Ebonite International, Inc.

Andrew J Lee

Carl Horowitz

Felicia Dragnea

Kenneth Sugathan

Dorris K Mason

Thomas E Palmer

A balanced bowling ball having a core and a shell, and including a counterweight nugget positioned intermediate the bowling ball thumb and finger grip holes. The counterweight nugget comprises a non-metallic material, including refractory tungsten carbide suspended in a matrix of thermoplastic binder, having a density at least an order or magnitude greater than the density of the shell and core materials. The counterweight nugget is disposed within a depression on the core in one embodiment and in a depression in the shell in another embodiment. Alternative methods of manufacturing each embodiment and the material forming the counterweight nugget are also disclosed.

Bowling ball having high density counterweight

A bowling ball, rather than being engraved with a decoration, is printed with the decoration, relying on graft polymerization chemistry by which the printing fluid, offset to the ball in decoration form, is effectively bonded to the ball which may be rubber or other polymer capable of participating in graft polymerization.

Decorating bowling balls

An integral, solid bowling ball, devoid of any significant hollow portion, with inherent hooking characteristics has an elongated rod-like core that is symmetrical about the finger hole axis of the ball. The core is much denser than the encompassing body of the ball, preferably by a factor exceeding 2:1, has an axial length exceeding six-tenths of the ball diameter, and has an average diameter of about one-third of the ball diameter, with the core providing about one-fourth of the total ball weight. A frusto-conical core shape is preferred.

Bowling ball

The outer shell of a bowling ball, vulcanized in situ onto a spherical core, is formed of a mixture of sulfur-vulcanizable rubber, preferably SBR rubber, inert particulate filler such as rubber dust, sulfur, process oil, and polyurethane, with suitable accelerators and pigment. The polyurethane, comprising about two to about ten percent by weight of the shell, is preferably of a kind that is retarded in curing by the presence of the sulfur and is generally incompatible for polymerization with the rubber; the ball exhibits superior hooking and hitting characteristics and has high oil resistance.

Growing community of inventors

Hopkinsville, KY, United States of America

Andrew J Lee