US3879876A

US3879876A - Bowling ball indicia display means and method of assemblying same

Info

Publication number: US3879876A
Application number: US420212A
Authority: US
Inventors: Donald F Morgan
Original assignee: Amerace Corp
Current assignee: Amerace Corp
Priority date: 1971-06-03
Filing date: 1973-11-29
Publication date: 1975-04-29
Anticipated expiration: 1992-04-29

Abstract

A one-piece rigid insert which may be of transparent, plastic material is adapted to be fixedly secured within a recess formed in the outer surface of a bowling ball or the like. The insert''s outwardly facing surface is convex so as to conform to the outside curvature of the bowling ball and is flush-mounted with respect thereto when secured in place within the recess. The insert further includes means axially displaced below its outer convex surface for supporting a display member having indicia disposed thereon. Thus, when the insert is fixedly secured within the bowling ball recess the display member is completely protected by the insert with the indicia being plainly visible through the insert''s transparent convex outer face portion. A method for assembling the insert and installing it in the bowling ball is also disclosed.

Description

[ Apr. 29, 1975 1 BOWLING BALL lNDlClA DISPLAY MEANS AND METHOD OF ASSEMBLYING SAME [75] Inventor: Donald F. Morgan, Bloomingdale.

[73] Assignee: Amerace Esna Corporation, New

York, NY.

[22] Filed: Nov. 29, 1973 [21] Appl. N0.: 420,212

Related U.S. Application Data [62] Division of Scr. No. 149.494. June 3. 1971 Pat. No.

10/1968 Winston 40/1.5 10/1973 Dworak 273/63 C Primary ExaminerWilliam E. Schulz Attorney, Agent. or FirmS. Michael Bender [57] ABSTRACT A one-piece rigid insert which may be of transparent, plastic material is adapted to be fixedly secured within a recess formed in the outer surface of a bowling ball or the like. The inserts outwardly facing surface is convex so as to conform to the outside curvature of the bowling ball and is flush-mounted with respect thereto when secured in place within the recess. The insert further includes means axially displaced below its outer convex surface for supporting a display member having indicia disposed thereon. Thus, when the insert is fixedly secured within the bowling ball recess the display member is completely protected by the insert with the indicia being plainly visible through the inserts transparent convex outer face portion. A method for assembling the insert and installing it in the bowling ball is also disclosed.

40 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures BOWLING BALL INDICIA DISPLAY MEANS AND METHOD OF ASSEMBLYING SAME This application is a division of application Ser. No.

l49,494 filed June 3, 1 71 and no US Pat. jects and advantages the present invention comprises in The present invention relates generally to indicia display means and more particularly, to a method and means for displaying indicia on the spherical outer surface of a bowling ball or similarly shaped article.

The broad concept of displaying indicia on the spherical outer surface of a bowling ball is not new. One well known prior technique is to engrave the indicia directly into the surface of the ball using a pantograph engraving apparatus and to fill the engraved indicia with a material whose color contrasts with that of the ball. Thus, if the bowling ball is jet black in color, the engraved script or design may be emphasized or highlighted by a white pigmented filler disposed in the engraved areas. In this manner bowling ball manufacturers have been displaying their trademarks, serial numbers, and other such indicia on the outer surface of their bowling balls for many years.

Another method of displaying indicia on the outer spherical surface of the bowling ball consists of forming a recess in the surface of the ball and then bonding an insert within the recess with the insert being of the same material as the bowling ball but having a different or contrasting color. In some instances such bonded inserts are employed to define indicia or a pattern ofindicia useful in guiding the bowler toward a proper release of the ball, whereas in other instances the bonded inserts may be used simply to display the manufacturers trademarks or other identifying indicia.

The major disadvantage associated with each of the foregoing prior art methods is that they are practicable only when a large volume of bowling balls is produced with each bowling ball having the exact same arrangement of indicia display thereon as the next one. It would obviously be uneconomical to engrave a different arrangement of indicia on each different bowling ball using a pantograph machine, or to bond differently shaped inserts into the surface of each different bowling ball.

Another problem with respect to the prior methods described above is that the form of the indicia displayed on the bowling ball is restricted either to simple engraved characters or designs of a single color as in the case of pantograph engraving, or to simple geometric designs in a situation where a bonded insert is used. With respect to the latter a number of different colors may be employed, but this will require a corresponding number of different inserts and an increased display area extending over a larger surface of the bowling ball than is desirable.

Accordingly, the primary object of the present invention is the provision of an inexpensive means for displaying a different arrangement of indicia on different bowling balls respectively, even though the latter are being produced in large quantities.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of means for displaying indicia on a localized area of the surface ofa bowling ball whereby the indicia may comprise an unlimited variety of different colors and/or forms.

Still another object of the present invention is the provision of means for displaying indicia on the surface one preferred form a one-piece rigid insert of transparent molded plastic material fixedly secured within a recess formed in the spherical outer surface of a bowling ball. The insert includes a convex outer face portion conforming to the outer curvature of the bowling ball and which is flush-mounted with respect thereto and carries beneath its convex outer face portion a display member having indicia disposed thereon. The insert is fixedly secured within the recess by means of a suitable liquid adhesive which when fully hardened securely and permanently bonds the insert to the bowling ball proper whereby the indicia on the display member is completely protected by the insert and is clearly visible through the latters transparent outer face portion. In an alternative preferred form of the invention, the transparent insert comprises an upper lens portion and a lower supporting section with the two sections defining a recess therebetween for receiving the indicia display member. During assembly, the two sections are permanently and integrally joined together to completely encapsulate the indicia display member, and the resulting one-piece insert is then secured within the bowling ball recess.

