Impact-Absorbing Ball

Abstract

An impact-absorbing ball has an exterior liner, a ball body, and a damper core. The exterior liner is superimposed onto the ball body and used to provide a textured or friction-reducing surface. The damper core is integrated into the ball body and has multiple density-modified regions that are used to modify the overall durometer of the ball. Thus, the damper core enables the ball to absorb the impact forces generated by a collision with an athletes' body.

Description

The current application claims a priority to the U.S. Provisional Patent application Ser. No. 62/854,171 filed on May 29, 2019.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to sports equipment. More specifically, the present invention relates to a multicomponent lacrosse ball designed improve a ball's impact-absorption properties and flight characteristics.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The lacrosse ball has gone through relatively few changes since its organized inception in the early 1600's. The overall structure of the lacrosse ball has not changed since the introduction of wooden balls, nearly 400 years ago. The only major improvement came in 1856, when a solid rubber ball was introduced. Balls made of a single piece of solid rubber, and balls made with smooth surfaces suffer several shortcomings that lowers the effectiveness and overall safety of an athlete playing lacrosse. Notably, balls with smooth surfaces create unwanted drag, and therefore cannot be thrown in straight lines at high velocities. Specifically, the Magnus effect prevents smooth lacrosse balls from being thrown in a straight line at high velocities. Therefore, athletes infrequently make long passes at high velocities because the ball cannot be aimed accurately. Athletes tend to lob passes that are long. However, as the velocity of a thrown lacrosse ball increases, so does the danger of a bodily injury for the athlete. Specifically, balls made of rigid or inflexible materials cause greater damage to the athlete's body during a collision. Another shortcoming addressed by the present invention relates to the smooth surface of the ball becoming slick as materials gather on the surface and begin to oxidize on the ball. Thereby, reducing the athlete's ability to grip and throw the ball.

The present invention addresses the above-describes issues by providing a lacrosse ball with a structured, impact-absorbing, core and a dimpled surface.

Specifically, the present invention incorporates damper structures into the ball core. This enables the present invention to become deformed during a collision with the athlete's body. Thus, reducing the chance of injury. Further, the present invention uses a single homogeneous ball with a set of density-modified regions to absorb impact forces without modifying the lacrosse ball's weight and size. The present invention expands on this safety-improving concept by employing a set of texturizing dimples to modify the surface of the lacrosse ball, such that the athlete is able to throw the ball in a straight line while at high velocities. In addition to improving flight characteristics, the dimpled surface improves player safety. For example, goalies will be able to better judge the flightpath of a lacrosse ball to avoid Commotio Cordis. Finally, the dimpled surface prevents the present invention from becoming unusably slick.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a left-side sectional view of the present invention showing a first density modified region enveloping a second density-modified region.

FIG. 2 is a left-side sectional view of the present invention showing a plurality of density-modified regions distributed throughout a ball body.

FIG. 3 is a left-side sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention showing a plurality of structural layers enveloping a first density modified region enveloping and a second density-modified region.

FIG. 4 is a left-side sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention indicating the location of magnified view 5.

FIG. 5 is a magnified view of the present invention taken along line 5 in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a separate embodiment of the present invention.

DETAIL DESCRIPTIONS OF THE INVENTION

All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 through FIG. 7, as a preliminary matter, it will readily be understood by one having ordinary skill in the relevant art that the present disclosure has broad utility and application. As should be understood, any embodiment may incorporate only one or a plurality of the disclosed aspects of the disclosure and may further incorporate only one or a plurality of the features disclosed herein. Furthermore, any embodiment discussed and identified as being “preferred” is considered to be part of a best mode contemplated for carrying out the embodiments of the present disclosure. Other embodiments also may be discussed for additional illustrative purposes in providing a full and enabling disclosure. Moreover, many embodiments, such as adaptations, variations, modifications, and equivalent arrangements, will be implicitly disclosed by the embodiments described herein and fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

Accordingly, while embodiments are described herein in detail in relation to one or more embodiments, it is to be understood that this disclosure is illustrative and exemplary of the present disclosure and are made merely for the purposes of providing a full and enabling disclosure. The detailed disclosure herein of one or more embodiments is not intended, nor is to be construed, to limit the scope of patent protection afforded in any claim of a patent issuing here from, which scope is to be defined by the claims and the equivalents thereof. It is not intended that the scope of patent protection be defined by reading into any claim a limitation found herein that does not explicitly appear in the claim itself.

