U.S. patent application number 12/694020 was filed with the patent office on 2011-07-28 for inflatable ball.
Invention is credited to Chuan-Hsin LO.
Application Number | 20110183791 12/694020 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 44486093 |
Filed Date | 2011-07-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110183791 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
LO; Chuan-Hsin |
July 28, 2011 |
INFLATABLE BALL
Abstract
An inflatable ball includes an outer cover defining a confining
chamber therein, a bladder unit disposed in the confining chamber,
and a valve unit connected to the bladder unit. The bladder unit
includes an outer bladder defining an accommodation chamber, an
inner bladder disposed in the accommodation chamber and defining an
inflating space, and a winding thread layer disposed in the
accommodation chamber and covering an outer surrounding surface of
the inner bladder. The outer bladder has a first elongation
percentage. The inner bladder has a second elongation percentage
greater than the first elongation percentage of the outer bladder.
The winding thread layer has a third elongation percentage less
than the first elongation percentage of the outer bladder. The
bladder unit can be deflated and inflated.
Inventors: |
LO; Chuan-Hsin; (Hua-Lien
Hsien, TW) |
Family ID: |
44486093 |
Appl. No.: |
12/694020 |
Filed: |
January 26, 2010 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
473/605 ;
473/610 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 41/02 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
473/605 ;
473/610 |
International
Class: |
A63B 41/02 20060101
A63B041/02; A63B 41/04 20060101 A63B041/04 |
Claims
1. An inflatable ball comprising: an outer cover defining a
confining chamber therein and formed with a through-hole; a bladder
unit disposed in said confining chamber and including an outer
bladder that defines an accommodation chamber and that is formed
with a through-hole registered with said through-hole of said outer
cover, an inner bladder that is disposed in said accommodation
chamber, that defines an inflating space, and that is formed with a
through-hole registered with said through-hole of said outer
bladder, said inner bladder having an inner surrounding surface
that confronts said inflating space, and an outer surrounding
surface that is opposite to said inner surrounding surface, and a
winding thread layer that is disposed in said accommodation chamber
and that covers said outer surrounding surface of said inner
bladder; wherein said outer bladder has a first elongation
percentage, said inner bladder has a second elongation percentage
greater than the first elongation percentage of said outer bladder,
and said winding thread layer has a third elongation percentage
less than the first elongation percentage of said outer bladder;
wherein said bladder unit is operable between a deflated state,
where said outer bladder and said winding thread layer
cooperatively define a gap therebetween, and an inflated state,
where said winding thread layer abuts against said outer bladder;
and a valve unit connected to said bladder unit at a position
corresponding to said through-hole of said outer bladder and said
through-hole of said outer cover.
2. The inflatable ball as claimed in claim 1, wherein said valve
unit has a portion extending outwardly through said through-hole of
said outer cover, and an opposite portion extending inwardly into
said inflating space through said through-hole of said outer
bladder, said winding thread layer, and said through-hole of said
inner bladder.
3. The inflatable ball as claimed in claim 1, wherein said outer
bladder is made from a material selected from the group consisting
of thermoplastic polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, and
ethylene-vinyl acetate.
4. The inflatable ball as claimed in claim 1, wherein said outer
bladder is made from a material selected from the group consisting
of natural rubber, artificial rubber, and latex.
5. The inflatable ball as claimed in claim 1, wherein said inner
bladder is made from a material selected from the group consisting
of thermoplastic polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, and
ethylene-vinyl acetate.
6. The inflatable ball as claimed in claim 1, wherein said inner
bladder is made from a material selected from the group consisting
of natural rubber, artificial rubber, and latex.
7. The inflatable ball as claimed in claim 1, wherein: said outer
bladder has an internal surrounding surface facing said winding
thread layer, and an external surrounding surface disposed radially
opposite to said internal surrounding surface; and said valve unit
includes a hollow valve-supporting seat having a rim portion that
is mounted to one of said inner surrounding surface of said inner
bladder and said winding thread layer, and a base portion that
extends radially and inwardly from said rim portion of said
valve-supporting seat, and that defines a retaining space in
spatial communication with said inflating space, a hollow
valve-retaining member having a rim portion that is mounted to one
of said internal and external surrounding surfaces of said outer
bladder, and a base portion that extends radially and inwardly from
said rim portion of said valve-retaining member, that extends
fittingly into said retaining space in said base portion of said
valve-supporting seat, and that defines a retaining groove in
spatial communication with said retaining space, and a slit-type
valve having an outer valve portion that extends radially and
outwardly through said through-hole of said outer cover, and an
inner valve portion that extends radially, inwardly, and fittingly
into said retaining groove in said valve-retaining member through
said through-hole of said outer bladder, said winding thread layer,
and said through-hole of said inner bladder, said slit-type valve
being formed with a vent hole that extends radially through said
outer and inner valve portions thereof, and that is in spatial
communication with said retaining groove.
