Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
165 words
A resilient baseball having properties of improved durability and pitching accuracy over the period of use and otherwise exhibiting the characteristics of a regulation baseball, comprising: a molded, resilient polyurethane foam sphere of homogeneous composition and density throughout its cross section and having an interior cellular structure characterized by a multiplicity of gas enclosing cells, said sphere having a type A-2 shore durometer hardness of less than about eighty to eighty-five, said sphere having a smooth polyurethane surface skin, the surface of said sphere being provided with a regular surface pattern comprising a multiplicity of cup-like depressions, each of which is small in diameter as compared with the diameter of said sphere, said depressions substantially covering the exterior surface of said sphere such that the spacing between depressions is comparable to the diameter of said depressions to present substantially the same aspect of surface depression configuration for any direction of travel of said sphere through the air, said smooth surface skin extending into said depressions.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
165 words
A resilient baseball having properties of improved durability and pitching accuracy over the period of use and otherwise exhibiting the characteristics of a regulation baseball, comprising: a molded, resilient polyurethane foam sphere of homogeneous composition and density throughout its cross section and having an interior cellular structure characterized by a multiplicity of gas enclosing cells, said sphere having a type A-2 shore durometer hardness of less than about eighty to eighty-five, said sphere having a smooth polyurethane surface skin, the surface of said sphere being provided with a regular surface pattern comprising a multiplicity of cup-like depressions, each of which is small in diameter as compared with the diameter of said sphere, said depressions substantially covering the exterior surface of said sphere such that the spacing between depressions is comparable to the diameter of said depressions to present substantially the same aspect of surface depression configuration for any direction of travel of said sphere through the air, said smooth surface skin extending into said depressions.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
17 words
The baseball according to claim 1 formed of polyurethane foam having a durometer hardness of approximately seventy-five.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
22 words
The baseball according to claim 1 wherein said depressions are semi-spherical in shape, having a depth equaling about half the diameter thereof.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
35 words
The baseball according to claim 1 wherein said depressions are spaced on the surface of said sphere such that the distance between depression perimeters is between a fraction and twice the diameter of said depressions.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
17 words
The baseball according to claim 1 having a diameter between two and seven-eighths inches and three inches.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
17 words
The baseball according to claim 1 wherein said depressions are arrayed in regular rows about said sphere.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
22 words
The baseball according to claim 1 where the total number of depressions on said sphere is between two hundred and four hundred.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
25 words
The baseball according to claim 1 wherein when the total number of depressions on said sphere is on the order of two hundred and eighty-six.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
42 words
The baseball according to claim 1 where the depression diameter is on the order of one-tenth to one-twentieth the diameter of the baseball, and the depth of said depressions is on the order of one-twentieth to one-fortieth the diameter of said baseball.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
18 words
The baseball according to claim 1 wherein the diameter of said depressions is between 0.075 and 0.125 inches.