US3716239A

US3716239A - Weighting device for game club including tapered shaft

Info

Publication number: US3716239A
Application number: US00216026A
Authority: US
Inventors: N Goudreau
Original assignee: GOUDREAU BEHAN Inc
Current assignee: GOUDREAU BEHAN Inc
Priority date: 1972-01-07
Filing date: 1972-01-07
Publication date: 1973-02-13
Anticipated expiration: 1990-02-13
Also published as: JPS4879041A

Abstract

A warm-up weight for athletic implements such as golf clubs having an enlarged head with a tapered stub having its point of smallest diameter connected to a tapered shaft having its narrower end connected to the stub. The warm-up weight includes a rigid generally annular core having a compressible casing thereon and including an axial passage and a generally radial channel permitting insertion of the weight onto the implement. In use, the narrower end of the tapered shaft is passed through the radial channel into the axial passage, the weight is slid down along the tapered stub into frictional engagement therewith, and the weight is rotated approximately 90*.

Description

United States Patent [191 Goudreau 51 Feb. 13, 1973 [5 1 WEIGHTING DEVICE FOR GAME 3,647,220 3/1972 Burkalt ..273/l94 A CLUB INCLUDING TAPERED SHAFT [75] Inventor: Noel G. Goudreau, Kankakee, lll. Primary ExammernGeol-ge Marlo Attorney-Max Dressler et al. [73] Assignee: Goudreau-Behan Incorporated 221 Filed: Jan. 7, 1972 [57] ABSTRACT A warm-up weight for athletic implements such as golf 21 A l. N 216 26 1 pp 0 clubs having an enlarged head with a tapered stub having its point of smallest diameter connected to a [52] US. Cl. ..273/194 A, 273/29 A ta ered shaft having its narrower end connected to the [51] Int. Cl. ..A63b 69/36 tub, The warm-up weight includes a rigid generally Field of Search annular core having a compressible casing thereon 29 A and including an axial passage and a generally radial channel permitting insertion of the weight onto the References Cited implement. In use, the narrower end of the tapered UNlTED STATES PATENTS shaft 15 passed through the rad1 al channel into the axial passage, the weight is Slld down along the 2,608,409 8/1952 Pinkerton ..273/194 R tapered stub into frictional engagement therewith, and 3,458,203 7/1969 Mangis ..273/194 A the weight is rotated approximately 90. 3,508,748 4/1970 Strimel ..273/26 B 3,521,883 7/1970 Hamilton ..273/26 B 5 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures WEIGHTING DEVICE FOR GAME CLUB INCLUDING TAPERED SHAFT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to warm-up weights for athletic implements of the type having an enlarged head having a tapered stub at its point of smallest diameter connected to a shaft, the free end of which is no smaller than the end connected to the stub.

Various types of warm-up weights are in existence and are designed to add weight to an athletic implement to facilitate the athlete's warming up exercise.

Such warm-up weights are utilized as an alternative to the former practice of swinging a club, bat or other implement which is itself weighted or of swinging a plurality of such athletic implements. Swinging more than a single implement precludes the natural and normal swinging motion while the weighted implement itself is expensive, and also may not be swung naturally.

One of the most well-known warm-up weights is the generally toroidal weight utilized in baseball. The baseball weight is adapted to be passed over the narrow end of the baseball bat to be slid to engage the enlarged end of the bat and be retained thereon by centrifugal force.

In certain types of athletic implements, this type of closed toroid is not suitable because the free end of the implement shaft is not smaller than the other end thereof, the prime example being a golf club.

One known way of weighting the end of a golf club is to use a weighted head cover which may be placed over the golf club head.

One device specifically adapted for golf clubs is disclosed in Pinkerton US. Pat. No. 2,608,409, dated Aug. 26, I952. The weight disclosed in the Pinkerton patent contemplates a resilient body having a flaring axial bore the lower portion thereof being larger than the upper portion. A narrow radial slit is formed in the body to provide access therethrough to the axial bore. The width of this thin slit or incision is less than the diameter of the shaft onto which the shaft is to be inserted. As a result, this resilient weight is placed on the club by applying a tangential force to the opposite sides of the thin slit to open the slit sufficiently to slip the weight over the shaft.

This configuration is deficient in that it requires the application of substantial force to permit insertion of the weight onto the shaft. This requirement is self defeating since it eliminates any convenience associated with such weight and restricts the use thereof.

As an alternative, Pinkerton proposes the use of a device which would be hinged and would require a fastening strap across the slit to hold the hinged section of the device in place. All of this detracts from the necessary convenience in the use of such a weight and concurrently adds to its cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the present invention there is provided a warm-up weight which may be readily inserted onto an athletic club, or implement with which it is to be used without the application of any particular excessive force and without the use of additional retaining means or additional structural elements.

The warm-up weight of the present invention is disclosed as being a generally annular structure defining an axial passage therethrough. The annular body is discontinuous and defines a radial channel extending from its outer surface to the axial passage to provide access to the passage through the body.

The weighted body incorporates a generally hard, rigid core member encased within a thin somewhat elastic compressible thin casing utilized for decorative purposes and to eliminate damage to the implement onto which the weight is placed. The width of the channel formed by the discontinuity in the hard core member is greater than the diameter of the shaft onto which the weighted weight is to be inserted.

The width of the channel of the encased weight may be constant or variable, and may be slightly less, substantially equal to or slightly larger than the diameter of the shaft. For example, the channel may be formed by opposed convex surfaces whereby the opposite ends of the channel are wider than the diameter of the shaft, and the minimum width intermediate the ends of the channel is somewhat less than the diameter of the shaft.