8. The inflatable ball as claimed in claim 7, wherein said
retaining space of said valve-supporting seat has an annular
section, said base portion of said valve-retaining member having a
shoulder that is fitted into said annular section of said retaining
space of said valve-supporting seat and that defines an annular
part of said retaining groove thereof, said slit-type valve having
an annular protrusion that is received fittingly in said annular
part of said retaining groove of said valve-retaining member.
9. The inflatable ball as claimed in claim 7, wherein said
valve-supporting seat is made from a material the same as the
material of said inner bladder.
10. The inflatable ball as claimed in claim 7, wherein said
valve-supporting seat is made from a material different from the
material of said inner bladder.
11. The inflatable ball as claimed in claim 7, wherein said
valve-retaining member is made from a material the same as the
material of said outer bladder.
12. The inflatable ball as claimed in claim 7, wherein said
valve-retaining member is made from a material different from the
material of said outer bladder.
13. The inflatable ball as claimed in claim 7, wherein said
slit-type valve is made from rubber.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] This invention relates to a ball, more particularly to an
inflatable ball.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional inflatable ball includes
an outer cover 1, a rubber bladder layer 2 that is disposed in the
outer cover 1, and a valve unit 3 that is provided on the rubber
bladder layer 2, and that extends through the rubber bladder layer
2 and the outer cover 1. The valve unit 3 includes a base portion
301 that is connected fixedly to an inner surface of the rubber
bladder layer 2, and a valve portion 302 that is inserted in the
base portion 301. Consequently, when the rubber bladder layer 2 is
inflated by pumping air into an internal space defined by the
rubber bladder layer 2 through the valve unit 3, the inflatable
ball can be used.
[0005] However, the conventional inflatable ball has the following
disadvantages. Since the rubber bladder layer 2 is made by
vulcanizing a rubber material, the rubber bladder layer 2 may be
over-inflated. Therefore, the inflatable ball may tend to lose a
desired shape thereof. Furthermore, the rubber bladder layer 2 is
made from a single layer of rubber such that a leakage problem is
likely to occur. In addition, since the base portion 301 of the
valve unit 3 is made from an elastic rubber material, the valve
portion 302 may be moved through the base portion 301 and thus
falls into the internal space defined by the rubber bladder layer 2
when being inserted into the base portion 301.
[0006] Referring to FIG. 2, another conventional inflatable ball
includes an outer cover 1 that is made by sewing a plurality of
leather materials, a bladder unit 4 that is disposed in the outer
cover 1, and a valve unit 3 that is provided on the bladder unit 4,
and that extends through the bladder unit 4 and the outer cover 1.
The bladder unit 4 includes a rubber layer 401 and a winding thread
layer 402 that surrounds the rubber layer 401. The winding thread
layer 402 is made from a plurality of threads and is able to
prevent the rubber layer 401 from being over-inflated.
[0007] Nevertheless, the conventional inflatable ball shown in FIG.
2 has the following drawbacks. Sine the winding thread layer 402 is
bonded to the rubber layer 401 via an adhesive, the outer cover 1
may contact the adhesive on the winding thread layer 402 such that
the outer cover 1 may become yellowish. Accordingly, the physical
appearance of the inflatable ball may be negatively influenced.
Moreover, when the bladder unit 4 is inflated, the threads of the
winding thread layer 402 may be embedded into seams of the leather
materials of the outer cover 1, thereby adversely affecting ease of
inflation of the rubber layer 401. As a result, a force is required
to be exerted on the outer cover 1 for adjusting the same during
inflation so as to prevent the threads from being embedded in the
seams of the leather materials of the outer cover 1. Besides, the
winding thread layer 402 may absorb liquid (e.g., water and sweat)
penetrating the outer cover 1 such that a weight of the inflatable
ball is likely to vary.
