Abstract:
A plaque for trophies making use of an athletic ball or replica as a base provides a convex outer surface mimicking that of the base itself. The convex plaque may be formed using conventional button-making techniques which laminate a printed sheet between a convex form and a clear overlay. The button assembly allows a wide variety of different printed materials to be incorporated into the plaque itself including paper printed on computer-type printers and/or photographs.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to trophies and the like and in particular to a convex trophy plaque fitting into a trophy shaped like an athletic ball. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In many sporting activities, it is common to award the players with trophies for participation or other achievement. A conventional “tower” trophy may provide an ornament, often a figure, indicating the particular type of sporting activity to which the trophy relates. The ornament is supported by a stand on the front of which is displayed a plaque, often an engraved metal plate, recording particular achievement. The plaque may, for example, indicate the name of the participant and the date. 
     A newer form of “sports ball” trophy provides as its base, a replica of the ball used in the sporting activity for which the trophy is awarded. The ball replica may be life-size or of a reduced scale and molded from a polymer foam. A flat disk of plastic provides a plaque which may be fit within a similar cavity molded into the ball replica. The plaque may be printed with information about the award using a special computer printer adapted to handling the rigid disk media. 
     While the sports ball trophy provides a striking alternative to conventional tower trophy designs, the flat plaque placed against the surface of the ball in the sports ball trophy has an unfinished look and is visually jarring against the curved surface of the ball. At certain viewing angles, the entire surface of the disk can be obscured by glare or shadowing by other surfaces of the ball. Finally, the juxtaposition of the flat surface on the ball can destroy the illusion of the ball being real. 
     A logical alternative to using a flat plaque is that of printing directly on the surface of the ball itself. Generally this is impractical both because of the irregular shape and character of the ball&#39;s surface and the need for each trophy to be essentially one-of-a-kind making decals or transfer printing approaches too expensive. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides an improved plaque for sports ball trophies. The plaque uses a button having a domed outer surface that has a pleasing aspect when combined with the similarly convex surface of the ball. The button may incorporate text and/or images from a variety of sources including photographs or printed materials, so no special printing equipment is necessary. The photographs or printed materials may be sandwiched between a clear sheet and a convex shell to provide an attractive, durable and professional appearance. 
     The curvature of the button not only blends better with the ball into which it is incorporated, but serves to reduce obscuring glare such as can occur with flat plates. The curved outer surface of the button projects from the ball&#39;s surface to provide improved visibility. 
     In addition, the present invention provides a technique for modifying standard sports balls for use with the button or disk plaques, thereby providing improved realism in the ball and eliminating the often costly ball replica. This technique, which is applicable to standard athletic balls having solid cores covered by a fabric or sheet-like material, first cuts the sheet-like material using a cutting die and then machines the underlying core to provide the necessary cavity for the plaque. 
     Specifically, the present invention provides a sports ball trophy having a ball-shaped base with an outer convex surface, the base including a cylindrical cavity having an axis substantially normal to the convex surface. A button having a perimeter of substantially equal diameter to the cylindrical cavity includes a domed top shell supporting a conformal printed sheet having a printed surface,. The printed sheet overlies the domed top shell so as to reveal its printed surface. The button is affixed within the cylindrical cavity so as to present outwardly a convex surface displaying the printed surface. 
     Thus it is one object of the invention to provide an attractive and finished plaque suitable for use with a sports ball trophy. The convex outer surface of the button blends visually with the outer convex surface of the ball-shaped base. 
     The button may be affixed so that the convex surface extends outwardly beyond a rim of the cylindrical cavity. 
     Thus it is another object of the invention to provide improved prominence and visibility to the printed material on the plaque in keeping with the purpose of the trophy to commemorate a particular event. 
     The printed sheet may be a photograph print, xerographic print, and a dye transfer print. 
     Thus it is another object of the invention to provide a plaque that may make use of any printed material from a variety of different sources. 
     A transparent top sheet may sandwich the printed sheet overlying the domed top between the transparent top sheet and the domed top shell. 
     Thus it is another object of the invention to provide a high quality, glossy and durable surface to a plaque using any of a variety of different sources for the printed sheet. 
