US3674266A - Double-ended ball paddle - Google Patents

Abstract

A paddle for striking a ball having two striking members connected to opposite ends of a handle. Each striking member extends outwardly from the handle with a striking surface of each striking member being angularly disposed with respect to the longitudinal axis of the handle, so that each striking surface faces inwardly. The handle has a rectangular cross-section to indicate the orientation of the striking surfaces to the user of the paddle.

Description

United States Patent Grosberg [S4] DOUBLE-ENDED BALL PADDLE [72] Inventor: Sam Grosberg, Brooklyn, NY.

[73] Assignee: Friedman and Goodman, Brooklyn, NY.

[22] Filed: March 5, 1970 121 App1.No.: 16,899

[ 1 July 4, 1972 [521 U.S. Cl ..273/73 R, 273/67 R, 273/96 R 51 1 Int. Cl. ..A63b 59/00 Primary Examiner-Rlchard Pmkham 58 Field or Search ..273/67 R, 67 A, 73 R, 96 R, Assistant Examiner-Rwhard r y 273/97 R, 67 B, 76, 17s, 1 R; 1l5/24.1-24.6; Atwmey-Frledman & Goodman [57] ABSTRACT 15 61 References Cited A paddle for striking a ball having two striking members connected to opposite ends of a handle. Each striking member ex- UNITED STATES PATENTS tends outwardly from the handle with a striking surface of 1,975,341 10/1934 Young ..273/175 X ach triking member being angularly disposed with respect to 3,161,409 12/1964 Nulling 273/97 R the longitudinal axis of the handle, so that each striking sur- 3,483,056 V1970 sramak u 273/96 R face faces inwardly. The handle has a rectangular cross-sec- 7|7,041 12/ 1902 Smith tion to indicate the orientation of the striking surfaces to the 1,193,394 8/1916 .lahnson. ...l 15/24.1 X user f h ddl 1,389,988 9/1921 Rose ..1 15/24.] 2,566,044 8/1951 Trepanier ..273/97 R 3 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJUL 4 m2 5 FIGS.

I6 l6/ FIG-4. FIG 5.

INVENTOR.

Sam Grcymberg DOUBLE-ENDED BALL PADDLE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Paddles for striking a ball are well known in the art. The usual paddle is provided with a handle which is straight with respect to the striking surface of the paddle. Some paddles have been proposed in prior art wherein the handle is at an angle with respect to the striking surface of the paddle. The above paddles require the user to change from the forehand position to the backhand position, and vice versa, or to change from one hand to the other hand when the ball is hit to one said of the user and then to the other side of the user. Also, the angle in which the user of the paddle positions the striking surface cannot be adequately controlled and therefore the angle is different for each stroke of the ball, causing the ball to go in undesired directions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to an improved paddle for hitting a ball, and more particularly to a novel double-ended ball paddle to be used in playing tennis, handball, or any other form of game in which a paddle or racquet is employed. The paddle comprises a central handle having a striking member disposed at each end with inwardly facing striking surfaces. The handle, which is grasped with both hands of the player using the paddle, indicates the general direction in which the striking surfaces are facing to the user of the paddle.

One object of this invention is to provide a paddle of the above character which will enable the user or player to more readily strike a ball and return the ball to an opposing player or wall than can be done with those paddles ordinarily used or employed heretofore.

A further object of this invention is to provide a paddle which can be held with both hands of the player at the same time so that a backhand position of the paddle with respect to the player will not be necessary.

Another object of this invention is to provide a simple and efficient paddle which will enable the player to return the ball in a desired direction, such as towards the center of the court.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a paddle which will operate to effectually indicate the orientation of the striking surfaces of the paddle to the user of the paddle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Having in mind the above and other objects that will be evident from an understanding of this disclosure, the invention comprises the devices, combinations and arrangements of parts as illustrated in the presently preferred embodiment of the invention, which is hereinafter set forth in such detail as to enable those skilled in the art readily to understand the function, operation, construction and advantages of it, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 represents a back elevational view of a paddle ac cording to the present invention, showing the playerss hands, in phantom, positioned on the paddles;

