Abstract:
A handle for a lacrosse stick includes an elongate carbon fiber central core having a length extending substantially the entire length of the handle along a longitudinal axis between a first end and a second end, the first end adapted to rigidly connect to a lacrosse head, the second end being opposite to the first end; a layer of foam padding surrounding and affixed to the central core from the second end and extending substantially along the entire length of the central core, the first end of the central core protruding from the padding; and an adapter rigidly affixed to the protruding first end of the central core, the adapter having a cross-sectional shape and dimensions selected to rigidly engage an opening in the lacrosse head. The central core is formed from carbon fiber elements selected from hollow tubes and solid rods.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates generally to the handle portion of a lacrosse stick and, more particularly, to a lacrosse handle which reduces the amount of shock to a player&#39;s hands and which minimizes trauma and reduces injuries caused to other players struck by the handle. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Lacrosse handles, generally constructed from hollow metal tubes, were developed to replace prior wooden lacrosse handles, which were susceptible to damage and were relatively heavy and cumbersome. Typically, metal tube lacrosse handles are currently constructed from thin walled aluminum, titanium, or other suitable strong, lightweight metal alloys. Such lacrosse handles typically have a durable construction and an outer surface which is either bare metal or metal having a very thin coating layer, typically about 1 millimeter or less. Hollow handles generally have a desired cross-sectional configuration along substantially the entire length of the handle. The handle can be formed in many desired cross-sectional shapes, including hexagonal, octagonal, round or oval cross-sections. 
         [0003]    It is known that lacrosse is a fast-paced, high-contact sport and that the lacrosse handles can be subjected to large forces during play. The rigid metal construction of lacrosse handles transmits shock to a player&#39;s hands when the lacrosse stick is subjected to a sudden impact, such as when a player accidentally strikes the ground with the lacrosse stick or when there is stick to stick contact. 
         [0004]    Due to the fast pace of the game and the use by players of metal handled lacrosse sticks, it is common for a player to accidentally strike another player with a stick handle, e.g., during stick checks, causing injury to the struck player. While the rules of lacrosse make every effort to minimize injuries, injuries to players struck by another player&#39;s stick are commonplace and sometimes severe. Indeed, men&#39;s lacrosse is intended as a high contact sport and players are required to wear helmets with faceguards, padded gloves, elbow pads, chest and shoulder pads and groin cups. Women&#39;s lacrosse is not intended to be as high contact a sport with the result that intentional body contact is not legal and stick checking must be directed away from an opponent&#39;s head and body toward the pocketed end of the stick only. As a result, only protective goggles and mouth pieces are mandatory equipment with light weight gloves and soft headgear optional. 
         [0005]    Injuries to the wrist and hand nearly always occur from a direct blow by a stick handle and are common to both the men&#39;s and women&#39;s lacrosse games. Although men&#39;s gloves are padded, they are softer and more flexible than hockey gloves and provide only limited protection, and women are not required to wear gloves at all. As a result, it has been found that fingers, hands or wrists struck by a metal lacrosse stick frequently are injured, sometimes severely. Moreover, during stick checking and when attempting to scoop a ball, stick contact to the uncovered lower extremities are quite common and can cause serious injuries as well as abrasions. In the women&#39;s game, which does not require helmets, head and face injuries often occur due to stick or ball contact. 
         [0006]    It is, therefore, desirable to provide a lacrosse handle that is strong, lightweight and durable while, at the same time, exhibiting flex and safety characteristics which absorb shock that would otherwise be transmitted to a player&#39;s hands and minimize injury and damage to other players and their equipment. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    In accordance with one broad aspect of the present invention, there is provided a handle for a lacrosse stick which includes an elongate carbon fiber central core having a length extending substantially the entire length of the handle along a longitudinal axis between a first end and a second end, the first end adapted to rigidly connect to a lacrosse head, the second end being opposite to said first end; a layer of foam padding surrounding and affixed to said central core from said second end and extending substantially along the entire length of the central core, the first end of the central core protruding from the padding; and an adapter rigidly affixed to the protruding first end of the central core, the adapter having a cross-sectional shape and dimensions selected to rigidly engage an opening in the lacrosse head. 
         [0008]    In accordance with another aspect of the invention, said adapter means comprises a tubular sleeve rigidly attached to said protruding first end of said central core, said tubular sleeve having a cross-sectional shape and dimension matching a receiving opening in said lacrosse head to facilitate easy insertion and to minimize twisting or turning of said lacrosse head relative to said handle. 
