Patent Description:
Balls, in particular footballs, in general comprise several layers, such as a bladder, a layer for cushioning and an exterior layer. While the bladder can usually be inflated through a valve, the cushioning layer primarily serves for cushioning impact forces when the ball is kicked or bounces. It also has an influence on the rebound properties of the ball. On the one hand, the exterior layer serves for protecting the underlying layers, and on the other hand, for providing the ball with design features, such as graphic elements.

For achieving a ball as described above, the respective components are usually made of different materials. Said components are then bonded in a suitable manner, for example by sewing, gluing or welding.

<CIT> describes a ball (e.g. a soccer ball) comprising an interior inflatable bladder, a cover outside the bladder as well as a liner between the bladder and the cover. The bladder may usually consist of rubber or latex, but also of polyurethane. The liner may be made of a PVC yarn, whereas the cover comprises polyurethane. The components may be sewn up.

<CIT> relates to a ball comprising several layers, namely a bladder, an intermediate layer and a cover. The materials for the cover may be, for example, leather or polyurethane, but also polyvinyl chloride. For the intermediate layer, a polymer foam material should be used. The bladder may consist of a rubber or latex material.

German patent <CIT> discloses manufacture of a ball comprising plastics layers.

<CIT> discloses a soccer ball comprising: a bladder; one intermediate layer arranged exterior to the bladder, wherein the intermediate layer is made from a foamed thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) sheet; and one exterior layer arranged exterior to the intermediate layer, and wherein the exterior layer is made from a non-foamed TPU sheet.

Furthermore, reference is made to <CIT>, which also describes a ball. It comprises a cover, a foam layer, a latex layer, a textile layer and a bladder. As materials for the cover, leather, polyurethane or polyvinyl chloride are mentioned, for example. The foam layer may comprise polyolefin foams, and the bladder may comprise rubber or polyurethane. The respective components are then bonded together. Manufacturing the respective components of a ball or the corresponding materials, however, requires a remarkable amount of energy (e.g. electricity, heat etc.), which leads to considerable greenhouse gas emissions. Apart from that, for manufacturing balls with known procedures, adhesives are used, which constitutes an additional burden on the environment. Moreover, considerable efforts are necessary for reliably taking apart the ball at the end of its lifetime (for example when it is broken due to excess strain or material fatigue). In this respect, particular attention is to be paid to the respective components or materials in order to optimize their disposal under environmental aspects. Energy is required for this as well in order to take the ball apart. This once again leads to greenhouse gas emission. However, on the other hand, many balls nevertheless end up on a garbage dump or in a waste incineration plant. In the past, too little attention was paid to this increasing problem. Thus, it can be considered an underlying object of the present invention to provide an approach for limiting resource consumption and for limiting greenhouse gas emissions during the life cycle of a ball.

This problem is at least partially solved by a ball, in particular a football, according to claim <NUM>. In claim <NUM>, the ball comprises a bladder which has a majority weight component of a material of a first material class. The ball further comprises at least one intermediate layer, wherein the least one intermediate layer is arranged exterior to the bladder, and wherein the at least one intermediate layer has a majority weight component of the material of the first material class. The ball further comprises at least one exterior layer, wherein the at least one exterior layer is arranged exterior to the at least one intermediate layer, and wherein the at least one exterior layer has a majority weight component of the material of the first material class, wherein the material of the first material class comprises parts of the material of the first material class which have been recycled from another ball; and wherein the ball comprises a marker, wherein the marker indicates how often the material of the first material class was already in other balls.

