HK1056130B - Self-contained sport ball inflation mechanism - Google Patents

Description

Self-contained sports ball inflator

Background

The present invention relates to a sports ball comprising means for inflating or pressurising the ball.

Existing inflatable sports balls, such as basketballs, footballs, soccer balls, volleyballs and recreational balls, are inflated by a conventional inflation valve using a separate air needle inserted through a self-sealing inflation valve. A separate pump, such as a conventional bicycle pump, is connected to the air needle and the ball is inflated using the pump. The air needle is then removed from the inflation valve which self seals to maintain pressure. The system works well until the sport ball needs to be inflated or pressurized and the air needle and/or pump are not readily available.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention provides a sports ball having a self-contained inflation device. The aim is to be able to inflate or pressurize a sports ball without the need for separate inflation equipment, such as a separate air needle and pump. In particular, the invention relates to a sports ball having a self-contained pump device which is operable from outside the ball and pumps ambient air into the ball to achieve a desired pressure. More particularly, the pump means provides a cavity within the ball having means for receiving ambient air into the cavity and means is provided for urging air from the cavity to the internal volume of the ball via the one-way valve means. Most particularly, the pump means comprises a piston and cylinder arrangement, wherein the piston is operable from outside the ball.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view of a sports ball having a piston and cylinder arrangement operable from the exterior of the ball for pressurising the ball;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the piston shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the pump cap of FIG. 1 showing a structure for locking and unlocking the pump piston;

FIG. 4 is a detailed cross-sectional view of one check valve member used on the outlet of the pump of FIG. 1;

figure 5 is a more detailed view of the duckbill valve of the components of figure 4;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the entire sports ball showing a pump on one side and a conventional inflation valve containing a weight on the opposite side;

FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 illustrate another embodiment of the present invention employing a different piston and cylinder arrangement;

FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate another pump embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate an embodiment of a pump operated by rotational motion;

FIG. 14 shows a device for releasing pressure from a ball;

fig. 15 to 22 show other pump variants.

Detailed Description

Referring initially to fig. 1 to 5, there is shown a portion of a sports ball 10 incorporating one embodiment of the inflator of the present invention. The ball shown is a typical basketball construction and includes a frame having a rubber bladder 12 for retaining air, a layer 14 of nylon or polyester yarn windings wrapped around the bladder and an outer rubber layer 16. For laminated balls, an additional outer layer 18 of leather or imitation leather comprises panels coated with adhesive and fixed by a cold-moulding process. The windings are randomly oriented and have a thickness of two or three yarns which form a layer which does not significantly expand when inflated above normal use pressures and which limits the ball from significantly expanding beyond its normal size. This layer of footballs, volleyballs and soccer balls is referred to as a lining layer and typically comprises cotton or polyester fabric filled with a resilient binder resin such as polyethylene or latex rubber.

Included in the ball frame of the present invention when molded is a rubber pump cover or shell 20 having a central opening and a flange 22 bonded to the bladder with a rubber adhesive. The pump cover is located between the rubber bladder 12 and the winding layer 14. An aluminum plastic plug is inserted into the pump housing opening during the molding and winding process to maintain the correct shape of the central opening and to allow the bladder to be inflated during the manufacturing process. A groove 24 is provided through the central opening of the pump housing 20 to retain an outer rim 26 on the top of a pump cylinder 28. The cylinder is optionally attached to the pump housing using any suitable elastomeric adhesive (epoxy, urethane or otherwise).

Located within the pump cylinder 28 is a pump piston 30 as shown in fig. 1 and 2. The piston includes an annular groove 32 at its bottom which contains a spring 34 which urges the piston upwardly within the cylinder 28. Also on the bottom of the piston 30 is an O-ring groove 36 containing an O-ring 38. As shown in FIG. 1, the O-ring groove 36 is sized so that the O-ring 38 can move up and down within the groove 36. The O-ring is pushed into the position shown in figure 1 when the piston 30 is pushed downwards. In this position, the O-ring is located between the piston wall and the upper edge 40 of the groove 36. As shown in fig. 2, within the groove 36 is a notch or slot 42 that extends down to a lower edge 44 just below the upper edge 40. Only one slot 42 is shown in fig. 2 but there are preferably two or more slots. When the piston 30 is urged upward by the spring 34, the O-ring 38 moves to the bottom of the groove 36, opening a bypass around the O-ring through the slot 42 so that air can enter the cylinder 28 below the piston 30. Then, when the piston is pushed downward, the O-ring moves back up the top of the groove and seals to vent air through the cylinder outlet 46.

