Elastic sheath dampers in tennis racket throat

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6537164
  • Patent Number
    6,537,164
  • Date Filed
    Friday, November 16, 2001
    23 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, March 25, 2003
    21 years ago
  • Inventors
  • Examiners
    • Chiu; Raleigh W.
Abstract
Elastic sheath dampers in tennis racket throat include a racket having a frame, a stringing surface in the frame and a throat separated from a handle to respectively form a truncated triangular configuration and a Y-shaped configuration each of which has a pair of hollow interior branches made engageable with each other and connected by a pair of cylindrical bars by adhesives respectively. The cylindrical bars each has a pair of elastic sheaths respectively sleeved on two ends and inserted into the branches. Thereby the shock waves from the frame are absorbed twice by the elastic sheaths in the throat without transmitting to the handle.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates to tennis racket and more particularly to an elastic sheath dampers in tennis racket throat which absorbs the shock waves from the frame without transmitting to the handle of the racket.




The shockproof device in a tennis racket is very important. It prevents the shock waves from transmitting to the handle of a racket in order to protect the hand of a player and to promote the scores of the player in a competition. Generally, a hit of a tennis racket against a flying ball creates a great deal of the shock waves. If the tennis racket has no any shockproof arrangement, the shock waves will transmit to the handle of the racket that injure the hand and wrist of the player and gradually cause a tennis elbow. Thus, many tennis rackets in the market have different shockproof devices. However, the result is not as expected.




SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION




The present invention has a main object to provide an elastic sheath dampers in tennis racket throat to prevent the shock waves from transmitted to the handle of the racket.




Accordingly, the tennis racket of the present invention comprises generally a head or frame, a throat and a handle. The throat is separated from the handle to form a roughly truncated triangular configuration. While, the handle forms a Y-shaped configuration. The throat and the handle each has a pair of hollow interior tubular branches connected by a pair of cylindrical bars. Each of the cylindrical bars has a pair of elastic sheaths respectively secured to two ends thereof. So that the shock wave from the head is absorbed in the throat and will not transmit to the handle.




The present invention will become more fully understood by reference to the following detailed description thereof when read in conjunction with the attached drawings.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a perspective view to show a tennis racket of a preferred embodiment of the present invention,





FIG. 2

is an exploded perspective view of

FIG. 1

,





FIG. 3

is a sectional view to show the assembly of

FIG. 2

,





FIG. 4

is a sectional view taken along line


1





1


of

FIG. 1

, and





FIG. 5

is a sectional view to show an alternate embodiment of the present invention.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT




With reference to

FIGS. 1 and 2

of the drawings, the elastic sheath dampers in tennis racket throat of the present invention comprises generally a racket


10


having a head or frame


11


, a stringing surface


12


formed inside the frame


11


, a throat


20


and a handle


30


. The throat


20


is separated from the handle


30


to form a roughly truncated triangular configuration and has a pair of hollow interior tubular branches


21


. The handle


30


forms a roughly Y-shaped configuration and has a pair hollow interior tubular branches


31


connected with the branches


21


of the throat


20


by a pair of the cylindrical bars


40


. Each of the cylindrical bars has an outer diameter slightly less than the inner diameter of the branches


21


and


31


and a pair of elastic sheaths


41


and


42


respectively engaged on two ends of the bar


40


. When connecting the throat


20


with the handle


30


by the cylindrical bar


40


, adhesives are applied to the elastic sheath


41


and


42


. Then respectively inserts two ends of the cylindrical bars


40


into the branches


21


of the throat


20


and the branches


31


of the handle


30


to having the middle portion of the cylindrical bars


40


exposed to outside of the branches


21


and


31


(as shown in

FIGS. 1

,


3


and


4


). The connections of the branches


21


and


31


and therefore accomplished as the adhesives are dried out.




Based on the above discussed structure, when a plying ball hits at the tennis racket


10


. The shock waves from the stringing surface


12


will be absorbed twice by the elastic sheath


41


and


42


in the throat


20


without transmitting to the handle


30


. So that the hand of a player feels comfortable and will not be injured or caused a tennis elbow.




Referring to

FIG. 5

, an alternate embodiment of the present invention is provided. In this embodiment the structure and function are mostly similar to the above embodiment as described in

FIGS. 1

to


4


and the above discussions are applicable in the most instances. The only different is to enlarge the diameter of the middle portion


401


of the cylindrical bar


40


to have the outer diameter of the middle portion


401


equal to the outer diameter of the branches


21


and


31


. So that the pit between the branches


21


and


31


is filled up in order to have a smooth outlook.




Actually, if the cylindrical bar


40


itself is made of shockproof material. Both the elastic sheaths


41


and


42


may be omitted and directly connected the cylindrical bar


40


into the branches


21


and


31


. This variation also achieves the shockproof function.




The specification relating to the above embodiment should be construed as exemplary rather than as limitative of the present invention, with many variations and modifications being readily attainable by a person of average skill in the art without departing from the spirit or scope thereof as defined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.



Claims
  • 1. Elastic sheath dampers in tennis racket throat comprising:racket having a frame, a stringing surface inside said frame, a throat separated from a handle to formed a truncated triangular configuration to form a pair first hollow interior branches spacedly extending downward from said frame; said handle being a Y-shaped configuration to form a pair second hollow interior branches spacedly extending upward from said handle and engageable with said first hollow interior branches; a pair of cylindrical bars respectively connecting said first branches with said second branches by adhesives, said cylindrical bars each having a pair of elastic sheaths respectively sleeved on two ends thereof and inserted into said branches with a middle portion of the cylindrical bars exposed outside of the branches; whereby, shock waves from said frame are absorbed twice by said elastic sheaths in the throat without transmitting to said handle.
  • 2. Elastic sheath dampers in tennis racket throat comprising:a racket having a frame, a stringing surface inside said frame, a throat separated from a handle to form a truncated triangular configuration to form a pair of first hollow interior branches spacedly extending downward from said frame; said handle being a Y-shaped configuration to form a pair of second hollow interior branches spacedly extending upward from said handle and engageable with said first hollow interior branches; a pair of cylindrical bars respectively connecting said first branches with said second branches by adhesives, said cylindrical bars each having a diametrically enlarged middle portion of an outer diameter equal to the outer diameters of said branches and a pair of elastic sheaths respectively sleeved on two ends thereof and inserted into said branches with said middle portion of said cylindrical bars exposed out of said branches and looked alike to said branches; whereby, shock waves from said frame are absorbed twice by said elastic sheaths in the throat without transmitting to said handle.
US Referenced Citations (9)
Number Name Date Kind
4052060 Balkcom Oct 1977 A
4367871 Schiefer Jan 1983 A
4906002 Goffney et al. Mar 1990 A
4915382 Madsen Apr 1990 A
5071125 Shen Dec 1991 A
5175919 Lo Jan 1993 A
5560600 FitzSimons et al. Oct 1996 A
5749574 Curtis May 1998 A
5865694 Duong-Van Feb 1999 A
Foreign Referenced Citations (2)
Number Date Country
605166 Nov 1934 DE
420966 Dec 1934 GB