Abstract:
A ball striking game implement, comprising a paddle having first and second opposed planar resilient faces and a truncated side, forming a base, an elastically expandable pocket disposed between the first and second faces, said pocket having an interior portion and an opening to the interior portion along the base, through which opening a human hand with extended fingers may be inserted into the interior of the pocket.

Description:
[0001]    The present invention relates to sports equipment and more particularly to an implement to train children in the sport of tennis.  
         BACKGROUND  
         [0002]    Teaching tennis technique to young children presents several problems. Using a junior sized tennis racquet is a good beginning, but even these racquets pose a difficult challenge to a trainee that is four to ten years old. First, a conventionally designed racquet, even a junior sized racquet, presents problems with the grip and with proper wrist action. Without a proper grip, the child becomes frustrated by not making solid contact with the ball. With good ball contact, the training becomes fun, rather than exasperating.  
           [0003]    The present invention provides a tennis training “racquet” that eliminates early training concerns about the grip by eliminating the racquet handle.  
           [0004]    The prior art reveals at least a couple of paddle shaped devices designed for striking a ball, neither of which disclose the construction and advantages of the present invention. U.S. Pat. No. 4,227,692 to Bertrand Castelli illustrates a Dual Game Ball Paddle having spaced apart striking panels that are interconnected by a handle that is clasped by the palm and flexed fingers of a player. The position of the hand, vis-à-vis the ball striking panels, in the Castelli apparatus is quite opposite to the hand position and the required stroke in the device of the present invention.  
           [0005]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,102,146 to Jeffrey Kurland discloses a circular hand held shield with which an airfoil projectile is captured via a suction device on the projectile. The shield includes a strap spaced from the back face of the shield whereby the user&#39;s hand is removable retained in the space by the pressure exerted against the hand by the shield and the strap. The construction and function of the Kurland device is dissimilar to that of the present invention, as will be seen as the description continues.  
           [0006]    The primary object of the present invention is to provide a resilient double faced paddle that is worn on a hand with extended fingers and with which a tennis ball, or similar resilient object, may be struck on either side thereof by a trainee, in order to learn and practice the appropriate arm and body motions and associated eye coordination that are essential in development of good forehand and backhand strokes in sports that are played with a racquet.  
           [0007]    A second object of the invention is to provide a ball striking paddle that will fit onto a user&#39;s hand with extended fingers and can be used by children or adults either as a training aid for such sports as tennis, racquetball, paddleball and squash or in actual playing of games that are original with the particular piece of equipment that is the subject matter of the present invention.  
           [0008]    Other and further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon a reading of the description of the invention that follows, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0009]    While simulating the head of a stringed tennis racquet, in general shape, size and function, the implement of the present invention takes the form of a resilient double-faced paddle, having opposed planar front and rear resilient ball striking surfaces. Within the paddle and between the opposing ball striking surfaces is an elastically expandable pocket having an opening in a truncated side of the paddle, through which the user&#39;s hand, with extended fingers, may be inserted. The paddle acts as extension, or enlargement, of the user&#39;s hand in a flat or finger extended position. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    [0010]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the ball striking game implement of the present invention, showing in dotted lines the hand of the user inserted into an interior pocket formed between the two interconnected faces of the paddle-like device.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the paddle of the present invention worn on the hand of a user, shown in dotted lines. An exemplary ball is shown in dotted lines being deflected from the backhand face of the paddle.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the paddle of the present invention worn on the hand of a user, shown in dotted lines. An exemplary ball is shown in dotted lines being deflected from the forehand face of the paddle. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0013]    The simulated “racquet” paddle  4 , as shown in FIG. 1, is preferably, but not necessarily, formed in the oval shape of the traditional tennis racquet, squash racquet or racquetball racquet. Contrary to the normal game racquet, the “racquet” paddle of the present invention is not equipped with a handle or grip. At the place from which a handle would depend from the traditional racquet, the paddle  4  of the present invention contains a truncated straight edged side  6 , forming a base. While the truncated side  6  is preferably flat, or straight edged, the base side could easily be curved or of some other shape without departing from the spirit of the invention.  
         [0014]    The function of the paddle  4  is to simulate the head of a stringed racquet, such as a tennis racquet, so as to be able to strike a ball with either of the opposed faces  8  and  10  of the paddle. Faces  8  and  10  are resilient, to emulate the action of the strings of a tennis racquet against an elastic ball, such as, for example, a tennis ball. For a right-handed player, the backhand ball striking face is referred to with reference numeral  8  while the forehand face is identified as  10 . Both faces are identical, meaning that the same paddle may be used interchangeably by right and left handed players.  
         [0015]    In the preferred form of the invention, the paddle comprises a pair of interconnected superimposed ethyl vinyl acetate plates  12  and  14 , each having a thickness of approximately twelve millimeters. Each of the ethyl vinyl acetate plates has a density that provides compressibility of between 45%-50% to simulate the ball interaction of a stringed racquet. Polypropylene resin is another material from which such a paddle may be constructed, although the mentioned materials are exemplary only and not to be considered as limiting the scope of the invention.  
         [0016]    A primary training advantage of the paddle of the present invention is that it has no handle and does not require a trainee to deal with the niceties of racquet grip before acquiring a basic understanding and mastery of the body and arm motion and the hand-eye coordination required for appropriate forehand and backhand strokes. In place of a handle, the paddle  4  is mounted directly on and over the palm and extended fingers of the hand of the user. This mounting is accomplished by providing a pocket  16 , or available space between the elastically spread apart first and second plates  12  and  14 , into which the user&#39;s hand is inserted through an opening  18  in the truncated base  6 . As the hand and extended fingers are inserted between the plates  12  and  14 , the plates spread apart to form the pocket  16  in which the hand and fingers dwell while the paddle is in use. When the hand and fingers of the user are withdrawn from the formed pocket  16 , the elastic nature of the plate materials brings the plates back together, closing the pocket.  
         [0017]    The interior pocket  16  is defined by the interconnected edges  20  of the plates  12  and  14 . Cement, or other appropriate fastening devices such as, for example, sewing stitches, Velcro, staples and the like secure the edges  20  of the face plates  12  and  14  together. In FIG. 1, the inside extent of the preferred cement application  22  is indicated by dotted line  23 . While a continuous cementing attachment is preferred, a discontinuous means of interconnection of the plates along their perimeter edges may be considered. Such a discontinuous means of attachment might be made with spaced apart staples or other fasteners, for example.  
         [0018]    A pair of spaced apart elastic bands  26  and  28  discontinuously interconnects the respective edges of the plates  12  and  14  along the truncated side  6  of the paddle  4 . The plate edges between the bands  26  and  28  are not interconnected, providing an opening into the space between the plates  12  and  14  that is not interconnected and which forms the pocket into which the hand and fingers of the user are inserted. The elastic bands  26  and  28  expand when a hand is inserted between the plates and thereby limit the stress on the cemented interconnection between the plates at the respective ends of the truncated side  6 .  
         [0019]    One or more holes  30  may be provided in the plates  12  and  14  to provide ventilation to the user&#39;s hand.  
         [0020]    With the user&#39;s hand inserted into the pocket  16 , formed by the expanded plates  12  and  14 , the user can strike a ball, or other object, with a proper forehand stroke, as shown in FIG. 3. By utilizing the opposing face of the paddle  4 , the user can strike the ball with a backhand stroke, as shown in FIG. 2.  
         [0021]    While the preferred form of the invention has been described in terms of a pair of superimposed expandable plates that provide a hand pocket there between when forcibly separated, the invention also contemplates a paddle of unitary construction having a hand pocket formed therein.