Bowling ball indicia display means and method of assemblying same

Claim 2

Indicia display means comprising, an annular shaped display element, said display element having a convex upwardly facing surface and a downwardly extending annular skirt portion integral therewith, said annular skirt portion having a remotely disposed free end adapted for supporting said display element in axial spaced relation thereto, said display element having indicia cooperatively associated therewith whereby said indicia is visible when viewed by an observer located above said convex upwardly facing surface, and wherein said display element is disposed within a recess located in the exterior surface of a spherically shaped object, said annular skirt portion free end being in contact with the remote bottom surface of said recess for supporting said display element in axial spaced relation above said bottom surface of said recess whereby said convex upwardly facing surface conforms to the curvature of said spherically shaped object and is flush-mounted with respect to said exterior surface.

Claim 3

The indicia display means of claim 1 wherein said spherically shaped object comprises a bowling ball.

Claim 4

The indicia display means of claim 1 wherein said display element is transparent and includes a downwardly facing surface axially displaced with respect to said convex outer surface and said indicia is cooperatively associated with said downwardly facing surface.

Claim 5

The indicia display means of claim 1 wherein said display element is transparent and includes a downwardly facing surface axially displaced with respect to said convex outer surface, said annular skirt portion defines an interior recess, said downwardly facing surface commonly forming the upper extremity of said interior recess, said indicia is disposed on a support member, and means for supporting said indicia support member within said interior recess.

Claim 6

The indicia display means of claim 4 wherein said means for supporting said indicia support member compRises an adhesive for bonding said indicia support member relative to the inner side wall surface of said skirt portion interior recess.

Claim 7

The indicia display means of claim 4 wherein said means for supporting said indicia support member comprises a web member integrally joined to the inner side wall surface of said skirt portion interior recess.

Claim 8

The indicia display means of claim 1 wherein said annular skirt portion defines an interior recess, said free end of said annular skirt portion containing a plurality of slots disposed along the circumference thereof, and wherein said recess in said spherical object contains an adhesive for bonding said display element and said skirt portion to the inner side wall surface of said last mentioned recess, said adhesive extended thru said slots in said free end of said skirt portion and substantially filling said skirt portion interior recess.

Claim 9

The indicia display means of claim 6 wherein said web member forms the upper extremity of said skirt portion interior recess, said free end of said skirt portion having a plurality of slots therein arranged along the circumference thereof, said recess in said spherical object containing an adhesive for bonding said display element and said skirt portion to said spherical object, said adhesive extending thru said slots in the free end of said skirt portion to fill the space between said web member and the said remote bottom surface of said recess in said spherical object.

Claim 10

The indicia display means of claim 1 wherein said skirt portion includes an upper radially extending annular surface for defining a circumferential shoulder with respect to said display element, said shoulder being axially displaced below the convex outer surface of said display element and having an outside dimension slightly smaller than the inside diameter of said recess, and wherein said last-mentioned recess contains an adhesive for bonding said display element and said skirt portion to said spherical object, said adhesive extending into the space above said axially displaced shoulder, whereby said adhesive forms an annulus the upper surface of which conforms to the curvature of and is flush-mounted with respect to the convex outer surface of both said display element and the exterior surface of said spherical object, said upper surface forming an annular ring surrounding said display element when viewed by said observer.

Claim 11

The indicia display means of claim 9 wherein the outer side wall surface of said downwardly extending annular skirt portion is inwardly radially tapered with respect to the outside dimension of said shoulder.

Claim 12

The indicia display means of claim 7 wherein said annular skirt portion includes an upper radially extending surface for defining an annular shoulder with respect to said display element, said shoulder being axially displaced below the outer surface of said spherical object and having an outside dimension slightly smaller than the inside diameter of said recess in said spherical object, and wherein the outer side wall surface of said annular skirt portion contains a plurality of slots communicating with at least a few of said plurality of slots disposed in said free end of said annular skirt portion respectively to form a like plurality of channels in said skirt portion, said channels extending between said interior recess and said surface defining said annular shoulder, said adhesive extending thru said channels in said skirt portion for filling said interior recess, said channels, and the space defined by said axially diisplaced shoulder, the inner periphery of said recess in said spherical object and the outer periphery of said annular display element, whereby said adhesive forms an annulus the upper surface of which conforms to the curvature of and is flush-mounted with respect to both the convex surface of said display element and the exterior surface of said spherical object, said upper surface forming an annular ring surrounding said dispLay element when viewed by said observer.

