Patent Publication Number: US-6656067-B2

Title: Sportsball

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE OF RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a divisional application of a non-provisional application, application Ser. No. 09/752,310, filed Jan. 2, 2001, which is a Continuation-In-Part application of application Ser. No. 09/517,669, filed May 9, 2000 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,390,941 B1, which is a divisional application of application Ser. No. 09/752,310, filed Dec. 20, 1996, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,545. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
     1. Field of Invention 
     The present invention relates to sportsballs, and more particularly to a durable sportsball adapted for mass production, wherein the sportsball can retain its spherical shape and distribute an impacting stress throughout the ball. 
     2. Description of Related Arts 
     Sportsball such as soccer ball and volleyball generally comprises a ball cover and a bladder disposed inside the ball cover. The ball cover, which is preferably made of leather or synthetic leather, has a valve hole provided thereon and consists of a plurality of panels connected edge to edge by machine sewing to form a roundness shape wherein the ball cover is composed of an outer coating, an intermediate layer, and an inner lining layer to strengthen and support the intermediate layer. 
     Accordingly, the sportsball further comprises an exterior web layer integrally adhered on an outer surface of the bladder wherein the web layer has at least an elongating strengthened thread evenly wound around and around the outer surface of the bladder. So, the strengthened thread is overlapped with each other to form the web layer to entirely embrace the bladder for supporting the ball cover and resisting the stress and impact force of the sportsball. 
     Since the panels are edge to edge connected together, the ball cover cannot be formed as a prefect spherical interior such that when the bladder is received in the ball cover, the inflated bladder will not fit into the ball cover in full contact, especially at the edges of the panels of the ball cover. Thus, the edges of the ball cover will affect the roundness of the sportsball. 
     Furthermore, the leather or the thickness and hardened synthetic leather ball cover may make the players feels hurt and pain while contacting the sportsball, especially to children and those training players. 
     SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
     A main object of the present invention is to provide a sportsball which comprises a ball cover well supported by a strengthened bladder. Therefore, no additional lining is required to adhere onto the ball cover, so as to lower the material and manufacturing cost of the sportsball. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a sportsball which has a stress absorbing layer to reduce the painful during contact, especially suitable for children and training players. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a sportsball wherein the bladder has a better flexibility and impact resisting ability. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a sportsball wherein the stress absorbing is adapted for fittedly filling a gap between the ball cover and the bladder so as to provide a better roundness of the sportsball. 
     Another object of the present invention is provide a sportsball wherein since the stress is distributed on the stress absorbing layer and the bladder but not the ball cover, the expensive leather panels of the ball cover can be thinner to lessen the cost. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a manufacturing method of a sportsball which enables the ball cover to be sewn by sewing machine, and thus it is suitable for mass production. 
     Accordingly, in order to accomplish the above objects, the present invention provides a sportsball, comprising: 
     a ball cover having a valve hole provided thereon and a plurality of panels connected edge to edge to form a roundness shape, wherein each of the panels having a predetermined shape has an outer coating layer, an inner lining layer, and an intermediate layer which is integrally formed between the outer coating layer and the inner lining layer and is strengthened and supported by the inner lining layer; 
     a bladder which is disposed inside the ball cover comprising a bladder ball, an exterior web layer integrally attached on a predetermined area of an outer surface of the bladder ball, and a valve stem which is mounted on the bladder ball and is outwardly extended to an exterior of the ball cover through the valve hole for air inflation, wherein the web layer comprises at least an elongated strengthened thread evenly wound around the outer surface of the bladder ball in such a manner that the strengthened thread is overlapped to form the web layer to entirely embrace the bladder ball for supporting the ball and resisting the stress and impact force applied to the sportsball; and 
     a stress absorbing layer comprising a plurality of absorbing pad having a flexibility ability fittedly attached to the panels respectively for filling up a gap between the ball cover and the bladder, so as to increase the contact area therebetween and reinforce the roundness shape of the sportsball. 
     Thus, the present invention also provides a specific manufacturing method for producing the sportsball, which comprises the steps of: 
     (1). Inflate a bladder ball which has a valve stem provided thereon. 
