Patent Application
20090048043
The present invention relates generally to a lacrosse handle and, more particularly, to a smooth and rounded cap for the handle of a lacrosse stick.
According to current convention, a lacrosse stick typically includes both an elongated handle and a head for attachment to the handle. The elongated handle, often simply referred to as the “shaft,” has both a top end and a bottom end. The head, in turn, is mounted on the top end of the elongated handle and includes both a closed-loop frame and a net suspended substantially within the confines of the frame. Together, the closed-loop frame and the net form an open pocket suited for receiving, holding, and releasing a lacrosse ball.
Lacrosse stick handles are generally hollow and have a desired cross-sectional configuration along substantially the entire length of the handle that is designed to provide an improved grip to a user's hands. The handle can thus be formed in many desired cross-sectional shapes, including octagonal, rounded or oval cross-section.
The top end of the handle is inserted into and attached to the lacrosse stick head, while the bottom end includes a plastic or rubber cap coupled thereto. A typical plastic or rubber cap has a hollowed out interior that is coupled around a portion of the length of the handle at the bottom end and protects the blunt end of the stick. The outer portion of the cap is typically shaped to substantially match that of the handle and may also contain ridges or other structures that prevent the user's hand from sliding off the end of the handle during play.
Accordingly, an advantage of the present invention is to provide a knob for attachment to lower end of a lacrosse stick that provides the user with protection from the blunt end of a lacrosse handle.
It is another advantage of the present invention to provide a knob for attachment to lower end of a lacrosse stick that aids in preventing a user's lower hand from sliding off the handle during play.
It is another advantage of the present invention to provide a knob for attachment to lower end of a lacrosse stick that does not negatively impact a user's ability to control his lacrosse stick during play.
It is another advantage of the present invention to provide a knob for attachment to lower end of a lacrosse stick that provides the user the ability to position his or her lower hand on the knob in a virtually limitless number of possible positions through a ball and socket arrangement that therefore provide the user with enhanced control of the lacrosse stick during play.
In accordance with the above and other advantages, the present invention provides a rounded cap or knob for a lacrosse stick handle that protects the blunt end of the handle during play. The interior of the cap or knob is formed of a flexible rubber-like or rubber material that substantially conforms to the exterior surface of the distal end of the handle, and therefore does not easily slide during usage. The interior also contains a shoulder portion within its interior to correctly position the knob or cap completely around the handle.
The exterior surface of the knob or cap is shaped and sized for accommodation completely within the palm portion of the lower hand of a user. In addition, the rounded shape of the knob or cap allows the user to position his or her palm in a virtually limitless array of potential positions that enhance the user's ability to control the lacrosse stick during play via a ball and socket arrangement.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, when viewed in accordance with the accompanying drawings and appended claims.
Referring now to Figures, which illustrate a lacrosse stick handle generally referred to as handle 10 incorporated into a complete lacrosse stick. The handle 10 is inserted into and attached to a throat (not shown) of a lacrosse head (not shown) at its proximal end 12 and preferably secured using a setting screw (not shown) that passes through the head and the handle to prevent disengagement. It will be understood that other securing mechanisms for coupling the head to the handle may also be utilized. It will be understood that the handle may be attached to the head in a variety of other suitable ways. It will also be understood that the handle can have a variety of lengths and configurations as desired. The distal end 14 of the handle 10 includes a smooth and rounded removable cap or knob 30 that will be described in detail below.
In one embodiment, the proximal end 12 and a portion 16 of the handle 10 near the proximal end 12 each have an octagonal cross-section as shown in
In addition, the external corners 18 and contiguous surfaces of the portion 16 of the handle 10 are thought to provide some resistance to unwanted rotation of the handle 10 within the user's upper hand during cradling and other handling maneuvers over a handle having a round or oval cross-section along this portion 16. As one of ordinary skill recognizes, the term “upper hand” refers to the hand that a user of the lacrosse stick places closer the proximal end of the handle 10, while the “lower hand” refers to the hand that is placed on the lacrosse stick that is closer to the distal end 14. As such, the “upper hand” refers to the right hand when the “lower hand” refers to the left hand, and vice versa.
