Sport Ball Bladder With A Pocket
AssigneeNIKE, Inc.
InventorScott R. Berggren
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sport ball may include a casing, a bladder, and a component. The casing forms at least a portion of an exterior surface of the ball, and the bladder is located within the casing. The bladder includes a pocket that projects toward a center of the sport ball, and the pocket defines a cavity. The component, which may be an electronic device or a counterweight, is located within the pocket. In some configurations, the bladder may include a valve that is located on an opposite side of the bladder from the pocket and component.
Claims21
A sport ball comprising:
- a casing that forms at least a portion of an exterior surface of the ball;
- a bladder located within the casing, the bladder including a pocket that projects toward a center of the sport ball, the pocket defining a cavity;
- and
- an electronic device located within the pocket.
A sport ball comprising:
- a casing that forms at least a portion of an exterior surface of the ball;
- a bladder located within the casing, the bladder including a pocket and a valve, the pocket being a shaped portion of the bladder, and the pocket being located on an opposite side of the bladder from the valve;
- and
- a component located within the pocket.
A sport ball comprising:
- a casing that forms at least a portion of an exterior surface of the ball;
- a bladder located within the casing, the bladder including a pocket that projects toward a center of the sport ball, the pocket being a shaped portion of the bladder that has a container portion and a neck portion, the container portion forming a cavity within the pocket, and the neck portion forming an opening to the cavity, a width of the opening being less than a width of the cavity, and the bladder including a valve located on an opposite side of the bladder from the pocket;
- and
- a component located within the pocket.
A method of manufacturing a bladder for a sport ball, the method comprising:
- providing a mandrel having (a) a plurality of wings that extend outward from a central axis and (b) a protrusion that forms an end portion of the mandrel and is located on the central axis;
- coating each of the wings and the protrusion of the mandrel with a barrier material;
- removing the barrier material from the mandrel;
- and
- securing a valve to the barrier material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.