Patent Application
20090113669
The present disclosure relates to flexible grips for hand-grasped implements or tools and particularly, grips of the type which may be installed on the tool or implement handle after manufacture of the basic device. Such grips are employed, for example, on sporting goods such as golf clubs or tennis racquets and on tools such as carpenter's and mason's hammers and garden tools, where it is desired to provide a resilient or flexible grip comfortable to the hand yet providing adequate retaining force or friction to prevent the implement or tool from slipping from the hands of the user upon movement in use.
In certain applications it has been found desirable from a marketing viewpoint to provide a transparent or optically clear grip on the tool or implement in order that the user may view a trademark, design or informational marking provided on the handle during manufacture. Such transparent grips have found acceptance in the marketplace; however, it has been difficult to provide a transparent or optically clear outer surface to the flexible material utilized for the grip. In addition, if the outer surface of the flexible grip is sufficiently smooth or polished to provide the desired transparency, this has adversely affected the ability of the user to maintain a tight grip thereon during use. Therefore, it has been desired to provide a flexible grip for a tool or implement which has a transparent or optically clear surface and yet one which retains gripability of a flexible grip having a textured opaque outer surface.
The present disclosure describes a flexible grip for a tool or implement of the type which is molded of transparent flexible material and has an optically clear outer surface with raised, textured portions thereon integrally formed with the transparent grip to provide the desired gripability. The grip is formed in a cavity in a mold with the surface of the cavity having depressions provided therein for molding raised or textured portions on the exterior surface of the grip. After formation of the texture depressions in the mold, the remaining surface of the mold cavity is highly polished to provide a similar surface to the transparent grip material upon molding therein. The grip may be formed of any desirable flexible material such as elastomeric material or thermoplastic elastomer for providing the desired flexibility.
Referring to
The arrangement of the depressions is shown in enlarged detail for the lower mold section 12 in
The surfaces 14, 16 of the mold sections 10, 12 are highly polished to a mirror-like surface after the formation of the depressions 18, 20 and prior to molding. In the present practice it has been found satisfactory to polish the surfaces 14, 16 to about an 8 micro inch or better surface.
Referring to
The present disclosure thus describes a flexible grip for use with hand held implements or tools which has the material of the grip transparent or optically clear with a polished outer surface having raised portions thereon producing a textured surface for facilitating gripping. The grip is formed in mold cavities with depressions formed therein to allow for material to flow therein to create the raised portions for the textured surface; and, the surfaces of the mold cavity are then highly polished to provide an optically clear outer surface to the molded grip.
The exemplary embodiment has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments. Obviously, modifications and alterations will occur to others upon reading and understanding the preceding detailed description. It is intended that the exemplary embodiment be construed as including all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.