     The ball may represent a baseball, a tennis ball, a softball, golf ball, football, soccer ball, basketball or volleyball. 
     Thus it is another object of the invention to provide the benefits of a sports ball trophy in using the ball to visually identify the field of endeavor. 
     The peripheral surfaces of the printed sheet (and or the transparent sheet) may be crimped over the edge of the domed top shell and captured by a plug fitting behind the domed top shell with respect to the printed sheet and capturing the peripheral surfaces crimped over the edges of the domed top shell between the domed top shell and the plug. 
     It is another object of the invention to provide a finished and professional looking plaque based on simple materials such as printed paper or photographic paper using standard button assembly techniques. The crimping process eliminates ragged edges that might be present in cutting the printed material and, by drawing the materials together, provides a smooth and bubble-free presentation of the printed material. 
     One embodiment of the invention may use a standard athletic ball providing a sheet covering and a machinable core. In this embodiment, the sheet covering is first cut with a cutting die to make a circular opening to expose the machinable core. The exposed core is then removed to complete a cylindrical cavity. 
     Thus it is another object of the invention to use balls that are assembled according to the same techniques used in actual sporting equipment thus producing a far more realistic trophy than could be obtained with foam replicas. 
     The foregoing objects and advantages may not apply to all embodiments of the inventions and are not intended to define the scope of the invention for which purpose claims are provided. In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which there is shown by way of illustration, a preferred embodiment of the invention. Such embodiment also does not define the scope of the invention and reference must be made therefore to the claims for this purpose. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the present invention as applied to a baseball-shaped base showing the plaque as formed from button components including a transparent overlay and picture sheet formed over a domed top shell and captured by a plug; 
     FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view through FIG. 1 in an assembled state and taken along lines  2 — 2  and showing positioning of the button to extend outward from the cylindrical cavity in the ball base and showing the button&#39;s concave shape which more closely conforms to the curvature of adjacent ball surfaces; 
     FIG. 3 is a detailed cross-sectional view taken along lines  2 — 2  of the assembled button of FIG. 2 showing the crimping of the transparent and picture layer under the rim of the domed top shell to be captured by the plug and thereby drawn tight in an overlapping relation; and 
     FIGS. 4 a  through  4   e  are perspective views of sequential manufacturing steps in providing a necessary cylindrical cavity in a standard athletic ball having a sheet covering and machinable core in which the sheet covering is die cut to reveal the core which may be machined according to standard methods and showing angled relationships of buttons placed on opposite sides of the ball. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to FIG. 1, a trophy  10  of the present invention includes a ball-shaped shape base  12  such as may have the outer form of a standard athletic ball. As depicted, the ball-base  12  has the shape and coloring of a baseball, however, other well-known athletic balls may also be used for the base  12  including a softball, golf ball, football, soccer ball, basketball, and volleyball. 
     As will be described below for those balls having a solid core, either a foam replica of the ball or the actual ball may be used as the base  12 . For those balls having an inflated bladder, a foam ball must be used as the base as will be described. 
     The ball-base  12  has a generally convex outer surface  14  which is interrupted by a cylindrical cavity  16  extending radially from the outer surface  14  toward a center of the ball by approximately ¼ of an inch although other depths are also possible. The radius of the cylindrical cavity  16  will preferably be 2¼ inches; however, it will also be understood that this size may be varied depending on the size of the ball represented by the ball-base  12  or aesthetic concerns. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 1,  2  and  3 , the cylindrical cavity  16  (shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) receives a button  18  presenting a convex outer surface  20  that serves as a trophy plaque. The button  18  may be manufactured using standard button technology and includes a backer plug  22  (such as is typically a plate or collet), a domed top shell  24  (typically a metal shell), a printed sheet  26  and optionally a transparent overlay  28 . The printed sheet  26  may be a photograph or paper printed by a number of different techniques well known in the art, including xerographic, dye sublimation or ink jet techniques, and thus may be easily fabricated with inexpensive and standard equipment. The printed sheet  26  may be laminated with a clear material in which case a separate transparent overlay  28  is not required. The transparent overlay  28  may be a clear plastic sheet including Mylar, vinyl or polyester material. 
