GRIP TAPE WITH HOT-MELT ADHESIVE

A grip tape includes a tubular body and a bonding portion. The tubular body is configured to be mounted around the grip of a club, racket, or bat. The bonding portion is provided on the inner periphery of the tubular body and has first and second adhesive layers. The second adhesive layer lies between the inner periphery of the tubular body and the first adhesive layer and is adhesively bonded to the inner periphery of the tubular body. The first adhesive layer is hot-melt adhesive to be bonded to the grip through a heating reaction or hot pressing operation of a predetermined temperature. The grip tape, therefore, can be easily bonded to the grip via the heating reaction or hot pressing operation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to a grip tape and more particularly to one with hot-melt adhesive.

2. Description of Related Art

FIG. 1shows the handle, or grip,10of a conventional baseball bat. The grip10is composed of a gripping portion11and a grip tape13wrapped around the gripping portion11. The grip tape13is wound spirally around the gripping portion11from one end of the gripping portion11to the other end along the longitudinal direction of the gripping portion11. An overlapped seam131is formed where the helically wound grip tape13overlaps itself.

FIG. 2shows the grip20of another conventional baseball bat. The grip20is composed of a gripping portion (no reference numeral given in the drawing) and a grip tape23wrapped around the gripping portion. The grip tape23is in the shape of a sheet and surrounds the gripping portion in such a way that a connecting seam231is formed along the longitudinal direction of the gripping portion.

To complete the grips10,20, the grip tapes13,23must be prepared in advance, for example by applying adhesive or glue to the side of the grip tapes13,23that is to be attached to the gripping portion and then covering the resulting adhesive surface with release paper or protective paper. When it is ready to adhesively attach the adhesive or glue on the grip tapes13,23to the gripping portion, the release paper or protective paper is peeled off to expose the adhesive or glue on the adhesive surface of the grip tapes13,23so that subsequent bonding operation can be carried out.

However, the foregoing process of finishing the grips10,20still leaves room for improvement. More specifically, if the adhesive or glue on the grip tape13or23is to be adhesively attached to the gripping portion after the grip tape13or23is wound around the gripping portion, an additional jig or process will be required to remove the release paper or protective paper from the adhesive or glue on the adhesive surface of the grip tape13or23, which is very inconvenient. This is especially true when the grip tape has a tubular structure, for it is by no means easy to peel the release paper or protective paper off a tubular grip tape put around the gripping portion of a bat. The present invention is intended to provide an effective solution to the aforesaid drawback of the prior art.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In light of the above, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a grip tape with double-layer adhesive bound structure and one of the adhesive is hot-melt adhesive so that the grip tape can be bonded to the grip of a club, racket, or bat through a heating reaction or hot pressing process of a predetermined temperature, thereby facilitating the operation to be performed to finish the grip.

To achieve the objective, the grip tape of the present invention includes a tubular body and at least one bonding portion. The tubular body is configured to be mounted around the grip of a club, racket, or bat. The at least one bonding portion is provided on the inner periphery of the tubular body and has a first adhesive layer and a second adhesive layer. The second adhesive layer lies between the inner periphery of the tubular body and the first adhesive layer. The first adhesive layer is hot-melt adhesive to be bonded to the grip through a heating reaction or hot pressing operation of a predetermined temperature.

Preferably, there are a plurality of bonding portions, and the bonding portions are adhesively bonded between the tubular body and the grip and each extend from one end of the tubular body to the other end along the longitudinal direction of the tubular body.

Preferably, there are a plurality of bonding portions, and the bonding portions are adhesively bonded between the tubular body and the grip, extend in the circumferential direction of the tubular body, and are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the tubular body.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The structural features of the present invention and their intended effects are detailed below with reference to some illustrative embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Please note that the same reference numerals used in the embodiments and the drawings refer to the same or similar elements, components, articles, structures, systems, architectures, devices, process flows, methods, or steps.

Referring toFIG. 3toFIG. 5, the grip tape3according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a tubular body30and a bonding portion50.

The tubular body30is configured to be mounted around the grip G of a club, racket, or bat, such as the grip of a hockey stick, tennis racket, or baseball bat. The inner periphery of the tubular body30is substantially composed of a felted material or component for example.

The bonding portion50is provided on and covers the inner periphery of the tubular body30.

