US20120065008A1

US20120065008A1 - Baseball bat structure and method for making the same

Info

Publication number: US20120065008A1
Application number: US12/878,826
Authority: US
Inventors: Chi-Wen Huang
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2010-09-09
Filing date: 2010-09-09
Publication date: 2012-03-15

Abstract

A baseball bat structure includes a center portion in the form of a round bar, and at least one sheet-shaped wind wooden unit wound around the center portion. A direction of the grain of the grain portions of one layer of wind wood unit is different from that of the grain portions of a neighboring layer of wind wood unit, so that the grain portions of one layer of wind wood unit are arranged in a staggered manner with respect to the grain portions of the neighboring layer of wind wood unit, and therefore, the staggered grain portions can enhance the structure strength. Being laminated structures, the wind wood units can offer a better structure elasticity to the baseball bat structure, making the baseball bat structure less likely to crack while extending the service life.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tool for baseball game; and more particularly to a baseball bat structure and a method for making the same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Baseball bat is an essential tool for baseball game and normally made of different materials. As shown in FIG. 7, a traditional baseball bat 80 is normally made of raw wood, however, the natural raw wood includes inherent grains along which the structure strength of the baseball bat 80 is the weakest. Since the baseball bat 80 is made of a single piece of raw wood and will be subjected to a hitting force each time hitting the baseball, it is more likely to crack along the grains. Such cracks cannot be repaired, so that the user has to abandon the baseball bat 80. Thereby, it can be found that the baseball bat 80 which is made of the single piece of raw wood has short service life and increases the replacement cost.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide baseball bat structure which has both better structure strength and better structure elasticity and further has longer service life.
To achieve the above objective, a baseball bat structure in accordance with the present invention comprises a center portion and at least one sheet-shaped wind wooden unit.
The center portion is formed into a round bar.
The at least one sheet-shaped wind wooden unit includes plural spaced grain portions, the at least one sheet-shaped wind wooden unit is wound around the center portion to form plural layers of wind wooden unit, and a direction of the grain of the grain portions of one layer of wind wood unit is different from that of the grain portions of a neighboring layer of wind wood unit. After being wound around the center portion, the at least one wind wooden unit will be processed into a desired bat shape.
Since the wind wooden unit is wound around the center portion, and the grain portions have a different grain direction and are arranged in a staggered manner with respect to the grain portions of a neighboring layer of wind wooden unit, both the structure strength and the structure elasticity of the baseball bat structure can be enhanced, thus making the baseball bat structure less likely to crack while extending the service life of the baseball bat structure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a baseball bat structure in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of another baseball bat structure in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a combinational view of the baseball bat structure in accordance with the present invention of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the baseball bat structure in accordance with the present invention of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a partial enlarged view of the baseball bat structure in accordance with the present invention of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of a method for making a baseball bat structure in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a conventional baseball bat.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention will be clearer from the following description when viewed together with the accompanying drawings, which show, for purpose of illustrations only, the preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention.
Referring to FIGS. 1-6, a baseball bat structure in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a center portion 10, and at least one wind wooden unit 20.
The center portion 10 includes plural center portion forming units 11. The plural center portion forming units 11 in the present embodiment are thin wood sheets. The center portion forming units 11 are laminated one upon another and then pressed and rolled into a round bar. The respective center portion forming units 11 include plural spaced grain portions 111 and are arranged in such a manner that a direction of the grain of the grain portions 111 of one center portion forming unit 11 is different from that of the grain portions 111 of a neighboring center portion forming units 11.
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the baseball bat structure comprises plural sheet-shaped wind wooden units 20 each of which includes plural spaced grain portions 21. The wind wooden units 20 are laminated one upon another and wound around the center portion 10 to form a round structure with plural layers of wind wooden units 20 on the center portion 10. The wind wooden units 20 are arranged in such a manner that a direction of the grain of the grain portions 21 of one layer of wind wooden unit 20 is different from that of the grain portions 21 of a neighboring layer of wind wooden unit 20. After that, the round structure formed by winding the wind wooden units 20 around the center portion 10 will be processed into a baseball bat shape. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the baseball bat structure in accordance with the present invention can also only comprise a single wind wooden unit 20 as long as it is long enough to continuously wind around the center portion 10 to cause layers of lamination of the wind wooden unit 20 over the center portion 10, and a direction of the grain of the grain portions 21 of one layer of wind wooden unit 20 is different from that of the grain portions 21 of a neighboring layer of wind wooden unit 20.
The aforementioned is the summary of the positional and structural relationship of the respective components of the preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention.
For a better understanding of the present invention, its operation and function, reference should be made to FIG. 3:
Due the fact that the baseball bat structure in accordance with the present invention is made in such a way that the wind wooden units 20 are wound around the center portion 10 to form a round structure, and then the round structure is machined into a desired bat, furthermore, the wind wooden units 20 are laminated structures, the direction of the grain of the grain portions 21 of one layer of wind wooden unit 20 is different from that of the grain portions 21 of a neighboring layer of wind wooden unit 20, and the hitting portion of the bat that is used to hit a baseball is the wind wooden units 20, the wind wooden units 20 can provide a better elasticity as compared with the conventional bat made of a single piece of raw wood. Furthermore, since the grain portions 21 have a different grain direction and are arranged in a staggered manner with respect to the grain portions 21 of a neighboring layer of wind wooden unit 20, when the baseball bat structure is subjected to a hitting force during hitting process, the force will be shared by the respective wind wooden units 20, thus strengthening the structural strength of the baseball bat structure and make the baseball bat structure less likely to crack.
A method for making the baseball bat structure in accordance with the present invention, as shown in FIG. 6, comprises the steps of:
forming a center portion by pressing 40: plural center portion forming units 11 are laminated one upon another and then pressed and rolled to form a center portion 10 in the form of a round bar;
winding wind wooden unit 50: at least one wind wooden unit 20 is applied with adhesive thereon and then wound around the center portion 10;
pressing 60: after being wound around the center portion 10, the at least one wind wooden unit 20 will be pressed to be more closely connected to the center portion 10; and
processing 70: after being pressed, the at least one wind wooden unit 20 will be processed into a baseball bat shape.
With the above method, the baseball bat structure which has long service life and enhanced structure strength in accordance with the present invention can be made.
While we have shown and described various embodiments in accordance with the present invention, it is clear to those skilled in the art that further embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A baseball bat structure comprising:

