Racket cover

A cover for rackets, such as table tennis rackets having an impact portion and a handle portion, comprises a casing having two connected plate-shaped members forming an inner space therebetween for insertion of a racket. An opening is provided in the casing as access to the inner space. The casing has a stop to position the racket in the inner space. Each of the plate-shaped members has holes facing each other into which a ball can be inserted after the racket is placed into the casing to lock the racket in the inner space. The ball is removable from the holes to free the racket and allow its removal from the casing.

TECHNICAL FIELD 
The present invention relates to a cover for rackets, such as table tennis 
rackets, displaying an impact portion 13 and handle 14, such cover 
comprising a casing 1 with an inner space 16 adapted and intended to 
accommodate the racket. 
BACKGROUND 
It is currently customary in different types of racket sports to protect 
the rackets against external influences such as wetness and abrasion. To 
this end covers are used, preferably of two types, namely, soft or hard. 
The soft cover is preferably sewn to follow the impact surface of the 
racket while the hard cover is of a rectangular shape and is often 
constructed of some type of wood material. The soft cover does not give 
sufficient protection against bumps and blows while the hard cover quickly 
becomes worn and increases the wear and tear on the racket. 
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a racket cover which 
provides satisfactory protection, has simple construction, is cheap to 
produce and is easy to handle. 
THE SOLUTION 
Said purpose is achieved by means of a cover characterized in that the 
casing is generally constructed of two connected plate-shaped members 
positioned at a distance from each other, in that the casing exhibits an 
opening into which the racket is intended to be inserted to a position 
which is determined by stopping means in the casing, in that each of the 
plate shaped elements exhibits holes placed directly in front of each 
other and into which holes a ball is intended to be placed after the 
racket is inserted into the casing, in that the holes are placed outside 
of that portion of the plateshaped members which is located directly 
adjacent to the impact portion of the racket when in its inserted 
position, in that the holes are arranged so as to hold the balls in such a 
position that they span the space between the plate-shaped members, and in 
that stopping means are provided in the casing to, in cooperation with the 
balls, by stopping sections of the racket, secure the racket in the 
inserted position in the casing.

BEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION: 
As is shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the cover consists mainly of a casing 1 having 
rectangular cross section, manufactured preferably of some type of plastic 
material and having a casing which exhibits two hard plate-shaped members 
2 and 3 located at a distance from one another, which are held at a 
determined distance from one another by means of separating means 4 such 
as a whole wall extending along the edge portions of the plate-shaped 
members as in the given example or as freely standing separating means, 
such as tube members, applied with even spacing along the edge portions of 
the plate-shaped members. The casing further exhibits a generally 
semicircularly shaped end 5 and an opposite, straight, open end 6. Each of 
the plate members 2 and 3 is preferably provided with two circular holes, 
first holes 7 in plate member 2 and second holes 8 in plate member 3, 
placed pairwise directly across from each other at a distance from the 
outer edges of the plate-shaped members, such that the diameters of the 
second holes 8 are preferably smaller than the diameters of the first 
holes 7, the first holes 7 each having an outwardly facing bevel 9. Each 
of the plate-shaped members 2 and 3 further has a longish notch 10, 
extending from the open end 6 towards and between the holes 7 and 8. The 
plate-shaped members' insides, which face each other, have parallel 
grooves which extend between the open end 6 and the arc-shaped end 5. 
The casing 1 is arranged to enclose a racket 12, preferably a table tennis 
racket, whereby its circularly shaped impact portion 13 contacts the 
semicircularly shaped end 5 between the separating means 4 within the edge 
portions of the plate-shaped members. The distance between the 
plate-shaped members 2 and 3 is sufficiently great that the thickness of 
the impact portion 13 of all rackets currently available on the market can 
be enclosed by the casing 1 between the plate members. The racket 12 
further has a rod-shaped handle portion 14 which, in the inserted position 
of the racket in the cover, is positioned between the plate-shaped members 
2 and 3 and the notches 10, whereby the somewhat convex surfaces of the 
handle stick up to a certain extent out of the notches over the surfaces 
of the plate members, and the edge portions of the notch contact the 
handle to a certain extent so that it is secured laterally. Detachable, 
spherical and partially resilient locking means, preferably two of the 
playing balls 15, which are used in the racket sport in question, in this 
case, table tennis balls, are placed in the holes 7 and 8 on the 
plateshaped members, whereby the diameters of the balls only slightly 
exceed the diameters of the first holes 7, so that the balls, with their 
great circles considered parallel to the plate elements 2 and 3, lie 
between the plate elements at a level below the first holes 7. 
Upon insertion of the racket 12 into the casing 1 the balls 15 are removed 
from the holes 7 and 8 whereupon a free, open spaces 16 is created in the 
casing, bounded by the plate elements 2 and 3 and the separating means 4, 
so that the racket can be inserted between the plate elements with the 
front edge portions 17 of the impact portion facing the open end 6, 
whereby a certain clearance between the impact surfaces 18 and 19 of the 
impact portion 13 and the plate elements facilitates insertion of the 
racket. Insertion is further facilitated by means of the grooves 11 on the 
insides of the plate elements 2 and 3, which lessen the friction between 
the impact surfaces and the plate elements when the racket is inserted 
into the casing. This is especially important since the impact surfaces 18 
and 19 are often covered with a rubber material, which tends to stick to 
and, because of suction, to adhere to flat surfaces, especially plastic 
surfaces. The grooves are preferably produced by means of milling or 
mounding, whereby the surface lying between the grooves forms a contact 
surface for the impact surfaces. 
The racket 12 is inserted in the direction towards the arc-shaped end 5 in 
such a way that the handles 14 of the racket are guided towards the 
notches 10 in the plate elements 2 and 3 and are inserted in the notches, 
whereby the length of the notches is adapted to the length of the handle 
so that the entire racket 12 fits in the casing and is protected by its 
outer edges. The front edge portion 17 of the impact portion 13 contacts 
the inside of the wall 4 at the arc-shaped end 5 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 
3. The handle 14 then lies between the plate elements 2 and 3 and contacts 
the edge portions of the notch 10 so that the handle, because its surfaces 
are convex and jut out somewhat from the notches above the surfaces of the 
plate elements, is easily grasped upon insertion and removal of the 
racket. In this manner the racket is transversely secured, partly by means 
of the position of the impact portion 13 between the wall 4, and partly by 
means of the position of the handle 14 in the notch 10. Furthermore, the 
position of the racket in the longitudinal direction in the casing is 
secured by the balls 15 being placed in the holes 7 and 8 after the racket 
has been inserted into the casing. The holes in the plate elements are 
provided at a position directly outside of the rear edge portions 20 and 
21 of the impact portion 13 adjoining the place of attachment of the 
handle 14 to the impact portion on either side of the handle as is shown 
in FIG. 3, in such a way that some separation is provided between the 
position of the holes and the position of the edge portions of the impact 
surface in order to attain optimal adaptability to different models of 
rackets, the length of the impact portion of which varies. 
When the balls 15 are introduced into the first holes 7, the bevels 9 
provide some control of the ball in the holes and facilitate the 
compression of the ball which arises due to the diameter of the ball being 
somewhat larger than the diameter of the hole, so that there is some 
resistance to the compression. Because the hole has a smaller diameter 
than the ball, some snapping action will arise when the ball is inserted 
into the hole, so that the ball will pop out of the hole between the plate 
elements 2 and 3 toward the other hole 8, the diameter of which is less 
than that of the first hole 7 and considerably less than the diameter of 
the ball, so that the ball cannot pass through the second hole 8 but 
rather remains in a position between the plate elements 2 and 3 with its 
great circle, which is parallel to the plate elements, located between the 
plate elements, which, because of the contact of the rear edge portions 20 
and 21 with the balls, prevent removal of the racket from the casing. The 
separation which is provided between the balls and the edge portions of 
the impact surface can be reduced, for example, by providing a resilient 
member between the impact portion's front edge portion 17 and the wall 4 
at the arc-shaped end 5 so that the impact portion is pressed against the 
spherical surface of the balls 15. Because the diameter of the balls is 
greater than the diameter of the first hole 7, the balls are held in 
position between the plate elements 2 and 3 even when not pressed by the 
impact surface, so that, in order to remove the balls, force is required 
to overcome the resistance of the balls to being pressed through the first 
hole 7. Because of this it is therefore necessary that the balls be 
accessible from the outside of one plate element, which is made possible 
by the other holes 8, for pressing the balls out of the first holes 7, 
whereupon the racket, by gripping the handle 14, can be removed from the 
casing through the open end 6. 
The invention is not limited to the working example which has been 
described above and illustrated in the drawings but can be varied within 
the framework of the following claims. For example, in order to lock the 
racket in the casing it is only necessary to have one ball placed in one 
hole. It is not necessary to utilize grooves in order to lessen friction 
but rather, for example, tightly packed bristles or a securely glued felt 
material can be used. Neither is it necessary for the casing to have a 
semicircular end but, rather, the casing could have a completely 
rectangular shape. Furthermore, the casing can be provided with a carrying 
handle or a surrounding, soft, outer cover. The stopping function of the 
balls has been mentioned above. The ability to place two balls in the 
casing also creates a storage place for these balls, which are easily 
accessible to the player during, for example, training sessions. The 
notches 10 for the handle 14 can be replaced by two suitably shaped raised 
portions formed in the plate-shaped elements 10.