Football

• US 6,991,569 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2001
• Issued: 01/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Adidas International BV (Adidas AG)
• Original Assignee: Adidas International Marketing BV (Adidas AG)
• Inventors: Dobrounig, Otto
• Primary Examiner(s): WONG, STEVEN B
• Application Number:
  US09/771,526
• Publication Number:
  US 20010005702A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,828 Days
• Field of Search: 473/569, 473/600, 473/601, 473/602, 473/603, 473/604, 473/605, 473/599, 473/593, 473/594, 473/595, 473/598
• 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. 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 églomisé print is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A finished ball comprising an outer skin having a plurality of layer complexes, including at least one inner layer complex and an outermost layer complex forming a top layer complex of the finished ball, wherein the top layer complex comprises a plurality of pre-bonded layers forming an inseparable layer that includes a syntactic material that comprises a plurality of resilient spherical bodies dispersed in a matrix material.

2. A ball according to claim 1 wherein the spherical bodies comprise microspheres.

3. A ball according to claim 1 wherein the spherical bodies comprise polymeric hollow microspheres.

4. A ball according to claim 1 wherein the spherical bodies comprise acrylonitrile copolymer microspheres.

5. A ball according to claim 1 wherein the matrix material is selected from the group consisting of polyurethane, polyurethane foam, polyvinyl chloride, and latex.

6. A ball according to claim 1 wherein the top layer complex comprises a first layer and a second layer adjacent the first layer.

7. A ball according to claim 6 wherein the second layer comprises an aliphatic material.

8. A ball according to claim 6 wherein the top layer complex further comprises a third layer adjacent the first layer.

9. A ball according to claim 8 wherein the third layer comprises at least one fabric backing material.

10. A ball according to claim 1 wherein the matrix material is an adhesive.

11. A ball according to claim 1 further comprising a middle skin adjacent to the outer skin, a backing layer adjacent to the middle skin, and an inflatable bladder adjacent to the backing layer.

12. A ball according to claim 1, wherein the outer skin is formed from a plurality of cut pieces and the plurality of cut pieces are joined together.

13. A ball according to claim 12 wherein the plurality of cut pieces are sewn together.

14. A ball according to claim 1, wherein the spherical bodies are not more than 20% by weight of the matrix material.

15. A ball according to claim 1, wherein the spherical bodies are not less than 1% by weight of the matrix material.