Claims
- 1. A racquet comprising a frame; and open or closed heart piece; the frame, heart piece and shaft being manufactured as one piece or being connected to each other so as to be fixed; and a grip that is formed as a one-piece sleeve that can be slid onto the shaft and secured thereon when in the fully installed mated position, the inside profile of the cross section of the grip and the outside profile of the cross section of the shaft incorporating supporting surfaces that are a shape-locking fit with each other and extend longitudinally over at least part of the length of the shaft, by means of which the grip is secured on the shaft in such a manner that it cannot rotate independently of said shaft, and wherein, on the one hand, the supporting surfaces of the shaft and, on the other hand, the supporting surfaces of the grip converge in a wedge shape at least over a part of the length of the grip in the direction of the unattached end of the shaft and the supporting surfaces of the grip are parallel to the wedge surfaces of the shaft that work in conjunction with them; and wherein between the shaft and the grip there is a distance piece which is removable and which limits the axial installation movement of the grip and complete installation of the grip in the mated position.
- 2. A racquet as defined in claim 1, wherein the distance piece is connected to the shaft or the grip so as to be releasable.
- 3. A racquet as defined in claim 1, wherein the distance piece is releasably connected to the unattached end of the shaft and is supportable against a stop surface of the grip.
- 4. A racquet as defined in claim 1, wherein the distance piece (3) is connected to the unattached end of the shaft (2) through a nominal break cross section (14).
- 5. A racquet as defined in claim 1 wherein the distance piece is set onto the unattached end of the shaft or is plugged into the unattached end of the shaft.
- 6. A racquet as defined in claim 1 wherein the grip is connectable to the shaft so as to be unreleasable or releasable only with difficulty only after removal of the distance piece, by way of means for securing the grip and shaft together.
- 7. A racquet as defined in claim 1 wherein two, diametrically opposed lugs are formed on the inside surface of the grip and at least one groove is formed transversely to the axis on the shaft the grip consisting of elastically deformable material.
- 8. A racquet as defined in claim 7, wherein the lug and the groove are defined axially by defining surfaces that are transverse to the axis of the shaft and the spacing of the defining surfaces of the lug corresponding to the spacing of the defining surfaces of the groove.
- 9. A racquet as defined in claim 1, wherein the unattached end of the shaft is hollow, consists of elastically deformable material, and incorporates two, diametrically opposed lugs that snap into position behind a step that is formed on the inside surface of the grip.
- 10. A racquet as defined in claim 1, wherein within the grip there is a capsule or a bag that contains a quantity of adhesive and after removal of the distance piece when the grip is slid on into the mated position, this is destroyed by a blade or a pointed pin that is arranged on the end of the shaft.
- 11. A racquet as defined in claim 1, wherein the angle of taper that is subtended between the supporting surfaces is self-locking.
- 12. A racquet as defined in claim 1, wherein the angle of taper subtended between the supporting surfaces is at most 3.degree..
- 13. A racquet as defined in claim 1, the distance piece is so dimensioned that the installation path of the grip as far as the stop on the distance piece is at least 98%, of the total installation path into the mated position when the distance piece has been removed.
- 14. A racquet as recited in claim 13, wherein the distance piece is so dimensioned that the installation path of the grip as far as the stop on the distance piece is 99%.
- 15. A racquet as defined in claim 1, wherein the shaft and the hollow space within the space are of elliptical or octagonal cross section.
- 16. A racquet as recited in claim 1, wherein the angle of taper subtended between supporting surfaces is approximately 1.degree..
Priority Claims (1)
| Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
| 1609/90 |
Jul 1990 |
ATX |
|
Parent Case Info
The present invention relates to a racquet, in particular to a tennis racquet that consists of a frame, an open or closed heart piece, a shaft that adjoins the heart piece, the frame, heart piece and shaft being manufactured as one piece or being connected to each other so as to be fixed, and with a grip that is formed as a one-piece sleeve that can be slid onto the shaft and secured thereon when in the fully installed mated position, the inside profile of the cross section of the grip and the outside profile of the cross section of the shaft incorporating supporting surfaces that are a shape-locking fit with each other and extend longitudinally over at least part of the length of the shaft, by means of which the grip is secured on the shaft in such a manner that it cannot rotate independently of said shaft, and wherein, on the one hand, the supporting surfaces of the shaft and, on the other hand, the supporting surfaces of the grip converge in a wedge shape at least over a part of the length of the grip in the direction of the unattached end of the shaft, and the supporting surfaces of the grip are parallel to the wedge surfaces of the shaft that work in conjunction with them. Such a configuration entails the advantage that one can combine any frame with a heart piece and shaft with any grip. The purchaser can select the frame with its heart piece and shaft to be of the weight that is desired, and can select the grip to fit a particular size of hand, when the dealer can then assemble these two parts. This brings about a considerable reduction of inventory. DE-OS 19 59 368 and DE-OS 24 54 431 describe a racquet, in which a grip can be slid onto a shaft. As described in DE-OS 19 59 368, the shaft and the grip are configured so as to have supporting surfaces that are parallel to each other and when in the mated position the grip is secured to the shaft only means of a transverse screw. Such a transverse screw is not equal to the exacting demands in order to ensure a safe, tight, and rigid connection of the grip with the shaft. According to DE-OS 24 54 431, the supporting surfaces of the shaft and of the grip extend in a wedge shape and converge towards the end of the shaft, and when it is in the fully installed mated position the grip is secured to the shaft by detents and cannot be released. However, the purchaser must be able to try out the racquet using different grips when at the dealer's. However, if the grip is secured to the shaft during this test and is unreleasable for all practical purposes, then it is not possible to remove the grip from the shaft after the first trial.
