Abstract:
A grip for a handle of a sports racquet comprises an elongated strip of molded rubber sized for wrapping spirally about an elongated handle of a sports racquet such that its bottom surface contacts said handle and its upper surface forms a gripping surface for the hand. Preferably, the upper surface is molded with an aggressively textured surface to enhance gripping power.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to sports racquets such as tennis racquets, squash racquets, badminton racquets, and racquetball racquets having a head portion a handle covered by a grip forming an outer surface for the player to grasp.  
           [0002]    In the case of racquetball racquets, there are currently two types of grips, the wrapped grip and the slide-on grip. Wrap grips are typically formed by depositing a thin layer of polyurethane over a cushioned felt backing. This type of grip is spirally wrapped around the racquet handle. The polyurethane material, which forms the outer surface of the grip, provides reasonably good slip resistance, while the felt backing provides a cushioned feel. The wrap grip is also moisture absorbent and easy to install.  
           [0003]    The other type of grip is a slide-on grip molded out of rubber or some type of elastomeric material such as Kraton®M. These rubber grips are molded into a tubular, sleeve-like shape, and installed by sliding the sleeve over the butt end of the handle. Because tubular grips are formed by molding, it is possible to provide the outer surface with a textured surface so that the racquet is less likely to slip out of the player&#39;s hand. Such grips can also be made thicker than wrap grips, to resist abrasive wear, for greater durability. The chief drawbacks of rubber, tubular grips are that they do not absorb moisture and they can be difficult to install, requiring a solvent and sometimes extra tools to slide the grip over the flared butt cap.  
         BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    A grip for a handle of a sports racquet comprises an elongated strip of molded rubber material sized for wrapping spirally about an elongated handle of a sports racquet such that its bottom surface contacts the handle and its upper surface forms a gripping surface for the hand. Preferably, the upper surface is molded to have an “aggressively textured surface” to enhance gripping power.  
           [0005]    As used in the specification and claims, the term “aggressively textured surface” means a pattern of surface indentations or projections of sufficient density and depth (or height, in the case of projections) so that, when the hand or glove of a player grasps the racquet, the skin or glove of the player is deformed locally to protrude into such indentations. In this manner, there is positive engagement between the grip and the player&#39;s hand, and not merely friction, thereby increasing gripping power. Such indentations can be in the form of holes, grooves, slots, or channels, or any combination thereof. Projections can be of any shape, for example creating a knurled surface.  
           [0006]    In a preferred embodiment, the opposed longitudinal edges of the strip have complementary shape such that, when such grip is wound spirally on a handle and an edge of a spiral turn overlaps an edge of a prior spiral turn, such overlapping edges have the same thickness as the adjoining portions of the strip.  
           [0007]    In another preferred embodiment, at least one of the opposed longitudinal edges of the strip, when viewed in cross-section, has an upper convex surface such that, when such grip is wound spirally on a handle, the concave edge presses against the handle.  
           [0008]    If desired, the strip may be made of a transparent rubber. In such embodiment, the outer surface of the handle will be visible, and may include a design, logo, or the like. Also, the outer surface of the strip, along part or all of the length of the strip, may be smooth rather than textured.  
           [0009]    Preferably, the rubber material is selected from a group of rubber materials having a tack, such that said grip can be wound on a handle without the need for an adhesive. Optionally, the grip may have a backing material on its bottom surface, for example, felt or a rubber or other elastomer material softer than the rubber material of said strip.  
           [0010]    In another preferred embodiment, the strip has regions of differently colored rubber materials, or regions of different rubber materials having physical properties different from one another.  
