Baseball bat with interchangeable portions

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6511392
  • Patent Number
    6,511,392
  • Date Filed
    Monday, February 8, 1999
    25 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, January 28, 2003
    21 years ago
  • Inventors
  • Examiners
    • Graham; Mark S.
    Agents
    • Miller; Richard L.
Abstract
A baseball bat with interchangeable portions. The bat includes a handle portion, a head portion, and attaching apparatus. The head portion is interchangeably attached to the handle portion. The attaching apparatus interchangeably attaches the head portion to the handle portion so as to allow for replacement of either the handle portion or the head portion.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




1. Field of the Invention




The present invention relates to a baseball bat. More particularly, the present invention relates to a baseball bat with interchangeable portions.




2. Description of the Prior Art




Numerous innovations for baseball bats have been provided in the prior art that will be described. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, however, they differ from the present invention.




A FIRST EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 4,014,542 to Tanikawa teaches a bat of urethane foam used in baseball, which has a metal tube of duralumin at the barrel portion. The metal tube has many apertures therethrough, which are filled with urethane foam to fit the metal tube to the barrel portion because of the expansive quality of the urethane foam. The bat also has an outer layer of a glass fiber cloth which prevents a batter's hands and arms from becoming numb due to the shock caused by batting the ball and transmitted to him through the bat, and also prevents any broken part of the bat from scattering when the bat is broken. The outer layer, moreover, makes the bat sturdy. It is further possible to provide projections on the outer layer to eliminate the possibility of fouling and tipping.




A SECOND EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 4,569,521 to Mueller teaches a composite baseball bat that has a unique tapered aluminum spar encased in polyurethane foam. The tapered spar is formed by swaging, starting with an aluminum tube whose outer diameter and wall thickness are those for the barrel section of the bat. A tapering portion is swaged to a decreasing outer diameter and increasing wall thickness, which is then constant over the handle portion of the bat. This construction yields far greater stiffness and freedom from objectionable vibrations.




A THIRD EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 5,114,144 to Baum teaches a wood composite baseball bat that is formed by overlaying a central core of foamed plastic or extruded aluminum with an inner layer of resin-impregnated fiber knitted or woven cloth and then an outer layer consisting of longitudinally extending planks of resin-coated wood veneer. The article is formed by covering the core with the synthetic material impregnated with uncured resin. While the resin impregnating the fibrous material is still unset, the core member is placed within split molds lined with resin-coated strips of wood veneer and the molds are pressed together while the resin is allowed to set to form a unitary mass.




A FOURTH EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 5,460,369 to Baum teaches a baseball bat or the like that comprises a tube formed with an outer layer of wood veneer covering a layer of fiber reinforced resin, with the tube layers being impregnated with and bonded to one another with a cured resin. The ends of the tube are closed off with caps adhered to the tube by cured resin. The tube may be hollow and may have a foam plastic core with sufficient resiliency to allow the tube to resiliently deform during impact with a baseball. The tube formed by molding over a tubular end which may constitute the foam core or, alternatively, the forming mandrel may be removed after the resin is cured and the resulting cavity filled with foam plastic.




A FIFTH EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 5,711,728 to Marcelo teaches a new Shock and Vibration Absorbing Ball Bat for absorbing the shock and vibration forces generated when the bate strikes a ball before the forces reach the hands of the batter. The inventive device includes a hitting portion, a handle portion, an intermediate portion between the hitting portion and the handle portion, and a series of knurls provided along the intermediate portion of the bat above the handle portion and below the hitting portion. The knurls are coaxially aligned with the intermediate portion of the bat and define a peripheral wall which has a diameter greater than that of the intermediate portion of the bat immediately adjacent the knurl whereby the knurl is radially enlarged relative to the intermediate portion of the bat immediately adjacent the knurl. In a first embodiment, each of the knurls is a convex knurl wherein the peripheral wall of the convex knurl is convex-shaped. In a second embodiment, each of the knurls is a cylindrical knurl wherein the peripheral wall of the cylindrical knurl is cylindrical-shaped.




It is apparent that numerous innovations for baseball bats have been provided in the prior art that are adapted to be used. Furthermore, even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, however, they would not be suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




ACCORDINGLY, AN OBJECT of the present invention is to provide a baseball bat with interchangeable portions that avoids the disadvantages of the prior art.




ANOTHER OBJECT of the present invention is to provide a baseball bat with interchangeable portions that is simple and inexpensive to manufacture.




STILL ANOTHER OBJECT of the present invention is to provide a baseball bat with interchangeable portions that is simple to use.




BRIEFLY STATED, YET ANOTHER OBJECT of the present invention is to provide a baseball bat with interchangeable portions. The bat includes a handle portion, a head portion, and attaching apparatus. The head portion is interchangeably attached to the handle portion. The attaching apparatus interchangeably attaches the head portion to the handle portion so as to allow for replacement of either the handle portion or the head portion.




