Patent Application
20170319922
The invention relates to sports implements and, more particularly, to hockey sticks and other sports implements (e.g., lacrosse sticks).
Sports implements are used in various sports to strike, propel, or otherwise move a puck, ball, or other object.
For example, in hockey, a player uses a hockey stick to move, pass, and shoot a puck or ball during a game. Notably, the hockey stick comprises a shaft for holding by the player and a blade for handling the puck or ball. When not in use, it is generally desirable to have a manner in which to display and/or store the hockey stick. For instance, a retailer may wish to display a selection of hockey sticks at a point of sale (e.g., a store), or in some cases, the player may wish to display his/her hockey stick(s) at home.
A hockey stick's structure may not provide many options for displaying and/or storing thereof. For example, traditionally, retailers display their selection of hockey sticks on a rack on which the hockey sticks may be disposed vertically by standing each hockey stick on its blade, or in other cases, on a wall support on which the hockey sticks may be disposed horizontally and supported on their shafts. Other variations of display and storage solutions exist, but in general, they involve supporting the hockey stick on its shaft and/or its blade.
Similar issues often arise in other sports, such as lacrosse, in which players use sticks or other sports implements.
For these and other reasons, there is a need for improvements in hockey sticks and other sports implements.
According to a first broad aspect, the invention provides a hockey stick. The hockey stick comprises a blade, a shaft to be held by a player, and an end cap mounted to the shaft. The end cap comprises an end portion comprising an end of the end cap that defines a longitudinal end of the hockey stick, and a hanging portion comprising a hanger to hang the hockey stick. The hanger is adjustable.
According to another broad aspect, the invention provides an end cap for a hockey stick. The hockey stick comprises a blade and a shaft to be held by a player. The end cap is mountable to the shaft and comprises an end portion comprising an end of the end cap to define a longitudinal end of the hockey stick, and a hanging portion comprising a hanger to hang the hockey stick. The hanger is adjustable.
According to another broad aspect, the invention provides a method of providing a hockey stick. The hockey stick comprises a blade, a shaft to be held by a player, and an end cap mounted to the shaft. The end cap comprises an end portion comprising an end of the end cap that defines a longitudinal end of the hockey stick. The end cap also comprises a hanging portion comprising a hanger to hang the hockey stick. The hanger is adjustable between a first state in which the hockey stick is hangable by the hanger and a second state in which the hockey stick is not hangable by the hanger. The method comprises causing the hanger to be in the first state and the hockey stick to be hung by the hanger and causing the hanger to be changed to the second state.
According to another broad aspect, the invention provides an end cap for a sports implement. The sports implement comprises an elongated member that comprises a handle to be held by a player. The end cap is mountable to the elongated member and comprises an end portion comprising an end of the end cap to define a longitudinal end of the sports implement, and a hanging portion comprising a hanger to hang the sports implement. The hanger is adjustable.
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.
In this example, the hockey stick 10 is a “mini” hockey stick, i.e., a miniaturized version of a hockey stick, which can be used by the player (e.g., a child or other individual) for playing “mini” hockey (e.g., with a miniaturized version of a hockey goal). In other examples, the hockey stick 10 may have a regular size (i.e., not be a mini hockey stick) to be used by the player to play regular hockey (e.g., ice hockey, roller hockey, or street hockey).
The hockey stick 10 comprises an end cap 30 defining a longitudinal end 32 of the hockey stick 10, which can sometimes be referred to as a “butt end” of the hockey stick 10. In this embodiment, the end cap 30 is provided to aesthetically complete the hockey stick 10 and to enhance use of the hockey stick 10, such as by protecting the player and/or helping the player manipulate the hockey stick 10 when playing. In addition, in this embodiment, as further discussed below, the end cap 30 allows the hockey stick 10 to be hung, such as at a point of sale (e.g., a store) or another location where the hockey stick 10 may be displayed.
