Inflatable game ball panel construction

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9844706-B2
Application number	US-201715447188-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 2, 2017
Priority date	Feb 27, 2013
Publication date	Dec 19, 2017
Grant date	Dec 19, 2017

Abstract

An inflatable game ball includes a cover formed from a plurality of panel segments attached along peripheral edges. Each panel segment an outer panel portion, having a first shape and a first size, and an inner panel portion, having the first shape and a second size, smaller than the first size. The outer panel portion is joined with the inner panel portion, such that peripheral edges of the outer panel portion are aligned, and parallel, with peripheral edges of the inner panel portion. An inflatable bladder is disposed within the cover and movable between deflated and fully-inflated conditions. When the inflatable bladder is deflated, an interior surface of the outer panel portions is separated from a top surface of the inner panel portions by a first distance. When the inflatable bladder is fully-inflated, the interior surface is in contact with the top surface of the inner panel portions.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An inflatable game ball comprising:
a cover formed from a plurality of panel segments attached along peripheral edges, wherein each panel segment of the cover includes:
an outer panel portion having a first shape and a first size; and
an inner panel portion having the first shape and a second size, the second size of the inner panel portion being smaller than the first size of the outer panel portion, and wherein the outer panel portion is joined with the inner panel portion such that a peripheral edge of the outer panel portion is aligned and parallel with a peripheral edge of the inner panel portion; and

an inflatable bladder disposed within the cover, the inflatable bladder being configured to move between a deflated condition and a fully inflated condition, wherein:
when the inflatable bladder is in the deflated condition, an interior surface of the outer panel portions of the cover is separated a first distance apart from a top surface of the inner panel portions of the cover, and
when the inflatable bladder is in the fully inflated condition, the interior surface of the outer panel portions of the cover is in contact with the top surface of the inner panel portions of the cover.

2. The inflatable game ball according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first size is associated with a first length in a longitudinal direction along a major axis of the outer panel portion and a first width in a lateral direction along a minor axis of the outer panel portion;
wherein the second size is associated with a second length in the longitudinal direction along a major axis of the inner panel portion and a second width in the lateral direction along a minor axis of the inner panel portion; and
wherein the second length is smaller than the first length and the second width is smaller than the first width.

3. The inflatable game ball according to claim 2 , wherein an outer circumference of each of the panel segments of the cover is approximately equal to the first width of the outer panel portion less a distance associated with a portion of the peripheral edge joined to the inner panel portion.

4. The inflatable game ball according to claim 2 , wherein an inner circumference of each of the panel segments of the cover is approximately equal to the second width of the inner panel portion less a distance associated with a portion of the peripheral edge joined to the outer panel portion.

5. The inflatable game ball according to claim 2 , wherein a difference between the first length and the second length is substantially equal to a difference between the first width and the second width.

6. The inflatable game ball according to claim 2 , wherein a difference between the first length and the second length is smaller than a difference between the first width and the second width.

7. The inflatable game ball according to claim 1 , wherein the outer panel portion is formed from a first material and the inner panel portion is formed from a second material, different from the first material.

8. The inflatable game ball according to claim 7 , wherein the first material includes leather and the second material includes a flexible fabric.

9. The inflatable game ball according to claim 1 , wherein, when the inflatable bladder is in the deflated condition, the outer panel portion forms a concave surface that is disposed the first distance from the inner panel portion.

10. The inflatable game ball according to claim 1 , wherein each of the outer panel portions are attached to the inner panel portions with an adhesive.

11. The inflatable game ball according to claim 10 , wherein the panel segments of the cover are attached to each other via stitching, such that a portion of the stitching overlaps the adhesive.

12. An inflatable game ball comprising:
a cover formed from a plurality of panel segments attached along peripheral edges, wherein each panel segment of the cover includes:
an outer panel portion having a first shape and a first size, wherein the outer panel portion is formed from a first material; and
an inner panel portion having the first shape and a second size, the second size of the inner panel portion being smaller than the first size of the outer panel portion, wherein the inner panel portion is formed from a second material, different from the first material;
an adhesive joining the outer panel portion to the inner panel portion such that a peripheral edge of the outer panel portion is aligned and parallel with a peripheral edge of the inner panel portion; and

an inflatable bladder disposed within the cover, the inflatable bladder being configured to move between a deflated condition and a fully inflated condition, wherein:
when the inflatable bladder is in the deflated condition, an interior surface of the outer panel portions of the cover is separated a first distance apart from a top surface of the inner panel portions of the cover, and
when the inflatable bladder is in the fully inflated condition, the interior surface of the outer panel portions of the cover is in contact with the top surface of the inner panel portions of the cover.

13. The inflatable game ball according to claim 12 , wherein the first material includes leather and the second material includes a flexible fabric.

Assignees

• Nike Inc

Inventors

• Mcnamee Mark

Classifications

• A63B2243/0037

  Basketball · CPC title

• A63B2243/0095

  Volleyball · CPC title

• B29C65/5057

  positioned between the surfaces to be joined (B29C65/5035 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A63B45/00

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

• B29C66/729

  Textile or other fibrous material made from plastics · CPC title