# US 10,478,678 B2 · Celluloid-free, substantially spherical hollow body and fabrication thereof

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- Number: US 10,478,678 B2
- Document ID: US10478678B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/127,852
- Filed: 2014-05-12
- Published: 2017-04-20
- Granted: 2019-11-19
- Earliest claimed: 2014-03-21
- Assignees: Weener Plastik GmbH
- Applicants: Weener Plastik GmbH
- Inventors: Gerhold Flockenhagen; Matthias Prox; Liam Quaid
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10478678B2

## CPC

- A63B 39/00: Hollow non-inflatable balls {, i.e. having no valves (rigid balls A63B37/00)}
- A63B 39/06: Special coverings
- A63B 45/00: Apparatus or methods for manufacturing balls (working of plastics or substances in a plastic state B29)
- B29C 69/00: Combinations of shaping techniques not provided for in a single one of main groups B29C39/00 - B29C67/00, e.g. associations of moulding and joining techniques; Apparatus therefore {(B29C48/001 takes precedence)}
- B29D 22/04: Spherical articles, e.g. balls (B29D22/02 takes precedence)
- C08L 25/10: with conjugated dienes
- C08L 55/02: ABS [Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene] polymers
- A63B 2039/003: {substantially hollow and pressureless}
- A63B 2102/16: Table tennis
- A63B 2209/00: Characteristics of used materials
- B29L 2031/7734: {Spherical (balls B29L2031/54; globes B29L2022/002)}
- A63B: APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT (apparatus for passive exercising, massage A61H)
- B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00)
- B29D: PRODUCING PARTICULAR ARTICLES FROM PLASTICS OR FROM SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE (making granules B29B9/00; making preforms B29B11/00)
- C08L: COMPOSITIONS OF MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS (compositions based on polymerisable monomers C08F, C08G; artificial filaments or fibres D01F; textile treating compositions D06)
- B29L: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES

## Abstract

A substantially spherical hollow body, having a diameter of from 37 mm to 45 mm, in particular a diameter of 39.7 mm to 40.75 mm, and a weight of from 2.5 g to 3.5 g, in particular a weight of 2.6 g to 2.85 g, comprising a shell and an inner hollow space, wherein the shell has a wall thickness of 0.2 mm to 1.3 mm, in particular 0.3 mm to 0.8 mm, characterized in that the shell is free of celluloid and comprises at least one styrene-containing copolymer.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A table tennis ball with a diameter of from 37 mm to 45 mm, and a weight of from 2.5 g to 3.5 g, comprising a shell and an internal cavity, said shell having a wall thickness of from 0.2 mm to 1.3 mm, wherein a material of the shell is free of celluloid and comprises at least one first polymer, wherein the first polymer is acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS) and at least a second organic polymer, wherein the second organic polymer is a homopolymer of a polycarbonate, and wherein a concentration ratio of the ABS to the polycarbonate is between 0.65-0.75 to between 0.25-0.35.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The table tennis ball of claim 1, wherein the a Charpy notched impact strength according to ISO 179 of the material of the shell is from 2 kJ/m2 to 50 kJ/m2 measured at 23° C.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The table tennis ball of claim 1, wherein an elasticity modulus according to ISO 527 of the material of the shell is from 1500 MPa to 3000 MPa.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The table tennis ball of claim 1, wherein a density according to ISO 1183 of the material of the shell is from 0.8 g/cm3 to 1.2 g/cm3.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The table tennis ball of claim 1, wherein the second organic polymer has a Charpy notched impact strength according to ISO 179 of from 1 kJ/m2 to 10 kJ/m2 and a Shore D hardness according to ISO 868 of from 65 to 80.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The table tennis ball of claim 1, wherein the shell comprises at least one further additive selected from the group comprising fibers, platelets, spherical particles, inorganic substances, organic substances plasticizers and color pigments.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

A process for the manufacture of a table tennis ball of claim 1, comprising the steps of:
producing two substantially identical substantially hemispherical shells by injection molding; and
joining of the two half-shells along their edges to form a hollow body.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The manufacturing process of claim 7, wherein the joining of the two half-shells occurs by a process selected from the group consisting of welding, ultrasonic welding, vibration welding, hot plate welding, laser welding or rotation welding, or by gluing.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The manufacturing process of claim 7, wherein an expansion of a material thickening formed on the inside of the hollow body during joining of the two half-shells in either direction is at the most five times the average wall thickness of the hollow body.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The manufacturing process of claim 7, wherein an further step of post-processing of the hollow body, wherein the post processing is selected from the group consisting of cutting, grinding, blasting, lapping, polishing, tumbling with inorganic, tumbling with an organic substance, tumbling with a polymeric substance, tumbling with a combination of two or more of an inorganic substance, an organic substance and a polymeric substance blasting with inorganic substance, blasting with an organic substance, blasting with a polymeric substance, blasting with a combination of two or more of an inorganic substance, an organic substance and a polymeric substance, coating with at least a soluble substance, coating with an insoluble substance, and coating with a combination of a soluble substance and an insoluble substance.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The manufacturing process of claim 10, wherein in the post-processing of the hollow body, a material thickening formed on the outside of the hollow body during joining of the two half-shells is at least partially removed.

### Claim 12 (depends on 7)

A table tennis ball produced by a manufacturing process of claim 7,
wherein the table tennis ball comprises at least one of the following properties:
a roundness tolerance of at the most 0.2±0.06 mm,
a surface finish of the outer surface between Ra=1.0 and Ra=5.0,
a difference of a barycentre radii of gyration for the three axes x, y and z of at the most 0.25 mm, or
a difference of the outer diameters in various spatial directions of at the most 0.3 mm.

### Claim 13

A use of a styrene in a table tennis ball comprising a copolymer comprising a first polymer of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS) for the manufacture of a celluloid-free substantially spherical hollow body having a diameter of from 37 mm to 45 mm and a weight of from 2.5 g to 3.5 g, wherein the styrene comprising copolymer is in the form of a polymer blend, which further comprises at least a second organic polymer, wherein the second organic polymer is a homopolymer of polycarbonate, wherein a concentration ratio of the ABS to the polycarbonate is between 0.65-0.75 to between 0.25-0.35, and wherein the copolymer has a Charpy notched impact strength according to ISO 179 of from 2 kJ/m2 to 50 kJ/m2 measured at 23° C., an elasticity modulus according to ISO 527 is from 1500 MPa to 3000 MPa, and a density according to ISO 1183 is from 0.8 g/cm3 to 1.2 g/cm3.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The table tennis ball of claim 1, wherein the diameter is between 39.7 mm and 40.75 mm, the weight is between 2.6 g and 2.85 g, and the wall thickness of the shell is from 0.3 mm to 0.8 mm.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The table tennis ball of claim 1, wherein a Charpy notched impact strength according to ISO 179 of the material of the shell is from 2 kJ/m2 to 20 kJ/m2 measured at 23° C.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The table tennis ball of claim 1, wherein a density according to ISO 1183 of the material of the shell is from 1 g/cm3 to 1.1 g/cm3.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

The table tennis ball of claim 1, wherein an elasticity modulus of at least one styrene copolymer according to ISO 527 is from 1500 MPa to 2500 MPa.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The table tennis ball of claim 1, wherein the material of the shells consists of the first polymer and the second polymer.

### Claim 19 (depends on 1)

The table tennis ball of claim 1, wherein the material consists of the first polymer, the second polymer, and an additive selected from the group consisting of fibers, platelets, spherical particles, inorganic substances, organic substances plasticizers, color pigments, and combinations thereof.