The present invention relates to a method for incorporating a tracking device within a body of elastomeric material, in particular rubber, making such a body trackable.

The present invention further relates to a generic trackable body, made with such a method, and in particular a trackable golf ball also made with the aforesaid method.

The expression "elastomeric material body” means a generic artefact, or a portion thereof, of elastomeric material which, in use, needs to be tracked. As is known, many artefacts and items for both industrial and commercial use need to be monitored.

In particular, the issue of trackability is important for reconstructing the history of the artefact and/or for determining the origin of the raw materials and/or for reconstructing the processes used to obtain it.

Such a need mainly arises from the intention to prevent safety problems related to the possible non-conformity of large-scale manufactured items as well as from the need to maintain useful information associated with the product during the useful life thereof.

Among the various systems used to associate this information with artefacts, there are solutions such as bar codes.

In other words, labels are applied, generally with adhesives, on the surface of the artefact on which the aforementioned barcode is obtained.

This solution has several disadvantages since, in many cases, it is difficult to apply the labels to the artefact due to the peculiar geometric shape thereof. Furthermore, where the label can be applied, it may be difficult to ensure the integrity thereof for the entire useful life of the artefact. In other words, the label could detach from the artefact and the barcode may wear out due to different uses. A further system to associate the information with the product is to incorporate an RFID tag within the product.

In these cases, the RFID tags are inserted within the artefact during the production process. This operation ensures durability over time but is not applicable to artefacts made of elastomeric materials which, in use, are subject to mechanical stresses and/or deformations.

In fact, in the event of strong and/or prolonged mechanical stresses and/or deformations, the RFID tag, and in particular the antenna of the RFID tag, are subject to possible damage and breakage.

Furthermore, the artefact into which the RFID tag is inserted is also subject to possible damage and breakage, as the RFID tag causes discontinuities therein.

In the light of the above, the technical task of the present invention is to propose a method for incorporating a tracking device within a body of elastomeric material as well as a trackable body, and in particular a golf ball, in which a tracking device is incorporated by means of such a method, which overcome at least some of the drawbacks of the prior art mentioned above.

In particular, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for incorporating a tracking device inside a body of elastomeric material as well as a trackable body and a trackable golf ball such as to resist mechanical stresses and/or deformations to which they are normally subjected, in use, during the useful life thereof in order to maintain the integrity of a tracking device contained within the trackable body.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a method for incorporating a tracking device within a body of elastomeric material as well as a trackable body and a trackable golf ball, such as to make the tracking device capable of resisting the mechanical stresses and/or deformations to which it is subject during the useful life thereof.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a method for incorporating a tracking device within a body of elastomeric material as well as a trackable body and a trackable golf ball, such as not to alter the performance and/or technical features of the trackable body or the trackable golf ball.

The technical task mentioned and the objects stated are substantially achieved by a method for incorporating a tracking device within a body of elastomeric material comprising the steps of:

- providing a semi-finished product made of a raw elastomeric material, preferably rubber;

- providing a tracking device;

- providing an insert;

- joining by means of textile technique said tracking device and the insert so as to obtain a trackable insert; providing a mould; inserting the semi-finished product and the trackable insert into said mould; obtaining a trackable body by moulding the semi-finished product together with the trackable insert.

The aforementioned technical task and the specified objects are further achieved by a trackable body and a trackable golf ball, obtained by the aforementioned method and comprising the technical features set out in the present description.

Further features of the present invention will become clearer from the indicative, and therefore non-limiting, description of a preferred, yet not exclusive, embodiment of the aforesaid method as well as the trackable body and the trackable golf ball, as illustrated in the appended drawings, in which:

- figure 1 is a block diagram of the steps of carrying out a method for incorporating a tracking device within a body of elastomeric material object of the present invention;

- figures 2a and 2b are respective views of an exemplary and non-limiting embodiment of a trackable insert obtained by the method of figure 1 ; - figure 3 is a schematic perspective view of a trackable golf ball obtained by the aforementioned method.

With reference to the appended drawings, reference numeral 1 globally indicates a method for incorporating a tracking device 200 within a body of elastomeric material, in accordance with the present invention.

The method 1 comprises a step “a” which includes providing a semifinished product made of a raw elastomeric material.

