US2079261A - Means for gripping golf clubs and other hand gripped devices - Google Patents

Description

May 4, PARDOE MEANS FOR GRIPPING GOLF CLUBS AND (5THER HAND GRIPPED DEVICES Filed April 27, 1935 Patented May 4, 1937 MEANS FOR GEIPPING GOLF CLUBS AND OTHER HAND GRIPPED DEVICES Avern Pardoe, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, assignor to Edna H. Pardoe, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Application April 27,

3 Claims.

The principal object of this invention is to enable a person to obtain a more secure grip upon the shaft or handle of the device held and to relieve the muscles of the hand'of excess strain,

thereby ensuring greater'accuracy in the use of the device than when gripped in the bare hand, and further, to provide a simple device which may be easily and quickly placed in position for use or removed.

The principal feature of the invention consists in the novel use of a bandof flexible material to encircle the innermost joints of one or more of the smaller fingers of the hand to equalize the surfaces of the inner joints of the fingers 15 engaging the club shaft to present a uniform gripping surface across the hand.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure l is a perspective view of a preferred form of the invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the gripping device arranged in position upon .a hand.

Figure 3 is a perspective View showing the gripping device in position in a hand gripping a club.

Figure 4 is a sectional view of a hand fitted with my gripping device taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

In the handling of golf clubs, tennis and other racquets and other devices having a shaft 30 gripped in the hand, it is realized that the greater gripping effect is exerted by the index and second fingers, and when the hand is tightened sufficient to exert the most efiective grip of the two smaller fingers, the hand muscles are subject to an unnatural strain which detrimentally affects the dexterity and accuracy with which the device is handled. This is particularly evidenced in the use of golf clubs, which have a comparatively small shaft.

The present invention has been devised to overcome the difficulties mentioned, and it consists of a small band I, preferably of soft leather, adapted to encircle the innermost joints of the two small fingers. The portion 2 of the band which 45 extends around the backs of the fingers is thin and flexible, and the portion 3 which extends over the inner sides of the fingers is formed of a tapering thickness, the greatest cross sectional area being that which extends over the inner side 50 of the smallest finger. The result of this construction of the band is that the inner sides of the two smallest fingers are built up by the increasing cross sectional area of the band, so that there will be a straight line contact be- 55 tween the gripped shaft and the four finger joints.

1935, Serial No. 18,613

Consequently, when a uniform squeezing pressure is exerted, the tapered band takes up the difference in diameters of the fingers, and thus produces the desired grip completely across the hand.

A further feature of value is, that, the person gripping the shaft will be relieved from the uncomfortable pinching effect of the closer spaced creases of the smaller fingers when the fingers are closed tightly around the shaft.

The band I may be made in various sizes to fit different sizes of hands or the band may be adjusted with a simple form of buckle, but I have shown a plurality of pairs of perforations in the .single outer side of the band through which a string 4 may be inserted to draw a part of the band into a loop, and thus adjust the size as shown in Figure 4.

The device as herein shown is constructed of a single length of leather, the ends of which overlap and several layers 5 of progressively shorter length are inserted therebetween, and are preferably stitched together to produce the longitudinal tapering effect desired to present the greatest thickness over the little finger and a lesser thickness over the next adjacent finger.

The band as herein shown is formed with a single thickness of leather wider than the thickened portion to spread over the fingers and to form a leather gripping surface to partly surround the club shaft.

The preferred form of the device is herein shown, but it will be readily understood that the desired result may be accomplished by moulding or shaping some flexible material other than leather into a similar form, the principal feature being to build up a portion of the inner surface of the fingers to relieve the muscular strain of obtaining the desired grip across the hand.

It will also be appreciated that While the most desired form of the invention is shown as .a band. to encircle two fingers a similar, though not as good a result might be obtained by providing a single band for the little finger or a larger band toencircle three or even four fingers. It may also be found desirable to place a thickening layer of material similar to the tapered portion of the band upon a glove to fulfill the desired result of building up the small joints of the lesser fingers.

What I claim as my invention is:--

l. A gripping means comprising a narrow band of flexible material adapted to encircle the finger joints adjacent to the palm of the hand and. having the portion thereof covering the inner side only of the joint built up circumferentially to 3. A gripping means as claimed in claim 1 in project inwardly from the finger and to form a which the body portion of the band is widened for means for gripping the shaft of the club. at portion of its length and over which the ta- 2. A gripping means as claimed in claim 1 in pered built up portion which extends circumfer- 5 which the built up portion is tapered toward entially' is laid with its thickest part substantially both ends to compensate for the difference in centrally thereof.- 7 V thickness between the little finger and the adja- AV'ERN PARDOE; cent one 7

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