The shaft 12 is configured to be held by the player to use the hockey stick 10. The shaft 12 includes a front surface 16 and a rear surface 18 opposite one another, as well as a top surface 22 and a bottom surface 24 opposite one another. Longitudinal proximal and distal end portions 26, 28 of the shaft 12 are respectively adjacent to the handle 20 and the blade 14 and define a length of the shaft 12. A length L of the hockey stick 10 is measured from a proximal end 34 of the shaft 12 along the top surface 22 of the shaft 12 through the blade 14, as shown in
A cross-section of the shaft 16 may have any suitable configuration. For instance, in this embodiment, with additional reference to
In this embodiment, the shaft 12 is a composite shaft. That is, the shaft 12 is at least mainly (i.e., mainly or entirely) made of composite material. For example, in this embodiment, the shaft 12 comprises a wall 40 made of the composite material and forming a cavity 42 which extends along at least part, in this case all, of its length. The cavity defines an internal surface 45 of the shaft 12. The cavity 42 may be hollow or may contain a filler (e.g., foam). For instance, the shaft 12 may be a fiber-matrix composite shaft comprising fibers disposed within a hardened resin matrix. The fibers may be aligned and oriented in defined directions with an outer layer often being a woven fiber. Various fibers may be employed including carbon, aramid, boron, glass, etc. The shaft 12 may have aligned layers of fibers and a woven outer layer. The shaft 12 may be formed by wrapping plies over a mandrel and then curing or by overlaying fibers around a mandrel that is then fed into a heating element to cure the resin.
The shaft 12 may have any other suitable shape and/or be constructed in any other suitable way in other embodiments. For example, in some embodiments, the cross-section of the shaft 12 may have any other suitable configuration (e.g., the front surface 16, the rear surface 18, the top surface 22, and/or the bottom surface 24 may be curved and/or angular and/or have any other suitable shape) and/or may vary along the length of the shaft 12. As another example, in some embodiments, the shaft 12 may comprise wood, aluminum or any other suitable material (e.g., the shaft 12 may be a metallic shaft made of aluminum or other suitable metal, may be made of a combination of metal and fiber composite, or may be a wooden shaft).
The blade 14 is configured to allow the player to pass, shoot or otherwise move the puck or ball. With additional reference to
In this embodiment, with additional reference to
The blade 14 may have any other suitable shape and/or be constructed in any other suitable way in other embodiments. For example, in some embodiments, the blade 14 may comprise a wooden core. Also, the blade 14 may be a replaceable component of the hockey stick 10 and thus removable from the shaft 12.
The end cap 30 is mountable to the shaft 12 adjacent to the handle 20 to define the longitudinal end 32 of the hockey stick 10. In this embodiment, the end cap 30 forms an enlargement that is larger than the cross-section of the shaft 12 at the handle 20. This may be useful, for instance, to help the player pick up the hockey stick 10 when it is dropped. Also, in this embodiment, the end cap 30 is removably mountable to the shaft 12 such that it can be mounted and removed from the shaft 12 as desired.
With additional reference to
The hanger 72 is adjustable. That is, the hanger 72 is changeable in state, i.e., in position, configuration, and/or one or more other aspects. Notably, in this embodiment, the hanger 72 can be adjusted depending on whether the hockey stick 10 is to be hung on the support 74 or used to play.
The end cap 30 extends from the end 68, which is a first end, to a second end 69 along a longitudinal axis 75 which defines a longitudinal direction of the end cap 30. The end portion 66 of the end cap 30 is configured to be precluded from being inserted into a hollow space of the shaft 12 adjacent to the handle 20 (e.g., the cavity 42). To that end, the end portion 66 has cross-sectional dimensions that are larger than the cross-sectional dimensions of the shaft 12. More particularly, a cross-section of the end portion 66 normal to the longitudinal direction of the end cap 30 is larger than a cross-section of the shaft 12 normal to the longitudinal direction of the shaft 12. In this embodiment, the end cap 30 has a plurality of lateral sides 761, 762, 763, 764, including a first lateral side 761 opposite to a second lateral side 762, and a third lateral side 763 opposite to a fourth lateral side 764. In use, the first and second lateral sides 761, 762 of the end cap 30 face the front and rear surfaces 16, 18 of the shaft 12 respectively while the third and fourth lateral sides 763, 764 of the end cap 30 face the top and bottom surfaces 22, 24 of the shaft 12 respectively.
