AU702696B2 - Hockey sticks - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to hockey sticks, especially to field hockey sticks (indoor or outdoor).

Field hockey sticks conventionally comprise a ball-striking head portion, a grip portion, and a shaft portion between the head and grip portions. The head portion conventionally is offset axially from the co-axial shaft and grip portions, and typically the head portion is curved so that the stick shape resembles substantially an upwardly-elongated letter Field hockey sticks conventionally are made primarily of wood.

Usually at least the head portion is of mulberry or similar type of wood owing to its toughness and resilience. Hockey sticks constructed of synthetic material such as reinforced plastics material have been proposed ~but generally have been found to be unsatisfactory in that they do not have Sthe desirable playing characteristics of wood.

The present invention provides a hockey stick which has ball-playing S.characteristics of a wooden ball-striking surface and advantages accruing from a separate body construction of synthetic material.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention there is provided a main body component for a hockey stick, comprising a casing of synthetic 0 material substantially in the shape of at least the head portion and/or the shaft portion of a hockey stick and having, on the forward (front) surface 0.0. of the casing shape, a recess for receiving a ball-striking face insert of wood or of material having wood-like ball-playing characteristics.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention there is provided a hockey stick or a head and/or shaft therefor having a main body component defined in the immediately preceding paragraph and a ball-striking face insert of wood or material having wood-like ball-playing characteristics located securely in the recess.

The main body component may have an integral head, shaft and grip shape. Alternatively, the main body component may have only a head shape to which separately produced shaft and grip portions may be affixed, or may have only a shaft shape to which separately produced head and grip portions may be affixed, or may have an integral head and shaft shape to which a separately produced grip portion may be affixed.

The casing of the main body component incorporates an encased cavity which may be left hollow or may be filled with material.

When the main body component comprises an integral grip portion, the grip portion may incorporate a cavity or it may be substantially solid.

The recess on the forward surface of the casing of the main body component preferably should be of a shape and dimensions sufficient to receive in secure attachment a face insert extending over at least a major part of the forward (front) face of the head portion. The head portion recess may extend into the forward face of the shaft portion. Alternatively, separate recesses may be provided in the head and shaft portions.

Preferably the recess area is such that the face insert provides effectively the full forward face of the head. The recess may have a continuous or discontinuous periphery. In one embodiment the recess may be open at the toe end of the head shape.

.The depth of the recess preferably should be sufficient to receive a face insert of thickness sufficient at least to confer the playing characteristics of a wood, especially mulberry, surface. The recess depth may be substantially uniform or it may vary, for instance, longitudinally and/or laterally.

Examples of suitable recess depths are in the range 1 to 4 cm.

The surface of the recess may be substantially smooth or it may be grooved and/or roughened to promote secure attachment of a face insert.

The recess may have a groove or flange on its peripheral wall to receive a complementary flange or groove on the peripheral wall of the face insert, for instance to provide a dovetail joint between a face insert tenon and a recess mortise.

The synthetic material of the casing suitably is of plastics material and preferably is of reinforced plastics material. The plastics material may be thermoplastic or thermosetting. Examples of suitable thermosetting materials are epoxy, phenolic and polyester resins. An example of a suitable thermoplastic material is nylon.

The plastics material preferably is fibre reinforced. Examples of suitable fibre materials are carbon, glass and aramid.

The wall thickness of the casing suitably should be sufficient to confer the requisite rigidity, strength and weight for a hockey stick, taking into account properties of the particular synthetic material employed for the casing and properties of the material, if any, contained within the encased cavity. By way of example the casing wall thickness may be in the range 3 to 7 mm.

The cavity encased by the casing suitably may contain other material, for instance to confer sound and/or vibrational characteristics to the hockey stick. For example, the cavity may be filled with cellular plastics or rubber, for instance a polyurethane foam.

