Games using tangible projectile – Golf – Club or club support
Reexamination Certificate
2002-01-23
2003-12-02
Nguyen, Kien T. (Department: 3712)
Games using tangible projectile
Golf
Club or club support
C473S301000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06656057
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a golf club grip, more particularly to a golf club grip made from close-celled foam with anti-slip skin to result in lighter weight, adequate rigidity and resilience, sufficient shock absorbing property, and ease of installation.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to
FIG. 1
, a golf club
1
typically includes a club head
11
, a club shaft
13
extending from the club head
11
and having a butt end
132
opposite to the club head
11
, and grip
12
disposed over a gripping portion proximate to the butt end
132
of the shaft
13
. The grip
12
is the only direct link between the golf club
1
and a golfer. Golf swing has been described as a violent movement. A golfer may exert enough force on the golf club
1
to enable the club head
11
to travel fast at impact. It is thus imperative that each grip
12
fit the individual golfer. That is, each grip
12
must have the proper thickness for the particular golfer. The thickness of the grip
12
can not only affect the way a golfer holds the golf club
1
, but can also affect the golf swing and shot pattern of the golf ball.
The total weight of the golf club
1
is the sum of the weights of its component parts, i.e., the club head
11
, the club shaft
13
, and the grip
12
. The swing weight is the weight the golfer feels in relation to the head weight of the club as he swings the golf club
1
. Swing weight is generally defined as the weight distribution between the club head
11
of the golf club
1
and the butt end
132
of the golf club
1
about a fixed fulcrum point. All the weight toward the grip end from the fulcrum point is considered to be“grip weight”. All the weight toward the club head
11
of the golf club from the fulcrum point is“head weight.”The more head weight there is relative to the grip weight results in a higher swing weight. Conversely, the less head weight there is relative to the grip weight results in a lower swing weight. Any change in head weight or grip weight, and any change in the component parts of the golf club
1
can alter the swing weight of the golf club
1
. If all other components of the golf club
1
are kept constant, a heavier grip will result in more weight in the butt end
132
of the golf club
1
relative to the club head
11
, and therefore a decreased swing weight. Conversely, a lighter grip will result in more weight in the club head end
11
of the golf club
1
relative to the butt end
132
, and therefore an increased swing weight. Golfers may find it highly advantageous to use light weight grips
12
to increase swing weight, thus creating more club head feel
11
, while decreasing the total weight of the golf club
1
. A lighter golf club
1
allows the golfer to swing the golf club
1
faster.
It is known that the shock generated by impact between the golf club
1
and a golf ball can adversely affect muscle tissue and arm joints. It is thus important that the grip
12
has a sufficient shock absorbing property to minimize injury to the golfer.
Moreover, because the golf swing is a violent movement, it is also essential that the grip
12
have enough traction to prevent the golfer's hands from slipping during the swing.
When it is necessary to replace the original grip, such replacement is difficult and cannot be accomplished by the average golfer. For example, to install a prior art slip-on type golf club grip, the installation steps generally includes applying a double tact tape to the golf shaft, then applying grip solvent to both the tape and inside the tubular grip to make it slick, and then sliding the grip into place. Proper installation of a modern grip requires the considerations of the golf club shaft butt size, the model grip core size, and the amount of tape used. During the replacement operation, the old grip and underlying old tape must be completely removed because any remnants of the old grip or the old tape may result in irregularities in the new grip that can be felt by the golfer and that may result in an adverse affect on the performance of the golfer. Therefore, grip installation is often a difficult, tedious and time-consuming process. Many golfers thus choose the more expensive route and have their grips professionally installed by leaving their golf clubs at a golf shop for several days when conducting grip replacement.
Referring to
FIG. 2
, for prior art easy installation, a strip-type golf club grip
2
has been disclosed. The grip
2
includes a strip
21
woundspirally about the golf club shaft
13
between the butt end
132
and a guide cylinder
22
on the shaft
13
, and a cap
23
affixed to the butt end
132
to prevent the strip
21
from unraveling. The strip
21
has side edges
210
disposed in close abutment with each other.
The followings are some of the prior arts disclosing various strip-type golf club grips, of which:
U.S. Pat. No. 2,721,741 to Prendergast discloses a golf grip that has a “cylindrical cap portion with a key slot adapted to fit over the end of the shaft”, and an integral strip portion. Prendergast suggest that the user or grip installer must make a slot on the tip of the shaft where the grip goes so that his invention may be locked into place. The inside of his grip cap has a “key” that must be positioned into the slot made on the shaft. Its inferiors are: First it need tool to cut a slot at the end of the shaft, causing the difficulties in process. Secondly after winding the strip around the shaft, then pull the strip to position the cap onto the end of the shaft, it makes the regripping process harder for individual golfer to do it by themselves. These disadvantages are against its original easy installation object.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,174,109 to Gaiser discloses a golf club grip made of an open-cell plastic foam tape that is spirally wound about a golf club shaft, with an open edge seam between adjacent wraps. An adhesive tape is attached to the edge of the reticulated foam tape and spirally wound about the shaft and overlies the open edge seam and adjacent edge of the foam tape, thereby resulting in a gripping surface of interspaced spiral wraps of the foam tape and the adhesive tape. However, the use of the open-celled structure for the foam tape makes the grip very soft and prevents the grip from providing firm support.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,816,933 and 5,813,921 to Huang disclose a composite strip made of an open pored fabric as base material (such as felt layer) and a closed pored polyurethane synthetic leather as outer layer to form variant kinds of golf grips. Basically, this kind of grip includes a strip spirally wrapped around the shaft, and a cap telescopically installed on the end of the shaft to prevent unraveling. In other words, this type of grip needs two processes for installation. There is a weak part between the cap and the strip, because the cap is separately installed on the end of the shaft not integral with the strip, tending to unravel after certain time of using. Moreover, the strip is too thin, soft and flat. The thickness of the strip is hardly over 2.5 mm, only fit to the bigger size shaft (0.790″~0.865″). Due to its strip base material, open pores fabric (felt layer), which is not rigid enough, the grip cannot provide enough support when strike like conventional golf rubber or TPR grip. This kind of grip can also be installed by spirally wrapping the strip around a resilient tube, then the shaft is slipped into the underlisting tube (as in U.S. Pat. 5,813,921 to increase the grip thickness). Because the strip is wrapped around the tube, the tube is bound and stretching thereof is limited, there by making the tube hard to open for inserting the shaft. This drawback is adverse to its original easy installation object.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention is to provide a lightweight golf grip with correct or standard thickness that can decrease grip weight and increase swing weight, thereby allowing higher club head speed.
Another object of
Chu Hong-Sung
Manual Franco C.
Chu Hong-Sung
Nguyen Kien T.
Pitney Hardin Kipp & Szuch LLP
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