Games using tangible projectile – Player held and powered – nonmechanical projector – per se,... – Racket or paddle; accessory therefor
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-17
2001-07-03
Chiu, Raleigh W. (Department: 3711)
Games using tangible projectile
Player held and powered, nonmechanical projector, per se,...
Racket or paddle; accessory therefor
Reexamination Certificate
active
06254499
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the game of tennis, and more particularly to a novel tennis racquet provided with a double string bed having the string of the racquet substantially coplanar with the respective front and back faces of the frame head and incorporating a grommet insert for retaining the double string bed in place.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Conventional tennis racquets are provided with a single string bed of overlapped longitudinal and transverse strings stretched between and across the opening of the racquet frame head. With this conventional stringing arrangement, tennis balls striking the frame of the racquet cannot be returned with the accuracy normally obtainable where the tennis ball strikes the main portion of the string bed. In such instances, the tennis ball travels in an uncontrolled manner and at wide angles not intended by the player.
Some attempts have been made to avoid this problem by stringing the racquet head with a double string bed so that the frame head of the racquet is less exposed to impacting with the tennis ball. However, such prior attempts to provide a double string bed involved the drilling of holes through the frame itself or by employing a plurality of tubes into which the string was inserted as it passed through the frame. In other instances, additional clips, clamps and screws for retention have been used. However, the strings are not above the front and back surfaces of the racquet head so that accuracy is still seriously compromised. Such prior double string bed racquets are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,443,575; 5,467,982; 5,192,072; 4,141,549 and 4,320,900. Still a further disclosure is included in U.S. Pat. No. 5,743,822. All of the disclosures in these patents suffer from employment of tubes, holes in the frame or special retaining devices, and in most instances, the strings crossing the front and back faces of the frame are fully unexposed and non-coplanar with the surface of the faces. Also, problems have been encountered which deal with producing a one-piece frame with undercuts and grooves such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,743,822
Therefore, a long-standing need has existed to provide a tennis racquet provided with a double string bed wherein one bed is looped over the front face of the tennis racquet frame while the other string bed is looped over the rear or back face of the frame. It is best to have the ability to string the bed onto the frame head of the racquet without the use of tubes or holes so that the structural integrity of the frame head is not adversely affected. With such an arrangement, it is believed that maximum control of the tennis ball can be achieved even when the ball strikes the portion of the racquet adjacent the frame or the frame itself.
Furthermore, a need exists to produce a racquet frame that will accept a recessed grommet formed with a continuous groove having a plurality of spaced ledges and slots useful in stringing the bed. Placing such formations as an integral construction, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,743,822, raises difficulties in removal of a one-piece frame from a mold.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the above problems and difficulties are avoided by the present invention which provides a tennis racquet which includes a holeless oval frame head having a front and a back face provided with a continuous side edge groove and with spaced-apart grooves or recessed cuts which are used to receive a string therein as the string is trained to overlap in a longitudinal and transverse direction across both front and rear or back faces of the frame head. Specifically, spaced-apart and open-ended transverse slots are placed across the front and back surfaces of the front and back frame faces and the continuous side edge groove is provided about the outside of the frame head normal to the transverse slots. The outside peripheral edge of the frame further includes connecting grooves or slots that join in the terminating ends of the front and back face transverse slots. Agrommet is insertably received in the side edge groove and is suitably secured in place so as to occupy the entire length of the edge groove. The grommet includes a plurality of spaced-apart slots which are in coextensive alignment with the slots of the frame head. A continuous edge marginal groove is exposed when the grommet is assembled in the side edge groove of the frame head. The connecting grommet transverse slots and the edge marginal groove define a series of projections about which the racquet string is trained so as to crisscross over the central opening of the oval frame head. The projections defining the marginal edge groove include an under-cut channel mateable with the curvature of the string as the string bears against the projection. Therefore, a double stringed bed is provided with the string trained about the frame head in a recessed position so that the strings of the bed are substantially coplanar across the bed surface and slightly above the front and back faces of the frame head.
Therefore, it is among the primary objects of the present invention to provide a double string bed for a tennis frame head which will provide maximum control of a tennis ball even when the ball strikes the portion of the racket head frame adjacent to or on the frame itself.
Another object resides in providing a double stringed frame with the string being raised above the front and rear faces or surfaces of the frame head so that miss-hits of the ball adjacent the frame or even off of the frame per se will have a greater chance of being viable shots.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a novel racquet having a frame member forming a head portion with duplicate string ball-striking matrices and wherein each matrix is substantially raised above the respective front and rear face surface of the frame member.
Still a further object is to provide a stringed racquet of the double bed type without the need or use of holes in the frame or without the need or use of tubes which require installation on the frame.
A further object resides in providing a frame head and resilient grommet assembly permitting both components of the assembly to be individually molded and subsequently assembled.
Another object resides in providing a racquet frame having a slotted and grooved insert assembled with a rigid frame whereby a double stringed bed is constructed and the frame as well as the insert are separately molded.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3904202 (1975-09-01), DeLorean
patent: 3968966 (1976-07-01), D'Aquanni
patent: 4049269 (1977-09-01), Blackburne
patent: 4204680 (1980-05-01), Blackburne
patent: 4320900 (1982-03-01), Blackburne
patent: 5423532 (1995-06-01), Huang
patent: 5467982 (1995-11-01), Tseng
patent: 5743822 (1998-04-01), Tarleton
patent: 3924674 (1989-12-01), None
patent: 2239809 (1991-07-01), None
Chiu Raleigh W.
Marrs Roger A.
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