Ball for ball game and method for manufacturing the same

• US 5,752,890 A
• Filed: 09/08/1997
• Issued: 05/19/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Molten
• Original Assignee: Molten
• Inventors: Ikemoto, Hisashi, Shishido, Hideomi
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Steven B.
• Application Number:
  US08/925,441
• Time in Patent Office: 253 Days
• Field of Search: 473/597, 473/598, 473/599, 473/600, 473/601, 473/602, 473/603, 473/604, 473/607, 473/608, 273/DIG. 20
• US Class Current: 473/599
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2208/12 specially adapted for children
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/0025 Football
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 41/08 Ball covers; Closures therefor

Abstract

A ball for ball game comprising: a leather skin layer formed by sewing a plurality of leather panels by a thread, the leather skin layer having a spherical shape; and a bladder made of an elastomer having a hollow spherical shape, the bladder being accomodated in the leather skin layer, the bladder being provided with a valve for feeding air into the rubber bladder, the bladder being charged with air through the valve; wherein the thread is made of a self-shrink thread which is subjected to a shrinking treatment after sewing.

Claims

1. A ball for ball game comprising:

a leather skin layer formed by sewing a plurality of leather panels by a thread, said leather skin layer having a spherical shape; and

a bladder made of an elastomer having a hollow spherical shape, said bladder being accommodated in said leather skin layer, said bladder being provided with a valve for feeding air into said rubber bladder, said bladder being charged with air through said valve;

wherein said thread is made of a self-shrink thread which is subjected to a shrinking treatment after sewing such that after shrinking, a high strength holding rate is provided binding said sewn leather panels of the leather skin layer of said ball to one another.

2. The ball for ball game of claim 1, wherein said self-shrink thread shrinks by heating.

3. The ball for ball game of claim 2, wherein said self-shrink thread comprises a high shrinkage polyester fiber.

4. The ball for ball game of claim 1, wherein said self-shrink thread shrinks by absorbing water.

5. The ball for ball game of claim 4, wherein said self-shrinking thread which shrinks by absorbing water comprises wet shrink polyvinyl alcohol fiber.

6. The ball for ball game of claim 3, wherein said leather skin layer comprises a plurality of hexagonal leather panels and pentagonal leather panels, and said ball for ball game can be used as soccer ball or handball.

7. The ball for ball game of claim 5, wherein said leather skin layer comprises a plurality of hexagonal leather panels and pentagonal leather panels, and said ball for ball game can be used as soccer ball or handball.

8. The ball for ball game of claim 3, wherein said leather skin layer comprises a plurality of substatially square leather panels, and said ball for ball game can be used as volleyball or playground ball.

9. The ball for ball game of claim 5, wherein said leather skin layer comprises a plurality of substantially square leather panels, and said ball for ball game can be used as volleyball or playground ball.

10. The ball for ball game of claim 1, wherein said shrinking treatment after sewing shrinks said thread an amount sufficient to uniformly and firmly tighten the sewn leather panels to each other with a tightening force which is greater than that with a sewn ball fabricated using a conventional non-shrink thread.

11. The ball for ball game of claim 10, wherein said shrinking treatment after sewing shrinks said thread an amount sufficient to reduce the circumference of the ball.

12. The ball for ball game of claim 1, wherein said sewing of said leather panels includes hand sewing said leather panels by said self-shrink thread.

13. A ball for ball game comprising:

a leather skin layer formed by sewing a plurality of leather panels by a thread, said leather skin layer having a spherical shape; and

a bladder made of an elastomer having a hollow spherical shape, said bladder being accommodated in said leather skin layer, said bladder being provided with a valve for feeding air into said rubber bladder, said bladder being charged with air through said valve;

wherein said thread is made of a self-shrink thread which shrinks by heating and which is subjected to a shrinking treatment after sewing such that after shrinking, a high strength holding rate is provided binding said sewn leather panels of the leather skin of said ball to one another with a tightening force which is greater than that with a sewn ball fabricated using a conventional non-shrink thread.

14. A ball for ball game comprising:

a leather skin layer formed by sewing a plurality of leather panels by a thread, said leather skin layer having a spherical shape; and

a bladder made of an elastomer having a hollow spherical shape, said bladder being accommodated in said leather skin layer, said bladder being provided with a valve for feeding air into said rubber bladder, said bladder being charged with air through said valve;

wherein said thread is made of a self-shrink thread which shrinks by absorbing water and which is subjected to a shrinking treatment after sewing such that after shrinking, a high strength holding rate is provided binding said sewn leather panels of the leather skins of said ball to one another with a uniform and powerful tightening force.