FR2832935A1 - BALL FOR BALL GAMES WITH PATTERNS ON ITS EXTERNAL SIDE - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a ball (1) for ball games of the type comprising on its external face patterns (4) whose edges form essentially broken lines, except at the poles (2) and an equatorial strip (3), which consequently prevent the propagation of shock waves. The ball according to the invention is characterized in that said patterns consist of grooves (4) interrupted regularly distributed over each northern and southern hemisphere of said ball (1), the first ends of said grooves being located in the vicinity of one of said poles (2) and the second ends being located in the vicinity of said equatorial strip (3). Applicable to boules used for pétanque, Provençal games, long and lyonnaise.

Description

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BALL FOR BALL GAMES WITH PATTERNS ON ITS FACE
EXTERNAL TECHNOLOGICAL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The fine parallel and circular grooves, of triangular or other cross-section, running across the surface of metal playing balls have long contributed to improving the aesthetics of these balls. Groups of grooves oriented differently and in such a way that their intersections form regular geometric figures on the spherical surface such as squares, parallelograms, diamonds, rectangles, give the balls a more decorative appearance.

 In the French patent FR 973. 099 published on February 7, 1951 in the name of J. Autelin, more technical aspects are analyzed.

 According to the holder of said patent, these streaks facilitate on the one hand the grip of the ball and, on the other hand, help it to maintain its direction by limiting the effects of deflection of the grains of sand, gravel or other roughness of the soil that are absorbed by them. The patent FR 973. 099 therefore proposes to combine the usual fine streaks with wider grooves to improve the rolling of the balls.

 Disclosure of application FR 2,638,375, published October 14, 1988 in the name of J. -L. Drouillat, meanwhile aims to reduce the bounce of the ball during the game. To do this, streaks are dug along parallels or meridians in the surface, not external, but internal of the ball.

 This embodiment limits the propagation of the shock wave during the rebound, and therefore tends to attenuate it. However, in this embodiment, there remain areas where the thickness of the ball is not modified and where there is no obstacle to the propagation of the shock wave; the rebound therefore remains significant and the behavior of the ball after the impact remains uncertain.

 However, this partly random character of the trajectory of a ball after a rebound on the ground or a shock against another ball greatly complicates the strategy of the bowler, and in

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 particular of the pétanque player, whether it be the Provencal game, the long game or the Lyonnaise.

 In order to make the behavior of these balls as unpredictable as possible, it has already been proposed by the applicant to provide them, no longer with grooves or grooves, but with regularly spaced patterns on their external, and possibly internal, surfaces, in particular in the applications FR 2,671,019 and FR 2,692,159 published July 23, 1992 and December 17, 1993, respectively.

 In these previous disclosures, it is noted that the regularity of distribution of the patterns on the spherical surface of a ball creates lines of separation confused with meridians and / or parallels on a significant part of this surface.

 The existence of such non-breaking dividing lines has been identified by the applicant as the main cause of the extension of the duration of the shock wave during a rebound, and therefore as a factor detrimental to the behavior of the ball. . The application of this finding by the depositor is the making of a ball which was the subject of application FR 2. 796.303 published on January 19, 2001, ball which is characterized in that, for each northern or southern hemisphere, the dividing lines appearing between the patterns or studs are essentially broken lines, which consequently prevent the propagation of shock waves.

 However, a method of manufacturing this ball has proven to be technically difficult to implement under economic conditions and has led to unsatisfactory results on the aesthetic level, in particular for the part closest to the equatorial strip of the ball.

 It therefore appears from the state of the art, as described in the documents cited above, that the use of patterns on the external face of balls in order to improve their behavior is known, but that it does not No provision has been proposed to date technically solving the problem of annihilation of shock waves, while allowing an industrial and more economical embodiment of the ball.

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GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention therefore relates to a ball for bowling games, especially for petanque, Provencal game, long and lyonnaise.

 Its object is precisely a ball of this type comprising, on its external face, patterns whose edges form essentially broken lines, except at the poles and an equatorial strip, which consequently prevent the propagation of shock waves. .

 An essential characteristic of this ball is that these patterns consist of interrupted grooves regularly distributed over each northern and southern hemisphere of the ball, the first ends of the grooves being located in the vicinity of one of the poles and the second ends being located in the vicinity of the equatorial zone.