         [0009]    In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, said central core comprises carbon fiber elements selected from hollow tubes and solid rods, the cross-sectional shape of the carbon fiber elements being selected from circular, oval and polygonal shapes, and combinations thereof. 
         [0010]    In accordance with still another aspect of the invention said padding comprises strips of foam padding or a tube of foam padding affixed to said central core, said foam padding being selected from the group consisting of neoprene, nitrile, EPDM and silicone. 
         [0011]    In accordance with one preferred aspect of the invention, said central core comprises two solid carbon fiber rods or two tubular carbon fiber rods rigidly affixed to each other in tangential relationship to create a figure eight configuration. 
         [0012]    In accordance with another preferred aspect of the invention, said central core comprises a single oval cross-section solid carbon fiber rod or a single oval cross-section tubular carbon fiber rod. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is a top plan view of the lacrosse stick handle of the present invention, including an attached lacrosse head. 
           [0014]      FIGS. 2(   a ) and ( b ) are sectional views taken along line  2 - 2  in  FIG. 1  of two different embodiments of the lacrosse stick handle of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is a side elevation view of the lacrosse stick handle of  FIG. 1  partially assembled with the padding overlying all but one end of the central core. 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  is a side elevation view of the lacrosse stick handle of  FIG. 3  fully assembled with an adapter for attachment to standard lacrosse heads affixed to one end of the central core. 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  is a top plan view of the lacrosse stick of  FIG. 1  with portions broken away to show the attachment of the lacrosse stick handle of the present invention to the lacrosse head. 
           [0018]      FIGS. 6(   a ) - 6 ( d ) are sectional views taken along line  6 - 6  in  FIG. 1  of other embodiments of the lacrosse stick handle of  FIG. 1  showing alternative central cores and oval outer padding. 
           [0019]      FIGS. 7(   a ) - 7 ( e ) are sectional views taken along line  7 - 7  in  FIG. 1  of other embodiments of the lacrosse stick handle of  FIG. 1  showing alternative central cores and octagonal outer padding. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0020]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , a lacrosse stick  10  typically includes both an elongated handle  12  and a head  14  for attachment to the handle  12 . The elongated handle  12  has both a top end  12   a  and a bottom end  12   b.  The head  14 , in turn, is mounted on the top end  12   a  of the elongated handle  12  and includes both a closed-loop, typically polymeric, frame  16  and a net  18  suspended substantially within the confines of the frame  16 . Together, the closed-loop frame  16  and the net  18  form an open pocket suited for receiving, holding and releasing a lacrosse ball. The top end  12   a  of the handle  12  is inserted into and attached to a throat  14   a  of the lacrosse stick head  14  at its proximal end  14   a  and preferably secured using a setting screw  20 , while the bottom end  12   b  includes a plastic or rubber cap or plug  22  coupled thereto. 
         [0021]    In one embodiment, referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , an opening  14   b  in the proximal end  14   a  of head  14  and a top end  12   a  of handle  12  each have matching rounded or polygonal cross-sections, such as hexagonal or octagonal. The polygonal cross sections creates a plurality of edges or corners, along the length of the top end  12   a  of handle  12  and within opening  14   b , which together form a plurality of flat, longitudinal and contiguous surfaces. The corners and contiguous surfaces of opening  14   b  provide an easy and consistent insertion and attachment point for attaching top end  12   a  of handle  12  within the throat  14   a  of lacrosse head  14 . These corners and surfaces also prevent the lacrosse head  14  from twisting or turning relative to the handle  12  during usage. It will be appreciated that the cross-sectional design of opening  14   b  and top end  12   a  are not limited to the configurations specifically disclosed herein but may be formed in any configuration which permits top end  12   a  to be received within opening  14   b.  Preferably, the cross-sectional configuration of opening  14   b  matches the cross-sectional configuration of top end  12   a  to facilitate easy insertion and to minimize twisting or turning. 
