GB2133294A

GB2133294A - Handle with adjustable or individually-formed grip

Info

Publication number: GB2133294A
Application number: GB08300507A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kenneth Henry Grange
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1983-01-10
Filing date: 1983-01-10
Publication date: 1984-07-25
Also published as: GB8300507D0

Abstract

The handles of articles such as sports racquets, bats, clubs or tools are provided with means by which their shape can be adapted to the grip of the user. The said means may comprise a deformable substance which can be pressed into a shape corresponding to the grip of the user and then hardened, or one or more pre-shaped handle sleeves or sleeve-halves (24, 26) having external surfaces matched to the user's grip and selected from a range of such sleeves or sleeve portions, the sleeve or sleeve-halves being attached to a core (22) of the handle. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Handle with adjustable or individually-formed grip This invention relates to sports racquets, bats, clubs, tools or other articles having a handle which is gripped by one or both hands of the user.

When a person buys such an article, he will usually be offered a choice of grip to suit the size of his hand or hands. The size of the handle grip is therefore important but there are many instances where the precise shape of the grip would certainly make a great difference from the comfort point of view. It is not customary however to provide more than one or two different shapes of handle, and a customer therefore has to choose what is most comfortable from among a limited range of articles offered to him. This is particularly the case when a person seeks to purchase a sports racquet, a cricket bat or a golf club.

The aim of the present invention is to provide a customer with a form of handle which can be matched accurately to the size of his hand or hands and the way in which he grips the article.

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a sports racquet, bat, club, tool or other article having a handle which is gripped by one or both hands of the user, in which means are provided by which the shape of the handle can be "tailored" or "individually fitted" to the grip of the user.

In one form of the invention, the handle comprises a strong core or central shaft to give strength to the handle grip of the article with a deformable substance surrounding the core or shaft, the deformable substance preferably being contained in a sleeve of flexible material. The person purchasing the article can then grip its handle and press it into a shape which corresponds to his particular grip. Once the deformable substance has been thus pressed into the desired shape, it can be hardened by an appropriate heat treatment or by the injection or addition of a hardener to the deformable substance.

In another form of the invention, the handle portion of the article has a core or shaft on which sleeves or half-sleeves of different shapes and sizes can be mounted, the outside surfaces of the sleeves or half-sleeves being sized and shaped to correspond to the hand grips of a wide range of customers. In other words, the shop or other store where the article is sold will have a supply of alternative sleeves or half-sleeves which can then be mounted in turn on, say, a tennis racquet, until the customer finds the sleeve or sleeves which correspond most closely to his own hand grip. The selected sleeve or sleeve halves can then be fixed to, or attached to, the tennis racquet or other article by any appropriate fastening means.

Two example of tennis racquets in accordance with the invention are iliustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a tennis racquet having a handle provided with a deformable substance: and Figure 2 is a perspective view of another tennis racquet having a handle which is able to accept different half-sleeves to suit the handle grips of individual customers.

The tennis racquet shown in Figure 1 has a main shaft 10 made of wood or other suitable material, the lower end of which serves as a hand grip for the player using the racquet. It is usual for the lower part of the shaft to be of non-circular cross-section-for example, in the shape of a hexagon -- and for a leather or other covering to be carried on that part of the shaft. The racquet shown in Figure 1 however differs from this conventional form of construction in that the lower end of the shaft 10 comprises a strony metal core or rod 12, preferably made of steel, which extends into the main shaft 10 at 14.

