Patent Publication Number: US-2005143204-A1

Title: Elastic ball

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates generally to an elastic ball, and more specifically, to a transparent elastic ball made of polyurethane (PU) containing ornaments floating inside as a toy or a decoration article.  
      2. The Prior Arts  
      A decoration ball containing liquid inside is mostly made of glass so far, for example, a hollow crystal ball filled with fluid and having a house or an angel ornament in the center of the ball, and white powders floating around the ornament while the ball is being swayed. However, it is usually placed on a table or displayed in a cabinet for appreciation only, to carry it out and play with it as a bouncing ball is not possible, due to the nature of the glass/crystal ball.  
      Another elastic ball is a solid elastic ball, which is generally made of rubber or PU. Due to its unitary color and small size, they do not give the same visual attraction to kids as the decorating glass ball. Yet, another elastic ball with a doll, a lighting element, or a sounding device inside is more attractive to children but still bores them or adults due to its regularity of sound, light or figure.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      In view of the mentioned defects, the present invention is to provide an elastic ball comprising a transparent surface layer of a hollow sphere, a sealing device attached on a transparent surface layer including a coupling and a rubber sheath, in which the coupling is formed by overlapping conic bodies one after another in the order from the smallest one all the way up to the largest one, and is provided with an inscribed tangential common point on their base circumferences and a channel defined in a middle conic body; and the rubber sheath is externally sleeve-jointed with the coupling. Besides, a fluid is fully filled in a hollow portion of the transparent sphere through the channel of the sealing device and the pressure thereof is applied on the rubber sheath of the sealing device to seal up the channel of the coupling for preventing leakage.  
      The merits of the present invention include: adopting PU elastic material; containing a fluid to present a specific visual effect; possible for making larger spherical balls than glass ones, and filling glowing pieces, looking fantastic particularly in nighttime.  
      For more detailed information regarding advantages or features of the present invention, at least an example of preferred embodiment will be described below with reference to the annexed drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The related drawings in connection with the detailed description of the present invention to be made later are described briefly as follows, in which:  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an elastic ball constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a sealing device of elastic ball of the present invention before assembling;  
       FIG. 3  is a top view of a coupling of the elastic ball of the present invention;  
       FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view showing the using state of the sealing device of the elastic ball of the present invention;  
       FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view showing the state of the sealing device of the elastic ball of the present invention under pressure;  
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of an elastic ball constructed in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 7  shows an enlarged partial portion of a sealing device of the present invention;  
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view of an elastic ball constructed in accordance with yet an embodiment of the present invention under use before a sealing device is assembled; and  
       FIG. 9  is a perspective view of an elastic ball of yet an embodiment of the present invention under use after a sealing device is assembled. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      With reference to the drawings and in particular to  FIG. 1 , an elastic ball is comprised of a surface layer  1  of a hollow sphere made of transparent polyurethane (PU), a sealing device  2 , and a fluid  3  fully filled in a hollow portion enclosed by the surface PU layer  1 . In a preferred embodiment, the surface layer  1  is a surface layer of polyurethane. The fluid  3  could be air, liquid, with ornamental pieces  31 . For example, the fluid  3  is air, water, or some kind of oil, doped with the ornamental pieces  31 , such as sparkles, or sparkles in fish shape, for creating the visual floating effect.  
      The sealing device  2 , attached on the transparent surface PU layer  1  as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , is comprised of a coupling  21  and a rubber sheath  22 , in which the coupling  21  is formed by overlapping conic bodies  21 A,  21 B,  21 C one after another in the order from the smallest conic body  21 A all the way up to the largest conic body  21 C, which are provided with an inscribed tangential common point C at their base circumferences and the coupling  21  has a channel  211  defined in the middle conic body  21 B as indicated in  FIG. 3 , and the rubber sheath  22  is externally sleeve-jointed with the coupling  21  as illustrated in  FIGS. 4 and 5 .  
      The fluid  3  which is fully filled in a hollow portion enclosed by the surface PU layer  1  as shown in  FIG. 1  and mentioned above is poured into the hollow portion by inserting a needle P in the channel  211  of the coupling  21 , in which the pressure created by the fluid  3  will push the rubber sheath  22  of the sealing device  2  to seal up an opening at the inner end of the channel  211  of the coupling  21  (shown in  FIG. 5 ) for preventing the fluid  3  from flowing out of the elastic ball of the present invention.  
      In addition, an elastic ball constructed in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention shown in  FIG. 6  comprises a transparent surface layer  4  of a hollow sphere, a sealing device  5 , and a fluid  6  fully filled in the hollow portion of the surface layer  4 , in which a preferred embodiment of the surface layer  4  is a surface layer made of polyurethane (PU). The fluid  6  could be air, liquid, with ornamental pieces  61 . For example, the fluid  6  is air, water, or some kind of oil, doped with the ornamental pieces  61 , such as sparkles, or sparkles in fish shape, for creating the visual floating effect.  
      The transparent surface layer  4  of a hollow sphere has a designated thickness T as shown in  FIG. 7 , and the sealing device  5  is attached thereon. The sealing device  5  is comprised of a tapered inserting portion  51 , an imbedding portion  52 , and a sealing portion  53 , in which the tapered inserting portion  51  is out-and-out buried in the surface layer  4 , the thickness of the imbedding portion  52  is about the same with T of the surface layer  4 , and the diameter of the sealing portion  53  is greater than the imbedding portion  52  so that leakage of the inside fluid is preventable.  
      As indicated in  FIGS. 8 and 9 , the sealing device  5  comprises a breakable part  54  and a longitudinal rod part  55 . After the needle P shown in  FIG. 1  is applied to inject the fluid  6  into the hollow portion inside the surface layer  4 , the sealing device  5  is then plugged in the entrance to enable the tapered inserting portion  51  to be buried thoroughly under the surface layer  4 , in which the thickness of the imbedding portion  52  of the sealing device  5  is about the same with the thickness T of the surface layer  4 , and the sealing portion  53  is greater in diameter than that of the imbedding portion  52 , therefore, a worker is supposed to fracture the breakable part  54  and seal the ball with the sealing portion  53 .  
      To speak in short, the elastic ball of the present invention can serve for a toy or an ornament made of polyurethane (PU), containing a fluid inside to present a floating visual effect, in which the fluid is guided into a hollow sphere and prevented from being leaked by a sealing device.  
      A method for manufacturing an elastic ball is presented hereunder, without any intention of limiting the scope of the present invention.  
      The procedure is comprised of: spraying a de-molding agent on surface of an upper-half and a lower-half mold; positioning the sealing device  2  at a positioning needle of the upper-half mold; injecting PU material in the lower-half mold in a quantity depending on the size and thickness of the ball; covering the upper-half mold on the lower-half mold and closely fixing the halves together with tenons; placing it in a rotary forming machine to produce the PU surface layer  1  of hollow sphere, which is to be taken out depending on the curing conditions of the PU material; injecting fluid  3  (water or oil) with the ornaments  31  (sparkles or pieces), into the transparent PU hollow sphere by means of inserting the needle P in the channel  211  of the coupling  21  to complete the elastic ball.  
      In the above described, more than one preferred embodiment have been described in detail with reference to the drawings annexed, and it is apparent that numerous changes or modifications may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope thereof, as set forth in the claims below.