In this embodiment, the end cap 30 is generally rectangular and thus has four lateral sides. However, in other embodiments, for example where the shaft 12 may have more or less than four lateral sides (e.g., in cases where the shaft has a hexagonal cross-section), the end cap 30 may have more or fewer lateral sides in order to match the sides of the shaft 12.
Also, in this embodiment, contrary to the end portion 66, the hanging portion 70 of the end cap 30 is configured to be inserted into the cavity 42 of the shaft 12. To that end, the cross-sectional dimensions of the hanging portion 70 are made smaller than the cross-sectional dimensions of the end portion 66. More particularly, the cross-section of the end portion 66 of the end cap 30 normal to the longitudinal direction of the end cap 30 is larger than a cross-section of the hanging portion 70 normal to the longitudinal direction of the end cap 30.
The hanging portion 70 comprises an attachment 78 defining the second end 69 of the end cap 30. In this embodiment, the attachment 78 is such that it fits tightly into the cavity 42 of the shaft 12 to prevent the end cap 30 from being accidentally removed from the hockey stick 10 when used by the player. As such, the attachment 78 is configured to engage the internal surface 45 of the shaft 12. More particularly, in this embodiment, the attachment 78 is configured to engage the internal surface 45 of the shaft 12 via a press-fit. In other words, the attachment 78 is a “press-fit” attachment that engages the internal surface 45 of the shaft 12 by a press-fit of the hanging portion 70 in the cavity 42 of the shaft 12. As such, the attachment 78 frictionally engages the internal surface 45 of the shaft 12. To that end, in this embodiment, the attachment 78 comprises a plurality of attachment members 801-80A that are spaced apart from one another in the longitudinal direction of the end cap 30. Each attachment member 80i engages the internal surface 45 of the shaft 12. The attachment 78 comprises a core 82 from which the attachment members 801-80A project outwardly (in use, towards the internal surface 45 of the shaft 12). In this embodiment, a cross-section of the core 82 normal to the longitudinal direction of the end cap 30 varies in size in the longitudinal direction of the end cap 30. More specifically, in this example of implementation, the core 82 tapers in the longitudinal direction of the end cap 30 away from the end portion 66 of the end cap 30.
In this embodiment, the hanger 72 of the hanging portion 70 comprises a body portion 84 and an opening 86 in the body portion 84 for receiving the support 74 for the hockey stick 10. More specifically, in this example of implementation, the opening 86 is disposed in a recess 88 in the body portion 84 and extends from the first lateral side 761 to the second lateral side 762 of the end cap 30. The opening 86 may extend from the third lateral side 763 to the fourth lateral side 764 of the end cap 30 in other embodiments.
In this example of implementation, the hanger 72 is adjustable between a “hanging state” in which the hockey stick 10 is hangable by the hanger 72 (e.g., on the support 74) and a “non-hanging state” in which the hockey stick 10 is not hangable by the hanger 72. Thus, the hanging state of the hanger 72 is for displaying the hockey stick 10 while the non-hanging state of the hanger 72 is for using the hockey stick 10 to play hockey.
In this embodiment, the hanger 72 is adjustable such that the hanger 72 is movable relative to the shaft 12. That is, a position of the hanger 72 relative to the shaft 12 is different in the hanging state of the hanger 72 and in the non-hanging state of the hanger 72. In particular, the hanger 72 is movable relative to the shaft 12 between a hanging position in which the hockey stick 10 is hangable by the hanger 72 and a non-hanging position in which the hockey stick 10 is not hangable by the hanger 72. In the hanging position, the hanger 72 is exposed such that the hanger 72 is accessible. In the non-hanging position, the hanger 72 is concealed such that the hanger 72 is inaccessible. More specifically, in the non-hanging position, the hanger 72 extends deeper into the cavity 42 of the shaft 12 than when the hanger 72 is in the hanging position.