It is the aim of the present invention to arrive at a configuration that ensures that the grip can be secured to the shaft in the mated position so as to satisfy very exacting demands, and which, despite this, permits the simple removal of the grip from the shaft after a trial. In order to do this, the present invention is essentially such that between the shaft and the grip there is a removable distance piece that limits the axial installment movement of the grip and prevents the grip being fully installed in the mated position. Because of the fact that this removable distance piece prevents such a complete installation into the mated position, the grip can be easily removed after a trial. Only after the satisfactory outcome of a trial is the distance piece removed and the grip pressed securely onto the shaft. As a consequence of the wedge-shaped taper, the grip can be seated securely enough on the shaft for a trial even before the removal of the distance piece, during the trial. The grip can be in the form of a prefabricated grip with the [non-slip]binding already installed. It is expedient that the shaft and the hollow space within the grip be tapered evenly essentially to the whole length of the grip. This ensures not only the secure and tight connection of the grip to the shaft when in the completely installed mated position, such as to satisfy the most exacting demands; it will, above all, ensure a sufficiently secure installation of the grip for the trial as long as the distance piece prevents the grip from being completely installed.
According to the present invention, it is expedient that the distance piece be connected to the shaft or to the grip so as to be releasable. This simplifies testing and above all it will prevent the dealer forgetting to the install the distance piece during the trial and then being unable to remove the grip without causing severe damage to it. According to the present invention, it is preferred that the distance piece be connected to the unattached end of the shaft so as to be releasable, and so as to rest against a stop surface of the grip. This is advantageous because the unattached end of the shaft is accessable. The distance piece can be connected to the unattached end of the shaft by means of a screw. However, in this case, it is once again necessary to use a tool in order to release the distance piece from the end of the shaft. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, for this reason the distance piece is connected to the unattached end of the shaft through a nominal break section so that it can be broken away from the end of the shaft very easily. However, the distance piece can also be mounted on the free end of the shaft, or plugged into this.
It is expedient that the grip be connected unreleasably to the shaft when in the mated position. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, after the distance piece has been removed from the shaft or the grip, the grip can be secured in the mated position by means of a snap-in detent in the area of the shaft end. For all practical purposes, such a connection cannot be released without destroying the grip, or at least damaging it, because the location of the detent is not accessible. According to the present invention, it is expedient that the snap-in detent be formed by at least one, preferably two, diametrically opposed lugs on the inner surface of the grip, and by at least one groove on the shaft that runs transversely to the axis thereof, the grip consisting of elastically deformable material. In this way, there is no need for a separate spring for the detent and the rigidity of the connection is improved. Also according to the present invention, it is expedient that the lug and the groove be defined axially by defining surfaces that are transverse to the axis of the shaft, the spacing of the defining surfaces of the lug corresponding to the spacing between the defining surfaces of the groove. This entails the added advantage that the grip is secured to the shaft in both axial directions by the detent itself. However, according to the present invention, the unattached end of the shaft can be hollow and be of an elastically deformable material, and incorporate at least one, but preferably two, diametrically opposed lugs, which snap behind a step that is formed on the inside surface of the grip.
The rigid connection of the grip to the shaft can also be effected by adhesives. In this case, it is expedient to arrange a capsule or bag which contains a quantity of adhesive within the grip; this is cut or punctured by a blade or pin when the grip is slid into the mated position after removal of the distance piece. The distance piece prevents the capsule or bag being destroyed when the grip is installed for the trial and the blade or the pin only reaches the capsule or the bag when the grip is slid all the way onto the shaft into the mated position, so that the capsule or bag is destroyed and the adhesive can flow out of it.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the angle of the taper that is subtended between the supporting surfaces is self-locking. According to the present invention, the angle of taper that is subtended between the supporting surfaces is at most 3.degree., and preferably approximately 1.degree..
Such an angle of taper ensures, on the one hand, the firm seating of the grip on the shaft when the distance piece has been removed when in the mated position and, on the other hand, sufficiently firm seating of the grip on the shaft during the trial, even with the distance piece in its proper position.
According to the present invention, it is preferred that the distance piece be of such a size that the installation movement of the grip amounts expediently to approximately 99% of the total installation path into the mated position, with the distance piece removed. This, too, ensures a sufficiently firm seating of the grip on the shaft for the trial with the distance piece in position and during the trial the position of the distance piece on the shaft is similarly to its position when in the mated position.
US Referenced Citations (6)
Foreign Referenced Citations (5)
| Number |
Date |
Country |
| 2454431 |
Aug 1976 |
DEX |
| 3344329 |
Jun 1985 |
DEX |
| 3510598 |
Sep 1986 |
DEX |
| 470891 |
Apr 1969 |
CHX |
| 2230458 |
Oct 1990 |
GBX |
Patent Grant
5129656
