US3811211A

US3811211A - Bowling ball indicia display means and method of assemblying same

Info

Publication number: US3811211A
Application number: US00149494A
Authority: US
Inventors: D Morgan
Original assignee: Amerace Corp
Current assignee: Amerace Corp
Priority date: 1971-06-03
Filing date: 1971-06-03
Publication date: 1974-05-21
Anticipated expiration: 1991-05-21
Also published as: BE784301A; FR2141731A1; DE2226963A1; AU4274172A; IT960796B; FR2141731B1; ZA723533B; NL7207376A

Abstract

A one-piece rigid insert which may be of transparent, plastic material is adapted to be fixedly secured within a recess formed in the outer surface of a bowling ball or the like. The insert''s outwardly facing surface is convex so as to conform to the outside curvature of the bowling ball and is flush-mounted with respect thereto when secured in place within the recess. The insert further includes means axially displaced below its outer convex surface for supporting a display member having indicia disposed thereon. Thus, when the insert is fixedly secured within the bowling ball recess the display member is completely protected by the insert with the indicia being plainly visible through the insert''s transparent convex outer face portion. A method for assembling the insert and installing it in the bowling ball is also disclosed.

Description

United States Patent 91 Morgan [451 May 21, 1974 BOWLING BALL INDICIA DISPLAY MEANS AND METHOD OF ASSEMBLYING SAME [75] Inventor: Donald F. Morgan, Bloomingdale,

[73] Assignee: Amerace Esna Corporation, New

York, NY.

[22] Filed: June 3, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 149,494

[52] US. Cl 40/2.2, 40/327, 273/63 C [51] Int. Cl G091 3/02, A63b 37/00 [58] Field of Search 40/327, 2.2, 317, 325,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS.

3,430,377 3/1969 Ellison 40/332 3,407,523 l0/l968 Winston 40/l.5

Primary ExaminerWm. l-l. Grieb [5 7 ABSTRACT A one-piece rigid insert which may be of transparent, plastic material is adapted to be fixedly secured within a recess formed in the outer surface of a bowling ball or the like. The inserts outwardly facing surface is convex so as to conform to the outside curvature of the bowling ball and is flush-mounted with respect thereto when secured in place within the recess. The insert further includes means axially displaced below its outer convex surface for supporting a display memher having indicia disposed thereon. Thus, when the insert is fixedly secured within the bowling ball recess the display member is completely protected by the insert with the indicia being plainly visible through the inserts transparent .convex outer face portion. A method for assembling the insert and installing it in the bowling ball is also disclosed.

8 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PATENTEDIAYZI m4 381 1; 211

SHEET 1 (IF 2 INVENTOR. DONALD F. MORGAN ATTORNEY PATENTEBIAY 21 I924 (181 1,21 1

sum 2 nr 2 ATTOR N EY BOWLING BALL INDICIA DISPLAY MEANS METHOD OF ASSEMBLYING SAME The present invention relates generally to indicia diaplay means and more particularly, to a method and means for displaying indicia on the spherical outer surface of a bowling ball or similarly shaped article.

The broad concept of displaying indicia on the spherical outer surface of a bowling ball is not new. One well known prior technique is to engrave the indicia directly into the surface of the ball using a pantograph'engraving apparatus and to fill the engraved indicia with a material whose color contrasts with that of the ball. Thus, if the bowling ball is jet black" in color, the engraved script or design may be emphasized or highlighted by a white pigmented filler disposed in the engraved areas. In this manner bowling ball manufacturers have been displaying their trademarks, serial numbers, and other such indicia on the outer surface oftheir bowling balls for many years. I V

Another method of displaying indicia on the outer spherical surface of the bowling ball consists of forming a recess in the surface of the ball and then bonding an insert within the recess with the insert being of the same material as the bowling ball but having a different or contrasting color. In some instances such bonded inserts are employed to define indicia or a pattern of indicia useful in guiding the bowler toward a proper release of the ball, whereas in other instances the bonded inserts may be used simply to display the manufacturers trademarks or other identifying indicia.

The major disadvantage associated with each of the foregoing prior art methods is that they are practicable only when a large volume of bowling balls is produced with each bowling ball having the, exact same arrangement of indicia display thereon as the next one. It would obviously be uneconomical to engrave a different arrangement of indicia on each different bowling ball using a pantograph machine, or to bond differently shaped inserts into the surface of each different bowling ball.

