Abstract:
A hockey stick blade assembly has forehand and backhand blade members with respective toe ends and heel ends, plus a bridging member interconnecting the two toe ends. The forehand member has a forehand contact face and a back face, and the backhand member has a backhand contact face and an inner face. The forehand member&#39;s heel end is attached or attachable to an elongate shaft. The backhand member&#39;s heel end lies closely adjacent to, and is preferably slidable relative to, the back face of the forehand member, creating a hollow zone bounded by the bridging member, the back face of the forehand member, and the inner face of the backhand member, and open at both its upper and lower ends. The blade assembly can be configured to provide any desired combination of forehand and backhand contact surface profiles. Flexing of the forehand member is accommodated by the slidability of the heel end of the backhand member relative to the forehand member. The blade assembly can be of unitary construction, or can constructed by mounting a backhand adapter to the backhand face of a convention hockey stick blade.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates in general to hockey sticks used in games such as ice hockey and street hockey. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    In ice hockey and similar games, players use bladed hockey sticks to maneuver a hockey puck (or other scoring piece, such as a ball) over the playing surface, such as for passing the puck to teammates, shooting the puck at the opposing team&#39;s goal (or net) in an effort to score a goal, and moving (or “carrying”) the puck over the ice surface while retaining possession and control of the puck until it is necessary or desirable to pass it or shoot it. 
         [0003]    A hockey player will typically be either a right-handed shooter or a left-handed shooter, and accordingly will use a right-handed stick or a left-handed stick, as appropriate. In either case, the face of the hockey stick blade that the player typically uses to carry the puck, for most passes, and for both “wrist shots” and “slap shots”, is referred to as the forehand face. The other face of the blade is called the backhand face. Especially when moving the puck down the ice, a player will often alternate the puck&#39;s position between the forehand and backhand faces—a maneuver commonly referred to as “stick-handling”—to make it more difficult for opposing players to take the puck away. 
         [0004]    Traditionally, hockey stick blades were flat, with substantially planar forehand and backhand faces. However, over the past fifty years or more, hockey sticks have also been made with curved blades, with the forehand face of the blade having a concave profile, and with the backhand face having a convex profile. This style of blade is advantageous for a number of reasons. Because of the concavity on the forehand face of the blade, the puck will tend to stay on the blade, rather than tending to roll toward one end of the blade, when a player is carrying the puck up the ice. When shooting the puck on the forehand, the concave forehand profile of the stick tends to center the puck on the blade, thus enhancing the player&#39;s ability to aim and shoot the puck with greater accuracy and force. 
         [0005]    However, a conventional curved blade also has drawbacks. The convex profile of the backhand face of the blade makes the puck more prone to roll off the end of the blade when a player is stick-handling than would be the case using a straight-bladed stick. For similar reasons, the convex backhand face of the curved blade also makes it more difficult to control and accurately aim backhand shots. Because of such drawbacks, some players still prefer to use straight-bladed hockey sticks in order to have a reasonable if not optimal degree of puck control on both the forehand and the backhand. 
         [0006]    The prior art discloses a variety of hockey stick blade designs directed to puck controllability on the forehand and/or the backhand. Examples of such prior art designs include:
   U.S. Pat. No. 3,489,412 (Franck et al.);   U.S. Pat. No. 4,343,468 (Lindgren);   U.S. Pat. No. 4,570,932 (Cote);   U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,613 (Hughes);   U.S. Pat. No. 5,078,396 (Cavallaro et al.);   U.S. Pat. No. 6,471,609 (Fell);   U.S. Pat. No. 7,294,072 (Montecchia); and   U.S. Pat. No. Des. 380,243 (Neufeld).   
 
         [0015]    What is needed is an improved hockey stick blade that provides puck controllability on both the forehand and the backhand, without requiring insert elements, blade bifurcations, or blade face fasciae (being examples of features found in various of the noted prior art designs), while also maintaining blade flexibility for optimal shooting and puck-carrying effectiveness. As well, there is a need for such hockey stick blades that, in addition to being manufactured in finished form, can also be produced by adaptation or retrofitting of conventional hockey stick blades. The present invention is directed to these needs. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0016]    In general terms, the present invention teaches a blade for a hockey stick having a first blade member and a second blade member, and with a hollow space separating at least a portion of the first blade member from at least a portion of the second blade member. For convenience in this patent document, the first blade member will be alternatively referenced as the forehand blade member, and the second blade member will be alternatively referenced as the backhand blade member. However, persons skilled in the art will understand that the blade constructions described herein with reference to the forehand and backhand blade members can be reversed without departing from the scope and concept of the present invention. 
