Spalding Sports Worldwide, Inc.

Russell Asset Management, Inc.

Mark A Cloutier

Thomas J Kennedy, Iii

Vincent Simonds

Jon Wigby

An inflatable sport ball, such as a basketball, a football, a soccer ball, a volleyball or a playground ball, is provided with a self-contained inflation mechanism, or multiple self-contained inflation mechanisms, for inflating or adding pressure to the ball. The mechanism is a pump which is positioned and retained inside of the ball and which is operable from outside of the ball to pump ambient air into the ball. The pump is a dual action pump allowing air to be added to the ball on both a forward stroke and a reverse stroke.

Sport ball with self-contained dual action inflation mechanism

An automatic slug feeding device for delivering slugs to a compression mold for molding golf ball cores is characterized by synchronized rotary transfer, slug conveyance, gripping mechanism transfer and a tray conveyor for transferring slugs from an extruder to a mold loading robotic arm, and subsequently to a mold press. The rotary transfer device receives slugs from the extruder and the slug conveyor linearly conveys individual slugs from the transfer device. The gripping mechanism simultaneously removes a plurality of slugs from the conveyor and deposits them in an array of receptacles in a molding trays which are shuttled to an unload position, where the mold loading robotic arm transfers slugs into a mold press. Storage of extruded slugs prior to compression molding is thus eliminated, cycle time is reduced, core quality is improved, and operator safety is maximized.

Automatic slug feeder for golf ball core forming apparatus

A method and apparatus for forming golf ball cores with a generally spherical nucleus at its center is characterized by the use of a transfer plate which insures that the nucleus is centered within the core. The core is formed in upper and lower mold plates which contain upper and lower hemispherical cavities, respectively, which are adapted to mate to define a spherical cavity for the core. The transfer plate is arranged between the mold plates and includes a support for the nucleus to position the nucleus in the center of a pair of upper and lower slugs of core material which are molded in the upper and lower hemispherical cavities. When the mold plates are initially brought together with the transfer plate arranged therebetween and with the slugs arranged on opposite sides of the transfer plate, the slugs are partially molded in the hemispherical cavities with the nucleus being pressed into one of the slugs. The mold plates are then separated and the transfer plate is removed with the nucleus being retained in one of the slugs. Finally, the mold plates are brought together in mating fashion to form the core with the nucleus centrally arranged therein.

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Wilbraham, MA, United States of America

Mark A Cloutier