Patent ID: 8460135

Claim:
An inflatable American football having a major longitudinal dimension and a minor transverse dimension, the football configured for direct contact with a user's hands, the football comprising: a cover having an outer surface formed of a first material, the cover including at least first, second, third and fourth cover panels; and at least first, second, third and fourth sheet-like flexible, non fully circumferential and transversely extending non-circular stripes fixedly and non-removably coupled to the cover, the at least first, second, third and fourth stripes having an outer surface formed of a second material, the second material having a static coefficient of friction that is greater than the static coefficient of friction of the first material when measured in accordance with the standard test method for static coefficient of friction of ASTM D1894-01, the frictional interaction between the outer surface of the at least one of the stripes and the hands of the user being greater than the frictional interaction between the outer surface of the cover and the hands of the user, two of the first, second, third and fourth stripes being coupled to the first cover panel, and the remaining two of the first, second, third and fourth stripes being coupled to the second cover panel, the first and second cover panels each having exposed end regions and an exposed central region, the exposed end regions of the first cover panel being spaced apart from the exposed central region of the first cover panel by the two of the first, second, third and fourth stripes, and the exposed end regions of the second cover panel being spaced apart from the exposed central region of the second cover panel by the remaining two of the first, second, third and fourth stripes, the at least first, second, third and fourth stripes not extending over the third cover panel or over the fourth cover panel.