Game ball

• US 4,861,028 A
• Filed: 07/29/1988
• Issued: 08/29/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Wilson Sporting Goods Company (Anta International Group Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Wilson Sporting Goods Company (Anta International Group Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Williams, Donald E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Marlo, George J.
• Application Number:
  US07/226,236
• Time in Patent Office: 396 Days
• Field of Search: 273/60 R, 273/60 B, 273/60 A, 273/58 R, 273/58 B, 273/58 BA, 273/DIG. 4, 273/DIG. 20, 273/26 R
• US Class Current: 473/604
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/18 Baseball, rounders or similar games
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/182 Softball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/06 Elastic cores
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 39/00 Hollow non-inflatable balls , i.e. having no valves rigid balls A63B37/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 273/04 Ethylene
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 273/20 Weighted balls

Abstract

A softball including a hollow spherical core and a leather cover. The core is formed from a mixture of low density polyethylene and ethylene acid copolymer in which the amounts of the low density polyethylene and the ethylene acid copolymer can be adjusted to vary the coefficient of restitution of the softball from 0.47 to 0.52 at a hardness of Shore D 43 to 51.

Claims

1. A molded plastic game ball comprising a hollow spherical core of a mixture of a low density polyethylene and an ethylene acid copolymer.

2. The ball of claim 1 including a leather cover on the outside of said ball.

3. The ball of claim 1 wherein the core includes from about 40% to about 90% by weight of low density polyethylene and from about 60% to about 10% by weight of ethylene acid copolymer.

4. The ball of claim 1 wherein the core is rotationally molded.

5. The ball of claim 1 wherein the hardness ranges from about Shore D 43 to about Shore D 51.

6. The ball of claim 1 wherein the hardness is Shore D 48.

7. A softball comprising a molded hollow spherical core and a leather cover on the outside of the core, the softball having a coefficient of restitution within the range of 0.47 to 0.52, the core consisting essentially of a mixture of low density polyethylene and ethylene acid copolymer.

8. The ball of claim 7 wherein the core includes from about 40% to about 90% by weight of low density polyethylene and from about 60% to about 10% by weight of ethylene acid copolymer.

9. The ball of claim 7 wherein the softball has a coefficient of restitution of about 0.50 to about 0.52 and the core includes from about 60% to about 90% by weight of low density polyethylene and from about 40% to about 10% by weight of ethylene acid copolymer.

10. The ball of claim 7 wherein the softball has a coefficient of restitution of about 0.47 to about 0.50 and the core includes from about 60% to about 90% by weight of low density polyethylene and from about 60% to about 10% by weight of ethylene acid copolymer.

11. The ball of claim 7 wherein the thickness of the core wall is about 0.250 to about 0.300 inch.

12. The ball of claim 11 wherein the thickness of the cover is about 0.05 to about 0.06 inch.

13. The ball of claim 11 wherein the outside diameter of the core is about 3.66 to about 3.70 inches.

14. A softball comprising a molded hollow spherical core and leather cover on the outside of the core, the softball having a coefficient of restitution within the range of about 0.47 to about 0.52, the core consisting essentially of a mixture from about 40% to about 90% by weight of low density polyethylene and from about 60% to about 10% by weight ethylene acid copolymer.

15. The ball of claim 14 wherein the thickness of the core wall is about 0.250 to about 0.300 inch.

16. The ball of claim 15 wherein the thickness of the cover is about 0.05 to about 0.06 inches.

17. The ball of claim 15 wherein the outside diameter of the core is about 3.66 to about 3.70 inches.

18. The ball of claim 15 wherein the hardness ranges from about Shore D 43 to about Shore D 51.

19. The ball of claim 15 wherein the hardness is Shore D 48.