Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080287230 | Game ball cover with improved stripes and/or logos - An inflatable game ball including a carcass, a cover and at least one thin member. The cover has inner and outer surfaces. The inner surface of the cover is coupled to the carcass. At least one recess is formed into the outer surface of the cover. At least one thin member is coupled to the cover at the at least one recess. The member substantially fills the recess. The member has inner and outer portions. The outer portion is formed of a highly grippable material. | 11-20-2008 |
20090325740 | GAME BALL HAVING OPTIMALLY POSITIONED GROOVES VISIBLE UPON GRASPING BY A USER - A basketball having an outer surface and including a first set of channels formed into the outer surface of the basketball. The basketball further includes a bladder, a carcass and at least one cover panel. The carcass covers the bladder and has an outer surface that defines a second set of channels. The cover panel(s) is positioned over the carcass and over at least one of the channels of the second set of channels. The cover panel(s) generally conforms to the shape of the outer surface of the carcass such that the cover panel defines at least one groove in the outer surface of the basketball corresponding to the channels of the second set of channels. The depth of the groove is greater than or equal to 0.7 mm and less than or equal to 10 mm. | 12-31-2009 |
20090325741 | GAME BALL HAVING OPTIMALLY POSITIONED GROOVES - A basketball having an outer surface and including a first set of channels formed into the outer surface of the basketball. The basketball further includes a bladder, a carcass and at least one cover panel. The carcass covers the bladder and has an outer surface that defines a second set of channels. The cover panel(s) is positioned over the carcass and over at least one of the channels of the second set of channels. The cover panel(s) generally conforms to the shape of the outer surface of the carcass such that the cover panel defines at least one groove in the outer surface of the basketball corresponding to the channels of the second set of channels. The depth of the groove is greater than or equal to 0.7 mm and less than or equal to 10 mm. | 12-31-2009 |
20090325742 | GAME BALL HAVING OPTIMALLY POSITIONED GROOVES - A basketball having an outer surface and including a first set of channels formed into the outer surface of the basketball. The basketball further includes a bladder, a carcass and at least one cover panel. The carcass covers the bladder and has an outer surface that defines a second set of channels. The cover panel(s) is positioned over the carcass and over at least one of the channels of the second set of channels. The cover panel(s) generally conforms to the shape of the outer surface of the carcass such that the cover panel defines at least one groove in the outer surface of the basketball corresponding to the channels of the second set of channels. The depth of the groove is greater than or equal to 0.7 mm and less than or equal to 10 mm. | 12-31-2009 |
20090325743 | GAME BALL HAVING OPTIMALLY POSITIONED GROOVES AND/OR RIDGES - A basketball having an outer surface and including a first set of channels formed into the outer surface of the basketball. The basketball further includes a bladder, a carcass and at least one cover panel. The carcass covers the bladder and has an outer surface that defines a second set of channels. The cover panel(s) is positioned over the carcass and over at least one of the channels of the second set of channels. The cover panel(s) generally conforms to the shape of the outer surface of the carcass such that the cover panel defines at least one groove in the outer surface of the basketball corresponding to the channels of the second set of channels. The depth of the groove is greater than or equal to 0.7 mm and less than or equal to 10 mm. | 12-31-2009 |
20110118062 | AMERICAN-STYLE FOOTBALL INCLUDING IMPROVED BLADDER CONSTRUCTION FOR MOUNTING OF ELECTRONICS - An American style football including an inflatable bladder, a cover surrounding the bladder, and an electronic circuit. The bladder includes first and second side walls defining an expandable cavity and a cross-member configured to extend through the expandable cavity. The side walls and cross-member are coupled together to form a bladder seam. The electronic circuit is coupled to the cross-member and produces a signal to enable the position and movement of the football to be monitored during use. | 05-19-2011 |
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 |
20120149508 | GAME BALL HAVING OPTIMALLY POSITIONED GROOVES AND/OR RIDGES - A football having first and second ends and including a bladder, a cover and a lacing. The cover is disposed over the bladder and defines channels. The cover has an outer surface and includes a plurality of ridges. The height of the ridge is greater than or equal to 0.7 mm and less than or equal to 10 mm. The football includes an upper central region positioned between first and second upper end regions, and a lower central region positioned between first and second lower end regions. The lacing is coupled to the upper central region. The ridges extend over the upper central region, the first and second upper end regions, and the first and second lower end. The lower central region is formed without ridges. The lacing has a first length and the lower central region has a second length that is generally equal to the first length. | 06-14-2012 |
20120264552 | GAME BALL HAVING OPTIMALLY POSITIONED GROOVES - A basketball having an outer surface and including a first set of channels formed into the outer surface of the basketball. The basketball further includes a bladder, a carcass and at least one cover panel. The carcass covers the bladder and has an outer surface that defines a second set of channels. The cover panel(s) is positioned over the carcass and over at least one of the channels of the second set of channels. The cover panel(s) generally conforms to the shape of the outer surface of the carcass such that the cover panel defines at least one groove in the outer surface of the basketball corresponding to the channels of the second set of channels. The depth of the groove is greater than or equal to 0.7 mm and less than or equal to 10 mm. | 10-18-2012 |
