Patent ID: 8834306
Filing Date: 2014-09-16
Classification: A63B

Abstract:
1. A sports racquet comprising: a racquet frame having a head laterally surrounding a string bed, and having a lateral interior surface, the string bed residing in a string bed plane, a string bed boundary formed by the intersection of the interior surface of the head and the string bed plane; a plurality of grommet holes disposed to be around at least a portion of the head; the string bed having a plurality of strings at least some of the strings received into respective grommet holes in the head, each of the strings received into respective grommet holes having a string outer surface; at least one elongate grommet strip disposed adjacent to the grommet holes; a plurality of grommets attached in spaced apart relation to the grommet strip, extending from the grommet strip at an angle to the length of the grommet strip, and inserted into respective ones of the grommet holes; each grommet including an elongated vibration damping barrel closely enclosing a string and extending into the string bed from the string bed boundary by about at least 0.55 inches; and each elongated vibration damping barrel having a continuous interior wall, a gap measured between a distance from a point on the string outer surface to a closest point on the continuous interior wall, the gap having a minimum measurement of about 0.125 millimeters.