Offense/defense dual lacrosse stick

Abstract

A crosse for playing the game of lacrosse that is convertible between offensive and defensive modes. The elongated portion of the crosse where the player places his or her hands features a handle and at least one handle extension that are removably and reversibly attachable to one another in a coaxial arrangement. In the attached arrangement, the overall length of the cross is appropriate for defensive play. When at least one handle extension is detached, the crosse has an overall length that is appropriate for offensive play. Preferably, the crosse features a single handle extension. Also preferable is that the handle and handle extension are approximately the same length.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a lacrosse stick, and particularly to the handle of the stick, that readily and reversibly converts between one that is appropriate for offensive play and one that is appropriate for defensive play.

2. Discussion of Related Art

A number of sports or games rely on equipment that features a stick or shaft. Further, a number of patents pertain to various modifications that their respective inventors have made to the equipment.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,702,702 discloses a lacrosse stick. This invention features an improved guard for supporting the net, and also features making the head or hooked portion from plastic.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,725,437 discloses a ferrule mounted on one end of a billiard/pool cue shaft that has greater compressibility than the compressibility of the shaft. The billiard tip is mounted on the ferrule. Upon impact of the tip with a ball, the ferrule compresses to absorb a portion of impact forces and to provide easy outward flexure with minimal buckling of the end of the shaft during the impact. A bore extends a predetermined distance from the one end of the shaft toward a butt end of the shaft. The bore in the shaft communicates with a bore in the ferrule when the ferrule is mounted on the shaft. The ferrule is mounted on the shaft by means of a tenon formed on one end of the shaft or on the ferrule, which tenon tightly engages the other of the ferrule or shaft. The tip has a smaller than conventional radius to centralize impact forces toward the line of stroke extending along the longitudinal axis of the shaft.

U.S. Pat. No. Des. 350,999 discloses an ornamental design for a soft lacrosse stick.

U.S. Pat. No. Des. 263,248 discloses an ornamental design for a ball playing stick such as a lacrosse stick.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,857,923 discloses a separable shaft that employs plugs adhesively secured within adjoining shaft ends, with one plug exhibiting a male thread and the other exhibiting a female thread. The adjoining shaft ends are sized to fit one tightly within the other and the plugs are positioned to cause one shaft end to overlap and to frictionally engage the other shaft end.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,027,410 discloses a multiple piece cue stick includes multiple stick portions which are coupled together by a sleeve bushing secured to one stick portion and a coupling rod secured to another stick portion. The coupling rod has an elongate shaft which fits within a smooth bore of the sleeve bushing and is coupled to the sleeve bushing by engaging male threads of the coupling rod with female threads of the sleeve bushing.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,447,404 discloses a golf club that includes first and second hollow shaft members that are releasably connected by a hollow connector. The hollow connector has a hollow male connector that has a first portion and a second portion. The second portion is threaded on an exterior surface. The first portion of the male connector is coupled to one of the connecting ends of the shaft members. The hollow connector also has a hollow female connector that is coupled to an interior portion of the other shaft member. The threads on the exterior of the male connector are releasably mated with interior threads on the female connector to provide an assembled golf club that may be disassembled for travel, but has characteristics that do not substantially vary from a similar conventional club. A method of manufacturing a separable-shaft golf clubs is also presented.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,500,079 discloses a variable hand placement sports equipment handle, such as a lacrosse stick handle, hockey stick handle, or field hockey stick handle, that includes a shaft and at least one overlay attached to the shaft at a location of frequent hand placement. The overlays are specially located and structured to provide the shaft with structural and tactile features that correspond to and accommodate the way in which a player moves his hands along the shaft and grips the shaft. The structural and tactile features, such as ribs, grooves, and hourglass and conical shapes, are located on the shaft to enhance a player's control of the shaft when performing various skills.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,582,317 discloses ajoint assembly that enables the rapid and precise self-alignment of two portions of a pool cue. The joint assembly comprises a bushing and a pin, one coupled to each of the two cue portions, the bushing and the pin coupling in the normal male-female fashion to connect the pool cue portions. The bushing has a closed base to prevent glue from leaking into the bushing when the bushing is fastened to a portion of the pool cue. The interior of the bushing comprises a threaded region proximate to the closed base with a tapered portion where the threaded region meets a smooth bore region, and an angled entrance region between the bore region and the opening of the bushing. The pin is fastened to another portion of the pool cue and comprises a threaded head portion to engage the threaded region of the bushing.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,743,116 discloses a golf club that includes first and second shaft members that are releasably connected by a connector that is preferably substantially hollow. The connector has a male connector that has a first portion and a second portion. The second portion is threaded on an exterior surface. The first portion of the male connector is coupled to one of the connecting ends of the shaft members. The connector also has a substantially hollow female connector that is coupled to the other shaft member. The threads on the exterior of the male connector are releasably mated with interior threads on the female connector to provide an assembled golf club that may be disassembled for travel, but has characteristics that do not substantially vary from a similar conventional club. The mass of one connector is concentrated on its periphery.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,752,730 discloses an improved handle for a lacrosse stick generally comprising a rigid elongated member, having a length and a longitudinal axis, comprising a plurality of ridges and trenches which extend along substantially the entire length of the elongated member and which are substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,960,144 is a Divisional of U.S. Pat. No. 6,500,079. It claims an overlay insert where the lacrosse player may grip the handle, the overlay insert being molded to the lacrosse stick at the junction where the handle joins the head of the lacrosse stick.

