US 7,018,311 B2Granted

Construction liner for American football

OwnerTsung Ming Ouinventor

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A construction liner for sportsball, such as an American football, which is made by compressing and vulcanization a rubber piece with at least a fabric lining, is strong enough to produce a more durable American football with better supporting but lower manufacturing cost. The American football includes a ball cover having a valve hole thereon and an inflatable bladder disposed within the ball cover for propping up the ball cover after inflation. The inflatable bladder has a predetermined shape and a valve stem mounted thereon and extended through the valve hole of the ball cover. The ball cover includes four elliptical cover pieces sewn edge to edge together. Each of the cover pieces includes an outer elliptical cover skin and an inner elliptical construction liner which is overlappedly attached on an inside of the cover skin for supporting the cover skin and enclosing the inflatable bladder.

Claims4

Dependent claims

A method of making a construction liner for an American football having a cover skin, comprising the steps of:

(a) cutting a rubber sheet material into at least an elliptical rubber piece having a predetermined size;
(b) cutting a fabric sheet material into at least an elliptical fabric lining having a size at least equal to that of said rubber piece;
(c) compressing and vulcanizing said rubber piece with said fabric lining together in a press mold, so as to unite said rubber piece with said fabric lining integrally to form a compressed and vulcanized integral rubber-based fabric liner;
and
(d) cutting said integral rubber-based fabric liner to a predetermined size to form said construction liner after said integral rubber-based fabric liner is cooled down to room temperature wherein said construction liner is adapted for overlapping on an inner surface of said cover skin for supporting said cover skin to form a ball cover so as to control a stiffness of the American football.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/871,720Filed 17 Jun 2004 · division
Priority: 11 Jun 1999
Published: US 2004/0229721 A118 Nov 2004
Granted: 28 Mar 2006
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification2 codes

A63B 41/08
Hollow inflatable balls: ball covers; Closures therefor
A63B
Apparatus for physical training, gymnastics, swimming, climbing, or fencing

Family

Application09/332,261Parent of this division · filed 11 Jun 1999
Application10/092,578Parent of this division · filed 8 Mar 2002
US 2004/0229721 A1Pre-grant publication · published 18 Nov 2004
US 6,500,082 B1Parent of this division
US 2002/0103047 A1Published application
US 7,018,311 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.