Impact resistant ball

Inactive Publication Date: 2019-06-20
FOWLING ENTERPRISES LLC
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent text describes a sports ball with an inflatable bladder and a shell with a gripper on the outside. The gripper has protrusions that make it easier to hold and use the ball. The process for making this ball involves inflating the bladder, covering the shell with a skin, and integrating the gripper. The technical effect of this invention is to improve the grip and comfort of the sports ball during use.

Problems solved by technology

Such materials are not very forgiving on an object such as a ball upon impact of the ball with the game board.
Such repeated impact causes nicks and other damage the ball.
The risk of impact related damage presents challenges which become exacerbated when playing a game made of up several rounds, where a ball may be thrown between 50 and 100 times per game.
One challenge in particular is the cost of replacing damaged balls.
However, if the damage sustained the ball incident to playing the game is so severe that the ball must be frequently replaced, the replacement cost may be prohibitive.
This construct lacks additional support and impact-resistance under the skin and as a result, an American football has a finite elasticity leaving it susceptible to nicks and other damage including penetration of the skin and puncture of the bladder after repeated impacts with other objects including a game board.
In this scenario, if the damage sustained the ball incident to playing the game is so severe that the ball must be frequently replaced, the replacement cost may be so prohibitive that it cuts into the profits of running such a facility or even worse, drives up the operating costs to a point where the business is no longer profitable at all.
Another challenge stemming from the need to replace a ball subject to repeated impact and frequently damaged, is repeated game stoppage in order to obtain a new ball.
Such repeated game stoppage could negatively impact the pace, and ultimately the overall enjoyment of the game.
This inefficiency becomes even more acute in the context of league play or multiple games being playing back-to-back which increases the frequency with which game balls are damaged and replaced.
A further challenge stemming from using a game ball such as an American football is the size of the gripper made up of the laces used to sew the ball together.
A regulation sized American football can be hard for a large segment of the population to grip and properly throw owing to the relatively small size of the gripper compared with the overall size of the ball.
Women, children, young adults and even some adult males have trouble securely gripping the gripper which leads to difficulty in properly throwing the American football in a manner that achieves a spiral rotation of the ball.
This negatively affects the appeal, marketability and ultimate success of such a game.
Current balls used in the industry to address the pitfalls stemming from using a ball frequently damaged after repeated impacts with other objects such as a game board and game pins are not satisfactory in that they do not provide a ball with increased impact resistance under the skin nor do they provide a ball with an increased length gripper able to accommodate a greater range of hand sizes.

Method used

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Embodiment Construction

[0017]An inventive impact resistant ball and process of forming an impact resistant ball are provided. The present invention has utility to increase the resistance to damage caused to a ball by repeated impact with objects such as a game board and game pins thereby decreasing the frequency with which the ball must be replaced. The present invention also has utility to afford a larger segment of the population the ability to properly grip and throw the impact resistant ball by providing an increased length gripper able to accommodate a greater range of hand sizes. In some embodiments, the present invention has further utility to automatically identify and transmit data including the impact of the ball with the game pins and ball metrics including speed, pressure and weight.

[0018]It is to be understood that in instances where a range of values are provided that the range is intended to encompass not only the end point values of the range but also intermediate values of the range as ex...

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Abstract

An impact resistant ball and process of forming an impact resistant ball are provided. The impact resistant ball has an increased resistance to damage caused to a ball by repeated impact with objects such as a game board and game pins thereby decreasing the frequency with which the ball must be replaced. The impact resistant ball also has utility to afford a larger segment of the population the ability to properly grip and throw the impact resistant ball by providing an increased length gripper able to accommodate a greater range of hand sizes. In impact resistant ball has further utility to automatically identify and transmit data including the impact of the ball with the game pins and ball metrics including speed, pressure and weight.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62 / 376,042 filed Aug. 17, 2016, which is incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention in general relates to an impact resistant ball and a process of forming the same; and in particular to an impact resistant ball having an inflatable bladder contained within a shell, a gripper and a skin contacting an outer surface of the shell.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Games involving the setting up, striking, and knocking down of individual game pins set up on a playing surface or a game board often require an object such as a ball to effectuate the striking and knocking down of individual game pins. Typically, with this type of game, a player throws or otherwise sets in motion an object such as ball towards the individual game pins. Depending on the rules of the specific game being played, the general goal is usually to strike o...

Claims

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Application Information

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IPC IPC(8): A63B41/02A63B43/00
CPCA63B41/02A63B43/002A63B41/08A63B43/005A63B45/00A63B2220/53A63B2220/805A63B2220/833A63B2225/50A63B2243/007A63B65/06A63B71/0605A63B2209/00A63B2220/30A63B2209/10A63B71/06A63B2220/80A63B2225/76
InventorHUT, CHRISTOPHER
OwnerFOWLING ENTERPRISES LLC