Method of forming tossable device including game-ball unit

• US 5,833,897 A
• Filed: 02/27/1997
• Issued: 11/10/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oddzon, Inc. (Hasbro Inc.)
• Original Assignee: OddzOn Products, Inc. (Kid Brands Incorporated)
• Inventors: Grimm, Thomas H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuhns, Allan R.
• Application Number:
  US08/807,625
• Time in Patent Office: 621 Days
• Field of Search: 264/46.5, 264/46.7, 264/46.9, 264/275, 264/278, 264/271.1, 264/279.1, 428/316.6
• US Class Current: 264/46.5
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/007 American football
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 45/00 Apparatus or methods for manufacturing balls working of plastics or substances in a plastic state B29
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 44/086 and feeding more material into the enlarged cavity
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 44/12 Incorporating or moulding on preformed parts, e.g. inserts or reinforcements
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/249981 Plural void-containing components

Abstract

A method of forming a ball-shaped unit including (1) molding an inner core subunit from a high-resilience, polyurethane foam material, (2) lining the wall of a mold cavity which is larger than such a formed inner core subunit with a thin film of an outer, skin-forming material--preferably a water-based, pigmented, acrylic emulsion, barrier release coating for urethane foam, (3) suspending the inner core subunit generally centrally within and circumsurroundedly spaced from the lined mold cavity wall, (4) filling the space intermediate the inner core subunit and the lined mold cavity wall with a soft, slow-return, polyurethane material thus to form an outer core subunit which encases the inner core subunit and which is encased by the skin-forming material, and (5) removing from the mold cavity, in the form of the desired ball-shaped unit, the assembly including the inner and outer core subunits and the skin-forming material.

Claims

1. In relation to the making of a tossable device which includes a generally ball-shaped unit, a method for creating such a unit comprising

forming, by molding, an inner core subunit utilizing a high-resilience, polyurethane foam material,

lining the wall of a mold cavity which is larger than such a formed inner core subunit with a thin film of an outer, skin-forming material,

suspending the inner core subunit generally centrally within, and circumsurroundedly spaced from, the lined mold cavity wall,

filling the space intermediate the inner core subunit and the lined mold cavity wall with a soft, slow-return spongy polyurethane foam material, thus to form an outer core subunit encasing the inner core subunit and encased by the skin-forming material, and

removing from the mold cavity, in the form of the desired ball-shaped unit, the assembly including the inner and outer core subunits and the skin-forming material.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein forming of such an inner core subunit is accomplished by molding the same on and about an elongate filament, with at least one end of that filament extending from one side of the finally molded, inner core subunit.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein forming of such an inner core subunit is accomplished by molding the same on and about an elongate central support filament, with opposite ends of that filament extending exposed from opposite sides of the finally molded, inner core subunit.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said suspending step is performed by seating opposite end portions of such a support filament in the lined mold cavity.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, following removal of the ball-shaped unit from the mentioned mold cavity, the filament is withdrawn longitudinally from the unit, thus to leave a centrally extending through-bore in the unit.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein forming of such an inner core subunit is accomplished by sliding an apertured central anchor element onto and between the ends of an elongate, central support filament which extends through the aperture in the anchor element, and molding the subunit on and about the combination of the element and the filament, with the element becoming centrally embedded in the finally molded, inner core subunit, and with the opposite ends of the filament extending exposed from opposite sides of the finally molded subunit.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said suspending step is performed by seating opposite end portions of such a support filament in the lined mold cavity.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, following removal of the ball-shaped unit from the mentioned mold cavity, the filament is withdrawn longitudinally from the unit, thus to leave the anchor element within the unit, and a centrally extending bore having portions communicating with opposite-ends of the aperture in the element, and with each such portion opening to an opposite side of the completed unit.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising

selecting (1) the high-resilience, polyurethane foam, (2) the soft, slow-return, polyurethane foam and (3) a water-based, pigmented, acrylic emulsion, barrier release coating for urethane foam, and

creating a sandwich-of-revolution, ball-like assembly with selected material (1) circumsurroundedly encased by selected material (2), and selected material (2) circumsurroundedly encased by selected material (3).

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the skin-forming material is a water based, pigmented, acrylic emulsion, barrier release coating for urethane foam.