Systems and methods for producing a ball

• US 9,011,621 B1
• Filed: 10/16/2014
• Issued: 04/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Weststar Consultancy Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Ali Hasnain Hussain
• Inventors: Hussain, Ali Hasnain
• Primary Examiner(s): Tucker, Philip
• Assistant Examiner(s): Slawski, Brian R
• Application Number:
  US14/516,457
• Publication Number:
  US 20150126313A1
• Time in Patent Office: 187 Days
• Field of Search: 156/60, 156/63, 156/91, 156/92, 156/93, 156/145, 156/146, 156/147, 156/182, 156/196, 156/212, 156/213, 156/216, 156/228, 156/250, 156/256, 156/258, 156/263, 156/264, 156/265, 156/266, 156/285, 156/287, 156/293, 156/297, 156/304.1, 473/569, 473/598, 473/599, 473/604, 473/605, 473/606, 473/607, 473/609, 473/610, 473/611
• US Class Current: 156/93
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/0025 Football American football A63B2243/007
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 41/02 Bladders
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 41/08 Ball covers; Closures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 41/085 Closures
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 41/10 Bladder and cover united
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 45/00 Apparatus or methods for manufacturing balls working of plastics or substances in a plastic state B29
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/48 using adhesives , i.e. using supplementary joining material; solvent bonding
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/62 Stitching
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/72 by combined operations or combined techniques, e.g. welding and stitching
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/494 using an inflatable core
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 22/02 Inflatable articles
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 22/04 Spherical articles, e.g. balls B29D22/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2266/025 Polyolefin vinyl or acrylic copolymers B32B2266/0221, B32B2266/0242
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2305/022 Foam
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/18 characterised by features of a layer of foamed material
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 7/12 using interposed adhesives or interposed materials with bonding properties
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1074 Separate cutting of separate sheets or webs
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1075 of plural laminae from single stock and assembling to each other or to additional lamina
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24033 including stitching and discrete fastener[s], coating or bond

Abstract

A sports ball having a high-performance cover formed from a plurality of panels with attached foam backing. The panels may be stitched together at stitch lines which are 2-4 mm from the edges of each of the panels. During manufacturing, before compression is applied, foam attached to outer layers for each of the panels may be a distance 2-6 mm away from the stitch lines. Foam attached on the inside of the sports ball may provide support and a robust round shape for manufacturing of a high performance sports ball.

Claims

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

a. cutting outer layer cutouts from an outer layer for a plurality of panels, the outer layer comprising a fabric and ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) foam,

b. cutting inner layer cutouts for all but one of the plurality of panels from an inner layer comprising EPDM foam, adhesive, and a plastic sheet, the inner layer cutouts being the same shape as corresponding outer layer cutouts but of a smaller size;

c. cutting a bladder valve panel inside layer cutout from a sheet comprising multiple layers of fabric, multiple layers of adhesives, and a plastic sheet, the bladder valve panel inside layer cutout of the same size and shape as the inner layer cutouts;

d. forming a bladder valve panel by;

i. applying an adhesive to an exposed surface of one of the outer layer cutouts; and

ii. removing the plastic sheet of the bladder valve panel inside layer cutout to expose an adhesive layer and attaching the remaining multiple layers of fabrics and multiple layers of adhesives to the exposed surface of the one of the outer layer cutouts;

e. attaching a bladder to the bladder valve panel and inserting a valve attached to the bladder in the middle of the bladder valve panel;

f. determining stitch lines on each of the outer layer cutouts, the stitch lines at a distance from edges of each of the outer layer cutouts that is less than the size difference between corresponding inner layer cutouts and outer layer cutouts;

g. stitching a plurality of the outer layer cutouts together using machine stitching at the stitch lines;

h. applying adhesive to exposed surfaces of all remaining outer layer cutouts other than the one of the outer layer cutouts used in the bladder valve panel;

i. removing respective plastic sheets of the inner layer cutouts to expose respective adhesive layers of each of the inner layer cutouts and attaching respective EPDM foams to the exposed surfaces of all remaining outer layer cutouts;

j. inverting the soccer ball inside out so that the bladder is contained within the soccer ball;

k. hand stitching any remaining unstitched stitch lines; and

l. inserting air in the bladder and applying heat to the soccer ball in a ball molding device for compressing the respective EPDM foams of the inner layer cutouts to extend to the stitch lines.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining stitch lines on each of the outer layer cutouts comprises determining that a location of the stitch lines is closer to the edges of each of the outer layer cutouts than edges of corresponding inner layer cutouts once they are attached.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining stitch lines on each of the outer layer cutouts comprises determining that a distance between edges of the other layer cutouts and the stitch lines is 2-4 mm and a distance between the edges of the other outer layer cutouts and edges of any attached respective EPDM foams before compression is applied is 2-6 mm.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein after step i, the stitch lines are 2-6 mm from edges of respective EPDM foams.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a thickness of the bladder valve panel is equal to a combined thickness of the outer layer and the inside layer.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the exposed surfaces of all remaining outer layer cutouts are fabric.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the hand stitching is applied for four to six inches.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the soccer ball comprises thirty-two panels.

9. A manufacturing method of a soccer ball, comprising the steps of:

a. cutting outer layer cutouts from an outer layer for a plurality of panels,

b. cutting inner layer cutouts for all but one of the plurality of panels from an inner layer including ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) foam, the inner layer cutouts being the same shape as corresponding outer layer cutouts but of a smaller size;

c. cutting a bladder valve panel inside layer cutout from a sheet comprising multiple layers of fabric and multiple layers of adhesives, the bladder valve panel inside layer cutout of the same size and shape as the inner layer cutouts;

d. forming a bladder valve panel by attaching the bladder valve panel inside layer cutout to one of the outer layer cutouts;

e. attaching a bladder to the bladder valve panel and inserting a valve attached to the bladder in the middle of the bladder valve panel;

f. determining stitch lines on each of the outer layer cutouts, the stitch lines closer to edges of each of the outer layer cutouts than edges of a corresponding inner layer cutout that is to be attached;

g. stitching a plurality of the outer layer cutouts together using machine stitching at the stitch lines;

h. attaching inner layer cutouts to exposed surfaces of all remaining outer layer cutouts that are not part of the bladder panel valve;

i. inverting the soccer ball inside out so that the bladder is contained within the soccer ball;

j. hand stitching any remaining unstitched stitch lines; and

k. inserting air in the bladder and applying heat to the soccer ball in a ball molding device to compress respective EPDM foams of the inner layer cutouts to extend to the stitch lines.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the exposed surfaces of all remaining outer layer cutouts are fabrics.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the hand stitching is applied for four to six inches.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the soccer ball comprises of thirty-two panels.