A BLADE FOR AN INDOOR BANDY CLUB

Abstract: A club blade for an inner bandy club where the club blade (2) is comprised of an essentially rigid construction material. In a central part (6) of its planar area, comprising 25-75 % of the planar area of the club, the club blade (2) includes a strung section (8) comprising a plurality of tensioned strings that are exposed at least at one (9) of the two main surfaces (9, 10) of the blade.

Description: A BLADE FOR AN INDOOR BANDY CLUB The present invention relates to a blade for an indoor bandy club of the kind defined in the preamble of Claim 1. Indoor bandy clubs, or sticks, have been the subject of comprehensive development in recent years, particularly with respect to the club blade, with the intention of enabling the blade to be used to better effect in manoeuvring the ball and/or to enable the user to improve hitting of the ball with force so as to deliver a truer and harder shot. Earlier club blades have been constructed from an essentially rigid, controlled material and are often provided with a plurality of apertures that are surrounded by ribbing that defines the major part of the blade. The purpose of the apertures is to provide a lighter blade and to reduce its air resistance when striking the ball. However, the blade still behaves essentially as a rigid, inflexible structure as the ball is struck, such that the transmission of power to the ball is in effect essentially in the form of a pure punch or thump . The object of the invention is to provide a further development of the club blade of an indoor bandy club which will enable a rapid and hard shot to be applied to the ball while maintaining good manoeuvrability and ball control. This object is achieved with an inventive club blade construction apparent from Claim 1. Further developments of the club blade will be apparent from the dependent Claims. Basically, the inventive club blade has in the central region of its main surface an aperture that can receive a removable strung frame. The strung frame takes up an area corresponding to 25-75% of the blade area and itself has an area which ideally lies in the region of 30-50% of the blade area, wherein the strung part of the blade will preferably extend over the width, or height, of the blade in a longitudinal blade-part that is located essentially the same distance from the heel of the blade as from the toe of said blade. The strung frame may comprise springy, elastic strings that are deformed elastically when striking the ball. Alternatively, the strings may be stretched on a frame that is resiliently elastic and that will be deformed when the strings strike against a ball. Naturally, string structure may comprise a combination of elastically stretchable strings and an elastically deformable frame, roughly corresponding to the conditions usual in a tennis racket. Because the strings are disposed solely along a central longitudinal part of the blade, the front and the rear parts of the blade can be configured to give the blade a desired curvature (hook) , skew or any other type of plastic deformation. The strung section is preferably formed by a closed, rounded frame, e.g. oval frame, that has suitable string material stretched over one or both apertures in the frame. The strings may form a lattice structure, for instance a braided lattice structure, with the strings ideally disposed in a single plane. Alternatively, the string structure may be comprised of mutually parallel strings that may be disposed around a single-curve surface. The strung frames are constructed to enable them to be fitted into a corresponding, pre-formed aperture in the essentially rigid blade. The invention thus enables one strung frame to be exchanged for another strung frame of different properties or different design. The remaining part of the blade may be comprised of a plastic material that will enable the blade to be shaped to the requirements of the person concerned, for instance by heating the blade and working the blade whilst hot, and then allowing the blade to set in its moulded shape by cooling at room temperature. The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to exemplifying embodiments thereof and also with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a side view of an inventive indoor bandy club blade. Fig. 2 illustrates the blade in Fig. 1 from above. Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line A-A in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line B-B in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a sectional view corresponding to Fig. 4 but showing another embodiment. Fig. 6 illustrates from above another embodiment of a strung frame for the club blade. Fig. 7 is a sectional view corresponding to Fig. 4 but showing yet another embodiment. Fig. 8 is a view taken on the line VIII-VIII in Fig. 6. Figs. 1-4 illustrate a club blade 2 whose heel part 3 includes a sleeve 4 for connecting the blade to the shaft of an indoor bandy club or stick. The blade 2 has between its toe-part 5 and heel-part 3 an oval aperture or recess 6 which receives an oval frame 7 strung with strings 8. The blade 2 also includes an outer frame 21 which extends essentially around the whole of the blade and which is bridged by a thin blade-plate 22 that is reinforced with inner ribs 23, these ribs being essentially parallel with one another and extending along the blade 2. The plate 22 includes apertures 30. As will be apparent from Fig. 2, the toe-part 5 of the blade 2 is curved to form a so-called hook. It will also be seen that the toe-part 5 is slightly concave in a generally vertically orientated section A-A, as shown in Fig. 3. As shown in Fig. 4, the blade 2 has a central aperture 6 that is defined by a frame 61 which receives the strung or stringing frame 7 with the strings 8 shown extended over the one frame 7 located on the front side 9 of the club blade (c.f . Fig. 2) . Fig. 4 shows the strung section 8 comprised of relatively perpendicular strings, which may be braided and which are stretched in a plane that lies on the front surface of the blade 2. However, a strung section 8 may be provided on both the front surface and the rear surface of the strung or stringing frame 7, so as to be located on the front and the rear surfaces 9, 10 respectively of the blade 2, as shown in Fig. 5. The risk of a misplaced shot is minimized by placing the strings 8 close to respective striking or impact surfaces 9, 10 of the blade 2. Fig. 6 illustrates schematically another embodiment in which the strung section is comprised solely of generally parallel strings at one end of the frame 7. The strings of this strung section may be disposed along a single-curve surface, so that the blade 2 can be given a curved form in its longitudinal direction even in the strung or stringing section 8 of the blade. As will be apparent from Figs. 7 and 8, the frame 7 strung with strings 8 may, of course, narrow in a vertically upward direction, so as to enable strings that slope towards one another to be disposed on both end surfaces of the frame 7. In this case, the central part of the blade 2 will have a trapezoidal cross-sectional shape, with the frame and its strings lying in respective laterally defining lines of the cross-sectional shape of the blade. As will be apparent from Fig. 3, the inner stiffening ribs 23 may be dimensioned and placed relative to the surface of the blade-plate 22 in a manner such that a ball 14 that is met by the blade at half its height will obtain a three-point abutment and thus a stablized direction upon contact with the blade 2. As before mentioned, the strings 8 may be comprised of a springy, elastic material that will flex elastically upon contact with a ball 14. Alternatively, the strings may have limited stretchability in the longitudinal direction while, instead, constructing the frame 7 from a springy, elastically deformable material capable of capturing impact energy as the ball 14 meets the blade and then returning this energy to the ball in a favourable manner. The strung frame 7, 8 is fitted into a corresponding aperture or recess 6 provided in the blade. The bottom part of the strung frame 7 may be provided with guide pegs that are received in corresponding holes in the blade, in the bottom edge of the aperture or recess 6, and a fastening screw can be fitted through the aperture-defining blade frame 61 for the strung frame 7, and into said strung frame.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A club blade for an indoor bandy club, wherein said blade (2) is comprised of an essentially rigid construction material, wherein there is provided in a central part (6) of the planar area of said blade (2), said area comprising 25- 75% of the planar area of the club, a strung section or stringing section (8) in which there is disposed a plurality of tensioned strings that are exposed on at least one (9) of the two main surfaces (9, 10) of said blade, and wherein the strung section or stringing section is carried by a stringing frame (7), characterized in that the stringing frame, or strung frame, is removably fitted in an aperture or recess (6) in the club blade (2) . 2. A club blade according to Claim 1, characterized in that each of the two main surfaces (9, 10) of the club blade has a strung frame or stringing frame (7) removably fitted thereto. 3. A club blade according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, characterized in that the strings in the strung frame (7) are mutually parallel. 4. A club blade according to Claim 3, characterized in that the strung section includes solely generally parallel strings; and in that the strings lie in a generally single- curved surface that forms one end surface of a stringing frame (7, 61) . 5. A club blade according to any one of Claims 1-4, characterized in that the blade includes one single stringing frame (7) that is strung (8) at each of its opening ends. β. A club blade according to any one of Claims 1-5, characterized in that the frame is strung in the proximity of its end surface.

Inventors: FORSBERG MIKAEL, FORSBERG, MIKAEL
Applicants: FORSBERG MIKAEL, FORSBERG, MIKAEL
Application year: 1997
Main classification: A63B59
IPC codes: A63B53, A63B59