Fabric for tennis ball covering and method for manufacturing the same

• US 6,677,257 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2000
• Issued: 01/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Milliken Industrials Limited (Milliken & Company)
• Original Assignee: Milliken Industrials Limited (Milliken & Company)
• Inventors: Brasier, Alan John
• Primary Examiner(s): Caldarola, Glenn
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wachtel, Alexis A.
• Application Number:
  US09/742,197
• Publication Number:
  US 20010021617A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,119 Days
• Field of Search: 442/20, 442/25, 442/321, 442/323, 442/324, 428/132, 428/133
• US Class Current: 442/321
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/02 Tennis
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 39/06 Special coverings
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 1/498 entanglement of layered webs
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 13/00 Other non-woven fabrics
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24281 Struck out portion type
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24289 Embedded or interlocked
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/133 Inorganic fiber-containing scrim
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/141 Including a woven fabric which is not a scrim
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/50 FELT FABRIC
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/51 From natural organic fiber [e.g., wool, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/54 At least three layers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/56 From synthetic organic fiber

Abstract

A composite fabric material for use in covering sports balls comprising two or more separate fabric materials affixed together to form a single material, the materials including at least an outer layer and a backing or support layer, is described.

Claims

1. A composite fabric material for use in covering sports balls, the composite fabric material comprising two or more separate fabric materials affixed together to form a single material, the composite material including at least an outer layer and a backing or support layer, wherein the composite material has a three-dimensional pattern on its outer surface, and the pattern is cut through the outer layer prior to affixation with the backing or support layer.

2. A composite material as claimed in claim 1 which includes one or more intermediate layers.

3. A composite material as claimed in claim 1 wherein the outer layer material is a fibre blend containing a proportion of wool fibre.

4. A composite material as claimed in claim 3 wherein the outer layer material is a blend of 50% wool fibres and 50% polyamide fibres.

5. A composite material as claimed in claim 3 wherein the wool fibres have a 30 to 40 microns diameter and a length of between 50 and 100 mm, and the outer layer contains a proportion of synthetic fibres, the synthetic fibres having 6.7 to 13 decitex sizes and a length of between 50 and 100 mm.

6. A composite material as claimed in claim 1 wherein the outer layer material is needlefelted.

7. A composite material as claimed in claim 1 wherein the backing or support layer comprises between 40% and 70% of the weight of the composite fabric material.

8. A composite material as claimed in claim 1 in which the backing layer includes a scrim.

9. A composite material as claimed in claim 1 in which the outer layer and backing or support layer are affixed together by needlefelting.

10. A composite material as claimed in claim 1 wherein the three-dimensional pattern is a pattern of regular indentations.

11. A composite material as claimed in claim 10 wherein the indentations are dimples.

12. A composite material as claimed in claim 10 wherein the indentations are circular in shape.

13. A composite material as claimed in claim 10 wherein the indentations are between 30% and 70% of the full thickness of the fabric material.

14. A composite material as claimed in claim 11 wherein each dimple has a diameter which is at its widest part between 2 mm and 12 mm.

15. A composite material as claimed in claim 14 wherein each dimple has a diameter of about 4 mm.

16. A composite material as claimed in claim 11 wherein the adjacent dimpled areas of the fabric material are separated by non-dimpled areas having a minimum width of from 50% to 300% of the diameter of the dimpled areas.

17. A composite material as claimed in claim 1, the material having a felted outer surface composed of entangled fibres, the three-dimensional pattern comprising a series of dimpled areas, at least some of such dimples areas having a surface area ranging from about 3 to 150 mm².

18. A composite material as claimed in claim 17, wherein the dimpled areas are circular in shape.

19. A composite material as claimed in claim 17, wherein the adjacent dimpled areas of the fabric material are separated by non-dimpled areas having a minimum width of from 50% to 300% of the diameter of the dimpled areas.

20. The use of a composite fabric material as claimed in claim 1 for covering a tennis ball.

21. A composite material as claimed in claim 11 wherein each dimple has a diameter which is at its widest part between 2 mm and 5 mm.