By providing a ball with several layers, whose respective majority weight component - or even the entire respective weight - is made of a material of the same material class, the material can be easily recovered from the ball, which significantly reduces the effort for separating and/or sorting the individual components. For example, the ball can be processed in one single recycling step. Balls according to the present invention can therefore significantly simplify recycling of used balls, especially if the entire ball, which comprises several layers, is made of a material of one single material class. Using one material of the same material class for different layers of a ball and providing a ball of excellent quality, which meets all requirements, including the professional ones, is enabled by the knowledge that different (physical and chemical) forms (e.g. yarn, foil, foam, particles, etc.) of a material of the same chemical material class (e.g. thermoplastic polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride or polyethylene) may be used in order to provide the different properties required for manufacturing such a ball (e.g. form stability, resilience, moisture repellence, flight behavior, rebound properties, visual appearance, etc.). In particular, use of a thermoplastic material (e.g. of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)) for all components of the ball enables manufacturing a high-quality ball for athletes, which is easily and efficiently recyclable after use and thus contributes to reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

By using a material of the same material class in a bladder, at least one intermediate layer and at least one exterior layer, it is possible to use compatible materials that can be easily bonded, for example by applying energy or heat (e.g. by welding). In one embodiment, infrared radiant heat may be used for heating two surfaces such that they melt together. This way it is not necessary to use a glue, which reduces the impact on the environment. Moreover, a chemical bond (e.g. by means of an adhesive originating from the same material class as the other components of the ball according to the invention) may be created between the layers, for example by means of a chemical bond of the molecules.

It is also conceivable that two components of the ball may be bonded without an adhesive, for example by applying energy. This way an at least partially closed material cycle can be ensured for numerous generations of balls, as the same base material can be recovered and reused for manufacturing further balls. For each new generation of balls made of the recycled material, energy and greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced which would otherwise arise in the case of separation or destruction. Compared to a conventional ball, energy is saved as well, as existing components may be reused. Even when considering the energy required for the recycling and new manufacture of a new ball, the influence on the environment by the ball manufactured this way is considerably lower than in the case of a conventional ball made of newly produced and different components.

An at least partially closed material cycle means that it is also possible to mix reused base material with newly manufactured material of the same material class. In this process, the reused material (also referred to as "recyclate") may be added to the newly manufactured and used material. For example, the proportion of newly manufactured material may lie within <NUM>% to <NUM>%, or <NUM>% to <NUM>%, to ensure consistent material properties.

At least one intermediate layer may be arranged as a cushioning layer. If at least one cushioning layer is provided, the underlying bladder, which may be air-inflated, may be better protected from impacts and other potentially detrimental influences. This way, the lifetime and stability of the ball may be significantly improved.

Furthermore, the at least one intermediate layer may be made of panels. An exemplary process for manufacturing such panels is disclosed in <CIT>. Providing an intermediate layer as a panel allows simplified manufacturing, as several parts are bonded by suitable measures this way. It is therefore not necessary to manufacture an individual layer around an underlying layer. More energy can be saved by the simplified manufacturing thus achieved.

The material class used for the ball may be one of thermoplastic polyurethane, TPU, polyvinyl chloride, PVC, polyethylene, PE, polyamide, PA or polypropylene, PP. Comprehensive tests have shown that especially the mentioned materials or material classes are suitable for manufacturing different components of a ball (i.e. the bladder, at least one intermediate layer and at least one exterior layer). In this respect, thermoplastic polyurethane has proven to be advantageous, which, depending on how it is processed, has many advantageous properties, which optimally complement each other.

Moreover, it is provided that the majority weight component of the material of the first material class is more than <NUM>% or more than <NUM>% or more than <NUM>% or more than <NUM>% of the weight component of the material of the first material class at the respective component of the ball. In other examples, the bladder, the at least one intermediate layer and/or the at least one exterior layer basically consist of a material of the same material class. The term "basically" here means that it is possible to work within the scope of tolerances that are common in this technical field.

At least one intermediate layer may comprise randomly arranged particles, for example according to the so-called boost technology. Moreover, it is conceivable that the randomly arranged particles comprise expanded material. In particular, the particles of expanded material may comprise expanded thermoplastic polyurethane (eTPU). As an example, reference is made to <CIT>. A technology wherein at least one intermediate layer, such as a cushioning layer, is made of the mentioned particles, has particularly advantageous properties. For example, due to their properties, the randomly arranged particles result in particularly well-cushioned balls, whereby negative effects on the underlying bladder may be somewhat mitigated. Furthermore, by the particular characteristics of this arrangement of the base material, particularly good rebound properties may be achieved.

