U.S. patent application number 14/687140 was filed with the patent office on 2016-10-20 for energy absorbing ball.
The applicant listed for this patent is Pro Performance Sports, L.L.C.. Invention is credited to Allen Keith Holland.
Application Number | 20160303451 14/687140 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 57129532 |
Filed Date | 2016-10-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160303451 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Holland; Allen Keith |
October 20, 2016 |
ENERGY ABSORBING BALL
Abstract
An energy absorbing ball has a spherical resilient shell having
a smooth inner surface and a smooth outer surface. A fill material
is introduced into the shell via a fill opening in the shell. The
fill material includes a liquid and a solid particulate having a
density greater than the liquid, and with the fill material
substantially entirely filling the shell. A plug in the fill
opening seals the fill material within the shell, optionally with a
recess over the plug. The smooth inside and outside surfaces of the
she are spherical and free of any projections or obstructions.
Inventors: |
Holland; Allen Keith;
(Carlsbad, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Pro Performance Sports, L.L.C. |
Carlsbad |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
57129532 |
Appl. No.: |
14/687140 |
Filed: |
April 15, 2015 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 21/0602 20130101;
A63B 21/0603 20130101; A63B 41/00 20130101; A63B 2071/0063
20130101; A63B 21/0604 20130101; A63B 41/085 20130101; A63B 65/06
20130101 |
International
Class: |
A63B 69/00 20060101
A63B069/00; A63B 21/06 20060101 A63B021/06; A63B 41/00 20060101
A63B041/00 |
Claims
1. An energy absorbing ball, comprising: a spherical resilient
shell having a smooth inner surface and a smooth outer surface; a
hollow fill stem projecting radially inward from the smooth inner
surface, the hollow fill stem having a fill opening extending from
the smooth outer surface to an interior cavity of the spherical
resilient shell; a fill material within the interior cavity, the
fill material comprising a liquid and a solid particulate having a
density greater than the liquid, and with the fill material
substantially entirely filling the shell; and a plug in the hollow
fill stem and obstructing the fill opening to seal the fill
material within the interior cavity, wherein the plug is disposed
below the smooth outer surface such that an empty recess is formed
below the smooth outer surface to a top portion of the plug.
2. The ball of claim 1 with the fill material sealed within the
shell only by the plug.
3. The ball of claim 1 with the ball containing substantially no
air or gas.
4. The ball of claim 1 with the shell having a uniform wall
thickness generally of about 2-4 millimeters.
5. The ball of claim 4 with the shell having an outer diameter of
6-8 cm.
6. The ball of claim 5 with the smooth inner surface of the shell
free of any projections or obstructions other than the hollow fill
stem.
7. The ball of claim 6 with the liquid comprising oil and the
particulate comprising iron sand.
8. The ball of claim 6 with the particulate comprising metal
filings, sand, metal beads or glass beads.
9. The ball of claim 8 with the ball weighing 375 to 475 grams.
10. The ball of claim 1, wherein: the spherical resilient shell is
formed of rubber or plastic, the shell having a uniform wall
thickness of 2-4 millimeters and an outer diameter of 6-8 cm; the
hollow fill stem is molded into the shell; and the liquid of the
fill material is oil and the particulate of the fill material has a
density greater than the oil.
11. The ball of claim 10 with the smooth inner surface of the shell
free of any projections or obstructions other than the hollow fill
stem.
12. The ball of claim 11 with the ball weighing 375 to 475
grams.
13. The ball of claim 11 with the particulate comprising 60 to 90%
by weight of the fill material.
14. The ball of claim 1, wherein no sealing material is disposed on
the plug.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates to an energy absorbing ball, and more
specifically to an energy absorbing weighted ball for practicing
ball throwing, catching and hitting.
[0002] Many energy absorbing balls have been proposed with varying
uses, such as lawn bowling, street hockey, indoor games, baseball
training, etc. Generally these types of energy absorbing balls have
an impact resistant resilient rubber or plastic shell containing a
filler material that may include solid particles, bulk weights,
liquids and/or gases. The filer material is typically provided to
absorb and distribute impact forces on the ball, or to increase
rolling and rebounding resistance. Although several of these
designs have achieved varying degrees of success, engineering
challenges remain to providing a still further improved energy
absorbing ball.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] An energy absorbing ball has a spherical resilient shell
having a smooth inner surface and a smooth outer surface. A fill
material s introduced into the shell via a fill opening in the
shell. The fill material includes a liquid and a solid particulate
having a density greater than the liquid, and with the fill
material substantially entirely filing the shell. A plug in the
fill opening seals the fill material within the shell, optionally
with a recess over the plug. The smooth inside and outside surfaces
of the shell are spherical and free of any projections or
obstructions.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a weighted ball.