Another problem with respect to the prior methods described above is that the form of the indicia displayed on the bowling ball is restricted either to simple engraved characters or designs of a single color as in the case of pantograph engraving, or to simple geometric designs in a situation where a bonded insert is used. With respect to the latter a number of different colors may be employed, but this will require a corresponding number of different inserts and an increased display area extending over a larger surface of the bowling ball than is desirable.

Accordingly, the primary object of the present invention is the provision of an inexpensive means for displaying a different arrangement of indicia on difi'erent bowling balls respectively, even though the latter are being produced in large quantities.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of means for displaying indicia on a localized area of the surface of a bowling ball whereby the indicia may comprise an unlimited variety of different colors and/or forms.

Still another object of the present invention is the provision of means for displaying indicia on the surface of a bowling ball whereby theindicia is completely protected from the effects of wear and tear resulting from extended use of the bowling ball.

To the accomplishment of these and additional objects and advantages the present invention comprises in one preferred form a one-piece rigid insert of transparent molded plastic material fixedly secured within a recess formed in the spherical outer surface of a bowling ball. The insert includes a convex outer face portion conforming to the outer curvature of the bowling ball and which is flush-mounted with respect thereto and carries beneath its convex outer face portion a display member having indidia disposed thereon. The insert is fixedly secured within the recess by means of a suitable liquid adhesive which when fully hardened securely and permanently bonds the insert to the bowling ball proper whereby the indicia on the display member is completely protected by the insert and is clearly visible through the latters transparent outer face portion. In an alternative preferred form of the invention, the transparent insert comprises an upper lens portion and a lower supporting section'with the two sections defining a recess therebetween for receiving the indicia display member. Duringassembly, the two sections are permanently and integrally joined together to completely encapsulate the indicia display member, and the resulting one-piece insert is then secured within the bowling ball recess.

The foregoing objects and advantages as well as a more complete understanding of the present invention will be made more apparent from a study of the following detailed description in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a bowling ball comprising the indicia display means according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the indicia display means shown in FIG. I;

- FIG. 3 is an exploded view in perspective showing diverse parts of one preferred form of the display means according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view taken along lines 4-4 in F IG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the diverse parts of an alternative preferred form of display means according to the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a partial exploded sectional view taken along a typical vertical section of the display means of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a partial sectional view showing the assembly of the display means depicted in FIG. 6 before it has been finally installed in a recess in a bowling ball; and

FIG. 8 is a partial sectional view showing the display means of FIGS. 5-7 after it has beenfinally installed in a recess in a bowling ball.

Tuming'now to FIGS. L4 and initially to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown one preferred form of the present invention comprising an indicia display means indicated generally by reference numeral 10 flush-mounted on the spherical outer surface of a conventional bowling ball 12 between the usual thumb hole 14 and

finger holes

16,18.

As viewed in FIG. 2, the indicia display means 10 appears as a transparent circular window 20 through which can plainly be seen an arrangement of display indicia, the circular window 20 being entirely circumscribed by a concentric opaque annular ring of bonding material 22 as will be more fully explained below.

In actuality,'the window 20'is'defined by the upper convex surface of a onepiece rigid transparent insert member 24 which is adapted to be receivably engaged within a cylindrical recess or bore 26 formed in the surface of the bowling ball 12 as by drilling, for example. Recess 26 which has a central axis 27 is bounded by an inner side wall surface 28, a bottom wall surface 30, and has an inside diameter slightly larger than the extreme outside diameter of insert member'24.

Generally, insert member 24 is substantially symmetrical with respect to its principal axis 35 and includes a substantially cylindrically shaped upper lens portion 32 and a radially flanged downwardly extending annular-skirt portion 34 integral therewith. it will be noted that the terms radially and axially as used herein and in the appended claims refer to directions taken with reference to axis 27 and/or axis 35; the latter axes being substantially conincidental when the insert member 24 is received within recess 26. Accordingly, as best seen in F IG. 4, the annular flanged skirt portion 34 of insert member 24 has a horizontal upper wall surface 36, a radially inwardly tapered outer side wall surface 38, and a horizontal lower bottom or end wall surface 40. The horizontal upper wall surface 36 is generally disposed at approximately aright angle to the annular side wall surface 41 of lens portion 32 to define an annular or circumferential shoulder radially extending from side wall surface 41 toward the inner side wall surface 28 of bowling ball recess 26 with the shoulder (upper wall surface 36) being axially displaced below the outer spherical surface of the bowling ball within the recess 26 substantially as shown in FIG. 4. It will be observed further that the intersection between the radially inwardly tapered sidewall surface 38 of flanged skirt portion 34 and the plane of horizontal upper wall surface 36 defines a circle whose diameter consitutes the extreme outside diameter of insert member 24. The inner side wall surface 42 of flanged portion 34 is substantially parallel with respect toaxis 35 of insert member 24 to define a cylindrically shaped interior recess 44 (FIG. 3) terminated at its upper extremity by the planar lower wall surface 46 f upper lens portion 32.

