Soccer ball with motion graphic

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9539472-B2
Application number	US-201313943306-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 16, 2013
Priority date	Feb 2, 2004
Publication date	Jan 10, 2017
Grant date	Jan 10, 2017

Abstract

Balls for team and individual sports include a motion graphic that provides enhanced perception of ball rotation. The motion graphic is typically defined with a visual characteristic that contrast with a ball casing. The motion graphic includes first and second termination portions that are coupled by a connection region. The first and second termination portions are symmetrically situated with respect to a longitudinal axis and are asymmetric with respect to axes perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. The motion graphic and the ball casing can be provided with substantially opposite colors selected to exhibit similar or substantially the same reflectivities.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A ball, comprising:
a first exterior field region associated with a first visual stimulus;
a second exterior field region in which a motion graphic is defined based on a second visual stimulus that is substantially contrasting with the first visual stimulus based on:
a first color for the first visual stimulus and a second color for the second visual stimulus, the first color and the second color having CIE plot locations that are widely separated and opposite with respect to the location of a standard white illuminant;
a first luminance for the first visual stimulus and a second luminance for the second visual stimulus, the first luminance comprising an increased luminance contrast with the second luminance; and

a continuous perimeter enclosing the motion graphic, the perimeter including a first continuous perimeter portion exhibiting a first visual characteristic, a second continuous perimeter portion exhibiting a second visual characteristic, and a third continuous perimeter portion exhibiting a third visual characteristic, wherein the first perimeter portion is adjacent to the motion graphic, the third perimeter portion is adjacent to the first exterior field region, and the second perimeter portion is between the first and the third perimeter portions and is wider than the first and the third perimeter portions, and wherein the perimeter portions are non-overlapping.

2. The ball of claim 1 , wherein the motion graphic has first and second termination portions that are substantially symmetric with respect to a first longitudinal axis and asymmetric with respect to a second longitudinal axis, the second longitudinal axis being perpendicular to the first longitudinal axis, wherein the first and second termination portions are partially coupled by a connection portion that extends substantially perpendicularly to the first axis.

3. The ball of claim 2 , wherein the connection portion extends from the first termination portion to the second termination portion.

4. The ball of claim 2 , wherein the motion graphic further comprises an interior region within the connection portion and the termination portions, the interior region associated with the first visual stimulus.

5. The ball of claim 4 , wherein the termination portions comprise a truncated annular ring.

6. The ball of claim 5 , wherein the truncated annular ring extends along a semicircular arc.

7. The ball of claim 6 , wherein a radius of the semicircular arc is less than about 4/5 of a radius of the ball.

8. The ball of claim 6 , wherein a height of the motion graphic is less than about 2/5 of a circumference of the ball.

9. A ball, comprising:
an exterior casing;
a motion graphic defined on the exterior casing, wherein the motion graphic comprises selected visual characteristics substantially visually contrasting with respect to the exterior casing based on:
a first color for the exterior casing and a second color for the motion graphic, the first color and the second color having CIE plot locations that are widely separated and opposite with respect to the location of a standard white illuminant;
a first luminance for the exterior casing and a second luminance for the motion graphic, the first luminance comprising an increased luminance contrast with the second luminance; and

a continuous perimeter enclosing the motion graphic, the perimeter and including a first continuous perimeter portion exhibiting a first visual characteristic, a second continuous perimeter portion exhibiting a second visual characteristic, and a third continuous perimeter portion exhibiting a third visual characteristic, wherein the first perimeter portion is adjacent to the motion graphic, the third perimeter portion is adjacent to the exterior casing, and the second perimeter portion is between the first and the third perimeter portions, and wherein the first and the third perimeter portions are wider than the second perimeter portion, and wherein the perimeter portions are non-overlapping.

10. The ball of claim 9 , wherein the continuous perimeter establishes end portions that are symmetric with respect to a ball longitude, the end portions coupled by a connection region, wherein the first, the second, and the third perimeter portions exhibit selected visual characteristics substantially visually contrasting with respect to the exterior casing, wherein the motion graphic is asymmetric with respect to any longitude perpendicular to the longitude about which the end portions are symmetric.

11. The ball of claim 10 , wherein the first, the second, and the third perimeter portions exhibit a common visual characteristic.

12. The ball of claim 11 , wherein the common visual characteristic exhibited by the first, the second, and the third perimeter portions comprises the second color, and wherein the first, the second, and the third perimeter portions are configured to exhibit a visual characteristic associated with a different shade of the second color.

13. The ball of claim 12 , wherein the exterior casing is provided with the first color that is spectrally opposite that of the second color.

14. The ball of claim 12 , wherein the exterior casing is yellow, and the perimeter is blue.

15. The ball of claim 10 , wherein the first and the third perimeter portions differ from each other by at least one of:
width;
pattern; and
color.

16. The ball of claim 15 , wherein the first, the second, and the third perimeter portions are different widths.

17. The ball of claim 15 , wherein the exterior casing is provided with the first color that is spectrally opposite to that of the first, the second, and the third perimeter portions.

18. The ball of claim 17 , wherein the exterior casing is yellow, and the perimeter is blue.

Assignees

• Nike Inc

Inventors

• Smith Todd
• Reichow Alan W
• Citek Karl

Classifications

• A63B2243/0025

  Football · CPC title

• A63B43/008 Primary

  with means for improving visibility, e.g. special markings or colours (illuminating or reflecting means A63B43/06) · CPC title