The foregoing objects and advantages as well as a more complete understanding of the present invention will be made more apparent from a study of the following detailed description in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a bowling ball comprising the indicia display means according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the indicia display means shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view in perspective showing diverse parts of one preferred form of the display means according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view taken along lines 44 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the diverse parts of an alternative preferred form of display means according to the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a partial exploded sectional view taken along a typical vertical section of the display means of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a partial sectional view showing the assembly of the display means depicted in FIG. 6 before it has been finally installed in a recess in a bowling ball; and

FIG. 8 is a partial sectional view showing the display means of FIGS. 5-7 after it has been finally installed in a recess in a bowling ball.

Turning now to FIGS. 1-4 and initially to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown one preferred form of the present invention comprising an indicia display means indicated generally by reference numeral 10 flush-mounted on the spherical outer surface of a conventional bowling ball 12 between the usual thumb hole 14 and finger holes l6, 18.

As viewed in FIG. 2, the indicia display means 10 appears as a transparent circular window 20 through which can plainly be seen an arrangement of display indicia, the circular window 20 being entirely circumscribed by a concentric opaque annular ring of bonding material 22 as will be more fully explained below.

In actuality, the window is defined by the upper convex surface of a one-piece rigid transparent insert member 24 which is adapted to be receivably engaged within a cylindrical recess or bore 26 formed in the surface of the bowling ball 12 as by drilling, for example. Recess 26 which has a central axis 27 is bonded by an inner side wall surface 28, a bottom wall surface 30, and has an inside diameter slightly larger than the extreme outside diameter of insert member 24.

Generally, insert member 24 is substantially symmetrical with respect to its principal axis 35 and includes a substantially cylindrically shaped upper lens portion 32 and a radially flanged downwardly extending annular skirt portion 34 integral therewith. It will be noted that the terms radially and axially as used herein and in the appended claims refer to directions taken with reference to axis 27 and/or axis 35; the latter axes being substantially conincidental when the insert member 24 is received within recess 26. Accordingly, as best seen in FIG. 4, the annular flanged skirt portion 34 of insert member 24 has a horizontal upper wall surface 36, a radially inwardly tapered outer side wall surface 38, and a horizontal lower bottom or end wall surface 40. The horizontal upper wall surface 36 is generally disposed at approximately a right angle to the annular side wall surface 41 of lens portion 32 to define an annular or circumferential shoulder radially extending from side wall surface 41 toward the inner side wall surface 28 of bowling ball recess 26 with the shoulder (upper wall surface 36) being axially displaced below the outer spherical surface of the bowling ball within the recess 26 substantially as shown in FIG. 4. It will be observed further that the intersection between the radially inwardly tapered sidewall surface 38 of flanged skirt portion 34 and the plane of horizontal upper wall surface 36 defines a circle whose diameter constitutes the extreme outside diameter of insert member 24. The inner side wall surface 42 of flanged portion 34 is substantially parallel with respect to axis 35 of insert member 24 to define a cylindrically shaped interior recess 44 (FIG. 3) terminated at its upper extremity by the planar lower wall surface 46 of upper lens portion 32.

In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, recess 44 is adapted to receivably engage a display member 48 having an arrangement of indicia disposed on the upper surface thereof as indicated, for example, at reference numeral 50 in FIG. 3. Preferably, display member 48 comprises a thin disc a heavy paper or cardboard and the indicia 50 is printed directly thereon. However, as will occur to those skilled in the art, the display member or disc 48, may be of any suitable material other than paper or cardboard, such as plastic, wood, sheet metal, etc., and the indicia 50 supported or carried by the display member 48 may be disposed thereon by methods other than printing. Thus, for example, the indicia 50 may comprise a color photograph cut to size and attached to the upper surface of the display member 48-with glue or similar attaching means. It will be appreciated in view of the foregoing, that one of the important features of the present invention is the fact that an infinite variety of indicia or arrangememts thereof can be adapted for use with the insert member 24 depending upon the individual requirements of the bowling ball user. To illustrate, suppose the owner of a bowling alley desired to place an order for a quantity of bowling balls incorporating the indicia display means shown in FIGS. 14. In some of these bowling balls, he could specify that the indicia carried by display member 48 comprises a multi-colored rendition of his own design for advertising his establishments tradename. With respect to the other bowling balls ordered, however, the proprietor of the bowling ball alley could specify that the insert member 24 include a display member 48 carrying customized indicia in the form of the names or medallions of different clubs or league teams respectively, with the medallions being arranged in as attractive or as colorful a manner as requested by the respective memberships of the various clubs or teams. Inasmuch as the insert member 24 installed in each bowling ball is the same, and only the indicia on the display member 48 is varied, it will be apparent that an unlimited quantity of bowling balls displaying different arrangements and/or types of indicia can be simply and economically manufactured as will appear even more obvious from the ensuing discussron.

