Amusement devices: games – Aerial projectile game; game element or accessory therefor... – Target
Patent
1988-08-23
1990-05-29
Coven, Edward M.
Amusement devices: games
Aerial projectile game; game element or accessory therefor...
Target
273 73C, 273 73A, A63B 5100, A63B 5114
Patent
active
049289632
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to a racket, particularly a tennis or squash racket, having a network made up of strings of gut or plastic in the racket head.
Rackets of known construction that have lost the necessary tension as a result of intensive stress under tension when in use, or of long storage, must be retensioned. This requires special tensioning devices which are available only in an appropriately equipped workshop. The player who is forced to leave his racket in a workshop will often have to do without his racket for several days. Prior art rackets are strung in such a way that each string is pulled through a large number of holes bored in the frame of the racket head, then tensioned and tied at the ends. If a string breaks, the entire tensioning process must be repeated. The stringing process known in the art is time-consuming and dependent on the tensioning device. The tensioning is inexact, because when the strings are pulled around in the holes, they lose an undefined part of their initial tension.
The invention relates to a racket, particularly a tennis or squash racket, having a network made up of strings of gut or plastic in the racket head, which can be strung and then tensioned by the player himself, without using a tensioning device, and whose strings--viewed over the surface of the web--can be tensioned individually.
According to the invention, this object is achieved through the provision of a racket assembly including a frame extending around a generally planar head area and having a plurality of holes therein extending in the plane of the area and opening into the latter, a plurality of strings arranged in said area, and connector structure for securing the ends of the strings in respective corresponding holes. The connector structure includes a string connector assemblage that comprises a coupling element rigidly secured to an end of the string and including a shoulder surface facing away from said end and toward the other end of the string, and a locating element in the corresponding hole for said end of the string and having an abutment surface facing away from said area. The string and coupling element are adapted to be pushed into the corresponding hole together so that said surfaces become engaged to hold the coupling element and the string in a predetermined string tensioning position relative to the racket frame.
Unlike prior art rackets, the invention has the advantage that the player can string his racket himself without using a known tensioning device. Where a string has lost its tension, has been broken, or for other reasons needs replacement, the player can replace it himself and in the process take account of the desired initial tension, quality, and color, that is to say, he can adapt the strings individually to his personal requirements.
Other modifications of the invention can be seen from the claims and the ensuing description.
The invention will now be described with reference to embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of a racket;
FIG. 2 shows a coupling element for fastening a string into a locating element of a wooden frame of a racket head, partially in section;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III--III in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 shows another coupling element for fastening a string into another locating element of a plastic frame of a racket head, partially in section;
FIG. 5 shows another coupling element for fastening a string into another locating element of a plastic frame of a racket head, partially in section .
The head of a racket includes a frame 7 (FIG. 1) made of wood or plastic, a network 1 made up of a plurality of strings 2, 3 and coupling elements 4, 5, 6 attached to the strings 2, 3, which coupling elements are fixed in the locating elements 8, 9, 10, which themselves are set in the frame 7. The strings are made of gut or plastic.
In one embodiment of the invention, a racket head has a wooden frame 7 (FIG. 2), holes 20 are provided along the frame 7 and a ring shoulder 22 is
REFERENCES:
patent: 3994495 (1976-11-01), Stoffel
patent: 4140316 (1979-02-01), Coupar
patent: 4484742 (1984-11-01), McCrone et al.
patent: 4593905 (1986-06-01), Abel
patent: 4738449 (1988-04-01), Droz
Coven Edward M.
Stoll William E.
LandOfFree
Racket, particularly a tennis or squash racket does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Racket, particularly a tennis or squash racket, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Racket, particularly a tennis or squash racket will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-516109