Ball and method of making same

• US 4,261,565 A
• Filed: 02/19/1980
• Issued: 04/14/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/1980
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sportime LLC A Delaware Limited Liability Company
• Original Assignee: Ideas That Sell, Inc.
• Inventors: Massino, Chester F. Sr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Marlo, George J.
• Application Number:
  US06/122,194
• Time in Patent Office: 420 Days
• Field of Search: 273/60 R, 273/60 A, 273/60 B, 273/58 A, 273/199 R, 273/DIG. 20, 273/65 ED, 273/65 EB, 273/32 B, 156/186, 156/170, 40/327
• US Class Current: 473/598
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2208/12 specially adapted for children
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/06 Elastic cores
• 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: Y10S 273/20 Weighted balls

Abstract

Balls comprised of (1) a generally spherically shaped center portion or core prepared from a piece(s) of material, such as a rag or sheet rubber, (2) cohesive tape at least partially covering this center portion, (3) yarn covering the cohesive tape-covered center portion, (4) additional tape (preferably cohesive) substantially completely covering this yarn layer, and (5) a synthetic cloth cover (preferably a double knit polyester). The cover is preferably formed of two figure eight-shaped cloth pieces which have short lines imprinted thereon extending inwardly from the perimeter of each cloth piece such that when the two cloth pieces are joined, corresponding short lines on each cloth piece are aligned such that they either intersect or would intersect if extended thereby simulating the stitching utilized in the construction of conventional baseballs and the like. The balls of this invention have substantially the same size, shape and performance characteristics (particularly the aerodynamic characteristics) of the balls they are meant to replace, i.e., baseballs or softballs, when thrown or hit, but are softer and lighter, allowing for their use in congested areas--they do not travel as far when hit--and by or with young children who are more susceptible to injury with hard balls or handicapped persons who are similarly susceptible to injury and who may have special difficulty with hand-eye coordination.

Claims

1. A ball comprising:

(a) a generally spherical center portion or core;

(b) cohesive tape at least partially covering said center portion;

(c) yarn covering said cohesive tape-covered center portion;

(d) tape substantially completely covering said yarn; and

(e) a synthetic cloth cover;

said ball having the general appearance, size, shape and characteristics, particularly the aerodynamic characteristics, when thrown or hit, of the conventional recreational ball it is meant to replace, but being softer and lighter.

2. The ball of claim 1 wherein said cloth cover is comprised of:

a first and a second generally figure eight-shaped cloth piece, each having an intermediate waist portion and a head portion at each end thereof, and each having imprinted or affixed thereon substantially uniformly spaced short colored lines along and at an angle to the perimeter at the point of intersection of said lines with the perimeter and extending inwardly from the perimeter, and said second cloth piece having imprinted or affixed thereon a line along its perimeter;

wherein

said first and second cloth pieces are positioned in a head to waist relation and such that the perimeter of said second cloth piece is on top of and slightly overlaps the perimeter of said first cloth piece and said short colored lines extending inwardly on each of said pieces would intersect if extended through said line along the perimeter of said second clothpiece;

said first and said second cloth pieces are joined together along said line along the perimeter of said second cloth piece.

3. The ball of claim 1 wherein said cloth cover is comprised of:

a first and a second generally figure eight-shaped cloth piece, each having an intermediate waist portion and a head portion at each end thereof, and each having imprinted or affixed thereon substantially uniformly spaced short colored lines along and at an angle to the perimeter at the point of intersection of said lines with the perimeter and extending inwardly from the perimeter;

wherein

said first and second cloth pieces are positioned in a head to waist relation and such that the perimeter of said second cloth piece is on top of and slightly overlaps the perimeter of said first cloth piece and said short colored lines extending inwardly on each of said pieces intersect along the perimeter of said second clothpiece;

said first and said second cloth pieces are joined together along said line along the perimeter of said second cloth piece.

4. The ball of claim 1 wherein said tape of step (d) comprises an adhesive tape.

5. The ball of claim 1 wherein said spherical center portion (step (a) in claim 1) has a diameter of from about 21/2 to about 3 inches in diameter and said ball has a nominal circumference of 12 inches.

6. The ball of claim 1 wherein said spherical center portion (step (a) in claim 1) has a diameter of from about 3 to about 4 inches in diameter and said ball has a nominal circumference of 16 inches.

