Granted Patent B2

US 8,371,970 · App. 12/464,667 · Granted Feb 12, 2013

Abstract

Claims (19)

1. A ball amusement device comprising:

an outer shell of transparent or semi-transparent elastomeric polyurethane having good bounce characteristics;

wherein the elastomeric polyurethane of the outer shell is an MDI-based polyurethane;

water within and filling the shell,

wherein the ball amusement device has good bounce characteristics; and

wherein the transparent or semi-transparent outer shell is configured with a roughened or textured surface to reduce the transparency to light through the ball;

wherein the composition of the polyurethane elastomer includes at least one of isocyanate, polyol, and a chain extender,

wherein the isocyanate is a methylene diphenyl diisocyanate with 25 wt % of the polyurethane elastomer,

the polyol is at least one of a polyester and a polyether type polyol, the polyol has at least two functional OH groups on an molecular chain of the polyol, and the polyol constitutes 70 wt % of the polyurethane with MW1000˜10000,

the chain extender has at least two functional OH group or at least two NH2 functional group, constitutes 5 wt % of the polyurethane, and has short chain molecules with MW50˜800, and

the polyurethane elastomer has a density of 1.1˜1.2g/cm3 and a hardness of 70A˜90A.

2. The amusement device of claim 1 further comprising glitter particles inside of the shell.

3. The amusement device of claim 1 , wherein the textured surface of the outer shell comprises a UV stabilizer or tint.

4. The amusement device claim 1 , wherein the textured surface of the outer shell is capable of and selected to break up color light spectrum that could otherwise cause a magnifying effect that could make the ball amusement device intensify light and act like a magnifying glass in sunlight.

5. The amusement device of claim 1 , wherein the outer shell is a spherical shape or an egged shape.

6. The amusement device of claim 1 , further comprising an element within the outer shell, wherein the element is one of a buoyant and light-up device.

7. The amusement device of claim 1 , wherein the outer shell with a roughened or textured surface comprises one or more selected from the group consisting of grooves, ridges, depressions, raised portions, beads, bumps, dimples, one or more repeating patterns, and combinations thereof, which may be randomly dispersed or arranged in patterns, and which may cover portions of the surface, or the entire surface of the ball amusement device.

8. The amusement device of claim 7 , wherein the one or more repeating patterns are selected from the group consisting of a fluted pattern, a crossing-pattern with overlapping lines, a spider web pattern, a golf-ball pattern, and a diamond pattern.

9. The amusement device of claim 7 , wherein the outer shell surface comprises raised portions or bumps which cover only portions of the surface.

Assignments (11)