U.S. patent application number 11/831965 was filed with the patent office on 2008-01-24 for structure of softball.
Invention is credited to JOHN F. FURLONG, YAO-JEN HUANG.
Application Number | 20080020874 11/831965 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46329103 |
Filed Date | 2008-01-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080020874 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
HUANG; YAO-JEN ; et
al. |
January 24, 2008 |
STRUCTURE OF SOFTBALL
Abstract
A softball includes a core, a separation layer, and a cover. The
core is made of polyurethane that has high compression
displacement. The separation layer is formed by wrapping, in a
laminated manner, yarns around the core and soaking the wrapping
yarns in adhesives. The cover is made of soft skin and includes a
buffering layer formed on an inside surface thereof. When the
durability of the softball is improved by increasing the
compression displacement of the core, the buffering layer provided
on the inside surface of the cover provides counterbalance of the
overall compression displacement of the softball in order to meet
the requirement of the softball specifications. The separation
layer that is arranged between the core and the cover and is formed
by wrapping the yarns in a laminated manner around the core,
followed by soaking the yarns in adhesives so that the separation
layer features waterproofness and resistance against humidity, by
which invasion of water or humidity into the core, which leads to
change of the compression displacement of the softball and
eventually causes failure/damage of the softball, can be prevented.
Thus, the durability and performance of the softball can be
enhanced.
Inventors: |
HUANG; YAO-JEN; (Kaohsiung
City, TW) ; FURLONG; JOHN F.; (Sellersville,
PA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
LEONG C LEI
PMB # 1008
1867 YGNACIO VALLEY ROAD
WALNUT CREEK
CA
94598
US
|
Family ID: |
46329103 |
Appl. No.: |
11/831965 |
Filed: |
August 1, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
11327468 |
Jan 9, 2006 |
|
|
|
11831965 |
Aug 1, 2007 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
473/602 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 39/08 20130101;
A63B 37/02 20130101; A63B 37/00 20130101; A63B 2102/182
20151001 |
Class at
Publication: |
473/602 |
International
Class: |
A63B 37/02 20060101
A63B037/02 |
Claims
1. A softball comprising a core, a separation layer, and a cover,
the separation layer being arranged between the core and the cover,
the separation layer being formed by wrapping, in a laminated
manner, yarns around the core and soaking the wrapping yarns in
adhesives, a buffering layer made of soft material and formed on an
inside surface of the cover, whereby the core is allowed to make
with high compression displacement.
2. The softball as claimed in claim 1, wherein the core is made of
polyurethane.
3. The softball as claimed in claim 1, wherein the yarns are formed
of polyester fibers.
4. The softball as claimed in claim 1, wherein the separation layer
and the core are tightly fixed together.
5. The softball as claimed in claim 1, wherein the separation layer
and the cover that is provided with the buffering layer are tightly
fixed together.
6. The softball as claimed in claim 1, wherein the buffering layer
is made of a material selected from a group consisting of rubber,
polyurethane, polyethylene, and ethylene vinyl acetate.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE
[0001] This is a continuation-in-part of the co-pending patent
application Ser. No. 11/327,468, filed Jan. 9, 2006.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] (a) Technical Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a softball, and in
particular to a softball having a core that is protected against
humidity and that has enhanced durability.
[0004] (b) Description of the Prior Art
[0005] Once softballs meet the requirements of compression by all
softball associations they also must meet players acceptance. The
crack sound must be prominent when the player hits the ball off the
bat. If batted ball has a soft, mushy or thud sound it will not be
accepted by players.
[0006] A conventional softball that is currently used is shown in
FIG. 1 of the attached drawings and generally designated at 1,
comprising a core 11 and a cover 12. The core 11 is made of cork or
foamed substance, such as polyurethane (PU). The cover 12 comprises
a soft skin and is fixed to and wraps the core 11 by stitching to
form the softball 1. In different applications, the softball 1 must
satisfy different specifications, such as the specification
stipulated by ASA and USSSA. In respect of compression displacement
of the softball, it is required that the compression displacement
of the softball must be no higher than 375 lbs, 400 lbs, and 500
lbs, set in different specifications. To be sold in the market, all
the softballs must be manufactured to meet the specifications.
