Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
  • A63B49/00—Stringed rackets, e.g. for tennis
  • A63B49/02—Frames
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
  • A63B49/00—Stringed rackets, e.g. for tennis
  • A63B49/02—Frames
  • A63B49/025—Means on frames for clamping string ends
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
  • A63B49/00—Stringed rackets, e.g. for tennis
  • A63B49/02—Frames
  • A63B49/035—Frames with easily dismountable parts, e.g. heads, shafts or grips
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
  • A63B51/00—Stringing tennis, badminton or like rackets; Strings therefor; Maintenance of racket strings
  • A63B51/01—Pre-woven string-sets ready for insertion into a frame
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
  • A63B51/00—Stringing tennis, badminton or like rackets; Strings therefor; Maintenance of racket strings
  • A63B51/02—Strings; String substitutes; Products applied on strings, e.g. for protection against humidity or wear
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
  • A63B60/00—Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
  • A63B60/54—Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like with means for damping vibrations
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
  • A63B49/00—Stringed rackets, e.g. for tennis
  • A63B49/02—Frames
  • A63B2049/0205—Frames comprising at least two similar parts assembled with the interface plane parallel to the string plane
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
  • A63B49/00—Stringed rackets, e.g. for tennis
  • A63B49/02—Frames
  • A63B49/022—String guides on frames, e.g. grommets