Surrounding the core 12 below the shoulder 1 6 of the main shaft 10 is a soft deformable substance 1 8 surrounded by a flexible sleeve 20. This means that the hand grip of the racquet can be "tailored" to the grip of a person purchasing the racquet in the following way: Once a proposed purchaser is satisfied that the weight, shape and price of the racquet suits him, he then grips the hand grip of the racquet in such a way that the deformable substance 1 8 is pressed into a shape corresponding to his own hand grip. The flexible sleeve 20 does not hinder this deformation because it is flexible enough to follow the shape of the user's hand and assists in maintaining the shape impressed on the deformable substance.The deformable substance can be sufficienty sensitive to the user's handtemperature for it to harden while the user maintains his grip on the racquet for, say a period of a few minutes. Alternatively, the deformable substance can be set into the shape impressed upon it by the user's hand by being gently heated in a low-temperature oven. Another method is for the deformable substance to be hardened by the injection or addition of a chemical hardener. This would be particularly satisfactory where an epoxy resin is used as the deformable substance.

The flexible sleeve 20 can be of any suitable substance which does not hinder deformation of the substance 1 8. For example, the sleeve 20 can be made of a finely perforated synthetic plastics material which simulates leather or it could even be made of genuine leather itself.

Figure 2 shows an alternative form of racquet in accordance with the invention where the shaft 10 is provided at its lower end with a core 22 adapted to receive any one of a number of different sleeves or sleeve halves 24 and 26 which have external surfaces 28 and 30 matched to the hand grips of a wide range of users. In other words, the shop or other store selling such racquets would have a complete range of sleeves or half-sleeves 24, 26 in stock, and a customer would "try" a number of these on a selected racquet to see which sleeve or pair of sleeve halves suited his own particular grip.

As will be seen from Figure 2, the sleeve halves have turned-in flanges 32, 34 which are able to slide along longitudinal grooves 36 and 38 formed in the core 22 of the shaft 1 0.

Once the customer has decided on a particular choice of sleeve or pair of sleeve halves, the sleeve or sleeve halves would be secured or locked on the shaft 10 of the racquet by a base cap 40 in the form of a screw which is screwed into a screwthreaded hole 42 in the base of the core 22. This form of construction therefore allows the hand grip of the tennis racquet to be "fitted" to the grip of the user.

In the case of the Figure 2 construction, it is to be understood that the range of sleeves or sleeve halves will include those suitable for left-handed users as well as right-handed users. Further, it is not necessary that the selected sleeve or sleeve halves be fitted in the shop - it would be equally possible for the user to fit them on the racquet at home.

Claims

1. A sports racquet, bat, club, tool or other article having a handle which, in use of the article, is gripped by one or both hands of the user, in which the handle is provided with means by which the shape of the handle can be adapted to the grip of the user, the said means comprising a deformable but hardenable substance which can be pressed into a shape corresponding to the grip of the user, and/or one or more pre-shaped handle portions selected from a range of such portions and then attached to a core of the handle.

2. An article according to claim 1, in which the handle comprises a strong core or central shaft to give strength to the handle with a deformable and hardenable substance surrounding the core or central shaft.

3. An article according to claim 2, in which the deformable and hardenable substance is contained in a sleeve of flexible material.

4. An article according to claim 2 or claim 3, in which the deformable and hardenable substance is one which is sufficiently sensitive to the user's hand temperature for it to harden while the user maintains a grip on the handle.

5. An article according to claim 2 or claim 3, in which the deformable and hardenable substance is one which is hardened by the injection or addition of a chemical hardener.

6. An article according to claim 5, in which the deformable and hardenable substance is an epoxy resin.

7. An article according to claim 3 or any claim appendant thereto, in which the flexible sleeve is made of a finely-perforated synthetic plastics material which simulates leather, or of real leather.

8. An article according to claim 1 having one or more pre-shaped handle portions the external surfaces of which are matched to the grip of the user, the said portion or portions being in the form of a sleeve or sleeve halves.

9. An article according to claim 3 having a pair of sleeve halves which are provided with turned-in flanges adapted to slide along longitudinal grooves in the core of the handle.

10. An article according to claim 8 or claim 9, in which'the sleeve or sleeve halves are locked to the core of the handle by a screw which is screwed into a screw-threaded hole in the core.

11. A sports racquet substantially as described herein with reference to Figure 1 or Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.