Sports Ball Panel Closure With Fabric Patch for Free-Floating Bladders
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for closing the last panels of machine-sewn sports balls, such as soccer balls, are laborious and costly, leading to low production rates and structural weaknesses due to adhesive bonding that can cause the bladder to become non-freely floating and the ball to bounce unpredictably.
Innovation Solution
A fabric strip is placed beneath the unsewn panel edges, which are then bonded together using adhesive, mimicking a sewn seam to enhance strength and prevent adhesive from contacting the bladder, allowing the bladder to float freely.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If hand sewing is used to close the last panels, then the ball structure is strong, but labor costs increase and production efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical hand-sewing process with a thermal bonding process. The last panels are heated to melt adhesive material, which then bonds the panels together without requiring manual stitching. This substitution maintains structural strength while dramatically improving production efficiency and reducing labor requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the bonding method from mechanical (sewing) to thermal (heating). By controlling temperature parameters during the bonding process, the adhesive material transitions from solid to molten state, enabling strong bonding without mechanical penetration. This parameter change allows for both strong construction and automated processing.
2Productivity
If adhesive bonding is used to close the last panels, then production efficiency increases, but the bladder becomes non-freely floating and the ball bounces unpredictably
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by using thermal bonding only for the last panels that require closure, while leaving the rest of the ball's panel seams intact with traditional sewing or other bonding methods. This localized application of thermal bonding ensures the bladder remains freely floating in the majority of the ball's interior space, maintaining predictable bounce characteristics while still achieving efficient closure of the final panels.
3Strength
If adhesive is applied to bond panel edges, then panels are joined together, but adhesive drips onto the bladder causing unwanted bonding
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary substance or layer between the adhesive and the bladder. This intermediary prevents direct contact between the adhesive material and the bladder surface, allowing the adhesive to bond panel edges strongly while preventing contamination of the bladder. The intermediary could be a protective coating, a barrier layer, or careful positioning of the adhesive application.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method reduces labor costs, increases production efficiency, and enhances the ball's structural integrity and predictable bounce by ensuring the bladder can move freely within the ball.
Implementation Method 1
bonded together using adhesive
Data Source
AI summary
In a sports ball, such as a soccer ball, which comprises a plurality of shaped panels which are joined together by stitching to form an enclosed volume housing a bladder for inflation, several contiguous seams are left unstitched but are instead joined together adhesively by means of an underlying fabric patch. The contiguous seams are preferably provided with curved edges and markings to simulate stitching. The fabric patch is adhesively attached to the bladder (which preferably includes an over winding) and to the panels having the contiguous seams.