One material ball

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11701551-B2
Application number	US-201615366821-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 1, 2016
Priority date	Dec 1, 2015
Publication date	Jul 18, 2023
Grant date	Jul 18, 2023

Abstract

A ball includes a bladder that has a majority weight component of a material of a first material class. The ball includes at least one intermediate layer that is arranged exterior to the bladder and that has a majority weight component of the material of the first material class. The ball includes at least one exterior layer that is arranged exterior to the at least one intermediate layer and that has a majority weight component of the material of the first material class.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A ball, comprising:
a bladder having a majority weight component of a material of a first material class;
at least one intermediate layer arranged exterior to the bladder and having a majority weight component of the material of the first material class, the at least one intermediate layer comprising a plurality of panels made of randomly arranged particles of expanded material of the first material class; and
at least one exterior layer arranged exterior to and disposed over the plurality of panels of the at least one intermediate layer and having a majority weight component of the material of the first material class,
wherein the first material class is selected from a group consisting of thermoplastic polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polyamide, and polypropylene,
wherein the material of the first material class comprises a mixture of reused material and newly manufactured material, and wherein 10% to 50% of the material of the first material class is newly manufactured material, and
wherein the bladder, the intermediate layer, and the exterior layer are thermally bonded without an adhesive.

2. The ball of claim 1 , wherein the at least one intermediate layer is arranged as a cushioning layer.

3. The ball of claim 1 , wherein the majority weight component of the material of the first material class is more than 50% of each respective component of the ball.

4. The ball of claim 1 , wherein the expanded material comprises expanded thermoplastic polyurethane.

5. The ball of claim 1 , wherein the at least one intermediate layer comprises a thermoplastic polyurethane yarn.

6. The ball of claim 1 , further comprising at least one protection layer arranged between the bladder and the at least one intermediate layer and made of the material of the first material class.

7. The ball of claim 6 , wherein the at least one protection layer is provided as a plurality of parts.

8. The ball of claim 6 , wherein the at least one protection layer comprises a non-woven fabric.

9. The ball of claim 1 , wherein the at least one exterior layer comprises a foil.

10. The ball of claim 1 , wherein the bladder comprises a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic polyurethane-matrix with thermoplastic polyurethane-fibers.

11. The ball of claim 1 , wherein the bladder is arranged as a lattice structure comprising a plurality of lattice cells that comprise radially extending elements.

12. The ball of claim 1 , wherein the first material class is polyvinyl chloride or polyethylene.

13. The ball of claim 1 , wherein the material is arranged so as to be recycled in a joint recycling process for the bladder, the at least one intermediate layer, and the at least one exterior layer, so that the material is usable as material for manufacturing another bladder, at least one intermediate layer, or at least one exterior layer.

14. The ball of claim 1 , wherein the material comprises parts that have been recycled from another ball according to claim 1 .

15. A method for manufacturing a ball according to claim 1 .

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising recycling another ball.

17. A method for recycling a ball according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Adidas Ag

Inventors

• Nürnberg Hans-Peter

Classifications

• A63B41/04 Primary

  Closures therefor · CPC title

• A63B41/00 Primary

  Hollow inflatable balls · CPC title

• A63B45/00

  Apparatus or methods for manufacturing balls (working of plastics or substances in a plastic state B29) · CPC title

• B32B1/00

  Layered products having a non-planar shape · CPC title

• B32B3/18

  characterised by an internal layer formed of separate pieces of material {which are juxtaposed side-by-side (B32B5/02 takes precedence)} · CPC title