US Patent 8974329 Game ball

A method of making a game ball having a carcass comprising a foamed intermediate layer and a plurality of raised seams made from an outer layer is disclosed. The foamed intermediate layer may be formed from two sheets of foamed material. The sheets are shaped to have leaves that can be folded into the shape of a hemisphere with no gaps between adjacent leaves. The sheets are placed around a bladder, an outer layer is placed around the sheets, and the combination is heat molded. The seams are not made from strips of seam material placed on the outer layer of the carcass.