Abstract:
A stand-alone, rigid lacrosse pocket is formed from a piece of mesh netting that is shaped to exhibit a desired pocket contour. Once shaped, a coating of stiffening material is applied to the netting and embeds within the shaped mesh netting to “fix” the desired pocket contour and form a rigid lacrosse pocket. The rigid lacrosse pocket is thereafter attached to a conventional lacrosse head, using the same stringing technique as commonly used to attach the mesh netting to the head. Advantageously, by pre-fabricating the lacrosse pocket, the need to “work” the netting into the desired shape is eliminated, and a player can quickly and easily change pockets as necessary. A method of fabricating the stand-along, rigid lacrosse pocket is also disclosed.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/641,359, filed May 2, 2012 and herein incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to the sport of lacrosse and, in particular, to a pre-fabricated pocket that can quickly and easily be mounted on the head of a stick, eliminating the need to string the head and “work” the netting to form a pocket. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    A modern lacrosse stick consists of a plastic molded head attached to a metal shaft. The head is typically strung with nylon or leather strings to form a pocket which is used by a player to hold the ball. The dimensions of the stick (length, width, sidewall height, and depth of the pocket) are governed by league rules, such as NCAA rules for collegiate players or FIL rules for international players. The pocket of the head is where the ball is carried and caught. It consists of interwoven string. Traditional stringing with leather strings interwoven with nylon strings has declined in popularity in favor of synthetic mesh (i.e., “pre-woven”) stringing. Mesh is typically made of nylon and comes in a variety of diamond configurations, which can affect the pocket&#39;s throwing and retention characteristics. 
         [0004]      FIG. 1  is a top view of an exemplary prior art head  1  including a mesh netting  2  that is attached between sidewalls  3  of head  1 , as well as attached to scoop  4  and base  5 . A lacing string  6  is shown in this case as used to attach mesh netting  2  to head  1 . Once laced into place, the mesh is also referred to as forming the “pocket”  7  of the lacrosse stick. A ball  8  is shown in phantom as resting within the desired “sweet spot”—lowest depth of pocket  7 . In order to be deemed legal for play, the pocket depth must pass the following test: when a lacrosse ball is placed in the pocket, the top edge of the ball must not sit deeper than the lowermost edge of the sidewall.  FIG. 2  is a side view of head  1 , showing the position of ball  8  within pocket  7 , forming a “legal” pocket arrangement with an upper portion  8 -U of ball  8  being visible above head  1 . 
         [0005]    These requirements for pocket depth, as well as other requirements for the head in general, are controlled (at least in part) by how the head is strung. The advent of synthetic mesh stringing decreased the time required to re-string a stick, since the need to weave the string into a mesh pattern was eliminated. However, a mesh pocket must still be “worked” to create the desired sweet spot area. In most cases, a player, coach, or equipment personnel must spend valuable time manipulating a ball in the desired area within the mesh to re-shape it and form a pocket area of the proper size. 
         [0006]    While there do exist some “pre-formed” pockets, these are made by heat-treating or applying pressure to the mesh material. Over time, the mesh material has been found to lose its shape. Additionally, heat-treated pre-formed pockets may not be able to withstand rigorous use, as a result of the thermal-induced changes to the nylon mesh material. Some acrylic coatings have been used in the past, and applied to the pocket once it has been properly attached to the head to stiffen the pocket and improve the lifetime of the head. One drawback with using this type of coating, however, is that the mesh must still be attached to the head and “worked” to form the pocket prior to applying the coating. Additionally, there may be the need to wait for the coating to dry before the stick can be used. In game situations, this is not acceptable. 
         [0007]    Thus, a need remains in the art for a simplified “pre-shaped” pocket for a lacrosse stick that does not suffer the drawbacks present in current configurations. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    The needs remaining in the prior art are addressed by the present invention, which relates to the sport of lacrosse and, in particular, to a pre-fabricated pocket that can quickly and easily be mounted on the head of a stick, eliminating the need to string the head and “work” the netting to form a pocket. 
         [0009]    In accordance with the present invention, a lacrosse pocket is formed of conventional mesh used for lacrosse sticks. Before the mesh is attached to the head, it shaped to create the desired pocket sweet post (in terms of location, size, etc.). A fixture may be used to hold the mesh during this shaping operation. Once the desired pocket form is obtained, the configured mesh is encapsulated in a coating that essentially “freezes” the pocket in the desired form, stiffening the mesh. The stiffen mesh is thereafter attached to the head in a conventional fashion (e.g., lacing strings or the like). 
         [0010]    In one embodiment of the present invention, the shaped pocket is coated with a rubber material. The rubber becomes embedded within the fiber of the mesh material (generally a nylon or other polymer material), providing a stiffening to the pocket upon curing. Advantageously, the coating is impervious to water, allowing for a “wet stick” to retain the desired pocket shape. In another embodiment, an acrylic spray is applied to the pocket to coat the mesh and maintain the shape of the pocket. Again, the spray acrylic will be embedded between the individual fibers of the mesh and form a strong, rigid coating. 
