US1668173A - Football, basket ball, and the like - Google Patents

Description

May l. 1928.l I

M. SCUDDER FOOTBALL, BASKET BALL, AND THE LIKE Filed March 8. 1926 pull v fab/@NZZ e Patented May l, 1928.

1 UNITEDl STATES 1,668,173 PATENT OFFICE.

MASON SCUDDER, 0F ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOB TO RAWLINGS UFACTUBING COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI.

FOOTBALL, BASKET BALL, AND-THE LIKE.

Application lcd March 8, 1926. Serial No. 93,143@

This invention relates to foot balls, baslret balls and similar balls of the type 1n which the bladder` is equipped with an intiating.

valve whose stem is so arranged that a pump can be connected to same without disturbing the lacing that closes the slit in the casing through which the bladder is inserted 1n the casing.

One object ofrmy invention 1s to (provide a ball of the general type referre to in which the stem of the inflating valve is com bined with the casing in a novel manner that eliminates the possibility of the terminal portion of said valve stem becomin arranged in such a position that it is di cult to connect the pump tofsame when the bladder is deflated. l

Another object is to provide a ball of the kind referred to that is inexpensive to manufacture and of such design that the bladder can be easily connected to or .disconnected from the casin Y Other objects and desirable features o? y invention will be hereinafter pointed out.

Figure 1 isa top plan vview of a portion of'alfoot ball or basket ball constructed in accordance with my invention.

yFigure 2 is a bottom lplan view of the parts shown in Figure 1, or, in other words, 1s

'a view of the'inside ofrthe casing. with theV flap turned back and'with the valve stem taken on the line" 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4' is a transverse sectional view, taken on the line 4--4 of Figure 1;- and Figure 5 is la detail sectional viewi1lus trating a slight 'modification of my invention. p l

Referring tothe drawings which illustrate the vpreferred` form of my invention, A designates the' outer casing of a foot b all, basket ball, punching bag or similar device, B designates the bladder that is arranged inside of said casing, C designates the slit in the casing through which the bladder is inserted, D desi nates the lacin that normally closesfsai Slit and E designates the flap inside of the casing that is normally arranged over the lacing so as to prevent saidlacingfrom rubbing against the bladder. i

The bladder B-is equipped with an inliating valve that ycomprises a metallic valve stem 1 which is combined with the casing A 55 in such a manner that an inflating pump can be connected to the terminal portion of said valve stem Without disturbing the lacing, the casing being provided with a hole 2 arranged at one side of the slit C so as to enable a connection on the end of the hose of the inliating pump to be inserted inV said opening and screwed into the terminal por-` tion of the valve stem `1; The hole 2 in the casing is normally closed by a ca 3 that 66 is screwed into the outer end of t e valve stem and said valve stem is combined with the casing in suc-h a manner thatthe outer end of said stem terminates inside of the casing. It is immaterial, however, so far as my broad lidea is concerned, whether the outer end of the valve stem 1 terminates inside of the casing or projects slightly into the hole 2 in the casing, but it is preferable `to have the valve stem terminate at a point 'Il inside of the casing so that the cap or closure 3 for the valve stem will extend flush or substantially so with the outer surface ofthe-` casing A.

The novel feature of -my improved ball consists in the means that `i`s used for connecting the valve stem 1 of the bladder to the casing, vsaid means being s'o constructed and arranged that it holds the terminal portion of thevalve stem in or in ali ment with g5 the hole 2 'in the casing, even weln the bladder is deiated. Said, means also has the added advantage that fit is inexpensive to.

'construct and is of such design that the bladder can easily be connected' to or disconnected from the casing A of t-he ball. Briefly stated, said-meansconsists of a nut or other internally screw-threaded device 4'arranged in a Apocket on the inner side of the casing A andvadapted tohave an externall screwo5 threaded portion on the 'outer en of the valve. stem Lscrewed into same. The pocket which receives and holds the device 4 is formed referably by one of the stays 5` on the insi e f the casing that extends along one side side of the slit C and a pocket member 6` that issecured by stitches or in any other suitable manner to the underside of said stay at a point in proximity to the hole 2 in the casing.

In the form of my invention shownlin Figure's' 1 to 4 the pocket that receives the Vde'- Yi 4 into which the valve vstem 1 is screwed is open at one side or edge sothat the device 4 can be easily introduced into and removed from said pocket, this form of pocket being desirable, in'tliat it enables the device 4 to be renewed easily 'in the event the screw threads of said device becomestripped or otherwise injured. Thetop and bottom walls of the pocket that receive the device 4 are provided with holes arranged in alignment with the hole 2 in the casing A and the flap E on the inside of the casing is also provided with an alignedhole 2il t-hroughfwhich the valve stem passes, the method of combining the bladder B with the casing A of the ball being to fold the flap E against the pocket member 6 after the bladder has been introduced into the casing and then insert the valve stem 1 through the hole 2 ln the flap and screw the externally-threaded portion ot said stem into the device 4 arranged in said ocket by rotating the valve stem and the iiladder to which said stem is connected. Thereafter, the lacing D can be arranged in the lacing holes provided for same in the casing and tightened, because the hole 2 in the i casing permits the pumpv to be connected with the valve stem after the lacing D has been drawn taut so as to close the slit C in the casing.

