GB2067079A

GB2067079A - Bat

Info

Publication number: GB2067079A
Application number: GB8001015A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: GPG International Ltd
Current assignee: GPG International Ltd
Priority date: 1980-01-11
Filing date: 1980-01-11
Publication date: 1981-07-22

Abstract

A cricket bat is formed as a one piece plastics moulding having a handle 1 and a blade 2 and corresponds in profile with the shape of a conventional cricket bat. The blade 2 is formed by longitudinal ribs 7 and interconnecting lateral ribs 8 to be of open framework rectangular grid structure. Edges of the ribs 7 and 8 provide a flat front face to the blade and edges of the ribs 7 provide a convex rear face. The handle 1 has longitudinal ribs 10 which are continuous with longitudinal ribs 7 in the blade to provide strength and rigidity to the effective joint between the handle and blade. A peripheral rib 6 is continuous around the blade 2 and with ribs 10b in the handle. In alternative structures the open framework of the blade 2 is of a diamond or honeycomb grid form. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Bat This invention relates to a bat.

More particularly, the invention concerns a bat which is primarily intended for playing cricket or a similar game and is particularly suitable for man ufacture as a one piece plastics moulding. Plastics moulded cricket bats have hitherto been proposed, primarily being intended for use by children, for example as part of a beach set in which the bats are formed by blow moulding and so have a hollow structure. Such blow moulded bats tend to be unnecessarily light in weight, of poor rigidity and are easily damaged by trampling; furthermore they usually have nothing like the feel of an authentic willow-bat. It is an object of the present invention to provide a bat formed as a one piece plastics mould ing which alleviates the disadvantages of the aforementioned known moulded structures and provides an improved feel to the batsman.

According to the present invention there is provided a bat formed as a one piece plastics injection moulding and comprising an elongate handle part; an elongate blade part extending longitudinally from the handle part and having a generally flat front face and a convex rear face, said blade part being of a ribbed open framework structure to provide aper turesthroughthe blade part when viewed perpendicu larly to the front face, and wherein the convex and flat faces of the blade part are substantially formed by side edges of the ribs of the framework.

The ribs provide rigidity to the open framework structure of the blade part and preferably the, or at least some of the, ribs are of slat-like form to extend through the thickness of the blade part whereby the edges of the slats define or partly define the front and rear faces of the bat. The open framework structure is particularly suitable for manufacture of the blade part by injection moulding and facilitates the profiling of the edges of the ribs in the faces so that the blade part can be moulded to simulate the profile of a conventional cricket bat.

Preferably the handle part is of a ribbed or splined structure to provide the desired rigidity. Desirably the or some ribs in the handle part extend longitudinally thereof and are continuous with ribs in the blade part so that a required degree of strength and rigidity is provided over the region where the handle part effectively joins with the blade part. In a prefer red structure there are longitudinal ribs which extend continuously over the length of the handle part and the blade part.

The open framework of the blade part is preferably in the form of a rectangular grid structure comprising longitudinally extending ribs as aforementioned which desirably extend through the thickness of the blade part and laterally extending ribs which interconnect the longitudinally extending ribs and preferably have edges located in the front face of the blade part but extend part way only through the thickness of the blade part. It will be realised howeverthat alternative open framework structures can be provided for the blade part such as a diamond grid or a honeycomb grid structure as viewed in a direction perpendiculartothe front face of the bat.

Preferably the blade part as viewed in a direction perpendicular to the front face has a peripheral rib which extends continuously around that part and may be continuous with ribs in the handle part.

If required the handle part can have applied thereto a sleeve to assist gripping although it is believed such a sleeve will be unnecessary when the handle part has the longitudinally ribbed or splined structure as aforementioned.

Embodiments of a cricket bat constructed in accordance with the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying illustrative drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of one embodiment of the bat; Figure 2 is a side elevation of the bat shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is an end elevation of the bat shown in Figure 2; Figures 4, 5 and 6 are sections taken on the lines A-A, B-B and C respectively of the bat shown in Figure 1; Figure 7 is a section taken on the line D-D of the handle part of the bat in Figure 1; Figure 8 is a section taken on the line E-E of the bat in Figure 2, and Figures 9 and 10 diagrammatically illustrate alternative open framework structures for blade parts of further embodiments of the cricket bat.

The cricket bat is injection moulded as a one piece structure in appropriate plastics material such as polypropylene and has an elongate handle part 1 and an elongate blade part 2 extending longitudinally from the handle part. The blade part has a flat front or ball striking face 3 and a convex rear face 4 which are profiled together with the handle part so that the bat approximates in shape to that of an authentic wiilow bat.

The blade part 2 is of a ribbed open framework structure which, in the embodiments of Figures 1 and 2, is formed by a rectangular grid arrangement which forms apertures 5 which extend through the blade part. More particularly, the grid structure is formed by slat-like ribs comprising a peripheral rib 6 which extends continuously around the blade part, a laterally spaced array of parallel longitudinally extending ribs 7 and a longitudinally spaced array of parallel laterally extending ribs 8 which interconnect the ribs 7.