a center portion in the form of a round bar; and

at least one sheet-shaped wind wooden unit including plural spaced grain portions, the at least one sheet-shaped wind wooden unit being wound around the center portion to form plural layers of wind wooden unit in such a manner that a direction of the grain of the grain portions of one layer of wind wood unit is different from that of the grain portions of a neighboring layer of wind wood unit, after being wound around the center portion, the at least one wind wooden unit will be processed into a baseball bat shape.

2. The baseball bat structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the baseball bat structure is provided with plural wind wooden units, and the plural wind wooden units are wound around the center portion one upon another.

3. The baseball bat structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the center portion includes plural center portion forming units that are thin wood sheets laminated one upon another and then pressed and rolled into the round bar, the plural center portion forming units each include plural spaced grain portions, a direction of the grain of the grain portions of one center portion forming unit is different from that of the grain portions of a neighboring center portion forming units.

4. A method for making a baseball bat structure as claimed in claim 1, comprising the steps of:

winding wind wooden unit: at least one wind wooden unit is applied with adhesive thereon and then wound around a center portion;

pressing: after being wound around the center portion, the at least one wind wooden unit will be pressed to be more closely connected to the center portion; and

processing: after being pressed, the at least one wind wooden unit will be processed into a baseball bat shape.

5. The method for making a baseball bat structure as claimed in claim 4 further comprising the step of forming a center portion by pressing: the center portion includes plural center portion forming units that are thin wood sheets, the plural center portion forming units are laminated one upon another and then pressed and rolled to form the baseball bat structure in the form of a round bar, each of the center portion forming units includes plural spaced grain portions, a direction of the grain of the grain portions of one center portion forming unit is different from that of the grain portions of a neighboring center portion forming units.