IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
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국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
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출원번호 |
US-0165227
(1993-12-10)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
- Burke Lawrence M. (P.O. Box 1402 De Leon Springs FL 32130) Shalla Ronald L. (P.O. Box 3189 De Land FL 32723)
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인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
1 인용 특허 :
0 |
초록
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An apparatus for conditioning the surface of spheroidal game balls including a spherical enclosure, a hand crank, an array of fixed, compliant surface-shear pads, a top port for inserting soiled game balls, a rotating disc shaped member to ensure firm contact between game ball and shear pads and pro
An apparatus for conditioning the surface of spheroidal game balls including a spherical enclosure, a hand crank, an array of fixed, compliant surface-shear pads, a top port for inserting soiled game balls, a rotating disc shaped member to ensure firm contact between game ball and shear pads and propel them along the surfaces of the pads, a reservoir of conditioning fluid covering a portion of pads and disc shaped member and a bottom drain port for flushing out weakened, spent or dirty conditioning fluid.
대표청구항
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A manual-drive apparatus supported on an adjustable-height, permanent mounting post in an upright orientation above the ground for easy one-arm rotation of a crank lever by normal adults for cleaning and conditioning the external surfaces of soiled, spheroidal game balls having an actual or equivale
A manual-drive apparatus supported on an adjustable-height, permanent mounting post in an upright orientation above the ground for easy one-arm rotation of a crank lever by normal adults for cleaning and conditioning the external surfaces of soiled, spheroidal game balls having an actual or equivalent external radius R1, comprising: (a) an impermeable spheroidal shield enclosure (2) consisting of upper and lower rigid, interlocked, sealed, arctuate component halves which form a spheroidal internal cavity of internal radius (15) with a lower sump zone, the internal radius of which falls in the range 8 R1 to 20 R1, and said sump zone containing a volume of liquid conditioning fluid sufficient for cleaning and conditioning a soiled game ball, said conditioning fluid consisting of a continuous phase and sufficient dispersed or dissolved amounts and forms of active agents to clean and impart desirable surface properties to said game ball, said enclosure lower half-shell being formed with an external mounting-post socket (8) appropriate for removable attachment to said mounting post, (a1) said upper component of said enclosure having at least one closeable, resealable upward-facing access port (3) situated at its highest point for hand-insertion of soiled game balls into said enclosure, (a2) said lower component of said enclosure having at least one closeable, resealable downward-facing sump-drain port (4) situated at its lowest point, and wherein said access port and said sump-drain port are fitted with gasket means to prevent outward leakage of the liquid conditioning fluid and inward seepage of environmental contaminants; (b) an elongated drive rod having first straight end and second crank-handle (7) ends separated by a straight, axiallysymmetric central zone having a midpoint and a length greater than the external diameter of said spheroidal shield enclosure and positioned within said shield such that said first and second ends protrude from the exterior of said enclosure and the central zone axis (10) extends diametrically in a generally horizontal direction across the internal cavity of said shield enclosure, said drive rod being supported adjacent to its ends by independent bearing sleeves fittingly secured into preformed recesses in each of the enclosure elements, said bearing sleeves being fitted with non-drip seals and adapted for leak-free rotation of said drive rod about said central zone axis (10) inside said enclosure by application of manual force to said crank handle (7) formed integral with said second end of said drive rod; (c) a disc shaped member (5) of thickness (28) less than 1.2 R1 and external rim radius (24) less than said shell internal radius, fixed at its rotational center to said midpoint of said center zone of said drive rod, adapted for free revolution about said axis within said shield enclosure and at least partially immersed into said contained minimum volume of liquid conditioning fluid, (c1) said disc shaped member having a set of least three spaced-apart peripheral notches (6) extending through the full thickness thereof, each said notch open to said external rim diameter, each having a maximum depth (26) less than 2 R1 as measured radially inward from said rim diameter, and a minimum width (27) greater than 2 R1, (c1a) each said peripheral notch having a first curved, leading zone (19) of first surface texture and a second, curved trailing zone (20) of second different surface texture, said zones being located on opposite sides of said point of maximum notch depth and adapted to interact with game-ball surface during rotation