U.S. patent application number 11/035421 was filed with the patent office on 2006-07-20 for football and method for manufacturing same.
Invention is credited to Chunwei Jerry Hu, Christopher Michael Waldeck.
Application Number | 20060160644 11/035421 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36684670 |
Filed Date | 2006-07-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060160644 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hu; Chunwei Jerry ; et
al. |
July 20, 2006 |
Football and method for manufacturing same
Abstract
A football includes an inflatable bladder; a layer of wound
filament fibers surrounding the inflatable bladder; a carcass
surrounding the layer of wound filament fibers, including raised
areas and recessed areas and a plurality of panels positioned
within the recessed areas of the carcass. An outer surface of the
plurality of panels is flush with an outer surface of the raised
areas of the carcass, which includes the appearance of at least one
of stitching, seams and a pebbled outer surface. A method of
manufacturing a football includes providing an inflatable bladder,
winding filament fibers around the bladder and molding a carcass
around the fibers. The carcass is molded to include recessed areas,
raised areas and the appearance of at least one of seams, stitching
and a pebbled surface on the raised areas. Panels are then
laminated to the recessed areas of the carcass.
Inventors: |
Hu; Chunwei Jerry; (Millis,
MA) ; Waldeck; Christopher Michael; (Wrentham,
MA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
STERNE, KESSLER, GOLDSTEIN & FOX PLLC
1100 NEW YORK AVENUE, N.W.
WASHINGTON
DC
20005
US
|
Family ID: |
36684670 |
Appl. No.: |
11/035421 |
Filed: |
January 14, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
473/603 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 45/00 20130101;
A63B 2243/007 20130101; A63B 41/10 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
473/603 |
International
Class: |
A63B 41/08 20060101
A63B041/08 |
Claims
1. A football comprising: an inflatable bladder; a layer of wound
filament fibers surrounding said inflatable bladder; a carcass
surrounding said layer of wound filament fibers, said carcass
including raised areas and recessed areas and a plurality of panels
positioned within said recessed areas of said carcass, such that an
outer surface of said plurality of panels is flush with an outer
surface of said raised surface of said carcass; wherein said outer
surface of said raised areas of said carcass has the appearance of
a pebbled outer surface.
2. The football of claim 1, wherein said raised areas of said
carcass have the appearance of stitching.
3. The football of claim 1 wherein said raised areas of said
carcass constitute a substantial portion of an exterior surface of
said football.
4. The football of claim 1, wherein said panels are made from
natural or synthetic leather.
5. The football of claim 4, wherein said panels are made from a
synthetic leather including at least one of polyurethane or
polyvinylchloride.
6. The football of claim 1, wherein said wound filament fibers is
polyester and nylon blend.
7. The football of claim 1, wherein said bladder is made from a
blend of butyl and natural rubber.
8. The football of claim 1, wherein said carcass is a moldable
rubber.
9. The football of claim 8, wherein said carcass is a blend of
natural and synthetic rubber.
10. The football of claim 1, wherein said outer surface of said
raised areas of said carcass includes the appearance of stitching,
seams and a pebbled outer surface.
11. The football of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of one of
said panels includes holes for laces.
12. The football of claim 11, further comprising laces laced
between said holes in said at least one of said panels.
13. The football of claim 11, further including a tongue disposed
between said carcass and said panel adjacent said holes in said at
least one of said panels.
14. A method of manufacturing a football, comprising the steps of:
providing an inflatable bladder; winding filament fibers around
said bladder; molding a carcass around said filament fibers,
wherein said molding includes forming recessed areas, raised areas
and the appearance of at least one of seams, stitching and a
pebbled surface on said raised areas; and laminating panels to said
recessed areas of said carcass.
15. The method of claim 14, further including the step of die
cutting said panels, wherein at least one of said panels includes
holes.
16. The method of claim 15, further including the step of
positioning a tongue between said at least one of said panels and
said carcass adjacent said holes.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein said tongue is selected from
the group comprising a hard thermoplastic material or a cotton and
polyester blend padding.