Definitions

• This invention concerns racquets of the type used in the sports of tennis, badminton, squash, racquet-ball and the like.
• it concerns strings for use in such racquets, and racquet frames and racquets of novel construction.
• the string retaining means referred to above may take any suitable form, depending on the nature of the racquet head to which the string or set of strings is to be attached. If the strings are to be attached to a conventional form of racquet, the string retaining means will typically be a compressible and resilient wedge-shaped, arrowhead shaped or generally, conical member affixed to or formed integrally with the string, or each string in the set of strings. The point of the wedge, arrowhead or cone will be directed towards its nearest string end, but a short length of the string or a similar material will usually extend from the point of the wedge, arrowhead or cone to the end of the string.
• the strings may be of any suitable material
• a racquet frame has a head portion which is formed to have:
• the substantially C-shaped slots may be in the shape of three sides of a rectangle, with two sides of each slot common with a side of the adjacent slots, in which case the racquet head will have a generally castellated appearance.
• racquet head With the "slotted" form of racquet head, means may be provided to prevent the strings from being removed from the racquet after they have been fitted to the racquet head.
• a convenient form of such means is a generally planar member, adapted . to fit over the racquet head and cover the groove or slots in the racquet head frame.
• the imple ⁇ mentation of racquet frames having a racquet head which is adapted to receive the strings of the prese invention A further aspect in the present invention is the provision of .a racquet construction in which the racquet head is constructed as two interlocking members, adapted to retain a woven mesh between them to form the - strings of the racquet.
• one of the head frame members will have a single projection member extending around substantially its entire oval form, and the other head frame member will be provided with a single projection receiving member extending around substantially all its oval form and adapted to receive the projection member of the first head frame member.
• the head frame members of this aspect of the present invention may be constructed to retain a woven mesh of
• a particular form of the present invention is a racquet in which two moulded -half-frames are brought together with a woven mesh of strings between their head regions, and the ' three component parts are secured together to fcr the racquet.
• Yet another form of the present invention is the provision of a moulded racquet, with the strings of the racquet held in the moulding.
• This form of the invention is realised by locating a mesh of strings in a mould, (in the shape of a racquet or racquet head) , then injecting molten plastics material into the mould to form the racquet (or head) and to simultaneously bond the strings into the head portion.
• the mould for this type of racquet (or head) is preferably formed as two cooperating mould members, between which a mesh of strings can be clamped.
• a racquet as a multi- component unit, with a separate head member detachably secured to a neck member, which is, in turn, detachabl secured to a grip member; (b) the provision of other pre-moulded laminated racquets; (c) the provision of removable grips for a racquet; and (d) the provision of a novel form of dampener, for reducing the transfer of vibrations in the strings of a racquet to the handle of' the racquet, and thence to the arm of the user of the racquet.
• This last aspect of the present invention is the use of dampeners which comprise two substantially parallel, generally planar, elongate, plate-like members, which are dimensioned to fit over one string or a plurality of strings of the racquet, with a vibration-damping material carried on the opposed faces of the plates.
• Figure 1 shows, schematically, a selection of forms of the single string concept of the present invention.
• Figure 2 illustrates four examples of woven mesh sets of strings for a racquet, each set provided with a different edge construction, for mounting the set of strings on a racquet head frame.
• Figure 3 is a perspective sketch of three short lengths of racquet head frame, each provided with means for mounting one of the sets of strings illustrated in Figure 2 on the racquet head frame.
• Figure 6 depicts a short length of two head frame members, adapted to be intermeshed to form a racquet head.
• Figure 7 is a section through the head frame members of Figure 6 when (a) the head frame members are separated and (b) the head frame members are interlocked.
• Figure 8 illustrates the use of a string clamp with the head frame members of Figures 6 and 7.
• Figure 11 shows the construction of dampene for use with racquets.
• Each of the single strings that are illustr in Figure 1 has a main section 10A, 10B, IOC, 10D, 10E, 10F that is of length d which is determined by the inte ded location of the string in a racquet of specified shape and dimensions.
• a string retaining member 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D, HE, 1 At or near each end of the strin is a string retaining member 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D, HE, 1
• the string retaining members will be described in more detail below.
• Some of the strings have a short end len of thread, string material or the like 12A, 12B, 12C, 1 at their ends.
• the strings shown in Figures 1(a), 1(b) and 1(c) may be used to string or re-string a conventional racquet frame.
• the string retaining members 11A, 11B and 11C are, respectively, wedge-shape arrowhead shaped and conical, with the pointed end of " each member directed away from the other string retaini member of the string, hen the strings are laid out as shown in Figure 1.
• the string retaining member HA, 11B, 11C is made of a compressible but resilient material, and is bonded to or formed integral with its respective main section 10A, 10B, IOC. If, fo example, the main section 10A, 10B, 10C is of nylon or other synthetic material, the string retaining member may be of -the same material, and attached to the string by a combined pressure moulding and welding
• the string can be tensioned, after both string retaining members have been pulled through their respective holes in the racquet head frame, by the application of heat or other means. After mounting a string in a racquet head frame, the end lengths 12A, 12B, 12C can be cut off.
• the set of strings may be held together during storage and handling prior to the assembly of a racquet by a water-soluble glue.
• Another alternative is to store the assembled woven meshes in shaped bags of polyethylene, or like containers.
• the string may be. mounted in a racquet head frame having the structure of Figure 4(c).
• the ring, spade or the like is taken through the elongate slot 35 (the elongate direction of which need not be parallel to the planes of edge faces 21 and 22, as shown in Figure 4 (c) ) from inside the racquet head frame, and then the ring, spade or the like is rotated and positioned in an elongage slot 36 which is formed in the outer edge of the frame and extends for only a short distance into the frame.
