Sport Ball Casing And Methods Of Manufacturing The Casing
First Claim
1. A sport ball comprising:
- a casing that includes a plurality of panels having edge areas joined to each other with bonds, the edge areas projecting toward an exterior of the ball; and
a bladder located within the casing.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A sport ball may include a casing and a bladder. The casing includes a plurality of panels having edge areas joined to each other with bonds, and the edge areas project toward an exterior of the ball. The bladder is located within the casing. In another aspect, the casing includes a first panel and a second panel that each have an exterior surface facing outward and an opposite interior surface facing inward. The interior surface of the first panel is bonded to the interior surface of the second panel to form a seam that joins the first panel and the second panel together. A method of manufacturing the casing may include forming thermal bonds between the panels.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A sport ball comprising:
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a casing that includes a plurality of panels having edge areas joined to each other with bonds, the edge areas projecting toward an exterior of the ball; and a bladder located within the casing. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A sport ball comprising:
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a casing including a first panel and a second panel that each have an exterior surface facing outward and an opposite interior surface facing inward, the interior surface of the first panel being bonded to the interior surface of the second panel to form a seam that joins the first panel and the second panel together; and a bladder located within the casing. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of manufacturing a sport ball, the method comprising:
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providing at least a first panel and a second panel that each have a first surface and an opposite second surface; joining the first panel to the second panel by (a) locating the second surface of the first panel against the second surface of the second panel and (b) forming a bond that joins the second surface of the first panel to the second surface of the second panel; and orienting the first panel and the second panel such that (a) the first surface of the first panel and the first surface of the second panel face outward and toward an exterior of the sport ball and (b) the second surface of the first panel and the second surface of the second panel face inward and toward an interior of the sport ball. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of manufacturing a sport ball, the method comprising:
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providing a first panel and a second panel that each include a thermoplastic polymer material, the first panel defining a first flange and the second panel defining a second flange; forming a seam between the first panel and the second panel by placing the first flange in contact with the second flange, compressing the first flange and the second flange together, and heating the first flange and the second flange; removing at least a portion of the first flange and the second flange to define a protruding portion of the seam; and orienting the protruding portion of the seam toward an exterior of the sport ball. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification