NZ542449A - Reinforced cricket bat - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a cricket bat comprising a blade with a handle extending therefrom, the blade having a main body formed of wood with a front face which forms a striking surface of the bat and a back surface, wherein a reinforcing layer composed of fibrous material such as carbon fibre, glass fibre or kevlar (poly-paraphenylene terephthalainide) is bonded solely to the entire back surface of the blade. Also disclosed is a method of manufacturing a cricket bat comprising the steps of forming a wooden blade with a front striking surface and a rear face, bonding a layer of fibrous material onto the rear face of the blade using an epoxy resin, applying a shrink tube around the blade, curing the epoxy resin and then removing the shrink tube. The bat may be finished by clear layers of lacquer and the application of transfers, decals etc.

Description

*24*9 *10049489119* PATENTS FORM NO. 5 Fee No. 4: $250.00 PATENTS ACT 1953 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION REINFORCED CRICKET BAT l/WE A G Thompson Proprietary Limited, of 218 Chesterville Road, Moorabbin, VIC 3189, Australia hereby declare the invention, for which I/We pray that a patent may be granted to me/us, and the method by which it is to be performed to be particularly described in and by the following statement: Intellectual Property Office of fvj.z.

SEP 2005 RECEIVED 1 James & Wells Ref: 125257/0 RJ REINFORCED CRICKET BAT This invention relates to cricket bats.

Law 6 of the game of cricket dictates characteristics of the bat. Law 6.1 dictates that the blade of the bat should be made solely of wood and Law 6.2 dictates that the blade may be covered with material for protection, strengthening or repair. The law also dictates the 10 maximum thickness of the covering and states that the material of the covering shall not be likely to cause unacceptable damage to the ball.

These laws have resulted in cricket bats being 15 traditionally manufactured of wood and for generations English Willow has been the wood of choice due to its lightness, toughness and resilience. However, the demand for English Willow and its world scarcity has resulted in a sharp increase in the cost of bats and caused 2 0 manufacturers to look to other woods.

The role of the cricket bat and the hard nature of the cricket ball results in bats having a limited lifespan. Bat manufacturers are thus striving to increase the 25 strength and durability of cricket bats, thus increasing their longevity.

It is these issues that have brought about the present invention.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cricket bat comprising a blade with a handle extending therefrom, the blade having a main body formed of wood with a front face which forms the striking surface 35 of the bat and a back surface, wherein a reinforcing layer composed of fibrous epoxy material is bonded solely to the entire back surface of the blade.

A cricket bat in accordance with the invention has the advantage that the use of wood, in particular willow, to form the main body and striking face of the bat maintains the playing characteristics of a conventional wooden bat 5 whilst the reinforcing layer significantly improves the strength and life of the bat.

The reinforcing layer furthermore provides a base upon which an attractive finish for the back of the bat can be 10 applied in a manner which has not previously been possible with conventional bats, with a sealing layer being applied over the finish to protect it.

The reinforcing layer may be coated with a clear finishing 15 layer such that the fibrous structure of the material is visible in the finished bat under the smooth outer surface. Preferably the fibrous material is carbon fibre, glass fibre, or Kevlar™ (poly-paraphenylene terephthalamide fibre), but other materials are also 20 possible such as combinations of the aforementioned materials. It is particularly preferable if the fibre material is woven into a mesh. This may be a mesh of a single material such as glass or carbon fibre, or may be a woven mixture, such as glass fibre interwoven with carbon 25 fibre giving a semi-flexible layer, Kevlar interwoven with carbon fibre or even a woven mesh of all three fibres.

In an advantageous development, decals are provided on the back of the bat between the reinforcing layer and the 30 finishing layer, the finishing layer, which is preferably a transparent layer so as to maintain the visibility of the decals, sealing the decals so as to provide a smooth finish to the back of the bat whilst at the same time protecting the decals. In this way, sponsor information 35 or the like can be effectively included on the bat.

Alternatively, the face of the reinforcing layer may be ii——«—wiirf - '-I — h Intellectual Property Office of N.Z. 1 2 JAN 2006 - A - finished with a coat of polyurethane (PU) paint, it then being possible to apply a PU transfers or decals onto the paint coat as required, followed, preferably, by yet a further coat of clear lacquer.

Preferably, the wood used for the main body of the blade is willow and forms at least the sides of the blade as well as the front striking surface. However, it is also possible that the main body of wood could only partially 10 form the sides of blade, the rest being formed by the layer of fibrous epoxy resin.

The reinforcing layer of fibrous epoxy resin preferably extends substantially along the entire length of the 15 blade. Preferably, the main body of wood to which the layer of fibrous epoxy resin is bonded is of sufficient thickness so that the bat maintains the playing characteristics of wood. The thickness of reinforcing layer can be uniform or it may vary, but preferably the 20 thickness of the reinforcing layer does not exceed 1.56mm.

