US2257252A - Ball - Google Patents

Description

B. R. VORBUSCH 2,257,252 A 7.

7 Filed July 1, 1959 Patented Sept. 30, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

The invention relates to balls, and has for its object to provide a device of this character with a covering formed from a knitted material having open spaces forming air pockets to prevent the ball from stinging the hands during a catching operation.

A further object is to form the cover from a knitted or woven material having loops of its stitches embedded in the ball body thereby anchoring the cover to the ball in a manner whereby the cover will be maintained substantially intact upon the breakage of a stitch.

A further object is to form the covering from a continuous strand, spirally wound and stitched from one side of the ball to the other.

With the above and other objects in view the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter set forth, shown in the drawing, described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention may be made within the scope of What is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a view in elevation of the improved ball.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the ball.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail view of a portion of the ball cover and ball, showing the method of anchoring the stitches in the ball 30 body.

Figure 4 is a sectional View taken on line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 1 designates the body of the ball which may be 35 formed in the usual manner from strands wound to a cylindrical form.

Heretofore balls are relatively hard and smooth and they sting the hands during a catching operation. provides an open work knitted covering over the ball body to form air pockets 2 for cushioning the catching operation and preventing the stinging sensation. To accomplish this result the ball body I, is provided with a knitted or woven cover To avoid this difficulty, applicant 3, preferably spirally knitted as shown in Figure 2, from one side of the ball to the other. At spaced points, during the knitting operation, bights 4 are threaded through the ball body I for anchoring the stitches thereto as well as the thread of the body, clearly shown in Figure 3. The bights 4 are looped through the loops 5 of the stitches and in turn extend downwardly as at 6 to form the next loop. This zigzagging arrangement continues until the entire body I is covered, therefor it will be seen that the covering is anchored at each stitch over the entire ball surface. By anchoring each and every stitch, it will be seen that the knitted covering is positively anchored to the ball body and should any'stitch break, for instance at the portion 6, shown in Figure 3, the knitted covering would not become loose and the ball could still be used.

It will be noted, referring to Figure 2, that the stitch is spirally formed from one side to the other of the ball, and that the cover may be made from a single strand. Figure 3 clearly shows the knitting operation, for instance the continuous strand from a to b and the looping idea for anchoring each stitch to the ball body.

From the above it will be seen that a ball is provided with a knitting covering forming air spaces or pockets for preventing the ball from hurting the hands. Th covering may be formed from difierent kinds of cord or from wool material where a relatively soft ball is desired.

The invention having set forth what is claimed as new and useful is:

A cover for a ball having a spherical shape, said cover being formed from a single strand spirally formed from one pole of the ball to the other and in a chain stitch including connecting stitches between adjacent convolutions of the spiral stitches, loops forming the connections between the connecting stitches and the spiral stitches, said loops extending into the ball a sub stantial distance below the surface thereof and entirely embedded beneath the surface of the ball body along the line of spiral.

BENJAMIN R. VORBUSQI -I.

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