U.S. patent application number 10/642904 was filed with the patent office on 2005-02-24 for air grip.
Invention is credited to Lindsey, Marcus Gerrard.
Application Number | 20050043110 10/642904 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34193747 |
Filed Date | 2005-02-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050043110 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lindsey, Marcus Gerrard |
February 24, 2005 |
Air grip
Abstract
An adjustable grip on a sport's implement such as a racket,
paddle, bat, mallet, club or handlebars, which is made adjustable
by having the grip expandable to a desired size, by the
introduction of air between the grip and the handle.
Inventors: |
Lindsey, Marcus Gerrard;
(Compton, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Sanford Astor
18th Floor
10940 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles
CA
90024
US
|
Family ID: |
34193747 |
Appl. No.: |
10/642904 |
Filed: |
August 18, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
473/300 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 2225/62 20130101;
A63B 60/54 20151001; B62K 21/26 20130101; A63B 60/08 20151001; A63B
60/28 20151001; A63B 53/14 20130101; A63B 60/14 20151001; A63B
60/26 20151001; A63B 49/08 20130101; A63B 60/16 20151001; A63B
60/06 20151001; A63B 60/10 20151001; A63B 60/22 20151001 |
Class at
Publication: |
473/300 |
International
Class: |
A63B 053/14 |
Claims
Having thus described the invention, I claim:
1. A sport's implement having a handle, an adjustable air-tight
grip attached to the handle, said grip comprising a tubular, solid,
single piece of material, placed over the handle and sealed to the
handle only at the top and bottom of the grip, means to introduce
air between the grip and the handle for inflating the grip to the
size desired and means to release the air between the grip and the
handle.
2. The sport's implement of claim 1 in which the grip is spirally
wrapped around the handle.
3. The sport's implement of claim 1 in which the grip is a thin,
elongated, circular, solid piece of material, placed over the
handle and sealed to the handle only at the top and bottom of the
grip.
4. The sport's implement of claim 1 in which the grip is made of
rubber, leather or vinyl.
5. The device of claim 1 in which the means to introduce air
between the grip and the handle is a finger pump placed at the top
of the handle, an air duct for air to pass from the finger pump
down through the handle to between the handle and the grip.
6. An adjustable air-tight grip adapted to be attached over the
handle of a sport's implement, comprising a length of grip material
having a flat portion and an annular portion adjacent said flat
portion, an inflatable bladder within said annular portion, means
to introduce air into said bladder and means to release air from
said bladder.
7. The grip of claim 6 in which the grip is spirally wrapped around
the handle.
8. The grip of claim 6 in which the grip is sealed to the handle at
the top and bottom of the grip.
9. The grip of claim 8 in which the grip is sealed to the handle by
tape or by an adhesive.
10. The grip of claim 6 in which the grip is made of rubber,
leather or vinyl.
11. The device of claim 6 further comprising pump means for
introducing air into the bladder.
12. The grip of claim 11 in which the means to introduce air is a
finger pump.
13. The grip of claim 6 in which the sport's implement is a golf
club, tennis racket, table tennis paddle, racquetball racket, polo
mallet, baseball bat or handlebars.
14. The grip of claim 6 further comprising means to seal the ends
of the grip to the handle, said means being fixedly attached to the
ends of the grip.
15. The grip of claim 14 in which the means to seal the ends of the
grip to the handle is tape or an adhesive.
16. An adjustable air-tight grip adapted to be attached over the
handlebars of a cycle, comprising a length of grip material having
an annular portion and a flat portion, adjacent said annular
portion, an inflatable bladder within said annular portion, a
finger pump to introduce air into said bladder and to release air
from said bladder.
17. The grip of claim 16 in which the grip is spirally wrapped
around the handlebars.
18. The grip of claim 16 in which the grip is sealed to the
handlebars at each end of the grip.
19. The grip of claim 18 in which the grip is sealed to the
handlebars by tape or by an adhesive.
20. The grip of claim 16 in which the grip is made of rubber,
leather or vinyl.
21. The grip of claim 16 in which the ends of the grip are inserted
into hollow ends of the handlebars and held by handlebar end caps.