20130059683 | BASKETBALL HAVING GROOVED SEAMS - A basketball including a carcass, cover panels, and cover strips. The carcass has an outer surface defining a first set of channels and cover panels regions between the first set of channels. The panels are respectively positioned over the panel regions and are spaced apart from each other. The strips are positioned over the channels. The strips have inner and outer surfaces extending between first and second sidewalls. The strips have a thickness that is measured radially from a centerpoint from the inner to the outer surface, and a width that is measured from the first to the second sidewall. At least one groove is formed into the outer surface. The groove has a width that extends between 20 to 70 percent of the width of the strip and has a maximum depth from the outer surface that is at least 50 percent of the maximum thickness of the strip. | 03-07-2013 |
20130231206 | GAME BALL COVER WITH IMPROVED STRIPES - An American football is configured for direct contact with a user's hands and includes first and second transversely extending stripes and a plurality of cover panels. The cover panels have an outer surface formed of a first material. One of the cover panels is formed of first, second and third sub-panels. One of the side edges of the first and second stripes is fixedly coupled to one of the first and second sub-panels, respectively, and the other of the side edges of the first and second stripes is fixedly coupled to one of the second and third sub-panels, respectively. The stripes having an outer surface formed of a second material. The second material has a static coefficient of friction that is greater than the static coefficient of friction of the first material when measured in accordance with the standard test method for static coefficient of friction of ASTM D1894-01. | 09-05-2013 |
20130260927 | AMERICAN FOOTBALL INCORPORATING BOUNDARY LAYER TRIP MECHANISMS TO REDUCE AERODYNAMIC DRAG - A football having a prolate spheroidal shape including longitudinally spaced apart first and second ends. The football is capable of being analyzed under computational fluid dynamics analysis, and includes upper and lower central regions. Each positioned between first and second upper and lower end regions, respectively. The football further includes a bladder, a cover, a plurality of boundary layer trip mechanisms coupled to the upper and/or lower central regions, and a lacing coupled to the upper central region. The analysis includes first and second configurations. The first configuration is conducted on the football with the trip mechanisms, and the second configuration is conducted on the football without the trip mechanisms. The first and second configurations provide first and second drag coefficients, respectively. The first coefficient is at least 3 percent lower than the second coefficient. The length of the upper and lower central regions is defined by the lacing. | 10-03-2013 |
20140135150 | SPORT PERFORMANCE SYSTEM WITH BALL SENSING - A player training apparatus for use with a portable performance system. The portable performance system includes a processor, a memory and a display. The training apparatus includes an American-style football, at least one sensor coupled to the football, at least one transmitter coupled to the football and operably coupled to the sensor, and a non-transient computer-readable medium containing code. The code directs the processor to: receive input pertaining to motion of the football resulting from the player performing an act with the football; store information related to the input into the memory; compare the received input with previously stored celebrity information regarding similar football acts performed by a celebrity; and display information relating to the input and the comparison to the celebrity information. | 05-15-2014 |
20140135956 | SPORT PERFORMANCE SYSTEM WITH BALL SENSING - A player training apparatus for use with a portable performance system. The portable performance system includes a processor, a memory and a display. The training apparatus includes an American-style football, at least one sensor coupled to the football, at least one transmitter coupled to the football and operably coupled to the sensor, and a non-transient computer-readable medium containing code. The code directs the processor to: retrieve a football instructional package from the memory regarding an act with the football; display the football instructional package on the display; instruct the player to perform the act with the football; receive input pertaining to motion of the football; store information related to the input into the memory; and display information relating to the input. | 05-15-2014 |
20140135957 | SPORT PERFORMANCE SYSTEM WITH BALL SENSING - A player training apparatus for use with a portable performance system. The portable performance system includes a processor, a memory and a display. The training apparatus includes an American-style football, at least one sensor coupled to the football, at least one transmitter coupled to the football and operably coupled to the sensor, and a non-transient computer-readable medium containing code. The code directs the processor to: receive input pertaining to motion of the football; determine a target accuracy based upon the input; and display the determined target accuracy. | 05-15-2014 |
20140135958 | SPORT PERFORMANCE SYSTEM WITH BALL SENSING - A player training apparatus for use with a portable performance system. The portable performance system includes a processor, a memory and a display. The training apparatus includes an American-style football, at least one sensor coupled to the football, at least one transmitter coupled to the football and operably coupled to the sensor, and a non-transient computer-readable medium containing code. The code directs the processor to: receive input pertaining to motion of the football; derive at least one football motion parameter from the input pertaining to the motion of the football; and display information relating to the input. The at least one football motion parameter includes spiral efficiency. | 05-15-2014 |
20140135959 | SPORT PERFORMANCE SYSTEM WITH BALL SENSING - A apparatus for use with a portable performance system. The portable performance system includes a processor, a memory and a display. The training apparatus includes an American-style football, at least one sensor coupled to the football, at least one transmitter coupled to the football and operably coupled to the sensor, and a non-transient computer-readable medium containing code. The code directs the processor to: determine at least one football event by comparing the at least one attribute of the football to one or more predetermined signature characteristics of different football events; and an output device to present output to a person based on the determination of the at least one football event. | 05-15-2014 |