Patent Application
20090149285
The game of baseball is very popular in the United States and throughout the world, and is played by a wide range of people across a wide range of ages. Traditionally, baseball was played with a wooden bat. However, a disadvantage of wooden bats is their propensity to break while striking the ball. A wooden bat that breaks during use can be dangerous as a portion of the bat, which can be heavy and is sometimes sharp, can go flying toward the baseball players or spectators. These projectiles can cause serious injury. Further, broken bats are no longer usable in the game. Wooden bats can be expensive, and replacing broken wooden bats can be a costly disadvantage that can prevent individuals from purchasing and using wooden bats in games and during practice.
In response to some of the disadvantages of traditional wooden bats, other materials besides wood have been utilized. Particularly, metal bats, including aluminum, have been developed and utilized. Metal bats can be more durable than wooden bats, breaking less often. They are sometimes used by people who want to play baseball but do not have sufficient funds to buy a stock of wooden bats, which break more often. For example, many municipalities with limited resources will provide metal bats because of the potential cost savings. However, metal bats also have disadvantages. They can have widely differentiating performance characteristics in different weather conditions. Further, they can be dangerous. Perhaps because of a trampoline-like effect, balls struck by metal bats can travel at dangerously high velocities. The speeding struck balls can strike other players and/or spectators and cause serious injury and/or death. In response to this danger, numerous municipalities and other institutions have banned the use of metal bats.
It would be desirable to have a wooden bat that is less likely to break.
It has been found that a baseball bat comprising dowels placed at least in the handle area and potentially in the barrel. It is preferable that the bat and dowels are made of wood, preferably the same type of wood. The dowels preferably comprise at least two contiguous dowel sections having different cross-sectional size, and are preferably paired in adjacent areas and positioned perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the baseball bat.
The bat 30 defines a longitudinal axis that extends from its base 42 to the barrel 46. It is preferable that the bat is thinner in the handle area 44 than in the barrel 40, 46. In understanding these terms in this patent application, it should be understood that the handle area generally refers to the proximal portion of the bat which is generally thinner while the barrel refers to the distal portion of the bat which is generally thicker. The handle area can have a thinner region and a thickening region where its circumference grows toward the barrel.
Wooden baseball bats are most likely to break in the thinner handle area. The bats generally break when the player hits a baseball either at the distal end of the barrel or in the handle area close to the proximal end of the barrel.
In
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The material selection for the dowel 10 may be dictated by such factors as, the dimensions of dowel sections 14, number of dowel sections 14, material type and/or dimensions. A preferred embodiment of baseball bat will have the dowel 10 constructed of the same wood as used in the baseball bat. Another embodiment would have the dowel constructed of a similar type of wood. The similarity could be determined by hardness, weight, strength, or density. Another embodiment would have the dowel constructed of a different type of wood. The dowel could be selected from the group of woods including, for example, mahogany, fir, birch, cedar or pine, dependent on the desired property enhancement. The dowel 10 may also be constructed of a combination of two or more wood or wood like materials.
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Dowel 10 may be constructed in a variety of different ways using a variety of different manufacturing tools and techniques. For example, dowel 10 may be constructed using a lathe, a tool that is well known in the art. Further, each individual dowel section 14 may be constructed separately and the individual sections 14 may be joined together to form the composite dowel 10. For example, in one embodiment, dowel sections 14 may be fixed together using any type of adhesive or the sections 14 may be fastened together using a fastener such as nails, metal posts or any other type of fastener that will provide for proper operation of dowel 10.
The pair of associated dowels 10 is preferably positioned in the thickening region in the handle of the bat. In another embodiment, the dowels 10 are positioned in the barrel of the bat. In another embodiment, multiple pairs of associated dowels are utilized. This could include two associated pairs in the handle, one associated pair in the handle and one in the barrel, or any number of combinations thereof. In the preferred embodiment, four pairs of dowels are positioned in the bat.
As shown in
As more fully described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,267,527,
While not seen in the Figures, it is preferred to have an adhesive material disposed in the hole of the bat and/or on the dowels to augment the connection. The adhesive material is preferably PVA, but can be any material that would adequately connect the parts of the pallet together, such as, e.g., hot melts, urethane, epoxy, PRF, or urethane/isocyanate. It is preferred that there is cinching in all stages of the dowel, i.e., the dowel is securely fixed to the bat with a hole to hole ratio of dowel to pilot hole in the range of 1.03:1.07. Other ratios can be used greater than or less than one to obtain full length cinching energy transition throughout the grain strata
In the preferred embodiment, the stepped configuration of the dowel provides easier alignment of the dowel with the hole of the bat during the insertion process. Further, significant pressure need be only applied to the dowel during, for example, approximately the last 20 percent of the insertion distance. A pounding device (not shown) may be used to insert the dowels. This device may be a hammer, mallet, or other suitable instrument. Preferably, the dowels fit snugly into the holes in the bat. Most preferably, the dowels form a friction fit with the inner surfaces of the holes. The stepped nature of the dowels positioned in the bat allows for them to be inserted more easily. The dowels are preferably not tapered because the dowels would have a tendency to pop out under such circumstances. It is thought that the insertion of the dowel causes the adhesive to radiate from the hole itself into the wood bat. The dispersed adhesive may help to create a stronger bat that is less likely to break.
The bat with dowels as described herein may also create a cinching effect between the dowel and the bat, which helps to maintain its strength. It is also thought that the dowels in the bat alter the harmonics of the bat. It may be theorized that normal bats may break in part because of the vibrations caused when hitting a ball at the distal end of the barrel or at or near the handle. The structure of a traditional bat might have certain harmonics that cause an amount of force to be focused on a certain area of the bat, making that area a weak spot that might be more susceptible to breaking. The inserted dowels may serve to disrupt the focalization of vibrations and thus prevent the creation of a weak spot that might eventually break. A second theory may also be that the dowels reinforce the bat by passing the dynamic energy throughout the piece allowing the absorption of the energy across all grains in unison instead of at the points of weakness. The weakest area in tension perpendicular to grain tension forces is the late wood early wood interface and the interface between radial rays and longitudinal cell walls by placing the dowels substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the bat. The applied dynamic load may be transferred more evenly to the entire bat and the dowels may act as reinforcements for weak grain zones and force translation agents.
In one embodiment of the invention, it may be desired to strengthen the bat to prevent breaking without significantly altering the performance of the bat. It may also be desirable for a doweled bat to have the same general look and feel of a traditional bat. It is therefore contemplated that the dowels and the bat be comprised of the same species of wood. In another embodiment, the dowels and the bat are comprised of similar species of wood.
The bat is preferably a single piece of wood. The bat including the dowels in effect creates a reinforced piece of wood. The bat with dowels is preferably of generally equal, homogeneous density as compared to a traditional bat comprised of one piece of wood with no dowels. In a preferred embodiment, the dowels do not create a hot spot or better sweet spot in the bat.
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In another embodiment, lacquer, paint, or other coatings may be put on all or part of the bat after it is shaped into its final shape. This coating may cover the dowels such that the dowels are not substantially visible.
Specific embodiments of novel apparatus and methods for construction of a baseball bat with dowels according to the present invention have been described for the purpose of illustrating the manner in which the invention is made and used. It should be understood that the implementation of other variations and modifications of the invention and its various aspects will be apparent to one skilled in the art, and that the invention is not limited by the specific embodiments described. Therefore, it is contemplated to cover the present invention any and all modifications, variations, or equivalents that fall within the true spirit and scope of the basic underlying principles disclosed and claimed herein.