The bonding portion50has a first adhesive layer51and a second adhesive layer53. The sides of the two adhesive layers51,53that face each other are adhered, bonded, or adhesively attached to each other. The second adhesive layer53lies between the inner periphery of the tubular body30and the first adhesive layer51and is adhesively bonded to the felted component constituting the inner periphery of the tubular body30. The first adhesive layer51is hot-melt adhesive and can be bonded to the grip G of the club, racket, or bat by a heating reaction or hot pressing operation of a predetermined temperature.

In this embodiment, the hot-melt adhesive of the first adhesive layer51of the bonding portion50is composed of, for example, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA)-based hot-melt adhesive, polyamide-based hot-melt adhesive, thermoplastic rubber (TPR)-based hot-melt pressure-sensitive adhesive, polyolefin-based hot-melt adhesive, or moisture-cured polyurethane (PUR)-based hot-melt adhesive. The first adhesive layer51can be bonded to the grip G through a heating reaction or hot pressing operation of a predetermined temperature ranging generally from 60° C. to 300° C. The second adhesive layer53of the bonding portion50is composed of, for example, a solvent-based adhesive tape, an emulsion-based adhesive tape, a hot-melt adhesive tape, a rolled adhesive tape, or a reactive adhesive tape. The second adhesive layer53is adhesively bonded to the inner periphery of the tubular body30.

The technical features of this embodiment have the following advantageous effects over the prior art:

As the first adhesive layer51of the bonding portion50of the grip tape3is hot-melt adhesive, which is not adhesive until subjected to the heating reaction or hot pressing operation, one can easily mount the tubular body30of the grip tape3around the grip G of the club, racket, or bat. After that, the heating reaction or hot pressing operation (of a predetermined temperature ranging generally from 60° C. to 300° C.) is performed to bond the first adhesive layer51of the bonding portion50of the grip tape3to the grip G of the club, racket, or bat, thereby achieving secure adhesion between the grip tape3and the grip G.

The present embodiment is distinctive from the prior art in that the step conventionally required to peel off the release paper or protective paper is eliminated, and that the grip tape can be mounted on the grip of a club, racket, or bat without the assistance of an additional jig or process. Consequently, the process of completing the grip is made easier than in the prior art, and the intended effects and objective of the present invention are attained.

Having detailed the technical features and effects of the first preferred embodiment of the invention, the present specification continues to describe the technical features and effects of the grip tape3A according to the second preferred embodiment of the invention.

Referring toFIG. 6, the grip tape3A has substantially the same structure as its counterpart in the previous embodiment except for the following:

There are a plurality of bonding portions50A, which are adhesively bonded between the tubular body30A and the grip G1. The bonding portions50A extend from one end of the tubular body30A to the opposite end along the longitudinal direction of the tubular body30A, and each two adjacent bonding portions50A are spaced by a predetermined spacing. In this embodiment, there are six adjacent yet spaced-apart bonding portions50A.

Now that the bonding portions50A of the grip tape3A in this embodiment are spaced from each other, an overflow of adhesive is effectively prevented when the first adhesive layers51A of the bonding portions50A are adhesively bonded to the grip G1, as well as when the second adhesive layers53A of the bonding portions50A are adhesively bonded to the tubular body30A. Besides, the intended effects and objective of the present invention are also achieved.

Having detailed the technical features and effects of the second preferred embodiment of the invention, the present specification continues to describe the technical features and effects of the grip tape3B according to the third preferred embodiment of the invention.

Referring toFIG. 7, the grip tape3B has substantially the same structure as its counterparts in the first and the second embodiments except for the following:

There are a plurality of bonding portions50B, which are provided on the inner periphery of the tubular body30B with a predetermined spacing between each two adjacent bonding portions50B and are adhesively bonded between the tubular body30B and the grip G2. Each bonding portion50B extends in the circumferential direction of the tubular body30B, and the bonding portions50B are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the tubular body30B. In this embodiment, there are six adjacent yet spaced-apart bonding portions50B.

The bonding portions50B of the grip tape3B in this embodiment extend in the circumferential direction of the tubular body30B and are distributed along the longitudinal direction of the tubular body30B such that an overflow of adhesive is effectively prevented when the first adhesive layers51B of the bonding portions50B are adhesively bonded to the grip G2, as well as when the second adhesive layers53B of the bonding portions50B are adhesively bonded to the tubular body30B. This helps reduce the material cost of the grip tape3B significantly. Besides, the intended effects and objective of the present invention are also achieved.