Patent Publication Number: US-2020276486-A1

Title: Dual function hockey stick blade protector

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This Application claims the benefit of priority to United States Non-Provisional Application No. 29/671,188 filed on Nov. 25, 2018. The content of United States Non-Provisional Application No. 29/671,188 filed on Nov. 25, 2018 is incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     (a) Field of the Invention 
     The present invention is in the technical field of sporting equipment. More particularly, the present invention is in the technical field of protective equipment for hockey sticks. 
     (b) Background Art 
     Ice Hockey is said to have been invented in Canada no later than the 19th century. It is possible that indigenous people named the Mi&#39;kmaqs played ice hockey and made the first hockey sticks. Hockey sticks typically consist of a long, slender shaft with a flat portion extending away from the shaft at an angle, usually around 135 degrees. Hockey sticks were originally made from hardwood trees, but gradually, other materials have become more commonly used to accommodate the players&#39; need for a stick that is both durable and has some small level of flexibility. Flexibility is a key component to a hockey stick and as a result, manufacturers these days typically make them out of a composite of fiberglass and carbon fiber. Flexibility and breakability are two sides of the same coin. As a result, while hockey sticks are designed to take a lot of abuse, they have a limited lifetime as a result of this abuse. Taping the blade of the hockey stick has long been a practice of hockey players. However, tape is usually used by hockey players on the stick only when it is being used. Tape is not meant to protect the blade of the stick so much as it is supposed to help the stick “grip” the puck. Tape is not typically used when the stick is being stored or is not in use on the ice and it doesn&#39;t do much to protect the blade of the stick from other surfaces it may come into contact with off of the ice. 
     However, hockey is not a sport played only on the ice. Hockey can be played on just about any surface other than ice. Various forms of hockey are played on indoor courts such as basketball courts, as well as, hard outdoor surfaces such as asphalt. When playing on these surfaces, additional protection is needed for the blade of the stick lest the stick become damaged during use. 
     Enter the Hockey Wraparound—a device that attaches to and protects the outer edge of the Hockey stick blade and is designed to be used during play. The device consists of either a metal or polymer/plastic clip that attaches to the edge of the blade of the stick. The device is durable enough to prevent the edges of the stick from being damaged during play, whether on ice or a coarser surface like asphalt. However, the device provides absolutely no protection for the rest of the blade. 
     Another device that offers some protection to the rest of the blade is a foam cover that fits over a substantial portion of the hockey stick blade. However, it is not designed to be used during play as it loosely attaches to the blade of the stick when the blade of the stick is inserted into the cover. There is nothing to hold the device in place during use and the foam covering is not durable enough to protect the blade during play. 
     What the above devices do not do, is provide protection to surfaces other than the hockey stick itself. Parents and players alike are remarkably familiar with a problem caused during transportation of hockey sticks—damage to the vehicle in which the stick and player are transported to and from games. Hockey sticks are meant to be durable objects that will cause damage to another surface with which they come into contact. Damage to the insides of vehicles is very common as players tend to throw or otherwise roughly place their sticks inside the interior of a vehicle before or after a game or practice. This leads to consistent and considerable damage to the interior of the vehicle itself. Obviously, this damage is not limited to the interiors of vehicles; it also occurs in homes and just about any other place that hockey players travel through on their way to and from the ice. Traditional devices only protect the blade or a portion of it from damage caused by ice, asphalt and/or hockey pucks. 
     What is needed is a device that can provide protection to the most vulnerable part of a hockey stick, the blade, while at the same time allowing the stick to be used during play. Further, there is a need for a device that protects the entire blade of a hockey stick and is able to stay in place when the stick is being used for play. Moreover, there is a need in the industry for a protective device that prevents the stick from harming surfaces other than ice, particularly during transportation and storage. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a hockey stick cover. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a hockey stick cover that covers the entire blade of the hockey stick and provides adequate protection regardless of what type of surface is being played upon. 
     Preferred embodiments of the disclosed hockey stick cover include a flexible cover made to resemble an item of clothing, specifically a sock. The cover has an elongated body with an open end and a closed end located at opposite ends of the device. The body is an elongated tube or sleeve with an angled portion, i.e. there is a bend or curve in the body of the cover between the open and closed ends. In preferred embodiments of this cover, the body also features a break in the body of the cover proximate to the open end. In some embodiments, this break also communicates with the open end of the body thereby producing two flaps or sections of the body at the upper end of the body. Integrated into or attached to the flaps are means to join the two flaps of the cover and seal the break. The means to join the two flaps in preferred embodiments are a zipper; although, other structures could be used to close the break in the body including hook and loop fasteners, drawstrings or ties. For reference, the portion of the body between the open end and the angled portion is referred to as the upper portion of the cover and the portion of the cover that is between the closed end and the angled portion is referred to as the lower portion of the cover. In preferred embodiments, the upper portion is narrower and shorter than the lower portion. Some embodiments of the cover are made out of a single piece of fabric. 
     While some embodiments of the hockey stick cover can be made large enough to fit the entire hockey stick into the cover, preferred embodiments of the device cover the entire blade and a portion of the shaft so that the cover can be used on the stick during practice or game play. 
