Inflation-independent ball with cover

Abstract

In some aspects, the invention relates to a inflation independent sports ball comprising a foam core 15 and an outer covering 10 , wherein the sports ball is selected from the group consisting of a football, a basketball, a volleyball and a soccer ball, wherein the sports ball 5 is devoid of an inflatable air bladder. In other aspects, the invention relates to a sports ball having a diameter and comprising a synthetic leather outer covering 10 at least partially covering a polyurethane foam core 15 , wherein the foam core further comprises at least one internal compartment and a cylindrical body spanning at least part of the length of the diameter of the sports ball. In other aspects, the invention relates to a sports ball having an outer covering and a foam core, wherein the foam core 15 is not filled with foam entirely throughout its internal volume, but rather includes space for air.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A sports ball comprising a core, said core comprising:
 a. a plurality of ribs; and   b. a plurality of internal compartments,   wherein, said internal compartments comprise a plurality of voids defined by at least one rib and an outer boundary of the core.   
     
     
         2 . The sports ball of  claim 1  wherein said internal compartments are non-concentric. 
     
     
         3 . The sports ball of  claim 1  wherein the core comprises polyurethane. 
     
     
         4 . The sports ball of  claim 3  wherein the polyurethane foam core comprises polyurethane foam of a plurality of densities. 
     
     
         5 . The sports ball of  claim 1  comprising a synthetic outer cover. 
     
     
         6 . The sports ball of  claim 5  wherein the synthetic outer cover has a thickness of between 0.2 and 1.8 millimeters. 
     
     
         7 . The sports ball of  claim 1  wherein the sports ball is a soccer ball. 
     
     
         8 . The sports ball of  claim 1  wherein the sports ball is a basketball. 
     
     
         9 . The sports ball of  claim 1  wherein the sports ball is a volleyball. 
     
     
         10 . The sports ball of  claim 6  wherein the sports ball is selected from the group consisting of a soccer ball, a basketball and a volleyball. 
     
     
         11 . The sports ball of  claim 1  having a CoR in the range of 0.6 and 1.00. 
     
     
         12 . The sports ball of  claim 10  having a CoR in the range of 0.6 and 1.00. 
     
     
         13 . The sports ball of  claim 10  wherein the polyurethane foam core comprises polyurethane foam of a plurality of densities. 
     
     
         14 . The sports ball of  claim 4  wherein the polyurethane foam core comprises both open cell and closed cell polyurethane foam. 
     
     
         15 . The sports ball of  claim 13  wherein the polyurethane foam core comprises both open cell and closed cell polyurethane foam.