Patent ID: 7044871

Claim:
A tubular bat, having an overall bat length, for hitting a ball, the bat comprising: a) a core shaft having a core shaft length, including a handle portion for gripping the bat; b) a cylindrical barrel having a proximal portion and a distal portion with respect to the handle portion and having a constant diameter between said proximal and distal portions, the barrel being connected to the core shaft; c) a first connecting structure for connecting the proximal portion of the barrel to the core shaft; d) a second connecting structure extending laterally from the core shaft for directly connecting the distal portion of the barrel to the core shaft; e) a separation gap disposed between the core shaft and the barrel; wherein i) the barrel is for hitting the ball; ii) the separation gap is for allowing the barrel to elastically deform when the barrel hits the ball, and iii) the core shaft length extends substantially along the entire bat length and is of rigid, unitary, singular construction, and wherein the first connecting structure and the second connecting structure respectively are elastically resilient flexible structures, and the first and second connecting structures each comprises a pleated shape.