Football

• US 6,306,054 B1
• Filed: 07/30/1998
• Issued: 10/23/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Adidas International BV (Adidas AG)
• Original Assignee: Adidas International BV (Adidas AG)
• Inventors: Dobrounig, Otto
• Primary Examiner(s): WONG, STEVEN B
• Application Number:
  US09/126,876
• Time in Patent Office: 1,181 Days
• Field of Search: 473/569, 473/600, 473/601, 473/602, 473/603, 473/604, 473/605, 473/599
• US Class Current: 473/599
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 41/08 Ball covers; Closures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 45/00 Apparatus or methods for manufacturing balls working of plastics or substances in a plastic state B29

Abstract

The present invention relates to a ball, in particular a football and a new method of producing a ball with a verre églomiséprint. The ball according to the invention has, in its outer skin (11), a syntactic material (50) which consists of a matrix material (52) into which essentially dimensionally stable, elastic blow-moulded parts (54) are mixed.

Claims

1. A ball comprising:

an inflatable bladder;

a first backing layer enclosing the inflatable bladder;

a middle layer enclosing the backing layer;

an outer skin enclosing the middle layer, the outer skin comprising;

a second backing layer;

a resilient layer enclosing the second backing layer and including a syntactic material, the syntactic material including polymeric microspheres dispersed in a polymeric matrix; and

,

a substantially opaque layer enclosing the resilient layer.

2. A ball according to claim 1 further comprising:

a transparent layer enclosing the substantially opaque layer.

3. A ball according to claim 2 wherein the transparent layer includes an inner surface having a graphic imprinted thereon.

4. A ball according to claim 1 wherein the outer skin resilient layer polymeric matrix compromises a latex adhesive, and wherein the resilient layer is thereby bonded to the second backing layer and the substantially opaque layer.