Carcass for a sports ball

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10406404-B2
Application number	US-201615149802-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 9, 2016
Priority date	May 7, 2015
Publication date	Sep 10, 2019
Grant date	Sep 10, 2019

Abstract

Described are a carcass for a sports ball having a textile element, which has at least two segments joined by a seam and defines a shape of the carcass, and wherein the at least two segments and the seam are warp-knitted or weft-knitted in a single piece, and a method of making a carcass for a sports ball.

First claim

That which is claimed is:

1. A carcass for a sports ball comprising:
a textile element formed during a single warp-knitting or weft-knitting process comprising
at least a first knitted segment having at least a first boundary,
at least a second knitted segment having at least a second boundary,
wherein the first knitted segment and the second knitted segment are seamlessly joined along the first boundary and the second boundary to form a structurally distinct knitted structure disposed between the at least two knitted segments comprising a different knit stitch construction than the first knitted segment and the second knitted segment,
wherein the knitted structure and the knitted segments have a unitary knit construction so as to be formed as one piece during the single warp-knitting or weft-knitting process, and

wherein the textile element defines a shape of the carcass.

2. The carcass according claim 1 , wherein the knitted structure encircles the carcass.

3. The carcass according to claim 1 , wherein the knitted structure is a Jacquard structure, an intarsia or a tuck stitch.

4. The carcass according to claim 1 further comprising a plurality of nodes in the textile element.

5. The carcass according to claim 4 , wherein each of the plurality of nodes is formed by a transfer of at least two loops.

6. The carcass according to claim 5 , further comprising a plurality of sliding areas, wherein the plurality of sliding areas are blocked by the plurality of nodes.

7. The carcass according to claim 1 , wherein the textile element further comprises an opening, wherein a bladder is inserted into the carcass through the opening.

8. The carcass according to claim 7 , wherein the textile element covers approximately 20% to 30% of a surface of the bladder.

9. A sports ball having the carcass according claim 1 .

10. The sports ball according to claim 9 , wherein the sports ball is a soccer ball.

11. A method for making a carcass for a sports ball comprising:
weft-knitting or warp-knitting a textile element in a single knitting process,
wherein the single knitting process includes forming
at least a first knitted segment having at least a first boundary, and
at least a second knitted segment having at least a second boundary,

wherein the first knitted segment and the second knitted segment are seamlessly joined along the first boundary and the second boundary to form a structurally distinct knitted structure disposed between the at least two knitted segments comprising a different knit stitch construction than the first knitted segment and the second knitted segment,
wherein the knitted structure and the knitted segments have a unitary knit construction so as to be formed as one piece during the single knitting process, and
wherein the textile element defines a shape of the carcass.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the knitted structure encircles the carcass.

13. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the knitted structure is a Jacquard structure, an intarsia or a tuck stitch.

14. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising forming a plurality of nodes in the textile element.

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein each of the plurality of nodes is formed by a transfer of at least two loops.

16. The method according to claim 15 , further comprising a plurality of sliding areas, wherein the plurality of sliding areas are blocked by the plurality of nodes.

17. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising:
forming an opening in the textile element during the single knitting process;
arranging a bladder in the carcass through the opening;
applying a pressure to the bladder until the carcass stretches to a diameter that is greater than a final diameter of the sports ball for which the carcass is intended; and
reducing the pressure in the bladder until the carcass shrinks to the final diameter of the sports ball.

Assignees

• Adidas Ag

Inventors

• Bichler Stefan Alois
• Rempp Wolfgang Reinhold
• Vogel Uwe

Classifications

• D10B2507/08

  Balls · CPC title

• D10B2403/033

  Three dimensional fabric, e.g. forming or comprising cavities in or protrusions from the basic planar configuration, or deviations from the cylindrical shape as generally imposed by the fabric forming process · CPC title

• D04B1/22

  specially adapted for knitting goods of particular configuration · CPC title

• A63B41/085

  Closures · CPC title

• A63B39/08

  made of two halves · CPC title