         [0017]    The forehand and backhand blade members have respective outer ends (or “toe ends”), and a bridging member interconnects these two toe ends. The forehand blade member also has an inner end (or “heel end”) connected to (or transitioning with) an elongate shaft, to be gripped and manipulated by a hockey player during use. The forehand blade member has a contact face (i.e., a surface intended to come into contact with a puck when maneuvering or shooting the puck) plus a back face. The backhand blade member also has a contact face and a back face, plus an inner end (or “heel end”) disposed adjacent to the back face of the forehand blade member in a transition area selectively located between the a medial region of the forehand blade member and its heel end. This configuration results in the formation of a hollow zone bounded by the bridging member and the back faces of the forehand and backhand blade members, and open at both its upper and lower ends. 
         [0018]    In some embodiments, the above-mentioned transition zone may be close to the heel end of the forehand blade member; in such embodiments, the contact face of the backhand blade member will constitute substantially the full backhand face of the blade assembly. In other embodiments, in which the transition zone is spaced from the heel end of the forehand blade member, the contact face of the backhand blade member transitions with the back face of the forehand blade member to create a combined or composite backhand contact surface. In any of these embodiments, the overall blade assembly can be configured to have a curved forehand contact surface and a generally planar backhand contact surface; a curved forehand contact surface and a curved backhand contact surface; planar forehand and backhand contact surfaces; or even a planar forehand contact surface and a curved backhand surface, as a player may desire. 
         [0019]    In some embodiments, the heel end of the backhand blade member is free to slide relative to (and preferably but not necessarily in contact with) the back face of the forehand blade member, in a direction toward or away from the heel of the forehand blade member. This construction allows the forehand blade member to flex in substantially the same fashion as it would in absence of the backhand blade member. 
         [0020]    Hockey stick blade assemblies in accordance with embodiments of the present invention may be manufactured as unitary blade units. Such unitary blade units may be made integral with hockey stick shafts, or they may be adapted for mounting to a separate shaft. 
         [0021]    Alternatively, a blade assembly in accordance with the present invention may be formed by modifying a conventional hockey stick blade (curved or straight) by bonding or otherwise affixing a backhand adapter component (or “backhand adapter”) to the back face of the blade. In this embodiment, the backhand adapter is an integral component incorporating the backhand blade member and the bridging member, and, in some variants, an auxiliary member contiguous with the bridging member, for effecting a bond or other connection with the back face of the blade. 
         [0022]    The various components of hockey stick blade assemblies in accordance with the present invention may be formed from any suitable material or combination of suitable materials, including but not limited to wood (the most common material traditionally used for hockey sticks), aluminum, and synthetic materials such as fiberglass-reinforced plastic. Strong but lightweight materials such as carbon fiber are particularly advantageous for embodiments incorporating a backhand adapter bonded to a conventional blade, but can also be used for one or more components of blade assemblies manufactured as integral units. 
         [0023]    Accordingly, in a first aspect, the present invention teaches a hockey stick blade assembly comprising: a forehand blade member having a heel end adapted for connection to an elongate shaft, a toe end, a forehand contact face, and a back face; a backhand blade member having a heel end, a toe end, a backhand contact face, and an inner face; and a bridging member having a first end connected to the toe end of the forehand blade member and a second end connected to the toe end of the backhand blade member; wherein the toe end of the backhand member is disposed adjacent the back face of the forehand blade member, thereby forming a hollow zone bounded by the bridging member, the back face of the forehand member, and the inner face of the backhand member, with the hollow zone being open at its upper and lower ends. The toe end of the backhand member may be slidable relative to the forehand blade member, in a direction toward or away from the heel end of the forehand blade member, or it may be non-slidably connected to the forehand blade member. 
         [0024]    In one embodiment, the hockey stick blade assembly further comprises an auxiliary member having: a heel end; a toe end contiguous with the first end of the bridging member; an outer face; and an inner face; wherein the outer face of the auxiliary member is affixed to the back face of the forehand blade member. 