Since the softball 1 is comprised of a core 11 and a cover 12, in
respect of the requirement of 375 lbs compression displacement, the
softball 1 must be made in such a way that the core 11 can have a
compression displacement not greater than around 375 lbs in order
to prevent the overall compression displacement of the softball 1
become over-specification, disqualifying the ball. Under this
situation, when the ball 1 is put in use, the ball 1 is often
subjected to a hitting force greater than 375 lbs. Such a force is
transmitted through the cover 12 to the core 11, and leads to
damage of the core 11. When the core 11 is damaged, the ball 1 can
no longer be qualified for use. As a consequence of such a
situation, the conventional softball has a poor durability.
Further, when the softball 1 is used in a raining day or is put in
a high humidity environment, rain water or humidity will invades
into inside the softball 1 by penetrating through the cover 12,
making the core 11 wet. The core 11 is of high humidity absorption
so that the cover 11 will absorb a great amount of water, which
substantially increases the weight of the core 11 and reduces the
compression displacement and bouncing coefficient of the softball
11, thereby disqualifying the ball. Thus, a softball 1 with a
wetted core 11 is considered damaged and must be disposed of.
[0007] Besides the drawback of being wetted, the conventional
softball 1 cannot be deposited or stored in a high humidity
environment for water molecules or humidity will penetrate through
the cover 12 and invade into inside the softball 1, making the core
11 wetted. Again, the wetted core 11 makes the compression
displacement and bouncing coefficient of the softball 1
substantially reduced, and eventually turning the softball 1 into a
disqualified one. Thus, it is a major challenge of the softball
manufacturing industry to protect a softball from invasion and
damage caused by humidity and water.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The primary purpose of the present invention is to provide a
softball, which comprises a core, a separation layer, and a cover.
The core is made of polyurethane. The separation layer is formed by
wrapping, in a laminated manner, yarns around the core and soaking
the wrapping yarns in adhesives. The cover is made of soft skin.
The separation layer that is arranged between the core and the
cover and is formed by wrapping the yarns in a laminated manner
around the core, followed by soaking the yarns in adhesives so that
the separation layer features waterproofness and resistance against
humidity, by which invasion of water or humidity into the core,
which leads to change of the compression displacement of the
softball and eventually causes failure/damage of the softball, can
be prevented. Thus, the durability and performance of the softball
can be enhanced
[0009] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a
softball comprising a core, a separation layer and a cover. The
core is made of polyurethane that has high compression
displacement. The separation layer is formed by wrapping, in a
laminated manner, yarns around the core and soaking the wrapping
yarns in adhesives. The cover is made of soft skin and comprises a
buffering layer formed on an inside surface thereof. When the
durability of the softball is improved by increasing the
compression displacement of the core, the buffering layer provided
on the inside surface of the cover provides counterbalance of the
overall compression displacement of the softball in order to meet
the requirement of the softball specifications.
[0010] The foregoing object and summary provide only a brief
introduction to the present invention. To fully appreciate these
and other objects of the present invention as well as the invention
itself, all of which will become apparent to those skilled in the
art, the following detailed description of the invention and the
claims should be read in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings. Throughout the specification and drawings identical
reference numerals refer to identical or similar parts.
[0011] Many other advantages and features of the present invention
will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making
reference to the detailed description and the accompanying sheets
of drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment
incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by
way of illustrative example.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional
softball;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a perspective view, partially broken, of a
softball constructed in accordance with the present invention;
[0014] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a core and a separation
layer of the softball in accordance with the present invention;
and
[0015] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the softball in
accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0016] The following descriptions are of exemplary embodiments
only, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability or
configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the following
description provides a convenient illustration for implementing
exemplary embodiments of the invention. Various changes to the
described embodiments may be made in the function and arrangement
of the elements described without departing from the scope of the
invention as set forth in the appended claims.
[0017] With reference to the drawings and in particular to FIG.
2-4, a softball constructed in accordance with the present
invention, generally designated with reference numeral 2, comprises
a core 3, a separation layer 4, a cover 5 and a buffering layer 6
arranged on an inner surface of the cover 5.
[0018] The core 3 is made of polyurethane. This provides the core 3
with better performance of compression displacement and the
softball 2 can be made matching the specification of compression
displacement or exceeding the specification of the compression
displacement.
[0019] The separation layer 4 is formed on windings of yarns 41
wrapping around an outer circumference of the core 3 to provide a
layer of wrapping yarns of a desired thickness. The yarns 41 can be
made of polyester fibers, which help improving waterproofness of
the separation layer 4. The core 3 with the yarn layer can be
soaked in adhesives to completely fill gaps between the yarns with
the adhesives. The adhesiveness of the adhesives fixes the
separation layer 4 and the core 3 and the cover 5 tightly together
to thereby integrate the separation layer 4 and the core 3
together. Further, the adhesives that fill into the gaps between
the yarns provide the separation layer 4 with excellent
waterproofness. As such, the separation layer 4 functions to
protect the core 3 from being invaded by humidity or water.