The concept of providing a removably detachable shaft is known in the context of golf clubs and cue sticks for billiards or pool. There, the purpose or motivation is to render the golf club or pool cue stick more compact for ease of transportation or shipping. This prior art makes no teaching, suggestion or motivation to provide such a reversibly separable shaft, handle or stick for the purpose of converting the club or pool cue from one form that is appropriate for playing the game, to another form which is also appropriate for playing the game of golf or pool. The games of golf and pool, for example, do not provide for different modes of play, e.g., offense and defense, or at least do not have different forms of clubs and cue sticks for the different forms.

The prior art neither discloses nor suggests a lacrosse stick that is reversibly convertible from one fixed length to another fixed length. The prior art neither discloses nor suggests a lacrosse stick that is reversibly convertible from one mode of play to another mode of play. The prior art neither discloses nor suggests a lacrosse stick that is reversibly convertible from an offensive mode of play to a defensive mode.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

Thus, in view of the present state of the game of lacrosse and the equipment used to play the game, it is an object of the present invention to increase the adaptability of the lacrosse stick.

It is an object of the present invention to be able to quickly and easily convert back-and-forth between a lacrosse stick that is appropriate for offensive play and one that is suitable for defensive play.

It is an object of the present invention to be able to temporarily reduce the length of a defensive lacrosse stick for transport and storage purposes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention arose in part, from the inventor's observation that the different modes or forms of lacrosse sticks, that is, the offensive and defensive modes, differ substantially only in the length of the handle portion of the stick. Thus, the above objects and other objects of the present invention are achieved by providing a lacrosse stick whose handle features two or more sections or segments that are removably and reversibly attached to one another in a co-axial manner. When attached, the overall length of the stick is appropriate for a defensive player, and when detached, the overall length of the lacrosse stick is appropriate for an offensive player. The reversible attachment mechanism may be by way of threads, friction fit, locking pins, barrel or bayonet mounts, etc. Regardless of whether the lacrosse stick is in offensive or defensive mode, the butt end of the stick is arranged to accommodate an injury-protective device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIGS. 1A and 1B are front and side views, respectively, of a prior art lacrosse stick;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the lacrosse stick of the present invention; and

FIGS. 3A-3C show screw, bayonet and spring-loaded pin means for attaching a handle and handle extension segment to one another in a co-linear or coaxial manner.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION AND PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A lacrosse stick is referred to in the NCAA Rules (“the Rules”) for the game of men's lacrosse as a “crosse”. Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, a crosse 10 consists of a handle 12 having a proximal end 14 (sometimes referred to as the “butt end”) that is closest to the player, and a distal end 16 that terminates in a head 18. The head features a “pocket” or “net” 20 into which the lacrosse ball is caught by a player, and from which the ball is thrown by a player. The head is made from a side wall 22 that is approximately perpendicular to the handle, and which is strung with netting 24 such as woven gut lacing to form the pocket. The Rules state that the crosse shall be made of wood, laminated wood or synthetic material. Furthermore, the Rules also require that all hollow crosse handles made of metal or synthetic material must have a plastic or wood plug 26 on the end, or must be adequately taped to prevent injury. Thus, the handle may be solid or hollow. The Rules are silent on the shape or cross-section of the handle, so seemingly the handle may have a circular cross-section, or a non-circular cross-section such as an octagon or other polygon.

The Rules also state that the crosse shall be an overall fixed length of either 40 to 42 inches (102 to 107 cm) for a short crosse, or 52 to 72 inches (132 to 183 cm) for a long crosse, except for the goal-keeper's crosse, which shall be 40 to 72 inches (102 to 183 cm) long. The short crosse must be used by a player on offense, and the long crosse must be used by a player on defense. Adjustable length handles are illegal, according to the Rules.

