Games using tangible projectile – Golf – Club or club support
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-25
2001-07-10
Chapman, Jeanette (Department: 3711)
Games using tangible projectile
Golf
Club or club support
C043S01810R
Reexamination Certificate
active
06257992
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a sport implement with a hinged shaft, such as a fishing rod and more particularly a golf club.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is known to provide a golf club with a hinged shaft more particularly a practice golf club such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,338,035 dated Aug. 16, 1994 (inv.: Keith S. Lyford), entitled “PRACTICE GOLF CLUB”. This patent describes a golf club used for practice and comprising upper and lower shaft sections connected by a one way hinge which allows pivoting of the club head in a plane which is about 45° with respect to a reference plane in which the club face has a 0° loft, so that during use of this practice club, the hinge will pivot mirroring the correct wrist position of the golfer during a correct golf stroke. During the back swing of a correct swing, the hinge will brake and remains so pivoted through most of the down swing, accordingly, unless a golfer's wrist are properly positioned during the back swing, the hinge will not pivot. It is obvious that this patent describes a golf club which is used for practice and not for regular golfing in as much as it only pivots provided the golfer's wrist are properly positioned during the back swing.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,497,237 dated Feb. 14, 1950 (inv.: W. Reineking), entitled “PRACTICE TYPE GOLF CLUB”. This patent also describes a golf club used for practice with a one way hinge in the shaft, the hinge located just below the hand grip and allowing pivoting of the lower club head carrying shaft section in a plane at 0° with respect to the above defined reference plane. Therefore, the golf club of this patent acts in a way contrary to the Lyford patent in as much as pivoting of the lower shaft section occurs during the back swing only when the golfer's wrists are improperly positioned. Here again, the one way hinge only allows pivoting the lower shaft section in one plane and depending on the proper position of the golfer's wrists during the back swing.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,159,579 dated May 23, 1939 (inv. :W. E. Whitney), entitled “GOLF CLUB OR THE LIKE”, also relates to a golf club used for improving the effectiveness of the golfer's swing. This patent is similar to the last named patent with the addition of a spring as shown at
15
to bias the lower shaft section to a stop position in alignment with the upper shaft section. Here again, the hinge is a one way hinge.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,728,008, dated Mar. 17th, 1998 (inv. H. S. Howard), entitled “Ball striking device with means for imparting enhanced forward momentum to the ball” describes a golf club shaft made of two sections connected adjacent the club head by an elastomeric joint having a high modulus of resilience to store a maximum of energy which is released during the downswing to increase the ball velocity. Certainly, the joint does not flex under the weight of the club head when the shaft is horizontal.
OBJECT OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The main object of the present invention is to provide a golf club to be used in the regular game of golf and which has at least two shaft sections hinged together by a joint with a low modulus of resilience, the club to be used by golfers having or not the correct wrist position during the back swing and the joint braking at the top of the backswing under the effect of the gravity of the club head carrying shaft section so as to obtain a whipping effect considerably accelerating the club head with a consequent increase in the traveling distance of the golf ball compared to a conventional golf club.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a golf club of the character described with which greater accurracy of the golf ball direction is obtained.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a golf club which when used, tends to automatically bias the golfer's wrists to the correct wrist position during the back swing and the return forward swing, if the wrists are not already so positioned.
Another object of the present invention is to provide other types of sports implements having a shaft made of at least two sections hinged together by a joint having a low modulus of resilience so as to obtain a whipping effect increasing the travelling distance of an object, such as a fishing lure propelled by a fishing rod made in accordance with the principles of the invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a sport implement comprising a shaft having a free end, a hand grip formed around the other end of said shaft, said shaft divided into at least a first and a second shaft section, a flexible joint joining said first and second shaft sections, said joint including a first and a second connector member secured to said first and second shaft sections respectively, an abutment member defining two flaring flanges and extending from and secured to said first connector member, said second connector member fitting into said abutment member when said first and said second shaft sections are aligned, and resilient member interconnecting said two connector members, allowing under the effect of gravity exerted on said second shaft section, pivoting of said second connector member in any plane away from said two flanges and biasing said first and second connector members to said aligned position of said shaft sections.
Preferably said resilient member is an elastomeric member.
In one embodiment, said implement is a fishing rod and said resilient member imparts a whipping effect to said second shaft section during a forward swing movement of said first shaft section.
In the preferred embodiment, said implement is a golf club comprising a shaft, a club head secured to one end of said shaft and having a golf ball striking face and a hand grip formed around the other end of said shaft, said shaft divided into at least a first and a second shaft section, a flexible joint joining said first and second shaft sections, said joint including a first and a second connector member secured to said first and second shaft sections respectively, an abutment member defining two flaring flanges and extending from and secured to said first connector member, said second connector member fitting into said abutment member when said first and second shaft sections are in aligned position and a resilient member interconnecting said two connector members and allowing under the effect of gravity exerted on said second shaft section, pivoting of said second connector member in any plane away from said two flaring flanges and biasing under the absence of said effect said first and second connector members to said aligned position of said two shaft sections.
Preferably, said flanges are normal to each other and said first and second connector members are four-sided sleeve members with two adjacent sides of said second sleeve member abutting said flanges when said first and second shaft sections are aligned, and wherein said resilient member is an elastic sheet longitudinally folded, covering and secured to the two remaining adjacent sides of said first and second sleeve members, said elastic member being tensioned to a lesser degree when said second sleeve member is pivoted relative to said first sleeve member in a plane at 45° to said two flanges then in planes normal to said two flanges, whereby said second joint has a maximum flexibility in said 45° plane.
Preferably, said shaft is divided into two shaft sections, a shorter shaft section including said hand grip and a longer shaft section with said club head carried thereby, said flexible joint being adjacent to said hand grip.
Preferably, said second shaft section is most easily pivotable in a plane of approximately 45° relative to a reference plane, said reference plane corresponding to the plane in which the striking face of said club head with a 0° loft would lie.
In another embodiment, said elastic member is a rod like member secured at both ends to said connector members and housed therein when said connector members are aligned and each connector has two separate aligned cavities
Blau Stephen L.
Chapman Jeanette
Martineau F.
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