[0008] Referring to FIG. 3, yet another conventional inflatable
ball (disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,517,294 B2) includes an outer
cover 1, a bladder unit 5 that is disposed in the outer cover 1,
and a valve unit 3 that is provided on the bladder unit 5, and that
extends through the bladder unit 5 and the outer cover 1. The
bladder unit 5 includes an inner bladder 501 that is made from a
rubber material, and an outer bladder 502 that is made from
thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and that has an elongation
percentage smaller than that of the inner bladder 501. When the
bladder unit 5 is inflated, the outer bladder 502 is able to limit
inflation of the inner bladder 501 and hence prevents the same from
being over-inflated.
[0009] The outer bladder 502 of this conventional inflatable ball
illustrated in FIG. 3 is able to replace the winding thread layer
402 of the conventional inflatable ball illustrated in FIG. 2 in
terms of the aforementioned drawbacks of the winding thread layer
402. Nonetheless, strength of the outer bladder 502 is generally
weaker than that of the winding thread layer 402. Thus, impact
strength of the inflatable ball illustrated in FIG. 3 is required
to be enhanced for meeting a requirement of an official
organization (e.g., FIFA) for official match balls. A plurality of
reinforcing fabric layers (not shown) that have high tensile
strength can be attached to an inner surface of the outer cover 1,
but may increase cost of production.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] The object of the present invention is to provide an
inflatable ball that can overcome the aforesaid drawbacks of the
prior arts.
[0011] According to this invention, an inflatable ball includes an
outer cover, a bladder unit, and a valve unit. The outer cover
defines a confining chamber therein and is formed with a
through-hole. The bladder unit is disposed in the confining
chamber, and includes an outer bladder, an inner bladder, and a
winding thread layer. The outer bladder defines an accommodation
chamber and is formed with a through-hole registered with the
through-hole of the outer cover. The inner bladder is disposed in
the accommodation chamber, defines an inflating space, and is
formed with a through-hole registered with the through-hole of the
outer bladder. The inner bladder has an inner surrounding surface
that confronts the inflating space, and an outer surrounding
surface that is opposite to the inner surrounding surface. The
winding thread layer is disposed in the accommodation chamber and
covers the outer surrounding surface of the inner bladder. The
outer bladder has a first elongation percentage. The inner bladder
has a second elongation percentage greater than the first
elongation percentage of the outer bladder. The winding thread
layer has a third elongation percentage less than the first
elongation percentage of the outer bladder. The bladder unit is
operable between a deflated state, where the outer bladder and the
winding thread layer cooperatively define a gap therebetween, and
an inflated state, where the winding thread layer abuts against the
outer bladder. The valve unit is connected to the bladder unit at a
position corresponding to the through-hole of the outer bladder and
the through-hole of the outer cover.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] Other features and advantages of the present invention will
become apparent in the following detailed description of the
preferred embodiment of this invention, with reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which:
[0013] FIG. 1 is a fragmentary partly sectional view of a
conventional inflatable ball;
[0014] FIG. 2 is a fragmentary partly sectional view of another
conventional inflatable ball;
[0015] FIG. 3 is a sectional view of yet another conventional
inflatable ball;
[0016] FIG. 4 is a sectional view to illustrate the preferred
embodiment of an inflatable ball at a deflated state according to
this invention;
[0017] FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the
preferred embodiment; and
[0018] FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 4, but illustrating the
preferred embodiment at an inflated state.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0019] Referring to FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, the preferred embodiment of
an inflatable ball according to the present invention includes an
outer cover 10, a bladder unit 20, and a valve unit 30.
[0020] The outer cover 10 defines a confining chamber 13 therein
and is formed with a through-hole 12. In this embodiment, the outer
cover 10 is made by sewing pieces of leather materials.
[0021] The bladder unit 20 is disposed in the confining chamber 13
and includes an outer bladder 21, an inner bladder 22, and a
winding thread layer 23.
[0022] The outer bladder 21 defines an accommodation chamber 24,
and has an internal surrounding surface 213 that faces the
accommodation chamber 24, an external surrounding surface 214 that
is disposed radially opposite to the internal surrounding surface
213, and a hole-defining portion 211 that is formed with a
through-hole 212 registered with the through-hole 12 of the outer
cover 10. The inner bladder 22 is disposed in the accommodation
chamber 24, defines an inflating space 25, and has an inner
surrounding surface 223 that confronts the inflating space 25, an
outer surrounding surface 224 that is opposite to the inner
surrounding surface 223, and a hole-defining portion 221 that is
formed with a through-hole 222 registered with the through-hole 212
of the outer bladder 21. The hole-defining portion 221 of the inner
bladder 22 is connected to the hole-defining portion 211 of the
outer bladder 21. The outer bladder 21 has a first elongation
percentage, and the inner bladder 22 has a second elongation
percentage that is greater than the first elongation percentage of
the outer bladder 21.