7. The ball of claim 1 wherein said cohesive tape (step (b) in claim 1) substantially completely covers said spherical center portion and said tape (step (d) in claim 1) comprises cohesive tape.

8. The ball of claim 7 wherein the cohesive tapewrapped center portion of the ball (step (b) in claim 1) has a circumference of from about 7-1/16 to about 8-15/16 inches.

9. The ball of claim 8 wherein said cover is secured in place with polyester embroidery floss thread sewn in a raised stitch and said ball weighs from about 2 to about 3 ounces.

10. The ball of claim 9 wherein said center portion comprises cloth of acrylic material, said yarn is present in an amount of from about 90 to about 100 feet and has a weight of about 2.5 ounces per 450 feet and said synthetic cloth cover is a double-knit polyester.

11. The ball of claim 10 wherein said ball is a substitute baseball with a nominal circumference of 9 inches.

12. In a ball comprised of a generally spherically shaped interior structure and a cover, the improvement which comprises:

a cover comprising a first and a second generally figure eight-shaped cloth piece, each having an intermediate waist portion and a head portion at each end thereof, and each having imprinted or affixed thereon substantially uniformly spaced short colored lines along and at an angle to the perimeter at the point of intersection of said lines with the perimeter and extending inwardly from the perimeter, and said second cloth piece having imprinted or affixed thereon a line along its perimeter;

wherein

said first and second cloth pieces are positioned in a head to waist relation and such that the perimeter of said second cloth piece is on top of and slightly overlaps the perimeter of said first cloth piece and said short colored lines extending inwardly on each of said pieces would intersect if extended through said line along the perimeter of said second cloth piece;

said first and said second cloth pieces are joined together along said line along the perimeter of said second cloth piece.

13. A method for making a ball comprising:

(a) forming a piece or pieces of material into a generally spherical shape to form the core of said ball;

(b) at least partially covering said core with cohesive tape;

(c) covering the tape-covered structure of step (b) with yarn while maintaining the spherical shape of the structure;

(d) substantially completely covering the yarn-covered spherical structure of step (c) with tape while maintaining the spherical shape of the structure to form the interior structure of the ball; and

(e) covering said interior structure of step (d) with a synthetic cloth cover to form the completed ball.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein step (e) is carried out by:

(a) forming a first and a second generally figure eight-shaped cloth piece, each having an intermediate waist portion and a head portion at each end thereof, and each having imprinted or affixed thereon substantially uniformly spaced short colored lines along and at an angle to the perimeter at the point of intersection of said lines with the perimeter and extending inwardly from the perimeter, and said second cloth piece having imprinted or affixed thereon a line along its perimeter;

(b) aligning said first and second cloth pieces such that one of said head portions of said second cloth piece is placed on top of and slightly overlaps said waist portion of said first cloth piece and the lines extending inwardly on each of said pieces would intersect if extended through said line along the perimeter of said second cloth piece;

(c) joining said first and said second cloth pieces together along the imprinted or affixed perimeter line of said second cloth piece while maintaining the positioning of the inwardly extending lines on each of said first and said second cloth pieces as in step (b) to form a cup having an opening sufficiently large to allow said interior structure of said ball (step (d) of claim

     13) to be inserted into said cup;

(d) inserting said interior structure of said ball into said cup;

(e) closing said cup about said interior structure by completing said joining of said first and second cloth pieces along said imprinted or affixed perimeter line of said second cloth piece to form the completed ball.

15. The method of claim 14 in which an additional final step comprises subjecting the completed ball (step (e) of claim 13) to hot air treatment.

16. The method of claim 15 in which said short colored lines of step (a) in claim 14 which are imprinted or affixed on said first and said second cloth pieces along and at an angle other than perpendicular to the perimeter at the point of intersection and extending inwardly from the perimeter are positioned in such a manner as to create a herringbone pattern of simulated stitching on the finished ball.

17. The method of claim 15 in which said short colored lines of step (a) in claim 14 which are imprinted or affixed on said first and said second cloth pieces along and at an angle other than perpendicular to the perimeter at the point of intersection and extending inwardly from the perimeter are positioned in such a manner as to create a pattern of parallel lines of simulated stitching on the finished ball.