U.S. patent application number 13/227358 was filed with the patent office on 2012-03-08 for lacrosse ball resurfacer.
Invention is credited to Grayson Day Roze.
Application Number | 20120058715 13/227358 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45771071 |
Filed Date | 2012-03-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120058715 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Roze; Grayson Day |
March 8, 2012 |
LACROSSE BALL RESURFACER
Abstract
A lacrosse ball resurfacer is suitable for roughening a surface
of a lacrosse ball. The ball resurfacer includes a surfacing
element with a concave recess formed thereon. The recess is sized
to receive at least a portion of the lacrosse ball and has an
abrasive surface disposed thereon.
Inventors: |
Roze; Grayson Day; (Mercer
Island, WA) |
Family ID: |
45771071 |
Appl. No.: |
13/227358 |
Filed: |
September 7, 2011 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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61380491 |
Sep 7, 2010 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
451/50 ; 451/523;
451/540; 451/557 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 47/00 20130101;
B24B 11/10 20130101; B24B 45/00 20130101; B24D 9/00 20130101; A63B
2209/10 20130101; A63B 2102/14 20151001 |
Class at
Publication: |
451/50 ; 451/540;
451/557; 451/523 |
International
Class: |
A63B 47/00 20060101
A63B047/00; B24B 11/02 20060101 B24B011/02; B24B 1/00 20060101
B24B001/00 |
Claims
1. A lacrosse ball resurfacer for roughening a surface of a
lacrosse ball, the ball resurfacer comprising: (a) a surfacing
element; (b) a concave recess formed in the surfacing element, the
recess being sized to receive at least a portion of the lacrosse
ball; and (c) an abrasive surface disposed on the concave
recess.
2. The lacrosse ball resurfacer of claim 1, further comprising a
shank extending from the surfacing element.
3. The lacrosse ball resurfacer of claim 2, further comprising a
handle fixedly secured to the shank.
4. The lacrosse ball resurfacer of claim 2, wherein the shank is
sized and configured to be releasably secured to a drill chuck.
5. The lacrosse ball resurfacer of claim 1, wherein the surfacing
element is formed of a metallic substance.
6. The lacrosse ball resurfacer of claim 5, wherein the abrasive
surface is integrally formed on the surfacing element.
7. The lacrosse ball resurfacer of claim 1, wherein the abrasive
surface comprises an insert releasably secured to the surfacing
element.
8. The lacrosse ball resurfacer of claim 7, wherein the insert is
releasably secured to the surfacing element by one or more hook and
loop fasteners.
9. The lacrosse ball resurfacer of claim 7, wherein the insert
comprises a deformable material.
10. The lacrosse ball resurfacer of claim 9, wherein the insert
comprises a sandpaper disc.
11. The lacrosse ball resurfacer of claim 10, wherein the sandpaper
disc comprises a plurality of radial cutouts.
12. The lacrosse ball resurfacer of claim 1, wherein at least a
portion of the concave recess has a constant radius.
13. The lacrosse ball resurfacer of claim 12, wherein the constant
radius is approximately equal to a radius of the lacrosse ball.
14. A method of resurfacing a lacrosse ball, comprising: (a)
inserting at least of a portion of a lacrosse ball into a recess
formed in a surfacing apparatus, said recess being sized and shaped
to receive the at least a portion of a lacrosse ball and having an
abrasive surface disposed thereon; and (b) applying a force to the
ball to maintain contact between a surface of the lacrosse ball and
the abrasive surface; and (c) rotating the surfacing apparatus
relative to the ball to abrade the surface of the lacrosse ball.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application No. 61/380,491, filed Sep. 7, 2010, the disclosure of
which is expressly incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Over the past few years, the price of new lacrosse balls has
risen steadily. Today, the cost can be as high as nearly three
dollars per individual ball. Because these polymeric (rubber) balls
are a petroleum based product, the price is sure to continue its
upward trend. For lacrosse programs all around the country, one of
the major costs is balls. New lacrosse balls have a certain level
of "grip" to them that players demand. This grip makes the ball
more accurate, more predictable, and easier to use overall.
