wherein the abutting second edges are substantially linear.

4. The game ball recited in claim 1, wherein the first edges having the non-linear configuration are concave, and the second edges having the non-linear configuration are convex.

5. The game ball recited in claim 4, wherein the abutting second edges are substantially linear.

6. The game ball recited in claim 1, further comprising at least one decagonal panel having a shape of two of the hexagonal panels.

7. The game ball recited in claim 1, wherein three of the second edges of each of the hexagonal panels have the non-linear configuration, and three of the second edges of each of the hexagonal panels are substantially linear.

8. The game ball recited in claim 7, wherein a length of a chord of each of the second edges with the non-linear configuration is greater than a length of the second edges that are substantially linear.

9. The game ball recited in claim 7, wherein a length of a chord of each of the second edges with the non-linear configuration is in a range of 1.10 and 1.30 times a length of the second edges that are substantially linear.

10. The game ball recited in claim 7, wherein a length of a chord of each of the second edges with the non-linear configuration is approximately 1.19 times a length of the second edges that are substantially linear.

11. A substantially spherical game ball comprising:

a plurality of pentagonal panels, each of the pentagonal panels having five convex edges; and

a plurality of hexagonal panels, each of the hexagonal panels having three substantially linear edges and three concave edges,

the pentagonal panels and the hexagonal panels being connected along abutting concave edges and convex edges, and the hexagonal panels being connected each other along abutting linear edges.

12. The game ball recited in claim 11, further comprising at least one bridged panel having a shape of two of the hexagonal panels.

13. The game ball recited in claim 11, wherein a length of a chord of each of the concave edges is greater than a length of the linear edges.

14. The game ball recited in claim 11, wherein a length of a chord of each of the concave edges is in a range of 1.10 and 1.30 times a length of the linear edges.

15. The game ball recited in claim 11, wherein a length of a chord of each of the concave edges is approximately 1.19 times a length of the linear edges.

16. A substantially spherical game ball comprising:

a plurality of pentagonal panels, each of the pentagonal panels having five convex edges;

a plurality of hexagonal panels, each of the hexagonal panels having three substantially linear edges and three concave edge, a length of a chord of each of the concave edges being greater than a length of the linear edges; and

at least one bridged panel having a shape of two of the hexagonal panels,

the pentagonal panels and the hexagonal panels being connected along abutting concave edges and convex edges, and the hexagonal panels being connected each other along abutting linear edges.

17. The game ball recited in claim 16, wherein the length of the chord is in a range of 1.10 and 1.30 times the length of the linear edges.

18. The game ball recited in claim 16, wherein the length of the chord is approximately 1.19 times the length of the linear edges.

19. The game ball recited in claim 16, wherein the bridged panel is the two of the hexagonal panels joined along the linear edges in a seamless configuration.

20. A substantially spherical game ball including a plurality of panels connected along abutting edges, the plurality of panels comprising:

six bridge panels that include two hexagonal portions, each of the hexagonal portions having three concave edges and three substantially linear edges, the hexagonal portions being seamlessly joined along two of the one first edge of the first hexagonal portion and one first edge of the second hexagonal portion;

eight hexagonal panels having three concave edges and three substantially linear edges; and

twelve pentagonal panels having five convex edges.

21. The game ball recited in claim 20, wherein a length of a chord of each of the concave edges of the hexagonal panels is greater than a length of the linear edges of the hexagonal panels.

22. The game ball recited in claim 20, wherein a length of a chord of each of the concave edges of the hexagonal panels is in a range of 1.10 and 1.30 times a length of the linear edges of the hexagonal panels.

23. The game ball recited in claim 20, wherein a length of a chord of each of the concave edges of the hexagonal panels is approximately 1.19 times a length of the linear edges of the hexagonal panels.

24. A substantially spherical game ball having an outer cover formed substantially from a plurality of panels, the panels consisting of:

twelve pentagonal panels having five convex edges; and

twenty hexagonal panels having three concave edges and three substantially linear edges,

the pentagonal panels and the hexagonal panels abutting each other such that the convex edges join with the concave edges and the linear edges join with each other.

25. The game ball recited in claim 24, wherein each concave edge is adjacent to two linear edges.

26. The game ball recited in claim 24, wherein at least two of the hexagonal panels are seamlessly joined to form a bridged panel.

27. The game ball recited in claim 24, wherein a length of a chord of each of the concave edges is greater than a length of the linear edges.

28. A game ball comprising:

a plurality of panels joined along abutting edges to form an exterior surface of the game ball, the panels including a pentagonal panel with at least one convex edge and a hexagonal panel with at least one concave edge; and

an inflatable bladder located within the panels for enclosing a pressurized fluid,

wherein a first force applied to a center of the pentagonal panel causes a deflection of the center of the pentagonal panel, and a second force equal in magnitude to the first force and applied to a center of the hexagonal panel causes a deflection of the center of the hexagonal panel, the deflection of the center of the pentagonal panel being equal to the deflection of the center of the hexagonal panel.

29. The game ball recited in claim 28, wherein the edges of the pentagonal panel are all of substantially identical shape.

30. The game ball recited in claim 28, wherein the hexagonal panel has three concave edges and three substantially linear edges.

31. A substantially spherical game ball comprising:

a plurality of substantially circular panels having first edges; and

a plurality of hexagonal panels, each of the hexagonal panels having second edges, at least one of the second edges having a non-linear configuration,

the circular panels and the hexagonal panels being connected along abutting first edges and second edges, and the hexagonal panels being connected to each other along abutting second edges.

32. The game ball recited in claim 31, wherein the abutting second edges are substantially linear.

33. The game ball recited in claim 31, further comprising at least one decagonal panel having a shape of two of the hexagonal panels.

34. The game ball recited in claim 31, wherein three of the second edges of each of the hexagonal panels have the non-linear configuration, and three of the second edges of each of the hexagonal panels are substantially linear.

35. The game ball recited in claim 34, wherein a length of a chord of each of the second edges with the non-linear configuration is greater than a length of the second edges that are substantially linear.