Refering now to FIGS. 3 and 4, it will be noted that the downwardly extending flanged skirt portion 34 of insert member 24 is provided with a series of rectangularly shaped radially aligned slots 52 formed in its free end, or more precisely in the horizontal bottom end surface 40 thereof. In addition, every other radial slot 52 communicates with a rectangularly shaped slot 54 formed in the outer side wall surface 38 of the flanged portion 34 and longitudinally aligned with the inner side wall surface 42 of the flanged portion thereby forming a substantially L-shaped channel between the lower most portion of recess 44 and the upper horizontal surface 36 of the flanged skirt portion. As shown to best advantage in FIG. 3, there are eight such radial slots 52 each one of which is centered approximately at 45 intervals around the circumference of the flanged portion skirt 34. Accordingly, there are four slots 54 defining four L-shaped channels, each one being located respectively at approximately 90 intervals around the circumference of the flanged skirt portion. The function of slots 52 and the L-shaped channels formed by

slots

52,54 will be more fully explained below.

In the prefered method of carrying out the present invention, a conventional bowling ball, say, one made from molded hard rubber, for example, is fabricated in the usual manner, but before the final grinding and polishing operation is performed, the bowling ball is set in a suitable fixture and the cylindrical recess 26 drilled therein as indicated in FIG. 3. Although the recess 26 can be located anywhere on the spherical outer surface of the bowling ball it is preferable to locate its center in the top weight" portion of the ball, i.e., in the region where thumb hole 14 and

finger holes

16,18 are subsequently formed. By locating recess 26 in the top weight section of the ball, imbalances clue to removable of material will be compensated for as is well known in the art.

The next step is to assemble the insert member 24 and the indicia carrying display member 48. As mentioned previously, insert member 24 is of one-piece, rigid, transparent construction. Moreover, for obvious reasons the insert member should have uncommonly high impact strength and good surface hardness as well as being dimensionally stable over a moderate temperature range. It has been found that inserts molded from certain thermoplastic polymeric resins satisfy the foregoing desideratum and are advantageously suited for the present invention. Particularly prefered. are the polymeric resins known as polycarbonates. As is well understood in the art of organic chemistry the polycarbonates may be produced by reacting Phosgene with Bisphenol A to form a polymer that can be considered an ester of carbonic acid and Bisphenol A. Polycarbonate resins capable of being injection molded to form the insert member 24 of the present invention are commercially available from the General Electric Company being sold thereby under the trademark Lexan. With respect to forming the insert member 24 it will be understood that the

slots

52 and 54 may be formed directly in the mold, or alternatively, may be machined into the insert subsequent to being drawn from the mold. In any event, once the insert member 24 has been completely formed as shown iin FIG. 3, the indicia display member 48 having indicia disposed on its upper surface may then be inserted into recess 44 and fixed in the position shown in FIG. 4; that is, with the indicia carrying surface of the display member adjacent to and in contact with horizontal lower wall surface 46 of lens portion 32. In order to maintain the indicia display member in fixed relation within the recess 44 as shown in FIG. 4 it is preferable to seal the outer peripheral edge of the display member on the underside thereof to the side wall surface 42 of recess 44. This may be done, for example, by applying thereto a sufficient amount of suitable liquid adhesive which when fully hardened will form an airtight gasket sealing ring 56 substantially as indicated in FIG. 4.

After the adhesive gasket sealing ring 56 has completely hardened. the insert member 24 may then be fixedly secured within the recess 26 formed in the outer spherical surface of bowling ball 12. To accomplish this a wide variety of known high-strength self-hardening adhesives may be used to permanently bond the insert member to the bowling ball. Excellent results have been achieved, for example, by employing an epoxy resin adhesive sold under the trademark EPON 815 by the Shell Chemical Company in accordance with the following formulation:

85.5 parts EPON 815 7.4 parts diethyltetramine (catalyst) 7.1 parts pigment The resulting mix has a relatively low viscosity in the uncured or liquid state thereby permitting the adhesive to flow easily and to come into contact with all portions of the insert. In addition, the low viscosity of the adhesive will permit any air bubbles entrapped below the insert to flow easily to the surface thus preventing the formation of voids in the hardened compound.

In assemblying the insert member 24 to bowling ball 12, the recess 26 is charged with the liquid adhesive 58 until it is substantially filled therewith. The insert member 24 is then inserted into the adhesive filled recess until the end wall surface 40 of the insert comes into firm stationary contact with the bottom wall surface 30 of recess 26 as shown in FIG. 4. During insertion, the adhesive 58 is easily displaced by the insert and readily flows through the slots 52 and the L-shaped channels formed by

slots

52 and 54 so as to come into contact with and completely surround every surface of the insert with the exception of the latters upper convex surface 20.

Thus. as indicated in FIG. 4, the adhesive 58 completely fills the recess 44 between the underside of the display member 48 and the bottom wall surface 30 of the bowling ball recess 26 and extends in a continuous fashion through the slots 52, and the L-shaped channels formed by

slots

52 and 54, to fill the volume defined by the axially recessed shoulder 36, the annular side wall surface 41 of the inserts lens portion 32, and the upper side wall surface 28 of recess 26 thereby forming an overhanging annulus of adhesive the exposed upper surface of which comprises the opaque ring 22 surrounding the display window 20 as discussed above in connection with FIG. 2. FIG. 4 also makes it apparent that the liquid adhesive completely fills the volume between the radially inwardly tapered outer wall surface 38 of the inserts flanged skirt portion 34 and side wall surface 28 of bowling ball recess 26 as well as the slight clearance space existing between the extreme outside diameter of the insert and side wall surface 28.

