Patent Grant
9861870
The invention relates generally to butt-end devices or knobs for sports implements used in performing a swing movement.
Sports implements are used in various sports to throw, strike, or otherwise move a ball or other object by performing a swing movement. For example, in softball, a player swings a bat to strike a ball during a game. The bat includes a barrel for striking the ball and a handle for holding the bat. A proximal end region of the bat handle is generally provided with a knob to abut a hand of the player.
Existing knobs are fixed at a predetermined angle with respect to the bat handle such that it is not readily possible for the player to adjust the angle defined by the surface of the knob engaging his/her hand. In some cases, the knob may not be oriented as the player would like and/or is a source of discomfort as the player swings the bat. This may have adverse effects on the player's “feel” of the bat. In addition, existing knobs that define an angle other than a right angle with respect to a longitudinal axis of the bat may not provide the suitable hand-engaging surface angle for each specific player. However, these fixed angled knobs do not enable the batter to use more than one side of the bat. This reduces the life of the bat and the freedom of the player to choose impact location. Similar issues may arise in other sports, such as baseball, golf, lacrosse, tennis, squash, racquetball or cricket, in which players use sticks or other sports implements by performing a swing movement.
According to a first broad aspect of the invention, there is provided a knob for a sports implement. The knob comprises an inner member and an outer member. The inner member is adapted to be mounted adjacent a proximal end of the sports implement and the outer member is pivotably mounted onto the inner member. The outer member has a hand-engaging surface for engaging a portion of a hand of a player holding the sports implement. In use, the outer member is capable of an angular rotational motion relative to the inner member such that the hand-engaging surface of the outer member abuts and follows the player's hand portion when the player swings the sports implement.
According to another broad aspect of the invention, there is provided a butt-end device for a sports implement. The sports implement comprises a handle for holding the sports implement. The butt-end device comprises an inner surface mountable adjacent to a longitudinal end of the handle; and a hand-engaging surface to engage a user's hand when holding the handle. The hand-engaging surface is movable relative to the handle in order to follow movement of the user's hand when the user swings the sports implement.
According to another broad aspect, the invention relates to a knob or butt-end device configured to be mounted to an implement to perform a swing movement, the knob or butt-end device comprising a hand-engaging surface having a gripping or frictional portion configured to engage with a hand portion of a user to facilitate following of the user's hand during swing movement, the gripping or frictional portion comprising an elastomeric/rubber material or other “high-friction” material, a textured surface (e.g., recesses and/or projections), and/or cushioning for comfort.
According to a further broad aspect, the invention relates to a knob or butt-end device configured to be mounted to an implement to perform a swing movement, the knob or butt-end device comprising a hand-engaging surface configured to engage a hand portion of a user, an adjustment mechanism to make it harder or easier to move (e.g., rotate) the hand-engaging surface, and a lock for selective locking and unlocking the hand-engaging surface to allow and/or prevent its movement and for automatically blocking the hand-engaging surface at a desired or selected point during swing movement.
According to another broad aspect, the invention relates to a knob or butt-end device configured to be mounted to an implement to perform a swing movement, the knob or butt-end device comprising a hand-engaging surface configured to engage a hand portion of a user and a sensor to monitor pressure applied by the user's hand portion on the hand-engaging surface during the user's swing movement, wherein information is conveyed from the sensor to the user to correct or improve the user's swing movement.
According to another broad aspect of the invention, there is provided a ball bat. The ball bat comprises a handle portion for holding and has a proximal end. The ball bat further comprises a barrel portion for striking and a tapered mid-section connecting the handle portion and the barrel portion. The ball bat also comprises a knob. The knob comprises an inner member mounted adjacent the proximal end of the handle portion and an outer member movable relative to the inner member. The outer member comprises a hand-engaging surface for engaging a portion of a hand of a player holding the handle portion. The outer member is configured to rotate relative to the inner member such that the hand-engaging surface follows the player's hand portion when the player swings the ball bat.
According to another broad aspect, the invention provides a ball bat comprising a handle portion for holding and having a proximal end with a knob portion, a barrel portion for striking, a tapered mid-section connecting the handle portion and the barrel portion, and a knob movable relative to the bat knob portion, the knob comprising a hand-engaging surface for engaging a portion of a hand of a player holding the handle portion, wherein the knob is configured to rotate relative to the bat knob portion such that the hand-engaging surface follows the player's hand portion when the player swings the ball bat.
According to a further broad aspect of the invention, there is provided a lacrosse stick. The lacrosse stick comprises a shaft. The shaft comprises a handle portion for holding the lacrosse stick and a knob. The knob comprises an inner member mounted adjacent a proximal end of the handle portion and an outer member movable relative to the inner member. The outer member comprises a hand-engaging surface for engaging a portion of a hand of a player holding the handle portion. The outer member is configured to rotate relative to the inner member such that the hand-engaging surface follows the player's hand portion when the player swings the lacrosse stick.
These and other aspects of the invention will now become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following description of embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
A detailed description of embodiments of the invention is provided below, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
It is to be expressly understood that the description and drawings are only for the purpose of illustrating certain embodiments of the invention and are an aid for understanding. They are not intended to be a definition of the limits of the invention.
