Self contained sport ball inflation mechanism

• US 6,450,906 B1
• Filed: 06/14/2000
• Issued: 09/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Russell Brands LLC (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Spalding Sports Worldwide, Inc. (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Inventors: Feeney, Brian, Taylor, Malcolm E., Polk, Louis F. III, Sykes, Robert C., Schachtner, Joseph J., Schomburg, Kenneth V., Harvey, Andrew C., Amundsen, Neil T., Touhey, Daniel P., Stickler, George D., Stahl, Joseph E., Terrazzano, Richard F., Keane, Charles, Litscher, Eric K., de Bakker, Peter M.
• Primary Examiner(s): WONG, STEVEN B
• Application Number:
  US09/594,180
• Time in Patent Office: 825 Days
• Field of Search: 473/593, 473/594, 473/595, 473/603, 473/604, 473/605, 473/607, 473/608, 473/609, 473/610
• US Class Current: 473/593
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2041/005 with counterweight for adjusting the centre of gravity
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/0025 Football
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 41/00 Hollow inflatable balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 41/12 Tools or devices for blowing up or closing balls for pricking-balls A63B39/04
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 43/00 Balls with special arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 33/00 Pumps actuated by muscle power, e.g. for inflating
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 15/147 the closure elements having specially formed slits or being of an elongated easily collapsible form
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 15/202 and with flexible valve member

Abstract

An inflatable sport ball, such as a basketball, a football, a soccer ball, a volley ball or a playground ball, is provided with a self-contained inflation mechanism for inflating or more likely adding pressure to the ball. The mechanism is a self-contained, manually operable pumping chamber which is inside of the ball and which is operable from outside of the ball to compress the chamber and. pump ambient air into the ball.

Claims

1. An inflatable sport ball comprising a carcass having a section thereof comprising a manually operated inflation means comprising:

a. an inside layer attached to said carcass;

b. an outside layer hinged to said carcass along one edge thereof and moveable toward and away from said inside layer around said hinged edge;

c. a bellows attached between said inside and said outside layers forming an inflation chamber;

d. one-way valve means located in said outside layer for admitting air from the atmosphere into said inflation chamber when said outside layer is moved away from said inside layer; and

e. one-way valve means in said inside layer for admitting air into said sport ball from said inflation chamber when said outside layer is moved towards said inside layer.

2. An inflatable sport ball as recited in claim 1 and further including means for locking said outside layer down against said inside layer.

3. An inflatable sport ball as recited in claim 1 wherein said carcass includes a layer which is non-stretchable whereby excess pressure in said sport ball will not significantly increase the size of said sport ball.

4. An inflatable sport ball as recited in claim 1 and further including means for bleeding air pressure from said ball.

5. An inflatable sport ball as recited in claim 1 wherein said sport ball is a basketball.

6. An inflatable sport ball as recited in claim 1 wherein said sport ball is a volley ball.

7. An inflatable sport ball as recited in claim 1 wherein said sport ball is a football.

8. An inflatable sport ball as recited in claim 1 wherein said sport ball is a soccer ball.

9. An inflatable sport ball as recited in claim 1 wherein said sport ball is a playground ball.