The invention relates to a pattern arrangement for ball games having at least one pattern and provided on a base surface for influencing the path of a ball when hitting and reflected from the pattern, wherein the base surface is a curved spatial surface, and the at least one pattern has an increased grip to the ball compared with the grip to the ball of the base surface, and the pattern comprises a plurality of separated elongated shapes.

In case of ball games, the design of the surfaces has high significance which can be reached or can be hit by the ball during the games. In the first place in this context the shooting surfaces on the shoes of the players must be understood, but such surfaces are constituted also on the gloves of the goal keepers, the leggings or the chest or arm portions of their clothing, which can be contacted by the ball intentionally or accidentally. The path along which the ball gets reflected from such surfaces has significance including the role of the player during such occasions.

For the appropriate handling of the ball primarily in case of soccer shoes several solutions have been known, of which the publication WO 2014016629 has high significance, in which a coating is provided that comprises one or multi layers of rubber grains having uncoated outer surfaces. Such surfaces have a good grip to the ball both under dry and wet conditions, whereby the ball that hits such a surface tends to not slip thereon. In the same publication the formation of a ribbing on such surfaces has been suggested that can favorably influence the direction of the shoots.

In addition to the use of rubber grains with uncoated outer surfaces the publication WO 2005/117625 comprises several other ways of increasing the grip between the ball and the outer surface of the shoes.

In addition to ensuring an increased grip several proposals have been published which aim at increasing the targeting accuracy. The publication WO2019/220157 suggests the use of a special arrangement of elongated almond-shaped surface patterns that swell out of the base surface, that helps the payer to decide depending on the intended angular position of his shooting foot that the ball takes one or another path closing an acute angle therewith and has a different inclination angle.

Based on a similar principle a different solution has been suggested for the increasing of the target accuracy in the publication WO 2019/220156, wherein the use of at least four spaced stripes was suggested, in which the width of the stripes and/or the ball diverting channels formed between them is continuously changed along the direction of arrival of the ball.

In case of ball games the ball can hit the legs or chest of a player and in case of a goalkeeper to the gloves on his hands, and it can have a significance whether in case of a strong it the ball can fall out from the hands of the goalkeeper and continue its path towards the gate or the gloves provide a secure holding or if the goalkeeper throws the ball it flies in the intended direction.

In accordance with the above-mentioned problems the object of the invention is to provide a pattern arrangement which possess the advantages of the previously referred published solutions and which can direct the ball to the intended path independent from the direction of the arrival of the ball on the curved surface on the player's shoe, hands, or other parts.

The essence of the invention is described and summarized in the attached claims.

The pattern arrangement made in this way provides a solution for this objective, because the petals of the flower-shaped patterns ensure the directing of the ball to the intended path and assist the players to perform his tasks. In case the pattern is not provided on the shoes but on different parts of the clothing of the player, the number of unwanted accidental ball reflections can be decreased.

The invention will now be described in connection with preferred embodiments thereof, in which reference will be made to the accompanying drawings. In the drawing:

Fig. 1 shows two rows in the pattern arrangement according to the invention spread out into a plane;

Fig. 2 shows the pattern arrangement provided on a nose portion of a shoe of a first embodiment;

Fig. 3 shows the side view of the sports shoe of Fig. 2 provided with the pattern arrangement;

Fig. 4 shows the nose portion of a further embodiment with two flowers;

Fig. 5 shows the side view of the petal 16 in section;

Fig. 6 shows the section taken along lines VI. -VI. of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 shows the corner portion of the shoe of Fig. 4;

Fig. 8 shows the pattern arrangement on the outer portion of a further embodiment; Fig. 9 shows the inner portion of the shoe of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 shows the top view of a petal 19 provided with ribbing;

Fig. 11 shows the sketch of the palm side of a glove having a pattern arrangement;

Fig. 12 shows the sketch of a legging with flower patterns on it; and

Fig. 13 shows the chest portion of a clothing with a pattern arrangement.

Fig. 1 shows the basic view of a pattern arrangement 10 made according to the invention when being spread out in a plane which will be placed on a spatial (non-planar) arced base surface as will be explained later in detail. In the drawing it can be observed that adjacent to each other repetitive patterns are used which have the shape like the form of a stylized flower and comprises radially extending petals arranged around a small inner circle. For the sake of simplicity such a basic design will be referred to as flower F. In Fig. 1 in the bottom row a flower Fl is provided with reference signs, and it has petals 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 and the circle that defines the flower Fl has a center point 01. An inner circle Ci can be drawn to connect the inner apexes of the petals and an outer border Co connects the outer apexes of the petals which is indicated by dashed line.