If desired, a head and/or shaft portion having a non-uniform weight distribution, for instance longitudinally and/or laterally, may be achieved by .selection of the thickness of the casing wall and/or the density distribution of the cavity-filling material.

The main body component preferably is a moulded article. The casing may be produced by, for example, compression moulding and/or injection moulding.

The face insert may be affixed, or partially affixed, in the forward recess of the casing during moulding of the main body component. For instance, the face insert may be assembled with, or as part of, the mould for the main body component so that the casing synthetic material becomes self-bonded to the face insert during the moulding process.

Alternatively the face insert may be affixed in the recess of a preformed main body component. Means for affixing the face insert in the recess of a preformed main body component include any one or more of: bonding by use of an adhesive composition, mechanical attachment by complementary interlocking formations on the insert and recess, and mechanical securement by screws or the like.

In any case, preferably the face insert should have a snug fit with the recess so that there is no discernible gap or step at the adjoining face edges.

The face insert preferably is of wood, especially mulberry, but alternatively may be of other material having ball-playing properties similar to those of wood, for example nylon.

By way of example only, one embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing which shows, in diagrammatic form, a moulded main body component 1 for a field hockey stick comprising a synthetic material casing 2 encasing a cavity which is filled with material 3, e g cellular plastics material, and having on the forward (front) surface of the head and lower shaft portions a surface recess 4 in which is securely located a wooden (mulberry) face insert 5 extending over the normal ballstriking area of the stick.

Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise", or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.

THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS: 1. Main body component for a hockey stick, comprising a casing of synthetic material substantially in the shape of at least the head portion and/or the shaft portion of a hockey stick and having, on the forward (front) surface of the casing shape, a recess for receiving a ball-striking face insert of wood or of material having wood-like ball-playing characteristics.

2. Component according to Claim 1 being of a field hockey stick.

3. Component according to Claim 1 or 2 wherein the synthetic material of the casing is plastics material.

4. Component according to Claim 3 wherein the plastics material is fibrereinforced.

Component according to any of the preceding Claims wherein the casing is a moulded article.

6. Component according to Claim 5 wherein the casing is a 00.. compression- and/or injection-moulded article.

7. Component according to any of the preceding Claims wherein the 555, -'"casing encases a cavity containing solid material.

8. Component according to Claim 7 wherein the cavity contains plastics or rubber cellular material.

9. Component according to any of Claims 1 to 6 wherein the casing encases a cavity which is left empty.

10. Component according to any of the preceding Claims wherein the recess is in the head portion extending into the shaft portion.

11. Component according to any of the preceding Claims wherein the casing wall thickness is in the range 3 to 7 mm.

12. Component according to any of the preceding Claims having a nonuniform weight distribution resulting at least partially from variation of the casing wall thickness and/or, when solid material is contained in the casing cavity, density distribution of said contained solid material.

13. Main body component for a hockey stick, substantially as described with reference to, and/or as shown in, the accompanying drawings.

14. Component according to Claim 1 and substantially as described

Claims (4)

16. Hockey stick according to Claim 15 wherein the face insert is of mulberry wood.

17. Hockey stick according to Claim 15 or 16 wherein the face insert provides at least a major part of the forward face of the head.

18. Hockey stick according to any of Claims 15 to 17 wherein the face insert is located securely in the recess by means comprising complementary interlocking formations on the insert and recess.

19. Hockey stick substantially as described with reference to, and/or as shown in, the accompanying drawings. Hockey stick according to Claim 15 and substantially as described herein. ".DATED this 1 th day of January 1999 DUNLOP LIMITED °oo By its Patent Attorneys DAVIES COLLISON CAVE ABSTRACT HOCKEY STICKS Main body component for a hockey stick, comprises a casing of synthetic material substantially in the shape of at least the head portion and/or the shaft portion of a hockey stick and having, on the forward (front) surface of the casing shape, a recess for receiving a ball-striking face insert of wood or of material having wood-like ball-playing characteristics. to too o: 0, o e