American-style football having a reduced MOI

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11794079-B2
Application number	US-202117359888-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 28, 2021
Priority date	Mar 22, 2019
Publication date	Oct 24, 2023
Grant date	Oct 24, 2023

Abstract

An American-style football may include a prolate spheroidal shaped bladder having a longitudinal axis, an outermost layer about the bladder, a lacing surface featuring a series of parallel projections from an exterior of the outermost layer and an intermediate sandwiched between the bladder and the outermost layer, wherein the intermediate layer is configured to decrease a MOI of the football.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An American-style football comprising:
a prolate spheroidal shaped bladder having a longitudinal axis;
an outermost layer about the bladder;
a lacing surface featuring a series of parallel projections from an exterior of the outermost layer; and
a non-uniform layer sandwiched between the bladder and the outermost layer, the non-uniform layer having non-uniform distribution of mass providing a greater mass proximate the longitudinal axis to decrease a MOI of the football, wherein the non-uniform layer has a first region distant the longitudinal axis having a first material composition having a first material density and a second region proximate the longitudinal axis having a second material composition, different than the first material composition and having a second material density greater than the first material density, wherein the second region is symmetric with respect to the longitudinal axis.

2. The American-style football of claim 1 , wherein the first region distant the longitudinal axis has a first density of the first material and the second region proximate the longitudinal axis has a second density of a second material greater than the first density of the first material.

3. The American-style football of claim 2 , wherein the first region has a first density of individual apertures of a size through the layer and wherein the second region has a second density of individual apertures of the size through the layer less than the first density of the apertures.

4. The American-style football claim 2 , wherein the first region comprises individual apertures of a first size through the layer and wherein the second region comprise individual apertures of a second size, smaller than the first size, through the layer.

5. The American-style football of claim 2 , wherein the first region has a first density of individual cells of a size through the layer and wherein the second region has a second density of individual cells of the size through the layer less than the first density of individual cells.

6. The American-style football of claim 2 , wherein the first region comprises individual cells of a first size through the layer and wherein the second region comprise individual cells of a second size, smaller than the first size, through the layer.

7. The American-style football of claim 1 , wherein the first region comprises foamed material and wherein the second region comprises solid material.

8. The American-style football of claim 1 , wherein the first material composition has a first strength and wherein the second material composition has a second strength less than the first strength.

9. The American-style football of claim 1 , wherein the first region distant the longitudinal axis has a first thickness and the second region proximate the longitudinal axis has a second thickness greater than the first thickness.

10. The American-style football of claim 1 , wherein the non-uniform layer comprises a woven, knitted or felted fabric, wherein the first region comprises first fibers having a first individual fiber density or having a first density of fibers and wherein the second region comprises second fibers having a second individual fiber density greater than the first individual fiber density or having a second density of fibers greater than the first density of fibers.

11. The American-style football of claim 1 , wherein the non-uniform layer forms a liner between the bladder and the outermost layer.

12. The American-style football of claim 1 , wherein the lacing surface comprises a lace passing through the outermost layer and forming the projections.

13. The American-style football of claim 1 , wherein the non-uniform layer has a first region proximate the lacing surface and a second region proximate the longitudinal axis, wherein the first region is different than the second region.

14. The American-style football of claim 13 , wherein the first region has a first material thickness and wherein the second region has a second material thickness greater than the first material thickness.

15. The American-style football of claim 1 , wherein the longitudinal axis intersects the second region.

16. The American-style football of claim 1 , wherein the second region continuously extends around the longitudinal axis.

Assignees

• Wilson Sporting Goods

Inventors

• Hare Daniel E
• Krysiak Kevin L
• Tryner Andrew K
• Kolcun Daniel W
• Wentling Andrew J
• Thurman Robert T

Classifications

• A63B43/00 Primary

  Balls with special arrangements · CPC title

• A63B41/02 Primary

  Bladders · CPC title

• A63B41/085

  Closures · CPC title

• A63B2209/00

  Characteristics of used materials · CPC title

• A63B2243/007

  American football · CPC title