         [0011]    Advantageously, the ability to pre-fabricate the pockets in this manner allows for a number of different configurations to be formed, Most players like to place the deepest portion of the pocket (the “sweet spot”) in the forward area of the head (i.e., a “high depth”). This arrangement can easily be formed using the pre-fabrication method of the present invention; similarly, “middle depth” or “lower depth” configurations can similarly be formed. 
         [0012]    In accordance with the present invention, a large number of such pockets may thus be pre-fabricated and kept “on hand” by the players and/or teams, allowing for a player&#39;s stick to quickly and easily be “re-strung” when damaged during play (as opposed to requiring the manual, individual re-stringing and pocket formation as prevalent with today&#39;s sticks). 
         [0013]    One particular embodiment of the present invention relates to a stand-alone, rigid lacrosse pocket comprising a mesh netting shaped to exhibit a desired pocket contour and a coating of stiffening material covering and embedded within the shaped mesh netting to fix the desired pocket contour and form the rigid lacrosse pocket. 
         [0014]    Another particular embodiment of the present invention relates to a method of making a stand-alone, rigid lacrosse pocket comprising the steps of: a) providing an individual piece of mesh netting; b) shaping the individual piece of mesh netting to form a desired pocket contour and, prior to attaching the shaped individual piece of mesh netting to a lacrosse head, c) covering the shaped individual piece of mesh netting with a coating material to fix the desired pocket contour and form the stand-alone, rigid lacrosse pocket. 
         [0015]    Other and further aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent during the course of the following discussion and by reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0016]    Referring now to the drawings, where like numerals represent like parts in several views: 
           [0017]      FIG. 1  is a top view of a prior art lacrosse stick head, showing the placement of the mesh netting within the head to form a pocket; 
           [0018]      FIG. 2  is a side view of the prior art arrangement of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 3  is a side view of an exemplary pre-fabricated lacrosse pocket formed in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0020]      FIG. 4  is a bottom view of the pre-fabricated pocket of  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0021]      FIG. 5  illustrates an exemplary pre-fabricated pocket of the present invention as attached to a conventional lacrosse head; 
           [0022]      FIG. 6  is a side view of an alternative pre-fabricated lacrosse pocket formed in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0023]      FIG. 7  is a flowchart of an exemplary method of forming a pre-fabricated pocket in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0024]      FIG. 8  is an exemplary fabrication form that may be used to perform the method of  FIG. 7 ; 
           [0025]      FIG. 9  illustrates an alternative fabrication form, allowing for the simultaneously fabrication of a plurality of lacrosse pockets; and 
           [0026]      FIG. 10  is a view of the underside of the form shown in  FIG. 9 , in this case with mesh material inserted in each aperture, the mesh formed into the desired pocket shape. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0027]      FIG. 3  is a side view of a pre-fabricated pocket  10  formed in accordance with the present invention. In particular, pre-fabricated pocket  10  is formed of a conventional mesh material  12  which is shaped to form the desired pocket configuration, with the complete mesh structure then covered with a stiffening coating to retain the final, rigid form as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0028]    The side view of  FIG. 3  shows pre-fabricated pocket  10  “upside down”, with a pocket sweet spot area  14  shown in the upper area of pocket  10 . An upper portion  16  of mesh material  12  will subsequently be attached to the scoop of an associated head (not shown), with a lower portion  18  attached to a base (not shown). Side loops  20  of pocket  10  will be laced to the sidewalls of the head. 
         [0029]    In accordance with the present invention, the as-formed pocket is coated with a material that stiffens the mesh into a hardened form, essentially “freezing” the location of the depression. The coating may be applied in the form of a spray, such as an aerosol acrylic, which will coat the netting and stiffen the pocket—essentially “freezing” the location of the depression. Alternatively, the pocket may be immersed in a bath of a stiffening material. While being stiffened, the pocket retains enough flexibility to be a suitable lacrosse stick. Instead of an acrylic, a rubber material may be used to stiffen the “shaped” pocket (the rubber applied in spray form, immersion or other suitable techniques). Preferably, the shaped pocket is coated with a material that is also impervious to water, creating a lacrosse head that retains its shape, even when used in inclement weather. 
         [0030]      FIG. 4  is a bottom view of pre-fabricated pocket  10  of  FIG. 3 , clearly illustrating the configuration of the stiffened pocket (as compared to a piece of flat, rectangular mesh that is used as the starting material for the pocket). Particularly evident in this view is an “overlapped” configuration of upper portion  16 . Before the application of the stiffening material, the mesh netting in this region of the pocket is folded over on itself, creating a double-layer of mesh for attachment to the scoop. This doubled-over mesh area is useful in making the pocket resilient to play, since the scoop often comes into contact with the ground. 
         [0031]    In one particular embodiment, pre-fabricated pocket  10  may also include an indented portion  22 , disposed between pocket sweet spot  14  and base region  18 . Indented portion  22  is also considered to be useful in controlling ball action, particularly the speed of ball movement within the pocket. 
