Dec. 25, 1962 H. MEYER INFLATABLE BALLS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 16, 1958 IN V EN TOR.

Dec. 25, 1962 H. MEYER INFLATABLE BALLS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 16, 1958 Fig. 3

HORST MEY R INVENTOR United States atent t 3,070,479 INFLATABLE BALLS Horst Meyer, Sachsenstrasse 28, Radebeul, Germany Filed Dec. 16, 1958, Ser. No. 780,784, 4 Claims. (Cl. 156-196) This invention-relates to inflatable balls and in particular to beach balls.

Such beach balls are'usually made out of a soft thinwalled material, such as poly-vinyl chloride resin. The beach ball may be made by stretching the material to two hemispheric shapes having radially projecting borders, arranging the hemispheres so that the borders lie opposite one another, fusing the borders together and cutting the border so that a narrow ring circumscribes the ball in a great circle.

Though these fused seams are comparatively small, soft and pliable, the beach balls regular appearance, its otherwise smooth surface and ability to roll on a smooth floor is sacrificed.

It is an object of the invention to completely avoid this unattractive and interfering seam projecting from the surface of the ball and circumscribing the ball.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a leak-proof fusion of both halves of the ball and at the same time provide a ball which will easily roll along a smooth surface.

In accordance with the invention one of the hemispheres is provided with an opening at its zenith and after fusion and cutting of the fusion seam, the ball is turned inside out. In this manner, the circumferential seam is on the inside of the ball. This is followed by the fusion of the flange of a valve to the inner or, if necessary, the outer surface adjacent the opening. During fusion of the valve, when the beach ball is in an uninflated state an isolating insert, for example, paper may be placed within the ball to separate the surfaces of the ball lying on top of one another.

The following description of one embodiment of this invention will more fully describe this invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a section of a beach ball showing two halves fused together;

FIG. 2 is a section of the same beach ball turned inside out;

FIG. 3 is a section of the beach ball in its uninflated condition during the process of fusing a valve thereto, and

FIG. 4 is a section of the completed beach ball in its inflated condition ready to be used.

Referring to FIG. 1, a beach ball generally designated by reference numeral has a hemispheric upper half 12 and a hemispheric lower half 14. Each hemispheric shape has a flanged projection 16 and 18 at its base and the upper half 12 has a round opening 22 at its zenith. The upper half 12 and the lower half 14 are shown fused to one another in an air tight bond.

The inner surface of the upper half is generally designated 24 and the outer surface is generally designated 26. The inner surface of the lower half is generally designated 28 and the outer surface is generally designated 3%.

Referring to FIG. 2, the ball is shown after being turned inside out. It will be noted that the formerly inner surfaces 24 and 28 are now the outer surfaces 24 and 28 and the outer surfaces 26 and 30 of FIG. 1 are now the inner surfaces 26 and 30. Flanged projections 16 and 18 which were placed on the outside in FIG. 1 are now in the interior of the ball.

Referring to FIG. 3, the deflated beach ball 10 is shown with a conical valve 32 having an upper section 31 and a lower section 33 divided at ridge 35, fused thereto. The. valve 32 is provided with a flange 34 at its. conical base 36 and is hollow. The apex 38 of the valvev 32 isprovided with an opening for a mushroom-shaped. stopper 40 having a stem 42 and a cap 44. The stopper 40 is adapted to securely fit into the valve 32 by means of its steam 42 for an air tight fit.

The flange 34 at the base 36 of the valve 32 is fusedly secured to form an air tight fit to the inner surface 26 of the ball adjacent to the opening 22. The outer surface 24 is provided with an annular ring 46 coaxial with the valve-32 fusedto the outside surface 24 of the ball 10. The inner radius 48 of the annular ring 46 abuts the conical rise of the outer side, of the valve 32.

Referring to FIG. 4, the inflated ball 10 has the conical valve 32 depressed within the surface of the inflated ball so that surfaces of the mushroom cap are subjacent the annular disc fused to the outside of the ball, adjacent the hole. The lower section 31 of the conical valve 32 is inverted, the valve having been adapted to easily invert and bend at the ridge 35.

