Class / Patent application number | Description | Number of patent applications / Date published |
473603000 | Having fluid-retaining bladder removable from within enclosing cover or casing (e.g., football, etc.) | 13 |
20090286632 | SPORTSBALL WITH IMPROVED SPIRAL ROTATION - A sportsball, such as a football, is preferentially constructed to enhance spiral rotation when thrown or kicked, allowing enhanced stability and distance. | 11-19-2009 |
20100304905 | Method and apparatus for indicating rotational speed of footballs - Indicia on the surface of a football (for the American variety of the sport) are provided to provide visual means for assessing the spin speed of the football when thrown in a desired manner. In one embodiment, the indicia comprise a circumferential indicator ring consisting of a plurality of alternatingly-colored segments, the indicator ring being aligned with the desired direction of spin of the football. The segments are preferably selected to be of contrasting colors, and the width of the segments is selected such that the indicator ring appears to an observer to be a single, mixed color provided the football is spinning about its axis at at least a predetermined frequency. In another embodiment, the indicia comprise two or more circumferential indicator rings at least one of which comprising a plurality of alternatingly-colored segments. The respective segment widths on one or more rings may be selected such that the mixed color of one ring, and hence the spin speed of the football, can be assessed relative to the color or mixed color of another ring. | 12-02-2010 |
20100317472 | YOUTH ORIENTED SPORTSBALLS - Inflatable sportsballs such as volleyballs, soccer balls, basketballs, and footballs are disclosed having various volume/weight, surface area/weight, and or cover layer/carcass thickness ratios. Such sportsballs are particularly suitable for youth. | 12-16-2010 |
20110118064 | AMERICAN-STYLE FOOTBALL INCLUDING ELECTRONICS COUPLED TO THE BLADDER - An American style football including an inflatable bladder, a cover surrounding the bladder, a lacing coupled to the at least one cover panel, and an electronic circuit. The electronic circuit is coupled to the bladder. The electronic circuit includes at least one sensor and the electronic circuit being configured to produce a signal to enable the position and movement of the football to be monitored during use. | 05-19-2011 |
20110118065 | AMERICAN-STYLE FOOTBALL INCLUDING ELECTRONICS - An American style football including an inflatable bladder, at least two cover panels surrounding the bladder, a lacing coupled to the at least one cover panel, and an electronic circuit. Each of the cover panels includes an outermost layer and a lining. The electronic circuit is coupled to at least one of the cover panels. The electronic circuit includes at least one sensor. The electronic circuit is configured to produce a signal to enable the position and movement of the football to be monitored during use. | 05-19-2011 |
20110218065 | BALL - A ball includes a bladder and a cover disposed over the bladder. The bladder is typically filled with air. The cover may be made of leather, rubber, or other material. One or more electrical components are positioned inside the ball. | 09-08-2011 |
20110237368 | Stitch-free Football Structure and Method of Manufacturing the Same - A stitch-free football structure includes a ball bladder formed by providing a yarn layer on an outer surface of an inflatable bladder and a glue layer on an outer side of the yarn layer, and a prolate-spheroidal structure formed by adjoining curved panels having configuration corresponding to the ball bladder and glued to an outer side of the glue layer; and a lacing-shaped patch glued to a seam between two adjoining curved panels to meet a required football configuration. In a method of manufacturing the stitch-free football structure, a plurality of curved panels is prepared in advance by hot press molding, and the curved panels are joined and attached to a ball bladder by gluing. Thus, the procedures for manufacturing a football are simplified, the bad yield in manufacturing is reduced, and the produced football is more durable for use, has more precise dimensions, and beautiful and even exterior appearance. | 09-29-2011 |
20120021857 | Game Ball With Improved Grip - A game ball with improved grippability for use in wet environments. The game ball contains an inflatable bladder and an outer shell. The outer shell has at least one water absorbent layer to improve the grippability of the ball. The outer shell has an outer layer, an inner layer, and an intermediate layer which is the water absorbent layer. The outer shell is made of a plurality of adjacent panels joined with one another at seam lines. The outer layer may be a nylon polyester fabric, the inner layer may be a cotton polyester fabric. The water absorbent intermediate layer may be a foam or sponge layer. | 01-26-2012 |
20120129635 | PROTECTIVE COVER FOR AN INFLATABLE BALL BODY, AND SPORTS BALL HAVING THE SAME - A protective cover for covering an inflatable ball body includes: a flexible surrounding wall capable of forming a receiving space that is substantially ball-shaped and that is adapted to receive a ball, the surrounding wall having inner and outer surfaces, the inner surface being adapted to contact intimately an external surface of the ball when the ball is in an inflated operative state, the surrounding wall having at least one first opening extending through the inner and outer surfaces, the first opening having a size sufficient for access of the ball when the ball is deflated. | 05-24-2012 |
20140100067 | LEATHER GAME BALL WITH TEXTURED GRAPHIC OR STRIPE - The present disclosure relates to a game ball and methods for creating a textured graphic or stripe on the game ball, specifically on a panel of natural full-grain leather. Briefly, the full-grain leather panel is stamped with a textured plate to form a textured area. A graphic or stripe is then applied on the textured area. The resulting game ball has textured graphics or stripes with improved wear and good grip and handling characteristics. | 04-10-2014 |
20140213396 | Football with Segmented Cover Panels - A prolate spheroidal inflatable game ball in the form of a football is provided with a segmented panel having stripes formed by attaching stripe pieces to adjacent segments. In one embodiment, the stripe pieces have beveled edges and the edges of adjacent segments have corresponding beveled edges. The component pieces of the panel can be joined to the stripe pieces using stitching to securely fasten the components of the segmented panel together. A segmented panel of this construction can allow different materials having different characteristics to be used for various portions of the segmented panel. | 07-31-2014 |
20140243124 | Method Of Inflatable Game Ball Panel Construction - An inflatable game ball and a method of constructing an inflatable game ball is described. Panel segments are formed from an outer panel portion and an inner panel portion having different sizes, with the inner panel portion being smaller than the outer panel portion. The inner panel portion and the outer panel portion are joined so that peripheral edges of the inner panel portion and the outer panel portion are aligned. Multiple panel segments are attached together to form a cover. Due to the differences in sizes between the inner panel portion and the outer panel portion, when an inflatable bladder within an interior of the cover is inflated to a fully inflated condition, variations in the dimensions of the ball caused by stretching of the cover may be reduced or minimized. In one embodiment, an alignment guide can assist with aligning the peripheral edges of the panel portions. | 08-28-2014 |
20160107047 | AMUSEMENT BALL - Disclosed is the amusement ball for recreational purposes. The amusement ball includes a hollow spherical lattice shell of polyurethane having plurality of open spaces and an inflatable balloon inserted in the hollow spherical lattice shell through the open spaces and is further having a closeable opening. The inflatable balloon on inflation bulges out of the open spaces of the hollow spherical lattice shell. The inflatable balloon is inflated through the closeable opening. Further, the hollow spherical lattice shell maximizes the bounce potential of the inflatable balloon. | 04-21-2016 |