of said disc shaped member, and (c1b) each said peripheral notch being of shape and angular extent to encompass one of said soiled game balls placed in said notch and, upon rotation of the disc shaped member with said drive rod about said drive axis, to impart a plurality of irregular rotational and translational movements to said soiled game ball during each rotation of said disc shaped member; (d) a pair of fixed, compliant, flat, opposing hispid shear pads (11) mounted on parallel, planar supports on opposite sides of said disc shaped member and spaced apart a distance (29) such that individual filaments of said shear pads exert controlled flexural and shear interactions with external surface features of said encompassed soiled game balls due to rotation of said disc shaped member around said drive axis and through said minimum contained volume of conditioning fluid, each said pad being prepared in the shape of a flat washer with an outer radius (32) smaller than said internal radius of the shell enclosure (15), an inner radius (31) larger than 0.5 R1 and a thickness (30) in the range 0.1-1.5 R1, (e) a curved compliant, circumferential pad (13) of width (35) less than 3 R1 and thickness (34) in the range 0.1-1.0 R1 and composed of an array of encapsulated filaments mounted on a curved ring support band (12) extending approximately 80% around the outer periphery of said shear pads, having a gap of approximately 20% of the circumference of said shear pads the center of which is oriented to face the center of said top access port (3) and spaced apart a radial distance (33) from rotation axis of said disc shaped member such that a game ball encompassed in said notch will be subject to controlled flexural and shear interactions with said circumferential pad filament array due to rotation of said disc shaped member, (f) wherein said free-surface spacing distance (29) between said hispid shear pads is set to produce at least 10% thickness compression of the free thickness of each of said pads by a game ball encompassed in said notch during rotation of said disc shaped member, (g) wherein said radial free-surface spacing distance (33) between the circumferential ring and said rotation axis is set to produce at least 10% thickness compression of said circumferential pad free thickness by a game ball encompassed in said notch during rotation of said disc shaped member, (h) wherein the radius (25) of curvature of said curved leading zone (19) is in the range 1.01 to 1.20 R1, and extends over an arc of approximately 90 deg. from the point of maximum notch depth toward said external rim, and said first surface texture is defined by a root-mean-square roughness of R1/90000 to R1/25, (i) wherein the geometric form of said curved trailing zone (20) is defined by a polynomial equation of less than degree 4 which extends from said point of maximum notch depth (26), where it is tangent to said leading edge zone, in a generally radial direction toward said external rim, and said second surface texture is defined by a root-mean-square roughness of R1 /90000 to R1/25 (j) whereby during vigorous rotation of said crank handle, as user faces the apparatus and cranks in a clockwise direction with the right hand, said notch trailing surface zone follows behind said leading surface zone and said encompassed game ball is forced by cam actions into strong interaction with said curved trailing surface, hispid pads and circumferential pads which result in irregular, random-direction circulating movements within the notch, (k) whereby upon charging at least one soiled game ball through the access port (3) and into one of said notches (6) and, after closing said access port, applying manual torques to said crank handle (7) in a sequence of continuous, reversing or intermittent motions sufficient to accomplish repeated rotational interactions between the surface of the soiled balls and the wetted active filaments of said shear pads and circumferential pad, undesired surface soils and deposits are removed from the game ball and retained in the liquid sump zone of the enclosure lower half-shell until discharged with the contaminated conditioning fluid which is completely drainable by gravity from said drain-sump port (4), (l) whereby upon completion of sufficient movements of the crank handle the cleaned game ball, including a thin film of liquid conditioning fluid, is manually removable by opening said top access port when said disc shaped member is positioned with one of said notches oriented toward said top access port and any excess of said liquid conditioning fluid film still remaining on said conditioned game ball is partially removed by brushing/wiping with an absorbent material and any still-remaining remnant allowed to evaporate into the air, and (m) whereby highly desirable surface characteristics including freedom from original soil, and other attributes, particularly coefficients of surface friction for air flow around said game ball in flight and flat-face mechanical impacts, microhardness and wettability by aqueous solutions, as well as other remarkable surface qualities, which are all controllable and directly related to exposure to said sufficient levels of active agents contained in said conditioning fluid, are imparted to said game ball surface.
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