EP2468365A1 - Tennis ball felt and tennis ball - Google Patents

Tennis ball felt and tennis ball Download PDF

Info

Publication number
EP2468365A1
EP2468365A1 EP20110195658 EP11195658A EP2468365A1 EP 2468365 A1 EP2468365 A1 EP 2468365A1 EP 20110195658 EP20110195658 EP 20110195658 EP 11195658 A EP11195658 A EP 11195658A EP 2468365 A1 EP2468365 A1 EP 2468365A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
felt
tennis ball
base fabric
needle
fiber
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP20110195658
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
Akira Kanda
Toyotake Matsuoka
Hidetoshi Ieiri
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Bridgestone Sports Co Ltd
Original Assignee
Bridgestone Sports Co Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Bridgestone Sports Co Ltd filed Critical Bridgestone Sports Co Ltd
Publication of EP2468365A1 publication Critical patent/EP2468365A1/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B39/00—Hollow non-inflatable balls, i.e. having no valves
    • A63B39/06—Special coverings
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B2102/00—Application of clubs, bats, rackets or the like to the sporting activity ; particular sports involving the use of balls and clubs, bats, rackets, or the like
    • A63B2102/02—Tennis
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
    • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
    • Y10T442/00—Fabric [woven, knitted, or nonwoven textile or cloth, etc.]
    • Y10T442/50—FELT FABRIC