The nut or device 4 that co-operates with the valve stem 1 to connect the bladder with the casing and hold the terminal portion Of said valve casing in alignment with the hole 2 in the casing, even when the bladder is deflated, is mounted in the pocket in such a manner that it cannot rotate during the operation of screwing the valve stem into samen In the form of my invention shown'in Figures 1 to 4 the pocket formed by the stay and the pocket member 6 is made -considerably larger than the -nutl so as to enable said nut to be easily introduced into or removed from Said pocket, and said nut is provided at one end with a reduced portionfi, as shown in broken lines in Figures 1 and 2, that is positioned between two of the lacing holes in the casing so that if said nut starts to turn during the operation of screwing the valve stem into same, the reduced portion 4a of said nut will strike against the lacing D, and thus be held against further rotation. Obviously, the nut 4 could be formed in various other waysto accomplish this result, such, for example, as having the walls of the pocket conformto the shape of the nut, or providing one wall of the pocketfwith an abutment to revent rotary movement of the nut. In the orm of my invention illustrated in Figure 5 the stay 5a on the inside of the casing is provided with a hole or recess that conforms to the outline of a non-circularshaped nut or internally screw-threaded device 40, and said device is held in said recess by means of aimeinber 6a that is connected -in any suitable manner to th'estay 5*,

said member 6a of course being provided with a hole that is in alignment with the internally screw-threaded hole in the device 40a.

A ball of the construction above described is inexpensive to manufacture; it is of such design that the bladder can be easily connected to or disconnected from the casing; the bladder can beinflated without disturbing the lacing D that closes the slit C in the casing; and deflation of the bladder will not result in the'valve stem 1 dropping inwardl into the casing or becoming arranged in suc 1 a position that it is difficult to connect the inflating pumpto said valve stem, this being due to the fact that the terminal portion of the valve stem is screwed into a nut or other similar device which is arranged in a pocket 011 the inner side of the casing. The above desirable features, coupled with the tact that the nut 4 can be renewed easily`in the event the threads of same become defective, make mfv ball a decided im rovement on the' balls o this general type t at are now in use. Having thus described my invention, what -I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

. 1. A foot ball basket ball or the like, comprising a y blad er rovided with a valve stem, a casing provi ed with a slit or opening through which said bladder is introduced into the casing, aA pocket on the inner side of said casing arranged at one side of said slit and having a side opening presented towards said slit, a4 nutor internall screwthreaded device'removabl mounte in said pocket and adapted to ave the terminal portion of said valve stem screwed into same, and a hole in the-casing arranged in alignment with said valve stem. A

2. A foot ball, basket ball or the like, cemprising a bladder provided with a valve stem, a casing provided witha slit or opening through which said bladder. isintroduced `into the casing, alacing for closing said slit,

a pocket on theinterior of the casing arranged at one side of said slit and formed by al flexible member attached to the casing, a removable nut or internally screw-threaded device in said pocket adapted to have the terminal portion of the valve screwed into same, said nut being loosely mounted in said pocket and arranged so that a portion of -said `nut co-operates with said lacing to hold the nut against rotary movement during the operation of screwing the valve steri into same, and a hole in the casing for permitting a. pump to be connected to said valve stem.

3. A foot ball, basket ball or the like, comprising a bladder provided with a valve stem, a casing provided with a slit or opening through which the bladder is introduced i into the casing, a stay on the inner side of the casing that extends along the side of Said slit. a member connected. te said stay and ar- `Lesa,

ranged in opposed relationJ to same so as to form a pocket, a threaded -device removably mounted in said pocket into which the ter minal portion of said valve stem is screwed,'

and a hole in the casing arranged inalignment with said valve stem.

4. A foot ball, basket ball or the' like, comprising a bladder provided with a valve stem, a casing provided with a. slit through" which the bladder is introduced into the casing, a Hap on the interior of the casing that is normally arranged over said slit, a'hole in saidflap through which the valve stem on the bladder passes, a nut or internally screwthreaded device arranged between said flap and the casing and adapted to have the terminal portion of said stem screwed into same, and a hole in the casing for enabling an inlating device to be connected to said valve stem. v 4

5. A foot ball, basketball or the like, comprising a bladder provided with a, valve stem, a casing provided with a slit through which the bladder is introduced into the casing, a. flap on the inner side of the casing that normally extends over said slit, a lacing for closing said slit, a member connected to the VAinnerside of the casing and arranged between the casing and said flap so as to form 4 a pocketv which is open at one side, a nut removably mounted in said pocketvand adapted to have the terminal portion of said valve l stem screwed in tosame, and a hole in the casing for enabling an intlating device to be connected to said valve stem.

MASON SCUDDER.

Images