In operation, the weight is inserted onto the shaft by passing the channel across the shaft to position the shaft within the axial passage. The weight is then shifted axially onto the tapered stub of the head and rotated thereon to insure adequate frictional engagement therebetween.

In neither embodiment, is it necessary to apply any tangential force to the opposite sides of the channel in order to attach the weight to the shaft.

It has been found generally, that the frictional engagement between the passage defining surfaces of the annular weight combined with the frictional engagement of the weight with the tapered stub and the centrifugal force exerted during swinging of the club is sufficient to retain the weight in place.

Thus, there is provided a simple inexpensive convenient warm-up weight which may be conveniently positioned onto an implement with a minimal effort, and which is of a size to be retained in a pocket or convenient storage compartment.

Numerous other advantages and features of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention and of one embodiment thereof, from the claims and from the accompanying drawings in which each and every detail shown is fully and completely disclosed as a part of this specification, in which like numerals refer to like parts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view showing the method of inserting the weight of the present invention onto a golf club;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of one embodiment of the weight of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along lines 33 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a plan view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail a preferred embodiment of the invention and modifications thereof,

with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiments illustrated. The scope of the invention will be pointed out in the appended claims.

A warm-up weight of the present invention is shown as a generally annular body 12 defining a generally axial passage 14 therethrough. The annular body 12 is discontinuous to define a generally radial channel 16 providing access to the axial passage 14.

As seen most clearly in FIG. 3, the body includes a hard rigid core 18, which is circular in cross-section, and which is encased within a thin compressible elastic casing 20.

The

discontinuous surfaces

22, 24 of the core 18 define the generally radial channel 16 and are generally parallel to each other to define a channel of constant width greater than the diameter of the narrow end of the shaft. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the

opposed surface

26, 28 of the casing covering the

opposed surfaces

22, 24 of the core 18 are also parallel to each other whereby the radial channel 16 remains of constant width.

In the alternative embodiment of FIG. 4 the radial channel 16a between the

opposed surfaces

22, 24 of the core member 18 may be substantially the same as in the embodiment of FIG. 2. However, the portion of the casing in the channel 16a defines a pair of opposed convex

arcuate surfaces

30, 32 in which the opposite ends of the channel have a greater width than the intermediate portion thereof.

In this alternative embodiment, the compressible elastic casing permits the passage of the shaft therethrough even though the minimal width may be less than the diameter of the shaft. As seen in FIG. 4, the desired configuration may be obtained by disposing a soft shaped pad 34 on the

opposed surfaces

22, 24 of the core 18 with the casing formed thereover.

In use, the radial channel 16 is passed over the narrowest portion 36 of the shaft 38 of an implement shown in FIG. 1 as a golfclub until the shaft portion 36 is disposed within the axial passage 14. The weight is then dropped onto the tapered stub 40 of the club head 42 to make frictional engagement therewith. The frictional engagement is improved by rotating the weight approximately 90 as shown to insure the desired contact therebetween.

Although the alternative embodiment of FIG. 4 in which the minimal width of the radial channel is less than the diameter of the shaft, would preclude inadvertent separation of the weight from the club during warm-up, it has been found that the configuration of FIG. 2 is satisfactory because of the frictional engagement as well as the centrifugal force occurring during the swinging of the club retains the weight in place.

The weight is removed simply by lifting it upward off the tapered stub 40 until it is in line with the narrow shaft portion 36 at which point it may be shifted radially to pass the shaft through the radial channel.

lclaim:

l. A warm-up weight for use with an athletic implement of the type having an enlarged head with a tapered stub and a tapered shaft having its narrower end connected to the stub comprising a generally rigid hard annular core having a com ressible casing thereon; said coated core being dlscon muous to define a generally radial channel therein to provide access to the axial passage thereof; the width of said radial channel being selected to permit passage thereof past the shaft of said athletic implement, the diameter of the axial passage of said annular weight being greater than the diameter of the narrower end of said shaft but less than at least a portion of said tapered stub; whereby said weight is adapted to be frictionally retained on said tapered stub.

2. The weight as claimed in claim 1 wherein the width of the radial channel defined by the uncoated rigid core member is greater than the diameter of the narrower end of the shaft adjacent said tapered stub.

3. The weight as claimed in claim 2 wherein the width of the radial channel of the coated core is substantially equal to the diameter of the narrower end of said shaft adjacent said tapered stub.

4. The weight as claimed in claim 2 wherein the width of the inner and outer ends of said radial channel of the coated core is at least as great as the diameter of the narrower end of said shaft adjacent said tapered stub with at least a portion of said radial channel between said ends having a width less than the diameter of said narrower shaft end, whereby said coating is compressed during insertion of the body onto said shaft.

5. A weight as claimed in claim 1 wherein the configuration of said core in cross section is generally circular.

Claims

1. A warm-up weight for use with an athletic implement of the type having an enlarged head with a tapered stub and a tapered shaft having its narrower end connected to the stub comprising a generally rigid hard annular core having a compressible casing thereon; said coated core being discontinuous to define a generally radial channel therein to provide access to the axial passage thereof; the width of said radial channel being selected to permit passage thereof past the shaft of said athletic implement, the diameter of the axial passage of said annular weight being greater than the diameter of the narrower end of said shaft but less than at least a portion of said tapered stub; whereby said weight is adapted to be frictionally retained on said tapered stub.