Preferably, the reinforcing layer also extends around the end of the bat onto the base thereof, in particular completely covering the bottom end of the bat.

The present invention further provides a method of manufacturing a cricket bat according to the invention comprising the steps of forming a wooden blade with a front striking face and a rear face, bonding a layer of 30 fibrous material onto the rear face of the blade using epoxy resin, applying a shrink tube around the blade, using the epoxy resin and then removing the shrink tube.

The shrink tube applied around the body during the drying 35 process acts to press the fibrous material onto the rear face of the blade for maximum bonding and also acts to smooth the finish of the outer surface of the bonded C:\Documents and Settings\ruthj\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\OLK91\P55928 specil.doc 15/09/05 layer.

The fibrous material, which may be carbon fibre, glass fibre, Kevlar or combinations thereof, the fibres 5 preferably being woven, is preferably bonded to the body by first applying a coat of epoxy, in particular water resistant epoxy, to the rear face of the body, and dipping the woven material in wet epoxy before laying it into the pre epoxy coated surface. A further coat of epoxy may 10 also be applied over the fibrous material prior to applying the shrink tube if required to achieve the desired thickness of the reinforcing layer.

It has been found to be particularly advantageous to 15 roughen the rear face of the body prior to applying the initial epoxy coating, for example by sanding, which facilitates the bonding of the epoxy and fibrous material to the wooden material of the body of the bat.

After removing the shrink tube, the surface of the bonded fibrous material/epoxy is advantageously fine sanded to provide a particularly smooth finish. A decorative finish may then be applied in the form of a paint layer, in particular a PU paint, finished with a clear PU lacquer. 25 Decals or graphics may also be applied, either onto the smoothed epoxy layer or onto the lacquer finished paint layer if applied, the decals or graphics being finished with a further clear PU lacquer, preferably sprayed, which has the advantage of sealing the graphics so as to provide 30 protection thereto and also giving a smooth finish to the rear surface of the bat. The decals are preferably PU graphics which are applied by water transfer.

Of course, it will be understood that the paint and decal 35 layers may be omitted and the epoxy/fibrous material layer finished by application of a clear lacquer layer directly thereon such that the woven mesh of the fibrous material C:\Documents and Settings\ruthj\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\OLK91\P55928 specil.doc IS/09/05 is visible in the rear surface of the finished bat.

In order that the invention may be well understood, there will now be described an embodiment thereof, given by way 5 of example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cricket bat according to the invention; Figure 2 is a side view of the cricket bat of Figure 1; Figure 3 is rear view of the cricket bat of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a view of the cricket bat of Figure 1 through section X-X; and Figure 5 is an enlarged view of the base of the bat of Figure 1.

Referring to Figures 1 to 4, the cricket bat 1 comprises a blade 2 having a willow main body 3 made of wood and a handle 4 spliced thereon. The main body 3 forms the front striking face 5 and also the sides or edges 6 of the blade 25 and is reinforced, substantially along the entire longitudinal length of the blade 2, by a layer of fibrous material 7 bonded with epoxy resin to the body 3 so as to form the rear face 8 of the blade 2 and enhance the strength of the bat 1. In particular, the layer of 30 fibrous epoxy resin 7 comprises any combination of woven carbon/glass/Kevlar (Registered trade mark) fibre and provides a smooth surface on the rear face 8 of the blade 2 to which a layer of PU transfers 9 and/or PU paint are/is applied in order to provide cosmetic graphics. The C:\Documents and Settings\ruthj\IiOcal Settings\Temporary Internet Files\OLK91\P55928 specil.doc 15/09/05 rear surface is furthermore finished by a layer of clear lacquer 10 which forms a protective layer for any paint and/or decals applied to the bat and also ensures a smooth finish to the rear face of the bat. As can clearly be 5 seen in Figures 3 and 5, the weave of the fibrous material is visible through the clear lacquer if no paint is applied thereto. The reinforcing layer furthermore extends around the base or toe of the bat as shown in Figure 5. The reinforcing layer 17 is preferably a woven 10 mesh of carbon or glass fibres or a combination of carbon and glass fibres. It is further envisaged that fibres of Kevlar (Registered trade mark) may also be used.

