Game ball with synthetic leather cover
AssigneeLisco, Inc.
InventorsThomas Kennedy, Derrick K. Brantley
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A game ball having a high end synthetic leather cover formed from a non-woven fiber mat impregnated with polyurethane. In one embodiment, the game ball is a football and the fibers in the backing of the cover material have a denier of about 0.1 or less. In another embodiment, the game ball cover has a dual layer coating to impart to the cover good pebble retention. The first layer has a Shore A hardness of at least about 65, and the second layer surrounding the first layer has a Shore A hardness lower than the hardness of the first layer. The game ball, which can be formed to meet association specifications, has properties of softness and durability comparable to those of a genuine full grain leather game ball.
Claims15
A game ball, comprising:
- a center,
- a cover secured over the center, the cover including a backing comprising a fiber reinforced polyurethane material, a first coating layer formed over the backing having a Shore A hardness of at least about 65, and a second coating layer surrounding the first coating layer, the second coating layer having a Shore A hardness which is lower than the Shore A hardness of the first coating layer.
A method of making a game ball, comprising:
- obtaining a game ball center,
- securing a cover over the center, the cover including a backing comprising a fiber reinforced polyurethane material, a first coating layer formed over the backing having a Shore A hardness of about 65, and a second coating layer surrounding the first coating layer, the second coating layer having a Shore A hardness which is lower than the Shore A hardness of the first coating layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.