WO2008156818A1 - Shock-absorbibg pool cue grip - Google Patents
Shock-absorbibg pool cue grip Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO2008156818A1 WO2008156818A1 PCT/US2008/007663 US2008007663W WO2008156818A1 WO 2008156818 A1 WO2008156818 A1 WO 2008156818A1 US 2008007663 W US2008007663 W US 2008007663W WO 2008156818 A1 WO2008156818 A1 WO 2008156818A1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- cue
- handle
- grip
- damping
- shock
- Prior art date
Links
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63D—BOWLING GAMES, e.g. SKITTLES, BOCCE OR BOWLS; INSTALLATIONS THEREFOR; BAGATELLE OR SIMILAR GAMES; BILLIARDS
- A63D15/00—Billiards, e.g. carom billiards or pocket billiards; Billiard tables
- A63D15/08—Cues
Definitions
- This invention generally relates to the field of pool cues, and more particularly to pool cues incorporating shock-absorbing devices. Even more particularly, the invention relates to such pool cues incorporating shock-absorbing devices on, at or in the grip portion of the cue.
- the game of pool often requires that the player use the pool cue to deliver a sharp blow to the cue ball. This impact causes a strong vibration in the pool cue.
- Known grips on the handles or shafts of pool cues are often very rigid, and such grips are susceptible to transmitting vibration from the pool cue to the user's hand. These vibrations often cause an undesirable stinging sensation in the user's hand. As a result, many players experience difficulty in achieving a comfortable grip during regular play.
- shock-absorbing grip comprises an outer wrap or cover layer of conventional material and an underlayer damping member, the underlayer comprising a polymer foam having excellent damping properties and
- the improved pool cue comprises a handle and a shock-absorbing grip mounted thereon, wherein the grip comprises an underlayer damping member and a cover layer.
- the damping member is annularly disposed on the handle, preferably within a recess, and bonded to the handle to prevent slippage at the interface between the damping member and the handle.
- the cover layer is then wrapped around or slipped over the damping member and bonded to prevent undesired slippage or separation from the damping member. Additionally, the cover layer may be taped or otherwise attached to the handle of the pool cue.
- the damping member comprises a viscoelastic polymer foam material having excellent damping characteristics and contour form memory, whereby the foam retains the contour of the depressions formed by the fingers for a short period of time after the pressure of the fingers has been relieved.
- FIG. 1 is a cross section taken along the longitudinal axis of the handle of the pool cue.
- FIG. 2 is a cross section taken perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the pool cue at a location through the grip and handle.
- the invention is an improved pool cue that provides added comfort to the user.
- the pool cue incorporates a grip that insulates the user's fingers and hand from the vibration resulting from the pool cue impacting the cue ball.
- the invention generally comprises a pool cue 99 having a handle or shaft 10 and a grip 15, wherein the grip 15 comprises an underlayer damping member 20 and a cover or wrap member 30.
- the damping member 20 is positioned annularly on the handle 10 of the pool cue 99, typically within an annular recess formed in the outer surface of the handle 10.
- the damping member 20 may be in the form of a sheet member that is wrapped around the handle 10 in one or more layers until the desired thickness is reached, or the damping member 20 may be provided in the form of one or more sleeves that are drawn onto the handle 10.
- the cover member 30 is then positioned on the damping member 20 and the handle 10 in any manner forming a connection suitable for preventing the cover 30 from tearing or otherwise separating from the handle.
- the cover member 30 may be wrapped or provided as a sleeve.
- the cover 30 should be durable and resilient, and it may be made of rubber, leather, plastic, polyurethane, natural or synthetic woven fabric, or a variety of other synthetic materials.
- the damping member 20 may be attached to the handle 10 and the cover member 30 by any suitable bonding composition, such as glue, epoxy, a chemical adhesive, or any other chemical bond or method for securing the damping member to the handle 10 and to the cover member 30.
- suitable bonding composition such as glue, epoxy, a chemical adhesive, or any other chemical bond or method for securing the damping member to the handle 10 and to the cover member 30.
- some types of chemical bonds may be preferable to others, depending on the specific materials of the handle 10 and the cover member 30.
- the bond should be strong enough to prevent slippage at the interface between the damping layer 20 and the handle 10, and the bond should provide durability sufficient to maintain adequate strength over a period of several years.
- the cover member 30 may be taped or otherwise attached to the handle 10 at its ends to prevent unraveling or undesired separation from the handle 10 of the pool cue 99.
- the damping member 20 is composed of a viscoelastic polymer foam material having excellent damping properties and contour form memory, often refered to as memory foam.