Moreover, the at last one intermediate layer may be made of a TPU yarn. Using a yarn allows manufacturing an intermediate layer for a ball in a simple manner. The yarn may be wrapped around the underlying layer in a desired form and bonded to it by means of suitable methods.

Furthermore, the ball may comprise at least one protection layer, wherein the at least one protection layer is arranged between the bladder and the at least one intermediate layer. The at least one protection layer is made of the material of the first material class. For example, the at least one protection layer may be made of a thermoplastic base material. By means of a specifically provided protection layer, the components of the ball may be particularly effectively protected from different external influences, such as force impacts, heat or moisture.

The at least one protection layer may be provided as a plurality of parts. For example, the individual parts may be polygons, in particular rhombus-shaped elements. This way it is possible to assemble a ball from few individual components, which may preferably originate from a recycled ball.

It is also possible that the at least one protection layer comprises a non-woven fabric. By means of a non-woven material, the protection of the bladder of the ball may be further improved. Thus, the entire lifetime of the ball may be extended, whereby the effects on the environment may be reduced.

In one embodiment, the at least one exterior layer may be arranged as foil. Thus, the exterior layer offers protection for all underlying layers, such as the at least one intermediate layer and the bladder. Above all, the foil may protect the underlying layers from moisture, but it may also be arranged (e.g. reinforced) such that it offers protection against abrasion or other types of wear and tear. Alternatively or additionally, the exterior layer may also fulfill a design function, for example by suitable color pigments being added or design elements being printed. In any case, the material for the exterior layer (or the foil) originates from the same material class as the other layers, so that simple and environmentally friendly reuse is ensured.

It should be noted that the bladder may also comprise a fiber reinforced TPU matrix with TPU fibers. Reference is made to <CIT> for an example of manufacturing such a material. Provision as a fiber reinforced matrix may result in improved stability and thus improved lifetime of the bladder. As the base material here is the same as for the other layers, particularly environmentally compatible reuse of this component of the ball is enabled in this case as well. The term "bladder" in the present invention also includes three-dimensional structures which do not have to be filled with air by inflation (e.g. through a valve), as described in aforementioned <CIT>.

The ball may also comprise a bladder arranged as lattice structure, which comprises a plurality of lattice cells which comprise radially extending elements. This aspect of providing a bladder may also improve its properties, particularly with respect to the lifetime and reusability. For example, a structure as disclosed in
<CIT> may be used.

As an alternative to TPU, the first base material for the components of the ball may be PVC or polyethylene. For example, it is possible to use both ether-based TPU and ester-based TPU. Moreover, polypropylene (PP) or polyamide (PA) also come into consideration as materials. Similar to TPU, these materials allow manufacturing different layers or the bladder of a ball, so that they may be easily reused.

It is further advantageous if the first base material is arranged so as to be recycled in a joint recycling process for the bladder, the at least one intermediate layer and the exterior layer, so that the first base material is usable as first base material for the manufacture of another bladder, at least one intermediate layer and / or exterior layer. An important aspect of the present invention relates to reuse (recycling) of at least parts of a ball for manufacturing another ball. For example, it is possible to avoid new manufacture of these components - which involves considerable energy expenditure, resource consumption and greenhouse gas emission. Furthermore, it is not necessary to dismantle the ball. The entire ball may be processed in one joint recycling process to recover the base material. The recycled material may serve as base material for another ball, but also for a different sporting article (e.g. shoes or shin guards). Basically, the recycled material may also serve as base material for manufacturing any other sporting article. Accordingly, a ball may comprise parts which have been recycled from another ball, which was previously manufactured as described herein.

The present invention also relates to a method for the manufacture of a ball according to one of the aspects described herein. In particular, the method for the manufacture comprises recycling another ball.