At the top of the piston are two flanges 48 which together with a cylinder cap 50 clamp the piston within the cylinder and release the piston for inflation. A cylinder cap 50 is secured within the cylinder 28 with the piston 30 extending centrally through the cylinder cap. The cap is bonded within the cylinder. Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of the cylinder cap 50 and shows the open areas 52 on opposite sides of the central opening, via which the two flanges 48 on the piston can be moved to the release position. In the locked position, the piston is pushed down and rotated so that the flange 48 moves under the projection 54 and rotates into the locking recess 56. Attached to the top of the piston 30 is a button or cap 58 that is designed to substantially completely fill the hole in the frame and will be flush with the ball surface. The button may be of any desired material, such as cast urethane or rubber. Mounted on the upper surface of the cylinder cap 50 is a gasket 60 that engages the button 58 when the piston is pushed down against the spring force to lock or unlock the piston. The padding provides cushioning to the pump and should also be resilient to match the feel of the rest of the ball. The surface thereof should be roughened to increase grip strength.

FIG. 1 shows cylinder outlet 46 but does not show a check valve connected to the outlet. Fig. 4 shows the duckbill check valve assembly 62 to be installed in the outlet 46. The assembly includes an inlet end piece 64, an outlet end piece 66 and an elastomeric duckbill valve 68 captured between the two end pieces. The end pieces 64 and 66 are preferably plastic, such as polycarbonate, and are ultrasonically welded together.

Although any desired one-way valve may be used on the outlet 46 and although duckbill valves are a common one-way valve, a particular duckbill configuration is shown in figure 4 and in greater detail in figure 5. The duckbill structure 68 is made of a resilient silicone material and is molded from a cylindrical barrel 70 having an outer edge 72. Within the barrel 70 is a duckbill 74 having a top inlet 76 formed into the barrel 70 around the inner periphery. The walls or sides 78 of the duckbill 74 taper downwardly to form a straight bottom end having a duckbill slit 80. The duckbill functions in a conventional manner in that inlet air pressure forces the duckbill slit 80 open to allow air to enter, while air pressure within the ball squeezes the duckbill slit closed to prevent air leakage. Such duckbill structures are commercially available from Vernay Laboratories, Inc., of Yellos Prins, Ohio.

The pump components illustrated and illustrated in fig. 1 to 5 are preferably made primarily of plastic, such as high impact polystyrene. Although this component is small and lightweight, perhaps only 25 grams, it is still necessary to add a weight to the ball structure to balance the weight of the pump assembly. Fig. 6 shows such a configuration with a pump device, generally designated 82, on one side of the ball and a standard needle valve 84 on the opposite side of the ball. In this example, the material 86 comprising the needle valve 84 is weighted. Additional material may be added to the needle valve housing or surrounding area of the valve. Alternatively, a dense metal powder such as tungsten may be added to the rubber component.

The above description and the accompanying figures 1 to 5 disclose a particular and preferred pump construction. However, other pump configurations may be used within the scope of the present invention. Figures 7, 8 and 9 show another pump placed inside the ball and operable from the outside. The pump includes a rigid cylinder 88 connected to a ball frame 90. The piston 92 is hollow with a cap 94 at the top. An O-ring 96 forms a seal between the piston 92 and the cylinder 88. Near the top of the piston 92 is an air intake port 98 and an air exhaust port 100 is located at the bottom of the piston. A flap valve 102 covers the aperture 100 so that when the piston 92 is pulled upward air flows into the piston 92 and out the exhaust aperture 100 through the flap valve 102 to fill the cylinder 88 with air. At the bottom of the cylinder 88 is an opening 104 and a flapper valve 106. When the piston 92 is pushed back down, the flap valve 102 closes and the flap valve 106 opens, and air in the cylinder 88 is forced through the aperture 104 and flap valve 106 into the ball. When the piston 92 is pulled upward, the flapper valve 106 is forced closed. A spring 108 urges the piston 92 to the up or extended position and the piston is urged downward against the spring force. The J-shaped slot 110 on the piston 92 and the protrusion 112 on the cylinder together lock the piston in the lower position. Thus, the piston is converted to a locking piston and a release piston, for example, by using a coin 114 in a slot 116.