 Advantageously, the first ends of the grooves are located, for each of the two hemispheres, on the same parallel close to one of the poles.

 Preferably, these grooves extend along fractions of the meridians of the ball.

 According to a variant, said grooves extend in directions making an acute angle, preferably constant, with the meridians of the ball.

 An additional characteristic of the ball according to the invention is that the second ends of the grooves are preferably located, for each of the hemispheres, on the same parallel limiting the equatorial zone of the ball.

 In another configuration, the second ends of the grooves are alternately located, for each of the hemispheres, on two parallels, one limiting the equatorial zone and the other close to it.

 In a preferred embodiment of the ball according to the invention, the grooves have the general shape of curvilinear triangles, substantially isosceles, the vertices of which are located in the vicinity or at the limit of the equatorial zone of the ball.

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 Alternatively, we will benefit from grooves of constant width.

 Advantageously, the grooves of the ball according to the invention are offset from one hemisphere to another.

 In another preferred variant, two adjacent grooves converge in the vicinity of the equatorial strip, the ball sector or sectors framed by said grooves forming part of the rolling surface of the ball. In the case where the branch formed by the meeting of these converging grooves comprises three such grooves, these then delimit two sectors which form part of the rolling surface of the ball.

 An additional characteristic of the ball is that the first ends of the grooves are connected, in each of the hemispheres, by a circular groove extending along a parallel limiting each of the poles.

 The circular stud delimited by this groove at each of the poles advantageously has a logo produced by appropriate recesses in its surface. The diameter of this stud is preferably about 1/4 of that of the ball.

 Very advantageously, the cumulative surface of the grooves, the groove and the recesses of the ball according to the invention is less than 50% of the total surface of the ball.

 Preferably the ball according to the invention has at least two and up to thirty two grooves in each of the hemispheres.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The group of Figures la, lb, and lc and the group of Figures 2a, 2b and 2c are the top views of a hemisphere of a first preferred embodiment of the ball according to the invention, comprising respectively a number of multiple hemisphere grooves of three and a number of grooves multiple of four. Figure 2c shows a sixteen-branch model, one in two of which is shorter.

 Figures 3a to 3d are the top views of a hemisphere of a variant of the ball according to the invention, in the case of six, eight, twelve and sixteen grooves respectively.

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 Figures 4a and 4b show the equatorial strip of the ball according to the preferred embodiment, for twelve and sixteen grooves per hemisphere, respectively.

 Figure 5 is a top view of a hemisphere respecting the first embodiment in which the ball has thirty two grooves.

 Figure 6 is a side view of a ball showing a variant in which the grooves are offset by half a step between the two hemispheres.

 Figures 7a to 7f are the top views of a hemisphere of another variant of the ball according to the invention, respectively with two, three, four, six, eight and twelve branches, variant according to which each branch is formed of two or, according to, three grooves converging towards the top of said branch, the ball sectors framed by two adjacent grooves forming part of the rolling surface of said ball.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION
The references to Figures 1,2, 3 and 4 will serve to explain the various features of the invention.

 The ball 1 has over its entire surface, except at the poles 2 and the equatorial strip 3, patterns 4 which, as is known, improve the behavior of the ball 1.

 As indicated by the applicant in application FR 2,796,303, the phenomenon has been clearly highlighted by tests on golf balls of different types, which can all be launched under identical conditions more easily than balls of pétanque.

 The tests focused on three solid balls: - a ball whose surface is perfectly smooth, - a ball having on its surface circular circular cells of approximately 3 mm in diameter, and - a ball having on the surface circular studs of 3 mm in relief diameter.

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 Hit with the same buoy and with the same power, on ten strikes: - the smooth ball goes far but, at least twice out of three, goes askew, - the ball with hollow cells goes straight, and as far, otherwise more (the hollow plots or alveoli acting like sails going upwind), and this four times out of five, - the ball with raised plots goes straight but less far, and this four times out of five.

 It has therefore been observed that the studs or cells distributed over the sphere allow a much more rectilinear trajectory.

 After hitting the ground, the petanque ball with patterns will behave the same way.

 It should be noted that the new golf balls currently have groups of cells of different dimensions distributed either symmetrically or anarchically over the sphere.

