Abstract:
A method of changing vibration characteristics of a stringed racquet having strings includes providing an article of apparel with a mount thereon. The method also includes providing a slotted vibration dampener. Moreover, the method includes increasing dampening of the stringed raquet by moving the slotted vibration dampener from a first position to a second position. The slotted vibration dampener is removably attached to the mount in the first position. The slotted vibration dampener is removably attached to the strings of the stringed racquet in the second position. The method further includes decreasing dampening of the stringed raquet by moving the slotted vibration dampener from the second position to the first position.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/107,054, filed Apr. 21, 2008, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/913,259, filed on Apr. 20, 2007. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The following relates to an article of sporting apparel with a vibration dampener for a stringed-racquet detachably secured thereto. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    The use of vibration dampening devices on stringed sporting racquets, such as tennis racquets, squash racquets, racquetball racquets and the like is widely known. Such dampening devices absorb vibration created when a ball strikes the surface of the racquet, reducing the transmission of the vibration through the strings of the racquet to the handle and ultimately that hand and arm of the player. Vibration that is transferred to the hand and arms can cause sport-related injuries such as “tennis elbow” and the like. In addition, vibration dampeners also help maintain proper string tension, thereby increasing the power exerted by the ratchet on a ball. 
         [0004]    Such dampening devices are usually installed on a stringed-racquet in one of two ways. They are installed concurrently when the racquet is strung. Alternatively, they are installed after the racquet is strung, usually by detachably securing the dampener between two adjacent strings. 
         [0005]    Because of the forces exerted on the face of the racquet during play, dampening devices, and in particular detachably secured dampening devices, tend to fall out during play. Moreover, players tend to lose, misplace and forget their vibration dampeners when they are detached from their racquets, thereby rendering them useless. 
         [0006]    Typically, when a dampening device falls from a racquet during play or a player determines that one or more dampening devices are needed for a particular situation, they cannot be quickly and easily located. Accordingly, a player must either stop the game to locate the dampening device, or continue playing without the benefit of the dampening device. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0007]    Accordingly, despite the benefits of detachably securing a dampening device to a racquet, there remains a need for a system for storing one or more dampeners so that they are easily accessible during play. The present disclosure fulfills these and other needs. 
         [0008]    A vibration dampener is detachably secured to an article of footwear. Should a player lose a vibration dampener or elect to add one during play, the player detaches a vibration dampener from the article of footwear and installs the dampener between two adjacent strings on the player&#39;s racquet. The player quickly and conveniently replaces the dampener to avoid the undesirable effects of playing without a dampener while not having to postpone play or leave the playing area. 
         [0009]    In disclosed embodiments, a replaceable dampening device is detachably secured to the article of footwear by way of an opening in the upper of the shoe, for example, the tongue. Preferably, the opening has a flange that engages a slot located around the lateral edge of the dampening device. 
         [0010]    The surface of the dampening device may provide surface ornamentation thereon, such as a logo, other indicia, or a color scheme selectable by the wearer. 
         [0011]    The dampening device may also be made of materials of varying vibration absorption capability to accommodate the player&#39;s preference of vibration absorption and string tension. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]      FIG. 1A  is a front isometric view of an article of footwear with a replaceable dampening device installed in the tongue of the article of footwear depicting a possible shoelace in a tied position. 
           [0013]      FIG. 1B  is a front isometric view of an article of footwear of  FIG. 1B  with the possible shoelace in an untied position to provide access to the dampening device. 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of the replaceable dampening device taken along line  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1B . 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is a cross sectional view of the dampening device of  FIG. 2  taken along line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  is a top fragmentary view of a replaceable dampening device of  FIG. 2  showing a possible attachment to an article of apparel, shown in partial view. 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  is a cross sectional view of the dampening device of  FIG. 4  along line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 4 . 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  is a front plan view of the dampening device  10  of  FIG. 1B , showing a possible installation on a racquet. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0019]    A dampening system  7  for a stringed-racquet  8  ( FIG. 6 ) is shown in  FIGS. 1-6 . When not in use on a racquet  8  ( FIG. 6 ), a conventional stringed-racquet dampening device  10  is detachably secured to an article of apparel  18 , such as an article of footwear  18 ′ or the like, 
         [0020]    Preferably, a dampening device mount  12  is operably secured to the article of apparel  18 . The mount  12  allows the dampening device  10  to be detachably secured thereto. For example, as best shown in  FIGS. 1B ,  2 , and  4 , a flange  14  is preferably secured to the article of apparel  18  for operably engaging a mating recess  16  on the dampening device  10 . 
         [0021]    Referring to  FIGS. 1A and 1B , the article of apparel  18  used in the system is preferably an article of footwear  18 ′ such as a shoe or the like. The article of footwear  18 ′ has an outer surface  20  providing a location for the mount  12 . Preferably, the mount  12  is rigidly connected to the outer surface  20  of the article of footwear  18 ′. The dampening device  10  is detachably secured to the mount  12 , preferably by inserting the flange  14  ( FIG. 5 ) into the mating recess  16  in the dampening device  10 , thereby being readily available for use as needed. 