         [0025]    In an alternative embodiment of the hockey stick blade assembly the back face of the forehand blade member defines a transition point where the thickness of the forehand blade member changes, so as to define a thickened zone adjacent to the transition point and extending toward the heel end of the forehand blade member; the thickness of the forehand blade member in a region extending from the transition point toward the toe end of the forehand blade member is less than the thickness of the thickened zone; a recess extends to a selected depth from the back face of the forehand blade member into the thickened zone, and extends laterally a selected distance from the transition point toward the heel end of the forehand blade member; and the heel end of the backhand blade member defines a tongue member disposed within the recess in the thickened zone, such that the tongue is slidable within the recess in a direction toward or away from the heel end of the forehand blade member. 
         [0026]    In a second aspect, the present invention teaches a hockey stick comprising an elongate shaft and a hockey stick blade assembly as described herein, with the heel end of the forehand blade member of the hockey stick blade assembly being attached to the lower end of the elongate shaft. 
         [0027]    In a third aspect, the present invention teaches a backhand adapter for mounting to the blade of a conventional hockey stick, comprising: a backhand blade member having a heel end, a toe end, a backhand contact face, and an inner face; an auxiliary member having a heel end, a toe end, an outer face, and an inner face; and a bridging member having a first end and a second end; wherein the first end of the bridging member is contiguous with the toe end of the backhand blade member; the second end of the bridging member is contiguous with the toe end of the auxiliary member; the backhand adapter is mountable to a hockey stick blade by affixing the outer face of the auxiliary member to a selected face of the hockey stick blade; and when the backhand adapter is mounted to the hockey stick blade, the heel end of the backhand blade member will lie adjacent to said selected face of the hockey stick blade. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0028]    Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying figures, in which numerical references denote like parts, and in which: 
           [0029]      FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of a hockey stick blade assembly in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, comprising a backhand adapter and a conventional hockey stick blade. 
           [0030]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the embodiment in shown  FIG. 1 , fully assembled with the backhand adapter bonded to the conventional blade. 
           [0031]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a unitary hockey stick blade assembly in accordance with second embodiment of the invention. 
           [0032]      FIG. 4  is a plan view of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2 . 
           [0033]      FIG. 5  is a plan view of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0034]    Embodiments with Backhand Adapter 
         [0035]      FIG. 1  illustrates a hockey stick blade assembly  100  in accordance a first embodiment of the present invention. Blade assembly  100  comprises a first (or forehand) blade member  20  having an inner (or heel) end  20 A mountable to or integral with the lower end of an elongate shaft  10 , and an outer (or toe) end  20 B. Forehand blade member  20  may comprise the curved or straight blade of a conventional hockey stick. Forehand blade member  20  has a first (or forehand) contact face  21  and a second (or back) face  22  (which would serve as a backhand contact face in a conventional hockey stick). 
         [0036]    Provided in accordance with this embodiment is a backhand adapter  30  comprising: a backhand blade member  32  having an inner (or heel) end  32 A, and an outer (or toe) end  32 B, an outer (or backhand) contact face  33 A and an inner face  33 B; an auxiliary member  36  having an inner (or heel) end  36 A, an outer (or toe) end  36 B, an outer face  37 A, and an inner face  37 B; and a bridging member  34  having a first end  34 A connected to toe end  32 B of backhand blade member  32  and a second end  34 B connected to toe end  36 B of auxiliary member  36 . As illustrated in the Figures, outer face  37 A of auxiliary member  36  may be shaped for substantially mating contact with a region of back face  22  of forehand blade member  20 , preferably (but not necessarily) proximal to toe end  20 B of forehand blade member  20 , to facilitate bonding of outer face  37 A to back face  22 , using a suitable adhesive material. 
         [0037]      FIGS. 2 and 4  show the finished blade assembly  100 , with outer face  37 A of auxiliary member  36  bonded to back face  22  of forehand blade member  20  along or over a first contact interface  40  formed by outer face  37 A to back face  22 , forming a hollow space  38  bounded by backhand blade member  32 , an opposing portion of forehand blade member  20 , and bridging member  34 . Although the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  4  contemplates the use of adhesive to mount or affix auxiliary member  36  to backhand face  22  of forehand blade member  20 , persons skilled in the art will appreciate that this can also be accomplished by various alternative known means, and the present invention is not limited to embodiments that use adhesive for this purpose. The length of auxiliary member  36  is a matter of design, and need only be long enough to facilitate a sufficiently firm connection (by adhesives or other means of attachment) to forehand blade member  20 . 