18. The method of claim 15, further including the step of lacing
laces between said holes.
19. The method of claim 14, wherein an outer surface of said raised
areas of said carcass constitutes a substantial portion of an
exterior of said football.
20. The method of claim 14, wherein said step of laminating said
panels to said recessed areas of said carcass includes bonding
using adhesives.
21. The method of claim 14, wherein an outer surface of said panels
is flush with an outer surface of said raised areas of said
carcass.
22. A football comprising: an inflatable bladder; a layer of wound
filament fibers surrounding said inflatable bladder; a carcass
surrounding said layer of wound filament fibers, said carcass
including raised areas and recessed areas and a plurality of panels
positioned within said recessed areas of said carcass, such that an
outer surface of said plurality of panels is flush with an outer
surface of said raised surface of said carcass; wherein said raised
areas of said carcass are greater than 0.25 inch wide.
23. The football of claim 22, wherein said raised areas of said
carcass are greater than 0.5 inch wide.
24. The football of claim 23, wherein said raised areas of said
carcass are greater than 1.0 inch wide.
25. The football of claim 23, wherein said raised areas of said
carcass are greater than 1.5 inches wide
26. The football of claim 23, wherein said raised areas of said
carcass are molded to include a pebbled outer surface.
27. The football of claim 23, wherein said raised areas of said
carcass are molded to include the appearance of stitching.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to a football and a
method for manufacturing a football.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Footballs are generally made by sewing together panels of
synthetic or natural leather together leaving an unstitched portion
to insert an inflatable bladder. Once the bladder has been
inserted, the unstitched portion is pulled together and closed
using lacing, which also helps the user to throw the football.
Synthetic and natural leather gives footballs a desirable look and
feel. However, the material is particularly expensive and the
process is labor-intensive in that each panel must be sewn
together. In other words, footballs made with natural or synthetic
leather materials by this method are particularly expensive. Also,
due to the variances in sewing and in the synthetic of natural
leather, often footballs do not have a consistent appearance, shape
or feel from one to another. Additionally, stitched footballs are
not sufficiently waterproof, since water may seep through the
stitched areas of the football and/or penetrate the leather
surface, even when water proof treatments are applied thereto.
[0003] In order to correct the problem of consistency, a football
has been made which includes techniques generally used for making
basketballs. In this type of football 100, a cross section of
which, for example, is shown in FIG. 1, an inflatable bladder 102
is covered first with a wound filament layer 104 and then with a
thermoplastic rubber carcass 106. Synthetic or natural leather
panels 108 are then laminated to and over the thermoplastic rubber
carcass, leaving a rim 107 of carcass exposed and slightly recessed
between each panel 108. In basketballs, the exposed rim forms the
traditional channels on a basketball, which are about 0.25 inch
wide. In a football, however, the exposed rims form the same about
0.25 inch wide channels between panels 108, which are
uncharacteristic of a conventional sewn football. As such, football
100 does not have the appearance of a conventional football,
complete with the appropriate stitching. Football 100 also uses
synthetic or natural leather over all but the very small rim 107
around the football, maintaining the undesirable costs of the
conventional football.
[0004] In another method for making game balls, exterior synthetic
or natural leather panels are not used. Instead, an exterior
thermoplastic rubber carcass is molded to form pebbles all over the
ball in order that the ball have a texture that is similar to that
of synthetic or natural rubber. However, a football made from this
practice does not provide a particular area in order to sew laces
thereto, similar to the laces of a conventional football, since
there is no fabric component. Any ornamental lacing must be
attached to the exterior of the football, which provides an
unsatisfactory look and feel to the laces. Further, a football made
from this process does not have the superior look and feel provided
by a natural or synthetic leather covering.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] Further embodiments, features, and advantages of the present
invention, as well as the structure and operation of the various
embodiments of the present invention, are described in detail below
with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0006] In one embodiment, a football includes an inflatable
bladder; a layer of wound filament fibers surrounding the
inflatable bladder; a carcass surrounding the layer of wound
filament fibers, including raised areas and recessed areas and a
plurality of panels positioned within the recessed areas of the
carcass. An outer surface of the plurality of panels is flush with
an outer surface of the raised areas of the carcass. The outer
surface of the raised areas of the carcass includes the appearance
of at least one of stitching, seams and a pebbled outer
surface.