     (2). Coat at least an elongated strengthened thread such as nylon threads with glue. 
     (3). Wind the strengthened thread evenly around an outer surface of the bladder ball until the bladder ball is embraced by a web layer of the strengthened thread to form a strengthened bladder. 
     (4). Heat the bladder in a mold until the web layer is permanently and rigidly united with the outer surface of the bladder ball. 
     (5). Cut a ball cover material, such as leather or synthetic leather made of foaming PU or PVC sponge material, into a predetermined number of panels in predetermined shape. For soccer ball, 12 pieces of pentagonal panels and 20 pieces of hexagonal panels are cut. For volleyball, 18 pieces of panels in two kinds of rectangular shape are cut. 
     (6). Sew the panels edge to edge together by sewing machine to form a ball cover which has a valve hole provided thereon, wherein a section of panels is remained unsewn to form an inlet opening. 
     (7). Cut a stress absorbing layer into a predetermined number of absorbing pads and shapes corresponding to the panels of the ball cover. 
     (8). Attach the absorbing pads of the stress absorbing layer to the panels of the ball cover. 
     (9). Heat the ball cover and turn the ball cover right side out. 
     (10). Insert the strengthened bladder into the ball cover through the inlet opening. 
     (11). Align and glue the valve stem of the bladder with the valve hole of the ball cover. 
     (12). Semi-inflate the bladder to ensure that the inflated bladder is adapted for propping against the ball cover. 
     (13). Sew the inlet opening of the ball cover together by hand. 
     (14). Fully inflate the sportsball to more than a standard pressure within a shaping mold to ensure a permanent structure and shape of the bladder and the ball cover. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a sectional perspective view of a sportsball according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged sectional view a ball cover of a conventional sportsball. 
     FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged sectional view of the ball cover of the sportsball according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 4 illustrates a manufacturing method of the sportsball according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a sportsball according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. The sportsball, such as a soccer ball or a volleyball, comprises a ball cover  20  and a strengthened bladder  30  disposed in the ball cover  20 . The ball cover  20  is made of leather or synthetic leather such as polyurethane (PU) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The synthetic leather is composed of an outer coating layer  21 A, an intermediate layer  22 A, and an inner lining layer  23 A to strengthen and support the intermediate layer  22 A, as shown in FIG.  2 . 
     The leather or synthetic leather is cut into a plurality of panels  24  with predetermined shape. For soccer ball, the most common shape of the panel  24  is pentagon and hexagon. In other words, the ball cover  20  of a soccer ball is made of 12 pieces of pentagonal panel and 20 pieces of hexagonal panel sewn edge to edge by sewing threads  25 . The spherical ball cover  20  of a volleyball consists of 18 pieces of rectangular panel sewn edge to edge with sewing threads  25 . The ball cover has a valve hole  26  provided thereon. 
     The inflatable bladder  30 , which is disposed inside the ball cover  20 , comprises a rubber made bladder  31  and a valve stem  32  mounted thereon and outwardly extended through the valve hole  26  of the ball cover  20  to connect thereto for air inflation. In accordance with the present invention, bladder  30  further comprises an exterior web layer  33  integrally attached on an outer surface of the bladder ball  31 . As shown in FIG. 1, the bladder ball  31  is entirely embraced by the web layer  33 . The web layer  33  comprises at least an elongated strengthened thread  331  (usually a plurality of strengthened thread  331  being applied), such as nylon threads, evenly wound around and around the outer surface of the bladder ball  31 . Therefore, the strengthened thread  331  is overlapped with each other to form the web layer  33 . 
     In order to enable the strengthened thread  331  being permanently affixed on the outer surface of the bladder ball  31 , before winding onto the bladder ball  31 , the strengthened thread  331  are coated with glue for adhering to the outer surface of the bladder ball  31  and each other. Moreover, the bladder ball  31  with the adhering strengthened thread  331  thereon are together cured by heating in a mold so that the adhering strengthened thread  331  will be hardened to form the web layer  33  which is permanently united with the rubber bladder ball  31  integrally. 