Another variant of the invention is shown in figures 10 and 11. A cylinder 118 connected to a ball frame 120 and a cap 122 on the cylinder are generally shown. The actual layers of the frame are not shown in fig. 10. Within the cylinder is a piston 124 with an O-ring seal 126 and a piston rod 128. At the bottom of the cylinder is a duckbill check valve 130. In this embodiment, the spring 132 pushes the piston 124 and piston rod 128 downward into the cylinder so that the piston rod 128 is pulled upward against the spring force and the spring pushes the piston and piston rod downward into the cylinder. Attached to the top end of the piston rod is an upturned pull ring 134. As shown in FIG. 11, the loop 134 is pressed down and covered by a flap 136 of the ball cover, which flap is made of a conventional hook and loop fabric 138 such as Velcro^TMAnd (6) compacting.

Figure 12 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention wherein a pump, generally designated 140, having a cylinder 142, a piston 144, a piston rod 146 and a duckbill valve 148, the piston rod of the pump being rotatably connected to a dial or crank wheel 150. The disc 150 is rotatably mounted in the cavity 152 and a crank joint 154 extends upwardly through the ball frame. A crank 156 is inserted at the joint 154 for rotating the disc 150 and subsequent operation of the pump. A related variation of this embodiment is shown in fig. 13 where a turntable 158 corresponding to the disc 150 is rotatably mounted on the surface of the ball. The disk has a finger hole 160 so that the disk can be manually rotated with a finger inserted into the hole.

Since the pressure within the sports ball may be high due to over inflation or temperature rise, it is recommended to provide a passage for venting pressure from the ball when there is no inflation needle. This arrangement is shown in fig. 14 and includes a ball-passing exhaust port 162, a plug 164 within the port, and a resilient cover 166 having a bore 168 which normally holds the plug 164 tightly sealed within the port 162. The resilient cover 166 allows the plug 164 to be pushed open for venting via the aperture 168 and the aperture 162.

Figure 15 shows the pump operated by a pull cable mechanism 170 having a piston 172 connected by a piston rod 173 to a drive wheel 174 which is spring loaded and provided with anti-back ratchets and operates in the same known manner as a mower starter. The piston 172 is provided with an O-ring seal 176, which like the O-ring seal shown in fig. 1, allows air to flow past the piston in one direction but not the other. The cylinder is provided with a duckbill check fluid valve 178 for allowing fluid to enter the ball and preventing fluid from flowing back out.

Figure 16 shows another variation of a pump having a cylinder 180, a piston 182 with a one-way fluid O-ring arrangement 184, and a one-way flap valve 186 for air flow from the pump into the ball. Additionally shown is a pump cylinder support 188 which is a resilient or flexible material such as rubber to support and reduce movement of the pump.

FIG. 17 is a variation of the pump wherein the pump is operated by a pull cord or cable. The pump cylinder 190 is supported within the ball by resilient supports 192 and 194. Air enters the cylinder 190 through a hole 196 in the support 192 and through a one-way flap valve 198. The piston 200 has a skirt 202 around the periphery that acts as a one-way check valve. This allows fluid to pass the piston as it moves downward and prevents bypass flow as the piston pulls upward. The spring 204 pushes the piston down and the string 206 is used to pull the piston up against the spring force to pump air out through the duckbill discharge valve 208 into the ball.

Figure 18 shows another variation 210 of a pump which includes a duckbill valve at its lower end like the duckbill valve shown in figures 4 and 5. The extension 212 at the bottom and the extension 214 on the piston 216 keep the spring 218 centered and prevent excessive friction of the spring against the cylinder wall. These extensions also act as stops when the spring is compressed and the extensions engage each other. In this embodiment, piston 216, which contains a one-way fluid O-ring 220, is operated by inserting a separate push rod down through opening 222 to push the piston down against the force of the spring.

Figure 19 is a variation of the pump including a piston 224 forming the end of a cavity 226 attached to the ball frame. Air enters the cavity 226 through the hole 228 and exits the cavity 226 through the hole 230 in the piston and enters the cylinder 234 through the one-way flap valve 232. A skirt or miniature cup valve 236 forms a seal between the piston and the wall of the cylinder 234. The cylinder 234 is closed at the end 238 having an opening 240 and a one-way flap valve 242. The cylinder support tube 244 has an opening 246 for air flow. To operate the pump, the top of the ball in the area of the hole 228 is pressed downward to push the cavity 226 downward. This pushes the piston 224 down in the cylinder 234 and closes the flap valve 232 to push air from the cylinder 234 through the flap valve 242 and out the orifice 246 into the ball. The flap valve 242 prevents the backflow of air from exiting the ball. Also, the flap valve prevents flow down the skirt 236 and out of the ball.