The bat 12 comprises a proximal end 14, a handle portion 18 for holding the bat 12, a barrel portion 20 for striking the ball, a tapered mid-section 21 connecting the handle portion 18 to the barrel portion 20, and a distal end 16.
The bat 12 extends along a longitudinal axis LA that runs centrally through the bat 12. The interior of the bat 12 may be hollow in order to reduce its weight. For example the handle portion 18 may be a tubular handle portion and the barrel portion 20 may be a tubular barrel portion. A cap or plug may be affixed adjacent the distal end 16 of the bat 12 in order to close off the barrel portion 20. Although the bat 12 may be a one-piece construction, in other embodiments, the bat 12 may include two or more separate attached pieces. Moreover, as known in the art, the barrel portion 20 and/or the handle portion 18 can be isolated from each other by flexible or resilient connectors of different materials, densities, stiffnesses, and geometries or by a resilient means such as foam, springs, rings, or airbags such that, vibrations generated in the barrel portion 20 are not readily transmitted to the handle portion 18 and are largely damped by the flexible or resilient connectors or resilient means resulting in minimal sting in the player's hands. The barrel portion 20 and/or the handle portion 18 may include a single-wall or multi-wall construction. The barrel portion 20 and/or the handle portion 18 may include a foam core and/or a foam layer. Bat constructions are well-known to those skilled in the art and thus will not be further described here.
The bat 12 may comprise a composite material. More specifically, the composite material comprises a resin matrix which encapsulates reinforcement fibers. The resin may be selected from any of the group consisting of polyester, vinyl ester, vinyl ether, polyurethane, epoxy, cyanate ester, phenolic resinpolyester, polyimide, urethane, nylon, and mixtures thereof. As for the reinforcement fibers, these may be selected from the group consisting of graphite fibers, carbon graphite fibers, aramid fibers, boron fibers, silicon carbide fibers, ceramic fibers, metallic fibers, glass fibers, polypropylene fibers and mixtures thereof. In other examples of implementation, the bat 12 may comprise aluminum, wood (e.g., ash, maple, hickory, bamboo, etc.) or any other suitable material.
As best shown in
In this embodiment, either one or both of the inner and outer members 22, 24 may comprise a low weight material. For example, the low weight material may comprise any plastic material selected from the group consisting of polycarbonate (PC), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), polyurethane (PU), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polycarbonate/acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (PC/ABS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene (PE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), high impact polystyrene (HIPS), polyamides (PA), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), melamine formaldehyde (MF), phenolics (PF), polyepoxide (e.g., epoxy), polyetheretherketone (PEEK), polyimide and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). In some cases, the plastic material may be fiber-reinforced plastic material (e.g., a polymeric resin reinforced with carbon fibers, aramid fibers or glass fibers). In other embodiments, the inner and outer members 22, 24 may be made of metallic materials or composite materials.
As best shown in
The inner surface 34 of the outer member 24 and the outer surface 28 of the inner member 22 are configured to slide against each other such that the outer member 24 may define an angular rotation about the inner member 22. More specifically, the outer member 24 is configured to define an angular rotation about a central point of the inner member 22. The inner and outer members 22, 24 thus constitute a spherical bearing (also known as a ball joint) where the inner member 22 is an inner race of the spherical bearing and the outer member 24 is an outer race of the spherical bearing. In one embodiment, the spherical bearing may be a lubricant-free spherical plain bearing (i.e., has no rolling elements) and the angular rotation is permitted due to a low-friction material liner comprised by the inner and outer members 22, 24. For example, the inner surface 34 of the outer member 24 and the outer surface 28 of the inner member 22 may comprise a low-friction material such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE or polyethylene/acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (PE/ABS). Moreover, in some embodiments, the inner surface 34 of the outer member 24 and the outer surface 28 of the inner member 22 may go through a surface finishing process (e.g., abrasive blasting) in order to reduce the friction generated between both surfaces. In other embodiments, the spherical bearing may use rolling elements such as a race of ball bearings in order to reduce friction between the inner and outer members 22, 24.
As best seen in
The knob ring 26 is mounted to the outer member 24 such that the knob ring 26 does not move relative to the outer member 24. In one embodiment, the knob ring 26 may be permanently fixed to the outer member 24 via an adhesive applied between the knob ring 26 and the outer member 24. In other embodiments, the knob ring 26 may be mounted onto the outer member 24 via a pressure fit, a fastener, or any other suitable method. In some embodiments, the knob ring 26 is interchangeable, i.e. is not permanently fixed to the outer member 24. For instance, the knob ring 26 may be changed for a different knob ring having different characteristics (e.g., a different color, design, size, material, etc.).
The knob ring 26 defines a diameter DK of the knob 10. In this embodiment, the diameter DK may be between 1.5 inches and 2.5 inches. Other knob diameters may be used for other sports implements.