     Like the fishing net structure or the spider web structure, web structure is one of the most strengthened and rigid construction that can support high stress and resist high impact force. Thus, the web layer  33  highly reinforces the soft and weak rubber bladder ball  31 . In other words, the bladder  30  of the present invention is strengthened by the web layer  33  and has a better flexibility and impact resisting ability. 
     Due to the presence of the valve stem  32  on the bladder  30 , the sportsball may lose balance when it is flowing in air, i.e., the sportsball would fall down with the valve stem  32  always directing downwards. In order to ensure a better balance for the sportsball, a rubber pad  34  having the same weight of the valve stem  32  is further integrally adhered to an end, which is opposite to the valve stem  32  of the bladder  30  in order to symmetrically balance the weight of the bladder  30 . 
     The sportsball further comprises a stress absorbing layer  40  provided between the ball cover  20  and the bladder  30  wherein the stress absorbing layer  40  is made of soft, flexible and stress absorbing material such as EVA or foaming PU or PVC. The stress absorbing layer  40  is cut into a plurality of absorbing pads  41  each having a predetermined shape corresponding to the shape of the panel  24  of the ball cover  20 . Each absorbing pad  41  of the stress absorbing layer  40  is attached to an inner surface of the respective panel  24  of the ball cover  20  preferably by glue. The stress absorbing layer  40  provides various remarkable features as follows. 
     When an impact force is applied on the ball cover  20 , the major stress is absorbed by the stress absorbing layer  40 , which can reduce the stress directly on the ball cover  20  and the bladder  30 . Therefore, the sportsball is more durable and has a longer life span. Thus, the stress absorbing layer  40  provides a cushion effect that can reduce the painful while contacting the sportsball, such as heading for soccer players or spiking for volleyball players, especially suitable for the children and training players. 
     Moreover, each absorbing pad  41  of the stress absorbing layer  40  has a predetermined height in such a manner that the ball cover  20  is adapted for forming a prefect spherical interior to fittedly receive the inflated bladder  30 . Since the panels  24  are sewn edge to edge together wherein the edges of the panels  24  are inwardly protruded from the ball cover  20 , the interior of the ball cover  20  is not a prefect spherical shape. When air is pumped into the bladder  30  through the valve stem  32  in order to prop up the ball cover  20 , the edges of the panels  24  will bias against the outer surface of the bladder ball  31  so as to affect the roundness shape of the sportsball. As shown in FIG. 2, the conventional method of connecting the panels  24 A of the ball cover  20 A illustrates that the interior of the ball cover  20 A is not a prefect spherical shape. A gap is formed between the ball cover  20 A and the bladder  31 A since the edges of the panels  24 A are inwardly extended from the ball cover  20 A such that the bladder  31 A is not in a round shape when it is inflated. 
     So, when the absorbing pads  41  of the stress absorbing layer  40  are attached on the ball cover  20 , the ball cover  20  has a uniform thickness to provide a prefect spherical interior of the ball cover  20  for fittedly receiving the bladder  30  therein. In other words, when the bladder  30  is inflated, a gap is formed between the bladder ball  31  and the ball cover  20 . So, the stress absorbing layer  40  is attached to the ball cover  20  to fittedly fill the gap to increase the contact area between the bladder ball  31  and the ball cover  20 , so as to reinforce the roundness shape of the sportsball, as shown in FIG.  3 . 
     Additional supporting linings of the conventional ball cover can be eliminated. The synthetic leather of each panel  24  of the ball cover  20  doest not need to adhere those additional linings to increase its strength. So, the thickness and the hardness of the synthetic leather made ball cover  20  can also be reduced, which enable to utilize thinner sewing threads  25  to sew the panels  24  together. The manufacturing cost and time can be greatly reduced. 
     For leather made ball cover  20 , as shown in FIG. 3, since the major stress and impact force is absorbed by the stress absorbing layer  40 , the expensive leather panels  24  of the ball cover  20  can be thinner to lessen the cost. Thus, the stress absorbing layer  40  can soften and reinforce the leather ball cover  20 . 