- the damping properties reduce or eliminate the amount of vibrations and oscillations that would normally transfer from the handle 10 to the user's fingers and hand.
- the damping member 20 is composed of an open-celled styrene-isoprene polymer foam, such as sold under the brand name CELLAMP.
- open-celled polyurethane-silicon polymer is a property of the material whereby the contour or imprint of the recess formed by the user's fingers remains for a short period of time after the pressure or force is removed.
- the material has an elongated rebound period prior to resuming its original smooth surface contour.
- Such materials are said to be viscoelastic, as they exhibit both elastic and viscous behavior. This characteristic is advantageous as it addresses a problem previously encountered with the use of closed cell polymer foams, whereby the foams were not suitably stable during use. This instability results in a reduction of control in the interface between the user's fingers and the handle 10.
Landscapes
- Vibration Prevention Devices (AREA)
- Golf Clubs (AREA)
Abstract
A pool cue (99) having a shock-absorbing grip (15) on its handle (10) composed of an open-celled, viscoelastic, contour form memory material.
Description
SHOCK-ABSORBING POOL CUE GRIP
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention generally relates to the field of pool cues, and more particularly to pool cues incorporating shock-absorbing devices. Even more particularly, the invention relates to such pool cues incorporating shock-absorbing devices on, at or in the grip portion of the cue.
The game of pool often requires that the player use the pool cue to deliver a sharp blow to the cue ball. This impact causes a strong vibration in the pool cue. Known grips on the handles or shafts of pool cues are often very rigid, and such grips are susceptible to transmitting vibration from the pool cue to the user's hand. These vibrations often cause an undesirable stinging sensation in the user's hand. As a result, many players experience difficulty in achieving a comfortable grip during regular play.
One attempted solution to the vibration or shock problem is to provide an annular layer of cotton material or the like beneath the grip outer layer or wrap. The drawback to this is that the material is not particularly effective in damping the unwanted vibrations and must be utilized in excessive thickness, such that the player loses feel and control of the cue.
Another attempted solution, shown in U.S. Patent No. 7,297,068 to Costain et al., tries the opposite approach by providing an underlayer to the wrap that is of greater density than wood or which involves piezoelectric elements.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a pool cue having a shock-absorbing grip that will insulate the user's fingers and hand from undesirable vibrations occurring in the pool cue. It is a further object to provide such a cue wherein the shock-absorbing grip comprises an outer wrap or cover layer of conventional material and an underlayer damping
member, the underlayer comprising a polymer foam having excellent damping properties and
contour form memory.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The improved pool cue comprises a handle and a shock-absorbing grip mounted thereon, wherein the grip comprises an underlayer damping member and a cover layer. The damping member is annularly disposed on the handle, preferably within a recess, and bonded to the handle to prevent slippage at the interface between the damping member and the handle. The cover layer is then wrapped around or slipped over the damping member and bonded to prevent undesired slippage or separation from the damping member. Additionally, the cover layer may be taped or otherwise attached to the handle of the pool cue.
The damping member comprises a viscoelastic polymer foam material having excellent damping characteristics and contour form memory, whereby the foam retains the contour of the depressions formed by the fingers for a short period of time after the pressure of the fingers has been relieved.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a cross section taken along the longitudinal axis of the handle of the pool cue. FIG. 2 is a cross section taken perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the pool cue at a location through the grip and handle.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
With reference to the drawings, the invention will now be described with regard for the best mode and the preferred embodiment. In general, the invention is an improved pool cue that provides added comfort to the user. Specifically, the pool cue incorporates a grip that insulates the user's fingers and hand from the vibration resulting from the pool cue impacting the cue ball.
In one embodiment, shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the invention generally comprises a pool cue 99 having a handle or shaft 10 and a grip 15, wherein the grip 15 comprises an underlayer damping member 20 and a cover or wrap member 30. The damping member 20 is positioned annularly on the handle 10 of the pool cue 99, typically within an annular recess formed in the outer surface of the handle 10. The damping member 20 may be in the form of a sheet member that is wrapped around the handle 10 in one or more layers until the desired thickness is reached, or the damping member 20 may be provided in the form of one or more sleeves that are drawn onto the handle 10. The cover member 30 is then positioned on the damping member 20 and the handle 10 in any manner forming a connection suitable for preventing the cover 30 from tearing or otherwise separating from the handle. The cover member 30 may be wrapped or provided as a sleeve. The cover 30 should be durable and resilient, and it may be made of rubber, leather, plastic, polyurethane, natural or synthetic woven fabric, or a variety of other synthetic materials.