Claim 13

The indicia display means of claim 4 wherein said interior recess is substantially cylindrically shaped and said indicia support member is in the form of a thin disc having indicia disposed on the upper surface thereof.

Claim 14

The indicia display means of claim 8 wherein the surface of said web member disposed opposite the said remote bottom surface of said recess in said spherical object is in the form of a shallow cone having its apex disposed substantially centrally of the web member and extending toward said bottom surface of said recess.

Claim 15

The indicia display means of claim 3 wherein said display element and said annular skirt portion are formed from a thermoplastic material having transparent properties when molded under heat and pressure.

Claim 16

The indicia display means of claim 11 wherein said plurality of slots in said free end of said skirt are equiangularly arranged with respect to each other around the circumference of said skirt portion free end, and wherein the plurality of slots in the outer side wall of said skirt portion communicate respectively with every other of said slots in said skirt portion free end to form half as many channels as there are slots in said free and of said skirt portion extending between said interior recess and said surface defining said annular shoulder, said channels being equiangularly arranged about the periphery of said skirt portion.

Claim 17

The indicia display means of claim 7 wherein said adhesive comprises an epoxy resin.

Claim 18

The combination comprising: a bowling ball having a recess disposed in its outer spherical surface, said recess having an inner side wall surface and a bottom wall surface, insert means for displaying indicia on the outer spherical surface of said bowling ball, said insert means being disposed in said recess and having an outwardly facing portion the surface of which forms part of the outer surface of said bowling ball, said insert means further including support means integral with said outwardly facing portion and extending axially therefrom into said recess in contacting relation with said bottom surface of said recess, and means permanently bonding said support means to said inner sidewall surface and said bottom wall surface of said recess.

Claim 19

The combination comprising: a bowling ball having a recess disposed in its outer spherical surface, said recess having an inner side wall surface and a bottom wall surface, insert means for displaying indicia on the outer spherical surface of said bowling ball, said insert means being disposed in said recess and having an outwardly facing portion the surface of which forms part of the outer surface of said bowling ball, said insert means further including support means integral with said outwardly facing portion and extending axially therefrom into said recess in contacting relation with said bottom surface of said recess, and means permanently bonding said support means to said inner sidewall surface and said bottom wall surface of said recess.

Claim 20

The combination of claim 17 wherein said support means comprises an annular skirt member forming an inner recess within said bowling ball recess; said inner recess being bounded by said outwardly facing portion of said insert means, the inner said wall surface of said skirt member and said bottom wall surface of said bowling ball recess; said annular skirt member having at least one aperture therein; and said means permanently bonding said support means comprising an adhesive disposed in said bowling ball recess and extending into said inner recess through said at least one aperture.

Claim 21

The combination of claim 18 wherein said annular skirt member is radially flanged outwardly with respect to said outwardly facing portion of said insert means and is axially displaced therefrom to define an annular shoulder displaced below the outer surface of said bowling ball within said recess and said at least one aperture in said skirt portion communicates with the surface of said shoulder whereby said adhesive extends above said shoulder in said recess and forms an annulus completely surrounding said outwardly facing portion the outer surface of said adhesive annulus forming part of the outer surface of said bowling ball.

Claim 22

The combination of claim 18 wherein the outwardly facing portion of said insert means is transparent, said insert means further comprising an indicia supporting surface having indicia thereon, said indicia supporting surface being disposed within said inner recess between said adhesive and said transparent outwardly facing portion whereby said indicia is visible through said transparent outwardly facing portion.

Claim 23

The combination of claim 17 wherein said insert means is fabricated from a molded polymeric material and is of unitary, rigid, transparent construction.

Claim 24

The combination of claim 21 where said molded polymeric material consists of polycarbonate resin.

Claim 25

The combination of claim 20 wherein said indicia supporting surface is enclosed within said inner recess by a web member integral with said skirt member and disposed in said inner recess between said indicia supporting surface and said adhesive.

Claim 26

The combination of claim 23 wherein the surface of said web member disposed toward said adhesive is in the form of a shallow cone to define an upwardly tapered surface extending from the center of said web member toward and in communication with said at least one aperture.

Claim 27

The combination of claim 23 wherein said web member and said outwardly facing portion define a sealed enclosure within said inner recess for encapsulating said indicia supporting surface.