The reasons for providing an inwardly radially tapered outer side wall surface 38 on the inserts flanged skirt portion 34 are twofold. First, the tapered surface functions as a chamfer on the skirt portion facilitating easy insertion of the insert member into the bowling ball recess. Secondly, the tapered side wall surface of the inserts skirt portion permits entrapped air to more easily escape from the underside of the insert after the latter has been inserted in place within the adhesivefilled recess 26. The trapped air bubbles readily flow out through slots 52 along the tapered side wall surface 38 or are brought to the surface'of the adhesive-filled recess through the L-shaped channels formed by

slots

52 and 54. As alluded to above, air bubbles which remain entrapped within the adhesive filled recess will cause voids when the adhesive hardens and will seriously weaken the bond between the bowling ball and the insert.

After the adhesive 58 is allowed to completely harden and to thereby permanently and securely bond the insert member to the inner side wall and bottom wall surfaces of recess 26, the bowling balls exterior surface may then be finish ground and polished in the usual manner. This operation has the effect of removing material from the spherical outer surface of the bowling ball 12, the exposed surface 22 of the hardened adhesive filler within recess 26, and the convex outer surface 20 of the inserts lens portion 32; such removed material being schematically indicated by the area 60 encompassed by the dashed lines in FIG. 4. It will be appreciated that as a result of the finish grinding and polishing operation, the outer convex surface 20 of the inserts lens portion as well as the exposed outer surface 22 of the hardened adhesive 58 are all located in the spherical surface of the bowling ball exterior and are therefore substantially perfectly flush-mounted with respect to each other. By providing a selected pigment in the adhesive formulation as described above, the opaque annular ring 22 surrounding the indicia displayed through window 20 (or lens portion 32) may be given a distinctive coloration thereby further enhancing the aesthetic appearance of the display means according to the present invention.

In connection with the preferred embodiment of FIGS. 1-4, it has been found that on occasion a minor amount of liquid adhesive 58 before the latter has completely hardened escapes past the gasket sealing ring 56 and is deposited on the upper surface of the indicia display member 48 thereby becoming visible through lens portion 32. In order to provide an absolute safeguard against this occurrence and to achieve still other advantages there is provided an alternative preferred form of the present invention as will now be described with relation to FIGS. -8 wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like parts throughout.

In general, the insert member of FIGS. 58 comprises two sections, an upper section 62 and a lower section 64, which sections are integrally joined together as will be further explained below to completely enclose the indicia display member 48 therebetween.

The upper section 62 of display member 24 includes the usual transparent lens portion 32 with its convex outer surface 20. As best seen in FIG. 6, however, upper section 62 further includes a concentrically disposed radially extending flange or rim portion 66 axially displaced below the convex outer surface of the lens portion, and a downwardly extending protuberance or boss 68 concentrically disposed with respect to the flange 66, but radially displaced inwardly with reference to the flanges circumferential extremeity. Boss 60 is provided with a substantially cylindrically shaped recess 70 concentrically disposed therein for receivably engaging the indicia display member 48.

The lower section 64 features a central web portion 72 and the familiar flanged skirt portion 34 axially and downwardly extending therefrom and having the radially inwardly tapered outer side wall surface 38. It will be noted that the extreme outside diameter of flanged portion 34 is substantially equal to the outside diameter of rim portion 66 of upper section 62. The upper surface 74 of the central web portion has centrally disposed therein a substantially cylindrically shaped ,recess 76 whose inside diameter is substantially equal to the outside of the downwardlly extending boss 68 of upper section 62 and whose depth is substantially equal to the axial extent of the boss. As in the previously described preferred embodiment,

sections

62 and 64 may respectively be formed by injection molding a suitable polymeric material to yield structures that are of integral, rigid. andd transparent construction. However, it should be realized that with respect to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 8 only upper section 62 need actually be transparent, hence, lower section 64 may be formed from an opaque material if desired.

With the foregoing construction, the display member 48 having indicia disposed on its upper surface may be inserted into the recess 70 provided in boss 68 of the upper section, and the upper and

lower sections

62 and 64 brought into mating engagement with one another as clearly shown in FIG. 7. The two

sections

62,64 may then be sealed together to provide an integral or onepiece insert member completely encapsulating the indicia display member While any suitable attaching means may be employed to rigidly fasten together the two

sections

62,64 in the position shown in FIG. 7, it is particularly preferred that the two sections be attached to each other by employing the process known as ultasonic welding. It has been found that by using this process an excellent welded joint can rapidly be achieved along the common circumferential area of contact defined by the extreme axial surface of boss 68 (section 62) and the corresponding bottom surface of recess 76 (section 64). Ultrasonic welding techniques as applied to plastic materials are fully explained in the Mar. 16, 1967 issue of Machine Design, pages l80l 85.