[0023] The outer bladder 21 is made from a material selected from
the group consisting of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), polyvinyl
chloride (PVC), ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), natural rubber,
artificial rubber, and latex. The inner bladder 22 is made from a
material selected from the group consisting of TPU, PVC, EVA,
natural rubber, artificial rubber, and latex. The materials for the
outer and inner bladders 21,22 can be chosen based on actual
requirements as long as the second elongation percentage of the
inner bladder 22 is greater than the first elongation percentage of
the outer bladder 21. In this embodiment, the outer bladder 21 is
made from a plurality of TPU pieces joined together using high
frequency or ultrasonic welding techniques. The inner bladder 22 in
this embodiment is made from vulcanized rubber. It should be noted
that the inner bladder 22 could be made from a plurality of pieces
(e.g., TPU pieces, PVC pieces, or EVA pieces) joined together using
high frequency or ultrasonic welding techniques in other
embodiments.
[0024] The winding thread layer 23 is disposed in the accommodation
chamber 24 and covers the outer surrounding surface 224 of the
inner bladder 22. In this embodiment, the winding thread layer 23
is made from a plurality of threads and has a third elongation
percentage that is less than the first elongation percentage of the
outer bladder 21. The winding thread layer 23 is bonded to the
outer surrounding surface 224 of the inner bladder 22 via an
adhesive.
[0025] The bladder unit 20 is operable between a deflated state
(see FIG. 4), where the winding thread layer 23 and the internal
surrounding surface 213 of the outer bladder 21 cooperatively
define a gap 26 therebetween, and an inflated state (see FIG. 6),
where the winding thread layer 23 abuts against the internal
surrounding surface 213 of the outer bladder 21.
[0026] The valve unit 30 is connected to the bladder unit 20 and
has a portion that extends outwardly through the through-hole 12 of
the outer cover 10, and an opposite portion that extends inwardly
into the inflating space 25 through the through-hole 212 of the
outer bladder 21, the winding thread layer 23, and the through-hole
222 of the inner bladder 22. The valve unit 30 includes a hollow
valve-supporting seat 31 that is connected to the hole-defining
portion 221 of the inner bladder 22, a hollow valve-retaining
member 32 that is connected to the hole-defining portion 211 of the
outer bladder 21, and a slit-type valve 33 that is disposed in the
valve-retaining member 32.
[0027] The valve-supporting seat 31 has a rim portion 311 that is
mounted to the inner surrounding surface 223 of the inner bladder
22, and a base portion 312 that extends radially and inwardly from
the rim portion 311 of the valve-supporting seat 31, and that
defines a retaining space 313 in spatial communication with the
inflating space 25. The retaining space 313 has an annular section
314 that has a radius larger than that of the other portion of the
retaining space 313. It should be noted that the rim portion 311 of
the valve-supporting seat 31 could be mounted to the winding thread
layer 23 in other embodiments.
[0028] The valve-retaining member 32 has a rim portion 321 that is
mounted to the external surrounding surface 214 of the outer
bladder 21, and a base portion 322 that extends radially and
inwardly from the rim portion 321 of the valve-retaining member 32,
that extends fittingly into the retaining space 313 in the base
portion 312 of the valve-supporting seat 31 through the
through-hole 212 of the outer bladder 21, the winding thread layer
23, and the through-hole 222 of the inner bladder 22, and that
defines a retaining groove 323 in spatial communication with the
retaining space 313. The base portion 322 of the valve-retaining
member 32 has a shoulder 324 that is fitted into the annular
section 314 of the retaining space 313 of the valve-supporting seat
31 and that defines an annular part 325 of the retaining groove 323
thereof. It should be noted that the rim portion 321 of the
valve-retaining member 32 could be mounted to the internal
surrounding surface 213 of the outer bladder 21 in other
embodiments.
[0029] The slit-type valve 33 has an outer valve portion 331 that
extends radially and outwardly through the through-hole 12 of the
outer cover 10, and an inner valve portion 332 that extends
radially, inwardly, and fittingly into the retaining groove 323 in
the valve-retaining member 32 through the through-hole 212 of the
outer bladder 21, the winding thread layer 23, and the through-hole
222 of the inner bladder 22. The inner valve portion 332 has an
annular protrusion 334 that is received fittingly in the annular
part 325 of the retaining groove 323 of the valve-retaining member
32. The slit-type valve 33 is formed with a vent hole 333 that
extends radially through the outer and inner valve portions 331,332
thereof, and that is in spatial communication with the retaining
groove 323. Therefore, air can be pumped into the inflating space
25 through the valve unit 3 so as to move the bladder unit 20 to
the inflated state.