         [0022]    In accordance with the present invention, the lacrosse handle  12  is no longer made of metal. Rather, it is constructed, as shown in  FIGS. 3-7  of a carbon fiber central core  50  covered with a soft padding  52 . Carbon fiber cores  50  formed of tubes or solid rods used alone or in various combinations, such as in a figure eight configuration, are well known to be very strong while, at the same time, they are very light, e.g., about ⅔ the weight of aluminum. This permits the carbon fiber cores  50  to have a relatively small diameter compared to the more or less standard 1 inch or 0.75 inch lacrosse handle cross sections used currently in the game, and permits the provision of a soft, shock absorbing, outer padding  52  surrounding the carbon fiber central core  50  while providing a lacrosse stick handle  12  having the same or similar handle cross-section as conventional lacrosse stick handles. The padding  52 , together with the small diameter central core  50 , reduces shock to a player&#39;s hands when the lacrosse stick is subjected to a sudden impact, such as when a player accidentally strikes the ground with the lacrosse stick or when there is stick to stick contact. At the same time, the padding  52  provides cushioning to protect other players and to lessen the impact when a player is struck by another player&#39;s lacrosse stick handle. This eliminates or, at least, reduces finger, hand, wrist, arm, head and lower extremity injuries during normal play of the game of lacrosse. 
         [0023]    Referring to  FIGS. 2(   a ) and  2 ( b ) there are shown sectional views through handle  12  of two embodiments of the invention. The carbon fiber central core  50  in the embodiment of  FIG. 2(   a ) is formed by two solid carbon fiber rods  54  extending the length of handle  12 . The solid rods in this particular embodiment are two circular carbon fiber solid rods having a diameter in the range of about 0.3 to 0.4 inches, e.g., rods having 0.375″ and 0.309″ diameters, among other sizes are commercially available from sources such as Rock West Composites of West Jordan, Utah. The carbon fiber central core  50  in the embodiment of  FIG. 2(   b ) is formed by two carbon fiber hollow tubes  56  extending the length of handle  12 . The tubes in this embodiment are two circular carbon fiber tubes having a diameter in the range of about 0.3 to 0.4 inches, e.g., tubes having 0.378″ diameters with 0.064″ walls, among other sizes are commercially available from sources such as Rock West Composites of West Jordan, Utah. The central core rods/tubes  50  are covered with a no slip padding  52  to provide the desired shape and cross-sectional dimension of the handle  12 . The padding is desirably a foam selected from neoprene, nitrile, EPDM, silicone, and equivalents, desirably having a thickness of at least 0.25″. The foam padding may be applied by either wrapping strips, e.g., 1″ to 2″ wide strips, of the padding around the central core  50  using a pressure sensitive adhesive or by adhesively affixing a tube of this material to the core. It will be appreciated that padding in tubular form is commercially available in numerous acceptable shapes and dimensions or can be custom ordered from the foam tubing manufacturer. Custom ordering is an attractive option when a particular cross sectional handle shape or dimension is desired. Acceptable padding can be obtained from a number of commercial sources, such as Grab on Grips of Walla Wall, Wash. and, under the trademark GripWorks®, from Sinclair &amp; Rush, Inc. of Arnold, Mo.. Typically, the cross-sectional handle shape is selected from oval, hexagonal and octagonal. Also, typically, the cross-sectional handle dimension is selected in the range of 0.75″ to 1.0″. It will be appreciated, however, that the cross-sectional handle shape and dimension is a matter of personal choice and the lacrosse stick handle  12  of the present invention can be fabricated in any desired handle shape and dimension by appropriate selection of carbon fiber central core configurations and padding. Thus, for the particular embodiment of  FIG. 2 , where carbon fiber rods having a diameter of 0.375″ are utilized and a tubular padding having a wall thickness of 0.25″ is selected, the resulting handle may be formed in an oval shape having a major dimension of about 1.25″ and a minor dimension of 0.875″. In this connection it will be appreciated that with use the handle padding will tend to compress a bit thus reducing both the major and minor dimensions. 
