The present invention relates to a sports racket, and more particularly to a sports racket configured to provide increased driving force to an object struck by the racket; and still more particularly to a stringed sports racket having a discontinuous frame with a biasing member mounted across the gap formed within the discontinuous frame.
Sports racket designs, such as a typical tennis racket, have remained relatively unchanged. Traditional rackets consist of a frame having a head equipped with strings and a handle attached to the head. The stretching and contracting of the strings when a ball is struck provides some of the rebounding power imparted to the ball. Racket designers have unsuccessfully attempted to add racket power by spring loading the connection of the handle to the head. These efforts have been unsuccessful, in part, due to the need of a heavy spring which results in a heavy racket.
Further, the repeated stretching and contracting of racket strings in a traditional racket during aggressive play often leads to string breakage. During tournament play, a broken string may result in a loss of points or a loss of the match itself.
It is a principal object of the present invention to address these, as well as other, needs by providing a sports racket having a frame with a discontinuous head and a biasing member mounted across the gap formed within the discontinuous head so as to provide increased driving force to an object struck by the racket and to diminish string breakage.
Briefly described, a racket includes a handle to be gripped by a user and a head. The head has a frame defining an open interior having a perimeter. The frame is coupled to a first end of the handle at a first point along the perimeter. The frame is discontinuous and includes a first terminus and a second terminus defining a gap along the perimeter at a second point which is different than the first point. A biasing member is coupled to the first and second termini so as to span the gap. A plurality of strings traverses the open interior, with a first set of spaced strings being arranged angularly offset from a second set of spaced strings to form a grid-like string pattern. The first set of spaced strings may be interwoven with the second set of spaced strings and each of the first and second sets of spaced strings may be oriented at about a 45 degree angle with respect to a longitudinal axis of the handle.
In a further aspect of the present invention, the first terminus may include a first casing having a first internal opening width and the second terminus may include a second casing having a second internal opening width. At least a portion of the first casing may then be slidably received within the second casing with the biasing member dimensioned to be received within the first casing.
In another aspect of the present invention, the second point (i.e., the biasing member) is opposite the first point (i.e., the handle) on the parameter. The distal end end of the handle may define a rounded cross-section and the biasing member may be a helical compression spring or an elastic tubular ring.
Numerous applications, some of which are exemplarily described below, may be implemented using the present invention.
The present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Referring now to
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With continued reference to
During use, racket 10 is initially in an unloaded condition wherein biasing member 34 is at rest and non-biased, with strings 36 taut within the plane created by frame 16. Thereupon, contact with an object, such as a tennis ball, against strings 36 exerts a displacement force against strings 36 which displaces strings 36 outwardly of the plane of frame 16, thereby Istretching strings 36 with string potential energy (PE). Displacement of strings 36 may then cause frame 16 to flex such that first terminus 30 moves toward second terminus 32. Such movement compresses biasing member 34 whereby biasing member 34 becomes loaded with biasing member PE. Once the displacement force equals the sum of the string PE and biasing member PE, the object momentarily comes to a standstill before being subjected to a rebound force. The rebound force propels the object away from racket 10 due to release of the stored string PE and biasing member PE.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, the rebound force exerted by racket 10 upon the object is greater than the rebound force exerted on the object by a prior art racket. Without being tied exclusively to any theory, it is believed that the discontinuity of frame 16, along with biasing member 34, allows racket head 14 to temporarily deform in the region of gap 28 thereby allowing biasing member 34 to compress and store a predictable amount of biasing member PE therein, which can then be controllably released and redirected into the rebound force.
To accommodate the movement of first and second termini 30, 32 of frame 16, described above, first terminus 30 may include a first casing 42 having a first internal opening width D1 while second terminus 32 may include a second casing 44 having a second internal opening width D2. The cross-sections of casings 42 and 44 may be of any shape, including circular, square, rectangular or oval. D1 and D2 are dimensioned such that at least a portion 42a of first casing 42 is slidably received within second casing 44. Additionally, biasing member 34 is dimensioned to have a third width D3 slightly smaller than D1 whereby biasing member 34 may be received within first casing 42. Portion 42a has a length L which is selected to be greater than the allowable movement of first terminus 30 with respect to second terminus 32 such that first casing 42 and biasing member 34 cannot exit second casing 44 upon exertion of the displacement force on strings 36, as discussed above.
While the invention has been described by reference to various specific embodiments, it should be understood that numerous changes may be made within the spirit and scope of the inventive concepts described. Accordingly, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the described embodiments, but will have full scope defined by the language of the following claims.