 The technical analysis of the phenomenon carried out by the applicant made it possible to understand the advantages inherent in this provision: it is known that the essential cause of the more or less random behavior of a ball or ball, after a shock or a rebound, is the persistence of the shock wave. In the case of new golf balls, the separation intervals between the cells of various sizes have less regularity than in the old models, where these cells are of identical dimensions.

 Currently, the balls used for the game of pétanque sometimes, but not always, offset the lines of separation between the pads from one row to another. Applying the lessons learned from the study of golf balls, the Applicant concluded that there was an interest in designing pétanque balls with patterns always showing offsets between them.

 It is with this in mind that the applicant has designed the ball which is the subject of application FR 2,796,303: the edges of the patterns on the external surface of the ball form essentially broken lines, which consequently prevent the propagation of shock waves.

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 But it turned out that the manufacture in forging / stamping of the equatorial zone of this type of ball was difficult to achieve economically, insofar as some of the vanishing lines are grooves coincident with parallels or close to the parallel.

 Figures 1 to 7 show a new embodiment 1 based on the same principle of a maximum of breaks in the edge of the patterns 4 while allowing the production of a satisfactory product, even with simple means of production.

 In the model shown in Figures la to 2c, as well as in Figure 5, the ball 1 has on the surface of each of its two northern and southern hemispheres grooves 4 having the shape of curvilinear triangles, substantially isosceles, straddling meridians, and regularly distributed. Their number per hemisphere varies from two, and preferably from three for a distribution according to a three-pointed star at 120 (Figure la) to thirty two (Figure 5), passing by four for a four-pointed star at 90 (Figure 2a) six, eight, twelve, sixteen (for Figure 2c), etc.

 In each hemisphere, the bases of these triangles are located on a parallel 5 close to the pole 2. The vertices of the triangles are located on a parallel limiting the equatorial zone 3, as shown in Figures 4a and 4b.

 Thus, seen from above, it can also be said that each of the two hemispheres of the ball 1 has in hollow a geometrical figure in the shape of a star, produced from a single broken line whose successive bases are located on a parallel 5 close to pole 2 and the successive vertices of which border the equatorial strip 3.

 As seen in Figure 2c, a groove 4 on two can be shorter. The vertices of the corresponding triangles are then all located on another parallel 7 located a little beyond the limit of the equatorial zone 3 in the direction of the pole 2.

 This configuration can be carried out when the number of grooves 4 per hemisphere is even, as for example in the case of the ball 1 with sixteen grooves per hemisphere represented.

 In an alternative embodiment, the grooves 4 are

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 slightly inclined on the meridian circles at a constant angle, as shown in Figures 3a to 3d.

 Figure 3a shows a variant with six grooves 4 per hemisphere, Figure 3b with eight grooves 4 per hemisphere, Figure 3c with twelve grooves 4 per hemisphere, and Figure 3d a variant with sixteen grooves 4 per hemisphere.

 In the case of the first model, Figures 4a and 4b show that the grooves 4 are in correspondence from one hemisphere to another. In another model of ball 1 shown in Figure 6, the grooves 4 'and respectively 4 "are offset by a half-step between the two hemispheres, the step being the distance separating two neighboring grooves 4' or 4" .

 The new ball 1 according to the invention therefore does not have an equatorial strip 3 having an edge that is difficult to produce, as in the case of the ball described in application FR 2,796,303. And the advantage of the ball according to the invention is that the point shape of its grooves 4 contributes just as effectively to the attenuation of the shock wave responsible for random rebounds.

 The grooves 4 do not necessarily have the general shape of a pointed triangle. They can have a constant width. In this case, one out of two grooves 4 will preferably be systematically shorter in length than the previous groove.

 In all the models of the new ball 1, the bases of the triangles are joined by a groove 5 following a parallel in the vicinity of the poles 2.

 This groove 5 releases a stud 6 having, where appropriate, a Logo obtained by selective recesses of its surface according to the required representation. In the examples shown, this logo is the capital letter T in the center of a raised clover.

 The stud 6 has a diameter having approximately 1/4 of the diameter of the ball 1.