However, after a short period of time this grip wears off and the
balls become slippery ("greasy"), making them very frustrating and
difficult to use. The amount of control a player has over a
slippery ball is greatly diminished as compared to a new ball. This
diminished control affects both passing and shooting, two of the
most instrumental aspects of the game. For this reason, used,
slippery balls are undesirable and need to be replaced often,
making the sport very expensive for lacrosse programs and
individual players. In short, the problem is that lacrosse balls
are expensive and become nearly unusable fairly quickly, creating a
need for replacement that is not only frustrating, but also very
costly for many lacrosse programs around the country and throughout
the world.
SUMMARY
[0003] A disclosed embodiment of a lacrosse ball resurfacer is
suitable for roughening the surface of a lacrosse ball. The ball
resurfacer includes a surfacing element with a concave recess
formed thereon. The recess is sized to receive at least a portion
of the lacrosse ball. An abrasive surface is disposed on the
concave recess.
[0004] A method of resurfacing a lacrosse ball is also disclosed,
wherein the method includes inserting at least of a portion of a
lacrosse ball into a recess formed in a surfacing apparatus. The
recess is sized and shaped to receive at least a portion of a
lacrosse ball and has an abrasive surface disposed thereon. The
method further includes applying a force to the ball to maintain
contact between a surface of the lacrosse ball and the abrasive
surface and rotating the surfacing apparatus relative to the ball
to abrade the surface of the lacrosse ball.
[0005] This summary is provided to introduce a selection of
concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in
the Detailed Description. This summary is not intended to identify
key features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to
be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject
matter.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages
of this invention will become more readily appreciated as the same
become better understood by reference to the following detailed
description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings, wherein:
[0007] FIG. 1 shows an isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of
a ball resurfacer according to the present disclosure;
[0008] FIG. 2 shows an exploded isometric view of the ball
resurfacer shown in FIG. 1;
[0009] FIG. 3 shows a sectional side view of the ball resurfacer
shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 4 shows an isometric view of the ball
resurfacer shown in FIG. 1 in use;
[0010] FIG. 5 shows an isometric view of the ball resurfacer shown
in FIG. 1, being used in conjunction with a power drill; and
[0011] FIG. 6 shows an alternate embodiment of the ball resurfacer
shown in FIG. 1 that includes a replaceable insert.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] The presently disclosed ball resurfacer 20 is suitable for
applying a textured finish to polymeric athletic balls for which a
smooth surface is undesirable. More specifically, the disclosed
resurfacer 20 is suitable for abrading a smooth lacrosse ball
surface to exposed the "grippy" material beneath the surface,
thereby providing a rough surface to lacrosse balls that have
become "greasy," i.e., worn and smooth through use.
[0013] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the resurfacer 20 includes a
surfacing element 30. In the disclosed embodiment, the surfacing
element 30 has a generally cylindrical shape. Although the
surfacing element 30 is depicted as having a cylindrical shape, it
should be appreciated that the surfacing element 30 need not be
cylindrical, but can have any suitable shape. In this regard, the
surfacing element 30 can be square, hemispherical, frustoconical,
or any other suitable shape. Embodiments are also contemplated in
which the surfacing element 30 is ergonomically formed to be easily
gripped in the hands of a user. These and other shapes are
contemplated and should be considered within the scope of the
present disclosure.
[0014] The surfacing element has a hemispherical recess 32 formed
in one end thereof. The recess 32 is sized and configured to
receive a portion of a standard lacrosse ball. The radius of the
recess is approximately equal to the radius of a lacrosse ball. In
this regard, a preferred embodiment of the surfacing element will
include a recess with a radius in the range of approximately equal
to the radius of a lacrosse ball to 1/4'' greater than the radius
of a lacrosse ball. In the disclosed embodiment, the recess 32 has
a depth approximately equal to 1/3 of the diameter of a standard
lacrosse ball; however, it should be appreciated that the depth of
the recess can vary so that more or less of the lacrosse ball
surface can be received therein.
[0015] The recess 32 has an abrasive surface 34 formed thereon from
a suitable material, such as industrial diamond, for example. Other
embodiments are contemplated wherein the abrasive surface 34 is
cast, forged, or machined to be integral with the surfacing element
30. In this regard, any abrasive material suitable for resurfacing
a lacrosse ball may be used, and such materials should be
considered within the scope of the present disclosure.