In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, recess 44 is adapted to receivably display means shown in FlGS.- 1-4. In some of these bowling balls, 'he'could specify that the indicia carried by display member 48 comprises a multi-colored rendition of his own design for advertising his establishments tradenarne. With respect to the other bowling balls ordered, however, the proprietor of the bowling ball alley could specify that the insert member 24 include a display member 48 carrying customized indicia in the form of the names or medallions of different clubs or league teams respectively, with the medallions being arranged in as attractive or as colorful a manner as requested by the respective memberships of the variengage a display member 48 having an arrangement of indicia disposed on the upper surface thereof as indicated, for example, at reference numeral 50 in FIG. 3. Preferably, display member 48 comprises a thin disc of heavy paper or cardboard and the indicia 50 is printed directly thereon. However, as will occur to those skilled in the art, the display member or disc 48, may be of any suitable material other than paper or cardboard, such as plastic, wood. sheet metal, etc., and the indicia 50 supported or carried by the display member 48 may be disposed thereon by methods other than printing. Thus, for example, the indicia 50 may comprise a color photograph cut to size and attached to the upper surface of the display member 48 with glue or similar attaching means. It will be appreciated in view of the foregoing, that one of the important features of the present invention is the fact that an infinite variety of indicia or arrangements thereof can be adapted for use with the insert member 24 depending upon the individual requirements of the bowling ball usenTo illustrate, suppose the owner of a bowling alley desired to place an order for a quantity of bowling'balls incorporating theindicia ous clubs or teams. Inasmuch as the insert member 24 installed in each bowling ball is the same, and only the indicia 50 on the display member 48 is varied, it will be apparent that an unlimited quantity of bowling balls displaying difierent arrangements and/or types of indicia can be simply and economically manufactured as will appear even more obvious from the ensuing discussion.

Refering now to FIGS. 3 and 4, it will be noted that the downwardly extending flanged skirt portion 34 of insert member 24 is provided with a series of rectangularly shaped radially aligned slots 52 formed in its free end, or more precisely in the horizontal bottom end surface 40 thereof. In addition, every other radial slot 52 communicates with a rectangularly shaped slot 54 formed in the outer side wall surface 38 of the flanged portion 34 and longitudinally aligned with the inner side wall surface 42 of the flanged portion thereby forming a substantially L-shaped channel between the lower most portionof recess 44 and the upper horizontal surface 36 of the flanged skirt portion. As shown to best advantage in FIG. 3, there are eight such radial slots 52 each one of which is centered approximately at 45 intervals around the circumference of the flanged skirt portion 34. Accordingly, there are four slots 54 defining four L-shaped channels, each one being located respectively at approximately intervals around the circumference of the flanged skirt portion. The function of slots 52 and the L-shaped channels formed by

slots

52,54 will be more fully explained below.

In the prefered method of carrying out the present invention, a conventional bowling ball, say, one made I from molded hard rubber, for example, is fabricated in the usual manner, but before the final grindingand polishing operation is performed, the bowling ball is set in a suitable fixture and the cylindrical recess 26 drilled therein as indicated in FIG. 3. Although the recess 26 can be located anywhere on the spherical outer surface of the bowling ball it is preferable to locate its center in the top weight portion of the ball, i.e., in the region where thumb hole 14 and

finger holes

16,18 are subsquently formedQBy locating recess 26 in the top weight section of the ball, imbalances due to removable of material will be compensated for as is well known in the art.