     It is worth to mention that one of the absorbing pads  41  of the stress absorbing layer  40  has a valve through hole  42  provided thereon, which is aligned with the valve hole  26  of the panel  24 , such that the stem valve  32  is adapted for extending outwardly through the valve through hole  42 . 
     A specific manufacturing method is used to produce the sportsball of the present invention, as illustrated in FIG. 4, which comprises the following steps: 
     (1). Inflate a bladder ball  31  which has a valve stem  32  provided thereon. 
     (2). Coat at least an elongated strengthened thread  331  such as nylon threads with glue. 
     (3). Wind the strengthened thread  331  evenly around an outer surface of the bladder ball  31  until the bladder ball  31  is embraced by a web layer  33  of the strengthened thread  331  to form a strengthened bladder  30 . 
     (4). Heat the bladder  30  in a mold M until the web layer  33  is permanently and rigidly united with the outer surface of the bladder ball  31 . 
     (5). Cut a ball cover material, such as leather or synthetic leather made of foaming PU or PVC sponge material, into a predetermined number of panels  24  in predetermined shape. For soccer ball, 12 pieces of pentagonal panels and 20 pieces of hexagonal panels are cut. For volleyball, 18 pieces of panels in two kinds of rectangular shape are cut. 
     (6). Sew the panels  24  edge to edge together by sewing machine to form a ball cover  20  which has a valve hole  26  provided thereon, wherein a section of panels is remained unsewn to form an inlet opening  28 . 
     (7). Cut a stress absorbing layer  40  into a predetermined number of absorbing pads  41  and shapes corresponding to the panels  24  of the ball cover  20 . 
     (8). Attach the absorbing pads  41  of the stress absorbing layer  40  to the panels  24  of the ball cover  20 . 
     (9). Heat the ball cover  20  and turn the ball cover  20  right side out. 
     (10). Insert the strengthened bladder  30  into the ball cover  20  through the inlet opening  28 . 
     (11). Align and glue the valve stem  32  of the bladder  30  with the valve hole  26  of the ball cover  20 . 
     (12). Semi-inflate the bladder  30  to ensure that the inflated bladder  30  is adapted for propping against the ball cover  20 . 
     (13). Sew the inlet opening  28  of the ball cover  20  together by hand. 
     (14). Fully inflate the sportsball to more than a standard pressure within a shaping mold M′ to ensure a permanent structure and shape of the bladder  30  and ball cover  20 . 
     In step (8), when the panels  24  are sewn together, the absorbing pads  41  are fittedly attached to the panels  24  wherein each absorbing pad  41  is encircling with the sewn edges of the panels  24  so as to form a prefect spherical shape of the interior of the ball cover  20 . It is worth to mention that the thickness of the absorbing pad  41  is the equal to the sewn edge of the panel  24  and the absorbing pad  41  can be further trimmed in order to form a uniform thickness of the ball cover  20 . 
     As specified above, the valve stem  32  on the bladder  30  may cause the sportsball losing balance when it is flowing in air, i.e. the sportsball fall down with the valve stem  32  always directing downwards. The following step can be applied after the above step (3) in order to ensure a better balance for the sportsball: 
     (a). Adhere a rubber pad  34  having the same weight of the valve stem  32  integrally to an end, which is opposite to the valve stem  32  of the bladder  30  in order to symmetrically balance the weight of the bladder  30 . 
     According to the improved structure of the sportsball of the present invention, the ball cover  20  can be sewn by the sewing machine and thus it is suitable for mass production. Thus, the strengthened bladder  30  can support and retain the ball cover  20  in the desire roundness even though the bladder  30  is over-inflated up to 15-20% more than the standard pressure of the sportsball. Moreover, the supporting force of the bladder  30  applied to the ball cover  20  through the stress absorbing layer  40  is evenly distributed so that the sportsball can has an even roundness to fulfill most players&#39; desire. 
     While the foregoing description and diagram describe the preferred embodiment of the present invention, it should be appreciated that certain obvious modifications, variations, and substitutions may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The process steps need not be preformed exactly in the order as outlined above nor are all the process steps delineated above necessary for practicing the present invention.