Patent Publication Number: US-6220980-B1

Title: Molded ball with fins

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/051,113, filed Jun. 27, 1997, of Alan J. Adler, entitled “MOLDED BALL WITH FINS,” the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is well known that thermoplastic injection molding requires a part design limited to relatively thin walls (for rapid cooling in the mold) and having an overall geometry which permits release from the mold when the mold is opened. These requirements are inconsistent with the geometry of balls. 
     Currently balls are made by other manufacturing processes such as, rotational molding, blow molding or thermoset molding. 
     The present invention is a ball suited to injection molding from soft thermoplastic elastomer. In addition, the ball of the present invention can be made very soft and compressible. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1A is a plan view of a ball embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the ball of FIG. 1A; 
     FIGS. 1C and 1D are elevation cross-section views of the ball of FIG. 1A taken along lines  1 C— 1 C and  1 D— 1 D; 
     FIGS. 2A and 2B are plan and elevation views of an alternative ball embodiment of the invention; and 
     FIGS. 3A-3D are plan views of further alternative ball embodiments. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS 
     The “parting line plane” is defined herein as a geometric plane which is parallel to the platens of the injection molding machine and thus perpendicular to the opening and closing stroke of the molding machine. The parting line plane is coincident with all or part of the actual parting line of the molded part. The actual parting line may be either planar or non-planar. 
     FIGS. 1A,  1 B,  1 C, and  1 D show a ball  1  according to an embodiment of the invention. Ball  1  comprises a plurality of fins  2 , the outermost edges of the fins defining a substantially spherical form, and the fins all joining a central member  3 . Note that the fins are all oriented so as to radiate at substantially right angles from a central parting line plane  4  which bisects ball  1  (FIG. 1D only shows the half of the ball above parting line plane  4 ; the half below is identical). This permits release when the mold opens at the parting line. 
     Ball  1  comprises a central plate  3  adjacent to central parting line plane  4 , and stabilizing ribs  5 ,  6  which stabilize the fins in relation to the central plate. 
     To facilitate both filling of and release from the mold, it is desirable that fins  3  should be tapered with their maximum thickness at the root nearest the central member and their minimum thickness at their outermost edges  7 . 
     FIGS. 2A and 2B are top and side sectional views of an alternative embodiment of the invention in which a central spine  8  which is aligned on a central axis  9  of the ball and perpendicular to the central parting line plane, designated  4 ′. In this embodiment, the central spine is hollow. The hollow spine permits more rapid cooling in the mold and is especially desirable when the diameter of the central spine exceeds 0.25 inches. 
     FIGS. 3A,  3 B,  3 C, and  3 D show additional embodiments (FIG. 3D is a fragment view). These are plan views along the lines of FIGS. 1A and 2A, with the parting line plane extending in the plane of the figure. 
     In use the ball may be used for most play and sporting activities employing balls. Such activities include the games of catch, baseball, dodgeball, hand juggling, foot juggling, paddle-ball, etc. 
     A preferred embodiment of the present invention is molded from soft thermoplastic elastomer SEBS (Styrene-Ethylene-Butadiene Resin) resin. Very soft resins, having Shore-A durometers of less than 20 make a ball of particularly nice tactile qualities. A specific preferred embodiment is made of SEBS having a Shore-A durometer range of 8-18. For sports such as the game of baseball, it may be preferable to mold the ball from harder elastomers having a Shore-A durometer range of 20 to 60. For other sports such as bowling, rigid or semi-rigid materials, such as polyethylene may be preferred.