US1671237A - Baseball - Google Patents

Description

May 29 1928.

J. H. GRADY BASEBALL Filed Dec. 24, 1926 A 7 TOE/v5 5 5 Patented May 29, 1928.

UTIBITED STATES PATENT 0mm JOHN H. GRADY, OF sI'. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNGR r0 5. H. Gnnn'sr MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURL CORPORATION OF MISSOURI.

BASEBALL.

Application 'fiierl December 24, 1526. Serial No. H8949.

This-invention relates to baseballs of the type that are known commercially as Ollicial league balls.

Balls of the kind referred to consist of a spherical-shaped core surrounded by a wrapping or layer oftightly wound yarn, which, in turn, is encased in a leather cover, the core usually consisting of a small ball constructed of solid rubber or cork, or a solid spherical-shaped cork member encased in a rubber shell. Due to the fact that such a core is relatively soft, it is the general practice in winding the yarn around the core to start the winding operation with yarn maintained at a sufficiently loose tension to prevent the core from being squeezed out of its original spherical shape, and increase the tension on the yarn as the winding operation proceeds so as to impart the proper degree of hardness to the ball and make it of the proper weight and size.

One serious objection to a baseball constructed in this manner is that the relatively loose yarn immediately adjacent the core and the relatively soft or easily compressible material from which the core is constructed, permits the core to shift slightly, deform or tend to flatten when the ball is struck a blow with a bat, thus throwing the ball out' of balance. I

Another objection is that the ball is apt to become soft when in use, due to the uneven tension of the yarn and the shifting or deformation in the shape of the core, and still another objection is that the relatively soft core absorbs so much of the shock which the ball is subjected to when it is struck with a hat, that the full force on the ball is not utilized to produce the result which it is desired to obtain, i. e., speed and great distance.

I have discovered that if a baseball of the general type mentioned, i. e., one having a body portion constructed principally from tightly wound yarn or other suitable fibrous material, is provided with a core, which, in addition to having some resiliency, is also relatively hard, that the above-mentioned inherent objections of the conventional ofiicial league ball now in general use are overcome.

To this end I have devised a baseball trate the preferred form of my invention,

and in which Figure 1 is a view of the complete ball in elevation and Figure 2 a cross section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1. A designates a solid, spherical-shaped member that constitutes the center of my improved ball, which member is constructed from material that has a high degree of hardness and also some resiliency. One material that I have discovered to possess these two characteristics is vulcanized sponge rubber, subjected to pressure or treatment so as to makeit very hard, and accordingly, I prefer to construct the center member A of the ball from vulcanized sponge rubber, treated so as to make it hard. In the preferred form of my invention, as herein illustrated, the center member A is encased in a shell B of pure gum rubber that is vulcanized around the member A, but I wish it to be understood that my broad idea is not limited to a baseball provided with a core of this exact construction. A layer or wrapping C of yarn or other suitable fibrous material is wound tightly around the core of the ball so as to produce a ball of the proper size, weight and degree of hardness, and in the winding Operation the yarn or other material that is used to constitute the wrapping C is maintained at a uniform tension throughout the entire winding Operation so that this portion of the ball will be of uniform density throughout its, entire area.

The fibrous wrapping O is encased inan outer cover D which usually will be formed from tanned horse hide or some other suitable flexible material.

A baseball of the construction above described will retain its hardness, due to the fact that the fibrous wrapping immediately adjacent the core is of the same density throughout its entire area; it will not lose its balance or shape, because the core cannot shift out of position, and is so hard that it Will not deform or tend to flatten When the ball'is subjected to a sharp blow, and it Will travel a greater distance and at a higher speed than the conventional official league ball, on account of the fact that very little of the shock or blow to which the ball is subjected When it comes in contact With a bat is taken up or absorbed by the core of the ball which the fibrous Wrapping surrounds.

Having thus described my invention, what 15 I claim as new and desire to secure by Let ters Patent is A baseball composed of a solid cylindrical shaped core constructed from vulcanized throughout the entire Winding operation,

and an outer cover of flexible material that encases said yarn.

JOHN H GR A'DY.

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