Referring again to FIG. 3, an isolating insert Sil is disposed -between the flange area 34 of valve 32 and the opposite surface of the ball. This insert is made of suit able paper and provides a degree of separation so that during fusion the valve 32 will not become fused to the opposite side of the ball.

In operation, the ball 10 is assembled with the projecting flanges 1-6 and 18 and is fused together to form an air tight bond. The opening 22 is made in the upper hemisphere 12 at its Zenith after they are fused together. The flanges are cut to a minimum size and the ball 10 is turned inside out through the opening. The result is shown in FIG. 2. The projecting flanges 16 and 18 then are disposed on the inside of the ball.

The pliable valve 32 is now inserted in the opening 22. An isolating insert '50 such as paper is inserted prior to the valve. The valve 32 is pushed through the hole with its lower flange 34 so that the lower flange 34 is on the inside surface 26 and is fused to the inner surface in a circular air tight bond. The annular ring 46 is laid upon the valve so that its inner radius 48 coincides with the outer surface of the valve 32. Fusion of the ring 46 and the flange 34 to the upper and lower surface of the opening 22 is accomplished and a ball is produced with the circumferentially fused seam formerly on the outside, now on the interior of the ball. The fusion does not extend to the inner radius 48 of the annular ring 46. This part lies loosely against valve 32. Therefore, after pressing the valve into the ball, it is possible to anchor or retain the valve stopper 40 on the inside of the circular ring 46.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the invention principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.

What is claimed is:

1. Process for the preparation of an inflatable ball comprising: preparing two hemispheric portions for said ball from a soft thin walled plastic material, outwardly stretching radially projecting flanges from the bases of said hemispheric portions, arranging said hemispheric portions with said flanges in opposing relationship, fusing said flanges together to form a sphere, cutting a hole in said sphere, I

turning said sphere inside out by the use of said hole, and adapting and securing a valve for air-tight fit in said hole.

2. Process for the preparation of an inflatable beach ball as in claim 1, additionally comprising the steps of fusing the flange of said valve to the inside surface of Patented Dec. 25, 1962.

said sphere having the hole cut therein, and adding an isolating surface subjacent the area of said hole during fusion of said valve flange.

3. Process for the preparation of inflatable beach balls as in claim 1, additionally comprising the step of securing with its peripheral portions an annular ring in circumposed position about said hole.

4. Process for the preparation of an inflatable beach ball comprising the steps of forming two soft, pliable pieces of material into hemispheric shapes, forming radially projecting edges at the bases of said hemispheric shapes, disposing said hemishperes oppositely with said projecting edges adjacently placed, fusing said edges to form an air tight bond, cutting an aperture substantially at the zenith of one of said hemispheric shapes, inverting the surfaces of said fused hemispheres to an inside-out disposition, disposing a separator sheet within said hemispheres, disposing a flange secured to the base of a hollow, conical valve in the interior of said fused hemispheres, fusing said flange to said interior of said fused hemispheres in an air tight bond, and fusing the peripheral portions of an annular disc to the exterior of said fused hemispheres, said annular disc abutting said conical valve at its aperture, said valve having a mushroom-shaped stopper for engagement with the apex of said valve for an air tight fit.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 593,264 Wolcott Nov. 9, 1897 687,248 Miller Nov. 26, 1901 1,002,789 Turner Sept. 5, 1911 1,400,146 Eggers Dec. 13, 1921 1,474,943 Quinn Nov. 20, 1923 1,555,373 Iden Sept. 29, 1925 1,625,394 Roberts Apr. 19, 1927 1,729,717 Gammeter Oct. 1, 1929 1,800,178 Cooper et a1. Apr. 7, 1931 1,964,008 Roberts June 26, 1934 2,448,173 Cowan Aug. 31, 1948 2,516,552 Clark et a1. July 25, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 592,648 Germany Feb. 12, 1934