The present invention is not directed to crosses having adjustable length handles, but instead is directed to crosses that are convertible between one fixed length and another fixed length. More specifically, the present invention is directed to crosses that are convertible back-and-forth between lengths appropriate for an offensive mode of play, and those appropriate for a defensive mode of play. Referring to FIG. 2, the invention is realized by providing a short crosse 28 to which one or more fixed-length handle extensions 30 or segments may be attached to the butt end 32 to increase the overall length in such a way as to meet the NCAA specifications for a long crosse. In view of the length specifications for long and short crosses, the total length of all handle extensions must be in the range of 10 to 32 inches (25 to 81 cm). In a preferred embodiment, the number of handle extensions is limited to one. In another preferred embodiment, the handle and handle extension are about the same length. Particularly preferred is a short crosse whose handle has a length of about 30 inches (76 cm), and the total length of handle extensions to convert the short crosse to a long crosse is also about 30 inches (76 cm).

In this preferred embodiment, the handle extension 30, like the handle itself, has a proximal end 34 and a distal end 36, with a continuous shaft 38 between the two ends. The proximal ends of the handle and handle extension can be configured to accept an injury-preventing material or device such as tape or a plug 26. The distal end of the handle extension 36 is arranged to be removably and reversibly attached to the proximal end of the handle 32. This means that the handle and handle extension may be attached and detached without limit. Similarly, the proximal end of the handle is arranged to be removably and reversibly attached to the handle extension. The handle and handle extension are typically arranged to be attached to one another in a coaxial configuration.

Any removable/reversible attachment means known in the art may be used to connect the handle and handle extension. For example, the attachment mechanism may be by means of threads, e.g., a threaded rod, where the handle extension 30 features male threads 40 and the handle 28 features female threads 42, or vice-versa, such as illustrated in FIG. 3A. The respective threads are arranged to engage each other to provide an attachment that cannot be pulled apart under reasonable tensile loads. Alternatively, the handle 28 and handle extension 30 may reversibly join to one another by means of a “barrel” or a “bayonet” locking mechanism such as shown in FIG. 3B. Here, pin 44 engages slot 46 such that handle 28 and handle extension 30 cannot be disassembled unless the opposite sequence of rotational and longitudinal movements between the two is performed as was used to assemble the handle and handle extension. In a further alternate embodiment, the handle 28 and handle extension 30 may be reversibly joined by means of a spring-loaded locking pin 48, such as depicted in FIG. 3C. To attach, spring loaded pin is pressed and held in, handle extension 30 is pressed longitudinally into handle 28. If necessary, the handle and handle extension are rotated with respect to one another until spring loaded pin 48 and hole 50 line up for engagement. Different still, the handle and handle extension may be reversibly joined by means of a friction fit or press fit.

Any injury-preventing device that is attached to the proximal end of the handle when the crosse is used in offensive mode, that is, for offensive play, should be arranged such that it does not interfere with the attachment of the handle extension for conversion of the crosse to defensive mode. Preferably, the injury-preventing device attached to the proximal end of the handle is readily removable. If a thread attachment mechanism is used, it may not matter whether the threads on the proximal end of the handle are male or female. If female threads, the injury-preventing device may take the form of a plug that fits inside the female threads, and preferably one that has male threads that engage the female threads of the handle. If male threads are employed on the proximal end of the handle, then the injury-preventing device may take the form of a cap that fits over the male threads, and preferably one that features female threads that can engage with the male threads of the handle. Alternatively, and regardless of whether the threads on the proximal end of the handle are male or female, the injury preventing device may consist of, or contain, adhesive tape.

The following example illustrates with still more specificity several preferred embodiments of the present invention. This Example is meant to be illustrative in nature and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention.

EXAMPLE

This Example demonstrates the conversion of a defensive crosse to an offensive form of the crosse. The steps may simply be inverted to convert the offensive crosse back to the defensive version. Further, this Example features the spring-loaded pin attachment mechanism of FIG. 3C; however, it should also be applicable to other attachment means.

