Amusement devices: games – Aerial projectile game; game element or accessory therefor... – Target
Patent
1986-09-22
1988-05-24
Pinkham, Richard C.
Amusement devices: games
Aerial projectile game; game element or accessory therefor...
Target
273 73J, 273 73G, A63B 4902
Patent
active
047461195
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a racquet for ball games, having a folding and separable frame.
All one-piece racquets present a certain number of drawbacks. They are bulky for players having to travel with their racquets. It is difficult to stow a racquet away in a bag, the handle often projects out. The covers provided for storing them often envelop only the head, leaving the handle to project.
Furthermore, the heads exist in many different sizes and shapes, which makes it necessary, in order to try them out, to acquire several racquets. Moreover, the grip which surrounds the handle must be changed several times during a match for optimum efficiency. Similarly, the stringing of the head may need to be changed during a match, either because it has deteriorated or because the opponent's game necessitates different tactics; stringing for an attacking game being under greater tension than stringing for a defensive game. In addition, the vibrations produced by the shock of the ball on the head are transferred directly to the handle then to the player's arm.
THE PRIOR ART
Racquets are known, of which the handle may be folded down onto the head, as illustrated for example in French Pat. No. 1 423 709 or U.S. Pat. No. 1,673,614.
However, these are very rudimentary solutions which have not been developed in practice, mainly because the problem of blocking the hinge between the handle and the head has not been satisfactorily solved.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to overcome these drawbacks and to bring various advantages, by proposing a racquet for ball games, formed by a handle and a head or the like, pivotally mounted with respect to each other about a pin, forming hinge, characterized in that it comprises a device for blocking said hinge, located remote from the pivot pin, as well as a vibration damping device interposed between said handle and said head.
Thanks to the invention, the handle folds down onto the head, or vice versa, this enabling it to be easily stowed away in a cover provided to this end, having the form of a head and being sufficiently wide in order possibly to contain several heads and several handles.
It also becomes possible to separate head and handle, by providing a dismountable hinge. This gives the possibility of adapting any size of head to any size of handle, and vice versa. It also becomes possible for a child to play with the head intended for an adult, by fitting his handle thereon, and for the same player to have several heads of different sizes or different shapes, or with different string tensions, as well as several handles with different grips ready for use at any moment. Anatomical handles, i.e. handles having the form of the player's hand, may be produced independently of the head. The head and the handle therefore become two separate parts, connected together by their hinge, separated by damping joints where, the hinge itself performing the role of damper, the vibrations are no longer transferred to the player's arm, thus reducing the problems of tennis elbow for the player.
From the racquet manufacturers' point of view, it will be observed that, as the handle and head are two distinct elements, they may be manufactured in accordance with different technologies, each element being smaller and lighter than the elements of a one-piece racquet, this making it possible to simplify production tools. Manufacturing defects will not involve rejection of a whole racquet but only of the element, handle or head, concerned. Finally, packing for transport, delivery and presentation may be simplified, and may lead to novel original forms.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be more readily understood on reading the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating a racquet according to the invention, in three different arrangements.
FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate a first embodiment of the hinge between the handle and the head with blockage by catch bolt.
FIG. 4 show
REFERENCES:
patent: 1673614 (1928-06-01), Boening
patent: 2159579 (1939-05-01), Whitney
patent: 3679205 (1972-07-01), Finkle et al.
patent: 4367871 (1983-01-01), Schiefer
patent: 4609198 (1986-09-01), Torr
Colvin Arthur B.
Pinkham Richard C.
Schneider Matthew L.
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