Sports Ball

• US 20120231908A1
• Filed: 02/29/2012
• Published: 09/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mikasa Incorporated (Lifetime Brands Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Mikasa Incorporated (Lifetime Brands Incorporated)
• Inventors: FUJIKURA, TAKASHI, MORISHIGE, MASANOBU, MATSUNO, SHUZO
• Granted Patent: US 8,672,783 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/607
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/0025 Football American football A63B2243/007
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/0033 Handball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/0095 Volleyball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 41/08 Ball covers; Closures therefor

Abstract

Surface panels of a sports ball are arranged to facilitate bending of their outer peripheral edge portions into an arc, without reducing strength of an elastic member, to define a groove at a seam between adjacent panels. Panels are adhered through the elastic members to a body defining a ball core with high adhesion strength. The panels have sheet material backed by an elastic member, each panel having an arched portion formed by bending inwardly an outer peripheral edge portion of each panel with a radius of curvature more than the thickness of the panel, after formation of many apertures in an inner peripheral edge portion of the elastic member. Lower edges of the arched portions of adjacent panels abut each other. A groove is defined at seams between adjacent panels, and the panels are adhered to a ball core body by adhering the elastic members to the body.

Claims

1. A sports ball comprising a plurality of surface panels each including a sheet material backed by an elastic member, each surface panel having an arched portion formed by bending inwardly an outer peripheral edge portion of each surface panel, said arched portion having a radius of curvature longer than the thickness of the surface panel, after forming a number of apertures in an inner peripheral edge portion of the elastic member, the lower edges of the arched portions of the adjacent surface panels abutting each other so that a groove is defined at a seam of the adjacent surface panels, and a body defining a ball core being covered with the surface panels by adhering their elastic members to the body.

2. A sports ball according to claim 1, wherein, prior to the forming of surface panels, the apertures are formed in the elastic member in an area of about 8 mm to about 10 mm from an outer peripheral edge of each of the surface panels, in rows and at random.