[0020] The cover 5 can be made of natural leather, composite
leather, PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride) PU or other synthetic materials
and is stitched to surround the separation layer 4 and the core
3.
[0021] The buffering layer 6 is made of a soft material, such as
rubber, PU (polyurethane) foams, PE (polyethylene), and EVA, and is
arranged on an inner side of the cover 5. The thickness range of
the buffering layer 6 is 1 to 2 mm, preferably 1.5 mm. Further, the
buffering layer 6 preferably has a hardness of 40 Shore A.
[0022] To embody the present invention, polyurethane is subjected
to foaming to make the core 3, and this gives the core 3 a
compression displacement that meets the requirement of the
specifications, or the core 3 can be made exceeding the required
compression displacement. Polyester yarns are then wrapped around,
in a laminated manner, an outer circumference of the core 3. The
core 3 that is wrapped by the yarn layer is soaked in the adhesives
to form the separation layer 4 around the outer circumference of
the core 3. Finally, the cover 5 that is provided at an inner side
thereof with the buffering layer 6, is stitched to attach to an
outer surface of the separation layer 4, whereby the cover 5 wraps
the separation layer 4 and the core 3 therein to thereby complete
the manufacturing of the softball 2, which contains, from inside to
outside, the core 3, the separation layer 4, the buffering layer 6,
and the cover 5.
[0023] The softball 2 in accordance with the present invention at
least has the following advantages:
[0024] (1) The separation layer 4 is formed between the cover 5 and
the core 3. The separation layer 4 is made of wrapping yarns 41
soaked in adhesives and thus, has improved waterproofness.
Therefore, when the softball 2 of the present invention is put in a
high humidity environment, or when the softball 2 of the present
invention is put in contact with water or liquids, the separation
layers 41 functions to isolate the core 3 from the invasion of the
humidity or liquids, so that the life span of the softball 2 can be
extended and the performance enhanced. Further, since the
separation layer 4 is formed by soaking the wrapping yarns 41 in
the adhesives, the softball 2, upon hit, gives off a sharp sound.
This enhances the performance of the softball 2.
[0025] (2) The cover 5 is provided at the inner side thereof with
the buffering layer 6. This allows the core 3 to be made in an
over-specification manner. For example, when the specification
requirement for the softball is set to be 375 lbs, the core 3 in
accordance with the present invention can be made with a
compression displacement of 400 lbs. Or, in case that the overall
compression displacement of the softball is required to be 400 lbs,
the core 3 in accordance with the present invention can be made
with a compression displacement of 450 lbs. Although the core 3 in
accordance with the present invention is made over-specification
with higher compression displacement, the buffering layer 6
provides means of counterbalance by which the overall compression
displacement of the softball 2 can be eventually set to the desired
value. The increase of the compression displacement of the core 3
allows the softball 2 made in accordance with the present invention
durable. This is simply because that when the softball 2 is
subjected to a hitting pressure of 430 lbs, the core 3 that has a
higher compression displacement of 450 lbs can effectively take the
430 lbs hitting force without being damaged. Consequently, the
softball 2 of the present invention is more durable.
[0026] (3) The buffering layer 6 that is arranged on the inside
surface of the cover 5 allows the core 3 to be made in an
over-specification manner, and this not only improves the
durability of the softball 2 but also enhances the performance of
the softball 2 due to the increased compression displacement of the
core 3, which provides the core 3 with higher hardness, so that
when the softball 2 is hit, a sharp sound is given off and the
softball 2 flies a longer distance.
[0027] (4) The buffering layer 6 that is arranged on the inside
surface of the cover 5 provides cushioning between a high-speed
flying softball 2 and an individual when the softball 2 is thrown
or hit to move toward the individual, whereby damage to the person
by the flying softball 2 is alleviated and safety is enhanced.
[0028] Although the present invention has been described with
reference to the preferred embodiment thereof, it is apparent to
those skilled in the art that a variety of modifications and
changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present
invention which is intended to be defined by the appended
claims.
[0029] It will be understood that each of the elements described
above, or two or more together may also find a useful application
in other types of methods differing from the type described
above.
[0030] While certain novel features of this invention have been
shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claim, it is
not intended to be limited to the details above, since it will be
understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and
changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in
its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without
departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.
* * * * *