The novel features which are considered characteristic of the present invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of the specific embodiments when read and understood in connection with the accompanying drawing.











DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING




The figures on the drawing are briefly described as follows:





FIG. 1

is a diagrammatic perspective view of a first embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 2

is an enlarged and exploded diagrammatic cross sectional view of the present invention shown in

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 3

is an enlarged diagrammatic side elevational view of a second embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 4

is an enlarged diagrammatic cross sectional view taken on line


4





4


in

FIG. 3

of the collar of the second embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 5

is an enlarged diagrammatic end elevational view taken generally in the direction of arrow


5


in

FIG. 4

;





FIG. 6

is a diagrammatic perspective view of a third embodiment of the present invention; and





FIG. 7

is an enlarged and exploded front elevational view of the third embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG.


6


.











OF REFERENCE NUMERALS UTILIZED IN THE DRAWING




First Embodiment






10


baseball bat with interchangeable portions of the present invention






12


handle portion






14


head portion






16


apparatus for interchangeably attaching head portion


14


to handle portion


12


so as to allow for replacement of one of handle portion


12


and head portion


14








18


cushion around handle portion


12


for gripping






20


threaded shaft of apparatus


16








22


blind bore of apparatus


16


bored axially in head portion


14








24


ring of apparatus


16


for tight fit and for compensating for expansion and contraction of dissimilar materials of handle portion


12


and head portion


14






Second Embodiment






110


baseball bat with interchangeable portions of the present invention






112


handle portion






114


head portion






124


collar for adding strength






126


narrow end face of collar


124








128


wide end face of collar


124








130


first bore in narrow end face


126


of collar


124








132


second bore in wide end face


128


of collar


124








134


plurality of splines on second bore


132


in wide end face


128


of collar


124


for providing a snug fit




Third Embodiment






210


baseball bat with interchangeable portions of the present invention






212


handle portion






214


head portion






216


apparatus






220


threaded shaft of apparatus


216








222


blind bore of apparatus


216






DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT




Referring now to the figures, in which like numerals indicate like parts, and particularly to

FIG. 1

, the general configuration of a first embodiment of the baseball bat with interchangeable portions of the present invention is shown generally at


10


and comprises a handle portion


12


, a head portion


14


interchangeably attached to the handle portion


12


, and apparatus


16


for interchangeably attaching the head portion


14


to the handle portion


12


so as to allow for replacement of one of the handle portion


12


and the head portion


14


.




The specific configuration of the baseball bat with interchangeable portions


10


can best be seen in

FIG. 2

, and as such, will be discussed with reference thereto.




The handle portion


12


is one of machined aluminum and composite.




The handle portion


12


has a cushion


18


therearound for gripping.




The cushion


18


of the handle portion


12


is one of rubber and foam.




The head portion


14


is wood.




The apparatus


16


comprises a threaded shaft


20


that extends axially from the handle portion


12


.




The threaded shaft


20


of the apparatus


16


is integrally machined with the handle portion


12


when the handle portion


12


is aluminum.




The threaded shaft


20


of the apparatus


16


is integrally molded with the handle portion


12


when the handle portion


12


is composite.




The apparatus


16


further comprises a blind bore


22


bored axially in the head portion


14


and threadably and interchangeably receives the threaded shaft


20


of the apparatus


16


.




The apparatus


16


further comprises a ring


24


that receives the threaded shaft


20


of the apparatus


16


and compresses between the handle portion


12


and the head portion


14


when threaded together for a tight fit and for compensating for expansion and contraction of dissimilar materials of the handle portion


12


and the head portion


14


.




The ring


24


of the apparatus


16


is rubber.




The general configuration of a second embodiment of the baseball bat with interchangeable portions


110


can best be seen in

FIG. 3

, and as such, will be discussed with reference thereto.




The baseball bat with interchangeable portions


110


is similar to the baseball bat with interchangeable portions


10


, except that the handle portion


112


is one of wood and composite, the head portion


114


is aluminum, the ring


24


is deleted, and a collar


124


compressibly engages both a portion of the handle portion


112


and an adjacent portion of the head portion


114


where the head portion


114


is threaded directly against the handle portion


112


for adding strength thereat.




The collar


124


remains on the handle portion


112


and when the head portion


114


has been threaded onto the handle portion


112


, is tapped to slide onto the portion of the head portion


114


and thereby compressing thereagainst.




The specific configuration of the collar


124


can best be seen in

FIGS. 4 and 5

, and as such, will be discussed with reference thereto.




The collar


124


is one of aluminum and composite.




The collar


124


is conically-frustrum-shaped and has a narrow end face


126


and a wide end face


128


that is wider than the narrow end face


126


of the collar


124


.




The narrow end face


126


of the collar


124


has a first bore


130


that is cylindrically-shaped and extends axially therein and snugly receives the portion of the handle portion


112


.