[0007] In another embodiment of the present invention, a method of
manufacturing a football includes a first step of providing an
inflatable bladder. Filament fibers are wound around the bladder. A
carcass is molded around the filament fibers. The molding of the
carcass includes forming recessed areas, raised areas and the
appearance of at least one of seams, stitching and a pebbled
surface on the raised areas. Panels are then laminated to the
recessed areas of the carcass.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS/FIGURES
[0008] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and
form a part of the specification, illustrate the present invention
and, together with the description, further serve to explain the
principles of the invention and to enable a person skilled in the
pertinent art to make and use the invention.
[0009] FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a game ball.
[0010] FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a football of the present
invention.
[0011] FIG. 3 is a side plan view of a football of the present
invention.
[0012] FIG. 4 is an end view of the football of FIG. 3.
[0013] FIG. 5 is a side plan view of another embodiment of a
football of the present invention.
[0014] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the football of FIG. 5.
[0015] FIG. 7 is an end view of the football of FIG. 5.
[0016] FIG. 8 is a top plan view of another embodiment of a
football of the present invention.
[0017] FIG. 9 is a bottom plan view of the football of FIG. 8.
[0018] FIG. 10 is a side plan view of the football of FIG. 8.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0019] The present invention will be described with reference to
the accompanying drawings. The drawing in which an element first
appears is typically indicated by the leftmost digit(s) in the
corresponding reference number.
[0020] A football 200 of the present invention is shown in FIG. 2.
The football includes a bladder 202. Bladder 202 is surrounded by a
wound filament layer 204, which is surrounded by an impregnated
with a carcass 206. Carcass 206 consists of substantial raised
areas 210 and recessed areas 212. Football 200 also includes panels
208, which are disposed within the recessed areas 212 of carcass
206.
[0021] Bladder 202, when inflated provides support to the football
and provides the bounce when the football contacts the ground.
Bladder 202 may be made from any material suitable for a bladder of
a game ball. For example, bladder 202 may be made from butyl
rubber, polyurethane, latex or a butyl and natural rubber compound,
with better air retention as the percentage of butyl rubber over
natural rubber increases. Preferably bladder 202 is oval- or
egg-shaped to generally correspond to the shape of the finished
football.
[0022] Filament layer 204 helps bladder 202 retain the correct
shape when inflated. Filament layer 204 may be any filament
suitable for a winding around a bladder of a game ball. For
example, the filament layer may be made from nylon, or a
nylon/polyester blend threads or fibers which are wound repeatedly
around bladder 202.
[0023] Carcass 206 is made from a moldable rubber sheet, which is
placed around filament layer 204. For example, the rubber sheet may
be synthetic rubber, natural rubber, sponge rubber, a combination
thereof or any other moldable rubber suitable for use as a carcass
in game balls. The carcass is then molded into the desired football
shape with raised areas 210 and recesses 212. Recesses 212 have a
generally smooth outer surface 212a. Meanwhile, raised areas 210
are also molded such that an outer surface 210a of raised areas 210
forms a pebbled surface, which matches the pebbled outer surface
208a of the natural or synthetic leather panels 208. Also, raised
areas 210 are molded to include seams 214 and the appearance of
stitching 324 along seams 214, which is shown more clearly in
examples provided herein: football 300 shown in FIGS. 3-4, football
500 shown in FIGS. 5-7 and football 800 shown in FIGS. 8-10.
[0024] Carcass 206 is molded by placing the football into a mold
and applying heat to the thermoplastic rubber material. Outer
surfaces 210a and 212a of carcass 206 conform to the mold as
discussed above, while the inner surface 206b of the carcass 206 is
pressed into and becomes embedded within the filament layer 204 to
bind carcass 206 in place.