[0016] Referring now to FIGS. 1-3, the surfacing element 30 is
detachably coupleable to one end of a fitting 40. In the disclosed
embodiment, the fitting 40 includes a threaded rod 42 extending
therefrom to engage a threaded hole 36 formed in the surfacing
element 30. It should be appreciated that the surfacing element 30
can be coupled to the fitting by any suitable means including
fasteners, adhesive, etc. In other contemplated embodiments, the
surfacing element 30 is integrally formed with the fitting 40.
Further, the illustrated shapes of the disclosed surfacing element
30 and fitting 40 are exemplary only and should not be considered
limiting. In this regard, fittings having other suitable forms can
be utilized.
[0017] The fitting 40 includes a shank 44 extending away from the
surfacing element 30. The shank 44 preferably has flats formed
thereon so that the shank can be secured within a standard 3/8'' or
1/2'' drill chuck. In one preferred embodiment, the shank 44 has a
hexagonal cross section sized similar to the shank of a
drill/driver bit used with a standard drill chuck. The shank 44 is
positioned so that the longitudinal axis of the shank is coaxial
with a central axis of the hemispherical recess 32. As a result,
rotation of the fitting 40 about the axis of the shank 44 rotates
the recess 32 about a central axis of the recess. The shank 44 can
be releasably or permanently secured within a handle 50, such as
shown in FIGS. 1-4 or the chuck of a drill 60, as shown in FIG.
5.
[0018] To resurface a lacrosse ball 100, a user grips the ball in
one hand and inserts the ball into the recess 32 of the surfacing
element 30 so that the ball 100 contacts the abrasive surface 34 of
the recess. The user applies pressure to the ball 100 and turns the
surfacing element 30, either by turning the handle 50 (FIG. 4) or
operating the drill 60 (FIG. 5). Alternatively, a user can also
hold the surfacing element 30 by its edges and manually rotate the
surfacing disc.
[0019] As the surfacing element 30 is rotated, the abrasive surface
34 of the recess 32 abrades the ball to remove at least a portion
of the slippery surface of the ball. Abrading the ball in this
manner exposes the "grippy" rubber beneath, thereby effectively
roughening the surface of the ball. Roughening the surface of the
ball in this manner makes the handling characteristics of the ball
closer to those of a new lacrosse ball. A user will preferably
rotate the ball 100 to ensure that the entire surface of the ball
is resurfaced.
[0020] It is contemplated that the coarseness of the abrasive
surface can be varied to apply different finishes to the resurfaced
balls. In this regard, the resurfacer 20 may have a plurality of
interchangeable resurfacing discs 30, each resurfacing disc having
a different abrasive surface 34 formed in the recess 32. Such a
configuration allows a user to attach a particular surfacing
element 30 to the fitting 40 in order to achieve a desired texture
on the resurfaced ball 100.
[0021] Referring to FIG. 6, another contemplated embodiment of the
disclosed resurfacer 20 includes an insert 70 that is removably
secured to the recess 32 to provide the abrasive surface 34. The
insert 70 is formed of a pliable material that can be deformed to
approximate the shape of the interior recess. In the embodiment
shown in FIG. 6, the insert 70 is a sandpaper disc with radial
cutouts. The disc is secured to the recess 32 using an adhesive,
one or more hook and latch fasteners, or other suitable means.
Thus, the insert 70 can be replaced if the abrasive surface 34
becomes worn, or if a different coarseness is desired.
[0022] The disclosed lacrosse ball resurfacer provides many
advantages over the known state of the art. These advantages
include the following: [0023] useful life of balls is extended;
[0024] refinished balls handle/feel/play more like new balls;
[0025] environmentally friendly--more refinished balls means less
new balls, which means less petroleum products are used and fewer
old balls end up in landfills; [0026] saves money for lacrosse
programs by extending ball life; and [0027] saves money for
individual players purchasing personal practice balls.
[0028] While the preferred embodiment of the disclosed subject
matter has been illustrated and described, it will be appreciated
that various changes can be made therein without departing from the
spirit and scope of the invention.
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