Nike, Inc.

Karsten Manufacturing Corporation

Feng Tay Enterprises Co., Ltd.

Nike International Ltd.

Nike Innovate C.v.

Arthur Parker Molinari

Yasushi Ichikawa

Hideyuki Ishii

Thomas J Kennedy, Iii

Batiste Rémy

Chen-Tai Liu

Nicholas A Leech

Chien-Hsin Chou

Jun Ichinose

Todd D Smith

Yutaka Kabeshita

Bradley C Tutmark

Brent Radewald

Takahisa Ono

Nicholas Yontz

Seisuke Tomita

Derek A Fitchett

Michael J Wallans

Douglas Anthony Thornton

Scott Ryan Berggren

Vincent F White

Jeffrey Alan Hadden

Bradley Charles Glenn

Brian G Prevo

Chin-Shun Ko

Gary W Glahn

Aaron Bender

Wil Sixour

Tal Cohen

Hsin Cheng

Kerby LaVar Maxwell

George S Kim

Jung Gyu Moon

Che-Ching Lin

Takanobu Nishiura

Hiroyuki Mashimo

Nicola Danby

Alan Wight

Mohamed Mohamed

Todd Smith

Hideyuke Ishii

Michael F Pai

An inflatable sports ball is provided. The inflatable sports ball having a bladder defining an exterior bladder surface and a bladder circumference. The inflatable sports ball may further comprise a cover disposed about the bladder, the cover comprising an outer cover layer and an intermediate structure. The intermediate structure is disposed between the outer cover layer and the bladder. The intermediate structure comprises a restriction structure. The restriction structure may comprise a plurality of overlapping strips. Each of the overlapping strips is interwoven with each of the other strips and wrapped about the bladder circumference. In this way, the restriction structure comprises a uniform number of radially-stacked layers of the overlapping strips over a substantial entirety of the exterior bladder surface between the exterior bladder surface and the outer cover layer.

Inflatable sports ball with restriction structure

A sports ball may include an interior bladder and a cover disposed about the bladder. The cover comprises a plurality of adjoining panels, wherein each panel defines a plurality of panel edges that each extend in a predetermined edge direction along an edge length of less than 7.5 centimeters. The cover may further define a plurality of interior channels. Each interior channel extends in a predetermined channel direction along a channel length of less than 7.5 centimeters. The panel edges and the interior channels are staggered, such that each edge direction is obliquely angled with respect to each of the other edge directions, and each interior channel direction is obliquely angled with respect to each of the other interior channel directions and each of the edge directions of the respective panel. Such an arrangement limits directional feature length and promotes a balanced topography upon the exterior surface of the ball.

Sports ball with staggered surface features

An inflatable sports ball is provided. The sports ball includes an interior bladder and a cover disposed about the interior bladder. The cover may include an outer substrate and an intermediate structure. The cover may further include an outer substrate surface, defined by the outer substrate, and a feature surface radially spaced apart from the outer substrate surface. Together the outer substrate surface and the feature surface cooperate to define an exterior surface of the cover. A mechanoluminescent material may be embedded in a portion of the cover. The mechanoluminescent material may be disposed at only one of the outer substrate surface and the feature surface, such that it is positioned to form a predetermined design on the cover. The mechanoluminescent material emits visible light in response to an externally-applied stress, such that the predetermined design illuminates when an external stress or mechanical stimulus is exerted upon the cover.

Sports ball with mechanoluminescence

A sports ball comprising a cover disposed about a bladder is provided. The cover comprises an outer substrate and defines an outer substrate surface and a feature surface. The outer substrate surface defines a plurality of plateau sections. The feature surface is radially spaced apart from the outer substrate surface and further defines a plurality of indentations and a plurality of protrusions. Each indentation has an indentation terminus disposed on the feature surface and radially spaced apart from the outer substrate surface by an indentation depth. The protrusions are positioned on the plateau sections, and each protrusion has a protrusion terminus disposed on the feature surface and radially spaced apart from the outer substrate surface by a protrusion height. At least one protrusion is positioned less than a predetermined distance of about 1.0 millimeters from at least one of the indentations, thereby acting as a wickerbill on the ball.

