US20040229722A1

US20040229722A1 - Method for making a ball and the product thereof

Info

Publication number: US20040229722A1
Application number: US10/437,226
Authority: US
Inventors: Yuan-Jung Liu
Original assignee: TIMEWELL TRADING Ltd
Current assignee: TIMEWELL TRADING Ltd
Priority date: 2003-05-14
Filing date: 2003-05-14
Publication date: 2004-11-18

Abstract

A method for making a ball includes the steps of preparing a bladder, inflating the bladder, wiring the bladder, patching pieces of a first covering onto the wired bladder, securing the first covering on the wired bladder, patching pieces of a second covering onto the first covering, and securing the second covering pieces on the first covering. Each of the second covering pieces is provided with protrusions and a trademark formed on an outer periphery of the second covering piece. A color is added to the trademark during injection molding for making each of the second covering pieces.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a ball making method, and more particularly to a method in which labor effort in painting the ball is eliminated and the markings on the outer periphery are more durable. The ball made in accordance with the method has a first covering mounted around a bladder and a second covering composed of multiple skins respectively and securely attached to an outer periphery of the first covering. The markings on the second covering skins are injection molded. Especially, the color on the markings is injected during the molding of the second covering skins so that the markings and the color are more durable than those of the balls in the prior art.

2. Description of Related Art

With reference to FIG. 4, a conventional method for making a ball includes the steps of:

1. preparing a bladder;

2. inflating the bladder;

3. wiring the inflated bladder;

4. patching pieces of a covering on the wired bladder; and

5. securing the covering pieces on the wired bladder.

With reference to FIG. 5, normally, after the bladder ( 60) made of rubber is inflated, a lining (61) made of wires is wound around the inflated bladder (60). Then, a covering (62) made of multiple pieces is patched onto the wired bladder. Finally, the wired ball with patched covering pieces is sent to a mold to secure the bonding between the covering pieces and the wired bladder. After the aforementioned process, the general overall appearance of a ball is finished. Then, the ball is sent to a painting department to paint colors on the ball. Taking a basketball for example, the finished basketball has stripes (63) and a trademark (64) on the outer periphery of the covering skin. Normally before sending the ball to the painting department, the stripes (63) have a color the same as that of the covering skins. Therefore, after the heating process to firmly connect every two adjacent covering pieces together so as to secure the covering pieces on the wired bladder, the stripes (63) are the joints of two adjacent covering pieces. In order to increase the attractive appearance of the basketball, the stripes (63) of the basketball are painted black and the trademark (64) is painted with an eyecatching color, such as white. After the painting process, the basketball is ready for sale. However, after a period of time of playing with the basketball, the stripes, and especially the trademark, are worn out due to constant friction with the ground. Long before the trademark is worn out, the first thing that is gradually lost is the color on the trademark, which is bad for commercial advertisement because when the eyecatching color on the basketball skin is gone, no one is able to recognize the brand of the basketball. Therefore, even though someone on the court is attracted to a particular basketball, that someone is not able to identify (and thus not purchase) the basketball of that brand.

To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention tends to provide an improved ball making method to mitigate and obviate the aforementioned problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide an improved method for making a ball in which the color and markings on the ball skin are more durable.

Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the process of the method of the present invention; [0014]
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the ball of the present invention with partial in exploded view; [0015]
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the ball of the present invention; [0016]
FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the process of a conventional method; and [0017]
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a conventional basketball.[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference to FIG. 1, the method for making a ball in accordance with the present invention includes the steps of: [0019]
1. preparing a bladder; [0020]
2. inflating the bladder; [0021]
3. wiring the bladder; [0022]
4. patching pieces of a first covering onto the wired bladder; [0023]
5. securing the first covering on the wired bladder; [0024]
6. patching pieces of a second covering onto the first covering, wherein each of the second covering pieces is provided with protrusions and a trademark formed on an outer periphery of the second covering piece(s); and [0025]
7. securing the second covering pieces on the first covering. [0026]
With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the bladder ([0027] 10) is normally is made of rubber and is able to be inflated into a sphere. After the rubber bladder (10) is inflated, a lining (20) made of wires is securely attached to an outer periphery of the inflated bladder (10). Multiple pieces of the first covering (30) are placed in a mold and then the wired bladder is placed into the mold to undergo a hot pressing to securely attach the first covering pieces onto the wired bladder. After the first covering pieces are securely patched on the wired bladder, multiple pieces of a second covering (40) with markings on the outer periphery of the second covering (40) are prepared. It is noted that after the second covering pieces are prepared, the markings including protrusions (41) formed on the outer periphery of each of the second covering pieces to increase friction with the user's palm and a trademark (42) (as shown in FIG. 3) with which the merchant is able to have the best commercial promotion in the market. Furthermore, when the second covering pieces are prepared, the manufacturer is able to inject a special color directly onto the trademark (42) during the formation of the trademark (42). Then the second covering pieces are patched onto the first covering (30) via bonding with a gap (43) defined between every two adjacent second covering pieces. Thereafter, the semi-product is sent to a mold to undergo a hot pressing to securely attach the second covering pieces on the first covering by jointing the second covering pieces with the first covering. Due to the definition of the gap (43) between every two adjacent second covering pieces, after the second covering pieces are securely attached to the first covering (30), the color of the first covering (30) is revealed as the stripes shown in the conventional ball. Furthermore, because the trademark color is made in a different process and the trademark color seeps into every part of the trademark, instead of the trademark being superficially painted on the ball, the trademark color stays on the trademark even after the ball has been used for a period of time.
From the foregoing description, it is noted that the method of the present invention has the following advantages: [0028]
Durable color; because the color on the trademark is durable even after a long period of time using the ball, users are still able to instantly identify the brand name of the ball. [0029]
Labor efficient; because the labor effort in painting the stripes and the trademark on the ball is eliminated, cost in labor is saved. [0030]
Color diversities; the first covering color is revealed after the ball is finished so that the manufacturer is able to choose from colors for the first covering to increase the diversities and attractiveness of the ball of the present invention. [0031]
It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed. [0032]

Claims

1. A method for making a ball comprising the steps of:

preparing a bladder;

inflating the bladder;

wiring the bladder;

patching pieces of a first covering with a first color onto the wired bladder;

securing the pieces of the first covering on the wired bladder;

patching pieces of a second covering with a second color onto the pieces of the first covering;

defining gaps between every two adjacent pieces of the second covering;

forming stripes by revealing the first color of the pieces of the first covering from the gaps; and

securing the pieces of the second covering on the pieces of the first covering.

2-3. (canceled)

4. A ball comprising:

a bladder;

a lining made of wires and mounted around the bladder;

pieces of a first covering with a first color securely mounted on an outer periphery of the lined bladder;

pieces of a second covering with a second color, each securely formed on an outer periphery of the pieces of the first covering;

gaps defined between two adjacent pieces of the second covering; and

stripes formed by a portion of the pieces of the first covering.

5. (canceled)