         [0038]    As best seen in  FIGS. 2 and 4 , when auxiliary member  36  has been mounted to forehand blade member  20  as described above, heel end  32 A of backhand blade member  32  will preferably be disposed against or otherwise closely adjacent to back face  22  of forehand blade member  20 . In combination, backhand contact face  33 A of backhand blade member  32 , in combination of a portion of back face  22  of forehand blade member  20  extending from heel end  32 A of backhand blade member  32  toward heel end  20 A of forehand blade member  20 , will combine to form a composite backhand contact surface—which may be straight or curved, depending on the selected geometries of forehand blade member  20  and backhand blade member  32 . 
         [0039]    In some embodiments, heel end  32 A of backhand blade member  32  is not connected to forehand blade member  20 . This construction allows forehand blade member  20  to flex in substantially the same way as it would without the presence of auxiliary member  36 . As forehand blade member  20  flexes, heel end  32 A of backhand blade member  32  will simply slide along back face  22  of forehand blade member  20 , and then elastically rebound to a neutral or unstressed position when the flexure in forehand blade member  20  is relaxed. However, this feature is not essential to the invention, and in alternative embodiments, heel end  32 A of backhand blade member  32  may be connected to forehand blade member  20  in some non-sliding fashion (as might be desirable for players who prefer a comparative stiff blade). 
         [0040]    Preferably, backhand blade member  32  will be reasonably thin (having due regard to minimum structural requirements), to facilitate a smooth transition between heel end  32 A of backhand blade member  32  and back face  22  of forehand blade member  20 . For this purpose, and as seen in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  4 , heel end  32 B of backhand blade member  32  optionally may be bevelled or tapered, making backhand blade member  32  very thin at heel end  32 A, and with a bevelled face  31  being formed on inner face  33 B of backhand blade member  32  adjacent to heel end  32 A, such that bevelled face  31  can slide along back face  22  of forehand blade member  20  as forehand blade member  20  flexes during use. 
         [0041]    Backhand adapter  30  may be fabricated from carbon fiber or other synthetic material having comparatively light weight as well as structural strength suitable for the purpose. However, other materials may be used for backhand adapter  30  without departing from the scope or concept of the present invention. Whatever material or materials might be used for backhand adapter  30 , and particularly for players who prefer a blade that has a lot of “flex” (to increase shot velocity), it may be desirable (though not essential) for auxiliary member  36  to be as thin as reasonably possible to minimize any decrease in the elastic flexibility of forehand blade member  20  consequent upon the mounting of auxiliary member  36  to forehand blade member  20 . 
         [0042]    Another optional (but non-essential) feature is for backhand blade member  32  to have a degree of elastic resilience, such that backhand blade member  32  can undergo some amount of elastic flexural deformation under reasonably forceful backhand shots, thus creating a transient concavity in backhand blade member  32  (over and above any concavity built into backhand blade member  32 ), thereby enhancing the player&#39;s ability to control and accurately aim a backhand shot, as well as to impart increased velocity to backhand shots. 
       Unitary Embodiments 
       [0043]      FIGS. 3 and 5  illustrate a unitary hockey stick blade assembly  200  in accordance a second embodiment of the present invention, of unitary construction. Blade assembly  200  comprises a first (or forehand) blade member  220  having an inner (or heel) end  220 A mountable to or integral with the lower end of an elongate shaft  10 , and an outer (or toe) end  220 B. Forehand blade member  220  has a first (or forehand) contact face  221  (which may be curved or straight) extending between heel end  220 A and toe end  220 B, and a second (or back) face  222  extending from heel end  220 A to a transition point  226  located between heel end  220 A and toe end  220 B. 
         [0044]    The thickness of the portion of forehand blade member  220  between transition point  226  and toe end  220 B is less than the thickness of the portion of forehand blade member  220  between transition point  226  and heel end  220 A, with a zone of comparatively greater thickess (or “thickened zone”)  225  in a region of back face  222  adjacent to transition point  226 . Formed into thickened zone  225  is a recess  228  extending a selected depth from back face  222 , and extending laterally to an inner wall  229  at a selected distance from transition point  226  toward heel end  220 A of forehand blade member  220 . In the illustrated embodiment, recess  228  is a rectilinear recess located about mid-height of forehand blade member  220 . However, this is by way of example only, and recess  228  may be provided in other geometric configurations without departing from the present invention. 