As explained above with reference to the preferred embodiment of FIGS. 1-4, a series of

slots

52,54 are formed in the flanged skirt portion 34 of the insert member to permit adhesive and entrapped air to flow out from the underside thereof during assembly with the bowling ball. In the alternative preferred embodiment of FIGS. 58, the rim portion 56 of upper section 62 is provided with a corresponding series of four axially aligned slots 54' which latter are equi-angularly spaced around the circumference of the rim portion so as to be in registry with slots 54 when

sections

62,64 are mated and subsequently sealed together as hereinaforesaid. Moreover, it will be noted further that the underside 78 of the central web portion 72 of lower section 64 is formed in the shape of a downwardly extending shallow cone having its apex substantially at the center of the web. Thus, in vertical cross section, the under surface 78 of the web 72 tapers upwardly from the central axis 35 of the insert as indicated in FIGS. 6-8, and any air bubbles entrapped below the insert after the latter has been inserted in adhesive-filled recess 26 will tend to be urged upwardly along the tapered surface 78 and into slots 52, or into the continuous channels formed respectively by

slots

52,54, and 54' until they emerge at the surface of the adhesive. Finally, as depicted in FIGS. 6-8 slots 54 are longitudinally aligned with the outer tapered surface of the flanged skirt portion 38 or slightly tilted with respect to axis 35 so as to further aid in the release of entrapped air bubbles.

In all other respects, the insert member of FIGS. 5-8 is identical to the insert of FIGS. 1-4. Thus, after the two

sections

62,64 have been assembled together with the indicia display member completely enclosed in recess therebetween, the unitary insert member is inserted into the adhesive-filled recess 26 of the bowling ball as indicated in FIG. 8 and after the adhesive has completely hardened the bowling ball is finished ground and polished as before.

From the foregoing, it will now be appreciated that the present invention relates to a novel and efficient method and means for displaying indicia on the outer spherical surface of a bowling ball or other similarly shaped articles. And although several preferred embodiments have been described hereinabove as required by statute it will be understood that many variations and modifications hereof may occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the principles of the invention. For example, the insert member 24 may be formed by a conventional two step molding process wherein the indicia 50 is displayed directly on the outer convex surface 20 and formed as an integral part of the lens portion 32 in which case the lens portion need not be transparent and the indicia member 48 would be obiviated entirely. Likewise, in lieu of supporting the display indicia on member 48, the indicia 50 may be disposed directly on or in the lower planar surface 46 of transparent lens portion 32 as by hotstamping, silk screening, embossing. or other suitable well known techniques wherein indicia is directly applied to a surface. Also, it should be apparent that the insert member 24 and/or the indicia display member 48 may be formed to assume shapes other than the cylindrical shape disclosed e.g., they may have a polygonalshape or an elliptical shape if desired. Finally, it is not necessary that the insert be installed in and bonded to the bowling ball during the manufacturing stage and before the final grinding and polishing operation. A completely finished or stock bowling ball may be customized at any time to include the indicia display means of the present invention so long as the outer convex surface of lens portion 32 and the exposed hardened surface 22 of adhesive 58 are rounded off or polished to comform to the outside curvature of the bowling ball.

Accordingly, it is desired that the subject invention be limited only by the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. lndicia display means comprising,

an annular shaped display element, said display element having a convex upwardly facing surface and a downwardly extending annular skirt portion integral therewith. said annular skirt portion having a remotely disposed free end adapted for supporting said display element in axial spaced relation thereto, said display element having indicia cooperatively associated therewith whereby said indicia is visible when viewed by an observer located above said convex upwardly facing surface, and wherein said display element is disposed within a recess located in the exterior surface of a spherically shaped object. said annular skirt portion free end being in contact with the remote bottom surface of said recess for supporting said display element in axial spaced relation above said bottom surface of said recess whereby said convex upwardly facing surface conforms to the curvature of said spherically shaped object and is flush-mounted with respect to said exterior surface,

2. The indicia display means of claim 1 wherein said spherically shaped object comprises a bowling ball.

3. The indicia display means of claim 1 wherein said display element is transparent and includes a downwardly facing surface axially displaced with respect to said convex outer surface and said indicia is cooperatively associated with said downwardly facing surface.

4. The indicia display means of claim 1 wherein said display element is transparent and includes a downwardly facing surface axially displaced with respect to said convex outer surface,

said annular skirt portion defines an interior recess,

said downwardly facing surface commonly forming the upper extremity of said interior recess,

said indicia is disposed on a support member, and

means for supporting said indicia support member within said interior recess.

5. The indicia display means of claim 4 wherein said means for supporting said indicia support member comprises an adhesive for bonding said indicia support member relative to the inner side wall surface of said skirt portion interior recess.

6. The indicia display means of claim 4 wherein said means for supporting said indicia support member comprises a web member integrally joined to the inner side wall surface of said skirt portion interior recess.

7. The indicia display means of claim 1 wherein said annular skirt portion defines an interior recess, said free end of said annular skirt portion containing a plurality of slots disposed along the circumference thereof, and

wherein said recess in said spherical object contains an adhesive for bonding said display element and said skirt portion to the inner side wall surface of said last mentioned recess, said adhesive extended thru said slots in said free end of said skirt portion and substantially filling said skirt portion interior recess.

8. The indicia display means of claim 6 wherein said web member forms the upper extremity of said skirt portion interior recess, said free end of said skirt portion having a plurality of slots therein arranged along the circumference thereof, said recess in said spherical object containing an adhesive for bonding said display element and said skirt portion to said spherical object, said adhesive extending thru said slots in the free end of said skirt portion to fill the space between said web member and the said remote bottom surface of said recess in said spherical object.