As will be seen from Figures 4 to 6, the longitudinal ribs 7 extend throughout the thickness of the blade part so that one edge of these ribs partly defines the front face while the rear face 4 is defined wholly by further edges of the longitudinal ribs 7 and it is these latter edges which are profiled to give the desired convex shape to the blade part whereby the greater bulk of the blade part is directed towards its end remote from the handle part 1. Furthermore, it will be seen that the lateral ribs 8 extend part way only through the thickness of the blade part whereby edges of those ribs partly define the front face 3. To provide reinforcement and additional weightforthe blade part the end thereof remote from the handle part 1 is moulded to be of box section as indicated at 9 in Figures 4to 6 to provide a closed front face tip part3a.

The handle part 1 is of splined-like form as best seen from Figures 1 and 8 and comprises an array of longitudinally extending ribs 10 carried by a web 11.

As compared with the blade part 2, the handle part is of closed structure to provide a firm feel to the batsman and is appropriately profiled for gripping. To achieve adequate strengty in the region where the hande part effectively connects with the blade part and desired rigidity in the bat it will be seen from Figure 1 that some of the ribs in the handle part (indicated at 10a) are continuous with ribs 7 in the blade part and that side ribs (indicated at lOb) of the handle part are continuous with the peripheral rib 6 of the blade part (these latter ribs lOb, as will be seen from Figure 1, are also continuous with ribs 7 in the blade part). The splined-like structure of the handle part should alleviate the requirement for a gripping sleeve.

While the blade part 2 in the embodiment of Figures 1 to 8 is an open framework rectangular grid structure it will be appreciated that the ribs of the blade part can be shaped in alternative structures such as a diamond grid arrangement as shown in Figure 9 or a honeycomb grid arrangement as shown in Figure 10.

In each of these latter cases it is desirable that the handle part 1 is of ribbed structure similarto that above described in the first embodiment whereby the ribs of the handle part are integrated with the ribs of the blade part to provide strength and rigidity along the bat.

Claims

1. A bat formed as a one piece plastics injection moulding and comprising an elongate handle part; an elongate blade part extending longitudinallyfrom the handle part and having a generally flat front face and a convex rear face, said blade part being substantially of a ribbed open framework structure to provide apertures through the blade part when viewed perpendicularly to the front face, and wherein the convex and flat faces of the blade part are substantially formed by side edges of the ribs of the framework.

2. A bat as claimed in claim 1 in which at least some of the ribs of the blade part are of slat-like form to extend through the thickness of the blade part whereby the edges of the slats define or partly define the front and rear faces of the blade part.

3. A bat as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2 in which the handle part is of a ribbed or splined struc ture.

4. A bat as claimed in claim 3 when appendantto claim 2 in which the handle part comprises ribs which extend longitudinally thereof and are con tinuous with ribs in the blade part to provide strength and rigiditytothe bat where the handle part effectively joins the blade part.

5. A bat as claimed in claim 4 in which the said ribs extend longitudinally substantially over the length of the handle part.

6. A bat as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the blade part comprises ribs which extend longitudinally substantially over the length of the blade part.

7. A bat as claimed in claim 5 and claim 6 in which at least one rib which extends longitudinally substantially over the length of the handle part is continuous with a rib which extends longitudinally substantially over the length of the blade part.

8. A bat as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the open framework of the blade part is of a rectangular grid structure.

9. A bat as claimed in claim 8 in which the grid structure of the blade part comprises longitudinally extending ribs which extend through the thickness ofthe blade part and laterally extending ribs which interconnectthe longitudinally extending ribs.

10. A bat as claimed in claim 9 in which the laterally extending ribs have edges located in the front face of the blade part.

11. A bat as claimed in either claim 9 or claim 10 in which the laterally extending ribs extend part way only through the thickness of the blade part.

12. A bat as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 in which the open framework of the blade part is of a diamond grid or a honeycomb grid structure as viewed in a direction perpendicular to the front face.

13. A bat as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the blade part has a peripheral rib which extends substantially continuously around that part when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the front face.

14. A bat as claimed in claim 13 in which said peripheral rib is continuous with longitudinally extending ribs in the handle part.

15. A bat as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the end of the blade part longitudinally remote from the handle part is moulded to be of box section to provide a closed tip to the front face.

16. A bat as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the blade part thereof is moulded to simulate the profile of the corresponding part of a convention cricket bat.

17. Aone piece plastics moulded cricket bat3ub- stantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1 to 8 of the accompanying illustrative drawings.

18. A one piece plastics moulded cricket bat as claimed in claim 17 and modified to include an open framework structure for the blade part substantially as herein described with reference to Figure 9 or Figure 10 of the accompanying illustrative drawings.