Thus, for example, any sequence(s) and/or temporal order of steps of various processes or methods that are described herein are illustrative and not restrictive. Accordingly, it should be understood that, although steps of various processes or methods may be shown and described as being in a sequence or temporal order, the steps of any such processes or methods are not limited to being carried out in any particular sequence or order, absent an indication otherwise. Indeed, the steps in such processes or methods generally may be carried out in various different sequences and orders while still falling within the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it is intended that the scope of patent protection is to be defined by the issued claim(s) rather than the description set forth herein.

Additionally, it is important to note that each term used herein refers to that which an ordinary artisan would understand such term to mean based on the contextual use of such term herein. To the extent that the meaning of a term used herein—as understood by the ordinary artisan based on the contextual use of such term—differs in any way from any particular dictionary definition of such term, it is intended that the meaning of the term as understood by the ordinary artisan should prevail.

Furthermore, it is important to note that, as used herein, “a” and “an” each generally denotes “at least one,” but does not exclude a plurality unless the contextual use dictates otherwise. When used herein to join a list of items, “or” denotes “at least one of the items,” but does not exclude a plurality of items of the list. Finally, when used herein to join a list of items, “and” denotes “all of the items of the list.” The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings.

Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the following description to refer to the same or similar elements. While many embodiments of the disclosure may be described, modifications, adaptations, and other implementations are possible. For example, substitutions, additions, or modifications may be made to the elements illustrated in the drawings. Accordingly, the following detailed description does not limit the disclosure. Instead, the proper scope of the disclosure is defined by the appended claims. The present disclosure contains headers. It should be understood that these headers are used as references and are not to be construed as limiting upon the subjected matter disclosed under the header.

Other technical advantages may become readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after review of the following figures and description. It should be understood at the outset that, although exemplary embodiments are illustrated in the figures and described below, the principles of the present disclosure may be implemented using any number of techniques, whether currently known or not. The present disclosure should in no way be limited to the exemplary implementations and techniques illustrated in the drawings and described below.

In the figures, elements having an alphanumeric designation may be referenced herein collectively or in the alternative, as will be apparent from context, by the numeric portion of the designation only. Further, the constituent parts of various elements in the figures may be designated with separate reference numerals which shall be understood to refer to that constituent part of the element and not the element as a whole. General references, along with references to spaces, surfaces, dimensions, and extents, may be designated with arrows.

Unless otherwise indicated, the drawings are intended to be read together with the specification and are to be considered a portion of the entire written description of this invention. As used in the following description, the terms “horizontal”, “vertical”, “left”, “right”, “up”, “down” and the like, as well as adjectival and adverbial derivatives thereof (e.g., “horizontally”, “rightwardly”, “upwardly”, “radially”, etc.), simply refer to the orientation of the illustrated structure as the particular drawing figure faces the reader. Similarly, the terms “inwardly,” “outwardly” and “radially” generally refer to the orientation of a surface relative to its axis of elongation, or axis of rotation, as appropriate.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 5, the present invention is an impact-absorbing ball that employs a structured core and a textured surface to act as an impact absorbing ball. Additionally, the present invention employs the textured surface to modify the flight characteristics of the present invention. Thus, providing a ball that improves performance and safety. To achieve the above-described functionality, the present invention comprises an exterior liner 1 a ball body 20, and a damper core 4. The ball body 20 is a structural component of the present invention and defines the overall shape. Relatedly, the damper core defines 4 the interior structure within the ball body 20. Preferably, the present invention makes use of a single homogeneous piece of material to form the ball body 20 and the damper core 4. The density and durometer of various regions within the damper core 4 is modified to provide a lacrosse ball that has improved shock-absorbing properties and flight characteristics. In some embodiments, the present invention is able to further reduce the chance of injury to an athlete by integrating multiple layers of material into a ball that readily deforms when subjected to the appropriate pressures. By deforming, the present invention absorbs the force of impact caused during a collision with the athlete's body.

