NZ207869A

NZ207869A - Ball with two piece cover,fibre reinforcing element internally straddling cover joint,and solid adhesive resin interior

Info

Publication number: NZ207869A
Application number: NZ207869A
Authority: NZ
Inventors: J V Reader; P G Wood
Original assignee: Reader & Co Ltd Alfred
Priority date: 1983-10-12
Filing date: 1984-04-16
Publication date: 1987-02-20
Also published as: GB8327234D0; GB2147815B; AU557479B2; ZA843394B; AU2172983A; GB2147815A; IN161091B

Description

2 Priority Date(s): ... ./r?,' /.<?.•. i Complete Specification Filed: Class: Q& A £&&&/& PuWication Date: ....... J?. P. fS?.- !??7.

P.O. Journal. No: ......

No,: Date: NEW ZEALAND PATENTS ACT, 1953 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION A. BALL ..AND MANUFACTURE THEREOF M^Wc, ALFRED READER &. COMPANY LIMITED Invicta Works, reston, Maidstone, Kent ME18. 5AW, England, a British Company hereby declare the invention, for which 5T}C/ ve pray that a patent may be granted to gig^us, a:nd the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: - - 1 - (followed by page la) - W- MANUFACTURE THEREOF— This invention relates to balls, such as cricket balls, hockey balls, baseballs, rounders balls and the like, of the kind incorporating a core, and a cover, and to a method of manufacture of such balls.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a ball comprising a cover formed from at least two cover-forming pieces, surrounding a solid interior formed from a synthetic resin which acts as an adhesive to hold said pieces together, and fibre-reinforcing means provided on the surface of the said solid interior, the fibre-reinforcing means comprising a reinforcing element located internally of the ball so as to straddle the join of the two cover-forming pieces.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of manufacturing a ball which comprises providing at least two cover-forming pieces, placing said pieces within a generally spherical cavity of a mould so as to line said cavity and injecting into the space between the pieces a synthetic resin which will set after injection to form a solid interior of the ball and also act as an adhesive-to hold said pieces together, and prior to injecting said synthetic resin a fibre-reinforcing means comprising a reinforcing element is located within the interior of the ball in a position in which said element straddles the join between the cover-forming pieces.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of manufacturing a ball, which method comprises providing two cover-forming pieces each being in the form of a.hemispherical cup, placing eacjuss^fe // f/'V - "f'H ■" o 207869 said pieces in corresponding sections of a mould defining a generally spherical cavity so as to line said cavity, introducing into the interior of the lower cover-forming piece with the mould in an open condition the required amount of an expandable synthetic resin which will expand and set and which will adhere to said cover-forming pieces to hold them together, locating a fibre-reinforcing means comprising a reinforcing element within one of the cover-forming pieces and bringing the two cover-forming pieces together by closing the mould thereby to maintain the cover-forming pieces in a spherical configuration while the synthetic resin expands and sets, the reinforcing element being positioned so that the element straddles the join between the two cover-forming pieces.

The cover of the ball may comprise two generally hemispherical cups and each cup may be formed from a single piece of material (such as leather, rubber or a synthetic resin material ) in which case the ball may be referred to as a halved ball. Alternatively, each hemi-spherical cup may comprise two pieces of material which are stitched or otherwise connected together in which case the ball is referred to as a quartered ball. With either a halved ball or a quartered ball there may be provided a seam which extends around a diametral plane of the cover. Alternatively, the cover may be formed from two pieces of material which are each of generally figure-of-eight configuration.

If desired, each of the cover-forming pieces may be provided in a region adjacent the peripheral edges thereof with one or more rows of stitching, commonly referred to as "false stitching" because the stitching is not itself used to connect the cover-forming piecej^l^: together. |ty'V K Each of the aforesaid cover-forming pieces can be made of any convenient material. The synthetic resin material which is injected into the mould conveniently comprises a polyurethane material.

The invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example only, with reference- to the accompanying drawing which is a sectional view of a mould used in carrying out one embodiment of a method in accordance with the invention.

Referring now to the drawing, a ball, typically a cricket ball, is made from a pair of generally hemi-spherical cups'10'and .11. Each cup may be formed of two separate ■ pieces of material which are connected together in any convenient manner but preferably each cup is formed of a single piece of material. Any material suitable for the cover of a cricket ball may be used for the said cups, but preferably the cups are of leather. Each cup may include an outer layer 10a or 11a which is formed from.a suitably shaped piece cut from a skin and afterwards "blocked" or shaped in a mould to provide the desired generally hemi-spherical shape. There may also be provided (as shown in the drawing) a lining 10b or lib which may be formed of leather or any other suitable material and which is secured by adhesive or in any other convenient manner to the interior of the adjacent outer layer 10a or 10b. Each" of the two hemi-spherical cups thus formed is then provided in the region adjacent to its peripheral edge with one or more (desirably three) rows of stitching generally indicated by reference numeral 12 which extend around the circumference of the cup. Such stitching will project both from the exterior and the interior of the associated cup, the exterior projections forming the seam of the completed ball. The 207869 stitching 12 is commonly referred to as "false" stitching (and is conveniently carried out by machine) because the stitching itself is not used to connect the two hemi-spherical cups together although where a lining 10b and lib is provided as above described the stitching can be used to form an additional connection between the lining and the outer layer of each..cup.

