BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the blade of a hockey training aid according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the blade of the hockey training aid as viewed in the direction of lines 2-2 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a top view of the handle-insertion portion of the top of the hockey training blade as viewed in the direction of lines 3-3 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the ball showing connection details and the string (tether).
FIGS. 5A and 5B are sectional views of the channel along the lower edge of the blade along the lines 5A-5A and 5B-5B, respectively, of FIG. 1.
FIGS. 6A and 6B show exploded perspective views of an alternative embodiment of the blade in which a portion of the side of the blade is attached to the main portion of the blade to hold the movable bead inside the channel.
Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention is directed to a hockey training aid having a blade that is tethered to a ball.
FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the hockey training aid showing the lower edge 13 and a side of the blade 10 used for hitting the ball 50. Also, the top portion 12 having an opening is shown into which a conventional stick handle is inserted and fastened in place using appropriate fastening elements 6, e.g., screws. The blade toe 5, blade heel 60 and a toe notch 4 are also shown. The blade 10 can be a separate component that can be attached to a stick to make a hockey stick. An alternative version is a blade 10 that is an integral part of a stick.
The specially designed toe notch 4 is vertically oriented near the tip of the blade. It permits the user to practice “curl and drag” maneuvers near the toe 5 of the blade 10.
As shown more particularly in FIG. 1, a central portion of the bottom edge 13 of the blade 10 is preferably raised above a supporting surface, such as a floor or the ground, by virtue of a shoulder between the heel 60 and notch 56 at the rear of the blade, and by the protruding leading edge of the notch 4 at the toe 5 of the blade 10. The central portion of the bottom edge 13 of the blade 10 is raised sufficiently so that the ball 50 may be passed beneath the blade 10 when switching from forehand to backhand positions without trapping the tether between the lower edge of the blade 10 and the playing surface. The central portion is preferably raised about 1.3 cm (0.5 in) high above the playing surface.
A close-up view of the top portion 12 opening of the blade 10 is shown in FIG. 3. Holes 22 and 23 are provided for fastening elements, e.g., screws, to hold the handle in place in the top of the blade 10.
A bottom view of the blade 10 of FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. 2. A channel 7 defined along the lower edge of the blade 10 is visible in this view, showing the two sides or wells of the channel 31 and 32 with their inwardly extending flanges defining a longitudinally extending slit 73 shown in detail in FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B. Inside the channel 7, a bead 71 is shown attached to a string. The bead 71 is freely movable along this channel from the heel end of the blade near the notch 56 to the toe 5.
A sectional view of the channel 7 is shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B along the respective cross-section lines shown in FIG. 1. The bead 71 is free to move within the channel 7 defined by the channel walls 31 and 32, but is prevented from escaping from the channel by the narrow slit 73. In order to place the bead 71 inside the channel when the puck is being initially attached to the blade, a notch 56, shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, is used to snap-fit the bead 71 into the channel 7.
Although the notch 56 is shown located towards the back of the lower edge 13 of the blade, other locations for the notch 56 are also possible. For example, the notch 56 can be located anywhere along one of the two sidewalls 31 and 32 of the lower edge of the blade from the toe 5 to the heel 60, or, alternatively, anywhere along the bottom of the slit 73, as long as the bead 71 can be conveniently put into the channel 7 and held within the channel 7 during use of the blade and ball.
The ball 50 is shown in FIG. 4, with a tether 52 attached at one end to the ball 50 and at the opposite end to the bead 71. The tether 52 simply needs to be adequately secured to the ball 50 in any suitable manner. The ball 50 is preferably a composite having a high density, low rebound thermoplastic core and a polyethylene shell. The shell is preferably made of SURLYN polyethylene by E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co.
A standard, regulation hockey puck is 7.6 cm (3 in.) in diameter, 2.54 cm (1 in.) in height and weighs 154-168 g (5.5-6 oz). The ball 50 preferably weighs slightly less than the regulation puck, yet provides the same action and feel of a puck. The diameter of the ball is preferably about 5.6 cm (2.2 in). The polyethylene shell rolls or slides over any surface, and approximates the same slide of a puck on ice.
The ball 50 preferably has a recess 92 into which an attachment means 94 is secured. The preferred embodiment uses a screw eye for the attachment means 94, which is secured to the ball to that the top of the attachment means does not protrude outside the surface envelope of the ball 50 so that it does not effect the rolling or sliding of the ball 50. The recess 92 is preferably a counter-sunk hole approximately 1.3 cm (0.5 in) in diameter and between 1.3 cm (0.5 in) and 1.9 cm (0.75 in) in depth. A screw eye should be made of steel or a high-grade durable plastic. An example of a suitable ball is the SMARTHOCKEY training ball, which does not come with the recess 92 or any attachment means.
The tether 52 has a bead 71 on one end that attaches to the blade 10. The opposite end of the tether 52 can be attached directly to the ball, or can be secured to a swivel 96 that is secured to the attachment means 94. Using a snap swivel 96 allows for easy detachment and changing to the different tethers 52 required to perform various drills, e.g. stick handling, shooting, and passing. The swivel 96 is preferably similar to ones used in fishing. The swiveling feature helps to prevent the tether 52 from becoming tangled.
During use of the hockey training aid apparatus 10, the ball 50 remains tethered to the blade 10 so that when the blade 10 strikes the ball 50 during stick handling drills, it initially moves away from the blade 10 until the tether 52 reaches its limit. The tether 52 is preferably an inelastic cord, such as a string. Alternatively, the tether 52 may be elastic.
Referring back to FIG. 1, blade 10 is provided with hole 62 to permit an alternative attachment point for a tether 52, i.e., when it is not necessary for the tether 52 to move back-and-forth in the slit 73 of the channel 7 between the toe 5 and heel 60 of the blade 10 during the practice drills, such as for use in self passing drills. This hole 62 is placed at the top of the blade 10, preferably near the center of the blade 10. In this position, the blade 10 can be used for practicing self-passing drills. When the blade 10 is used in this manner, the tether 52 attached to the top hole 62 is preferably made from elastic, so that the ball 50 rebounds to the blade 10. Alternatively, the tether 52 may be an inelastic cord, such as a string.
The blade 10 is preferably a one-piece molded plastic having sufficient strength and toughness to withstand frequent and repeated impacts with a puck. Alternatively, the blade 10 may be made from wood, metal, fiberglass, carbon, or a composite material. The stick handle can be wood or plastic or any other suitable material, provided that it can be inserted into the aperture 12 and securely fastened. The stick can also be made as a single unit, as mentioned above.
In FIG. 6A a modified hockey training aid 100 is shown which has a separate cover 42 that is attached to the blade 80 to enclose the channel 76. Preferably, the cover 42 is permanently attached using rivets that are placed in holes 46. A notch 40 is provided at the toe of the blade. A tether could be attached to the hole 48.
An opening 78, shown in detail in FIG. 6B, is provided to allow the user to insert the bead with the attached tether (not shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B for clarity), into the channel 76. A removable and/or rotatable retaining disc 44 is placed in the opening 78 to ensure that the bead does not inadvertently escape from the channel 76 during use.
FIG. 6A also shows an additional manner of attaching the blade 80 to a stick. In this case, a tenon 82 is used to insert into a hollow stick, preferably into an aluminum replacement shaft or a carbon-fiber-reinforced composite.
Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described herein, the above description is merely illustrative. Further modification of the invention herein disclosed will occur to those skilled in the respective arts and all such modifications are deemed to be within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
Patent Application
20080039240
