Sport Ball With A Textile Restriction Structure

• US 20090325746A1
• Filed: 06/27/2008
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Raynak, Geoffrey C., White, Vincent F.
• Granted Patent: US 8,192,311 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/605
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 41/08 Ball covers; Closures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 41/085 Closures
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 1/108 Gussets, e.g. pouches or heel or toe portions
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 1/22 specially adapted for knitting goods of particular configuration
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2403/033 Three dimensional fabric, e.g. forming or comprising cavities in or protrusions from the basic planar configuration, or deviations from the cylindrical shape as generally imposed by the fabric forming process
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2507/08 Balls

Abstract

A sport ball may include a casing, a restriction structure, and a bladder. The casing forms at least a portion of an exterior surface of the ball. The restriction structure is located within the casing and includes a textile element having a seamless portion with a non-planar configuration. The bladder is also located within the casing. The textile element may be a knitted fabric. Although the restriction structure may be seamless, the restriction structure may also include at most one seam or multiple seams that joins edges of the textile element. In addition, the seamless portion of the textile element may cover at least thirty percent or more of the surface of the bladder.

Claims

1. A sport ball comprising:

a casing that forms at least a portion of an exterior surface of the ball;

a restriction structure located within the casing, the restriction structure including a textile element having a seamless portion with a non-planar configuration; and

a bladder located within the casing.

2. The sport ball recited in claim 1, wherein the textile element of the restriction structure is a knitted fabric.

3. The sport ball recited in claim 2, wherein the textile element has a first course and a second course, the first course being adjacent to the second course, and the first course having a greater number of wales than the second course.

4. The sport ball recited in claim 1, wherein the restriction structure includes at most one seam that joins edges of the textile element.

5. The sport ball recited in claim 1, wherein the seamless portion of the textile element has a configuration of a sphere.

6. The sport ball recited in claim 1, wherein the seamless portion of the textile element has a configuration of a portion of a sphere.

7. The sport ball recited in claim 1, wherein the seamless portion of the textile element covers at least thirty percent of a surface of the bladder.

8. The sport ball recited in claim 1, wherein the seamless portion of the textile element covers at least seventy-five percent of a surface of the bladder.

9. The sport ball recited in claim 1, wherein the bladder is located within the restriction structure.

10. The sport ball recited in claim 1, wherein the restriction structure is embedded within a material of the bladder.

11. A sport ball comprising:

a casing that forms at least a portion of an exterior surface of the ball;

a restriction structure located within the casing; and

a bladder located within the reinforcing structure, wherein the restriction structure includes a textile element having a seamless portion that covers at least thirty percent of a surface of the bladder.

12. The sport ball recited in claim 11, wherein the seamless portion of the textile element covers at least forty-five percent of the surface of the bladder.

13. The sport ball recited in claim 11, wherein the seamless portion of the textile element covers at least seventy-five percent of the surface of the bladder.

14. The sport ball recited in claim 11, wherein the seamless portion of the textile element covers at least ninety-five percent of the surface of the bladder.

15. The sport ball recited in claim 11, wherein the textile element is a knitted fabric.

16. The sport ball recited in claim 15, wherein the textile element has a first course and a second course, the first course being adjacent to the second course, and the first course having a greater number of wales than the second course.

17. The sport ball recited in claim 11, wherein the restriction structure includes at most one seam that joins edges of the textile element.

18. The sport ball recited in claim 11, wherein the textile element has a curved configuration.

19. The sport ball recited in claim 18, wherein the seamless portion of the textile element has a configuration of a portion of a sphere.

20. A sport ball comprising:

a casing that forms at least a portion of an exterior surface of the ball;

a restriction structure located within the casing; and

a bladder located within the restriction structure, wherein the restriction structure includes a textile element having a seamless portion with a non-planar configuration that covers at least eighty percent of a surface of the bladder.

21. The sport ball recited in claim 20, wherein the seamless portion of the textile element covers at least ninety-five percent of the surface of the bladder.

22. The sport ball recited in claim 20, wherein the textile element is a knitted fabric.

23. The sport ball recited in claim 22, wherein the textile element has a first course and a second course, the first course being adjacent to the second course, and the first course having a greater number of wales than the second course.

24. The sport ball recited in claim 20, wherein the restriction structure includes at most one seam that joins edges of the textile element.

25. The sport ball recited in claim 20, wherein the seamless portion of the textile element has a configuration of a portion of a sphere.

26. A sport ball comprising:

a casing that forms at least a portion of an exterior surface of the ball;

a restriction structure located within the casing, the restriction structure including a textile element with a seamless portion having a partially-spherical configuration; and

a bladder located within the restriction structure.

27. The sport ball recited in claim 26, wherein the textile element and another textile element of the restriction structure each have a hemispherical configuration.

28. The sport ball recited in claim 26, wherein the restriction structure includes at most one seam that joins edges of the textile element.

29. The sport ball recited in claim 26, wherein the textile element is a knitted fabric.

30. The sport ball recited in claim 29, wherein the textile element has a first course and a second course, the first course being adjacent to the second course, and the first course having a greater number of wales than the second course.

31. The sport ball recited in claim 26, wherein the seamless portion of the textile element covers at least thirty percent of the surface of the bladder.

32. A sport ball comprising:

a casing that forms at least a portion of an exterior surface of the ball;

a restriction structure located within the casing; and

a bladder located within the restriction structure, wherein the restriction structure is formed from a textile and includes at most one seam that joins edges of the textile.

33. The sport ball recited in claim 32, wherein the textile includes two elements that each have a hemispherical configuration, and the seam joins the two elements.

34. The sport ball recited in claim 32, wherein the textile is a knitted fabric.

35. The sport ball recited in claim 34, wherein the textile has a first course and a second course, the first course being adjacent to the second course, and the first course having a greater number of wales than the second course.

36. The sport ball recited in claim 32, wherein the seamless portion of the textile element covers at least thirty percent of the surface of the bladder.

37. The sport ball recited in claim 32, wherein the seamless portion of the textile element covers at least seventy-five percent of the surface of the bladder.

38. A method of manufacturing a sport ball, the method comprising:

forming a textile element with a flat knitting process; and

locating the textile element between an inflatable bladder and a casing of the sport ball.

39. The method recited in claim 38, wherein the step of forming includes imparting a non-planar configuration to the textile element.

40. The method recited in claim 38, wherein the step of forming includes imparting a hemispherical configuration to the textile element.

41. The method recited in claim 40, wherein the step of forming further includes joining the textile element to another textile element with at most a single seam.

42. A method of manufacturing a sport ball, the method comprising:

mechanically-manipulating at least one yarn to form a textile element with a non-planar configuration; and

locating the textile element between an inflatable bladder and a casing of the sport ball.

43. The method recited in claim 42, wherein the step of mechanically-manipulating includes forming the textile element with a knitting process.

44. The method recited in claim 43, wherein the step of mechanically-manipulating further includes forming a first course and a second course in the textile element, the first course being adjacent to the second course, and the first course having a greater number of wales than the second course.

45. A method of manufacturing a sport ball, the method comprising:

mechanically-manipulating at least one yarn to form a textile element with a first course and a second course, the first course being adjacent to the second course, and the first course having a greater number of wales than the second course; and

locating the textile element between an inflatable bladder and a casing of the sport ball.