Abstract:
A basketball formed with a molded cover having tactile indicia for determining the orientation and position of the molded panel areas of the basketball. The indicia associated with the panel areas include wide depressed areas formed in the cover material of the molded rubber basketball and extending longitudinally with channels formed within the basketball cover.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/117,149, filed Jan. 25, 1999. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to basketballs and more particularly to basketballs with covers formed from molded rubber. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Laminated basketballs typically comprise an interior bladder, an intermediate layer of monofilament strands wrapped around the bladder, a carcass comprised of a pair of elastomeric hemispheres molded over the winding layer with exteriorly extending ribs defining panel areas therebetween and panels of leather secured within the spaces by an adhesive. The panels have “skived” or beveled edges so that the panel edge is even with the projecting carcass rib to create a seam area. While these laminated basketballs exhibit desirable characteristics in handling and play, the complicated construction leads to increased cost for this type of ball. 
     A large number of basketballs manufactured for playground and less demanding general play use feature molded rubber construction. These basketballs typically have a multi-layer structure which includes an air bladder wrapped with windings and an outer cover comprised of rubber molded over the windings. Molded rubber balls possess good wear and durability characteristics for the rough use received in indoor and outdoor play at a lower cost than laminated balls. 
     The covers of molded rubber balls are formed with various features which tend to simulate somewhat the overall appearance of a basketball of traditional construction. One of the features incorporated into basketballs with molded rubber covers is the simulation of the eight panels and carcass ribs of a traditional laminated basketball. The simulated panels of the molded basketball are divided by shallow, narrow, square notch shaped grooves which represent the laminated areas of a laminated construction basketball. This cover configuration for a molded rubber ball has gained wide acceptance and is now typical. 
     In addition to aesthetics, the seam areas of a laminated basketball also serve a functional purpose. One aspect of ball control is the ability to readily impart a desired amount of backspin to the ball when it is passed or when a basket is attempted. Imparting backspin is considered to be of high importance in helping direct a ball into the basket which first makes contact with the backboard or rear portion of the hoop of the basketball goal. In this instance, backspin is converted into downward motion of the ball upon contact with the backboard, thereby urging the ball into the goal. In handling the ball in preparation for passing the ball to another player or shooting the ball in an attempt to score a basket, the high skill level player preferably aligns the seam areas of the laminated basketball perpendicular to the intended line of flight of the ball. With the seam areas aligned in this manner, the player is able to place their fingers and/or thumbs on the seam areas to obtain greater leverage for imparting backspin and therefore, superior control of the ball. With conventional molded rubber basketballs the shallowness and narrow width of the square notch grooves allows less leverage and control of the ball. 
     In the course of play it is preferable for the person handling the ball to locate the seam areas using tactile input alone. With conventional molded rubber balls, the shallowness and narrow width of the square notch grooves makes them difficult to locate by touch. Of course, the player can look directly at the ball to determine orientation of the grooves, however visual observation of the ball is a serious distraction during game play. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a basketball having a molded rubber cover including tactile indicia associated with the grooves formed in the cover of the ball. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a molded rubber basketball which is easier for players to handle and control. 
     Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter. 
     These and related objects are achieved by providing a basketball of molded construction comprising an air bladder which is wrapped with a monofilament strand for retaining the shape and size of the ball when inflated. A cover of elastomeric material is formed or molded over the wrapped bladder. The cover of the molded rubber ball features molded “panel” areas which simulate the general appearance of the laminated panels of a traditional leather covered ball. The panel areas are defined and bounded by seam areas comprising channels and associated, coextensive depressed areas formed in the molded cover. The channels and depressed areas have a pre-determined shape, depth and width. The channels are disposed so that they are generally centered along the longitudinal axis of a pair of depressed areas. 
     Each seam area is of sufficient depth and width to provide for improved tactile indicia of its location and orientation. In addition, the seam areas provide an enlarged contact surface for the player&#39;s fingers and thumbs to act against for imparting backspin when shooting or passing the ball. The invention accordingly comprises the several steps and/or features and relation of one or more of such steps and/or features with respect to the others and the article in possession of the features, properties, and relationship of elements as exemplified in the following detailed disclosure. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a portion of a basketball with a conventional laminated cover; 
     FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a portion of a basketball with conventional molded cover; 
     FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a portion of one embodiment of an inventive molded cover basketball; 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective and sectional view of a portion of a second embodiment of the inventive molded cover basketball; and 
     FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a portion of an inventive molded cover basketball. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     With reference to the drawings, wherein like numerals represent like parts, an inventive molded cover basketball is generally designated by the numeral  10 . In FIG. 3, a section of a molded rubber basketball of the present invention is shown. The ball includes an air bladder  12  which forms an envelope within which the air used to inflate the basketball  10  is retained. The air bladder  12  for use in the present invention is of the type conventionally used in the manufacture of molded rubber basketballs. Such air bladders are usually formed of butyl rubber or butyl and natural rubber compounds and are fitted with a valve (not shown)for introducing air into the ball to inflate and pressurize the structure. 