9. The indicia display means of claim 1 wherein said skirt portion includes an upper radially extending annular surface for defining a circumferential shoulder with respect to said display element, said shoulder being axially displaced below the convex outer surface of said display element and having an outside dimension slightly smaller than the inside diameter of said recess, and

wherein said last-mentioned recess contains an adhesive for bonding said display element and said skirt portion to said spherical object, said adhesive extending into the space above said axially displaced shoulder,

whereby said adhesive forms an annulus the upper surface of which conforms to the curvature of and is flush-mounted with respect to the convex outer surface of both said display element and the exterior surface of said spherical object, said upper surface forming an annular ring surrounding said display element when viewed by said observer.

10. The indicia display means of claim 9 wherein the outer side wall surface of said downwardly extending annular skirt portion is inwardly radially tapered with respect to the outside dimension of said shoulder.

11. The indicia display means of claim 7 wherein said annular skirt portion includes an upper radially extending surface for defining an annular shoulder with respect to said display element, said shoulder being axially displaced below the outer surface of said spherical object and having an outside dimension slightly smaller than the inside diameter of said recess in said spherical object, and

wherein the outer side wall surface of said annular skirt portion contains a plurality of slots communicating with at least a few of said plurality of slots disposed in said free end of said annular skirt portion respectively to form a like plurality of channels in said skirt portion, said channels extending between said interior recess and said surface defining said annular shoulder,

said adhesive extending thru said channels in said skirt portion for filling said interior recess, said channels, and the space defined by said axially diisplaced shoulder, the inner periphery of said recess in said spherical object and the outer periphery of said annular display element,

whereby said adhesive forms an annulus the upper surface of which conforms to the curvature of and is flush-mounted with respect to both the convex surface of said display element and the exterior surface of said spherical object, said upper surface forming an annular ring surrounding said display element when viewed by said observer.

12. The indicia display means of claim 4 wherein said interior recess is substantially cylindrically shaped and said indicia support member is in the form of a thin disc having indicia disposed on the upper surface thereof.

13. The indicia display means of claim 8 wherein the surface of said web member disposed opposite the said remote bottom surface of said recess in said spherical object is in the form of a shallow cone having its apex disposed substantially centrally of the web member and extending toward said bottom surface of said recess.

14. The indicia display means of claim 3 wherein said display element and said annular skirt portion are formed from a thermoplastic material having transparent properties when molded under heat and pressure.

15. The indicia display means of claim 11 wherein said plurality of slots in said free end of said skirt are equiangularly arranged with respect to each other around the circumference of said skirt portion free end,

,and wherein the plurality of slots in the outer side wall of said skirt portion communicate respectively with every other of said slots in said skirt portion free end to form half as many channels as there are slots in said free and of said skirt portion extending between said interior recess and said surface defining said annular shoulder, said channels being equiangularly arranged about the periphery of said skirt portion.

16. The indicia display means of claim 7 wherein said adhesive comprises an epoxy resin.

17. The combination comprising:

a bowling ball having a recess disposed in its outer spherical surface, said recess having an inner side wall surface and a bottom wall surface,

insert means for displaying indicia on the outer spherical surface of said bowling ball, said insert means being disposed in said recess and having an outwardly facing portion the surface of which forms part of the outer surface of said bowling ball, said insert means further including support means integral with said outwardly facing portion and extending axially therefrom into said recess'in contacting relation with said bottom surface of said recess, and

means permanently bonding said support means to said inner sidewall surface and said bottom wall surface of said recess.

18. The combination of claim 17 wherein said support means comprises an annular skirt member forming an inner recess within said bowling ball recess; said inner recess being bounded by said outwardly facing portion of said insert means, the inner said wall surface of said skirt member and said bottom wall surface of said bowling ball recess;

said annular skirt member having at least one aperture therein; and

said means permanently bonding said support means comprising an adhesive disposed in said bowling ball recess and extending into said inner recess through said at least one aperture.

19. The combination of claim 18 wherein said annular skirt member is radially flanged outwardly with respect to said outwardly facing portion of said insert means and is axially displaced therefrom to define an annular shoulder displaced below the outer surface of said bowling ball within said recess and said at least one aperture in said skirt portion communicates with the surface of said shoulder whereby said adhesive extends above said shoulder in said recess and forms an annulus completely surrounding said outwardly facing portion the outer surface of said adhesive annulus forming part of the outer surface of said bowling ball.

20. The combination of claim 18 wherein the outwardly facing portion of said insert means is transparent,

said insert means further comprising an indicia supporting surface having indicia thereon, said indicia supporting surface being disposed within said inner recess between said adhesive and said transparent outwardly facing portion whereby said indicia is visible through said transparent outwardly facing portion.

21. The combination of claim 17 wherein said insert means is fabricated from a molded polymeric material and is of unitary, rigid, transparent construction.

22. The combination of claim 21 where said molded polymeric material consists of polycarbonate resin.

23. The combination of claim 20 wherein said indicia supporting surface is enclosed within said inner recess by a web member integral with said skirt member and disposed in said inner recess between said indicia sup porting surface and said adhesive.

24. The combination of claim 23 wherein the surface of said web member disposed toward said adhesive is in the form of a shallow cone to define an upwardly tapered surface extending from the center of said web member toward and in communication with said at least one aperture.

25. The combination of claim 23 wherein said web member and said outwardly facing portion define a sealed enclosure within said inner recess for encapsulating said indicia supporting surface.

