Football

• US 6,458,229 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2001
• Issued: 10/01/2002
• 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): Ball, Michael W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): GOFF II, JOHN L
• Application Number:
  US09/775,134
• Publication Number:
  US 20010004919A1
• Time in Patent Office: 607 Days
• Field of Search: 156/145, 156/147, 156/170, 156/237, 156/289, 156/307.7, 156/146, 156/242, 156/277, 473/569, 473/599, 473/600, 473/601, 473/602, 473/603, 473/604, 473/605, 403/27, 264/132, 264/246
• US Class Current: 156/147
• 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 a particular a football. The ball according to the invention has, in its outer skin, a syntactic material that consists of a matrix material into which essentially dimensionally stable, elastic blow-molded parts are mixed. Furthermore, a new method of producing a ball with a verre églomiséprint is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a ball comprising the steps of:

spreading a transparent liquid polymer over a releasable backing film and subsequently solidifying the liquid polymer to produce a transparent layer;

printing an image on the solidified, transparent layer;

spreading a second liquid polymer over the solidified, transparent layer and image, and subsequently solidifying the second liquid polymer to produce a layer combination;

removing the releasable backing film;

cutting the layer combination to produce ball elements; and

joining the ball elements together with an inflatable bladder.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of spreading a layer of a syntactic material comprising a matrix material and essentially dimensionally stable elastic bodies over an inner side of the layer combination.

3. A method according to claim 2, further comprising the step of spreading an adhesive layer onto at least one of an inner side of the layer of syntactic material or the inner side of the layer combination and subsequently bonding to a backing layer.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of solidifying the liquid polymer is performed by heating.

5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of providing a middle layer complex on an inner side of the layer combination.

6. A method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of providing a backing layer complex on an inner side of the middle layer complex.

7. A method according to claim 2, wherein the matrix material is selected from the group consisting of polyurethane, polyurethane-foam, PVC, and natural latex.

8. A method according to claim 2, wherein the syntactic material is arranged between layers of the layer combination.

9. A method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of connecting the layer combination, the middle layer complex, and the backing layer complex to form a top layer complex.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the layer combination, the middle layer complex, and the backing layer complex are connected with a natural latex.

11. A method according to claim 2, wherein the bodies comprise thermoplastic, expanded, hollow spheres.