The next step is to assembletheinsert member 24 and the indicia carrying display member 48. As mentioned previously, insert member 24 is of one-piece, rigid, transparent construction. Moreover, for obvious reasons the insert member should have uncommonly high impact strength and good surface hardness as well as being dimensionally stable over a moderate temperature range. It has been foundthat inserts molded from certain thermoplastic polymeric resins satisfy the foregoing desideratum and are advantageously suited for the present invention. Particularly prefered, are the polymeric resins known as polycarbonates. As is well understood in the art of organic chemistry the polycarbonates may be produced by reacting Phosgene with Bisphenol A to form a polymer that can be considered as ester of carbonic acid and Bisphenol A. Polycarbonate resins capable of being injection molded to form the insert member 24 of the present invention are commerically available from the General Electric Company being sold thereby under the trademark Lexan. With respect to forming the insert member 24 it will be understood that the

slots

52 and 54 may be formed directly in the mold, or alternatively, may be machined into the insert subsequent to being drawn from the mold. In any event, once the insert member 24 has been completely formed as shown in FIG.'3, the indicia display member 48 having indicia disposed on its upper surface may then be inserted into recess 44 and fixed in the position shown in FIG. 4; that is, with the indicia carrying surface of the display member adjacent to and in contact with horizontal lower wall surface 46 of lens portion 32. In order to. maintain the indicia display member in fixed relation within the recess 44 as shown in FIG. 4 it is preferable to seal the outer peripheral edge of the display member on the underside thereof to the side wall surface 42 of recess 44. This may be done, for example, by applying thereto a sufficient amount of suitable liquid adhesive which when fully hardened will form an airtight gasket sealing ring 56 substantially as indicated in FIG. 4.

After the adhesive gasket sealing ring 56 has completely hardened, the insert member 24 may then be fixedly secured within the recess 26formed in the outer spherical surface of bowling ball 12. To accomplish this a wide variety of known high-strength self-hardening adhesives may be used to permanently bond the insert member to the bowling ball. Excellent results have been achieved, for example, by employing an epoxy resin adhesive sold under the trademark EPON 815 by the Shell Chemical Company in accordance with the following formulation:

85.5 parts EPON 815 7.4 parts diethyltetramine (catalyst) 7.1 parts pigment The resulting mix has a relatively low viscosity in the uncured or liquid state thereby permitting the adhesive to flow easily and to come into contact with all portions of the insert. In addition, the low viscosity of the adhesive will permit any air bubbles entrapped below the insert to flow easily to the surface thus preventing the formation of voids in the hardened compound.

In assemblying the insert member 24 to bowling ball 12, the recess 26 is charged with the liquid adhesive 58 until it is substantially filled therewith. The insert member 24 is then inserted into the adhesive filled recess until the end wall surface of the insert comes into firm stationary contact with the bottom wall surface 30 of recess 26 as shown in FIG. 4. During insertion, the adhesive 58 is easily displaced by the insert and readily flows through the slots 52 and the L-shaped channels formed by

slots

52 and 54 so as to come into contact with and completely surround every surface of the insert with the exception of the latters upper convex surface 20.

Thus, as indicated in FIG. 4, the adhesive 58 completely fills the recess 44 between the underside of the display member 48 and the bottom wall surface 30 of the bowling ball recess 26 and extends in a continuous fashion through the slots 52, and the L-shaped channels formed by

slots

52 and 54, to fill the volume defined by the axially recessed shoulder 36, the annular side wall surface 41 of the inserts lens portion 32, and the upper side wall surface 28 of recess 26 thereby forming an overhanging annulus of adhesive the exposed upper surface of which comprises the opaque ring 22 surrounding the display window 20 as discussed above in connection with FIG. 2. FIG. 4 also makes it apparent that the liquid adhesive completely fills the volume between the radially inwardly tapered outer wall surface 38 of the inserts flanged skirt portion 34 and side wall surface 28 of bowling ball recess 26 as well as the slight clearance space existing between the extreme outside diameter of the insert and side wall surface 28.

The reasons for providing an inwardly radially tapered outer side wall surface 38 on the inserts flanged skirt portion 34 are twofold. First, the tapered surface functions as a chamfer on the skirt portion facilitating easy insertion of the insert member into the bowling ball recess. Secondly, the tapered side wall surface of the inserts skirt portion permits entrapped air to more easily escape from the underside of the insert after the latter has been inserted in place within the adhesivefilled recess 26. The trapped air bubbles readily flow out through slots 52 along the tapered side wall surface 38 or are brought to the surface of the adhesive-filled recess through the L-shaped channels formed by

slots

52 and 54. As alluded to above, air bubbles which remain entrapped within the adhesive filled recess will cause voids when the adhesive hardens and will seriously weaken thebond between the bowling ball and the insert.

