Amusement devices: games – Aerial projectile game; game element or accessory therefor... – Target
Patent
1996-06-27
1997-07-22
Wong, Steven S.
Amusement devices: games
Aerial projectile game; game element or accessory therefor...
Target
273 58R, 40327, A63B 3906, A63B 4108
Patent
active
056497016
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to a sports ball having an inflated or an inflatable core, and an outer covering enclosing the core.
Sports balls most commonly used at present fall into two main categories: those having an external covering of hand-sewn components, foe example of synthetic material such as cloth or non-woven material coated with polyurethane by transfer; and those in which the covering is produced not by a hand sewing operation but by the application of a moulded laminated structure which is generally achieved by mechanical means.
In addition, the classical technique of ball manufacture consists in using an internal bladder, usually of rubber. This is then coated with a cloth component of natural or synthetic fibre or filament, these being for example wound progressively onto the bladder. To ensure the integrity of the filament layer, it is combined with a composition, generally vulcanizable, most Often with a synthetic rubber base. The final exterior covering is then applied on this composition.
It is usually desirable to provide decorative and/or informative markings on the outer covering, such as a supplier's logo. Usually the decorative impressions for these two types of balls referred to above, (hand-sewn and non-hand-sewn), are applied onto the panels, [previously cut out and ready to be assembled or laminated by gluing, in the flat] by silk screening, stamping, or more rarely thermal transfer. The impressions are applied to the outside face of the covering, so as to be directly visible on the finished ball.
The techniques just mentioned are well known in the trade y and therefore do not need to be described in more detail. Whichever category they belong to, hand-sewn or non-hand-sewn, balls do not always give full satisfaction to the makers of branded sports articles. These people are concerned about the life of the decorative impressions (a logo acting as the brand image of a company, or an imprint of a brand name or product name, or pictograms). They are also concerned about the life of the exterior covering, and about the regular sphericity of the ball when new and its stability in use and over time.
To illustrate the unresolved problems for existing manufacture of outdoor and indoor sports at this time, it is sufficient to mention the following:
The decorative impressions appearing on the balls are applied to the outside of the exterior covering, and the known application techniques mentioned above do not permit the application of films sufficiently thick to ensure a life longer than 20 or 25 hours of use. This is not much, considering that a competition ball in soccer, for example, has a life of more than 200 hours. The wear resistance and the adhesion are therefore insufficient. Moreover, the fatty acids or plasticizers used in preparing the pigment mixtures, and other thin layers on the surface such as moisture from the atmosphere or dust, limit and irregularise the adhesion of the decorative printed film. These factors definitely reduce its life. This phenomenon can be clearly observed on a soccer ball, for example, which has been used for fifteen hours or so; the decorative impressions are visible or invisible from one panel to another. Another very well known problem is that of the particularly poor resistance of exterior decorative markings on balls used for indoor sports. Because of the friction caused by the contact of the balls with the surfaces found in multi-sport indoor arenas, the film of marking ink tends to soften due to the heat generated, spread onto the unmarked white surfaces of the ball, and be transferred to the floors of the rooms, producing traces which are difficult to clean. This makes maintenance of the rooms laborious.
Traditional coverings have a limited life as regards their resistance to scratching, Scuffing, cutting, or micro-perforation, and to abrasion, particularly by abrasive ground. These problems substantially impair the appearance of the ball, its watertightness on wet ground, and finally the length of its life. The materials traditionally used as e
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Mills Christopher
Sonntag Jean-Marie
Umbro UK Limited
Wong Steven S.
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