     Wound over the air bladder  12  is a layer  14  of monofilament polymer strands which help the ball  10  retain its spherical shape and size while under the stresses of inflation and play. The monofilament windings applied to the bladder are of the type conventionally used in the manufacture of a basketball. The windings typically are made of polyester or nylon and may be coated with an adhesive such as a solution of latex rubber for bonding to the air bladder. 
     Disposed over the winding layer  14  is a layer  16  of cover material which forms the exterior surface of the ball. Typically, the cover material is a natural or synthetic rubber which is molded into a single piece cover layer  16 , thereby incorporating the winding layer and air bladder into a unitary structure of the ball. 
     The exterior surface  18  of the cover  16  typically has a molded-in pebble texture (which for clarity is not shown). The molded-in pebble texture simulates the texture of pebble grain leather and provides for improved grip and handling of the ball. Also, molded into the surface  18  are a plurality of seam areas  22  comprising shallow, shaped channels  24  and associated depressed areas  26 . The seam areas  22  correspond in their relative locations on the ball  10  to the locations of seam areas on a traditional laminated basketball. It will be appreciated that the seam areas  22  formed in a molded rubber ball  10  establish the outline of the simulated panel areas  28  which are molded into the cover  16  of the inventive molded rubber basketball  10 . The cover  16  of the inventive basketball would have a thickness in the panel areas  28  in the range of 0.8 to 2.5 mm, with 1.0 to 2.2 mm being preferred, and 1.8 to 2.0 mm being most preferred. 
     The exact shape of the seam area  22  may be varied, according to practical and aesthetic considerations. The simplest seam area shape as shown in FIG. 3 is a channel  24  which, when viewed in transverse cross-section, has only a flat channel floor  32 . A shaped or inclined depressed area wall  34 , 36  on each side of the channel floor  32  joins the channel floor to the adjacent panel area  28 . Each wall  34 , 36  descends from the exterior surface  18  of the cover at the panel area  28  down to a lower elevation intersecting the channel floor  32 . A depressed area wall  34 , 36  may also intersect a channel wall  38 , 40  vertically rising from the channel floor  32  as shown in FIG.  4 . At the transition between the wall  34 , 36  and the exterior surface  18  of the ball there is a shoulder  42 , 44 . The shoulder  42 , 44  can be formed so that a simple angular transition is made from the cover surface  18  to the wall  34 , 36 . Alternatively, the shoulder can be radiused or otherwise shaped to obtain a smooth, or even a flowing transition from the cover exterior surface  18  to the wall  34 , 36 . The opposing shoulders  42 , 44  define the width of the seam area  22 . Preferably, the walls  34 , 36  are positioned and shaped to be symmetric on each side of the longitudinal centerline of the channel  24  with which it is associated. The walls  34 , 36  define the depressed areas  26  associated with the channel  24 . 
     It will be appreciated that although the seam area  22  shown in FIG. 3 is formed generally of segments of straight lines, other configurations are possible and are fully comprehended by this invention. For example, the floor of the channel may be curved, thereby forming a channel having a rounded “U” shape bottom when viewed in cross-section. The walls  34 , 36  may have a contour which is essentially flat, wherein the slope of the wail from the shoulder  42 , 44  to the channel floor  32  is constant as shown in FIG.  3 . Alternatively, the wall may have a curved contour wherein the slope of the wall varies from the shoulder to the channel. The choice of wall contour is believed to be more related to production or aesthetic considerations and less important to the performance of the finished ball. The overall effect of the inventive molded seam area  22  is to give the molded rubber basketball the appearance and handling characteristics of a more expensive laminated ball having a rib between adjacent skived panel areas. 
     The channel  24  typically has a width within the range 3 to 7.5 mm. The width of each wall  34 , 36  is typically in the range of 3 to 8 mm, with a range of 4 to 6 mm being preferred. Thus, the width of the entire seam area  22  of the present invention is typically within the range of about 10 to 24 mm, with a range of 12 to 22 mm being preferred, and a range of 14 to 18 mm being most preferred. This compares to typical laminated basketballs which typically have a seam area width of 2.5 to 6.4 mm, and molded basketballs which typically have no inclined depressed area walls and a square notch width of 3 to 7.5 mm. 