The term “semi-finished product” means one or more portions of a given amount of raw elastomeric material, preferably rubber or a thermoplastic polymer.

Preferably, the term "semi-finished product” means one or more portions of such a given amount of raw elastomeric material already pre-shaped to be inserted into a mould, as will be seen in the following description.

The method 1 comprises a step “b” of providing a tracking device 200.

According to a particular embodiment of the method 1, the step “b” includes providing an RFID tag, comprising a chip 201 and an antenna 202, associated with the chip 201 , in which said antenna 202 is made of a ductile material and in a threadlike shape.

However, alternative embodiments of the method 1 are not to be excluded, in which the step “b” includes providing a tracking device 200 of technology equivalent to the RFID tag.

According to a further aspect, the tracking device 200 may be a passive or an active type device. In other words, the tracking device 200 can operate only as a receiver or transceiver.

The method 1 further includes a step “c” which includes providing an insert 100.

Preferably, the step “c” includes providing an insert 100 consisting at least partially of raw elastomeric material. Preferably, the step “c” includes providing an insert 100 entirely consisting of raw elastomeric material. Even more preferably, the step “c” includes providing an insert 100 consisting at least partially or entirely of the same material with which the aforementioned semi-finished product is made.

At this point, the method 1 includes a step “d” of joining the tracking device 200 and the insert 100 so as to obtain a trackable insert 300 by means of textile technique.

The term "textile technique” refers to a technique for joining and/or uniting two or more bodies having relevance to the textile arts, such as sewing, weaving and the like.

Such joining and/or uniting of two or more bodies may further require a further means adapted to mutually fix the two or more bodies, such as occurs in sewing with threads.

For example, according to a particular embodiment of the method 1 illustrated in figures 2a and 2b, the method 1 includes that in step “c” an insert 100 comprising a support in raw elastomeric material, preferably rubber or a thermoplastic polymer, is provided.

Even more preferably, according to such an embodiment, the step “c” includes providing a support having a substantially planar shape while the step “d” includes sewing the RFID tag on the aforesaid support.

In particular, the step “d” includes sewing the RFID tag on the aforesaid support by using thermoplastic threads, preferably made of rubber, even more preferably made of the same material as the support.

Preferably, the RFID tag is sewn on the support so that the chip 201 and the antenna 202 are arranged on one face of the support and so as to be substantially coplanar to the support itself.

In particular, at least one of the antenna 202 and chip 201 is sewn to the support.

For example, only the antenna 202 may be sewn or only the chip 201 may be sewn.

Alternatively, both antenna 2020 and chip 201 may be sewn Preferably, the chip 201 is arranged in the centre of the support and is at least partially incorporated in a seat made on the support itself while the antenna 202 may be arranged so as to be positioned in a peripheral portion of the support, as clearly visible in the appended drawings.

According to a further particular embodiment of the exemplary and nonlimiting method 1, the step “c” includes providing a plurality of thermoplastic threads while the step “d” includes weaving the plurality of thermoplastic threads with the antenna 202 of the RFID tag to obtain a knit thermoplastic fabric in which one fibre is formed by the antenna 202 of the RFID tag.

In other words, a substantially planar thermoplastic fabric into which the RFID tag is inserted is obtained.

In particular, in such an embodiment, the chip 201 may be arranged in the centre of the fabric, which extends around or to cover the chip 201 itself.

According to a further particular embodiment of the exemplary and nonlimiting method 1, the step “c” includes providing a plurality of thermoplastic threads while the step “d” includes weaving the plurality of thermoplastic threads to obtain a knit thermoplastic fabric on which the RFID tag is sewn.

In other words, a substantially planar thermoplastic fabric onto which the RFID tag is sewn is obtained.

In particular, at least one of antenna 202 and chip 201 is sewn to the knit thermoplastic.

For example, only the antenna 202 may be sewn or only the chip 201 may be sewn.

Alternatively, both antenna 2020 and chip 201 may be sewn

Preferably, in such an embodiment, the chip 201 may be arranged in the centre of the fabric.

At this point, the method 1 includes a step “e” of providing a mould. Preferably, the step “e” includes providing a compression mould. The method 1 includes a step “f” of inserting the semi-finished product and the trackable insert 300 into the mould.

In other words, in step “f” the semi-finished product and the trackable insert 300 are arranged in the mould according to a mutual positioning which depends on the shape of the semi-finished product and/or the shape of the trackable insert 300.