The damping member 20 may be attached to the handle 10 and the cover member 30 by any suitable bonding composition, such as glue, epoxy, a chemical adhesive, or any other chemical bond or method for securing the damping member to the handle 10 and to the cover member 30. As an ordinary practitioner would understand, some types of chemical bonds
may be preferable to others, depending on the specific materials of the handle 10 and the cover member 30. The bond should be strong enough to prevent slippage at the interface between the damping layer 20 and the handle 10, and the bond should provide durability sufficient to maintain adequate strength over a period of several years. In addition, the cover member 30 may be taped or otherwise attached to the handle 10 at its ends to prevent unraveling or undesired separation from the handle 10 of the pool cue 99.
The damping member 20 is composed of a viscoelastic polymer foam material having excellent damping properties and contour form memory, often refered to as memory foam. The damping properties reduce or eliminate the amount of vibrations and oscillations that would normally transfer from the handle 10 to the user's fingers and hand. Preferably, the damping member 20 is composed of an open-celled styrene-isoprene polymer foam, such as sold under the brand name CELLAMP. Alternatively, open-celled polyurethane-silicon polymer. Contour form memory is a property of the material whereby the contour or imprint of the recess formed by the user's fingers remains for a short period of time after the pressure or force is removed. In other words, the material has an elongated rebound period prior to resuming its original smooth surface contour. Such materials are said to be viscoelastic, as they exhibit both elastic and viscous behavior. This characteristic is advantageous as it addresses a problem previously encountered with the use of closed cell polymer foams, whereby the foams were not suitably stable during use. This instability results in a reduction of control in the interface between the user's fingers and the handle 10.
It is contemplated that equivalents and substitutions to certain elements set forth above may be obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art, and therefore the true scope and definition of the invention is to be as set forth in the following claims.
Claims
1. A pool cue (99) comprising a handle (10) and a grip member (15), wherein said grip member (15) comprises a cover member (30) and a damping member (20) positioned between said handle (10) and said cover member (30), and further wherein said damping member (20) comprises a viscoelastic, open-celled polymer foam having damping properties and contour form memory.
2. The cue (99) of claim 1, wherein said damping member (20) is in the form of a sheet.
3. The cue (99) of claim 1, wherein said damping member (20) is in the form of a sleeve.
4. The cue (99) of claim 1 , wherein said polymer foam is composed of styrene-isoprene.
5. The cue (99) of claim 1, wherein said polymer foam is composed of CELLAMP brand foam.
6. The cue (99) of claim 1, wherein said polymer foam is composed of polyurethane- silicon.
7. The cue (99) of claim 1, wherein said cover member (30) is composed of a material chosen from the group of materials consisting of rubber, leather, plastic, polyurethane, natural woven fabric and synthetic woven fabric.
Priority Applications (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP08768634A EP2173442A4 (en) | 2007-06-20 | 2008-06-19 | Shock-absorbing pool cue grip |
CN200880021199A CN101730567A (en) | 2007-06-20 | 2008-06-19 | Shock-absorbibg pool cue grip |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US93644107P | 2007-06-20 | 2007-06-20 | |
US60/936,441 | 2007-06-20 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
WO2008156818A1 true WO2008156818A1 (en) | 2008-12-24 |
Family
ID=40137060
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/US2008/007663 WO2008156818A1 (en) | 2007-06-20 | 2008-06-19 | Shock-absorbibg pool cue grip |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20080318698A1 (en) |
EP (1) | EP2173442A4 (en) |
CN (1) | CN101730567A (en) |
WO (1) | WO2008156818A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US9927244B2 (en) | 2016-07-20 | 2018-03-27 | Igt | Gaming system and method for locating an electronic gaming machine with a mobile device |
US10413806B1 (en) * | 2018-05-02 | 2019-09-17 | Hamson Global Co., Ltd | Cue butt with ball control enhancement function and billiard cue thereof |
Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20020182419A1 (en) * | 2001-04-19 | 2002-12-05 | Cho Byoung In | Bubble pack cushioned composite, method of making and article made therefrom |
US20050008669A1 (en) * | 1994-04-19 | 2005-01-13 | Chen John Y. | Tear resistant gels and articles for every uses |
US6869370B2 (en) * | 2003-05-08 | 2005-03-22 | Yeghia Davtyan | Laminated cue with central elongated member |
US20060009304A1 (en) * | 2004-07-09 | 2006-01-12 | Tremulis William S | Golf club grip |
Family Cites Families (10)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2257326A (en) * | 1940-12-26 | 1941-09-30 | Jacques R Blum | Billiard cue |
US3692609A (en) * | 1970-06-12 | 1972-09-19 | Hubert G Eckes | Method of producing billiard cue |
US5123929A (en) * | 1989-11-24 | 1992-06-23 | Allen Kenneth W | Specialized pool cue covering |
US5570884A (en) * | 1995-04-10 | 1996-11-05 | Carps; Dan | Ergonomic underlay for hand grips |
US7097570B2 (en) * | 2002-01-07 | 2006-08-29 | Michael Gulyassy | Pool cue |
US20040126556A1 (en) * | 2002-12-27 | 2004-07-01 | Nowak Michael T. | Grip element |
US7044861B1 (en) * | 2003-10-08 | 2006-05-16 | Sportcraft, Ltd. | Reinforced cue stick |
US7297068B2 (en) * | 2004-10-22 | 2007-11-20 | Costain Paul D | Vibration damping for a cue stick |
US7485050B2 (en) * | 2005-10-12 | 2009-02-03 | Grip Surface Technologies, Inc. | Micropattern grip surface |
US20080153612A1 (en) * | 2006-12-21 | 2008-06-26 | Dmi Sports, Inc. | Pool cue grip |
-
2008
- 2008-06-19 CN CN200880021199A patent/CN101730567A/en active Pending
- 2008-06-19 WO PCT/US2008/007663 patent/WO2008156818A1/en active Application Filing
- 2008-06-19 EP EP08768634A patent/EP2173442A4/en not_active Withdrawn
- 2008-06-19 US US12/214,447 patent/US20080318698A1/en not_active Abandoned
Patent Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20050008669A1 (en) * | 1994-04-19 | 2005-01-13 | Chen John Y. | Tear resistant gels and articles for every uses |
US20020182419A1 (en) * | 2001-04-19 | 2002-12-05 | Cho Byoung In | Bubble pack cushioned composite, method of making and article made therefrom |
US6869370B2 (en) * | 2003-05-08 | 2005-03-22 | Yeghia Davtyan | Laminated cue with central elongated member |
US20060009304A1 (en) * | 2004-07-09 | 2006-01-12 | Tremulis William S | Golf club grip |
Non-Patent Citations (1)
Title |
---|
See also references of EP2173442A4 * |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
EP2173442A1 (en) | 2010-04-14 |
CN101730567A (en) | 2010-06-09 |
US20080318698A1 (en) | 2008-12-25 |
EP2173442A4 (en) | 2012-07-25 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US6837812B2 (en) | Vibration dampening grip cover for the handle of an implement | |
US20090264230A1 (en) | Composite bat | |
US5374059A (en) | Shock absorbing grip for racquets and the like | |
US5695418A (en) | Shock absorbing grip for racquets and the like | |
US5803828A (en) | Slip-on golf club grip | |
US20160184678A1 (en) | Sports paddle and method of manufacture | |
JPH0999122A (en) | Golf club with vibration damping equipment and its preparation | |
JP2009006052A (en) | Ball | |
US20080318698A1 (en) | Shock-absorbing pool cue grip | |
US5788586A (en) | Golf club having vibration damping device and method for making same | |
JP2003164549A (en) | Handle assembly for sports racket | |
US20050181897A1 (en) | Blade member | |
JP2004275324A (en) | Golf club shaft | |
US10888755B2 (en) | Method for reducing vibration in club shaft | |
JP2003284799A (en) | Bat for practice | |
US20080318699A1 (en) | Pool cue gel grip | |
US20050282004A1 (en) | Shock-absorbing strip for winding around handle | |
JP5361032B2 (en) | Table tennis racket | |
US20230293961A1 (en) | Pickleball Paddle | |
WO2007117101A1 (en) | Glove for golf | |
JP3051947U (en) | Racket grip | |
JP2001120698A (en) | Table tennis packet | |
KR200194513Y1 (en) | Catch | |
JP2003245388A (en) | Anti-vibration and anti-slip tool for grip end of baseball bat | |
JP2000037488A (en) | Ping-pong packet |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
WWE | Wipo information: entry into national phase |
Ref document number: 200880021199.9 Country of ref document: CN |
|
121 | Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application |
Ref document number: 08768634 Country of ref document: EP Kind code of ref document: A1 |
|
NENP | Non-entry into the national phase |
Ref country code: DE |
|
WWE | Wipo information: entry into national phase |
Ref document number: 2008768634 Country of ref document: EP |