           [0011]    For a better understanding of the invention, reference is made to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, taken in conjunction with the drawings accompanying the application. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]    [0012]FIG. 1 is a front view of a racquetball racquet;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 2 is a top view of a grip according to the invention;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the grip;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view, taken through lines  4 - 4  of FIG. 2;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 4 a  is a cross-sectional view taken through lines  4   a - 4   a  of FIG. 2 
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view, taken through lines  5 - 5  of FIG. 2;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a portion of the grip shown in FIG. 2;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the grip pattern employed with the embodiment of FIG. 2;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 8 is a side view of a portion of the butt end of a racquet handle, with a grip according to FIG. 2 partially wrapped onto the handle;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 9 is a side view of another portion of the handle of FIG. 8, showing the wrapping of the grip in progress;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 10 is a top view of another embodiment of a grip;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 11 is a top view of yet another embodiment of a grip;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a still further embodiment of a grip; and  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a grip.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0026]    [0026]FIG. 1 shows a racquetball racquet  10  which has a head portion  12 , a throat region  14  formed by a pair of converging shafts, and a handle  16 . A plurality of main strings  17  and cross strings  18  are interwoven to form a string bed, and a grip  20  is spirally wound around the handle  16 .  
         [0027]    [0027]FIGS. 2 and 3 show the top surface  22  and bottom surface  24 , respectively, of the grip  20  prior to being wound onto the handle  16 . As shown in FIG. 3, the bottom surface  24 , which abuts against the surface of the handle when the grip  20  installed on the racquet  10 , may be smooth. The upper surface  22 , however, has an “aggressively textured surface.” In FIG. 2, the aggressively textured surface is represented by a plurality of channels  26  and an array of pyramid shaped grip elements  27 . The channels  26  and pyramid shaped grip elements  27  are shown in more detail in FIGS. 4, 6 and  7 , discussed further below.  
         [0028]    As shown in FIG. 2, the channels  26  and pyramid shaped grip elements  27 , which form a gripping portion of the grip, extend from a rear end  28  of the grip towards a forward end  29  of the grip, terminating along a boundary line  31  which is at an acute angle α relative to the longitudinal axis  30  of the grip  20 . As explained further below, the angle α corresponds to the desired wind angle of the grip on the handle  16 . A leader portion  32  of the grip  20 , which is the portion located between the boundary line  31  and the forward end  29  of the grip  20 , has a smooth upper surface  33  and, as shown in FIG. 4A, lies in a plane “P1” which is below the plane “P2” in which the upper tips  27   a  of the pyramid shaped grip elements  27  lie.  
         [0029]    Referring to FIGS. 4 and 6- 7 , in the illustrated embodiment the pyramid shaped grip elements  27  are oriented at a 45 degree angle relative to the longitudinal axis  30  of the grip  20 , and the base of the pyramid shaped grip elements  27  have a length “L” which is greater than their width “W,.” e.g., a length “L” of 2.4 mm and a width of 1.2 mm. However, such orientation, dimensions, and shape are merely illustrative.  
         [0030]    As shown in FIGS.  4 , in the gripping portion the grip  20 , i.e., the portion containing the pyramid shaped grip elements  27 , each of the opposite sides of the grip  20  are provided with a recessed edge  40 ,  42 . The upwardly facing recessed edge  40  (which will be the upper edge when the grip  20  is wound on the handle  16 , as described below) has a thickness of 0.6 mm, whereas the downwardly facing recessed edge  42  will have a thickness of approximately 1 mm.  
         [0031]    As shown in FIGS. 4 and 4A, one edge  45  of the leader portion  32 , which forms the lower edge of the grip  20  when the grip is wound onto a handle  16 , curls downwardly, toward the lower surface  24 . This is to cause the edge  45  to press against the surface of the handle when the grip  20  is wound onto the handle.  
         [0032]    The process for winding the grip  20  onto the handle  16  is illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9. Starting with the forward end  29  of the rubber grip  20 , the lead portion  32  is wound about the butt end  46  of the racquet handle  16 . Initially, the grip  20  is wound perpendicular to the handle axis. As shown in FIG. 8, after the initial wind, the textured surface  27  adjacent boundary line  31  begins to appear. On the next ensuing wrap, the recessed edge  42  on the underside  24  of the wrap  20  will encounter the vertical surface of the boundary line  31 . The boundary line  31  extends at the desired wind angle for the grip. As the grip is wound, the recessed edge  42  will abut and engage the boundary line  31 , causing the grip  20  to follow the boundary line  31  and be wound in a spiral fashion.  
