Game ball
Hollow balls with a hard shell, for example the game ball used in the pickle ball game, are used in various racquet games. One example of such hollow balls is the game ball used in the pickle ball game. These hollow balls break after a period of use or when excessive force is applied to the hollow ball. A game ball is described herein with a first plurality of apertures and a second plurality of apertures. Each of the first plurality of apertures is dimensionally different from each of the second plurality of apertures and inter-configured to reduce damage to the game ball during use thereof.
1. A game ball comprising:
a hollow shell being substantially spherical and defining an equatorial line dividing the hollow shell into a first hemisphere and a second hemisphere, the hollow shell further comprising an equatorial portion extending substantially along the equatorial line on both the first hemisphere and the second hemisphere, the hollow shell further defining a first plurality of apertures and a second plurality of apertures, the first plurality of apertures being dimensionally larger than the second plurality of apertures, and the equatorial portion comprising a portion of the second plurality of apertures such that each aperture in the equatorial portion is fully disposed within the equatorial portion, with the first plurality of apertures disposed away from the equatorial portion.
2. The ball as in claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of apertures and the second plurality of apertures are similarly shaped.
3. The ball as in claim 1 , wherein the hollow shell is substantially hard.
4. The ball as in claim 1 , wherein the hollow shell is made from resin.
5. The ball as in claim 1 , wherein the equatorial line defines an equatorial plane, the equatorial line and the equatorial plane being coplanar, further comprising a reference axis perpendicular to the equatorial plane.
6. The ball as in claim 1 , the hollow shell comprising two bounding portions, one on each of the first hemisphere and the second hemisphere, the equatorial portion being interposed by the bounding portions, and wherein each of the two bounding portions comprising a portion of the first plurality of apertures.
7. The ball as in claim 6 , wherein each of the two bounding portions includes a pole portion wherewith the reference axis intersects, the pole portion of each of the two bounding portions comprising another portion of the second plurality of apertures.
8. The ball as in claim 7 , wherein the equatorial portion comprises eight of the second plurality of apertures on each of the first hemisphere and the second hemisphere.
9. The ball as in claim 8 , wherein each of the two bounding portions comprises one ring of eight of the first plurality of apertures extending around the reference axis and the pole portion of each of the two bounding portions comprises four of the second plurality of apertures extending around the reference axis.
10. The ball as in claim 1 , wherein each of the first plurality of apertures and each of the second plurality of apertures are substantially circularly-shaped.
11. A game ball comprising a hollow shell, the hollow shell defining a first plurality of apertures and a second plurality of apertures, the hollow shell having a first hemisphere and a second hemisphere interfacing along an equatorial line, the hollow shell further comprising an equatorial portion extending substantially along the equatorial line on both the first hemisphere and the second hemisphere, each of the first hemisphere and the second hemisphere having a portion of the first plurality of apertures spaced therearound, the equatorial portion comprising a portion of the second plurality of apertures only for segregating the portion of the first plurality of apertures spaced around the first hemisphere from the portion of the first plurality of apertures spaced around the second hemisphere, each of the first plurality of apertures being dimensionally larger than each of the second plurality of apertures.
12. The ball as in claim 11 , wherein each of the first plurality of apertures and each of the second plurality of apertures has a circular shape.