Method for manufacturing a panel for a ball

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9919483-B2
Application number	US-201615167630-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 27, 2016
Priority date	May 28, 2015
Publication date	Mar 20, 2018
Grant date	Mar 20, 2018

Abstract

Methods for manufacturing a panel for a ball, in particular for a soccer ball, as well as panels manufactured by these methods and balls with such panels. A method comprises the following steps: providing a carrier material having an outer side and an inner side within a mold having at least one first and at least one second mold part. Three-dimensionally molding an outer layer of the panel on the outer side of the carrier material within the mold. Three-dimensionally molding an inner layer of the panel on the inner side of the carrier material using at least the first mold part.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for manufacturing a panel for a ball, the method comprising:
providing a carrier material having an outer side and an inner side within a mold having at least one first mold part and at least one second mold part;
three-dimensionally molding an outer layer of the panel on the outer side of the carrier material within the mold;
three-dimensionally molding an inner layer of the panel on the inner side of the carrier material using at least the first mold part; and
creating a texture on an inner face of the inner layer so as to aid adhesion of the inner face to a bladder to be disposed in the interior of the ball.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the carrier material remains within the first mold part during a time between the step of three-dimensionally molding the outer layer and the step of three-dimensionally molding the inner layer.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein three-dimensionally molding the inner layer is carried out such that the inner layer is enclosed by the carrier material at an outer face and at side faces of the inner layer.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein three-dimensionally molding the outer layer is carried out such that the inner layer is enclosed by the outer layer at an outer face and at side faces of the inner layer.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the inner layer is at least partially molded by a third mold part that is not used for three-dimensionally molding the outer layer.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein material for the inner layer is applied to the carrier material through the third mold part.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the inner layer comprises a polymer selected from the group consisting of: polyurethane and expanded thermoplastic polyurethane.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein material for the outer layer is applied to the carrier material through the first mold part.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the outer layer comprises transparent polyurethane.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein a structure element is inserted into the mold before three-dimensionally molding the outer layer.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising three-dimensionally molding the carrier material within the mold.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein three-dimensionally molding the carrier material comprises at least one of:
suctioning of the carrier material to at least one of the first mold part, the second mold part, or a third mold part,
pressing with a die element, and
deep-drawing in the mold.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises printing on the carrier material.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises creating textures on at least one of: the outer side of the carrier material, the inner side of the carrier material, and an outer face of the outer layer.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the texture is at least partly created by a mold part comprising corresponding mold part textures.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first mold part and the second mold part comprises exchangeable inserts.

Assignees

• Adidas Ag

Inventors

• Nürnberg Hans-Peter

Classifications

• B32B2266/0292

  Thermoplastic elastomer · CPC title

• B32B5/18

  characterised by features of a layer {of} foamed material · CPC title

• B29L2031/545

  Football balls · CPC title

• B32B37/10

  characterised by the pressing technique, e.g. using action of vacuum or fluid pressure · CPC title

• A63B41/08

  Ball covers; Closures therefor · CPC title