Figure 20 shows an apparatus that can operate in one of two ways. It includes a piston 248 within the cylinder 20, which is urged upward by a spring 252. The piston is still configured with a one-way fluid O-ring device 254 and the cylinder has a one-way fluid duckbill valve 256. In this embodiment, the piston rod includes a valve stem 258 similar to those used on automobiles or bicycles. The valve stem 258 may be used to mechanically reciprocate the piston by pushing the valve stem downward. Means not shown may be used to lock the valve stem down. In addition to being able to inflate the ball by mechanically moving the piston, the ball may also be inflated using a tire inflator. The tire pump is simply connected to the valve stem 258 in the usual manner and is used to inflate the ball just like an automobile or bicycle tire.

Figures 21 and 22 show a different type of pump 260 having a cylinder 261 formed by a resilient bladder 262. A resilient bladder, which may be rubber or similar material, is sealed to the ball frame 264 at 266 and is closed at the bottom by a disk 268 containing a duckbill valve 270. Bladder 262 is connected at the top to a piston 272 having an opening 274 to the environment and a flap valve 276. When the piston 272 is pushed down by the piston rod 278 from the position shown in figure 21, the flap valve 276 closes and air is pushed out into the ball through the duckbill valve 270. When the piston 272 is pushed down, the bladder flexes and the top part goes down into the bottom with the piston to the position shown in FIG. 22. When the piston is pulled upward, the flap valve 276 opens and the bladder is filled with air. A flap that may be held in place by velcro (velcro) will cover the bulbous mouth 280.

Claims (19)

1. An inflatable sport ball comprising a pump, wherein said pump is located within said ball and includes a means for selectively extending outside of said ball for actuating said pump; when not in use, the pump is below or flush with the surface of the ball.

2. An inflatable sports ball as claimed in claim 1, wherein said ball includes a layer which prevents the ball from expanding significantly when pressure is increased.

3. An inflatable sport ball as recited in claim 1 wherein said pump includes means for pumping ambient air into said ball and means for preventing said pumped air from escaping out of said ball.

4. An inflatable sports ball as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sports ball is a basketball.

5. An inflatable sports ball as claimed in claim 2, wherein said sports ball is a volleyball.

6. An inflatable sports ball as claimed in claim 2, wherein said sports ball is a football.

7. An inflatable sports ball as claimed in claim 2, wherein said sports ball is a soccer ball.

8. An inflatable sports ball as claimed in claim 2, wherein said sports ball is a game ball.

9. An inflatable sport ball as recited in claim 1 further comprising a means for balancing the weight of said pump within said ball.

10. An inflatable sport ball comprising a frame and an internal pump connected to said frame, said pump comprising a cylinder including an air outlet for exhausting air into said ball, a one-way valve connected to said air outlet for allowing air to flow from said cylinder into said ball and preventing air from flowing back from said ball into said cylinder, a piston within said cylinder operable to draw ambient air from outside said ball into said cylinder and to push said drawn ambient air from said cylinder through said one-way valve into said ball, means for activating said piston from outside said frame and means for locking said piston.

11. An inflatable sport ball as recited in claim 10 wherein said means for actuating said piston comprises a piston rod connected to said piston and extending through an opening in said frame and movable between an extended position and an inserted position, and further comprising a spring positioned to urge said piston upwardly in said cylinder away from said air outlet and to urge said piston rod through said opening to said extended position outside of said ball whereby said piston rod may be actuated, and means for locking said piston rod in said inserted position.

12. An inflatable sport ball as recited in claim 10 wherein said cylinder is sealed to said frame along said opening.

13. An inflatable sport ball as recited in claim 10 wherein said means for actuating said piston includes a piston rod connected to said piston and extending through an opening in said frame and movable between an extended position and an inserted position, and further including a spring positioned to urge said piston upwardly within said cylinder adjacent said air outlet and to urge said piston rod to said inserted position whereby said piston rod may be pulled against said spring force to said extended position and said piston rod actuated to pump air into said ball.

14. An inflatable sport ball as recited in claim 10 wherein said piston is hollow and includes an air inlet opening to charge said piston with ambient air and an air outlet opening having a second one-way valve for allowing air to flow from said hollow piston into said cylinder.

15. An inflatable sport ball as recited in claim 10 wherein said means for activating said piston comprises a rotatable crank wheel and a piston rod connected between said crank wheel and said piston, wherein said crank wheel is rotatable from outside said ball.

16. An inflatable sport ball as recited in claim 10 further comprising means attached within said ball for balancing the weight of said internal pump.

17. An inflatable sport ball as recited in claim 10 further including means for evacuating air pressure from said ball.

18. An inflatable sports ball as claimed in claim 10, wherein said sports ball is a basketball.

19. An inflatable sports ball as claimed in claim 10, wherein said sports ball is a soccer ball.