Stock material or miscellaneous articles – Hollow or container type article – Shrinkable or shrunk
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-15
2001-03-06
Dye, Rena L. (Department: 1772)
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
Hollow or container type article
Shrinkable or shrunk
C428S035100, C428S036800, C428S036900, C428S913000, C473S300000, C473S549000, C016SDIG001, C124S079000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06197392
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention herein relates to sports equipment and hand tools, and hand grips therefor. More particularly, it pertains to grips which are formed from a novel polymeric composition.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many types of sports equipment are designed and intended to be hand-held. These include such implements as tennis rackets, fishing poles, hockey sticks and golf clubs. During the course of play or other usage of such implements, the user's hand almost invariably become sweaty, dirty or oily, any of which can affect the user's ability to grip the implement properly. The result of slippage or other poor grasping of the implement results in poor play or usage of the implement by the user. A tennis player's poor return of an opponent's serve, a golfer's poorly directed wood or iron shot, a fisherman's poor cast, and the like, all illustrate the adverse effect of a user's change in ability to properly grip the implement as play or usage continues.
Similarly, many times sports implements must be used under adverse weather conditions, which can also affect the user's ability to properly grip the implement. Heat causes one's hands to perspire; rain and snow cause the gripping surface of the implement and the user's hands to become wet, prolonged exposure of the implement to strong sunlight, rain or cold can cause the grip material to deteriorate, and so forth.
The same is true for many hand-held tools, both those manually operated (e.g., hammers, pliers, axes, saws, hand drills and shovels) and those electrically driven (e.g., power drills, circular and saber saws and power screw drivers). The inability of the user to grip such tools properly not only can cause work to be poorly done, but may also be dangerous to the user or others in the vicinity if the tool slips during use.
Further, in the case of many types of sports implements (e.g., tennis rackets and golf clubs) and of tools (e.g., hammers, shovels) the user's grip on the tool or implement must remain firm during impact of the tool or implement with a ball or puck or with nails or rocks, respectively, or during pulling on the implement or tool against the user's grip, as when a fish bites on a fishing line or a worker is trying to pull nails with a claw hammer.
Numerous grip materials have been used with varying degrees of success in the past. Most, however, have proved to be limited, especially under adverse weather or usage conditions or over extended periods of time.
Therefore, it would be of significant value if a grip material were available which could be used on a wide variety of hand-held sports implements and tools, which would retain its beneficial gripping properties over time, in poor weather and when gripped by a user whose hands are dirty, sweaty, wet, etc., and which could be easily rapidly secured in place on the sports implement or tool handle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention represents a significant improvement over the grips of the prior art, in that the grips of this invention are both single element products and of a “low odor” formulation which imparts essentially no unpleasant odor to the product. The products of this invention are as useful and exceptionally functional as grips for sports implements and tools, but are also “user friendly,” in that they can be easily handled and installed as single element products and do not create an environment with an odor disagreeable to the installer or impart a disagreeable odor to their surroundings once installed. This unique grip product therefore incorporates in one device a unique single element structure and a novel combination of solvents which synergistically provide the requisite dilation and evaporation shrinkage properties to the product but which do not generate any unpleasant or disagreeable odor.
The invention therefore is of a “low odor” grip for a handle of a hand-held implement such as a sports implement or a manual or electric tool which is essentially free of disagreeable odors, which can be installed and quickly shrunk into a tight vapor resistant grip within a matter of a few minutes rather than requiring extended periods of time, and can be installed without the need for any application of heat or use of special tools, equipment or materials. The present device is therefore easy to install, merely sliding over the handle while in dilated state and then allowed to shrink and set by evaporation of the solvent, and thus can be satisfactorily installed in both fabrication facilities and in the field either as an original or replacement grip.
The device comprises a sleeve which is chemically swellable and which is initially in a dilated configuration, such that it subsequently shrinks into place merely by evaporation of the volatile swelling solvent and seals against the outer surface of the handle, and thereafter is operable in ambient atmospheric conditions, dust, moisture, etc., and can be properly gripped by a user whose hands are dirty, wet, oily, etc. The critical element in the present invention is the dilating agent, which is used is a mixture of a C
7
-C
8
aliphatic hydrocarbon component and a fluorocarbon component, both components being liquid and volatile at ambient conditions. In preferred embodiments, the hydrocarbon component comprises a plurality of C
7
-C
8
hydrocarbon compounds, preferably a mixture of heptane and octane isomers. The octane isomer:heptane isomer ratio is commonly 1.5-6:1, preferably 2-5:1. The fluorocarbon component normally comprises a chlorofluorocarbon compound, preferably a chlorofluoro-methane, chlorofluoroethane or chlorofluoropropane compound, and more preferably a dichlorofluoroethane compound. The two components are normally in a volumetric ratio of 2-20:1, preferably 5-12:1 hydrocarbon component to fluorocarbon component.
Therefore, in its broadest embodiment, the invention is a grip for a handle of hand-held implement comprising a elongated annular sleeve formed from a material expandable by contact with a dilating chemical composition and shrinkable upon removal of the contact with the chemical composition; the chemical composition comprising a mixture of a C
7
-C
8
aliphatic hydrocarbon component and a fluorocarbon component, both components being liquid and volatile at ambient conditions; the sleeve in chemically expanded state being moveable into disposition around an outer surface of the handle, and covering at least a portion of the outer surface of the handle; whereby when the sleeve is so disposed on the handle and removed from contact with a source of the chemical composition, the chemical composition evaporates from the sleeve and the sleeve thereupon shrinks and at least a portion of the outer surface of the handle to form a tightly fitted and substantially immovable grip secured around the handle, thereby providing a gripping surface for grasping thereof by a use of the implement.
The invention also includes an implement fitted with such grip.
Representative implements include sports implements such as golf clubs, tennis racquets, weight bars and fishing poles, as well as tools such as hammers, drills, pliers, shovels, axes, and the like.
The sleeve is preferably made of a swellable elastomeric material, preferably a natural or synthetic rubber. Suitable rubbers include EPDM rubber, neoprene or chlorosulfonate polyethylene (Hypalon™) rubber, of which EPDM rubber is preferred.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3972528 (1976-08-01), McCracken et al.
patent: 4476742 (1984-10-01), Midgley
patent: 4547414 (1985-10-01), Eguchi
patent: 5216074 (1993-06-01), Imai et al.
patent: 5288359 (1994-02-01), Stobbie, IV et al.
patent: 5292811 (1994-03-01), Murata et al.
patent: 5801333 (1998-09-01), Jones
patent: 5909912 (1999-06-01), Mueller
patent: 5977484 (1999-11-01), Jones et al.
1996 Rubber Book (48thedn.) [Intertec Publg.: 1996], pp. 228, 290 and 292.
Mark et al. (eds.), Encyclopedia of Polymer Science and Technology, vol. 15, pp. 380-384 (John Wiley & Sons, 198
Brown Martin Haller & McClain LLP
Dye Rena L.
LandOfFree
Low-odor single element equipment grip does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Low-odor single element equipment grip, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Low-odor single element equipment grip will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2456953