After the adhesive .58 is allowed to completely harden and to thereby permanently and securely bond the insert member to the inner side wall and bottom wall surfaces of recess 26, the bowling balls exterior surface may then be finish ground and polished in the usual manner. This operation has the effect of removing material from the spherical outer surface of the bowling ball 12, the exposed surface 22 of the hardened adhesive filler within recess 26, and the convex outer surface 20 of the inserts lens portion 32; such removed material being schematically indicated by the area' 60 encompassed by the dashed lines in FIG. 4. It will be appreciated that as a resultof the finish grinding and polishing operation, the outer convex surface 20 of the inserts lens portion as well as the exposed outer surface 22 of the hardened adhesive 58 are all located in the spherical surface of the bowling ball exterior and are therefore substantially perfectly flush-mounted with respect to each other. By providing a selected pigment in the adhesive formulation as described above, the opaque annular ring 22 surrounding the indicia displayed through window 20 (or lens portion 32) may be given a distinctive coloration therebyfurther enhancing the aesthetic appearance of the display means according to the present invention.

In connection with the preferred embodiment of FIGS. 1-4, it has been foundthat on occasion a minor amount of liquid adhesive 58 before the latter has completely hardened escapes past the gasket sealing ring 56 and is deposited on the upper surface of the indicia display member 48 thereby becoming visible through lens portion 32. In order to provide an absolute safeguard against this occurrence and to achieve still other advantages there is provided an alternative preferred form of the present invention as will now be described with relation to FIGS. -8 wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to likep'arts throughout. e

In general, the insert member of FIGS. 5-8 comprises two sections, an upper section 62 and a lower section 64, which sections are integrally joined together as will be further explained below to completelyenclose the indicia display member 48 therebetween.

The upper section 62 of display member 24 includes the usual transparent lens portion32 with its convex outer surface 20. As best seen in FIG. 6, however, upper section 62 further includes a'concentrically disposed radiallyextending flange or rim portion 66 axially displaced below the convex outer surface of the lens portion, and a downwardly extending protuberance or boss 68 concentrically disposed with respect to the flange 66, but radially displaced inwardly with reference to the flanges circumferential extremity. Boss 68 is provided with a substantially cylindrically shaped recess 70 concentrically disposed therein for receivably engaging the indicia display member 48.

The lower section 64 features a central web portion 72 and the familiar flanged skirt portion. 34 axially and downwardly extending therefrom and having the radially inwardly tapered outer side wall surface 38. lt will be noted that the extreme outside diameter of flanged portion 34 is substantially equal to the outside diamter of rim portion 66 of upper section 62. The upper surface 74 of the central web portion has centrally disposed therein a substantially cylindrically shaped recess 76 whose inside diameter is substantially equal to the outside of the downwardly extending boss 68 of upper section 62 and whose depth is substantially equal to the axial extent of the boss. As in the previously described preferred embodiment,

sections

62 and 64 may respectively be formed by injection molding a suitable polymeric material to yield structures that are of integral, rigid, and transparent construction. However, it should be realized that with respect to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5-8, only upper section 62 need actually -be transparent; hence, lower section 64 may be formed froman opaque material if desired.

With the foregoing construction, the display member 48 having indicia disposed on its upper surface, may be inserted into the recess 70 provided in boss 68 of the upper section, and the upper and

lower sections

62 and 64 brought into mating engagement with one another as clearly shown in FIG. 7. The two

sections

62,64 may then be sealed together to provide an integral or onepiece insert member completely encapsulating the indicia display member. While any suitable attaching means may be employed to rigidly fasten together the two

sections

62,64 in the position shown in FIG. 7, it is particularly preferred that the two sections be attached to each other by employing the process known as ultrasonic welding. It has been found that by using this process an excellent welded joint can rapidly be achieved along the common circumferential area of contact defined by the extreme axial surface of boss 68 (section 62) andthe corresponding bottom surface of recess 76 (section 64). Ultrasonic welding techniques as applied to plastic materials are fully explained in the Mar. 16, 1967 issue of Machine Design," pages 180-185.