FIG. 2 represents a front elevational view of the paddle according to the present invention, showing both striking surfaces;

FIG. 3 represents a top plan view of the paddle of this invention, showing the edge portions of the striking members;

FIG. 4 represents an enlarged cross-sectional view of the handle of the paddle of this invention taken substantially along line 4-4 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 represents an enlarged cross-sectional view of the handle of the paddle of this invention taken substantially along line 5-5 of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG. 1, indicates a double-ended ball paddle of this invention. Striking members 12, 14 of the paddle 10 are connected to opposite ends of a handle 16 so that the handle 16 is positioned between the striking members 12, 14. As

shown in the drawings, the striking members 12, 14 extend outwardly from the handle 16.

The striking members 12, 14 are similar to each other, being of the conventional type. The striking surfaces 18,20 of the striking members 12, 14, respectively, are shown in FIG. 2 to be generally rectangularly shaped with rounded corners, but may be any other suitable shape, such as round. The striking members 12, 14 are made of a conventional type of material, such as wood, cork, plastic or other :suitable material. The striking members 12, 14 may be perforated or non-perforated as shown, or may be formed from a net type material.

The handle 16 may also be made of a conventional type of material, such as wood, plastic, or even a light-weight metal such as aluminum. Obviously, the paddle 10 may be formed in one piece with its structure either being cut from a single member of material, such as a wood member, or being a molded member by using a material such as plastic to form its structure. The handle 16 may be of any convenient length to suit individual players as long as the handle 16 is long enough to be grasped by both hands of the player at one time, as shown in FIG. 1, such being how the paddle 10 is held while being used by the player to strike the ball. The handle 16 may be a solid member, or a hollow member as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, whereby a hollow member would save material and also make the paddle 10 lighter.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, each of the striking members 12, 14 is angularly disposed from the handle 16, so that the longitudinal axis of the handle 16 intersects the plane in which the striking surface 18 lies, and also intersects the plane in which the striking surface 20 lies, whereby the above-mentioned planes intersect each other. The paddle 10 is symmetrical on opposite sides of a median plane passing transversely through the longitudinal axis of the handle 16 at the center of the bandle 16, so that the striking surfaces 18, 20 face inwardly toward the median plane which lies perpendicularly to the handle 16. The angle between each of the striking members l2, l4 and the handle 16 may be varied to a considerable extent to suit individual players. If desired, the angle of the striking member 12 may differ from the angle of the striking member 14. However, it is more convenient to have both of these angles the same, where it would then permit each of the striking members 12, 14 to be held on either side of the player because of the similarity of the striking members 12, 14 as stated above.

In play, the paddle 10 is disposed in front of the player with one of the striking members 12, 14 on each side of the player. The handle 16 is grasped with both hands of the player so that the striking surfaces 18, 20 face in the direction the player desires to hit the ball. The paddle 10 may thus be manipulated to strike the ball and return the ball to an opposing player or wall. The angular disposition of the striking surfaces 18, 20

permits the paddle 10 to bounce the ball back towards the center of the playing court.

As indicated above, it is important for the player to known in which direction the striking surfaces 18, 20 are facing, without taking his eyes off the ball. To assist the player in the orientation of the paddle 10, the handle 16 is formed with a rectangular cross-section, which may be square as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. With the above structure, the player by just grasping the handle 16 with both hands, as shown in FIG. 1, can feel the corners of the rectangular handle 16 and determine the general direction in which the striking surfaces 18, 20 are facing. Furthermore, by making one set of opposite sides of the handle 16 wider than the other set of opposite sides, the player can determine whether the edges of the striking members 12, 14 or the striking surfaces 18, 20 of the striking members 12, 14 are facing the ball which is to be struck by the paddle 10.

The support members 22, 24, shown in FIG. 3, secure the striking members 12, 14, respectively, to the handle 16. The striking member 12 is secured by conventional means, such as by cement or by screw means, to the support member 22. The striking member 14 is similarly secured to the support member 24. The support members 22, 24 are then secured by conventional means, such as cement or screw means, to the handle 16 so that the striking members 12, 14 are adjacent to the handle 16. The design of the support members 22, 24 on which the striking members 12, 14 rest, respectively, determines the angle at which each of the striking surfaces 18, 20 is disposed with respect to the longitudinal axis of the handle 16, whereby differently designed support members would yield different angles.

