Sportsball with integral ball casing and bladder body

• US 20090209374A1
• Filed: 02/19/2008
• Published: 08/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Topball Sports, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Topball Sports, Inc.
• Inventors: Ou, Tsung Ming
• Granted Patent: US 8,900,077 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/605
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 41/10 Bladder and cover united
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 45/00 Apparatus or methods for manufacturing balls working of plastics or substances in a plastic state B29
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 35/0227 using pressure vessels, e.g. autoclaves, vulcanising pans B29C35/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/02 by heating, with or without pressure
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/24 crosslinked or vulcanised
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2009/00 Layered products
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/545 Football balls
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1039 Surface deformation only of sandwich or lamina [e.g., embossed panels]

Abstract

A sportsball includes a barebone ball and an outer ball cover. The barebone ball includes an inflatable bladder body and a ball casing. The ball casing, which is formed in an integrated structure, has an outer circumferential surface, an inner circumferential surface to define an interior cavity to fittingly enclose the bladder body therein, and a plurality of pre-formed channels integrally and indently formed on the outer circumferential surface, such that the ball casing and the bladder body enclosed therewithin form a one piece integrated semi-product of the sportsball. The outer ball cover comprising a plurality of outer cover panels overlapping on the outer circumferential surface of the ball casing at a position that edges of each of the outer cover panels are aligned with the corresponding pre-formed channels respectively.

Claims

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

(a) providing an inflatable bladder body and a ball casing having a shape corresponding to said bladder body after being inflated;

(b) placing said bladder body and said ball casing in a mold that said bladder body is enclosed within said ball casing;

(c) vulcanizing said ball casing with heat to integrally bond said ball bladder with said ball casing to form a one piece integrated barebone ball and to integrally and indently form a plurality of pre-formed channels on an outer circumferential surface of said ball casing; and

(d) attaching a plurality of outer cover panels on said outer circumferential surface of said ball casing in such a manner that edges of said outer cover panels are aligned with said corresponding pre-formed channels respectively to form a ball cover enclosing said barebone ball.

2. The method, as recited in claim 1, wherein the step (b) further comprises a step of aligning two or more casing panels in edge-to-edge manner to form said ball casing such that said casing panels are aligned to enclose said bladder body in said mold.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein, in the step (c), said mold comprises a plurality of channel protrusions integrally protruded from an inner mold surface to press against said outer circumferential surface of said ball casing during vulcanization.

4. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein, in the step (c), said mold comprises a plurality of channel protrusions integrally protruded from an inner mold surface to press against said outer circumferential surface of said ball casing during vulcanization.

5. The method, as recited in claim 3, wherein each of said channel protrusions has two slanted pressing surfaces such that, during the vulcanization step (c), said two slanted pressing surfaces of each of said channel protrusions press against sad outer circumferential surface to form two slanted sidewalls indented on said outer circumferential surface of said ball casing to form said respective per-formed channel, and that, in the step (d), edge portions of said two neighboring outer cover panels are attached on said sidewalls of said corresponding pre-formed channel respectively.

6. The method, as recited in claim 4, wherein each of said channel protrusions has two slanted pressing surfaces such that, during the vulcanization step (c), said two slanted pressing surfaces of each of said channel protrusions press against sad outer circumferential surface to form two slanted sidewalls indented on said outer circumferential surface of said ball casing to form said respective per-formed channel, and that, in the step (d), edge portions of said two neighboring outer cover panels are attached on said sidewalls of said corresponding pre-formed channel respectively.

7. The method, as recited in claim 5, wherein an outer circumferential surface of said bladder body is integrated with said inner circumferential surface of said ball casing to form said one piece integrated barebone ball after vulcanization.

8. The method, as recited in claim 6, wherein an outer circumferential surface of said bladder body is integrated with said inner circumferential surface of said ball casing to form said one piece integrated barebone ball after vulcanization.

9. The method, as recited in claim 7, wherein said ball casing is made of rubber material for providing a cushion effect at any point of said barebone ball after vulcanization.

10. The method, as recited in claim 8, wherein said ball casing is made of rubber material for providing a cushion effect at any point of said barebone ball after vulcanization.

11. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein, in the step (d), said outer cover panels are adhered on said outer circumferential surface of said ball casing of said barebone ball.

12. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein, in the step (d), said outer cover panels are adhered on said outer circumferential surface of said ball casing of said barebone ball.

13. A sportsball, comprising:

a barebone ball, which comprises;

an inflatable bladder body; and

a ball casing, which is formed in a one-piece integrated structure, having an outer circumferential surface, an inner circumferential surface to define an interior cavity to enclose said bladder body therein, and a plurality of pre-formed channels integrally and indently formed on said outer circumferential surface; and

an outer ball cover comprising a plurality of outer cover panels attached on said outer circumferential surface of said ball casing in a manner that edges of each of said outer cover panels are aligned with said corresponding pre-formed channels respectively.