More particularly, the wooden body of the bat is shaped to 15 form the striking face and edges of the bat as well as the general shape of the rear of the bat. The wooden surface forming the rear face 8 of the bat, and well as the bottom end thereof, is then sanded with sand paper to make it rough in order to facilitate the bonding of the epoxy and 20 woven fibre material thereto, following which a base coat of water resistant Epoxy is applied on the sanded surface. The chosen woven fibre material 11 is then dipped in wet Epoxy solution and laid on the surface of the epoxy base coat. A further epoxy coat can also be applied over the 25 epoxy/fibre layer, depending on the desired thickness of the reinforcing layer following which a shrink tube is applied on the still wet fibre/epoxy layer. This tube acts to press the fibre on the surface for maximum bonding of fibre to the bat and also ensures a smooth finish to 30 the layer upon release of shrink tube, thereby minimising the need for additional sanding of the layer once it is dry. The bat is typically left for 12 to 24 hours to allow the Epoxy to dry.

After drying, the shrink tube is removed, following which the surface is fine sanded in order to ensure as smooth a finish as possible. Suitable surface decoration is then C:\Documents and Settings\ruthj\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\OLK91\P55928 specil.doc 15/09/05 applied in the form of paint and/or decals 9. It has been found to be particularly preferably for paint to be applied as a separate layer to any decals with a layer of clear PU lacquer being applied in between, although, of 5 course, it will be understood that if a single decorative layer of paint or decals is applied, only a single layer of clear lacquer 12 is required, and this is preferably applied by spraying. The decals are also preferably PU graphics which are applied by water transfer, although 10 other types of graphics are also possible.

It should be understood that this is only one example, and variants of the embodiment should be obvious to the person skilled in the art.

C:\Documents and Settings\ruthj\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\0LK91\P55928 specil.doc 15/09/05

Claims (20)

CLAIMS:

1. A cricket bat comprising a blade with a handle extending therefrom, the blade having a main body formed of 5 wood with a front face which forms a striking surface of the bat and a back surface, wherein a reinforcing layer composed of fibrous material is bonded solely to the entire back surface of the blade. 10

2. The cricket bat according to claim 1 wherein an epoxy resin is used to bond the reinforcing layer to the back surface.

3. The cricket bat according to either claim 1 or 2 15 wherein the fibrous material is carbon fibre, glass fibre, or poly-paraphenylene terephthalamide fibre or combinations of the aforesaid materials.

4. The cricket bat according to claim 3 wherein the 20 fibrous material is woven into a mesh.

5. The cricket bat according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the reinforcing layer is coated with a clear finishing layer such that the fibrous structure of 25 the material is visible under the finishing layer.

6. The cricket bat according to claim 5 wherein at least one decal is provided on the back of the bat between the reinforcing layer and the clear finishing layer. 30

7. The cricket bat according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the face of the reinforcing layer is finished with a coat of polyurethane paint with transfers or decals Intellectual Property j Office of N.Z. - 9 MAY 2006 RECEIVED - 10 - being applied to the paint coat.

8. The cricket bat according to claim 7 wherein a further coat of clear lacquer is applied over the 5 transfers or decals.

9. The cricket bat according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the main body is made of willow.

10 10. The cricket bat according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the main body to which the reinforcing layer is bonded is of sufficient thickness so that the bat maintains the characteristics of the wood. 15

11. The cricket bat according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the thickness of the reinforcing layer does not exceed 1.56 mm.

12. A method of manufacturing a cricket bat 20 comprising the steps of forming a wooden blade with a front striking surface and a rear face, bonding a layer of fibrous material onto the rear face of the blade using an epoxy resin, applying a shrink tube around the blade, curing the epoxy resin and then removing the shrink tube. 25

13. The method according to claim 12 comprising Intellectual Property Office of N.Z. - 9 MAY 2006 RECEIVED - 11 - bonding a woven layer of carbon fibres, glass fibres, poly-paraphenylene terephthaleunide fibre or combinations thereof.

14. The method according to claim 13 wherein the 5 bonding step comprises applying a coat of epoxy to the rear face of the blade, dipping the woven layer in wet epoxy, laying it onto the pre-epoxy coated surface and then applying a further coat of epoxy over the fibrous material prior to applying the heat shrink tube. 10

15. The method according to claim 14 comprising roughening the rear face of the blade prior to apply the initial epoxy coating. 15

16. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 15 comprising finely sanding the surface of the bonded fibrous material after removing the shrink tube and applying a decorative finish in the form of a clear lacquer. 20

17. The method according to claim 16 comprising applying at least one decal or transfer onto the epoxy layer or onto the lacquer finish. 2 5

18. The method according to claim 17 comprising applying a further clear polyurethane lacquer onto the decal or transfer.

19. A cricket bat substantially as herein described 30 with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

20. A method of manufacturing a cricket bat substantially as herein described with reference to and as 35 illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Intellectual Property Office of N.Z. - 9 MAY 2006 RECEIVED - 12 - A G Thompson Proprietary Limited Intellectual Property Office of NX - 9 MAY 2006 RECEIVED