As explained above with reference to the preferred embodiment of FIGS. 1-4, a series of

slots

52,54 are formed in the flanged skirt portion 34 of the insert member to permit adhesive and entrapped air to flow out from the underside thereof during assembly with the bowling ball. In the alternative preferred embodiment of FIGS. 58, the rim portion 66 of upper section 62 is provided with a corresponding series of four axially aligned slots 54' which latter are equi-angularly spaced around the circumference of the rim portion so as to be in registry with slots 54 when

sections

62,64 are mated and subsequently sealed together as hereinaforesaid. Moreover, it will be noted further that the underside 78 of the central web portion 72 of lower.

section 64 is formed in the shape of a downwardly ex tending shallow cone having its apex substantially at the center of the web. Thus, in vertical cross section, the undersurface 78 of the web 72 tapers upwardly from the central axis 35 of the insert as indicated in FIGS. 6-8, and any air bubbles entrapped below the insert after the latter has been inserted in adhesive-filled recess 26 will tend to be urged upwardly along the tapered surface 78 and into slots 52, or into the continuous channels formed respectively by

slots

52, 54, and 54' until they emerge at the surface of the adhesive. Finally, as depicted in FIGS. 6-8, slots 54 are longitudinally aligned with the outer tapered surface of the flanged skirt portion 38 or slightly tilted with respect to axis 35 so as to further aid in the release of entrapped air bubbles.

In all other respects, the insert member of FIGS. 5-8 is identical to the insert of FIGS. 1-4. Thus, after the two sections 62,- 64 have been assembled together with the indicia display member completely enclosed in recess therebetween, the unitary insert member is inserted into the adhesive-filled recess 26 of the bowling ball as indicated in FIG. 8 and after the adhesive has completely hardened the bowling ball is finished ground and polished as before.

From the foregoing, it will now be appreciated that the present invention relates to a novel and efficient method and means for displaying indicia on the outer spherical surface of a bowling ball or other similarly shaped articles. And although several preferred em bodiments have been described hereinabove as required by statute it will be understood that many variations and modifications hereof mayoccur to those I skilled in the art without departing from the principles.

of the invention. For example; the insert member 24 may be formed by a conventional two step molding process wherein the indicia 50 is displayed directly on the outer convex surface 20 and formed as an integral part of the lens portion 32 in which case the lens portion need not be transparent and the indicia member 48 would be obiviated entirely. Likewise, in lieu of supporting the display indicia on member 48, the indicia 50 may be disposed directly on or in the lower planar surface 46 of transparent lens portion 32 as by hotstamping, silk screening, embossing, or other suitable well known techniques wherein indicia is directly applied to a surface. Also, it should be apparent that the insert member 24 and/or the indicia display member 48 may be formed to assume shapes other than the cylindrical shape disclosed, e.g., they may have a polygonal shape or an elliptical shape if desired. Finally, it is not necessary that the insert be installed in and bonded to the bowling ball during the manufacturing stage and before the final grinding and polishing operation. A completely finished or stock bowling ball may be customized at any time to include the indicia display means of the present invention so long as the outer convex surface of lens portion 32 and the exposed hardened surface 22 of adhesive 58 are rounded off or polished to comfonn to the outside curvature of the bowling ball.

Accordingly, it is desired that the subject invention be limited only by the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. For use in a spherically shaped object having an annular shaped recess formed in its outer surface, an indicia bearing display element comprising: an upper face, an annular sidewall, and a bottom end surface axially displaced with respect to said upper face, said display element having indicia cooperatively disposed relative to said upper face, retaining'means fixed to said annular sidewall and extending in a first radial direction therefrom and in a second direction circumferentially therealong, the annular sidewall of said display element and the extreme radial extent ofsaid retaining means being sized to permit said indicia display element to be receivably engaged in said recess with its upper face being flush mounted with respect to said outer surface, said retaining means having an upper surface spaced below said upper face of said display element to form an annular shaped shoulder with respect to said annular sidewall, said shoulder extending substantially perpendicular to said annular sidewall and being recessed below said upper surface of display element and said outer surface when said display element is receivably engaged in said recess, and means for permitting an adhesive bonding agent disposed within said recess and occupying the annular space formed above said shoulder and below said upper face to extend beneath said shoulder into contact with said bottom end surface, said last-mentioned means comprising at least one aperture in said retaining means extending between said shoulder and said bottom end surface of said element.