The wide end face


128


of the collar


124


has a second bore


132


that is conically-frustrum-shaped and extends axially and taperingly therein to and communicates with the first bore


130


in the narrow end face


126


of the collar


124


and snugly receives the portion of the head portion


114


.




The second bore


132


in the wide end face


128


of the collar


124


has a plurality of splines


134


that extend axially and completely therealong for providing a snug fit.




The specific configuration of a third embodiment of the baseball bat with interchangeable portions


210


can best be seen in

FIGS. 6 and 7

, and as such, will be discussed with reference thereto.




The baseball bat with interchangeable portions


210


is similar to the baseball bat with interchangeable portions


10


, except that the threaded shaft


220


of the apparatus


216


extends axially from the head portion


214


and the blind bore


222


of the apparatus


216


is bored axially in the handle portion


212


.




It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the types described above.




While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a baseball bat with interchangeable portions, however, it is not limited to the details shown, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.




Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention.



Claims
  • 1. A baseball bat with interchangeable portions, comprising:a) a handle portion; b) a head portion interchangeably attached to said handle portion; and c) means for interchangeable attaching said head portion to said handle portion so as to allow for replacement of one of said handle portion and said head portion, wherein said means includes a collar that compressibly engages both a portion of said handle portion and an adjacent portion of said head portion where said head portion is threaded directly against said handle portion for adding strength thereat, wherein said collar of said means is conically-frustrum-shaped and has: i) a narrow end face; and ii) a wide end face that is wider than said narrow end face of said collar of said means, wherein said narrow end face of said collar of said means has a first bore that is cylindrically-shaped and extends axially therein and snugly receives said portion of said handle portion, wherein said wide end face of said collar has a second bore that is conically-frustrum-shaped and extends axially and taperingly therein to and communicates with said first bore in said narrow end face of said collar of said means and snugly receives said portion of said head portion.
  • 2. The bat as defined in claim 1, wherein said handle portion is machined aluminum.
  • 3. The bat as defined in claim 1, wherein said handle portion is composite.
  • 4. The bat as defined in claim 1, wherein said handle portion has a cushion therearound for gripping.
  • 5. The bat as defined in claim 4, wherein said cushion of said handle portion is rubber.
  • 6. The bat as defined in claim 4, wherein said cushion of said handle portion is foam.
  • 7. The bat as defined in claim 1, wherein said head portion is wood.
  • 8. The bat as defined in claim 1, wherein said means includes a threaded shaft that extends axially from said handle portion.
  • 9. The bat as defined in claim 8, wherein said threaded shaft of said means is integrally machined with said handle portion when said handle portion is aluminum.
  • 10. The bat as defined in claim 8, wherein said threaded shaft of said means is integrally molded with said handle portion when said handle portion is composite.
  • 11. The bat as defined in claim 8, wherein said means further includes a blind bore bored axially in said head portion and threadably and interchangeably receives said threaded shaft of said means.
  • 12. The bat as defined in claim 8, wherein said means further includes a ring that receives s aid threaded shaft of said means and compresses between said handle portion and said head portion when threaded together for a tight fit and for compensating for expansion and contraction of dissimilar materials of said handle portion and said head portion.
  • 13. The bat as defined in claim 12, wherein said ring of said means is rubber.
  • 14. The bat as defined in claim 1, wherein said handle portion is wood.
  • 15. The bat as defined in claim 1, wherein said head portion is aluminum.
  • 16. The bat as defined in claim 1, wherein said collar of said means remains on said handle portion and when said head portion has been threaded onto said handle portion, is tapped to slide onto said portion of said head portion and thereby compressing thereagainst.
  • 17. The bat as defined in claim 1, wherein said collar of said means is aluminum.
  • 18. The bat as defined in claim 1, wherein said collar of said means is composite.
  • 19. The bat as defined in claim 1, wherein said second bore in said wide end face of said collar of said means has a plurality of splines that extend axially and completely therealong for providing a snug fit.
  • 20. The bat as defined in claim 1, wherein said means includes a threaded shaft that extends axially from said head portion.
  • 21. The bat as defined in claim 20, wherein said means further includes a blind bore that is bored axially in said handle portion and threadably and interchangeably receives said threaded shaft of said means.
US Referenced Citations (11)
Number Name Date Kind
2659605 Le Tourneau Nov 1953 A
3516697 Hahn Jun 1970 A
3877698 Volpe Apr 1975 A
4014542 Tanikawa Mar 1977 A
4569521 Mueller Feb 1986 A
4907800 Passamaneck et al. Mar 1990 A
5114144 Baum May 1992 A
5460369 Baum Oct 1995 A
5711728 Marcelo Jan 1998 A
5820438 Horton, III Oct 1998 A
5827142 Rappaport Oct 1998 A
Foreign Referenced Citations (2)
Number Date Country
2146538 Apr 1985 GB
16565 Jul 2002 GB