The knob ring 26 may comprise a hard plastic body. For example, the hard plastic body of the knob ring 26 may comprise any plastic material selected from the group consisting of polycarbonate (PC), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), polyurethane (PU), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polycarbonate/acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (PC/ABS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene (PE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), high impact polystyrene (HIPS), polyamides (PA), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), melamine formaldehyde (MF), phenolics (PF), polyepoxide (e.g., epoxy), polyetheretherketone (PEEK), polyimide and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). In some cases, the hard plastic body may comprise fiber-reinforced plastic material (e.g., a polymeric resin reinforced with carbon fibers, aramid fibers or glass fibers).
In other embodiments, the knob ring 26 may be a stretchable sleeve comprising elastomeric material (e.g., rubber). As such, the stretchable sleeve may be removable and interchangeable for another stretchable sleeve according to the player's preference.
As shown in
As best shown in
In
In another embodiment, as shown in
In a further embodiment, as shown in
In a further embodiment, as shown in
Referring to
In some embodiments, the knob ring may be configured to provide a grip or frictional engagement with the player's hand in order to facilitate following the player's hand when the player swings the bat 12. For example, as shown in
Additionally, in some embodiments, the hand-engaging surface 438 of the knob ring 426 may comprise a cushioning material for providing cushioning properties to the hand-engaging surface 438. For example, the elastomeric material 435 may achieve the dual purpose of providing an improved grip and the desired cushioning properties. In other embodiments, the cushioning material may comprise foam or any other suitable cushioning material.
In a further embodiment, as shown in
In some embodiments, the knob may comprise a locking mechanism for selectively locking and unlocking the hand-engaging surface of the knob. For instance,
In some embodiments, the knob may comprise a limit mechanism for automatically blocking the hand-engaging surface of the knob at a desired selected point while the player swings the bat 12. For instance,
In some embodiments, the knob may comprise an adjustment mechanism for making it harder or easier to move the hand-engaging surface. For instance,
In some cases, the knob may also be used to obtain feedback regarding a player's performance with the bat 12. This may be useful when the player is using the bat 12 for training purposes and desires to obtain performance-related feedback so as to improve or correct his/her swing.
For instance, as shown in
The remote computing device 951 may be implemented in a variety of ways. For example, the remote computing device 951 may be a desktop computer, a laptop or a mobile device (e.g., a smartphone or a tablet) belonging to the player. In some cases, the remote computing device 951 may not necessarily belong to the player but rather to a person with an interest in the player's performance such as a coach, a trainer, a physician, a parent, etc.
In some embodiments, the connection 952 may be a wired connection such as, for example, a USB connection or a mini-USB connection. In other embodiments, the connection 952 may be a wireless connection. For example, the connection 952 may be implemented as a Bluetooth, infrared, WiFi, or cellular data connection.
The sensor 947 may be implemented in various other ways. For example, the sensor 947 may be an accelerometer configured to measure an acceleration of the knob 910. The sensor 947 may be any other type of suitable sensor.
In a further embodiment, as shown in
While the butt-end device 10 has been described as the knob 10 of a bat 12, it is to be expressly understood that features taught in respect of the knob 10 may similarly apply to other sports implements which are used by performing a swing movement.
This includes baseball bats, golf clubs, lacrosse sticks, tennis racquets, squash racquets, racquetball racquets, cricket sticks or any other suitable sports implements.
For example, with reference to
The knob 1110 comprises an inner member 1122 for mounting to the shaft 1102, an outer member 1124 for engaging and rotating about the inner member 1122, and a knob ring 1126 mounted to the outer member 1124. The knob ring 1126 comprises a hand-engaging surface 1138 for engaging the hand of the player. The inner member 1122 comprises an opening having a shape complementary to a cross-sectional shape of the shaft 1102. More specifically, in this embodiment, the shape of the opening of the inner member 1122 is generally octagonal.
Although in this embodiment the knob ring 1126 of the knob 1110 has a rounded shape, in other embodiments, the knob ring 1126 of the knob 1110 may have any other suitable outer peripheral shape (e.g., angular or polygonal).
The features discussed above in respect of other embodiments of the knob may similarly apply to the knob 1110. For example, the knob may not comprise a knob ring at all and may instead comprise an outer member comprising a hand-engaging surface. In another example, the inner member may be an inner member, knob portion or knob integrally formed with the handle portion of the shaft at the proximal end 1104.
Any feature of any embodiment discussed herein may be combined with any feature of any other embodiment discussed herein in some examples of implementation.
Certain additional elements that may be needed for operation of certain embodiments have not been described or illustrated as they are assumed to be within the purview of those of ordinary skill in the art. Moreover, certain embodiments may be free of, may lack and/or may function without any element that is not specifically disclosed herein.
Although various embodiments and examples have been presented, this was for the purpose of describing, but not limiting, the invention. Various modifications and enhancements will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art and are within the scope of the invention, which is defined by the appended claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2855975 | Jul 2014 | CA | national |
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/449,476, filed Aug. 1, 2014 and now pending, which claims priority from Canadian Patent Application Serial Number 2,855,975 filed on Jul. 4, 2014. The disclosure of the prior application is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20170028281 A1 | Feb 2017 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 14449476 | Aug 2014 | US |
| Child | 15294429 | US |
