Basketball with component holder

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a ball having a component holder for securely retaining one or more electronic components, such as a sensor and/or battery, within the ball. The holder is secured to the interior of the ball and contains the one or more components. A cap is used to secure the components within the holder. In some embodiments, a section of air or foam separates the cap from the components. The addition of a section of air or foam between the cap and the components may improve the acoustic quality or rebound performance of the ball at the holder location.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A ball comprising:
 a bladder having an interior surface;   a component holder secured to the interior surface of the bladder and comprising a proximal portion proximal to the bladder and a distal portion distal to the bladder;   a component secured within the distal portion of the component holder;   and a cap secured within the proximal portion of the component holder, wherein there is a section between the cap and the component.   
     
     
         2 . The ball of  claim 1 , wherein the component has an upper portion and a lower portion, wherein the upper portion is within the component holder and the lower portion protrudes from the distal portion of the component holder. 
     
     
         3 . The ball of  claim 1 , wherein the distal portion of the component holder is form fitting to the component. 
     
     
         4 . The ball of  claim 1 , wherein the cap has a protrusion and an interior surface of the proximal portion of the component holder has a corresponding depression. 
     
     
         5 . The ball of  claim 1 , wherein the cap has a hollowed out core. 
     
     
         6 . The ball of  claim 1  further comprising a foam pad placed over the cap and having an outer surface level with an outer surface of the bladder. 
     
     
         7 . The ball of  claim 6 , wherein the foam pad comprises an open cell, low density polyurethane. 
     
     
         8 . The ball of  claim 1  further comprising a foam pad placed over the cap and having an outer surface level with an interior surface of the bladder. 
     
     
         9 . The ball of  claim 8 , wherein the foam pad comprises an open cell, low density polyurethane. 
     
     
         10 . The ball of  claim 1 , wherein the section is filled with air. 
     
     
         11 . The ball of  claim 1 , wherein the section is filled with foam. 
     
     
         12 . The ball of  claim 11 , wherein the foam is an open cell, low density polyurethane. 
     
     
         13 . The ball of  claim 11 , wherein the foam has a density between 1 and 20 lbs/cubic feet. 
     
     
         14 . The ball of  claim 11  wherein the foam is between  0 . 25 ″-0.75″ thick. 
     
     
         15 . The ball of  claim 1 , wherein the component holder further comprises a skirt securing the component holder to the bladder. 
     
     
         16 . The ball of  claim 1 , wherein the proximal portion further comprises a narrow end, and the distal portion is no wider than the narrow end of the proximal portion. 
     
     
         17 . The ball of  claim 1 , wherein when the ball is dropped from a height of 72 inches, the ball rebounds within a range of 50-56 inches, and further wherein the maximum difference in rebound for any location on the ball is 3 inches. 
     
     
         18 . The ball of  claim 1 , wherein when the ball is dropped from a height of 72 inches, the ball rebounds within a range of 50-56 inches, and further wherein the maximum difference in rebound for any location on the ball is 1 inch.