Referring to FIG. 5, FIG. 6, and FIG. 7, the exterior liner 1 is superimposed onto the ball body 20 and forms the outermost shell of the present invention. Additionally, the exterior liner 1 is designed to prevent the ball from becoming overly smooth or encrusted with debris. To facilitate this, the present invention comprises a plurality of texturizing recesses 2. The plurality of texturizing recesses 2 comprises a collection of recesses 2 that normally traverse into the exterior liner 1 to improve the flight characteristics of the present invention. Preferably, the plurality of texturizing recesses 2 is distributed across the exterior liner 1. As a result, the plurality of texturizing recesses 2 is arranged into patterns that serve a desired function. Additionally, a shape 22, a perimeter 23, and a depth 21 of each of the plurality of textured recesses 2 can be modified to create a desired effect. Preferably, the plurality of texturizing recesses 2 is arranged into a geometric pattern with the shape of each recess being a polygon. However, various shapes including, but not limited to, circles, squares, rectangles, triangles, and parallelogram can be used as well. Embodiments of the present invention are designed with texturizing recesses 2 that are arranged into patterns that facilitate flight. Additionally, the depth 21 of each of the plurality of texturizing recesses 2 is optimized to produce a desired effect on flight characteristics. In some embodiments, the present invention further comprises a friction-reducing coating 11 that is superimposed onto the exterior liner 1. Accordingly, the friction-reducing coating 11 reduces the drag on the present invention during flight. In some embodiments, the friction-reducing coating 11 can be removed and replaced whenever the surface of the exterior liner becomes overly slick or encrusted with debris.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, preferably, the ball body 20 is designed to absorb the impact forces that occur during a collision with an athlete's body. To achieve this functionality, the damper core 4 is integrated into the ball body 20. As a result, impact forces applied to the exterior liner 1 are transferred directly through the ball body 20 and into the damper core 4. Additionally, the damper core comprises at least one first density-modified region 41 and at least one second density-modified region 42. The first density-modified region 41 and the second density-modified region 42 form sections of the damper core that have varying durometers. Thus, by incorporating a plurality of density modified regions into the damper core 4, the present invention is able to provide a highly structured lacrosse ball that is constructed from a homogeneous piece of material. Additionally, variations in the density and durometer of the first density-modified region 41 and the second density-modified region 42 enable the present invention to retain the overall shape and weight of a lacrosse ball, while employing impact-absorbing structures. In some embodiments, a density of the first density-modified region 41 is greater than a density of the second density-modified region 42. Consequently, the difference in density between the first density-modified region 41 and the second density-modified region 42 enables the durometer and shock absorbing properties of the present invention to be tailored to specific purposes. For example, the density of the first density-modified region 41 and the density of the second density-modified region 42 can be adjusted to make a softer ball for younger athletes than for professional players. Preferably, the density of the damper core 4 is manufactured as a gradient that increases with distance from a central ball core. However, in some embodiments the density of the damper core 4 is manufactured as a gradient that decreases with distance from a central ball core

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, in some embodiments, the first density-modified region 41 envelops the second density-modified region 42 so that the first density-modified region 41 acts as a buffer between exterior portions of the ball body 20 and the second density-modified region 42. In further embodiments, a plurality of density-modified regions is distributed throughout the damper core 20 and is used to advantageously position the center of gravity of the present invention such that the rotational characteristics facilitate being thrown in a straight line at high velocities.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 4, in some embodiments, the ball body 20 comprises a plurality of structural layers 3. The plurality of structural layers 3 is composed of a set of materials and structures that modify the durometer and impact-absorbing properties of the present invention. Preferably each of the plurality of layers 3 is superimposed onto a preceding layer, with a base layer being mounted around a central ball damper core 4. Further, an exterior layer 32 is positioned in between an interior layer 31 and the exterior liner 1, where the exterior layer 32 and the interior layer 31 are from the plurality of structural layers 3. Preferably, the damper core 4 is a deformable sphere of material that makes up an interior compartment of the present invention. Additionally, each of the plurality of structural layers 3 is designed to add a unique benefit to the flight characteristics or impact-absorbing properties of the present invention. In one embodiment the plurality of deformable layers 3 comprises a deformable bladder 33. The deformable bladder 33 is a fluid-filled sac that acts as an impact-absorbing layer. Thus, the deformable bladder 33 functions as an imbedded cushion against which the damper core 4 presses when the present invention collides with an external object.

Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, preferably the composition of the plurality of structural layers 3 is such that a durometer of each layer is selected to optimize the impact-absorbing properties of the present invention. Further, some embodiments are designed where the durometer of each of the plurality of structural layers 3 is different. This variation enables the present invention to function as a lacrosse ball, during normal play, without reducing the impact-absorbing capabilities of the ball body 20. Preferably, the durometer of the present invention is such that a pressure of 70-80 psi compresses the ball body 20 by 25%. Additionally, the plurality of structural layers 3 is constructed using layers of varying density. In some embodiments, the center of mass for the ball body 20 is positioned in between the damper core 4 and the exterior liner 1. As a result, a center of mass for the present invention can be positioned to optimize the flight characteristics of the ball body 20.

Referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, in some embodiments the interior layer 31 is not directly superimposed onto an exterior surface of the damper core 4. In these embodiments, the present invention further comprises a core suspension assembly 5. The core suspension assembly 5 is a harness that is mounted in between the plurality of structural layers and the damper core 4. Thus positioned, the suspension assembly 5 enables the damper core 4 to be retained in a position that facilitates impact absorption. In further embodiments, the core suspension assembly 5 enables the damper core 4 to move along multiple degrees of freedom as the present invention rolls or is thrown. Further, the core suspension assembly 5 is operatively coupled in between the deformable core 4 and the base layer so that the damper core 4 is able to act as a tuned mass damper. Thus, the core suspension assembly 5 dynamically repositions the center of gravity to modify the flight characteristics of the present invention. The preferred embodiment of the invention is composed of natural rubber compounds; however, multiple materials may be used with varying durometers such as Silicone, SBR, EPDM, Polyurethane, Nitrile or other synthetic materials that react in an elastomeric property. Other materials such as metal alloys, liquid gels, or organic materials may be used. Certain layers may also be void of material or consist of gases.

Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

Claims

1. An impact-absorbing ball comprising:

an exterior liner;

a ball body;

a damper core;

the damper core comprising at least one first density-modified region and at least one second density-modified region;

the exterior liner being superimposed onto the ball body;

the damper core being integrated into the ball body;

the first density-modified region being positioned offset from the second density-modified region; and

a center of mass being positioned offset from the exterior liner.

2. The shock-absorbing ball as claimed in claim 1, wherein the damper core and the ball body being formed from a single homogenous piece of material.

3. The shock-absorbing ball as claimed in claim 1, wherein a density of the first density-modified region being greater than a density of the second density-modified region.

4. The shock-absorbing ball as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first density-modified region envelops the second density-modified region.

5. The impact-absorbing ball as claimed in claim 1, comprising:

the ball body comprising a plurality of structural layers; and

an interior layer being positioned in between an exterior layer and the damper core, wherein the interior layer and the exterior layer being from the plurality of structural layers.

6. The impact-absorbing ball as claimed in claim 5, comprising:

the plurality of structural layers comprising a deformable bladder; and

the deformable bladder enveloping the deformable core.

7. The flight-enhanced ball as claimed in claim 5, wherein a durometer of each of the plurality of structural layers being different.

8. The impact-absorbing ball as claimed in claim 1, comprising:

a core suspension assembly; and

the core suspension assembly being mounted in between the ball body and the deformable core.

9. The impact-absorbing ball as claimed in claim 8, wherein the core suspension assembly is operatively coupled to the deformable core, and wherein the core suspension assembly dynamically repositions the center of gravity to modify flight characteristics.

10. The impact-absorbing ball as claimed in claim 8, wherein the core suspension assembly is operatively coupled to the deformable core to act as an inertial damper.

11. The impact-absorbing ball as claimed in claim 1, comprising:

a friction-reducing coating; and

the friction-reducing being superimposed onto the exterior lining.

12. The impact-absorbing ball as claimed in claim 1, comprising:

a plurality of texturizing recesses; and

the plurality of texturizing recesses traversing into the exterior lining.

13. The impact-absorbing ball as claimed in claim 12, wherein the plurality of texturizing recesses being formed by a plurality of shapes.

14. The impact-absorbing ball as claimed in claim 12, wherein the plurality of texturizing recesses having a plurality of recess depths.

15. The impact-absorbing ball as claimed in claim 12, wherein the plurality of texturizing recesses having a plurality perimeters.

16. The impact-absorbing ball as claimed in claim 12, wherein the plurality of texturizing recesses having a plurality distribution patterns.