While an octagonal cross-section in the proximal end 12 and along the portion 16 of the handle 10 is displayed herein, the cross-sectional design of the proximal end 12 and the portion 16 is not limited to the design disclosed herein, but may be formed having a virtually limitless number of potential designs having the same or similar playability characteristics as one of ordinary skill in the art will understand. For example, the cross-section of the proximal end may be rounded, squared, or include any number of corners and contiguous surfaces that are designed to match the throat region of the lacrosse head. In addition, while the cross-section of the proximal end 12 and portion 16 is shown as substantially symmetrical, the cross-section may in fact be asymmetrical. Also, the cross-section of the proximal end 12 may be similar to or different than the cross-section of that of the portion 16 of the handle 10 or other portions of the handle.
As shown in
The handle 10 may be made of any material known in the art which is suited to the rigors of the game of lacrosse, including, but not limited to thermoplastics, lightweight metals, such as titanium or aluminum, graphite-loaded materials and other fiber-reinforced materials. Similarly, the handle 10 may be made of any of the methods well known in the art, including extrusion, molding, casting and machining. The handle 10 is preferably hollow to limit its weight, with the wall width of the handle being sufficient to withstand the mechanical flexing generated by cradling, passing and shooting a lacrosse ball, by gripping the handle 10, and by contacting the handle against other lacrosse sticks, players or the field during play.
The removable smooth and rounded cap or knob 30, in accordance with one preferred embodiment as shown in
The circumference or outer size of the exterior surface 40 is easily accommodated within the palm of a user's hand. In addition, the absence of prominent protruding surfaces on the exterior rounded surface 40 such as edges, ridges, or the like typical of conventional caps allows a user to hold the closed top 34 of the cap 30 and still rotate the handle in an infinite number of relative positions. In essence, the smooth and rounded end knob 30 interacts with a user's hand or palm in a ball and socket kind of arrangement. This provides the user with enhanced control of the lacrosse stick regardless of the positioning of the palm over the rounded closed top 34.
As best shown in
As best shown in
The shoulder portion 56 is preferably integrally formed with the open end 36 and the rounded closed top 34, but may alternatively be inserted within the interior of the open end 36 in a post manufacturing step prior to the lacrosse handle 10 being inserted and still fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention.
The smooth interior surface 64 defines the inner portion of a wall portion 66 of the closed top 34 and is preferably shaped to substantially match the corresponding shape of the exterior surface 40 of the closed top 34. Thus, the interior surface can be formed of a variety of different shapes in order to match the exterior shape of the handle. Alternatively, instead of fitting over the exterior surface of the handle 10, the rounded cap 30 can be configured to be inserted into the handle 10 and still protect the blunt end. A small packaging hole 70 may also be introduced through the wall portion 66. The packaging hole 70 provides a means by which the knob 10 can be coupled to a post portion of a conventional shaft hanger (not shown). The shaft hanger, as one of ordinary skill in the retail world recognizes, allows an item such as the knob 30, or the knob 30 attached to a handle 10, or to a knob attached to a complete lacrosse stick, to be hung on a hook or otherwise displayed in a retail setting.
The outer surface 53 is preferably formed having a similar overall shape to that of the inner surface 52, where the inner surface 52 is rounded and spherical. However, wherein the inner surface 52 is shaped to match the shape of side portion 54 of the lacrosse handle 10, the outer surface 53 does not have the same overall shape as the inner surface 52. Similar to the visible features 42, the outer surface 53 may include one or more visible features (not shown) stamped onto, embossed within or raised outward from the outer surface 53 and still fall within the spirit of the present invention. These features are formed wherein they do not affect the durability or performance of the rounded cap 30.
The rounded cap 30 is preferably formed from a flexible and durable material such as a durable rubber or rubber-like material wherein the thickness of the wall 50 is thin enough such that it easily conforms to the side portion 54 of the distal end 14 of the handle yet thick enough to prevent tearing or breaking as the cap 30 is inserted over the side portion 54. In addition, the thickness of the wall 50 and the wall portion 66 should be sufficiently thick so as to prevent tearing or undue wear during use. The thickness, as one of ordinary skill recognizes, varies depending upon the material used. Non-limiting examples of rubber or rubber-like materials that may be used to form the cap 30 and or the shoulder region 56 include thermoplastic elastomers (“TPE”), thermoplastic rubbers (“TPR”) and thermoplastic urethanes (“TPU”).
The process for forming the rounded cap 30 is similar to processes for forming many small rubber objects and can includes such processes as injection molding, pour molding, or any other forming technique well known to those of ordinary skill in the art.
Having now fully described the invention, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that many changes and modifications can be made thereto without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as set forth herein.