 The grooves 4, the groove 5 and the recesses of the stud 6 have a cumulative surface less than 50% of the total surface of the ball 1, so that it is approved by the boulistique authorities. Indeed, the rules in the matter require that the "bearing" surface or the "rolling" surface of a ball is equal to at least 50% of the total surface of said ball.

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 In another alternative embodiment shown in Figures 7a to 7f, each branch 8 of the star with two, three, four, six, eight and, respectively, twelve branches is formed of two grooves 14 (Figures 7d to 7f) or three grooves 14 (Figures 7a to 7c) converging towards the top 9 of said branch 8, the sectors 10 framed by two adjacent grooves 14 forming part of the rolling surface of the ball 1. The grooves 14 can be three in number in the case where the star is made up of few branches, five at most, and there are two of them in the case where the star is made up of at least six branches. This construction has a double advantage: that of increasing the rolling surface of the ball, on the one hand, and that of multiplying the grooves as well as the breaking lines and, consequently, of avoiding as much as possible the propagation of shock waves, on the other hand.

 It should be noted that there has been shown in Figures 7d to 7f the other variant provided, according to which one branch out of two is shorter than its two neighboring branches.

 It should therefore be observed that, in all of the variants which have been thus described, the arrangement of the grooves 4 is such that continuity is always avoided and thus it is certain to break the shock wave.

 It goes without saying that the invention is not limited to the above technical specifications, given by way of examples.

 On the contrary, it embraces all possible variants of embodiments, in particular as regards the studs 6 of the polar zones.

Claims (16)

1) Ball (1), for boules, in particular for pétanque, Provençal, long and lyonnaise, with patterns (4) on its external face, the edges of which form essentially broken lines, except at the poles (2) and an equatorial strip (3), which consequently prevent the propagation of shock waves, characterized in that said patterns consist of grooves (4,14) interrupted regularly distributed over each northern and southern hemisphere of said ball (1), the first ends of said grooves being located in the vicinity of one of said poles (2) and the second ends being located in the vicinity of said equatorial strip (3).  2) Ball (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the first ends of the grooves (4,14) are located, for each of the two hemispheres, on the same parallel close to one of the poles (2).  3) Ball (1) according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the grooves (4,14) extend according to fractions of meridians of said ball (1).  4) Ball (1) according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the grooves (4,14) extend in directions making an acute angle, preferably constant, with the meridians of said ball (1 ).  5) Ball (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the second ends of the grooves (4, 14) are located, for each of the two hemispheres, on the same parallel limiting the equatorial strip (3 ).  6) Ball (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the second ends of the grooves (4, 14) are alternately located, for each of the two hemispheres, on two parallels, one limiting said equatorial strip (3) and the other (7) close to it.  7) Ball (1) according to any one of claims 1 to <Desc / Clms Page number 11>  6, characterized in that the grooves (4,14) have the general shape of curvilinear triangles, substantially isosceles, the vertices of which are located in the vicinity or at the limit of the equatorial strip (3).  8) Ball (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the grooves (4,14) have a constant width.  9) Ball (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the grooves (4,14) are offset from one hemisphere to another.  10) Ball (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the first ends of the grooves (4,14) are connected, in each of the two hemispheres, by a groove (5) extending circular along a parallel limiting each of the poles (2).  11) Ball (1) according to claim 10, characterized in that the circular stud (6) delimited by the groove (5) at each of the poles (2) has a logo produced by suitable recesses in the surface of said stud (6).  12) Ball (1) according to claim 11, characterized in that the diameter of the stud (6) is preferably about 1/4 of that of said ball (1).  13) Ball (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that at least two adjacent grooves (14) converge in the vicinity of the equatorial strip (3), the sector or sectors (10) of framed ball by said grooves forming part of the rolling surface of said ball.  14) Ball (1) according to claim 13, characterized in that the branch formed by the grooves (14) converging in the vicinity of the equatorial strip (3) comprises three grooves, which then delimit two sectors (10).  15) Ball (1) according to any one of claims 11 to 14, characterized in that the combined surface of the grooves (4, 14), the groove (5) and the recesses is less than 50% of the surface of said ball (1).  16) Ball (1) according to any one of claims 1 to <Desc / Clms Page number 12>  15, characterized in that it has at least two and up to thirty two grooves (4,14) in each of its two hemispheres.