26. The combination of claim 23 wherein said insert means comprises two sections, an upper section and a lower section, said upper section including said transparent outwardly facing portion, said outwardly facing portion having a recess on the underside thereof for accommodating said indicia supporting surface, said lower section including said annular skirt member and said central web member, and means for integrally joining said lower section to said upper section to form said insert means whereby said indicia support member is completely enclosed within said last-mentioned recess between the transparent outwardly facing portion of said upper section and the central web member of said lower section.

27. The combination of claim 17 wherein said support means includes at least one radially extending member axially displaced from said outwardly facing portion of said insert means to define a shoulder displaced below the outer surface of said bowling ball within said recess, at least one aperture being disposed in said shoulder extending toward the bottom wall surface of said recess, and wherein said means for permanently bonding said support means comprises an adhesive disposed in said bowling ball recess and extending through said at least one aperture.

28. The combination of claim 27 wherein said shoulder is formed at substantially a right angle with respect to said recess inner side wall surface and said adhesive extends above said shoulder in said recess and forms an annulus completely surrounding aid outwardly facing portion, the outer surface of said adhesive forming part of the outer surface of said bowling ball.

29. lndicia display means comprising;

an indicia carrying insert member adapted to be receivably engaged within a substantially cylindrically shaped recess having a side wall and a bottom wall, said insert member having an upper surface, an annular side wall surface and a bottom end face axially displaced from said upper surface.

flange means integral with at least a portion of said annular side wall surface and radially extending therefrom toward said recess side wall when said insert is receivably engaged within said recess with its bottom end face being supported by said recess bottom wall,

said flange means having an upper surface forming a shoulder with respect to said annular side wall surface, said shoulder arcuately extending along at least a portion of the annular extent of said side wall surface and being axially displaced within said recess below said upper surface, and;

bonding means disposed in said recess and extending between the annular side wall surface of said insert member and the inner side wall of said recess, and being disposed above said shoulder and in contact therewith for maintaining said insert securely fixed within said recess.

30. The indicia display means of claim 29 wherein said insert member is transparent and, indicia is cooperatively disposed with at least a portion of the bottom end face of said insert member whereby said indicia is visible through the upper surface of said insert member.

31. The indicia display means of claim 30 wherein said indicia is disposed on a support member and said support member is fixed to said at least portion of said bottom end face.

32. The indicia display means of claim 29 wherein said bonding means comprises a self-hardening liquid adhesive.

33. The indicia display means of claim 32 wherein the upper surface of said adhesive forms a ring completely surrounding the upper surface of said insert member, the upper surface of said ring conforming to and being flush-mounted with respect to the upper surface of said insert member.

34. The indicia display means of claim 29 wherein said flange means includes at least one transverse slot facing the side wall of said recess, said bonding means extending through said at least one slot and into contact with the end face of said insert member and the bottom wall of said recess.

35. The indicia display means of claim 34 wherein said flange means circumscribes the annular side wall surface of said member and includes a plurality of said transverse slots equiangularly spaced from one another.

36. The indicia display means of claim 29 wherein said recess is disposed in the outer surface of a spherically shaped object and the upper surface of said insert member conforms to and is flush-mounted with respect to the spherical outer surface of said object.

37. The indicia display means of claim 36 wherein said spherically shaped object is a bowling ball.

38. The indicia display means of claim 32 wherein said self-hardening liquid adhesive comprises an epoxy resin.

39. The method of displaying indicia on the outer spherical surface of a bowling ball comprising the steps of:

forming a recess in said outer spherical surface of said bowling ball,

forming an insert member having an upwardly facing indicia display member and a downwardly extending support member integral therewith, said support member being adapted to support said indicia display member within said recess whereby the upper outer surface of said display member intersects said outer spherical surface of said bowling ball,

charging said recess with an adhesive in substantially liquid form,

inserting said insert member in said recess until said supporting member contacts the remote bottom surface therein,

allowing said adhesive to harden, and

rounding off the upper exposed surface of said display member of said hardened adhesive until they both conform to the curvature of the outer spherical surface of said bowling ball and are flushmounted with respect thereto.

40. The method of claim 39 wherein the step of forming said insert member comprises the steps of molding said insert member from a thermoplastic polymeric material, and applying indicia to be displayed to said upwardly facing indicia display member.

Claims

1. Indicia display means comprising, an annular shaped display element, said display element having a convex upwardly facing surface and a downwardly extending annular skirt portion integral therewith, said annular skirt portion having a remotely disposed free end adapted for supporting said display element in axial spaced relation thereto, said display element having indicia cooperatively associated therewith whereby said indicia is visible when viewed by an observer located above said convex upwardly facing surface, and wherein said display element is disposed within a recess located in the exterior surface of a spherically shaped object, said annular skirt portion free end being in contact with the remote bottom surface of said recess for supporting said display element in axial spaced relation above said bottom surface of said recess whereby said convex upwardly facing surface conforms to the curvature of said spherically shaped object and is flush-mounted with respect to said exterior surface.

4. The indicia display means of claim 1 wherein said display element is transparent and includes a downwardly facing surface axially displaced with respect to said convex outer surface, said annular skirt portion defines an interior recess, said downwardly facing surface commonly forming the upper extremity of said interior recess, said indicia is disposed on a support member, and means for supporting said indicia support member within said interior recess.