The hanging portion 70 further comprises a retainer 90 to retain the hanger 72 relative to the shaft 12 to allow the hanger 72 to hang the hockey stick 10. More specifically, the retainer 90 retains the hanger 72 in the hanging position such that the hanger 72 is exposed and accessible. To that end, the retainer 90 is configured to engage a longitudinal end of the shaft 12, notably the proximal end 34, to resist insertion of the hanging portion 70 of the end cap 30 into the cavity 42 of the shaft 12 beyond the retainer 90. In this example of implementation, the retainer 90 comprises a retaining projection 92 projecting transversally to the longitudinal direction of the end cap 30. In this embodiment, the retaining projection 92 extends on the first lateral side 761 of the end cap 30. That is, the retaining projection 92 extends on a single one of the lateral sides 761, 762, 763, 764 of the end cap 30. In other embodiments, the retaining projection 92 may extend on more than one of the lateral sides 761, 762, 763, 764 of the end cap 30.
The retainer 90 is deformable to adjust the hanger 72. In particular, the retainer 90 is deformable such that it deforms when an increased load is applied on the end cap 30 to insert the end cap 30 into the cavity 42 of the shaft 12 beyond the retainer 90. That is, the retainer 90 resists insertion of the hanging portion 70 of the end cap 30 into the cavity 42 of the shaft 12 as long as a load applied on the end cap 30 to insert the end cap 30 into the cavity 42 is smaller than an insertion load FIN. Once the load applied on the end cap 30 to further insert the end cap 30 into the cavity 42 is equal to or greater than the insertion load FIN, the retainer 90 deforms thus allowing further insertion of the end cap 30 into the cavity 42 of the shaft 12 to move the hanger 72 into its non-hanging position. As such, the retainer 90 is deformable to move the hanger 72 between the hanging position and the non-hanging position.
In this embodiment, the end cap 30 comprises an elastomeric material. For instance, in this example, the end cap 30 comprises rubber. In other embodiments, the end cap 30 may be made from any other suitable material.
Also, in this embodiment, the end cap 30 is a one-piece end cap. That is, an entirety of the end cap 30 is integrally made and thus constitutes a single component. More specifically, in this embodiment, the end cap 30 is molded to constitute a molded one-piece end cap. In this example of implementation, the end cap 30 is injection molded. The end cap 30 may be molded in any other suitable way.
Thus, the hockey player or retailer wishing to display and/or store the hockey stick 10 causes the hanger 72 to be in its hanging state such as to hang the hockey stick 10 by the hanger 72 (e.g., via the support 74). At a point of sale, this may be useful to hang multiple hockey sticks on a single support 74. Once it is no longer desired to hang the hockey stick 10 by the hanger 72, the hockey player or retailer causes the hanger 72 to be changed to its non-hanging state. For example, an instruction is provided to change the hanger 72 to its non-hanging state once the hockey stick 10 is removed from the support 74 at the point of sale of the hockey stick 10.
The hockey stick 10 may be constructed in various other ways in other embodiments.
For instance, in a variant, the hanger 72 can be adjusted from its hanging state to its non-hanging state without changing the position of the hanger 72. For example, as shown in
In this specific example of implementation, the filling member 96 of the adjustment mechanism 94 is integrally made with the end cap 30. That is, the filling member 96 of the adjustment mechanism 94 and the end cap 30 are a one-piece component. For instance, the filling member 96 may be connected to the remainder of the end cap 30 (e.g., to the body portion 84 of the hanger 72) by an arm 98.
In another variant, the end cap 30 may not be removable from the hockey stick 10. That is, in some embodiments, the end cap 30 may be a permanent component of the hockey stick 10.
In another variant, the end cap 30 may comprise components that are movable relative to one another and interact to allow the end cap 30 to be hangable and non-hangable.
For instance,
In this example, the base 178 also comprises an end portion 176 that is enlarged relative to the core 182 and the attachment members 1801-180A. More specifically, the end portion 176 is sized such that it abuts the longitudinal end 34 of the shaft 12 to preclude insertion of the base 178 into the cavity 42 of the shaft 12 beyond the end portion 176.