         [0032]      FIG. 5  is a side view of pre-fabricated pocket  10 , in this case illustrating the attachment of pocket  10  to an exemplary head  52  of a lacrosse stick  50 . A lace  54  is shown as used to attach pre-fabricated pocket  10  to head. That is, lace  54  weaves in and out of loops  20 , also passing through a plurality of slots  56  formed around head  50 . These slots are the same elements as used in a conventional stringing of a lacrosse pocket; therefore, the pre-fabricated pocket of the present invention may be used with a conventional lacrosse stick—no other alterations are required. 
         [0033]    As mentioned above, one advantage of the arrangement of the present invention is that the mesh material is first manipulated to shape the pocket in a desired form, with the shaped pocket then coated with a stiffening material once the desired form is obtained.  FIG. 6  is a side view of another pre-fabricated pocket  60  formed in accordance with the present invention, where pre-fabricated pocket  60  is shown as shaped to include a shallow sweet spot region  62 , when compared to region  14  of pre-fabricated pocket  10 . Indeed, there are various arrangements well-known in the sport of lacrosse regarding preferred sweet spot locations: “high”, “middle” and “low”. Obviously, any of these configurations may be formed in the pre-fabricated pocket of the present invention. 
         [0034]      FIG. 7  contains a flow chart of an exemplary method of creating a pre-fabricated lacrosse pocket in accordance with the present invention, and  FIG. 8  shows an exemplary fabrication form that may be used in the process. As shown, the process begins at step  100  with providing conventional mesh material and a fabrication form (shown as element  80  in  FIG. 8 ) suitable for forming the pre-fabricated pocket. Next, the mesh material is placed over an aperture  82  in fabrication form  80  (step  110 ). As shown in  FIG. 8 , aperture  82  is configured to an outline of the topology of a lacrosse head. The mesh material is removably attached to fabrication form  80  (step  120 ) by placing the edge loops of the mesh over a plurality of fixing pins  84 , as shown in  FIG. 8 . 
         [0035]    Once the mesh material is in place, the process continues by shaping the mesh (step  130 ) to form the desired configuration, including the sweet spot (and, perhaps, the indented region). This sweet spot can be formed using a variety of different techniques. A lacrosse ball may be “worked” in the mesh to form the sweet spot, or a specialized form may be used to fit around the netting and create the sweet spot. Once this has been formed, a stiffening material is applied as a coating to the shaped mesh netting (step  140 ). This stiffening material soaks into the fibrous structure of the netting and provides rigidity to the pocket (allowing it to be sold as an individual product and quickly and easily attached to a stick). Preferably, the stiffening coating will also be impervious to water. Once dry, the stiffened pocket is removed from fabrication form  80  (step  150 ). 
         [0036]    Advantageously, the ability to pre-fabricate the pockets in this manner allows for a number of different configurations  t o be formed. Most players like to place the deepest portion of the pocket (the “sweet spot”) in the forward area of the head. This arrangement can easily be formed using the pre-fabrication method of the present invention; similarly, “middle depth” or “lower depth” configurations can similarly be formed. 
         [0037]    In accordance with the present invention, a large number of such pockets may thus be pre-fabricated and kept “on hand” by the players and/or teams, allowing for a player&#39;s stick to quickly and easily be “re-strung” when damaged during play (as opposed to requiring the manual, individual re-stringing and pocket formation as prevalent with today&#39;s sticks).  FIG. 9  shows an exemplary form  90  including a plurality of apertures  92 , where a multiple number of pre-fabricated pockets can be formed simultaneously by inserting a separate piece of mesh into each aperture  92 . A plurality of fixing pins  93  is shown as surrounding the periphery of each aperture  92 . 
         [0038]      FIG. 10  shows the same form  90  as illustrated in  FIG. 9 , in this case with a number of mesh nettings  94  inserted in apertures  92  and shaped.  FIG. 10  is the underside of the form, showing the shaped pocket region  96 . Once the plurality of pockets are properly shaped, they are coated with a stiffening material to form a pre-fabricated pocket as illustrated in the other drawings. 
         [0039]    In accordance with the present invention, therefore, a pre-fabricated pocket for lacrosse sticks is presented that can be formed en masse, in production mode by first forming a desired pocket location and then coating the pocket with a stiffening material. While the process of forming such a pre-fabricated pocket may utilize conventional laced arrangements of strings, the use of mesh is preferred. Indeed, various mesh patterns (diamonds, triangles, trapezoids or the like) may be used. In general, any suitable material that is woven or created to form a “pocket” that is acceptable for use in the sport of lacrosse may be treated with a coating in accordance with the present invention to form the rigid, pre-fabricated pocket. Moreover, the pre-fabricated pocket can also be made to have any desired color (either by using a tinted coating material or thereafter applying a coloring layer to pocket). Logos, names, or the like may also be imprinted on the pre-fabricated pocket. 
         [0040]    Various other modifications and arrangements can be made and are considered to fall within the scope of the present invention. Indeed, modifications in terms of pocket location (high vs. low vs. middle) and the size of the pocket (for men players vs. women players vs. youth players) are all considered to be captured by the scope of this invention.