Sports ball

• US 20080268989A1
• Filed: 04/26/2007
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bufkin Enterprises Limited, Milgo Industrial, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Bufkin Enterprises Limited, Milgo Industrial, Inc.
• Inventors: Lalvani, Haresh
• Granted Patent: US 7,854,671 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/598
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/02 Tennis
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/18 Baseball, rounders or similar games
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/0025 Football American football A63B2243/007
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/0037 Basketball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/0066 Rugby; American football
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 41/08 Ball covers; Closures therefor

Abstract

New designs for a sports ball comprising at least two polygonal panels and having an improved performance and uniformity. Each panel has doubly-curved edges that curve along and across the surface of the sphere. The panels are p-sided curved polygons, where p is an integer greater than 1. The single panels, in an imagined flattened state, have curved edges where each edge curves inwards, outwards or undulates in a wave-like manner. The edges are arranged so each individual panel is without mirror-symmetry and the edge curvatures are adjusted so the panel shape can be varied to achieve more uniform panel stiffness as well as economy in manufacturing. The ball also has a possible shape-induced spin due to the panel design and the overall rotational symmetry of the design. In various embodiments, the ball comprises at least two multi-paneled layers that are topological duals of each other, wherein each layer provides a compensatory function with respect to the other layer such that the ball has a uniformly performing surface. Applications include but are not limited to designs for soccer balls, baseballs, basketballs, tennis balls, rugby, and other sports or recreational play. The shape of the ball can be spherical, ellipsoidal or other curved convex shapes.

Claims

1. A sports ball comprising:

at least two identical polygonal panels;

each of the at least two polygonal panels having p side edges, p being an even integer greater than 3, arranged and configured in a preselected cyclical pattern of asymmetric concave and convex side edge shapes, alternate adjacent and contiguous ones of the p side edges alternating in shape between a concave shape and a convex shape, the p sides being arranged cyclically around vertices of the ball such that a side edge of concave shape of one of the at least two identical polygonal panels mates with a side edge of convex shape of another one of the at least two identical polygonal panels.

2. The sports ball as recited in claim 1 wherein the ball is spherical in shape.

3. The sports ball as recited in claim 1 wherein the ball is ellipsoidal in shape.

4. The sports ball as recited in claim 1 wherein a starting geometry is a polyhedron having a single type of polygon.

5. The sports ball as recited in claim 4 wherein the polyhedron having a single type of polygon is selected from the group consisting of regular polyhedra, zonohedra (polyhdera having parallelograms and rhombuses), dihedral polyhedra (polyhedra having two polygonal faces or panels), Archimedean duals (duals of semi-regular or Archimedean polyhedra) and composite polyhedra obtained by superimposing two dual polyhedra.

6. The sports ball as recited in claim 1 further comprising an outer layer and an inner layer wherein the outer later is a topological dual of the inner layer and orientated so the vertices of one overlay faces of another.

7. The sports ball as recited in claim 1 further comprising an outer layer and at least one inner layer wherein the panels of each next inner layer are smaller in size than the panels of each previous inner layer and the outer layer.

8. The sports ball as recited in claim 1 further comprising a solid interior.

9. A sports ball comprising:

at least two identical polygonal panels;

each of the at least two polygonal panels having p side edges, p being an integer greater than 2, each of the p side edges being arranged and configured as an undulating wave segment comprising alternate concave and convex sections, the p side edges being arranged cyclically around vertices of the ball such that an undulating wave segment comprising alternate concave and convex sections of one side edge of one of the at least two identical polygonal panels mates with a corresponding undulating wave segment comprising alternate concave and convex sections of one side edge of another one of the at least two identical polygonal panels.

10. The sports ball as recited in claim 9 wherein the ball is spherical in shape.

11. The sports ball as recited in claim 9 wherein the ball is ellipsoidal in shape.

12. The sports ball as recited in claim 9 wherein a starting geometry is a polyhedron having a single type of polygon.

13. The sports ball as recited in claim 12 wherein the polyhedron having a single type of polygon is selected from the group consisting of regular polyhedra, zonohedra (polyhdera having one of parallelograms and rhombuses), dihedral polyhedra (polyhedra having two polygonal faces or panels), Archimedean duals (duals of semi-regular or Archimedean polyhedra) and composite polyhedra obtained by superimposing two dual polyhedra.

14. The sports ball as recited in claim 9 further comprising an outer layer and an inner layer wherein the outer later is a topological dual of the inner layer and orientated so the vertices of one overlay faces of another.

15. The sports ball as recited in claim 9 further comprising an outer layer and at least one inner layer wherein the panels of each next inner layer are smaller in size than the panels of each previous inner layer and the outer layer.

16. The sports ball as recited in claim 9 further comprising a solid interior.

17. A sports ball comprising:

an outer layer having vertices and faces; and

an inner layer having vertices and faces;

wherein the outer layer is a topological dual of the inner layer and orientated so the vertices of one overlay the faces of another and vice versa.

18. The sports ball as recited in claim 17 further comprising at least two inner layers wherein each next inner layer is smaller in size than each previous inner layer and the outer layer.

19. The sports ball as recited in claim 18 wherein the at least two inner layers and the outer layer form a solid ball.

20. A sports ball comprising:

at least two identical digonal panels;

each of the at least two digonal panels having two side edges, each of the two side edges being arranged and configured as an undulating wave segment comprising alternate concave and convex sections, the two side edges being unparallel to each other and arranged cyclically around vertices of the ball such that an undulating wave segment comprising alternate concave and convex sections of one side edge of one of the at least two identical digonal panels mates with a corresponding undulating wave segment comprising alternate concave and convex sections of one side edge of another one of the at least two identical digonal panels.

21. The sports ball as recited in claim 20 wherein the ball is spherical in shape.

22. The sports ball as recited in claim 20 wherein the ball is ellipsoidal in shape.

23. The sports ball as recited in claim 20 further comprising an outer layer and an inner layer wherein the outer later is a topological dual of the inner layer and orientated so the vertices of one overlay faces of another.

24. The sports ball as recited in claim 20 further comprising an outer layer and at least one inner layer wherein the panels of each next inner layer are smaller in size than the panels of each previous inner layer and the outer layer.

25. The sports ball as recited in claim 20 further comprising a solid interior.

26. A sports ball comprising:

at least two polygonal panels;

each of the at least two polygonal panels having p side edges, p being an odd integer greater than 2, having concave and convex side edge shapes such that a side edge of concave shape of one of the at least two polygonal panels mates with a side edge of convex shape of another one of the at least two polygonal panels.

27. The sports ball as recited in claim 26 wherein the ball is spherical in shape.

28. The sports ball as recited in claim 26 wherein the ball is ellipsoidal in shape.

29. The sports ball as recited in claim 26 wherein a starting geometry is a polyhedron having a single type of polygon.

30. The sports ball as recited in claim 29 wherein the polyhedron having a single type of polygon is selected from the group consisting of regular polyhedra, dihedral polyhedra (polyhedra having two polygonal faces or panels) and Archimedean duals (duals of semi-regular or Archimedean polyhedra).

31. The sports ball as recited in claim 26 further comprising an outer layer and an inner layer wherein the outer later is a topological dual of the inner layer and orientated so the vertices of one overlay faces of another.

32. The sports ball as recited in claim 26 further comprising an outer layer and at least one inner layer wherein the panels of each next inner layer are smaller in size than the panels of each previous inner layer and the outer layer.

33. The sports ball as recited in claim 26 further comprising a solid interior.

34. The sports ball as recited in claim 26 wherein the side edge shapes are asymmetric.