Thd two hemi-spherical cups 10 and 11 are then placed in a mould which includes an upper part 13 and a lower part 14, the bottom of the upper part registering in a recess formed in the top of the lower part 14. Furthermore at the upper end of the part 13 of the mould there is provided an aperture 15 which can be .closed when required by means of a suitable plug (not shown). As shown i n the drawing the aforesaid rows of stitching are arranged so that they lie in general horizontal planes and in this case a suitable small aperture indicated by reference numeral 16 is formed at the top of the cup 10 and through this aperture is injected by means of a suitable injector nozzle a synthetic resin in order to fill the space enclosed by the cups 10 and 11 so as to form a core for the ball. The core forming material comprises a synthetic resin material such as for example a self-curing polyurethane that'foams slightly and which whilst curing will have adhesive properties.

In accordance with the invention, the fibre-reinforcing means may take the form of a fibre reinforcement such as glass fibres, carbon fibres or aromatic polyamide (Kevlar) (Registered Trade Mark) fibres which is included in the interior of the ball prior to injecting the synthetic resin. Such a reinforcing means must straddle the join between the two cover-forming pieces. Typically a strip formed of a glass fibre woven mat is formed into a circular configuration and is placed within the ball so that its outer face sits across the join between the two hemi-spherical cover-forming pieces.

Although it is not essential, it may be desirable in some instances to coat the abutting edges of the cover-forming pieces with an adhesive, preferably an impact adhesive, prior to bringing the cover-forming pieces together so as to ensure that the edges of the cover-forming pieces of the finished ball are strongly bound together.

Injection continues until the whole of said cavity is filled and until material starts to be ejected from said aperture 16. The hole 15 is then closed by the aforesaid plug until the material in said cavity sets whereafter the mould parts 13 and 14 can be separated and the completed ball removed for subsequent polishing or other operations. Alternatively, the plug can be dispensed with and the core-forming material can then be injected until it runs out of the hole 15, the excess material being trimmed off. .. ■ . _ In an alternative arrangement the aforesaid rows of stitching can be arranged to extend in generally vertical planes so that injection on*the material into the cavity between the cups 10 and IT can be accomplished by prising apart the abutting edges of the two cups for a short 1ength ^thereof beneath the hole 15 and material can then be injected through the space created between said abutting edges. After injection has been completed the prised apart abutting edges can be allowed to recover so that they again abut each other and the hole 15 closed by means of the plug as before. Suitable clamps may also be provided to hold the two mould parts 13 and 14 together whilst curing takes place. Whichever method of injecting . 4* ^ ■7 * v O P' X ^ * ,r: 207869 the ball is adopted however the material that is injected will not only form a desired core but will also be sufficiently adhesive as to secure the two cups 10 and 11 together.

In an alternative method of manufacturing a ball in accordance with the invention, each- of two cover-formi ng p.ieces is placed within a corresponding section of a mould defining a generally spherical cavity so as to line the cavity, Whilst the mould is kept open and the cover-forming pieces are kept apart the required amount of an expandable synthetic resi n ' which, wi 11 expand and set and which will adhere to the cover-forming pieces to hold them together, typically a polyurethane, is introduced into the interior of the lower cover-forming piece. A fibre reinforcing means comprising a reinforcing element is located within one of the cover-forming pieces. The two cover-forming pieces are then brought together by closing the mould and are maintained in a spherical configuration while the ^synthetic resin expands and sets. The reinforcing element is positioned so that the element straddles the join between the two cover-forming pieces.

The present invention provides a relatively inexpensive method of making a cricket ball which has a cover formed of leather or other material and which may have a seam formed of machine made stitching. The relatively expensive method of using hand- stitching to provide both the seam and a means for joining the two hemi-spherical cups together is therefore avoided. A ball made in this way also has the advantage that if the stitches are cut {as for example by being used on a hard playing surface) then the cover of the ball will not split. \ ■■ :.t- \" . -v.i \-{ ■ ** • '/y ~..y ' .-*■ 207889 The invention can also be used in the manufacture of balls without stitches - for example stitchless balls which comprise a pair of hemi-spherical cups joined together by a cover as above-described. As a further alternative, the cover of a ball formed by a method in ir accordance with the invention may comprise two pieces : which are of generally figure-of-eight configuration ! disposed in an interlocking arrangement in which together j, they form a sphere and such a construction may be used ' < for making inter alia stitchless hockey balls, rounders balIs, or basebal1s. *

Claims

207869 - 8 - 6LAIMSV WUAT^/'WE CLAIM IS:

1. A ball comprising a cover formed from at least two cover-forming pieces surrounding a solid interior formed from a synthetic resin which acts as an adhesive to hold said pieces together, and fibre-reinforcing means provided on the surface of the said solid interior, the ^ fibre-reinforeing means comprising a reinforcing element '~*J located internally of the ball so as to straddle the join of the cover-forming pieces.