Left and right from the flower Fl respective adjacent flowers F2 and F3 are shown which have respective centers 02 and 03. It is characteristic to the pattern arrangement 10 that the flowers in a row can have a common petal, and in the exemplary case left petal 13 of the flower Fl is at the same time the right petal of the flower F2 and the right petal 16 of the flower Fl is at the same time the left petal of the flower F3.

The shape of the respective petals is like an elongated ellipse or the shape of an almond, but it should be noted that such patterns can have slightly different shapes and can have differing contour line forms than those shown. The shape may be symmetrical to the central radius drawn from the center to the outer apex and the size proportions may correspond to the conditions defined later.

The pattern arrangement 10 shown in Fig. 1 is not necessarily used in its entirety in the respective embodiments, because in case of soccer shoes there is not always sufficient space for using two full rows of flowers and it might happen that out of the flowers in the second row only a fragment can be realized. An appropriate solution is obtained if in the second-row flowers with smaller petals are used to constitute two full rows. In a different embodiment the size of all patterns may be decreased so that two full rows of flowers can be arranged. It should also be mentioned that in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 the respective flowers each comprise six petals, but the number of petals in a flower shape can be limited by the size of the available surfaces (size of the shoe) and this number can be reduced even to three but the use of 4 to 6 petals in a flower is preferred and 8 or more petals may also be used.

Reference is made now to Fig. 2 in which the top view of the central and front portion of a soccer shoe 20 is shown. The shoe 20 has been designed for a player who has rather narrow feet and on its nose part a single pattern of the flower Fl is arranged that has six petals, wherein the center of the flower falls on the longitudinal axis of the shoe 20 and the petals follow the curved surface of the nose part and form a regular hexagon or a shape close thereto. In Fig. 2 the left and right rear portions of the nose part appear as distorted, on which similarly designed flowers F2 and F3 are arranged. The petal 13 is common for the flowers Fl and F2 and the petal 15 is common with the flowers Fl and F3. In Fig. 2 respective arrows indicate the directions from which a ball can arrive. Of course, a ball can arrive from any direction, however, any direction will have a main vectorial component that coincides with the direction of one of these arrows. In the drawing it is rather difficult to illustrate the spatial directions but because the nose portion is curved in the space and the petals follow that curvature, the previous statement will be true, and the ball when arriving form any direction will contact the nose portion so that it contacts at least a pair of the petals.

It should be noted that the petals need not to swell out from the free outer surface of the shoe, but it is preferred is the swelling is at least 0.1 mm, but this can reach even 8 mm, and the preferred height range may be between about 0.5 and 1.2 mm. The connection between the height of the petals and the distance between them depend on the fact that the ball has a diameter of around 22.5 cm, and the ball when arriving from any direction should contact first one or more petals. The material from which the petals are made should be chosen so that when it is contacted by the ball, it should determine or influence how the ball gets reflected therefrom. In case of lower petal heights, the distance between the petals should be lower. In case of the preferred range of the petal height between 0.5 and 1.2 the lateral distance between adjacent petals can be as high as 3cm or with greater heights the distance can be even greater. It is characteristic to the petals that they provide an increased grip between their upper surfaces and the ball, and this property is preserved even under wet conditions. It is preferred if the surface of the pattern is designed as described in the previously cited publication of WO2014016629. Such a surface comprises a single or multiple layers of rubber grains with uncoated outer surfaces. Surfaces with increased grip to the ball can be learned also from the publication WO2005/117625.

Reference is made now to Fig. 3 which is a side view taken from the shoe 20 and shows that the flower pattern continues at the side surface of the shoe, and the flower F2 is the same as the flower F2 shown in Fig. 2 when it appeared in a distorted view. This pattern is continued by flowers F4 and F5 extending in rearward direction, and here the presence of common petals between adjacent flowers can also be observed just as shown already in Fig. 2.

In case when the shoe has wider nose portion or the player has a different playing style, in a further shoe 21 the pattern shown in Fig. 4 can be provided, in which respective full flowers F6 and F7 are placed on the left and right sides of the nose portion.