         [0045]    At its toe end  220 B, forehand blade member  220  is contiguous with a first end of a bridging member  234 . A backhand blade member  232 , having an inner (or heel) end  232 A, and an outer (or toe) end  232 B, and a backhand contact face  233 , is contiguous at toe end  232 B with a second end of bridging member  234 . Formed integrally with backhand blade member  232 , and projecting from heel end  232 A thereof, is a tongue member  240  configured to fit into recess  228  in thickened zone  225  of forehand blade member  220 , such that tongue member  240  can slide within recess  228  as forehand blade member  220  flexes during use. Tongue member  240  has an inner (or heel) end  240 A, plus an outer surface  241  which smoothly transitions into backhand contact face  233  of backhand blade member  232 . As shown, this construction forms a hollow space  238  bounded by backhand blade member  232 , an opposing portion of forehand blade member  220 , and bridging member  234 . 
         [0046]    Preferably, tongue member  240  has a cross-sectional thickness closely corresponding to the depth of recess  228 , such that the contour (whether straight or curved) of outer surface  241  of tongue member  240  substantially matches the contours of adjacent areas of back face  222  forehand blade member  220 . Accordingly, and as best seen in  FIG. 5 , backhand contact face  233  of backhand blade member  232 , outer surface  241  of tongue member  240 , and back face  222  of forehand blade member  220  combine to form an effectively continuous composite backhand contact surface  250  having a desired contour or configuration (i.e., straight or curved). 
         [0047]    To allow lateral movement of tongue member  240  within recess  228  in response to flexure of forehand blade member  220 , a first gap G 1  is provided between heel end  232 A of backhand blade member  232  and transition point  226 , and a second gap G 2  is provided between heel end  240 A of tongue member  240  and inner wall  229  of recess  228 . The sliding range of tongue member  240  within recess  228  will be determined by the lesser of gap G 1  and gap G 2 . To optimize the effective continuity of composite backhand contact surface  250 , gaps G 1  and G 2  may be made only as wide as necessary to accommodate anticipated flexure of forehand blade member  220 . In alternative embodiments, however, either or both of gaps G 1  and G 2  may be greater than this ideal minimum width, without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
         [0048]    Due to the change in thickness of forehand blade member  220  at transition point  226 , the thinner outer section of forehand blade member  220  between transition point  226  and toe end  220 B has less flexural stiffness than the thicker inner (i.e., heelward) section. This construction allows the outer section to be thinner than a typical conventional hockey stick blade of the same material (in accordance with well-understood structural engineering principles). More significantly from a player&#39;s standpoint, it allows the outer section to flex to a greater degree than would otherwise be the case, so as to give a forehand shot increased velocity off forehand contact face  221 , as well as enhanced puck-aiming control, due to the incremental spring-like force delivered to the puck as the flexed outer section of forehand blade member  220  elastically rebounds as the puck leaves forehand contact face  221 . 
         [0049]    In the particular embodiment shown in  FIGS. 3 and 5 , heel end  232 A of backhand blade member  232  is not attached to forehand blade member  220  at transition point  226  but is slidable relative to forehand blade member  220 . However, in variants of this embodiment, heel end  232 A of backhand blade member  232  could be attachable to, attached to, or integrally connected with forehand blade member  220  at transition point  226 , as may be desirable for hockey players who prefer a stiffer or less flexible blade. Such variant embodiments would not require recess  228  and tongue member  240 . 
         [0050]    It will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications of the present invention may be devised without departing from the scope and teaching of the present invention, including modifications which may use equivalent structures or materials hereafter conceived or developed. It is to be especially understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to any described or illustrated embodiment, and that the substitution of a variant of a claimed element or feature, without any substantial resultant change in the working of the invention, will not constitute a departure from the scope of the invention. It is also to be appreciated that the different teachings of the embodiments described and discussed herein may be employed separately or in any suitable combination to produce desired results. 
         [0051]    In this patent document, any form of the word “comprise” is to be understood in its non-limiting sense to mean that any item following such word is included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be one and only one such element. Any use of any form of the terms “connect”, “affix”, “couple”, “mount”, “attach”, “bond”, or any other term describing an interaction between elements is not meant to limit the interaction to direct interaction between the subject elements, and may also include indirect interaction between the elements such as through secondary or intermediary structure.