Claim 28

The combination of claim 23 wherein said insert means comprises two sections, an upper section and a lower section, said upper section including said transparent outwardly facing portion, said outwardly facing portion having a recess on the underside thereof for accommodating said indicia supporting surface, said lower section including said annular skirt member and said central web member, and means for integrally joining said lower section to said upper section to form said insert means whereby said indicia support member is completely enclosed within said last-mentioned recess between the transparent outwardly facing portion of said upper section and the central web member of said lower section.

Claim 29

The combination of claim 17 wherein said support means includes at least one radially extending member axially displaced from said outwardly facing portion of said insert means to define a shoulder displaced below the outer surface of said bowling ball within said recess, at least one aperture being disposed in said shoulder extending toward the bottom wall surface of said recess, and wherein said means for permanently bonding said support means comprises an adhesive disposed in said bowling ball recess and extending through said at least one aperture.

Claim 30

The combination of claim 27 wherein said shoulder is formed at substantially a right angle with respect to said recess inner side wall surface and said adhesive extends above said shoulder in said recess and forms an annulus completely surrounding aid outwardly facing portion, the outer surface of said adhesive forming part of the outer surface of said bowling ball.

Claim 31

Indicia display means comprising; an indicia carrying insert member adapted to be receivably engaged within a substantially cylindrically shaped recess having a side wall and a bottom wall, said insert member having an upper surface, an annular side wall surface and a bottom end face axially displaced from said upper surface, flange means integral with at least a portion of said annular side wall surface and radially extending therefrom toward said recess side wall when said insert is receivably engaged within said recess with its bottom end face being supported by said recess bottom wall, said flange means having an upper surface forming a shoulder with respect to said annular side wall surface, said shoulder arcuately extending along at least a portion of the annular extent of said side wall surface and being axially displaced within said recess below said upper surface, and; bonding means disposed in said recess and extending between the annular side wall surface of said insert member and the inner side wall of said recess, and being disposed above said shoulder and in contact therewith for maintaining said insert securely fixed within said recess.

Claim 32

Indicia display means comprising; an indicia carrying insert member adapted to be receivably engaged within a substantially cylindrically shaped recess having a side wall and a bottom wall, said insert member having an upper surface, an annular side wall surface and a bottom end face axially displaced from said upper surface, flange means integral with at least a portion of said annular side wall surface and radially extending therefrom toward said recess side wall when said insert is receivably engaged within said recess with its bottom end face being supported by said recess bottom wall, said flange means having an upper surface forming a shoulder with respect to said annular side wall surface, said shoulder arcuately extending along at least a portion of the annular extent of said side wall surface and being axially displaced within said recess below said upper surface, and; bonding means disposed in said recess and extending between the annular side wall surface of said insert member and the inner side wall of said recess, and being disposed above said shoulder and in contact therewith for maintaining said insert securely fixed within said recess.

Claim 33

The indicia display means of claim 29 wherein said insert member is transparent and, indicia is cooperatively disposed with at least a portion of the bottom end face of said insert member whereby said indicia is visible through the uppeR surface of said insert member.

Claim 34

The indicia display means of claim 30 wherein said indicia is disposed on a support member and said support member is fixed to said at least portion of said bottom end face.

Claim 35

The indicia display means of claim 29 wherein said bonding means comprises a self-hardening liquid adhesive.

Claim 36

The indicia display means of claim 32 wherein the upper surface of said adhesive forms a ring completely surrounding the upper surface of said insert member, the upper surface of said ring conforming to and being flush-mounted with respect to the upper surface of said insert member.

Claim 37

The indicia display means of claim 29 wherein said flange means includes at least one transverse slot facing the side wall of said recess, said bonding means extending through said at least one slot and into contact with the end face of said insert member and the bottom wall of said recess.

Claim 38

The indicia display means of claim 34 wherein said flange means circumscribes the annular side wall surface of said member and includes a plurality of said transverse slots equiangularly spaced from one another.

Claim 39

The indicia display means of claim 29 wherein said recess is disposed in the outer surface of a spherically shaped object and the upper surface of said insert member conforms to and is flush-mounted with respect to the spherical outer surface of said object.

Claim 40

The indicia display means of claim 36 wherein said spherically shaped object is a bowling ball.

Claim 41

The indicia display means of claim 32 wherein said self-hardening liquid adhesive comprises an epoxy resin.

Claim 44

The method of claim 39 wherein the step of forming said insert member comprises the steps of molding said insert member from a thermoplastic polymeric material, and applying indicia to be displayed to said upwardly facing indicia display member.