Moreover, the present invention also relates to a method for recycling a ball as described herein.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a ball may be offered to a customer as described herein. After the ball has been used by the customer, e.g. after the life cycle of the ball, the manufacturer may take back the ball. Suitable return stations may be provided, for example, in stores, parks, venues, stadiums or during sports events or other major events and/or the customer has the possibility to send the ball back to the manufacturer. The manufacturer may then recover the base material from the ball and use at least a part of it for manufacturing a new ball, which comprises the recycled base material. It is also possible to use the recycled material for the manufacture of any sporting article (other than a ball), e.g. shoes, shin guards, etc., as was already explained above. According to different examples, vouchers or discounts may be provided for a new ball to offer customers an incentive to return the used balls or items to the manufacturer for recycling. It is also conceivable to develop a rental model, wherein the customer is charged a regular (e.g. monthly or annual) rental fee and wherein they receive a new ball when returning the old ball. The frequency at which a new ball is provided may depend on the type of ball and/or use behavior of the user (e.g. private user or sports club). This way the required replacement frequency may be lower for an individual athlete than for a sports club. Another option is a subscription model, wherein the customer receives a replacement as soon as a new ball model is released.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the customer may purchase the sports equipment at the place where they want to do sports. For example, it may be useful to install a corresponding vending machine on a sports ground and/or a park area and/or to set up a point of sale providing or offering various balls according to the present invention. The customer could then make a deposit for using the ball. After use, the customer could then return the ball and receive back the deposit. In the alternative, they could also receive a discount for purchasing or renting another sporting article. As soon as the ball is no longer usable after a certain period of time, the manufacturer can directly initiate the steps necessary for recycling the ball and manufacturer a new ball based on at least a part of the components of the old ball. This approach is particularly advantageous, as the balls that are no longer usable are not at a customer's home but directly at the manufacturer, who can take care of recycling as described herein as soon as necessary. This way efficient as possible recycling is provided, which additionally avoids or reduces unnecessary energy consumption or greenhouse gas emission.

According to the invention, a marker, for example a radio frequency identification (RFID) or an infrared (IR) marker is incorporated in the ball of the invention, e.g. a near infrared (NIR) marker in the ball according to the invention. The marker indicates how often the base
material of the ball was already in other balls. This way the customer can directly see how many life cycles the base material has already been through. Moreover, the marker could also indicate the subscription status of the customer. This would enable fully automated return and replacement of the ball. A marker could also be incorporated into the ball material to make it identifiable from a plurality of other materials. For example, it is possible to incorporate IR markers into a yarn or another component of the ball.

Possible embodiments of the present invention are described in the following detailed description with reference to the following Figures, wherein:.

It should be noted that only some possible embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below.

First of all, <FIG> shows a part of a bladder <NUM>. In one embodiment, the bladder <NUM> may be a TPU matrix <NUM> reinforced with TPU fibers <NUM>. A method for manufacturing a suitable material is described in <CIT>. A bladder <NUM>, which is based on such a fiber reinforced matrix reinforced with internal material, can also be referred to as three-dimensional. A corresponding method for manufacturing a three-dimensional composite article, particularly a bladder <NUM> for a ball, can comprise the following steps: (a. ) Providing a rotatable mold; (b. ) Filling a first material into the mold; (c. ) Filling a second material into the mold, with at least one of the materials being a polymer material; (d. ) Moving the mold; and (e. ) adapting at least one method parameter while performing one or several of the preceding steps so as to achieve a homogeneous distribution of the second material in the manufactured composite article. In this respect, each of the two mentioned materials is based on the same base material (e.g. TPU, PVC, PP, PA or PE).

If the filled-in polymer material is a thermoplastic material (e.g. TPU), the filled-in material is preferably heated and/or cooled. Said material melts when heated and thus forms the carrier or matrix material. The second material, for example, may be fibers (e.g. TPU fibers), which are embedded in the first carrier material after rotational molding or extensively adhere to its surface.

In another embodiment, the bladder <NUM> may also be formed by a TPU structure. A corresponding method of manufacturing is disclosed in <CIT>. In this respect, a bladder <NUM> may comprise a surface layer comprising a plurality of panels, as well as a lattice structure extending below the surface layer. The lattice structure comprises a plurality of lattice cells comprising radially extending elements. At least the lattice cells arranged adjacent to the surface layer at least have a dimension smaller than the average diameter of the panels. This way the bladder <NUM> or the ball may be provided with homogeneous resilience and stability, like an inflatable bladder <NUM>. Consequently, the bladder <NUM> thus manufactured is not a conventional inflatable bladder but a lattice structure. The structure thus manufactured can be made of a base material such as TPU, PVC, PP, PA or PE.