     Referring now to FIG. 3, these components of the button  18  are assembled into a single unit in which the printed sheet  26  is placed atop of the domed top shell  24  with a printed surface  27  facing outward as indicated by arrow  30 . Over the top of the printed sheet  26  is placed the transparent overlay  28 . 
     As shown in FIG. 1, each of the printed sheets  26  and transparent overlay  28  are cut in disks having a diameter greater than that of the domed top shell  24  and backer plug  22 , the latter which have substantially the diameter of the cylindrical cavity  16 . Using a standard button-making machine (not shown), the domed top shell  24 , printed sheet  26  and transparent overlay  28  are drawn together, with the peripheral edges  32  of the printed sheet  26  and transparent overlay  28  folded around the edge of the domed top shell  24 , then crimped between an outer edge of the backer plug  22  and an inner rim of the domed top shell  24  by upward movement of the backer plug  22  with respect to the domed top shell  24  as indicated by arrow  34 . This crimping creates a tight lamination of domed top shell  24 , printed sheet  26 , and transparent overlay  28  in which printed sheet  26  having a printed surface  27  is clearly displayed about the convex form of the domed top shell  24  through the transparent overlay  28 . 
     These button components and machinery for assembling them as described above are available from a number of commercial sources including U.S.A. Buttons, Inc, West Bend, Wis., the assignee of the present invention. 
     Referring now to FIG. 2, the button  18  is placed within the cylindrical cavity  16  to aesthetically integrate with the convex outer surface  14  of the ball-base  12 . In particular, the convex outer surface  20  projects slightly above a tangent plane  36  defined by the rim of the cylindrical cavity  16  so as to follow the convexity of the outer surface  14  along the dotted line of projected outer surface  14 ′ and to be slightly removed from the ball&#39;s outer surface  14  for improved visibility. It is not necessary the convex outer surface  20  exactly match the projected outer surface  14 ′ for the button  18  to visually integrate with the ball-base  12 . The button  18  may be held within the ball by an adhesive  37 . 
     As mentioned above, the ball-base  12  may be molded, for example, of flexible polyethylene foam or polyurethane foam. Prior to the molding, the inner surface of the mold is polished smooth and pre-coated with a pigmented layer that provides for adhesion by the introduced foam such as causes the formation of a thin skin having a substantially continuous surface without voids conforming to the shape of the molds inner surface. The pigment of the paint may color the skin an arbitrary color differing from that of the polyethylene to provide the appearance of the particular ball. 
     Alternatively as shown in FIG. 4, the ball base  12  may be made of solid core balls being either actual versions of the athletic balls or replicas providing for solid and machinable cores and sheet coverings such as leather, vinyl or other material. Such balls may include, for example, baseballs, softballs and golf balls. 
     As shown in FIG. 4 a  such balls may be prepared for the present invention by adding the cylindrical cavity  16 . In order to do this, a circular cutting die  38 , being a ring-shaped band having a sharpened edge  40 , is first pressed downward against the ball using an arbor press or the like as shown in FIG. 4 b . The circular cutting die  38  removes a plug  39 ′ from the sheet material  39  to expose an inner core  42 . The inner core  42  may be bored using a conventional machining technique such as a spade bit  45 , a Forstner bit or an end mill as shown in FIG. 4 c . The button  18  may then be pressed into the formed cylindrical cavity  16  to complete the trophy as shown in FIG. 4 d.    
     Referring to FIG. 4 e , a second button  18 ′ may be placed obverse to the first button in a second cylindrical cavity  16  prepared in the same manner as indicated in FIGS. 4 a - 4   d . The angle a between the normals of these buttons  18  and  18 ′ (i.e., lines centered through and generally perpendicular to the outer surface of the domed top shell  24  at the center and intersecting the center of the ball base  12 ) will be acute providing improved visibility to the buttons when the trophy  10  is placed on a stand  40  such as a cylindrical ring for desktop display. Alternatively, and often for bigger trophies, the angle α may be 180 degrees. 
     It is specifically intended that the present invention not be limited to the embodiments and illustrations contained herein, but that modified forms of those embodiments including portions of the embodiments and combinations of elements of different embodiments also be included as come within the scope of the following claims.