• the elongate direction of slot 36 is not necessarily perpendicular to the elongate direction of slot 35, as shown in Figure 4(c). If two strings of a racquet are formed together, as a single loop, the racquet frame structure of Figures 3(a), 4(a), 4(d) and 5 may be used to support such strings.
• the dimensions of, and spacing of, slots 26, and 31, and individual C-shaped slots 37 must, of course, be carefully selected to ensure that the individual strings, when positioned in the frame, form a regular woven matrix.
• t final product is a racquet with strings which cannot b accidentally removed from the racquet head frame while the racquet is being used for sporting purposes, but i the strings are damaged, the entire set of strings, or an individual string or pair of strings, can be replac quickly, easily, and without complicated or expensive equipment being required.
• flanges 30 and/or 29 may be adapted to be a press-fit or a snap-fit into their res ⁇ pective groove or slots.
• Other mounting means may, of course, be used.
• Slots 31, which correspond to slots 26 of the embodi ⁇ ments of Figures 5(a), 5(b) and 5(c), will normally ' be formed as slots of semi-circular cross-section in each laminate.
• the two laminates may be held together, when loop 5 of the string structure has been positioned wit groove 32, by any suitable means, including adhesive an by use of screws, clips, press-fittings and snap-fittin
• the racquet head frame structures of Figure 5(a), 5(b) and 5(c) may also be used to support double strings, formed as a single filament loop. In these circumstances (and for the purpose of this specificatio adjacent slots 26,together with that portion of groove 2 (or 25b, or 25c) which interconnects them, form the equ alent of a C-shaped slot.
• Figures 6, 7 and 8 there illustrated a racquet head frame constructed of two interlocking head frame members, 60 and 61.
• Each head frame member has a main body 62, which is planar in for having a planar edge 63 which forms a face -edge of the racquet.
• This clamp arrangement may comprise a pair of • planar surfaces, formed one. on each of the head frame sections.
• the clamp arrangement may com ⁇ prise cooperating opposed surfaces (such as a concave surface on one racquet head frame section forming a clamp with a convex surface of the other head frame section) , or a pair of matched corrugated surfaces.
• the clamping arrangement may comprise a series of smaller clamping regions, each adapted to clamp one string of the racquet or a small plurality of strings of a racquet.
• clamping ' arrangements which may be used in this manner,, and if required, they may utilise glue or be effective only when screws joining the racquet head frame members are tightened.
• racquet may be dismantled for better packing when being transported (particularly when parcelled for sending by mail) and it is possible for a purchaser of a racquet to select the weight of the co ponent parts, and the grip configuration, which best suits the purchaser.
• the racquet illustrated in Figure 10 may be made of only two parts - that is, a handle and a head section, so th the head is, essentially, a disposable item.
• Another variation is the use of a grip of cloth, leather or othe suitable material, which is lined with "velcro" or a similar material to removably join it to the end of the racquet handle. Such grips can be readily replaced.
• the rod 83 of the racquet illustrated in Figure 10 may be adapted to be tightened to different degrees within the threaded region 85 of ' head 80, thereb providing means for -varying the stiffness of the racquet shaft.
• a still further variation in racquet constru tion is the provision of dampeners of a novel design, f use with racquets, particularly with tennis racquets and squash racquets.
• a dampener is used to reduce the extent to which vibrations in the strings of a racquet are trans- ferred to the racquet handle, and hence to the arm of th person using the racquet. Reduced vibration transferral will result in reduction of tennis-related and squash- related complaints and injuries, such as muscle strain and tennis elbow.
• One form of dampener is illustrated in Figure 11. As will be seen, it comprises two substan tially parallel, generally planar, elongage, plate-like members 90, 91, dimensioned to fit over one string or a plurality of strings of a racquet. Each plate-like memb 90, 91 has a layer of vibration-damping material 92 bond to it.
• the interconnection of the plate-like members may be effected by any suitable means (not shown) , inclu ⁇ ding small screws, bolts, end-encircling caps, rubber bands, press-studs, or other forms of snap-connectors.
• the elongate plate-like members 90, 91 may be made from any suitable material, including generally rigid but resilient plastics materials, and the vibration-dampening material 92 includes rubber, cloth, neoprene, felt, and certain plastics materials.
• a dampener will generally be dimen ⁇ sioned so that it is long enough to fit over three, four or five strings of a racquet, near to where the head of a racquet is connected to its handle.
• the transverse dimension of the elongate members of a dampener will ' normally be approximately equal to the distance separat ⁇ ing adjacent parallel strings. Variations from such dimensions are, of course, possible, to suit the require ⁇ ments of a user of a racquet.
• the present invention also encompasses, in one aspect, the provision of moulded racquet, in which the racquet frame is formed by injection moulding of a plastics material, with a woven set of * strings positioned in the mould, across the head portion of the racquet frame.
• the mould for the racquet is preferably formed as two "half-racquet" moulds, adapted to be clamped or otherwise held together, with a set of strings stretched across the head portion of the mould. Injection of hot plastics material (or a resin/hardener combination) fills the mould and in so doing, effectively bonds the strings to the moulded frame material.
• the mould halves are removed, the ends of the strings of the woven mesh are removed and the moulded racquet is ready for use.
• the present invention in its basic string concept, will-enable a user: of racquets to quickly, easily and inexpensively re-string a racquet.
• Spare strings or sets of strings will form part of the equipment of players of racquet games.
• Racquet-game court owners may be expected to carry supplies of low- cost racquets made using the concepts illustrated in Figures 6 to 9, or the moulded racquet technique, for supply to patrons of the court as "disposable" or "throw-away” racquets.

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=25642384

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

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• 1981
  • 1981-06-02 JP JP56501754A patent/JPS57500721A/ja active Pending
  • 1981-06-02 WO PCT/AU1981/000066 patent/WO1981003431A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1981-06-02 EP EP19810901298 patent/EP0052622A4/de not_active Withdrawn

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