2. The indicia bearing display element of claim 1 wherein said bottom end surface includes an inner recess therein defining a transverse wall surface axially located between said upper face and said bottom end surface, said display element being transparent and said indicia being cooperatively associated with said trans verse wall surface within said inner recess, and said at least one aperture extends between said shoulder and said inner recess for permitting said adhesive to extend into the inner recess to occupy the space between said transverse wall surface and the bottom end wall of said annular shaped recess formed in said outer surface of said spherically shaped object.

3. The indicia bearing display element of claim 2 wherein said bottom end surface includes a bottom annular edge portion surrounding said recess and being axially spaced below said transverse wall surface, said display element includes a lower annular sidewall portion between said shoulder and said bottom annular edge portion, said lower annular sidewall portion being radially tapered in the direction of said bottom annular edge portion.

4. The indicia bearing display element of claim 3 wherein said at least one aperture includes a first axially aligned slot disposed in said lower annular sidewall portion and a second radially aligned slot disposed in said bottom annular edge portion, said first and second slots being in communication with one another.

5. The indicia bearing display element of claim 4 wherein a plurality of said apertures are provided extending circumferentially relative to said shoulder, said annular sidewall portion, and said annular bottom edge portion in spaced apart relation to one another.

, 6. The indicia bearing display element of claim 2 wherein said inner recess in said bottom end surface further includes a web member supported interiorly therein coextensively with respect to said transverse shoulder and the lower axial face of said web member for permitting said adhesive to extend into said inner recess to occupy the space between said lower axial face of said web member and the bottom end wall of said annular shaped recess formed in said outer surface of said spherically shaped object.

7. The indicia bearing display element of claim 6 wherein said lower axial face of said web member is in the form of a shallow cone having its apex disposed substantially centrally of the web member and extending toward said bottom end surface.

8. The indicia bearing display element of claim 6 wherein said element comprises two sections, an upper section and a lower section, said upper section including said upper face, said retaining means, said transverse wall surface and the upper portion of said inner recess, said lower section including the lower portion of said inner recess, said web member, and said bottom end surface, said upper and lower sections being joined together to encapsulate said indicia cooperatively associated with said transverse wall surface, said upper and lower sections having at least one pair of corresponding slots respectively, each of which is registerable with the other to form said at least one aperture when said upper and lower sections are joined together as hereinaforesaid.

Claims

1. For use in a spherically shaped object having an annular shaped recess formed in its outer surface, an indicia bearing display element comprising: an upper face, an annular sidewall, and a bottom end surface axially displaced with respect to said upper face, said display element having indicia cooperatively disposed relative to said upper face, retaining means fixed to said annular sidewall and extending in a first radial direction therefrom and in a second direction circumferentially therealong, the annular sidewall of said display element and the extreme radial extent of said retaining means being sized to permit said indicia display element to be receivably engaged in said recess with its upper face being flush mounted with respect to said outer surface, said retaining means having an upper surface spaced below said upper face of said display element to form an annular shaped shoulder with respect to said annular sidewall, said shoulder extending substantially perpendicular to said annular sidewall and being recessed below said upper surface of display element and said outer surface when said display element is receivably engaged in said recess, and means for permitting an adhesive bonding agent disposed within said recess and occupying the annular space formed above said shoulder and below said upper face to extend beneath said shoulder into contact with said bottom end surface, said last-mentioned means comprising at least one aperture in said retaining means extending between said shoulder and said bottom end surface of said element.

2. The indicia bearing display element of claim 1 wherein said bottom end surface includes an inner recess therein defining a transverse wall surface axially located between said upper face and said bottom end surface, said display element being transparent and said indicia being cooperatively associated with said transverse wall surface within said inner recess, and said at least one aperture extends between said shoulder and said inner recess for permitting said adhesive to extend into the inner recess to occupy the space between said transverse wall surface and the bottom end wall of said annular shaped recess formed in said outer surface of said spherically shaped object.

6. The indicia bearing display element of claim 2 wherein said inner recess in said bottom end surface further includes a web member supported interiorly therein coextensively with respect to said transverse wall surface for defining a sealed enclosure for said indicia, said at least one aperture extending between said shoulder and the lower axial face of said web member for permitting said adhesive to extend into said inner recess to occupy the space between said lower axial face of said web member and the bottom end wall of said annular shaped recess formed in said outer surface of said spherically shaped object.