[0030] In this embodiment, the valve-supporting seat 31 is made
from a material the same as the material of the inner bladder 22.
The valve-retaining member 32 is made from a material the same as
the material of the outer bladder 21, and is secured to the outer
bladder 21 by virtue of high frequency or ultrasonic welding
techniques. The slit-type valve 33 is made from rubber. It should
be noted that the valve-supporting seat 31 could be made from a
material different from the material of the inner bladder 22 in
other embodiments as long as the valve-supporting seat 31 could be
connected to the inner bladder 22, and that the valve-retaining
member 32 could be made from a material different from the material
of the outer bladder 21 in other embodiments as long as the
valve-retaining member 32 could be connected to the outer bladder
21.
[0031] Some of the advantages of the inflatable ball of this
invention are as follows:
[0032] 1. Since the first elongation percentage of the outer
bladder 21 is smaller than the second elongation percentage of the
inner bladder 22, and the third elongation percentage of the
winding thread layer 23 is smaller than the first elongation
percentage of the outer bladder 21, both of the outer bladder 21
and the winding thread layer 23 are able to limit the inner bladder
22 and prevent the same from over-inflation. Therefore, the outer
bladder 21 and the winding thread layer 23 are capable of
maintaining the inner bladder 22 at a desired size and a desired
shape. The outer cover 10 can be further prevented from being
improperly deformed. Besides, when the bladder unit 20 is at the
inflated state, pressure exerted on the outer cover 10 by the
bladder unit 20 can be controlled such that sewing threads of the
outer cover 10 are not damaged by the pressure exerted by the
bladder unit 20. The inflatable ball can be hence made by means of
machine sewing threads or hand sewing threads.
[0033] 2. Compared to the conventional inflatable ball of U.S. Pat.
No. 7,517,294 B2, the disposition of the winding thread layer 23
effectively enhances the strength of the bladder unit 20, thereby
meeting an impact strength requirement of an official organization
such as FIFA. Therefore, reinforcing fabric layers that have high
tensile strength are not necessary to be attached to an inner
surface of the outer cover 10.
[0034] 3. The outer bladder 21 is disposed between the winding
thread layer 23 and the outer cover 10, and is hence able to
prevent the outer cover 10 from contacting the adhesive on the
winding thread layer 23. Accordingly, the outer cover 10 is
prevented from becoming yellowish, and a good physical appearance
of the inflatable ball is sustained. Moreover, the outer bladder 21
is capable of preventing the threads of the winding thread layer 23
from being embedded in seams of the leather materials of the outer
cover 10 such that the bladder unit 20 can be smoothly inflated.
The outer bladder 21 can also prevent the winding thread layer 23
from absorbing liquid penetrating the outer cover 10, thereby
maintaining a weight of the inflatable ball.
[0035] 4. The outer bladder 21 and the valve unit 30 cooperate to
seal the inner bladder 22 so that the inner bladder 22 has better
gas-tightness compared to the conventional rubber bladder layer 2
(see FIG. 1) and the conventional bladder unit 4 (see FIG. 2).
Leakage is unlikely to happen.
[0036] 5. Since the valve-retaining member 32 in this embodiment is
made from a TPU material that is not easily elastically deformable
compared to a rubber material, and the annular protrusion 334 of
the slit-type valve 33 is received fittingly in the annular part
325 of the retaining groove 323 of the valve-retaining member 32,
falling of the slit-type valve 33 into the inflating space 25 of
the inner bladder 22 can be avoided.
[0037] 6. The outer bladder 21 and the winding thread layer 23 are
able to protect the inner bladder 22, thereby enhancing the
durability of the bladder unit 20.
[0038] 7. By choosing different materials for the outer bladder 21,
the inflatable ball can be formed to have a desired thickness and a
desired hardness. Consequently, the inflatable ball of this
invention can be embodied as an inflatable sports ball such as a
soccer ball, a volleyball, a basketball, a rugby ball, etc.
[0039] While the present invention has been described in connection
with what is considered the most practical and preferred
embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to
the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various
arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest
interpretation and equivalent arrangements.
* * * * *