The defensive crosse is grasped. Specifically, the handle is grasped in one hand, or grasped in a fixture, and the handle extension is grasped with another hand near the distal end. The spring-loaded pin is engaged in the hole, in its extended position. The spring-loaded pin is pushed in, for example, using a thumb. When the pin is pushed to a level beneath the inside wall of the handle, axial or longitudinal tension is applied to the handle and handle extension, that is, a force is applied in a direction tending to pull them apart from one another. The handle extension thus separates from the handle. An injury preventing device such as a plug may be placed over the exposed hollow proximal end of the handle. The means by which the injury-preventing device attaches to the handle can be by way of a friction fit, for example. This is readily accomplished when the injury-preventing device is made from an elastomer such as rubber. The handle extension may now be set aside, and the remaining portion of the crosse is now ready to be used in offensive mode.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The methods and manufactured articles of the present invention should find utility with individuals who wish to play both offensive as well as defensive positions in the game of lacrosse. They should also find utility with lacrosse equipment manufacturers because the uniqueness and versatility of the present invention should enhance the manufacturer's brand or image. They should also find favor with lacrosse equipment retailers because the interchangeability between offensive and defensive crosses should increase their marketability. The present invention is also useful in that a defensive mode crosse may be disassembled to reduce its overall length, thereby easing transport (such as on an airplane) or storage (such as in a locker). Further, irreparable damage to either the handle extension or the balance of the crosse may not require the complete replacement of a defensive mode cross, but rather only the portion that is damaged.

An artisan of ordinary skill will appreciate that various modifications may be made to the invention herein described without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method of converting a crosse, comprising: (a) providing an offensive crosse comprising a handle having a proximal end, a distal end that is attachable to a head, and a shaft therebetween; (b) providing a handle extension having a proximal end and a distal end and a second shaft therebetween, wherein the proximal end of the handle and the distal end of the handle extension are arranged to be releasably attachable to one another, and (c) attaching said distal end of said handle extension to said proximal end of said handle to form a converted crosse, wherein said converted crosse has a length that meets the specifications of a defensive crosse.

2. A crosse that is convertible between offensive and defensive forms, comprising a handle and at least one handle extension that are removably and reversibly attachable to one another such that when said handle and said at least one handle extension are attached to one another, said crosse has an overall length that is appropriate for a defensive player, and when said at least one handle extension is removed, said crosse has an overall length that is appropriate for an offensive player.

3. The crosse of claim 2, wherein said handle and said at least one handle extension attach in a coaxial arrangement.

4. The crosse of claim 3, wherein a distal end of one handle extension attaches to a proximal end of said handle.

5. The crosse of claim 3, wherein a distal end of one handle extension attaches to a proximal end of another handle extension.

6. The crosse of claim 2, wherein a handle extension that is closest to the player comprises a proximal end comprising an injury preventing device.

7. The crosse of claim 2, wherein when said crosse has an overall length that is appropriate for offensive play, said handle or handle extension that is closest to the player comprises a proximal end comprising an injury preventing device.

8. The crosse of claim 7, wherein said injury preventing device is removable.

9. The crosse of claim 2, wherein said handle and said at least one handle extension are attachable by any means known in the art.

10. The crosse of claim 2, wherein said handle and said at least one handle extension are attachable by at least one of threads, a bayonet lock, a friction fit, and a spring-loaded pin-and-hole arrangement.

11. The crosse of claim 2, wherein at least one of said handle and handle extension is hollow.

12. The crosse of claim 2, wherein at least one of said handle and handle extension comprises wood.

13. The crosse of claim 2, wherein at least one of said handle and handle extension comprises a synthetic material.

14. The crosse of claim 2, wherein at least one of said handle and handle extension comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of metal, polymer and glass.

15. The crosse of claim 2, wherein at least one of said handle and handle extension has a circular cross-section.

16. The crosse of claim 2, wherein at least one of said handle and handle extension has a non-circular cross-section.

17. The crosse of claim 2, wherein said handle is about 30 inches (76 cm) in length.

18. The crosse of claim 2, wherein an overall length of said at least one handle extension is about 30 inches (76 cm).

19. A method of converting a crosse, comprising: (a) providing a defensive crosse comprising (i) a handle having a proximal end, a distal end that is attachable to a head, and a shaft therebetween, wherein said handle has an overall length that is appropriate for an offensive crosse, and (ii) a handle extension having a proximal end, a distal end, and a shaft therebetween, wherein said distal end of said handle extension is removably attached to said proximal end of said handle; and (b) removing said handle extension.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said defensive crosse comprises a plurality of handle extensions, and further wherein a distal end of one handle extension is attached to a proximal end of another handle extension.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein a plurality of said handle extensions are removed to convert said defensive crosse to an offensive crosse.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein after removing at least one handle extension, at least one other handle extension remains attached to said handle.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein after removing said handle extension, said proximal end of said handle is covered with an injury-preventing device.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein after removing said at least one handle extension, said proximal end of said at least one other handle extension is covered with an injury-preventing device.