Basketball having a reduced moment of inertia
AssigneeWilson Sporting Goods Co.
InventorsKevin L. Krysiak, Jonathan L. Bauer, Frank M. Simonutti, Daniel E. Hare, Robert T. Thurman
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Abstract
A basketball configured for organized, competitive play and having a total mass. The basketball includes an inflatable, generally spherical bladder, a set of winding surrounding the bladder, an elastomeric layer surrounding the set of windings and the bladder, and a plurality of cover panels positioned over the elastomeric layer. The bladder has a bladder mass that is greater than 25 percent of the total mass. The elastomeric layer and the set of windings have a collective mass that is less than 55 percent of the total mass.
Claims20
A basketball for organized, competitive play and having a total mass, comprising:
- an inflatable, generally spherical bladder having a bladder mass that is greater than 25 percent of the total mass;
- a set of windings surrounding the bladder;
- an elastomeric layer surrounding the set of windings and the bladder, the elastomeric layer and the set of windings having a collective mass that is less than 55 percent of the total mass;
- and
- a plurality of cover panels positioned over the elastomeric layer.
The basketball of claim 19, wherein the sponge rubber compound includes a foaming agent, wherein the foaming agent represents at least 2.5 percent of the weight of the rubber compound prior to curing of the rubber compound.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.