14. The sportsball, as recited in claim 13, wherein each of said per-formed channels has two slanted sidewalls indented on said outer circumferential surface of said ball casing and edge portions of said two neighboring outer cover panels are attached on said sidewalls of said corresponding preformed channel respectively.

15. The sportsball, as recited in claim 13, wherein an outer circumferential surface of said bladder body is integrated with said inner circumferential surface of said ball casing after said ball casing is vulcanizing treated with heat to form said barebone ball with an integral body.

16. The sportsball, as recited in claim 14, wherein an outer circumferential surface of said bladder body is integrated with said inner circumferential surface of said ball casing after said ball casing is vulcanizing treated with heat to form said barebone ball with an integral body.

17. The sportsball, as recited in claim 13, wherein said ball casing is made of rubber material for providing a cushion effect at any point of said barebone ball.

18. The sportsball, as recited in claim 16, wherein said ball casing is made of rubber material for providing a cushion effect at any point of said barebone ball.

19. The sportsball, as recited in claim 13, wherein said outer cover panels are adhered on said outer circumferential surface of said ball casing of said barebone ball.

20. The sportsball, as recited in claim 18, wherein said outer cover panels are adhered on said outer circumferential surface of said ball casing of said barebone ball.

21. The sportsball, as recited in claim 13, wherein said bladder body comprises an inflatable bladder for being popped by air inflation and an exterior web layer, which is integrally attached on an outer surface of said inflatable bladder, comprises at least an elongated strengthened thread evenly wound around said outer surface of said inflatable bladder such that said web layer embraces said inflatable bladder for resisting stress and impact force applied to said inflatable bladder.

22. The sportsball, as recited in claim 20, wherein said bladder body comprises an inflatable bladder for being popped by air inflation and an exterior web layer, which is integrally attached on an outer surface of said inflatable bladder, comprises at least an elongated strengthened thread evenly wound around said outer surface of said inflatable bladder such that said web layer embraces said inflatable bladder for resisting stress and impact force applied to said inflatable bladder.

23. The sportsball, as recited in claim 13, wherein said bladder body comprises an inflatable bladder for being popped by air inflation and a construction ball pocket, which is made of fabric material and constructed to have a true roundness shape, having an interior receiving cavity defined therein to sealedly receive said inflatable bladder, such that said construction ball pocket is arranged to retain a true roundness shape of said inflatable bladder after said inflatable bladder is inflated.

24. The sportsball, as recited in claim 20, wherein said bladder body comprises an inflatable bladder for being popped by air inflation and a construction ball pocket, which is made of fabric material and constructed to have a true roundness shape, having an interior receiving cavity defined therein to sealedly receive said inflatable bladder, such that said construction ball pocket is arranged to retain a true roundness shape of said inflatable bladder after said inflatable bladder is inflated.

25. A barebone ball, comprising:

an inflatable bladder body; and

a ball casing, which is formed in an integral structure, having an outer circumferential surface, an inner circumferential surface to define an interior cavity to fittingly enclose said bladder body therein, and a plurality of pre-formed channels integrally and indently formed on said outer circumferential surface.

26. The barebone ball, as recited in claim 25, each of said per-formed channels has two slanted sidewalls indented on said outer circumferential surface of said ball casing.

27. The barebone ball, as recited in claim 25, wherein an outer circumferential surface of said bladder body is integrated with said inner circumferential surface of said ball casing after said ball casing is vulcanizing treated with heat to form said barebone ball with an integral body.

28. The barebone ball, as recited in claim 26, wherein an outer circumferential surface of said bladder body is integrated with said inner circumferential surface of said ball casing after said ball casing is vulcanizing treated with heat to form said barebone ball with an integral body.

29. The barebone ball, as recited in claim 25, wherein said ball casing is made of rubber material for providing a cushion effect at any point of said barebone ball.

30. The barebone ball, as recited in claim 28, wherein said ball casing is made of rubber material for providing a cushion effect at any point of said barebone ball.

31. The barebone ball, as recited in claim 30, wherein said bladder body comprises an inflatable bladder for being popped by air inflation and an exterior web layer, which is integrally attached on an outer surface of said inflatable bladder, comprises at least an elongated strengthened thread evenly wound around said outer surface of said inflatable bladder such that said web layer embraces said inflatable bladder for resisting stress and impact force applied to said inflatable bladder.

32. The barebone ball, as recited in claim 30, wherein said bladder body comprises an inflatable bladder for being popped by air inflation and a construction ball pocket, which is made of fabric material and constructed to have a true roundness shape, having an interior receiving cavity defined therein to sealedly receive said inflatable bladder, such that said construction ball pocket is arranged to retain a true roundness shape of said inflatable bladder after said inflatable bladder is inflated.