7. The indicia display means of claim 1 wherein said annular skirt portion defines an interior recess, said free end of said annular skirt portion containing a plurality of slots disposed along the circumference thereof, and wherein said recess in said spherical object contains an adhesive for bonding said display element and said skirt portion to the inner side wall surface of said last mentioned recess, said adhesive extended thru said slots in said free end of said skirt portion and substantially filling said skirt portion interior recess.

9. The indicia display means of claim 1 wherein said skirt portion includes an upper radially extending annular surface for defining a circumferential shoulder with respect to said display element, said shoulder being axially displaced below the convex outer surface of said display element and having an outside dimension slightly smaller than the inside diameter of said recess, and wherein said last-mentioned recess contains an adhesive for bonding said display element and said skirt portion to said spherical object, said adhesive extending into the space above said axially displaced shoulder, whereby said adhesive forms an annulus the upper surface of which conforms to the curvature of and is flush-mounted with respect to the convex outer surface of both said display element and the exterior surface of said spherical object, said upper surface forming an annular ring surrounding said display element when viewed by said observer.

11. The indicia display means of claim 7 wherein said annular skirt portion includes an upper radially extending surface for defining an annular shoulder with respect to said display element, said shoulder being axially displaced below the outer surface of said spherical object and having an outside dimension slightly smaller than the inside diameter of said recess in said spherical object, and wherein the outer side wall surface of said annular skirt portion contains a plurality of slots communicating with at least a few of said plurality of slots disposed in said free end of said annular skirt portion respectively to form a like plurality of channels in said skirt portion, said channels extending between said interior recess and said surface defining said annular shoulder, said adhesive extending thru said channels in said skirt portion for filling said interior recess, said channels, and the space defined by said axially diisplaced shoulder, the inner periphery of said recess in said spherical object and the outer periphery of said annular display element, whereby said adhesive forms an annulus the upper surface of which conforms to the curvature of and is flush-mounted with respect to both the convex surface of said display element and the exterior surface of said spherical object, said upper surface forming an annular ring surrounding said dispLay element when viewed by said observer.

15. The indicia display means of claim 11 wherein said plurality of slots in said free end of said skirt are equiangularly arranged with respect to each other around the circumference of said skirt portion free end, and wherein the plurality of slots in the outer side wall of said skirt portion communicate respectively with every other of said slots in said skirt portion free end to form half as many channels as there are slots in said free and of said skirt portion extending between said interior recess and said surface defining said annular shoulder, said channels being equiangularly arranged about the periphery of said skirt portion.

17. The combination comprising: a bowling ball having a recess disposed in its outer spherical surface, said recess having an inner side wall surface and a bottom wall surface, insert means for displaying indicia on the outer spherical surface of said bowling ball, said insert means being disposed in said recess and having an outwardly facing portion the surface of which forms part of the outer surface of said bowling ball, said insert means further including support means integral with said outwardly facing portion and extending axially therefrom into said recess in contacting relation with said bottom surface of said recess, and means permanently bonding said support means to said inner sidewall surface and said bottom wall surface of said recess.

18. The combination of claim 17 wherein said support means comprises an annular skirt member forming an inner recess within said bowling ball recess; said inner recess being bounded by said outwardly facing portion of said insert means, the inner said wall surface of said skirt member and said bottom wall surface of said bowling ball recess; said annular skirt member having at least one aperture therein; and said means permanently bonding said support means comprising an adhesive disposed in said bowling ball recess and extending into said inner recess through said at least one aperture.

20. The combination of claim 18 wherein the outwardly facing portion of said insert means is transparent, said insert means further comprising an indicia supporting surface having indicia thereon, said indicia supporting surface being disposed within said inner recess between said adhesive and said transparent outwardly facing portion whereby said indicia is visible through said transparent outwardly facing portion.

23. The combination of claim 20 wherein said indicia supporting surface is enclosed within said inner recess by a web member integral with said skirt member and disposed in said inner recess between said indicia supporting surface and said adhesive.

29. Indicia display means comprising; an indicia carrying insert member adapted to be receivably engaged within a substantially cylindrically shaped recess having a side wall and a bottom wall, said insert member having an upper surface, an annular side wall surface and a bottom end face axially displaced from said upper surface, flange means integral with at least a portion of said annular side wall surface and radially extending therefrom toward said recess side wall when said insert is receivably engaged within said recess with its bottom end face being supported by said recess bottom wall, said flange means having an upper surface forming a shoulder with respect to said annular side wall surface, said shoulder arcuately extending along at least a portion of the annular extent of said side wall surface and being axially displaced within said recess below said upper surface, and; bonding means disposed in said recess and extending between the annular side wall surface of said insert member and the inner side wall of said recess, and being disposed above said shoulder and in contact therewith for maintaining said insert securely fixed within said recess.

39. The method of displaying indicia on the outer spherical surface of a bowling ball comprising the steps of: forming a recess in said outer spherical surface of said bowling ball, forming an insert member having an upwardly facing indicia display member and a downwardly extending support member integral therewith, said support member being adapted to support said indicia display member within said recess whereby the upper outer surface of said display member intersects said outer spherical surface of said bowling ball, charging said recess with an adhesive in substantially liquid form, inserting said insert member in said recess until said supporting member contacts the remote bottom surface therein, allowing said adhesive to harden, and rounding off the upper exposed surface of said display member of said hardened adhesive until they both conform to the curvature of the outer spherical surface of said bowling ball and are flush-mounted with respect thereto.