Concerning the design of the petals it can be preferred if the outer surfaces of the petals is substantially parallel to the uncoated outer basic surface of the shoe. At the same time petals can be designed in which the height of the petals increases along the expected arrival direction of the ball from forward to backward direction. Figs. 5 and 6 show examples to such a design in which the cross section and longitudinal section of a petal is shown in distorted scale for the sake of better illustration. In Fig. 5 the main expected direction of the arrival of the ball is shown by arrow 22 which is the same as the arrow 22 in Fig 2, and Fig. 5 is the lateral cross section of the petal 16. The side 23 of the petal 16 has and increased height compared to its other side 24 and its plane is also inclined in rearward direction as it can be seen in Fig. 6. Such a double inclination means that the height of the petal 16 increases when seen from the arrival direction of the ball along the arrow 22. Such a design improves the reflection of the ball by rendering the reflection path to be more definite and forces the ball to take a slightly inclined path. Such an inclined petal design at the nose portion is required only players taking certain positions (e.g., mainly for rear guards).

Although the inclined design of the upper surface of the petals was illustrated in the nose region, such a design can be preferably used also on the two sides of the shoe and primarily in case of petals that extend close to the lace opening, in which the height of the petal can reach the previously indicated greatest height value.

Reference is made now to Fig. 7 as a further example that shows corner 25 of the shoe 21 which was shown in Fig. 4, and the corner 25 comprises a pattern with two flowers F8, F9 having a common petal and extending symmetrically to the central line of the shoe. Although such patterns should be provided primarily to the frontal shooting portions, during ball games it might often happen that a player contacts the ball with the rear corner of the shoe, or the ball hits the corner. For the proper handling of such events, it is worthwhile to provide such a pattern also on the corner region which can be the double flower pattern as shown, but a single flower can also be used with the center of the inner circle falling in the middle of the corner zone.

Referring now to Figs 8 and 9 in which shoe 26 is shown that has concealed lace opening rendering thereby a much greater shooting surface. Fig. 8 shows the outer side and Fig. 9 the inner side of the shoe 26 with the patterns thereon. Here the flower patterns can be observed, wherein the petals are sufficiently long but in certain areas e.g., when extending till the edge of the sole, the petals are shorter, and it is not required that in a flower design each petal be equally long. Such "shorter" ones are petal 17 in Fig. 8 and petal 18 in Fig. 9.

Previously it has been mentioned that the shape of the petals can be chosen with a high degree of freedom and petals having an elongated rectangular or other shape can also be used, but the illustrated "almond" or elliptical shapes are preferred in which the petal gets narrower along respective arcs at its two end regions.

The length I and the number of petals used in a flower pattern are defined primarily by the available space. The size of the shoe 26 shown in Fig. 9 corresponds to European size

44 that has a length L = 300 mm. In that case an exemplary petal 19 shown separately in Fig. 10 have length I = 30mm, and the range of such petal length can vary between 10 and

45 mm or even longer. If there is sufficient place, then it is advisable to use the highest length that can be arranged in the available shooting area and wherein the height of the petals (measured from the uncoated basic surface) ensures that the ball when arriving from any direction to this shooting surface contacts two of the petals and after the ball has been resiliently compressed can contact the uncoated basic surface between these petals. In case of shoes for children or younger ones or those having smaller feet, the length I can be as small as 10 mm, and then the flowers should also be smaller.

When the l/L quotient is calculated based on the preferred range, we obtain that 5%<I/L< 15%, which is acceptable for all shoe sizes, but these numbers are not limiting.

The slenderness of the respective petals has also an optimum range, wherein slenderness is the quotient of the length l and the greatest width w of a petal i.e., the value of l/w. In the exemplary case shown in Fig. 10 w=7.5 mm. The slenderness is preferably in the range of 2.5 < l/w < 10.

In case the proportions of the patterns are considered, it should be ensured that the upper of the shoe must provide good air supply to the feet and the presence of the pattern cannot influence the flexible wear and comfort of the shoes. If the coverage of a flower pattern is calculated, this value can be obtained by dividing the full surface area of all petals in the pattern and dividing it with the area within the outer contour Co (as shown in Fig. 1). This proportion, namely the rate of coverage should preferably be lower than 40%, but this number should be preferably between 25% and 35%. In case the function of the targeting effect requires a different proportion, the good air supply can be resolved in several other ways, therefore this range is only a preferred one.