     The depth of the channel  24  is the distance from the channel floor  32  to a circumference  46  defined by the exterior surface  18  of the ball  10 . It will be appreciated that the exterior surface and the circumference of the ball takes into account the irregular pebble-grain finish which is typically molded into the cover of the ball as shown in FIG.  5 . Taking a channel depth measurement is accomplished by use of a depth gauge which is fitted with an arcuate saddle that approximates the circumference  46  of the ball. The arcuate saddle engages the exterior surface  18  of the ball, whether defined by a pebbled surface or a smooth surface, and allows the feeler of the gauge to project downward to the channel floor  32  from the circumference  46  defined by the outer surface of the ball. The use of an arcuate saddle prevents the gage from being positioned below the circumference of the ball and thus taking the measurement from a point below the circumference. The depth of the inventive channel is within the range of 0.8 to 2.5 mm, with 1.0 to 2.0 mm being preferred, and 1.2 to 1.8 mm being most preferred. Channel depths greater than 2.5 mm can cause basketball to bounce in unexpected and uncontrolled fashion. Typical laminated basketballs have a considerably shallower seam depth, ranging from 0.6 to 1.4 mm while typical molded basketballs have a square notch groove depth of 0.1 to 0.6 mm. The thickness of the cover  16  in the area of the channel floor  32  will be in the range of 0.4 to 1.2 mm, with a range of 0.5 to 0.8 mm being preferred. 
     FIG. 4 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention, wherein an inventive basketball  50  includes an air bladder  12 , layer  14  of monofilament strands wound around the bladder, and a cover  16  molded over the wrapped bladder and defining a plurality of depressed areas  26  and simulated skived panels  28  as previously described in reference to FIG.  3 . Further, the embodiment of FIG. 4 features a discrete layer  52  of foamed rubber in addition to the cover layer  16  of molded rubber. The layer of foamed rubber  52  is typically disposed between the winding layer  14  and the cover layer  16 . The foamed layer  52  between the winding layer  14  and cover 1.6 allows the finished basketball  50  to have a softer feel which tends to improve grip of the ball and playability while still allowing a solid cover for abrasion resistance. When properly inflated, a basketball  10  with a non-foamed molded cover will have a Shore A hardness of 65 or higher while a basketball  50  incorporating a foamed layer  52  as previously described will have a Shore A hardness of 20 to 60. It would also be possible to foam a portion of the cover layer without the use of a discrete foamed layer and achieve similar finished basketball hardnesses. 
     The foamed layer  52  may be produced by adding a blowing agent to the rubber material comprising the foamed layer in an amount sufficient to create a foamed rubber of the desired density. Typically, the foamed layer  52  has a density in the range of 0.5 to 0.9 g/cm 3 . The foamed layer  52  has a typical thickness in a range of 0.5 to 2.0 mm, with 0.7 to 1.5 mm being preferred. In a ball  50  having a foamed layer  52  underlying the cover  16 , the unfoamed cover  16  has a thickness in the panel areas  28  in the range of 0.3 to 1.2 mm, with 0.6 to 1.0 mm being preferred. The thickness of the cover  16  in the area of the channel floor  32  will be in the range of 0.6 to 1.8 mm, with a range of 0.8 to 1.4 mm being preferred. 
     The ball of the present invention may be produced largely in a conventional manner. Accordingly, the air bladder  12  of the ball would be inflated to an appropriate size and preferably cooled to cause the material of the bladder to become somewhat rigid. In this rigid condition, the air bladder  12  is wound with an adhesive coated monofilament strand. The foamed layer  52 , if present, is typically formed around the substructure formed by the air bladder  12  and the wound monofilament strand layer  14  in a molding process, wherein the substructure is placed in a mold and the foamed layer  52  molded around the substructure. 
     The rubber material comprising the exterior cover layer is placed within a split mold. The material of the exterior cover layer  16  typically is in the form of two hemispheres with each hemisphere placed in one of the molds. The wound air bladder is placed within one of the hemispheres, and the mold is closed. Heat and pressure are applied to the hemispheres which causes the outer cover material to flow into and around the strands of the wound layer for a secure mechanical bond and to vulcanize the outer cover material. The inner surfaces of the mold are tooled so that the molding process further creates the desired exterior surface texture, as well as the inventive panel areas  28  and seam areas  22 , including channels  24  and associated depressed areas  26 . If a basketball incorporating a foamed layer  52  between the wound layer  14  and cover layer  16  is desired, a subunit comprising the air bladder  12 , layer of windings  14  and foamed layer  52  may be substituted in place of the wound air bladder. 
     Subsequently, the completed ball is taken from the mold and flash from the molding process is trimmed from the ball. The ball is then in condition for the application of decals, paint or other decorative or informative markings. 
     As will be apparent to persons skilled in the art, various modifications and adaptations of the structure described above will become readily apparent without departure of the spirit and scope of this invention.