Amusement devices: games – Aerial projectile game; game element or accessory therefor... – Target
Patent
1989-02-28
1991-05-28
Coven, Edward M.
Amusement devices: games
Aerial projectile game; game element or accessory therefor...
Target
273 73J, 273 81C, A63B 4908
Patent
active
050187341
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to sporting articles such as tennis and squash rackets, and golf clubs, and in particular relates to means for the selection of a desired grip by a hand or hands on the handle of such articles.
It is well known that for a tennis player to play effectively, he must change his grip to maximise the effect of the particular shot which he is about to make.
For example, for serving and volleying, a player would normally hold the racket such that the `V` between the thumb and index finger is a certain line along the longitudinal axis of the racket handle; this is the `Continental` grip.
For a (right-hander's) forehand shot, the racket head would be rotated about the handle's long axis in an anticlockwise direction as viewed by the player looking down along his or her arm, to close the racket face.
Conversely, for a (right-hander's) backhand, the racket head would be rotated in a clockwise direction, to close the face. The opening and closing of the racket face is undertaken by the other hand (that hand not involved in grasping the racket handle proper) rotating the racket about the handle's long axis.
While a top tennis player may discipline himself or herself to rotate the racket to the appropriate angular position before making a shot, such actions are very difficult for social players to learn, even if they are taking lessons from a coach. A mechanism in a conventional racket handle, to standardize such grip changes and/or to aid the acquisition of such skills, would be considered a significant advance.
In AU-A-36220/84 there is proposed a racket having a handle which may be twisted in relation to the racket head to a desired setting, and then retained in such position by rotation of a handle part, which locks the handle in that position.
It is clear that such a mechanism cannot be used to adjust the racket handle orientation during play. In fact, the thrust of the document is to provide a means to set the handle in a backhand grip orientation, and not to cater for the selection of other grips during the course of play. In addition, the rotatable handle portion does not differ in size or cross-section from a conventional racket handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 3, 534, 960 to Hanks discloses a rotatable handle for a tennis racket, in which one of three positions may be selected by gripping the rotatable portion and depressing a lever to temporarily disengage the portion. Although fairings are provided to indicate the position of the hand on a rotatable portion, they are in low relief and are no different from conventional moulded handles found in other applications.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,101,125 to Heath discloses a rotatable handle for a tennis racket in which the racket head and grip are angularly displaceable about a longitudinal axis of the handle with the racket head and grip being positively locked in their relative positions. To locate the elements in their relative positions, dual motion is required; relative longitudinal motion and relative rotational movement between the racket handle and head.
The need for longitudinal displacement renders the arrangement described in U.S. Pat. No. 101,125 ineffective as a means of reliably changing angular displacement as rapidly as can be achieved with a conventional racket handle.
Both U.S. Pat. No. 3, 534, 960 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,101,125 rely upon mechanical engagement of rigid parts to ensure lack of rotation at the critical moment of contact between the racket head and a tennis ball. The use of frictional forces has not been disclosed or suggested as a means of ensuring lack of rotation at such a critical time. In addition the prior art has not proposed tactile guides for the positioning of a hand on an otherwise conventional handle.
It is an object of this invention to provide improved means by which a player's grip on the handle of a sporting article may be regulated in order to provide a desired or the correct grip.
The invention provides apparatus for positioning a person's hand to enable the person to grip a handle in a desired orientation relative t
REFERENCES:
patent: 1305952 (1919-06-01), Suesman
patent: 3203697 (1965-08-01), Berzatzy
patent: 3534960 (1970-10-01), Hanks
patent: 3817521 (1974-06-01), Wright
patent: 3931968 (1976-01-01), Hedberg
patent: 4072311 (1978-02-01), Bertucci
patent: 4101125 (1978-07-01), Heath
patent: 4693475 (1987-09-01), Keilhau
patent: 4819939 (1989-04-01), Kobayashi
patent: 4826168 (1989-05-01), McGuire et al.
Coven Edward M.
Stoll William E.
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