The use of the pattern according to the invention can be facilitated and the targeting accuracy can be increased if on the outer surface of the petals a ribbing 30 is provided that comprises parallel ridges (ribs) and grooves. The design and significance of such a ribbing is explained in the publication WO2014016629 and here reference is made to the fact that the direction of the petals in the present flower patterns is different. At the site of each petal the expected direction of the arrival of the ball is also different as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2. The respective ribbings 30 should be provided so that the length direction of the ridges and grooves extend normal or close to normal to the expected main arrival direction of the ball on the associated petal.

Reference is made now to Figs. 11 - 13 to demonstrate that the pattern according to the invention can be provided not only on the shooting surfaces of sports shoes but on all places where during ball games the ball can hit (even accidentally) a surface and from where the path of the reflecting ball has or can have significance.

Fig. 11 shows schematically the palm side of gloves 1 of a goalkeeper in which a flower F10 and its petals have been arranged so that at least one petal falls in each finger areas. and in the lower part of the palm further 2-3 petals can be arranged. It is preferred if the rear side of the gloves 31 comprise a similar pattern. By such a design it can be ensured that the goalkeeper can securely grasp the arriving ball, or the rotating ball cannot fall out between his hands, or if it does, then there will not be an own goal. Here we can use smaller flower patterns as shown, e.g., at the finger-side two rows of such patterns can be arranged, so that the petals form a smaller inner circle and a part of a greater outer circular arc.

Fig. 12 shows leggings 32 of a player, and on its outer surface in a predetermined height the pattern according to the invention was provided. Obviously, instead of the leggings the pattern according to the invention can be provided on any part of the clothing of a player that protects his leg and has an outer surface that can be hit by the ball. Such clothing could be the outer surface of stockings or trousers that cover the legs of the player. During the game it might happen that the ball unintentionally hits a leg of the player and without an appropriate surface pattern the ball will be reflected into an indefinite direction and might end at a player of the other team. The suggested pattern can render the reflection to a definite one which can be handled by the player resulting in an improvement of the quality of the game. In this surface we can use the pattern shown in Fig. 1 or in the other figures.

Similarly, in Fig. 13 chest portion 33 of the clothing of a player is shown as comprising the pattern according to the invention, since in several times during the game the ball hits this chest portion 33 and by the presence of the flower pattern the reflection can be controlled by the player. The flower pattern can also be provided on the whole frontal surface of the body part of the clothing.

In such last-mentioned cases when the pattern is provided on a kind of knitted or woven surface, it is preferred if the pattern is also made by a similar material which is fixed by sewing but the thread used for the patterns should be coated by one or more layers that increase friction or grip to the ball, or the thread itself should have such properties.

Woven patterns are preferred when made of threads that have a higher grip to the ball, and such petals can also be used in the previous embodiments, namely on the upper of the shoes.

The formation of such a flower pattern is possible in which a petal is not shared between the adjacent flowers, but separate flowers are arranged in a distance from each other. In this case it is also possible to create greater or smaller flowers and/or petals fill the remaining free shooting surfaces. It should also be mentioned that the inner ends of a flower need not be arranged along a circle.

The pattern and its material designed according to the invention ensures that the ball can arrive and hit the shoe from any direction, and the reflection and intentional shooting of it will become always definite and occur based on similar principles of physics, because the inner edges of the two petals that receive the ball will direct the ball in the intended direction since the ball will become pressed when contacting the two flanking edges of these petals and contact the uncoated basic surface, thereby a definite grip will take place between the shoe and the ball, and the force and direction of the shot will happen without the danger of a slip between the ball and the shoe. If the pattern is provided without swelling out of the basic surface, then this directing effect will be provided by the higher grip to the ball where the pattern is provided. Although the ball handling is substantially facilitated if the pattern is provided on the nose portion and on the frontal shooting surfaces of the shoe, the full advantages can be attained if such patterns are provided on the full outer shoe surface.

It is important to note that the suggested flower pattern has at the same time aesthetically pleasing appearance, and the petals and the basic shoe surface can be made in different colors and shades, therefore the suggested design is not only useful but can also be liked by the players as it looks nice.