Tennis ball including needle punched fabric cover

Abstract

.Iadd.The invention is directed to a tennis ball which includes a spherical shaped inner-member made of rubber or similar material and filled with compressed air to give it the desired shape and resiliency. An outer cover made of two pieces of non-woven non-napped, needle-punched fabric cut into the form of a figure eight is applied to the inner-member by an adhesive. The needle-punched fabric is formed by a sheet of fibrous material in which the fibers normally extend in a plane substantially parallel with the upper and lower surfaces of the sheet and in which a large number of the fibers extend substantially perpendicular to the upper and lower surfaces of the material which is needle-punched therefrom. As a result, the fibers which extend perpendicular to the upper and lower surfaces interlock with successive layers of the fibers to form a desirable cover layer. .Iaddend.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A tennis ball comprising a resilient spherical supporting member, a .[.felt-like.]. fabric cover member stretched over the outer surface of said supporting member, said fabric .Iadd.consisting of a sheet of felt material in which the fibers thereof extend in planes substantially parallel with the upper and lower surfaces thereof, .Iaddend.having a large number of fibers .[.extending.]. .Iadd.of said sheet being oriented .Iaddend.substantially perpendicular to the upper and lower surfaces of the .[.fabric and.]. .Iadd.sheet being .Iaddend.needle-punched therefrom .[.,.]. .Iadd.said perpendicularly oriented fibers being interspersed and interlocked with successive parallel layers of the fibers of the sheet, a substantial number of said perpendicularly oriented fibers projecting above said upper surface of said sheet, .Iaddend.and adhesive means adhering said cover member to said supporting surface.  .[.2. A tennis ball as set forth in claim 1 in which a yarn system member is incorporated in said fabric adjacent the inner surface of the cover member to enhance its physical properties..].