         [0022]    Preferably, the mount  12  is installed on the tongue  22  of the article of footwear  18 ′. The mount  12  may also be connected to the article of footwear  18 ′ at on another area of the outer surface  20 . The mount  12  and the dampening device  10  can be designed using different characteristics, such as colors, sizes and graphical representations such as logos and the like to present an aesthetically pleasing appearance that coincides with the style of the shoe  18 . 
         [0023]    Referring to  FIGS. 2-4 , a conventional detachably securable vibration dampener  10  is shown. The dampener  10  is made of a resilient material that can vary in hardness to provide different operable characteristics and allows a user to bend the dampener  10  when installing the dampener on a racquet  8  ( FIG. 6 ) or a mount  12  ( FIGS. 1   b  and  5 ). Preferably, the dampener  10  has a first substantially planar member  24  and a second substantially planar member  26 . The first substantially planar member  24  has an outer surface  28  and an inner surface  30 . Likewise, the second substantially planar member  26  has an outer surface  32  and an inner surface  34 . The inner surface  30  of the first planar member  24  and the inner surface  34  of the second planar member  26  are rigidly connected by a columnar member  36  of some depth  38 . Preferably, the depth  38  will be slightly smaller than the diameter of a conventional racquet string. The cross-sectional area  40  of the columnar member  36  is preferably smaller than the surface area  42  of the first and second planar members  24  and  26 . The difference between the cross-sectional area of the columnar member  36  and surface areas of the planar members 24  and  26 , define a void  16  between the first planar member  24  and the second planar member  26  that operably engages the strings of a racquet when in use. When not in use the dampener  10  can be detachably secured to the mount  12  for storage. 
         [0024]    Referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the mount  12  is preferably a flange  14  rigidly secured to the outer surface  20  of the article of apparel  18 . Preferably, the mount  12  is inserted into an opening  44  in the outer surface  20  of the article  18  and rigidly secured to the article of apparel  18  between an outer layer  20  and an inner layer  46  of the article  18 . The mount  12  extends inward toward the center of the opening  44  creating a flange  14  that engages the mating void  16  in the dampener  10 . The resilient material of the dampener  10  allows the user to bend the dampener  10  to fit into the opening  44  and engage the flange  14  into the mating void  16 . Conversely, the user can pull on the dampener  10 , disengaging the flange  14  from the void  16 , removing the dampener  10  so it can be installed in a racquet. Preferably the mount  12  has a protrusion  48  perpendicular to the lateral surface of the flange  14 . The protrusion extends from the flange  14  through the outer surface  20  of the article  18 , preventing movement of the mount from its alignment with the opening  44 . While the preferred embodiment shows the mount  12  installed in an opening in the outer surface  20  of the article  18 , it is also contemplated that the mount may also be rigidly secured to the outer surface by things such as snaps, hook and loop material, buttons and the like. 
         [0025]    Referring to  FIG. 6 , a racquet  8  with the dampener  10  detachably secured thereto is shown. The dampener  10  is inserted between adjacent strings  50  of the racquet face  52 . When the racquet face  52  strikes a ball, vibration created by the impact is absorbed by the dampener through the strings  50 . 
         [0026]    To use the system, a player who finds that while using a strung racquet, is experiencing undesirable effects such as discomfort, loss of power or the like or a player who loses a detachably secured dampener from a racquet face, reaches a dampener  10  that is detachably secured to the mount  12  located somewhere on an article of apparel  18 . The player removes the dampener  10  from the mount  12  by pulling on the dampener with enough force to disengage the dampener  10  from the mount  12 . Once removed, the resilience of the material forming the dampener will cause it to return to its original shape and size. Once removed from its mount  12 , the dampener is installed on the racquet  8  by inserting the dampener between two adjacent strings  50  in the racquet face and bending the dampener to engage each adjacent string into the mating void in the dampener. The resilient material of the dampener  10  returns to its original shape and size such that it is in contact with each of the adjacent strings and operably secured thereto. 
         [0027]    Preferably, a plurality of mounts  12  are provided on the article of apparel  18 . Accordingly, a plurality of dampeners  10 , each having different physical properties such as hardness and the like can be detachably secured to the article of apparel  18 . When using the system, the player then has a choice of dampener properties to choose from and may remove the dampener that provides the most benefit based on the playing conditions and the player&#39;s preferences. 
         [0028]    When dampeners are not in use as a racquet, the dampeners preferably contain decorative features on their outer surfaces such as logos, graphical indicia, text, colors and the like. Preferably, the mounts  12  will be located in a visible location on the article of apparel allowing the player to personalize their apparel through the displaying of dampeners bearing indicia such as the player&#39;s favorite color, manufacturer, sports team and the like. In this way, the system serves to provide an aesthetically pleasing and customizable ornamentation for the article of apparel even when not being used in conjunction with a racquet. 
         [0029]    Accordingly, the present disclosure includes all such modifications as may come within the scope of the following claims and equivalents thereto.