Description
[0001] This invention is described in my provisional patent
application No. 60/280,028, filed Mar. 30, 2001 and is a
continuation-in-part of my pending application Ser. No. 10/106,303
filed Mar. 26, 2002.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] A number of sports utilize implements that have handles.
Golf clubs, tennis rackets, paddleball rackets, baseball bats, polo
mallets, and table tennis paddles are just a few. Having the proper
handle size for a player's racket or club is essential for maximum
performance. Hands are not created equal and come in all sizes and
shapes. Every person's hand is different and rackets and clubs are
manufactured in standard sizes. For instance, tennis rackets come
in sizes such as 31/2 inches, 35/8 inches, 33/4 inches, etc. In
some sports, the sizes are only small, medium or large. None of
these may be the optimum size for a particular player, and do not
give an exact fit for everyone's comfort.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Applicant's invention comprises an adjustable grip on a
racket or club, which is made adjustable by having the grip
expandable by the introduction of air under the grip, which is then
expandable to any size desired. Air pump adjustability already
exists in athletic shoes, such as the "Reebok Pump", where the
wearer puts on the shoes and pumps the inner cushioning until it
fits snugly to his or her foot. Ski boots are also made which can
be pumped up with air to provide a snug comfortable fit.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[0004] Accordingly, several objects and advantages of the invention
are as follows:
[0005] It is an object of the present invention to provide an
adjustable grip for any sport's racket, club, mallet, or
handlebars.
[0006] Another object of the invention is to provide a simple
method of sizing the grip on any sport's implement having a handle,
by the introduction of air to expand the circumference of the grip
to the exact size desired by the player.
[0007] These, as well as other objects of the invention, will
become obvious from the following description in which:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 is a front view of a golf club handle of this
invention;
[0009] FIG. 2 is a top view of the club shown in FIG. 1;
[0010] FIG. 3 is a top view of an unwrapped grip for to be wrapped
for a right-handed person;
[0011] FIG. 4 is a top view of an unwrapped grip for to be wrapped
for a left-handed person;
[0012] FIG. 5 is a cross-section view taken on lines 5-5 of FIG.
3;
[0013] FIG. 6 is a side view of a partially wrapped handle;
[0014] FIG. 7 is a side view of a fully wrapped handle;
[0015] FIG. 8 is a cross-section view taken on lines 8-8 of FIG.
7;
[0016] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of bicycle handlebars;
[0017] FIG. 10 is a top view of an unwrapped grip for
handlebars;
[0018] FIG. 11 is a cross-section view taken on lines 11-11 of FIG.
10;
[0019] FIG. 12 is a view of partially wrapped handlebars using the
grip of FIG. 10;
[0020] FIG. 13 is an unwrapped grip that would be placed on the
handle at the time of manufacture; and
[0021] FIG. 14 is a cross-section view taken on lines 14-14 of FIG.
13.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0022] Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown the handle
portion 10 of a golf club. Handle 10 comprises an inner core, such
as a central shaft 12, a top 14, and grip 18. Grip 18 is tubular in
shape and slips over central shaft 12. It is attached to central
shaft 12 only at the top 14 and bottom 16. Grip 18 is manufactured
in a spiral, from the top 14 of handle 10 down handle 10 to the
desired distance, connected at the seams, such as 26 & 28. Grip
18 can also be a separate layer of material placed over central
shaft 12, attached to central shaft 12 at only the top14 and bottom
16, and can have or not have a spiral shape.
[0023] In the top of grip 18 is an air valve 20 for the
introduction of air, which then passes between central shaft 12 and
grip 18 via air duct 24. Air valve 20 is a finger pump in which air
is pumped in by repeated pressing of finger valve 20. An air
release valve 22 releases the air, when pressed down, through air
duct 24. Grip 18 is fastened to central shaft 12 in an air-tight
manner at the top 14 and bottom 16 so that the air cannot escape.
Finger pump 20 is a common item, such as the one used on "Reebok
Pump" basketball shoes.