2. A ball as claimed in Claim 1, wherein there are two -n, cover-forming pieces which each comprise a hemi-spherical cup.

3. A ball as claimed in Claim 1, wherein there are two cover-forming pieces which are each of generally figure-of-eight configuration.

4. A ball as. claimed in Claim 1, or Claim 2, wherein ^ each of the cover-forming pieces is provided with a hemi-spherical lining.

5. A ball'as. claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein each of the cover-forming pieces is provided around its periphery with one or more rows of ! stitches which project outwardly from the exterior of the cover-forming piece to form part of a seam of the completed ball.

6. A ball as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cover is of leather, of rubber or of a synthetic polymer. - 9 - 207869

7. A ball as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the said synthetic resin is a polyure thane.

8. A ball as claimed in any foregoing claim, wfierein the reinforcing element is of glass fibre, carbon fibre, - or aromatic poljamide fibre.

9. A ball as claimed in any foregoing claim, wherein the reinforcing element .comprises a strip of fibre mat coiled into a circular configuration.

10. A method of manufacturing a ball which comprises providing at least two cover-forming pieces, placing said pieces within a generally spherical cavity of a mould so as to line said cavity and injecting into the space between the pieces' a synthetic resin which will set after injection to form a solid interior of the ball and also act as an adhesive to hold said pieces together and prior to injecting safd synthetic resin a fibre-reinforcing means comprising a reinforcing element is located within the interior of the ball in a position in which said element straddle-s the join between the cover-forming pi eces.

11. A method as claimed in Claim 10, wherein there are two cover-forming pieces which each comprise a hemi-spherical cup. ,

12. A method as claimed in Claim 10, wherein there are two cover-forming pieces which are each of generally figure-of-eight configuration. 3 . /' t ■'>' '/. • ••'. 207869 - 10 -

13. A method as claimed in Claim 10 or Claim 11, wherein each of the cover-forming pieces is provided with a hemi-spherical lining.

14. A method as claimed in any one of Claims 10 to 13, wherein each of the cover-forming pieces is provided around its periphery with one or more rows of stitches which project outwardly from the exterior of the cover-forming piece to form part of a seam of the completed ball.

15. A method as claimed in any one of Claims 10 to 14, wherein said synthetic resin is injected into the space between the cover-forming pieces through an aperture formed in one of the cover-forming pieces. 7 l-?":

16. A method as claimed in any one of Claims 10 to 14, wherein said synthetic resin is injected into the space between the cover-forming pieces through a small aperture formed by prising apart the abutting edges of the pieces along a small part of the length thereof.

17. A method as claimed in any one of Claims 10 to 16, wherein the said synthetic resin is a polyurethane.

18. A method as claimed in any one of Claims 10 to 17, wherein the reinforcing element is of glass fibrea carbon fibre or aromatic polyamide fibre.

19. A method as claimed in any one of Claims 10 to 18, wherein the reinforcing element comprises a strip of fibre mat coiled into a circular configuration. •27NOV198S^ 207869 j - n -

20. A method as claimed in any one of Claims 10 to 19, wherein the abutting edges of the cover-forming pieces are coated with an adhesive prior to bringing the cover-forming pieces together.

21. A method of manufacturing a ball, which method ^ comprises providing two cover-forming pieces each being in the form of a hemispherical cup, placing each of said pieces in corresponding sections of a mould defining a generally spherical cavity so as to line said cavity, introducing into the interior of the lower cover-forming piece with the mould in an open condition the required amount of an expandable synthetic resin which will expand and set and which will adhere to said cover-forming pieces to hold them together, locating a fibre-reinforcing means comprising a reinforcing element within one of the cover-forming pieces and bringing the two cover-forming pieces together by closing the mould thereby to maintain the cover-forming pieces in a ^ spherical configuration while the synthetic resin expands and sets, the reinforcing element being positioned so that the element straddles the join between the two cover-forming pieces.

22. A ball as claimed in-Claim 1 substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

23. A method as claimed in Claim 10 substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing. o dated this A. J. P-Aft.K_& !\s27MOV1986mi| 4 // ,, v> -" PER ^ "b agents for the applicants ■