[0025] Panels 208 are die cut into the preferred shape, and include
holes for laces 320. Once the carcass 206 has been molded, panels
208 made from natural or synthetic leather are laminated to
recessed areas 212 of carcass 206, everywhere except directly under
laces 320. In this area, a tongue (not shown) is positioned between
panel 208 and recessed area 212 of carcass 206. The tongue is
includes so that when the panel material is laced, the needle used
to lace the football does not puncture the carcass 206. The tongue
may be any material sufficient to create a barrier to avoid
piercing carcass 206 during lacing, for example, a small piece of a
hard thermoformed plastic or cotton/polyester blend padding. Once
panels 208 are laminated to carcass 206, laces 320 are laced
through panel 208 as shown in the examples of FIGS. 3-8 and 10.
Laces 320 may be a thin strap of a synthetic or natural leather
material, such as a strap of rawhide.
[0026] In one embodiment, panels 208 are laminated to recessed
areas 212 of carcass 206 by adhesive bonding. However, other
laminating techniques used to manufacture game balls may be used to
attach panels 208 to recessed areas 212 of carcass 206. Preferably,
recessed areas 212 are recessed only the thickness of panel 208,
such that the outer surface 208a of panel 208 is flush with outer
surface 210a of raised area 210.
[0027] Panels 208 provide a natural feel to the surface of football
200. Synthetic leathers may be any conventional synthetic leathers,
such as those composite materials made from polyurethane (PU) or
polyvinylchloride (PVC). Panels 208 may be embossed, for example
with a logo 322 or other information such as that shown in FIGS. 3,
5-6 and 8-10, prior to being laminated to carcass 206.
[0028] FIGS. 3-4 illustrate a finished football 300 according to
the present invention. FIGS. 5-10 are photographs showing examples
of footballs 500 and 800, respectively, formed from the method
discussed above. Since raised areas 210 of carcass 206 cover a
substantial area of the football, less of the expensive synthetic
or natural leather material is necessary and decreasing the costs
of the ball. Further, carcass 206 provides that each football 300
has a consistent shape and is waterproof. The molded outer surface
210a of raised area 210 of carcass 206 give the football 300 the
appearance of a conventional stitched football, including the
appearance of seams, stitching and the pebbled surface similar to
that of the surface of the natural or synthetic leather panels
208.
[0029] Another advantage of having a substantial portion of the
exterior of a football be a raised area 210 of carcass 206 is that
the moldable rubber material of carcass 206 may easily be changed
at the exact point of manufacturing football 300. The materials
used to make panels 208 may also be dyed or changed, as shown in
football 800 of FIGS. 8-10, but the colors must be selected and
ordered from the supplier of the panel material prior to the point
of manufacturing football 800. Thus, fast color changes and a
variety of color options for carcass 206 are available when raised
areas 210 of carcass 206 constitute substantial portions of the
exterior of football 800.
[0030] In other embodiments, for example as seen football 800 of
FIG. 10, raised areas 210 of carcass 206 may be any shape or size
and may constitute any portion of the exterior of a football 500
provided that at least some recessed areas 212 are provide such
that panels 208 may be laminated thereto, particularly in the area
where laces 320 would be appropriate on a football of the present
invention. For example, in one embodiment, the raised areas 210 are
larger than the about 0.25 inch wide channels in conventional game
balls. In further embodiments, the raised area 210 of carcass 206
may have at least a width of about 0.5 inch, 1.0 inch, 1.5 inch or
even larger between panels. Thus, another advantage of the present
invention is that the dimensions of the raised area 210 of the
carcass 206 are variable merely by changing the design of the mold.
Although in a preferred embodiment, the raised areas 210 of carcass
206 are formed with pebbles, raised areas 210, for example greater
than 0.25 inch wide or wider areas, may also be unpebbled to
provide for a unique football appearance.
[0031] While various embodiments of the present invention have been
described above, it should be understood that they have been
presented by way of example only, and not limitation. It will be
apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art that various
changes in form and detail can be made therein without departing
from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the breadth and
scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the
above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only
in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.
* * * * *