[0024] As air is introduced, the space between central shaft 12 and
grip 18 expands and may be stopped at any point desired by the
player, so that the handle size may be adjusted to whatever
circumference is desired. An additional benefit of the air grip of
this invention is that it provides a cushioned surface, rather than
the normal hard surface of standard handles, which is easier on the
hands and arms, results in less vibration, and may well help to
reduce hand and arm injuries.
[0025] Handle 10 is usually made of a durable rubber material and
grip 18 can be made of leather, vinyl, a layer of thin rubber
material or any other air-tight, expandable grip material that can
be placed over central shaft 12. The grip may be made spiral
wrapped, and sealed so as to be air-tight, or may be a thin,
elongated, circular, solid piece of rubber, leather, vinyl or other
material, which is placed over the handle and sealed at the top and
bottom only, leaving room between the handle and grip for the
introduction of air.
[0026] FIGS. 3,4 and 5 show grips which are adapted to wrapped
around the handle of any sports racket or paddle, such as for
tennis, racquetball, squash, table tennis, or any other game using
a racket or paddle. FIG. 3 shows a grip 30 to be wrapped for a
right-handed player and FIG. 4 shows a grip 32 for a left handed
player. FIG. 5 shows the cross-section of either grip.
[0027] Grips 30 and 32 are essentially the same but simply turned
over to accommodate the spiral in the desired direction. Grips 30
and 32 comprise a length of grip material, such as those mentioned
above for the grip of FIG. 1, having a flat portion 34, 36 and an
annular portion 38, 40. Inside of annular portions 38 and 40 is an
inflatable bladder, air containing tubular chamber 42, as shown in
FIG. 5. Either grip 30, 32 is spiral wrapped around the handle of a
sports racket and sealed at each end, such as by tape 44, 46. A
finger pump 48, 50 having a pump button 52, 54 is connected at
upper end of annular portion 38, 40 to introduce air into
inflatable bladder 42. An air release valve 49, 51 is also present
to release air if desired.
[0028] FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 show the spiral wrapping of grip 32 around
a handle 56. Flat portion 36 is overlapped by annular portion 40 as
grip 32 is spiral wrapped around handle 56. Inflatable bladder 42
may then be filled with air, by using finger pump 50, to the
desired circumference. Grip 32 is sealed at the top end of the
wrapping by tape 46. Grip 32 is sealed at the bottom end where the
wrapping begins by either tape or adhesive.
[0029] FIG. 9 shows the handlebars 60 of a cycle, such as a
bicycle, being wrapped with an air containing grip of this
invention. One handlebar 62 is completely wrapped by grip 64 while
the other handlebar is being wrapped by grip 68 coming off roll 70.
The ends of each grip 64, 68 are fed into the hollow handlebar ends
and sealed by handlebar end caps 72 and 74. Each grip's wrapping is
started at the center of handlebars 62, 66, and has a finger pump
76, 78, which is at a convenient location for manipulation by the
rider, even while he is riding. The starting end of grips 64, 68 is
sealed by tape or adhesive, or any other convenient means. Grips 64
and 68 are essentially the same but simply turned over to
accommodate the left and right handlebar.
[0030] FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 show another embodiment of the
invention, which is able to be wrapped as either a left or right
handed wrap. Grip 80 comprises one flat portion 84 with an adjacent
annular portion 86. Annular portion 86 contains an inflatable
bladder, air containing portion 88. A finger pump 90 has a finger
pump button 92. FIG. 12 shows the grip 80 being wrapped around a
cycle handlebar 96. Grip 80 is sealed to handlebar 96 by tape or
adhesive 94.
[0031] FIGS. 13 and 14 show a grip 100 which is attached to a
racket handle at the time of manufacture of the racket. Grip 100
has two outer flat portions 102, 104 and a central, tubular air
containing portion 106. In this case the grip does not have to be
overlapped as it is attached, since it can be manufactured with
adjacent air containing cells. A finger pump 108 with button 110 is
used to introduce the air.
[0032] If the player finds that too much air has been introduced
into the air grip, he or she can simply let air out by pressing the
air release valve 112 and the circumference of the grip will
deflate to the comfort of the player's grasp.
* * * * *