     An object of the presently disclosed invention is to provide a protective cover for blade of a hockey stick. Another object of the invention is to provide a protective cover for a hockey stick that can be used during game play. Another object of the invention is to provide a water-resistant cover to the blade of a hockey stick. Another object of the presently disclosed invention is to provide a protective cover that prevents or at least decreases the damage caused by a hockey stick to the interior of a car, the walls or flooring of a building or any other surface that can come into contact with the stick when it is not being used on the ice. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a left side perspective view of an embodiment of the hockey stick cover; 
         FIG. 2  is a right-side perspective view thereof; 
         FIG. 3  is a left-side perspective view of the hockey stick cover with the zipper unzipped; 
         FIG. 4  is a front perspective view of the hockey stick cover; 
         FIG. 5  is a back-perspective view thereof; 
         FIG. 6  is a is a left-side perspective view showing the zipper closed; 
         FIG. 7  is a right-side perspective view of the hockey stick cover with the zipper closed; 
         FIG. 8  is a front perspective view of the hockey stick cover; 
         FIG. 9  is a back perspective view of the hockey stick cover with the zipper closed; and 
         FIG. 10  is a back perspective view thereof with the zipper open; 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to the invention in more detail, in  FIGS. 1-10 , there is shown a preferred embodiment of the hockey stick cover. Specifically, these figures show the cover  10  is made of a flexible body  11  with two ends—an open end  12  and a closed end  13 —located at opposite ends of the cover  10 . The body is a tube or sleeve made of a flexible, preferably water resistant, material. A skilled artisan can appreciate that any number of fabrics or other material cold be used to make the device, but the inventor has discovered that neoprene works best because it provides water resistance, flexibility, cushioning and durability. In theory, the device can feature two open ends, but that would not be as commercially desirable as the second open end would allow dirt, moisture or other debris to enter the cover making it less effective. 
     The body  11  includes a bent or angled portion  14  reminiscent of the heel of a sock. The angled portion  14  joins the end closest to the open end and the end closest to the closed end of the cover  10 . The angle of the angled portion  14  reflects or conforms to the angle between the shaft and blade of a hockey stick—typically 135 degrees in a lot of sticks. However, since that angle can vary quite a bit depending on things such as the position being played and the personal preferences of the player, the flexibility of the body  11  allows the cover  10  to conform to the shape and angle of the hockey stick (not shown). The angled portion  14  produces two curves or corners in the body  11  of the cover  10 —an inner corner  15  and an outer corner  16 . For reference, the portion of the body  11  between the open end  12  and the angled portion  14  is referred to as the upper portion  17  of the cover and the portion of the cover  10  that is between the closed end  13  and the angled portion  14  is referred to as the lower portion  18  of the cover  10 . 
       FIGS. 1-10  also show a break or slit  19  in the body  11  of the device  10 . In preferred embodiments, this slit  19  is located adjacent to and communicates with the open end  12  of the cover  10 . This slit allows the user to open the cover  10  when it is being placed onto or removed from a hockey stick. Flanking either side of the slit  19  are means to secure the two flaps  20  formed by the slit  19  such that the cover  10  can be closed.  FIGS. 1-10  show a preferred embodiment that uses a zipper  21  to close the two flaps  20  formed by the slit  19 , but any number of closure means could be used including hook and loop fasteners, buttons, drawstrings, or simple ties. In addition, in some preferred embodiments of the cover  10 , the upper end of the cover  10  is narrower than the lower portion  18  of the device. That difference in width is a function is the shaft of the hockey stick being narrower than the blade of the hockey stick. 
     In use, the zipper  21  is unzipped or opened to allow the upper portion  17  of the cover  10  to accept a hockey stick being inserted therein. The user takes the hockey stick blade (not shown) and inserts it into the open end  12  of the cover  10  and pushes the blade of the stick into the cover  10  until the edge of the blade abuts the closed end  13  of the cover  10 . The user then secures the fastening means  21  (in this case a zipper) to hold the cover  10  onto the stick and blade. Optionally, the cover  10  can feature an elastic material located in the edge of the upper portion  17  of the cover to allow it to grip the hockey stick shaft a little more tightly. 
     The advantages of the disclosed hockey stick cover include, without limitation, the ability to protect the blade and art of the hockey stick shaft from damage when the stick is being stored or transported. In addition, the device is light and unobtrusive enough that a wearer can have the device on their stick when they are playing or practicing. The device protects the entire blade of the hockey stick, not just an outer edge of the stick. In addition, one of the larger advantages of the hockey stick cover is the ability to provide protection to the surfaces with which the stick comes into contact particularly during storage and transportation. 
     Reference throughout the specification to features, advantages, or similar language does not imply that all of the features and advantages that may be realized with the present invention should be or are in any single embodiment of the invention. Rather, language referring to the features and advantages is understood to mean that a specific feature, advantage, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, discussion of the features and advantages, and similar language, throughout the specification may, but do not necessarily, refer to the same embodiment. 
     Furthermore, the described features, advantages, and characteristics of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific features or advantages of a particular embodiment. In other instances, additional features and advantages may be recognized in certain embodiments that may not be present in all embodiments of the invention. 
     It is understood that the above described embodiments are only illustrative of the application of the principles of the present invention. The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiment, including the best mode, is to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims, if any, in conjunction with the foregoing description. 
     While the foregoing written description of the invention enables one of ordinary skill to make and use what is considered presently to be the best mode thereof, those of ordinary skill will understand and appreciate the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents of the specific embodiment, method, and examples herein. The invention should therefore not be limited by the above described embodiment, method, and examples, but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of the invention.