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a felt used for an outer surface (melton) of a tennis ball and a tennis ball using the felt, and more particularly to a tennis ball felt which has less occurrence of creases at the time of forming a tennis ball and a tennis ball using the felt.
  • a tennis ball As shown in Fig. 3 , there is used what includes a core 10 and a felt 12 covered on the core.
  • the core is formed of rubber in a spherical shape, and the felt is substantially gourd-shaped. Two sheets of felt are adhered to the core with a rubber adhesive.
  • reference numeral 14 represents a joint between two sheets of felt where the above rubber adhesive is exposed.
  • a woven felt or a needle felt is used (refer to JP-A-2003-154037 ).
  • the woven felt in which a surface of a woven fabric is fluffed up, is made by subjecting a raw fabric to raising-processing and milling-processing.
  • the needle felt is, as shown in Fig. 4 , made by implanting and fixing short fibers (batt fibers) 18 onto a base fabric 16 by a needle-punch method (refer to JP-A-2007-308822 ).
  • the tennis ball using the woven felt for the outer surface (hereinafter, referred to as a "woven felt ball") is more excellent in performance than the tennis ball using the needle felt for the outer surface (hereinafter, referred to as a "needle felt ball”).
  • the woven felt ball since the felt is prone to fluff up and become worn, is mainly used for game.
  • the needle felt ball is inferior in performance to the woven belt ball, since the felt of the needle felt ball is hard to fluff up and become worn and the needle felt ball is inexpensive, the needle felt ball is mainly used for practise.
  • an en-tout-cas court made from lateritious clay an omni court made from sand-filled artificial turf, a clay court made from clay, a hard court made from concrete subjected to rubber processing, a carpet court (for indoor) made from carpet-like material, and a grass court made from natural grass.
  • the felt of the tennis ball is prone to fluff up and therefore a ball using a felt which is high in durability is preferably used.
  • Its court is, for example, the carpet court. Accordingly, in such the court, the aforementioned needle felt ball is preferably used.
  • the needle felt ball is formed, there is a problem that creases are prone to occur particularly in a circumferential edge portion (in the vicinity of joint) of the felt.
  • An object of the invention is to provide a tennis ball felt which has less occurrence of creases at the time of forming a tennis ball, and a tennis ball using the felt.
  • the base fabric and the needle felt have the stretch property in neither of the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction, so that it is conceivable that when the felt is adhered to the core having the spherical body, creases are produced on the felt due to lack of the stretch property; and therefore, by providing the stretch property for the base fabric thereby to provide the stretch property for the needle felt, it is possible to prevent the creases from being produced on the felt in the forming time of the needle felt ball.
  • a tennis bass felt which is covered on a core of a tennis ball, including: a base fabric formed of stretchy material; and fibers fixed with the base fabric.
  • a tennis bass felt which is covered on a core of a tennis ball, including: a base fabric having a mesh structure which develops stretch property; and fibers fixed with the base fabric.
  • a tennis bass felt which is covered on a core of a tennis ball, including: a base fabric formed of stretchy material and having a mesh structure which develops stretch property; and fibers fixed with the base fabric.
  • a tennis ball including a core and felt covered on the core, in which the felt is any of the first to third aspects.
  • the tennis ball felt of the invention has the aforementioned constitution of the first to third aspects, it is conceivable that the felt has the stretch property and therefore has less occurrence of creases at the time of forming the tennis ball.
  • creases are hard to be produced on the felt at the forming of the tennis ball. Namely, according to the invention, it is possible to obtain a tennis ball which is excellent in aesthetic appearance, and prevent effectively the irregular ball bound resulted from the creases produced on the felt.
  • a tennis ball felt of the invention is formed by fixing a base fabric and fibers together.
  • the base fabric is formed of stretchy material
  • examples of the stretchy material can include stretchy polyurethane, polyethylene terephthalate, nylon, a mixture of polyurethane and polyethylene terephthalate, a mixture of polyurethane and nylon, a mixture of nylon and polyethylene terephthalate, a mixture of polyurethane, nylon and cotton, and synthetic rubber.
  • the most preferable material of these materials is, from points of excellent stretch property, and suitable thickness and weight, polyurethane.
  • examples of the above mesh structure can include the structure shown in Figs. 1A and 1B .
  • each mesh 22 is hexagonal; and in a mesh structure 30 shown in Fig. 1B , each mesh 32 is rhomboidal.
  • the base fabric having the mesh structure of Fig. 1A or 1B has the stretch property in both of a longitudinal direction X and a lateral direction Y. Therefore, the felt using the above base fabric has the stretch property in both of the longitudinal direction X and the lateral direction Y.
  • Examples of the mesh structure which develops the stretch property can include, in addition, the structure in which each mesh has the shape of an even-gon such as an octagon, and the structure in which each mesh is circular.
  • the base fabric having the mesh structure which develops the stretch property may be formed of material having no stretch property.
  • Examples of such the material having no stretch property can include non-stretch cotton and linen.
  • material of the fibers fixed to the base fabric is not limited, examples of the material can include a single material or a two or more sorts-mixture selected from a wool fiber, a nylon fiber, a polyester fiber, an acrylic fiber, and a rayon fiber.
  • the tennis ball felt of the invention may have the stretch property in one or two directions of the longitudinal direction, the lateral direction, and an oblique direction, or in all the directions. From a point that the occurrence of creases on the felt is effectively prevented at the forming time of the tennis ball, it is preferable that the felt has the stretch property in all the directions. However, in case that the stretch property is provided for the felt by the base fabric having the mesh structure which develops the stretch property, since there is a direction where the felt cannot stretch depending on the pulling direction, it is preferable that the felt is punched out so as to stretch at least in the longitudinal direction of the substantially gourd-shape.
  • the fiber forming the felt is processed with a fiber softening agent and subjected to soft finishing, whereby softening property is provided for the fiber of the felt, and the occurrence of the creases on the felt can be prevented more at the forming time of the tennis ball.
  • the fiber softening agent which gives the softening property to the fiber, is selected appropriately in response to material of the fiber.
  • cationic surfactants such as a polyamide type cationic surfactant, a quarternary-ammonium salt type cationic surfactant, and a non-ion cationic surfactant
  • anionic surfactants such as an ester type nan--ion/anionic surfactant, a non-ion anionic surfactant, a higher alcohol-based anionic surfactant, a wax/non-ion/anionic surfactant, a wax/non-ion/weak anionic surfactant
  • nonionic surfactants such as a polyhydric alcohol-based nonionic surfactant, a polyhydric alcohol ester type nonionic surfactant, a polyether type nonionic surfactant, a wax/nonionic surfactant, and a wax/weak cation/nonionic surfactant
  • silicon oil and a modified silicon oil
  • a particularly preferable main component of the fiber softening agent is the polyamide type cationic surfactant.
  • An example of the processing method with the fiber softening agent includes a method of immersing the raw fibers of felt or felt in the watered-down softening agent, but the processing method is not limited to this method.
  • the felt in case that a felt in which fibers have been processed with the fiber softening agent is made, the felt may be made by the fibers processed with the fiber softening agent in advance, or the felt after being made may be processed with the fiber softening agent.
  • the tennis ball of the invention is more preferably formed into a needle felt ball.
  • a tennis ball which can be used appropriately in a court (for example, a carpet court) where the felt is prone to fluff up and therefore, a ball felt which is high in durability is preferably used.
  • the above needle felt may have a single-layer structure or a multilayer structure.
  • the needle felt having the multilayer structure there is; for example, the needle felt in which a polyester fiber or an acryl fiber is used as a fiber, a nylon fiber or a mixed fiber of wool and nylon is used as a fiber in a lower felt layer having the above-mentioned structure (1) to (3), and an upper felt layer having the above-mentioned constitution (1) to (3) is laminated on the lower felt layer.
  • the softening agent may be used in only the felt having the aforementioned constitution (1), the softening agent may be used in only the felt having the aforementioned constitution (2), or the softening agent may be used in only the felt having the aforementioned constitution (3).
  • the felt of the invention in which the base fabric and the fibers are fixed together may be made by other methods than the needle punch method.
  • the tennis ball shown in Fig. 3 was made by the following procedure.
  • needle felt A a felt which uses a base fabric formed of polyurethane that is stretchy material and having a hexagonal mesh structure developing stretch property, and which has the stretch property in both of a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction (refer to Fig.
  • Needle felt B a felt which uses a base fabric composed of a woven fabric, the woven fabric using a cotton fiber having no stretch property for one of warp and woof, and a polyester fiber having no stretch property for the other thereof, and therefore having stretch property in neither of the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction, the felt having stretch property in neither of the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction
  • Needle felt C a felt which uses a base fabric of which material is the same as the material of the base fabric of the needle felt B and of which thickness is larger than the thickness of the base fabric of the needle felt B.