For example, according to a particular embodiment of the method 1 , the step “b” of providing a semi-finished product may include providing a semifinished product of substantially rough shape and obtaining a cavity and/or a cut in the semi-finished product itself.

In such an embodiment, the step “f” of inserting the semi-finished product and the trackable insert 300 into the mould may comprise a sub-step in which the trackable insert 300 is inserted into the cavity and/or cut such that the trackable insert 300 is arranged in an inner and preferably central portion of the semi-finished product.

According to a particular exemplary and non-limiting embodiment of the method 1 , the step “b” of providing a semi-finished product may include providing a lower portion and an upper portion of the semi-finished product.

In such an embodiment, the next step “f” of inserting the semi-finished product and the trackable insert 300 into a mould may comprise a substep in which the trackable insert 300 is interposed between the bottom portion and the top portion.

At this point, the method 1 includes a step “g” of obtaining a trackable body by moulding the semi-finished product together with the trackable insert 300.

In other words, the semi-finished product together with the trackable insert 300 is compressed into a mould under a certain pressure so as to make the trackable insert 300 integral with the semi-finished product.

Preferably, the step “g” comprises a sub-step “g”’ of vulcanizing the semifinished product together with the trackable insert 300. Preferably, in this sub-step “g”’ the semi-finished product together with the trackable insert 300 are brought and maintained at a temperature between 150°C and 220°C, even more preferably they are brought and maintained at a temperature of 200°C.

Furthermore, said sub-step “g” has a duration between 1 minute and 60 minutes, preferably said sub-step “g” has a duration of 10 minutes.

Advantageously, the textile technique used to join the tracking device 200 to an insert 100 consisting substantially of elastomeric material substantially allows the trackable insert 300 to shape itself seamlessly to the semi-finished product in the moulding step “g”, and in particular in the vulcanizing sub-step “g”’, and at the same time allows the tracking device 200, and in particular the antenna 202, to be uniformly incorporated into the elastomeric material, going to accommodate the deformations of the trackable body during the mechanical stresses and/or during the deformations which the trackable body undergoes during the useful life thereof without the danger of being damaged or broken.

The present invention also relates to a trackable body comprising a body of elastomeric material into which the tracking device 200 is incorporated by the above-described method 1 .

The trackable body can be a generic artefact, or a portion of an artefact, of elastomeric material which needs to be tracked for any application.

According to a particular and exemplary embodiment, the trackable body may be a trackable golf ball “P”.

In particular, said trackable golf ball “P” comprises a core made by the aforesaid method 1 and an outer shell operatively arranged to cover the core.

Advantageously, the present invention overcomes the drawbacks of the known art by ensuring a method 1 for incorporating a tracking device 200 within a body of elastomeric material, as well as a trackable body and in particular a trackable golf ball “P” capable of withstanding mechanical stresses to which, normally such an elastomeric body is subjected in use during the useful life thereof.

Such a result is achieved by using a trackable insert 300 consisting of a base of elastomeric material which during the moulding process becomes an integral part of the semi-finished product in which it is inserted, ensuring the absence of discontinuities and avoiding the aforementioned known problems.

A further object achieved is that of providing a method 1 for incorporating a tracking device 200 within a body of elastomeric material, as well as a trackable body and in particular a trackable golf ball “P” which ensure the substantial integrity of the tracking device 200 incorporated within the elastomeric body.

Such a result is achieved by the peculiar textile technique with which the tracking device 200 is joined to the insert 100 as well as by the aforementioned fact that the insert 100, as well as the semi-finished product, are both made of an elastomeric material.

In particular, the textile technique ensures a better insertion of the tracking device 200, and in particular of the antenna 202, which seamlessly fits inside the body, going to accommodate the deformations and mechanical stresses which the trackable body undergoes during the useful life thereof. A further object achieved is to provide a method 1 for incorporating a tracking device 200 within a body of elastomeric material, as well as a trackable body and in particular a trackable golf ball “P” which ensure the normal operation and performance of the trackable elastomeric body.

In fact, since, following the moulding and vulcanization, the trackable body does not have internal discontinuities and since the tracking device 200 is substantially positioned in an internal portion thereof, the essential structure of the trackable body is not altered.