GB2080672A - Grip arrangement for hand-held implements - Google Patents

Abstract

A grip arrangement for a hand-held implement comprises a glove (1) which when used to pick up the implement by its handle portion is arranged to positively connect with the implement such as to preclude clipping therebetween. This positive connection is achieved by the provision of first and second cooperating portions (3 to 8) respectively carried on said glove (1) and implement. Typically, these cooperating portions take the form of the cooperating parts of a touch and close fastener, said cooperating parts being provided over extended zones of the glove (1) and handle portion so that the user can grip the implement as suits him best. The touch and close fastener may, for example, be constituted by hook and loop type material pieces. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Grip arrangement for hand-held implements The present invention relates to grip arrangements for hand-held implements and, in particular, but not exclusively, to such arrangements for sporting implements such as, for example, squash, badminton and tennis rackets, cricket bats, hockey sticks, golf clubs, polo and croquet mallets, and other ball-striking implements.

The handle portions of most ball-striking implements used in sport are generally provided with grip-enhancing coverings intended to facilitate gripping of the implement by the bare hand of a player.

Such coverings as well as providing a high friction surface, are often designed to absorb perspiration from the player's hand which would otherwise serve as a lubricant, hindering a proper grip ofthe implement. In practice, none of the coverings presently available are entirely satisfactory and this is partly due to the fact that a high friction material is deleterious to the skin of the player's hand.

In certain sports such as golf and, more recently, tennis, players have taken to wearing a glove to improve their grip. Such gloves are often made of leather and are formed with small holes to allow the player's hand to "breath". While the use of a glove substantially improves the grip of a ball-striking implement without harmfully rubbing the player's hand, the risk of losing grip of the implement is still present.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a grip arrangement for an implement which it to be hand held by a user, said arrangement comprising a glove to be worn by the user, and connection means having first and second cooperating portions respectively provided on said glove and implement for releasably connecting the glove to a handle portion of said implement such as to preclude slipping therebetween.

Advantageously, the connection means are such a form and extent that whenever the user picks up the implement by its handle portion, the releasable connection between the glove and handle portion will be formed regardless of their precise relative positioning. In this manner, the user is not restricted to a particular positioning of his hand on the implement.

Preferably, the connection means take the form of the cooperating parts of a touch and close fastener, these parts being provided over extended zones of the glove and handle portion and closing together in any relative positioning to form a connection therebetween. One suitable type of touch and close fastener is that sold under the Registered Trade Mark "Velcro".

In a preferred embodiment, the whole of the handle portion of the implement is covered with the said second portion of the connection means, while the palm and corresponding surfaces of the fingers of the glove are provided with respective first portions of the connection means. Where "Velcro" (R.T.M.) is used, the hook-type material is preferably provided on the implement and the loop-type material on the glove.

The fingers of the glove can be truncated and open-ended to allow the player's fingers to project out of the glove; indeed, the glove fingers could be dispensed with entirely.

In sporting applications where it is generally desirable to have a good feel of the sporting implement held; the palm of the glove is preferably left free of the first connection portions, these portions being solely provided on the fingers and thumb of the glove.

Various other novel aspects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description, given by way of example, of a grip arrangement for a squash racket, reference being made to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a glove of the grip arrangement, the glove being shown palm uppermost; and Figure 2 is a view of the handle portion of the squash racket provided with the grip arrangement.

The grip arrangement now to be described comprises a glove 1 (Fig. 1) which is arranged to be releasably connected to the handle portion 2 (Fig. 2) of a squash racket by means of a touch and close fastener. A suitable form of touch and close fastener is sold under the Trade Mark "Velcro" and consists of a hook-type material provided with tiny hooks and a loop-type material provided with tiny loops; when the hook and loop-type materials are pressed together, the hooks grip the loops to give a tight, secure closure which can be released by peeling the materials apart.

The glove 1 is provided with six loop-type material pieces 3 to 8 which are secured to the palm side of the glove 1 by stitching or glueing. The pieces 3 to 6 are secured to respective fingers of the glove 1 and the piece 7 is secured to the glove thumb. The piece 8 secured to the palm of the glove 1 would, in practice, be constituted by two side-by-side striplike material portions since the touch and close fastener materials are generally sold in strip form.

The handle portion 2 of the squash racket carries a helical binding 9 of a hook-type material strip. This binding is secured to the handle portion 2 in any suitable manner such as used for a conventional grip binding.

In use, the glove 1 is worn by a player on his playing hand (in the illustrated example, the player is left-handed). Upon the player gripping the racket handle portion 2, the looptype material pieces 3 to 8 provided on the glove 1 are firmly gripped and held by the hook-type material binding 9 provided on the handle portion 2. As a result, there is no possibility of the racket slipping or twisting in the player's hand during play. To release himself from the racket, the player peels his hand off the handle portion 2.

It will be clear that due to the provision of extended areas of hook and loop-type material, the player can grip the racket handle portion 2 in any preferred manner and is not restricted to a predetermined relative positioning of the glove 1 and handle portion 2.

The loop-type material of the touch and closefas- tener is generally less prone to attach itself to ordinary materials than the hook-type material, the pro vision of the Joofrtype material on the glove 7 its thus generally more convenient since the player will not need to worry about becoming inadvertently attached to his own (or his opponents) clothing.

However, the looptype material is also less abrasive to the hand than the hook-type material so that in cases where the racket is to be optionally used in the bare hand, it may be preferred to provide the loop type material on the racket handle portion 2 and the hook-type material on the glove 1.

The hook and looptype materials can be distributed over the glove and handle portion 2 in any suitable configuration. Thus, for example, the palm piece 8 of the looptype material can be omitted to facilitate "feel" of the squash racket by the player.

Alternatively, the length of the finger pieces 3 to 6 can be made considerably shorter or can even be dispensed with entirely (together with the finger portion of the glove 1 itself). Another possible variation would be to provide the handle portion 2 with one or more hook (or loop) - type material strips running parallel to the axis of the racket shaft 10.

Furthermore, although the described grip arrangement is for a squash racket, it will be appreciated that the arrangement could be readilyadapted to other sporting implements including, in addition to ball-striking implements, implements such as guns and archery bows. The grip arrange- ment could also be used for norrsporting implements where it is desirable to ensure a good grip of the implement. Furthermore, the general concept can be extended to include the provision of cooperating connection means on footwear and on a surface on which it is desired to maintain a good foot hold, for example, the surface of a sail board.

Claims (7)

1. Agrip arrangement for an implement which is to be hand held by a user, said arrangement comprising a glove to be worn by the user, and connection means which have first and second cooperating portions respectively provided on said glove and implement for releasably connecting the glove to a handle portion of said implement such as to pre dude slipping therebetween.

2. A grip arrangement according to Claim 1, wherein the form and extent of said connection means are such that whenever the user picks up the implement by its handle portion, the releasable con nection between the glove and handle portion will be formed regardless of their relative positioning.

3. A grip arrangement according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the connection means take the form of the cooperating parts of a touch and close fastener, said cooperating parts being provided over extended zones of the glove and handle portion.

4. A grip arrangement according to Claim 3, wherein the touch and close fastener is constituted by hook and loop type material pieces.

5. A grip arrangement according to Claim 4, wherein the part of the touch and close fastener provided on the handle portion is in the form of a single material piece whereas the part of the touch and close fastener provided on the glove is in the form of a plurality of material pieces distributed over the glove fingers, thumb and palm areas.

6. A grip arrangement according to Claim 5, wherein the single material piece provided on the handle portion is of the hook-type.

7. A grip arrangement for an implement which is to be hand held by a user, said arrangement being substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.