The hanging portion 171 comprises a hanger 172 that is configured similarly to the hanger 72 described above in many respects, notably comprising a body portion 187 and an opening 186 in the body portion 187 for receiving the support 74 for the hockey stick 10. The hanger 172 also comprises an end portion 190 that defines the longitudinal end 32 of the hockey stick 10. The hanger 172 is adjustable between a hanging state in which the hockey stick 10 is hangable by the hanger 172 and a non-hanging state in which the hockey stick 10 is not hangable by the hanger 172. The hanging state of the hanger 172 is for displaying the hockey stick 10 while the non-hanging state of the hanger 172 is for using the hockey stick 10 to play hockey.
The hanger 172 is movable relative to the base 178 in the longitudinal direction of the end cap 130 to be adjusted. Thus, a position of the hanger 172 relative to the base 178 is different in the hanging state of the hanger 172 and in the non-hanging state of the hanger 172. In particular, the hanger 172 is movable relative to the base 178 between a hanging position in which the hockey stick 10 is hangable by the hanger 172 and a non-hanging position in which the hockey stick 10 is not hangable by the hanger 172. To that end, the hanger 172 is disposed in a cavity 184 of the base 178 that extends in the longitudinal direction of the end cap 130. The cavity 184 is defined by an inner surface 186 of the base 178 and, in this example, traverses an entirety of the base 178, including the core 182 and the end portion 176 thereof. In the hanging position, as shown in
The hanger 172 is configured to be retained in the cavity 184 of the base 178 such as to resist movement of the hanger 172 relative to the base 178. For instance, the body 187 of the hanger 172 comprises an exterior peripheral surface 188 that engages the inner surface 186 of the base 178 such that a frictional engagement between the exterior peripheral surface 188 of the body 187 of the hanger 172 and the inner surface 186 of the base 178 retains the hanger 172 in the cavity 184 of the base 178.
In this embodiment, the hanger 172 is movable relative to the base 178 by applying an insertion force on the end portion 190 of the hanger 172, as shown in
In this example of implementation, the hanger 172 is also configured to be prevented from entering too far into the cavity 184 of the base 178. To that end, the hanger 172 comprises a protrusion 191 at the end portion 190 of the hanger 172. The protrusion 191 is configured to engage the base 178 such as to prevent insertion of the hanger 172 into the cavity 184 beyond the protrusion 191. This may be achieved by sizing the protrusion 191 such that it does not fit within the cavity 184 of the base 178. Furthermore, in this example, the protrusion 191 is configured to engage a recess 192 of the base 178 that is sized such as to receive the protrusion 191. Thus at least a portion of the protrusion 191 is received within the recess 192. In some cases, this may allow the end portion 190 of the hanger 172 to be flush with a top surface 175 of the base 178 when the hanger 172 is in its non-hanging position.
Although in this embodiment the sports implement 10 is a hockey stick, in other embodiments, the sports implement 10 may be any other implement used for striking, propelling or otherwise moving an object in a game of another sport. For example, in other embodiments, the sports implement 10 may be a lacrosse stick for a lacrosse player, in which the object-contacting member 14 of the lacrosse stick 10 comprises a lacrosse head for carrying, shooting and passing a lacrosse ball.
Any feature of any embodiment described herein may be combined with any feature of any other embodiment described 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.
In describing embodiments above, terminology is resorted to for the sake of clarity but the invention is not intended to be limited to specific terms used, and it is understood that each specific term comprises all equivalents.
Unless otherwise indicated, the drawings are intended to be read together with the specification and are to be considered a portion of the entire written description of the invention. As used in the preceding description, the terms “horizontal”, “vertical”, “left”, “right”, “up”, “down” and the like, as well as adjectival and adverbial derivatives thereof (e.g., “horizontally”, “rightwardly”, “upwardly”, “radially”, etc.), simply refer to the orientation of the illustrated structure. Similarly, the terms “inwardly,” “outwardly” and “radially” generally refer to the orientation of a surface relative to its axis of elongation, or axis of rotation, as appropriate.
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.
