Soft play ball

• US 4,738,450 A
• Filed: 09/22/1986
• Issued: 04/19/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Howard Wexler
• Original Assignee: Howard Wexler
• Inventors: Wexler, Howard
• Primary Examiner(s): Marlo, George J.
• Application Number:
  US06/909,862
• Time in Patent Office: 575 Days
• Field of Search: 273/415, 273/58 A, 273/60 B, 273/DIG. 20, 273/DIG. 8, 273/199 R, 273/65 E, 273/65 ED, 273/65 EE
• US Class Current: 473/598
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2208/12 specially adapted for children
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/06 Elastic cores
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 273/20 Weighted balls

Abstract

A soft and lightweight play ball for use by pre-school and small children, the ball having the configuration and external appearance of a relatively hard and heavy conventional athletic ball of a given type, such as a football or baseball. The play ball is effectively "dead" and almost free of bounce, hence it rebounds only slightly when striking a hard surface; and the ball is highly compressible, thereby making it possible for a small child to grasp, throw and catch the ball without difficulty. The play ball is constituted by a smooth, somewhat elastomeric casing including a polyvinyl plastic outer skin laminated to a stretchable inner reinforcing liner, whose shape and external appearance are similar to those of a conventional athletic ball, the squeezable casing enveloping a compressible core formed of shreds of soft, fibrous material material, whereby the fingers of the child grasping the ball press therein to provide a good grip despite the smoothness of the casing.

Claims

1. A soft, highly compressible, lightweight throwable play ball, such as a baseball, a football or a soccer ball, that is safe and usable by a small, relatively weak child, said ball comprising:

A a casing provided with an elastomeric and smooth plastic outer skin and a stretchable inner reinforcing liner laminated to said skin, the casing being formed of contoured pieces which are stitched together, the degree to which the casing is elastomeric being such that when the casing is subjected to finger pressure by said child it will then indent and thereby cup the finger, said casing having a shape and external appearance comparable to those of relatively hard and heavy conventional athletic ball of a given type; and

B a core enveloped by the casing and fully occupying the casing formed primarily of shreds of soft and highly compressible fibrous material to impart physical characteristics to the play ball such that the fingers of said child grasping the casing will press into and temporarily indent the casing and compress the core to give the child a good grip thereon despite the smoothness of the casing, and the ball is effectively "dead" and therefore rebounds only to a slight degree if at all, when striking a hard surface whereby the ball is effectively bounceless, said core having a relatively low density so that the ball will float on water even though it is not air-inflated.

2. A ball as set forth in claim 1, wherein said skin is formed of stretchable polyvinyl plastic film material.