         [0024]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , handle  12  is shown partially assembled with central core rods  50  covered with padding  52 . The rods have been rigidly affixed to each other in tangential relationship to create the figure eight configuration. One manner of rigidly affixing the rods is using an epoxy resin adhesive. Commercially available epoxy resin adhesives are suitable, such as Loctite 608 Hysol from Rock West Composites in West Jordan, Utah, which is a two part epoxy adhesive. As can be seen the padding extends over almost the entire length of handle  12  except that about 1.75″ of the central core  50  rods are left exposed. In one exemplary embodiment, the padded length is about 28.25 inches, although lacrosse handle lengths in the range of 30 to 42 inches are common. The protruding central core rods  50  attach to an adapter  58  which allows the handle  12  of the present invention to mount to existing lacrosse heads  14 . Adapter  58  is, in one embodiment, a short length of standard aluminum lacrosse shaft tubing having a hexagonal cross-section, about 2″ in length, which is rigidly attached to the protruding central core rods  50 , e.g., by epoxying. During the attachment process it is very important to center the central core  50  within adapter  58 . This may be done by the use of any centering device or means. In one simple embodiment, the centering of central core  50  is accomplished by tilizing a wrap of tape to center the core  50  within adapter  58 , hanging the whole handle assembly with the open end of the adapter facing upwardly, filling the volume between the central core  50  and the inner perimeter of the adapter  58  with epoxy, and then curing the epoxy. It will be appreciated that other means known to the art for affixing adapter  58  to protruding central core rods may be used as well. As can be seen in  FIG. 5 , adapter  58  is inserted into the standard hexagonal opening  14   b  of existing lacrosse heads  14  and secured in place with setting screw  20 , as can also be seen in  FIG. 1 , to rigidly and removably affix handle  12  to lacrosse head  14 . By forming adapter  58  with a cross-section and dimension which matches the opening  14   b  in the throat  14   a  of commercially available lacrosse heads  14 , players may readily remove their current lacrosse heat from their current lacrosse handle and attach the padded handle  12  of the present invention in the same manner that they removed the old head. It will be appreciated that the cross-sectional design of opening  14   b  and handle top end  12   a,  which in the embodiments of the present invention comprises adapter  58 , are not limited to the configurations specifically disclosed herein but may be formed in any configuration which permits adapter  58  at handle top end  12   a  to be received within opening  14   b.  Preferably, the cross-sectional configuration of opening  14   b  matches the cross-sectional configuration of adapter  58  to facilitate easy insertion and to minimize twisting or turning. 
         [0025]    It will be appreciated that the use of carbon fiber circular solid rods or tubes in a figure eight configuration is only one preferred arrangement for central core  50 . Referring now to  FIGS. 6 and 7 , there is shown in  FIG. 6  a variety of illustrative central core configurations which are also suitable for use in constructing the handle  12  of the present invention. Thus, in  FIGS. 6(   a ) through  6 ( d ), it is apparent that tubular configurations such as ovals, rectangles, octagons and stacked squares, as well as other polygonal and other shapes, are all suitable for use as the central core  50  of the handle  12  of the present invention. The tubular central cores  50  in  FIGS. 6(   a ) through  6 ( d ) are all covered with foam padding  52 , as hereinbefore described, to provide the desired shape, in this instance oval, and cross-sectional dimension of the handle  12 . Likewise, in  FIGS. 7(   a ) through  7 ( e ) tubular configurations such as circular tubes in figure eight configuration, ovals, rectangles, octagons and stacked squares, as well as other polygonal and other shapes, are all suitable for use as the central core  50  of the handle  12  of the present invention. The tubular central cores  50  in  FIGS. 7(   a ) through  7 ( e ) are all covered with foam padding  52 , as hereinbefore described, to provide the desired shape, in this instance octagonal, and cross-sectional dimension of the handle  12 . Notwithstanding that  FIGS. 6(   a ) through ( d ) and  7 ( a ) through ( e ) illustrate tubular central cores, it will be appreciated that the central cores may be solid or comprise combinations of hollow tubes and solid rods. It is noteworthy that the central core configurations illustrated in  FIGS. 2(   a ),  2 ( b ),  6 ( a ) through  6 ( d ) and  7 ( a ) through  7 ( e ) are generally elongate in one overall dimension, for example as can be seen in  FIG. 2(   a ) the overall height dimension of the central core is greater than the overall width dimension, to present a roughly oval shape for the central core. This general elongation in one direction is the preferred central core configuration since the roughly oval shape which results is easiest to cover with padding, as described herein, in order to create a lacrosse handle whose outside dimensions and shape (e.g., hexagonal, octagonal, round or oval cross-sections) closely match the standard lacrosse handle dimensions and shapes. A handle with a cross-sectional shape elongated in one direction allows the player to use his tactile sense to determine that the lacrosse head is oriented correctly without looking at it. 
         [0026]    The present invention is particularly suited for an improved handle for a lacrosse head and has been illustrated and described as such. However, it is contemplated that the handle can also be utilized as handles for various other athletic devices as well as other athletic endeavors to confer the same or similar advantages as are described herein on such other athletic devices. For example, with minor changes in the means for affixing the disclosed handle to the working end of other athletic devices, the disclosed handle can be used for ice hockey, field, hockey, roller hockey, and the like. 
         [0027]    While the present invention has been described in terms of specific embodiments thereof, it will be understood that no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design other than as defined in the appended claims.