The disclosure herein relates to a paddle for a ball and paddle sport, such as pickleball. While other sports such as tennis have been known to have a paddle that has an open throat, pickleball paddles have not generally. As the sport begins to become more open to the idea of allowing an open throat paddle, those involved may find advantages to such and/or may develop ways to create such.
The Detailed Description is set forth with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The use of the same reference numbers in different figures indicates similar or identical items. Furthermore, the drawings may be considered as providing an approximate depiction of the relative sizes of the individual components within individual figures. However, the drawings are not to scale, and the relative sizes of the individual components, both within individual figures and between the different figures, may vary from what is depicted. In particular, some of the figures may depict components as a certain size or shape, while other figures may depict the same components on a larger scale or differently shaped for the sake of clarity.
This disclosure is more specifically directed to a pickleball paddle having an opening, i.e., aperture, through-hole, void, etc., through a lower end of the paddle face, near the handle. The opening goes all the way through the paddle so as to be open through both playable faces (i.e., front and back) of the paddle. Note, for clarity, the opposing playable faces of the paddle discussed herein are the largest two opposing planar faces of the paddle body. Moreover, though referred to herein as “first” and “second” or “front” and “back,” such labels are merely used for the sake of orienting the reader to assist in defining the structure of the paddle. Nevertheless, the labels are not intended to definitively mean that one face is a “front” face and the other is a “back” face as if to assert that a player using the paddle could only play with the “front” face facing forward in the act of playing the game of pickleball. Rather, in play, either of the opposing faces are equally usable for gameplay.
In an embodiment, the opening may be disposed at a portion of the paddle faces that is within a lower third of the opposing playable paddle faces (front and back). That is, an opening may be confined to a dimensional area (i.e., larger or smaller) within the lower third of a paddle face between the edging and the predominant playing surface above the aperture. The dimensional area of the opening may be limited to a certain percentage of the total area of the lower third of the faces of the paddle.
In an embodiment, the inside peripheral borders of the opening may be reinforced. For example, adhesive, additional material, structured reinforcement measures such taping, rigid border seals, and other materials distinct from those existing in the rest of the paddle face may be used to strengthen the border of the aperture.
In an embodiment, the opening in the paddle face may improve the performance of the user and the paddle. For example, the opening reduces the air resistance and drag on the paddle surface when a user swings the paddle. Accordingly, possible advantages of the opening include: increasing a user's ability to control the paddle, providing the option of a faster swing, increased power in the hit, and modification of the position, size, and dynamic characteristics of the paddle's sweetspot (i.e., a location on a paddle where the ball engages the paddle at the peak hit effectiveness).
In an embodiment,
In an embodiment, the first playing surface 108 and the second playing surface 110 have an opening 114 (e.g., aperture, through hole, hole, void, gap, empty space, etc.) that passes completely through both surfaces 108, 110. The perimeter of the opening 114 may further be coated, sealed, or other covered with an inner cover 116. The inner cover 116 may provide structural support to reduce the risk of causing damage to the core of the paddle 100 during play.
The opening 114, as shown, is wholly contained within approximately a lower third portion 102a of the head 102 of the paddle 100. The term “approximately” as used with respect to defining the lower third portion 102a may include a range of the paddle surface area of the head 102 that extends from the handle 104 (through the transition portion 106) up toward the upper edge of the head 102, which range extends as much as 5% greater than a third (i.e., 33%) of the length of the head 102. Accordingly, in an embodiment, the opening 114 may extend within the transition portion 106, which is located in the lower third portion 102a of the head 102, and may not extend into the upper two thirds portion 102b of the head 102.
In an alternative embodiment not shown, it is contemplated that a single opening (either alone or as an additional opening in combination with an opening defined as opening 114), or a pair of symmetrically spaced openings, may extend into the upper two thirds portion 102b of the head 102. In such an embodiment of symmetrically spaced openings, the openings may be confined within opposing, laterally-spaced, third portions of the paddle 100 in the lateral direction (i.e., adjacent opposite lateral sides of the paddle). Note the lateral direction is considered to extend transversely to the direction of extension between the lower third portion 106a and the upper two thirds portion 106b.
In an embodiment, the opening 114 may be considered to be in the “throat” area of the paddle 100. In the example of a pickleball paddle, such paddles are known to have an entirely of the head formed as a playable surface. In the instant disclosure, however, the opening 114 is fully contained in the frame of the head, in the playing surface area (i.e., within the first playing surface 108 and the second playing surface 110) of the paddle 100. That is, the opening 114 passes directly through the playing surfaces 108, 110 and the core materials, creating a void. Thus, the remaining portions of the head 102 (i.e., the playing surfaces 108, 110 and core materials therebetween), next to the opening that abut the side edge 112 of the paddle 100, still contain core materials and are not modified to be structural reinforced frame elements, like the frames found in a traditional tennis racket having an open throat. Moreover, unlike a tennis racket with a hole in the “throat” of the racket where there is no string anyway, the paddle 100 has an opening 114 in framed playing area, and as such, actually reduces the amount of surface from which a user might have otherwise engaged a ball during play.
Despite the reduction in playable surface area on the head 102, unique improvements are found in the paddle 100. In an embodiment, the placement of opening 114 as described above, which is directly in the first playing surface 108 and the second playing surface 110, may create a different sweetspot and provide additional advantages, some of which are described above. For example, the sweetspot may be displaced further up the head 102 of the paddle 100 and/or, in some instances, the size of the sweetspot may be actually reduced in size. However, it is contemplated that paddles with openings such as opening 114 make have the sweetspot increase in size and/or the sweetspot may be displaced lower on the head 102 of the paddle. The potential alteration of the sweetspot on the paddle 100 may further depend on other characteristics, such as the material and structure of the core, and/or the shape of the opening 114, and/or the orientation/size of the opening 114.
As shown in
In addition to the above defining characteristics, as shown in
In an embodiment, the significance of the overall size including the vertical expanse and the lateral expanse (i.e., width) of the opening 114 may be quantified as follows. For example, an average height (H) of the shape of the opening 114 may be about 2 inches (e.g., +/−0.25 inches). In other embodiments, the average height (H) may range from 0.5 inch to 3 inches; from 1 inch to 2.5 inches; or from 1.5 inches to 2 inches. Inasmuch as the height (H) varies along the width (W) direction of the opening 114, the average height (H) may be determined as the average of the sum of the distances measured from top to bottom of the void in the opening 114 in the head 102.
Likewise, an average width (W) of the shape of the opening 114 may be about 4 inches (e.g., +/−0.25 inches). In other embodiments, the average width (W) may range from 1.5 inches to 5 inches; from 2 inches to 4.5 inches; from 2.5 inches to 4 inches; or from 3 inches to 3.5 inches. Inasmuch as the width (W) varies along the height (H) direction of the opening 114, the average width (W) may be determined as the average of the sum of the distances measured from lateral side to lateral side of the void in the opening 114 in the head 102.
Further, the shape of the opening 114 may differ from what is depicted in the figures, as the shapes depicted are merely exemplary. Thus, while the shape of the opening 114, as shown, may be symmetrical about one or more axes along the paddle 100 (e.g., along A), and/or may conform with a standard geometric shape (e.g., triangle, square, ellipsis, etc.) (see
In
Although several embodiments have been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the claims are not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather, the specific features and acts are disclosed as illustrative forms of implementing the claimed subject matter.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/290,461, filed on Dec. 16, 2021, and titled “OPEN THROAT PADDLE,” the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein for all purposes.
Number | Date | Country | |
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63290461 | Dec 2021 | US |