[0005] FIG. 2 is a section view of the ball shown in FIG. 1.
[0006] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the ball shown in
FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] As shown in FIGS. 1-3, a weighted energy absorbing ball 10
has a resilient plastic or rubber spherical shell 10 containing a
fill material 16. The shell has a smooth inside surface 14 and a
smooth outside surface 12, and a wall thickness generally of about
2-5 millimeters. The ball diameter is 5-15 or 6-8 cm. The shell 10
may be formed by joining to molded hemispherical half spheres
together, The smooth inside surface 12 is free of any projections
or obstructions, other than manufacturing artifacts.
[0008] A fill opening 18 may be molded into or otherwise provided
in the ball, to allow for filling the ball with the fill material.
After the ball is filled, a plug 20 may be permanently installed
into the fill opening 18 using known techniques, such as pressing
the plug into the fill opening and using bonding or adhesive
materials. The outside surface 12 of the ball 10 is smooth and
continuous, except at the fill opening 18, where the top of the
plug 20 may not be flush with the surrounding spherical surface,
and potentially with a slight annular gap (e.g., 0.1 mm) between
the plug 20 and the surrounding spherical surface, leaving a recess
22 over the fill opening. As the plug 20 completely and permanently
seals the shell, no additional sealing materials or devices are
needed.
[0009] The fill material is a mixture of a liquid, such a light
oil, and a particulate such as iron sand. In some embodiments, the
oil may be replaced with salt water or an anti-freeze liquid, to
prevent the fill material from freezing in cold conditions. The
liquid and the particulate are selected so that they do not react
with each other, and so that the particulate does not dissolve or
clump up. The particulate may alternatively comprise iron filings,
sand or other particulate such as metal or glass beads.
[0010] The particulate is heavier than the liquid. With the ball at
rest, the particulate sinks to the bottom, with the liquid
displaced above the particulate. The total weight of the ball
including the shell and the fill material generally ranges from
about 275 to 575 grams, more typically about 375 to 475 grams. The
particulate forms the bulk of the fill material, generally making
up 50 or 60 to 90 or 95% of the weight of the fill material, with
the balance being the liquid. The ratio of particulate to liquid
will vary depending on the liquid and particulate selected, the
size and weight of the ball, and other factors.
[0011] The fill material substantially entirely fills the shell 10,
with no significant air space remaining in the shell after it is
filled. The fill material, which is largely incompressible, helps
the ball to maintain its spherical shape when subjected to impact
forces, in contrast to balls containing air, which is compressible.
Correspondingly, the ball 10 does not require an air fill port and
may therefore be permanently sealed after manufacture at the
factory. The shell may contain positive pressure if the fill
material is injected and sealed under positive pressure
conditions.
[0012] In use, as the ball 10 impacts against a surface such as a
wall, a bat or the ground, the impact force is distributed within
the ball via the fill material. As the density of the particulate
is greater than the liquid, the particulate tends to at least
initially be at the bottom of the ball 10. The center of gravity of
the ball 10 is then below the equator. As a result, the ball may
roll with an eccentric movement, although rolling is minimal due to
the damping effect of the fill material. Correspondingly, if the
ball is agitated to temporarily more evenly distribute the
particulate within the liquid, the ball will roll further with less
eccentric movement.
[0013] As the shell is resilient, the ball 10 is deformable using
nominal hand force. The ball 10 may also be used as a hand-held
exercise ball. As used here, substantially no air or gas means less
than 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5% of the volume of the ball, and substantially
filling the ball means filling 95% or more of the volume of the
ball,
[0014] Thus, a novel ball has been shown and described. Various
changes and substitutions may of course be made without departing
from the spirit and scope of the invention. The invention,
therefore, should not be limited except by the following claims and
their equivalents.
* * * * *