         [0033]    As shown in FIG. 9, once the grip  20  is reoriented to wrap in a spiral manner about the handle  16 , it will continue to wrap spirally. As the grip  20  is wrapped, the upper recessed edge  42  will overlie the lower recessed edge  40  of the prior wrap, to form a flush joint. Other forms of mating edges may be used in place of the mating recessed edges if desired.  
         [0034]    Thus, the boundary line  31  acts a guide initially to cause the grip  20  to follow the desired wrap angle. Thereafter, the engaging recessed edges  40 ,  42  align subsequent wraps to the correct wind angle.  
         [0035]    The grip  20  may have a conventional length, width, and thickness. By way of example, if the grip  20  is to be used for racquetball racquets, it may have a length of 700 mm, a width of 25 mm, and a thickness of 0.7 mm at the leader portion and 2.00 mm in the gripping portion (where there are no recessed edges). The grooves  26  preferably have a depth between 10% and 40%, and most preferably about 20%, of the thickness of the grip  20 . If the grip  20  is to be used for other types of racquets, the dimensions would be selected accordingly.  
         [0036]    The grip  20  is made entirely of rubber, preferably natural rubber.  
         [0037]    Alternatively, the grip may be made of other elastomeric materials (synthetic rubber) such as Kraton®. Preferably, the material has a hardness in the range of Shore A35 to A60, most preferably Shore A49. The grip  20  is manufactured by injecting rubber material into a mold defining the channels  26  and textured upper surface. The mold may be in the shape of an individual grip  20 . Alternately, the mold can form a sheet of material containing channels  26 , which sheet is then cut into individual strips.  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 10 shows a modified grip  20   a,  in which the textured upper surface  52  is formed by a plurality of channels which are oriented generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the grip. Grip  20   a  also differs from grip  20  insofar as, rather than providing a leader section and boundary line guide, the forward end  52  of the grip is tapered at the desired wind angle. The opposite edges of the grip  20   a  may be notched in a manner similar to grip  20 , so that overlapping edges form a flush joint. Such grip  20   a  is wound in a conventional fashion on the racquet handle, starting at the tapered end.  
         [0039]    [0039]FIG. 11 shows another alternative of a grip  20   b.  In place of channels, a plurality of knob-like projections  26   b  extend from the upper surface  22   b  of the grip  20   b.  In addition, the grip  20   b  contains regions A, B, and C which are formed of rubber materials having properties different from one another. For example, the rubber materials used in the respective regions may be of different colors, or have different hardnesses. Such grip  20   b  may be formed by injecting simultaneously the different materials into the mold through separate ports.  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 12 shows another alternative grip  20   c  which includes a rubber strip  30   c  which may be identical to the grip  20 ,  20   a,  or  20   b.  In addition, a backing material  28   c  is adhered to the bottom surface  24   c  of the strip  30   c  for extra cushioning. The backing material  28   c  may be felt of the type used in polyurethane grips, or may be a soft rubber material. In this manner, the strip  30   c  containing the texture  26   c  can be formed of a relatively harder rubber for greater durability, and the backing material  28   c  will provide a softer feel. The backing may also contain an adhesive. As shown, the edges of the grip may be skived in a known manner.  
         [0041]    [0041]FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of another rubber grip  20   d,  in which the grip is molded so that the opposed longitudinal edges have upper convex surfaces  32   d,    34   d.  In this manner, when the grip  20   d  is wrapped around the handle, the edges  32   d,    34   d  apply pressure against the handle surface so that the grip  20   d  remains in tight engagement with the handle.  
         [0042]    If desired, the grip can be transparent or tinted, so as to expose the underlying handle surface. The outer surface of the handle can be provided with the desired color, or may contain written or graphic indicia which will be exposed through the transparent or tinted grip. Also, if desired the outer surface of the grip, along part or all of its length, may be smooth rather than textured.  
         [0043]    The foregoing represent preferred embodiments of the invention. Variations and modifications will be apparent to persons skilled in the art, without departing from the inventive concepts disclosed herein. For example, the disclosed grip can also be used as an overgrip, i.e., wound over an existing racquet grip. Also, in certain applications it may be desirable to employ an adhesive or double face tape between the grip and handle, particularly if the grip is wrapped directly on the handle. All such modifications and variations are intended to be within the scope of the invention, as defined in the following claims.