Sports ball with wickerbill

Ball

A sport ball includes a casing that includes a plurality of joined panels and defines a cavity. The casing includes at least a first panel having (a) a first layer positioned to form a portion of an exterior surface of the sport ball, (b) a second layer disposed adjacent to the first layer, and (c) a third layer disposed adjacent to the second layer. The first panel defines a first indentation and a second indentation spaced apart from the first indentation. The first indentation has a first depth and the second indentation has a second depth that is less than the first depth. The first depth is from 0.5 times to 4 times larger than the second depth. The sport ball also includes a bladder disposed within the cavity.

Sport ball and casing defining a major channel and a minor channel

A sports ball is provided. The sports ball may include a bladder and a cover disposed about the bladder, wherein the cover includes a plurality of adjoining panels and defines an exterior surface. The cover further defines a plurality of channels extending radially inward from the exterior surface. The plurality of channels includes a plurality of peripheral channel segments and a plurality of interior channel segments. The plurality of peripheral channel segments each define a peripheral seam between adjoining ones of the plurality of panels. Each channel of the plurality of interior channel segments is provided within a central region of one or more of the panels and divide the exterior surface into a plurality of open polygonal portions.

Sports ball

A sports ball and a method of manufacturing the same are provided. The sports ball having a bladder, an outer cover layer, and an intermediate structure disposed between the outer cover layer and the bladder. The intermediate structure includes a restriction structure comprising a plurality of overlapping layers of cross-linked polymer film wrapped about the bladder. The sports ball may be formed via the steps of surrounding the bladder, having a first initial circumferential dimension, with a plurality of overlapping layers of cross-linked polymer shrink film, such that the cross-linked shrink film forms a restriction structure in a first dimensional state; applying a heat shrinking process to the cross-linked polymer shrink film to contract the restriction structure from the first dimensional state to a second dimensional state; inflating the bladder to a second circumferential dimension; and disposing the outer cover layer and intermediate layers about the bladder and restriction structure.

Sports ball and method of manufacture

An inflatable sports ball having a bladder and a cover disposed about the bladder in provided. The cover may have an exterior surface that defines a plurality of plateau sections, a first plurality of indentations, and a second plurality of indentations that cooperate to define a topographical arrangement across the exterior surface. Each of the first plurality of indentations has a first indentation depth, a first indentation width, and a first maximum aspect ratio. The first maximum aspect ratio is defined as the ratio of the first indentation width to the first indentation depth. The second plurality of indentations has a second indentation depth, a second indentation width, and a second maximum aspect ratio. The second maximum aspect ratio is defined as the ratio of the second indentation width to the second indentation depth. The second maximum aspect ratio is greater than the first maximum aspect ratio.

A sports ball is provided and may include an interior bladder and a cover disposed about the interior bladder. The cover may comprise a plurality of adjoining panels. The cover may further define an exterior surface comprising a plurality of plateau sections and a plurality of indentations extending radially inward from the exterior surface. The plurality of indentations may include a plurality of peripheral channels or seams and a plurality of interior channels. Each seam has a seam length and the plurality of seams has a first aggregate deboss length. Each interior channel has a channel length and the plurality of interior channels has a second aggregate deboss length. Collectively, the seams and interior channels have an aggregate feature length, which is defined as a sum of the first aggregate deboss length and the second aggregate deboss length. The aggregate feature length is greater than 800 centimeters.

Golf performance and equipment characteristics may be determined by analyzing the impact between a golf ball and an impacting surface. In some examples, the impacting surface may be a golf club face. The impact between the golf ball and the surface may be measured based on sound and/or motion sensors (e.g., gyroscopes, accelerometers, etc.). Based on motion and/or sound data, various equipment-related information including golf ball compression, club head speed and impact location may be derived. Such information and/or other types of data may be conveyed to a user to help improve performance, aid in selecting golf equipment and/or to insure quality of golfing products.

Impact and sound analysis for golf equipment

Growing community of inventors

Portland, OR, United States of America

Arthur Parker Molinari