Decorative Bowling Balls and Methods and Apparatuses for Decorating Bowling Balls

A method of decorating a bowling ball, the method comprising:

• providing a spherical bowling ball inner core;
• providing a mold having a cavity for receiving the bowling ball inner core;
• placing a conformable decorative first film of material over the cavity;
• pressing the bowling ball inner core into the cavity so that the bowling ball inner core stretches the first film of material into the cavity and so that the first film of material adheres onto the bowling ball inner core;
• creating a vacuum in the cavity and simultaneously further pressing the bowling ball inner core into the cavity so that the bowling ball inner core further stretches the first film of material and the first film of material further adheres onto the bowling ball inner core;
• and
• covering the bowling ball inner core and first film of material with a transparent outer cover.

An apparatus for decorating a bowling ball, the apparatus comprising:

• a mold having a cavity for receiving an inner core of a bowling ball;
• a circular anchor ring that holds a conformable decorative film of material so as to close the cavity;
• a vacuum source that applies vacuum to the cavity;
• a mechanism that progressively lowers the inner core of the bowling ball onto the film of material and into the cavity;
• and
• a control circuit that controls operation of the vacuum to apply the vacuum to the cavity once the lowering mechanism lowers the inner core of the bowling ball onto the film of material and into the cavity by a predetermined amount.