Patent Application
20080176670
The present disclosure relates in general to a hand grip or a sports grip, and more particularly to new and improved hand grips manufactured with a liquid injection molding process particularly suited as grips for shock imparting implements.
There are many forms of grips available on the market today for a wide variety of implements. These implements can range from hammer handles or other hand tools to sports implements like tennis, squash, or racquetball rackets, or golf clubs. While the present invention is particularly suited as a golf club grip and described with reference thereto, it should be immediately apparent that the present invention is not intended to be limited only to golf grips and extends to any sports grip or hand grip for a shock imparting implement.
Originally, golf club grips consisted primarily of a leather wrap around a handle. Later, molded rubber grips became available and are still in wide use today. A recent variation on the molded rubber grip is the concept of using a rubber sleeve or underlisting on the handle with leather or synthetic leather wrap spirally wrapped around the underlisting for a softer hand feel. Grips are made today from a wide variety and combination of materials.
Silicone is often used commercially today as a substitute for natural rubber products. The term silicone as employed herein is meant to include but not be limited to silicone rubber and the various silicone elastomers made from the different polyorganosiloxanes, cure mechanisms, and fillers that are commercially available. Silicone has advantageous properties over natural rubber with respect to durability, flexibility over a wide temperature range and resistance to ozone and ultraviolet attack as well a grip feel. Because of these superior properties, some grip manufacturers are manufacturing grips formed from silicone. Unfortunately, silicone can be a somewhat difficult material to work with particularly for forming suitable grips for tools and sporting implements.
There still exists a need for an improved silicone grip that imparts or receives shock or force to or from a shock imparting implement. The grip should provide a firm grasp with little or no slippage, good grip feel, and good resistance to torque as well as good shock absorbing qualities.
The subject disclosure provides a liquid injection molding process (“LIM”) for forming a hand grip. While the liquid injection molding process of the present disclosure is particularly suited for manufacturing silicone hand grips, other materials such as natural and synthetic rubber or other thermoplastic elastomers may also be employed with the disclosed liquid injection molding process. The hand grip can be formed with a single durometer value, or alternatively with at least two durometer values, if desired, for providing a grip with good grip feel and torsional resistance.
A grip for a shock imparting implement comprising a liquid injection molded elongated flexible sleeve constructed to slide on a shaft of the shock imparting implement, and a liquid injection molded outer layer of material covering the sleeve.
The various features of novelty which characterize the present disclosure are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding and its operating advantages attained with its use, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, and descriptive matter.
The present disclosure now is described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.
Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. In the figures, the thickness of certain lines, layers, components, elements or features may be exaggerated for clarity. Broken lines illustrate optional features or operations unless specified otherwise. All publications, patent applications, patents, and other references mentioned herein are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
Even though embodiments of the present invention are particularly suited for use as golf club grips and reference is made specifically thereto, it should be immediately apparent that embodiments of the present invention are applicable to any device or article requiring the use of a hand grip, for example, tools, ski poles, racquets, and the like.
Referring initially to
The illustrated sleeve 10 is formed from a resilient polymeric material such as, for example, silicone, natural rubber, synthetic rubber, polyurethane, thermoplastic elastomers, thermoplastic rubbers, fluorosilicone, Santoprene, or Kraton compounds etc. In one embodiment, the sleeve is a silicone rubber commercially available from GE Silicones, Dow Corning, Wacker Silicone, Rhodia Silicone, for example. Moreover, the sleeve 10 may comprise a “dual-durometer” material wherein hardness of the sleeve material is different or even is different at different portions of the sleeve, or even still have an overmold or cover layer with a different hardness value. As is known to those skilled in the art, a durometer is an international standard for the hardness measurement of rubber, plastic and other non-metallic materials. Durometers are described in the American Society for Testing and Material specification ASTM D2240. In one embodiment, the sleeve may have a hardness range of about 50 to 70 Durometer Shore A.
The illustrated sleeve 10 includes a proximal end 12 and an opposite distal end 14. A nipple 16 is located at the proximal end 12. The nipple 16 includes an aperture 18 in communication with passageway 11 and through which a golf club shaft is inserted. The illustrated nipple 16 has a tapered outer peripheral wall portion 20 that is spaced apart from the body of the nipple 16 and that defines an optional upwardly facing circumferential slot 22. A cap 24 is located at the distal end 14 and has an outer peripheral wall portion 26 that is spaced apart from the body of the cap 24. The outer peripheral wall portion 26 defines an optional downwardly facing circumferential slot 28, as illustrated. Embodiments of the present invention, however, are not limited to the illustrated sleeve 10. As one example, slots 22, 28 are optional features to the grip according to the present disclosure.
Compression molding methods typically place flexible panels on the sleeve 10. The panels as known in the art can have any shape and configuration depending upon the shape and configuration of a sleeve around which they are to be wrapped and bonded. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure as seen in
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, an outer layer 30 may be smooth or may contain designs, patterns, or impressions formed or printed therein. It should be immediately apparent that the flexible sleeve 10 may separately include designs, patterns, or impressions printed or formed thereon. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, layer 30 may be clear or may have one or more colors and/or graphics, designs, or patterns thereon.
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While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.
