Sports ball

• US 8,672,783 B2
• Filed: 02/29/2012
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mikasa Incorporated (Lifetime Brands Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Mikasa Incorporated (Lifetime Brands Incorporated)
• Inventors: Fujikura, Takashi, Morishige, Masanobu, Matsuno, Shuzo
• Primary Examiner(s): WONG, STEVEN B
• Application Number:
  US13/407,979
• Publication Number:
  US 20120231908A1
• Time in Patent Office: 748 Days
• Field of Search: 473603-605, 473/598, 473/599, 473/607
• US Class Current: 473/604
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/0025 Football American football A63B2243/007
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/0033 Handball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/0095 Volleyball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 41/08 Ball covers; Closures therefor

Abstract

Surface panels of a sports ball are arranged to facilitate bending of their outer peripheral edge portions into an arc, without reducing strength of an elastic member, to define a groove at a seam between adjacent panels. Panels are adhered through the elastic members to a body defining a ball core with high adhesion strength. The panels have sheet material backed by an elastic member, each panel having an arched portion formed by bending inwardly an outer peripheral edge portion of each panel with a radius of curvature more than the thickness of the panel, after formation of many apertures in an inner peripheral edge portion of the elastic member. Lower edges of the arched portions of adjacent panels abut each other. A groove is defined at seams between adjacent panels, and the panels are adhered to a ball core body by adhering the elastic members to the body.

Claims

1. A sports ball comprising:

a body defining a ball core; and

a plurality of surface panels, wherein

said surface panels each include a sheet material backed by an elastic member, and are adhered to said body with adhesive between said elastic member and said body so that said body is covered with the surface panels,

each surface panel has an arched portion bent inwardly on an outer peripheral edge portion of each surface panel with a number of generally radially extending apertures formed in an inner peripheral edge portion of the elastic member,

said arched portion has a radius of curvature longer than the thickness of the surface panel, so that the lower edges of the arched portions of the adjacent surface panels abut each other to define a groove reaching said body at a seam of the adjacent surface panels, and

a portion of said adhesive penetrates said apertures to provide strong adhesion there.

2. A sports ball according to claim 1, wherein, prior to the forming of surface panels, the apertures are formed in the elastic member in an area of about 8 mm to about 10 mm from an outer peripheral edge of each of the surface panels, in rows and at random.