Landscapes

  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Physical Education & Sports Medicine (AREA)
  • Nonwoven Fabrics (AREA)
EP20110195658 2010-12-24 2011-12-23 Tennis ball felt and tennis ball Withdrawn EP2468365A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP2010288246A JP2012135363A (ja) 2010-12-24 2010-12-24 テニスボール用フェルトおよびテニスボール

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP2468365A1 true EP2468365A1 (en) 2012-06-27

Family

ID=45464355

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP20110195658 Withdrawn EP2468365A1 (en) 2010-12-24 2011-12-23 Tennis ball felt and tennis ball

Country Status (3)

Country Link
US (1) US20120165143A1 (ja)
EP (1) EP2468365A1 (ja)
JP (1) JP2012135363A (ja)

Families Citing this family (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US10493327B2 (en) 2017-03-14 2019-12-03 Wilson Sporting Goods Co. Tennis ball having a core with internal material shift lines
US10549159B2 (en) 2017-03-14 2020-02-04 Wilson Sporting Goods Co. Tennis ball having a core with aerodynamic patterns
US10918913B2 (en) 2018-08-28 2021-02-16 Wilson Sporting Goods Co. Tennis ball
US11951360B2 (en) 2018-08-28 2024-04-09 Wilson Sporting Goods Co. Tennis ball
US11247103B2 (en) 2020-02-11 2022-02-15 Wilson Sporting Goods Co. Tennis ball having a thermoplastic core
US11192001B2 (en) * 2020-02-11 2021-12-07 Wilson Sporting Goods Co. Tennis ball having a thermoplastic core
US11426637B2 (en) * 2020-02-11 2022-08-30 Wilson Sporting Goods Co. Tennis ball having a thermoplastic core

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1074779A (en) * 1964-01-30 1967-07-05 Spalding & Bros Ltd Ag Tennis ball and method of making cover for same
GB1588380A (en) * 1978-05-23 1981-04-23 Webron Products Ltd Tennis balls
US5830092A (en) * 1997-12-11 1998-11-03 Milliken Research Corporation Tennis ball fabric

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US3620821A (en) * 1968-09-18 1971-11-16 Union Carbide Corp Treatment of fibers with siloxane-polyoxyalkylene block copolymers containing methoxysiloxy groups
US4299029A (en) * 1975-04-23 1981-11-10 Auken John A Van Method of making an electrically conductive game ball
FR2355530A1 (fr) * 1976-06-21 1978-01-20 Lacoste Francois Balle de tennis
GB2124504B (en) * 1982-07-30 1985-09-11 Dunlop Ltd Making tennis-balls
JPS62236731A (ja) * 1986-04-08 1987-10-16 東レ株式会社 織編物風布帛
US5211788A (en) * 1988-08-10 1993-05-18 Song Jae M Tennis ball and method of manufacturing the same
JPH04161175A (ja) * 1990-10-24 1992-06-04 Sumitomo Rubber Ind Ltd テニスボール
JPH04259475A (ja) * 1991-02-12 1992-09-16 Sumitomo Rubber Ind Ltd 無圧テニスボール
US5413331A (en) * 1992-12-21 1995-05-09 Oddzon Products, Inc. Soft reboundable amusement ball and outer skin material
US6342285B1 (en) * 1997-09-03 2002-01-29 Velcro Industries B.V. Fastener loop material, its manufacture, and products incorporating the material
GB9820165D0 (en) * 1998-09-17 1998-11-11 Milliken Ind Ltd Non-woven fabric
JP2000160464A (ja) * 1998-11-26 2000-06-13 Unitika Ltd 柔軟性に優れた伸縮性不織布及びその製造方法
DE60014840T2 (de) * 1999-12-24 2005-10-13 Milliken Industrials Ltd., Bury Bekleidungsstoff für Tennisball und Verfahren zur Herstellung
JP3984406B2 (ja) * 2000-04-18 2007-10-03 ライオン株式会社 界面活性剤組成物
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JP2003154037A (ja) * 2001-11-22 2003-05-27 Sumitomo Rubber Ind Ltd テニスボール用フェルト及びテニスボール
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KR20070084308A (ko) * 2004-11-25 2007-08-24 미쓰이 가가쿠 가부시키가이샤 프로필렌계 수지 조성물 및 그 용도
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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1074779A (en) * 1964-01-30 1967-07-05 Spalding & Bros Ltd Ag Tennis ball and method of making cover for same
GB1588380A (en) * 1978-05-23 1981-04-23 Webron Products Ltd Tennis balls
US5830092A (en) * 1997-12-11 1998-11-03 Milliken Research Corporation Tennis ball fabric

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
US20120165143A1 (en) 2012-06-28
JP2012135363A (ja) 2012-07-19

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