US 9,844,706 B2Granted

Inflatable game ball panel construction

AssigneeNIKE, Inc.

InventorMark McNamee

Life of this patent

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Abstract

An inflatable game ball includes a cover formed from a plurality of panel segments attached along peripheral edges. Each panel segment an outer panel portion, having a first shape and a first size, and an inner panel portion, having the first shape and a second size, smaller than the first size. The outer panel portion is joined with the inner panel portion, such that peripheral edges of the outer panel portion are aligned, and parallel, with peripheral edges of the inner panel portion. An inflatable bladder is disposed within the cover and movable between deflated and fully-inflated conditions. When the inflatable bladder is deflated, an interior surface of the outer panel portions is separated from a top surface of the inner panel portions by a first distance. When the inflatable bladder is fully-inflated, the interior surface is in contact with the top surface of the inner panel portions.

Claims13

Dependent claims

An inflatable game ball comprising:

a cover formed from a plurality of panel segments attached along peripheral edges, wherein each panel segment of the cover includes:
an outer panel portion having a first shape and a first size;
and
an inner panel portion having the first shape and a second size, the second size of the inner panel portion being smaller than the first size of the outer panel portion, and wherein the outer panel portion is joined with the inner panel portion such that a peripheral edge of the outer panel portion is aligned and parallel with a peripheral edge of the inner panel portion;
and
an inflatable bladder disposed within the cover, the inflatable bladder being configured to move between a deflated condition and a fully inflated condition, wherein:
when the inflatable bladder is in the deflated condition, an interior surface of the outer panel portions of the cover is separated a first distance apart from a top surface of the inner panel portions of the cover, and
when the inflatable bladder is in the fully inflated condition, the interior surface of the outer panel portions of the cover is in contact with the top surface of the inner panel portions of the cover.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/447,188Filed 2 Mar 2017 · division
Priority: 27 Feb 2013
Published: US 2017/0173405 A122 Jun 2017
Granted: 19 Dec 2017
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification28 codes

A63B 41/08
Hollow inflatable balls: ball covers; Closures therefor
A63B 41/02
Hollow inflatable balls: bladders
A63B 45/00
Apparatus or methods for manufacturing balls
B29D 22/02
Producing hollow articles: inflatable articles

Family

Application13/778,170Parent of this division · filed 27 Feb 2013
US 2017/0173405 A1Pre-grant publication · published 22 Jun 2017
US 9,623,289 B2Parent of this division
US 2014/0243124 A1Published application
US 9,844,706 B2This patent

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