Moreover, in the embodiment shown in <FIG>, a first intermediate layer <NUM> is arranged. The intermediate layer <NUM> may be arranged as a cushioning layer. In one embodiment, this cushioning layer may be made of TPU foam. In another embodiment, this cushioning layer may also be made of TPU yarn.

With reference to <FIG>, an embodiment is described wherein the bladder <NUM> does not comprise a TPU matrix reinforced with TPU fibers. In this embodiment, an intermediate layer <NUM> may be arranged above the bladder <NUM>. This intermediate layer <NUM> may be arranged as a protection layer. In one embodiment, the protection layer may be made of a non-woven fabric and laminated onto the bladder <NUM>. In one embodiment, the non-woven fabric may be made of rhombus-shaped pieces (e.g. two strip layers as a cover for the bladder <NUM>). A ball may comprise as further layers a cushioning layer <NUM> (e.g. of eTPU or other materials mentioned herein) and an exterior layer <NUM>, as described herein.

In one embodiment, the cushioning layer <NUM> and the exterior layer <NUM> may be replaced by a single layer <NUM>. In this case, said single layer may be arranged as integral foam. This is explained with reference to <FIG>. There, the bladder <NUM> and the layers arranged as the cushioning layer <NUM> are provided as described above with reference to <FIG>. In contrast to <FIG>, however, the intermediate layer arranged as the cushioning layer <NUM> and the exterior layer <NUM> are replaced by integral foam <NUM>. Said integral foam <NUM> offers cushioning properties and abrasion protection in one single element.

In one embodiment, the integral foam layer may also be combined with a composite bladder <NUM>. This is also schematically represented in <FIG>. There, the layer <NUM> arranged as integral foam above is directly arranged on the composite bladder <NUM>. Integral foam as used herein may be manufactured with a so-called "MuCell procedure", for example.

In all cases, the cushioning layer may be provided as a plurality of panels. A possible method for manufacturing such panels is disclosed in <CIT>, for example. In one embodiment, the method for manufacturing a panel comprises providing a carrier material having an outer side and an inner side within a mold having at least one first and one second mold part. On the outer side of the carrier material an outer layer of the panel is three-dimensionally molded within the mold. In addition, on the inner side of the carrier material an inner layer of the panel is three-dimensionally molded using at least the first mold part. This method enables manufacturing three-dimensionally molded panels for a ball with a minimum number of manufacturing steps. Separately molding a plurality of elements and subsequently attaching the molded elements to each other is not necessary.

By integrally manufacturing the panel, this method can completely dispense with bonding agents, adhesives or the like. No separate adhesives need to be applied to join the individual layers of the panel. The materials used for the individual layers of the panel are compatible with each other and, according to some examples, may be joined solely by means of thermal and/or mechanical energy. Furthermore, it is also possible to join the used materials by means of chemical reactions. A bonding is enabled by affinity of the used materials. However, should it be advantageous for the panel to be manufactured, adhesives, bonding agents or the like may be used alternatively. For manufacturing such a panel, TPU, PVC or PE may be used, for example.

Claim 1:
Ball, in particular football, comprising:
a. a bladder (<NUM>) which has a majority weight component of a material of a first material class;
b. at least one intermediate layer (<NUM>), wherein the at least one intermediate layer (<NUM>) is arranged exterior to the bladder (<NUM>), and wherein the at least one intermediate layer (<NUM>) has a majority weight component of the material of the first material class;
c. at least one exterior layer (<NUM>), wherein the at least one exterior layer (<NUM>) is arranged exterior to the at least one intermediate layer (<NUM>), and wherein the at least one exterior layer (<NUM>) has a majority weight component of the material of the first material class;
d. wherein the material of the first material class comprises parts of the material of the first material class which have been recycled from another ball; and
e. wherein the ball comprises a marker, wherein the marker indicates how often the material of the first material class was already in other balls.