One method of securing the support member 22 to the handle 16 is to insert a square portion of the support member 22 into the handle 16, as shown in FIG. 4, where the handle 16 is formed as a hollow square member, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. As indicated in the drawings, the length of the square portion of the support member 22 is substantially less than the length of the handle 16, so that the square portion does not extend too far into the handle 16, but just enough for an adequate engagement. The square portion may be press fitted into the handle 16 to secure the two parts together, or just loosely fitted into the handle 16 to position the support member 22 relative to the handle 16, whereby the two parts may then be secured together by conventional means, such as by cement inserted between the two parts or by screw means extending through the handle 16 into the square portion of the support member 22. The support member 24 is similarly secured to the handle 16.

Numerous alterations of the structure hereindisclosed will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. However, it is to be understood that the present disclosure relates to a preferred embodiment of the invention which is for purposes of illustration only, and not to be construed as a limitation of the invention.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what is claimed herein is:

1. A paddle for striking a ball comprising a first striking member having a flat first striking surface, a second striking member having a flat second striking surface, a hollow handle including opposite longitudinally spaced ends, said handle further including a rectangular cross-section to define orientation means for indicating general direction in which said first and second striking surfaces are facing to a user of said paddle, and first and second support members, said first striking member being secured to said first support member, said second striking member being secured to said second support member, said first support member being secured within one end of said hollow handle to connect said first striking member to said handle in a fixed relationship and said second support member being secured within the opposite end of said hollow handle to connect said second striking member to said handle in a fixed relationship with said first striking member and said second striking member extending outwardly from said handle in opposite directions, said first and second support members including respective flat surfaces inclined relative to one another, said first and second striking members along portions opposite the respective striking surfaces abutting against said support members inclined flat surfaces in flush relation respectively, said first striking surface lying in one plane, said second striking surface lying in another plane which intersects the plane of said first striking member such that said first and second striking surfaces extend in different directions and face inwardly generally toward one another.

2. The paddle according to claim 1, wherein the longitudinal axis of said handle intersects both said first plane of said first striking surface and said second plane of said second striking surface such that each of said striking surfaces is angularly disposed with respect to said longitudinal axis of said handle.

3. A paddle according to claim 1, wherein said paddle is symmetrical on opposite sides of a median plane passing transversely through the longitudinal axis of said handle at the center of said handle, said first and second striking surfaces facing inwardly toward the median plane.

Claims (3)

1. A paddle for striking a ball comprising a first striking member having a flat first striking surface, a second striking member having a flat second striking surface, a hollow handle including opposite longitudinally spaced ends, said handle further including a rectangular cross-section to define orientation means for indicating general direction in which said first and second striking surfaces are facing to a user of said paddle, and first and second support members, said first striking member being secured to said first support member, said second striking member being secured to said second support member, said first support member being secured within one end of said hollow handle to connect said first striking Member to said handle in a fixed relationship and said second support member being secured within the opposite end of said hollow handle to connect said second striking member to said handle in a fixed relationship with said first striking member and said second striking member extending outwardly from said handle in opposite directions, said first and second support members including respective flat surfaces inclined relative to one another, said first and second striking members along portions opposite the respective striking surfaces abutting against said support members inclined flat surfaces in flush relation respectively, said first striking surface lying in one plane, said second striking surface lying in another plane which intersects the plane of said first striking member such that said first and second striking surfaces extend in different directions and face inwardly generally toward one another.

2. The paddle according to claim 1, wherein the longitudinal axis of said handle intersects both said first plane of said first striking surface and said second plane of said second striking surface such that each of said striking surfaces is angularly disposed with respect to said longitudinal axis of said handle.

3. A paddle according to claim 1, wherein said paddle is symmetrical on opposite sides of a median plane passing transversely through the longitudinal axis of said handle at the center of said handle, said first and second striking surfaces facing inwardly toward the median plane.

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