U.S. patent application number 11/604129 was filed with the patent office on 2007-03-29 for golf club grip.
Invention is credited to Yung-Hsiang Chen.
Application Number | 20070072696 11/604129 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37894808 |
Filed Date | 2007-03-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070072696 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chen; Yung-Hsiang |
March 29, 2007 |
Golf club grip
Abstract
A golf club grip includes a first member adapted for coaxially
attaching along an end portion of the golf club and a second member
coaxially and downwardly extended from the first member for
coaxially mounting along the golf club. The first and second
members have different natures to provide two different properties.
Therefore, the golfer is able to tailor make the golf club grip
depending on the personal preference and need by selecting the
fabric textile, color, hardness and viscosity of each of the first
and second members of the golf club grip.
Inventors: |
Chen; Yung-Hsiang; (West
Covina, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Raymond Y. Chan
Suite 128
108 N. Ynez Avenue
Monterey Park
CA
91754
US
|
Family ID: |
37894808 |
Appl. No.: |
11/604129 |
Filed: |
November 22, 2006 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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11192775 |
Jul 29, 2005 |
7160202 |
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11604129 |
Nov 22, 2006 |
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10771710 |
Feb 3, 2004 |
7008582 |
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11604129 |
Nov 22, 2006 |
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29196500 |
Dec 29, 2003 |
D502750 |
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10771710 |
Feb 3, 2004 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
473/300 ;
264/248; 264/319 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 60/20 20151001;
A63B 69/3632 20130101; A63B 60/14 20151001; A63B 2209/00 20130101;
A63B 60/00 20151001; A63B 53/14 20130101; A63B 2071/0694 20130101;
A63B 60/54 20151001 |
Class at
Publication: |
473/300 ;
264/248; 264/319 |
International
Class: |
A63B 53/14 20060101
A63B053/14 |
Claims
1. A golf club grip for a golf club including a shaft and a club
head attached to a lower end of the shaft, wherein said golf club
grip comprises: at least a second member which is rubber made tube
having a lower end, an upper end and a gripping surface defining
between the upper end and the lower end; at least a first member
which is rubber made tube having an upper end and a lower end
coaxially integrated with said upper end of said second member to
form an elongated integral tubular body for attaching to an upper
end portion of said shaft of said golf club, wherein said first
member has an outer circumferential surface integrally extended
from said gripping surface of said second member, wherein said
first and second members have different natures to provide two
different properties of said golf club grip; and a rubber made
endpiece integrally formed at said upper end of said second
member.
2. The golf club grip, as recited in claim 1, wherein said first
and second members have different hardness.
3. The golf club grip, as recited in claim 2, wherein said second
member is softer than said first member.
4. The golf club grip, as recited in claim 1, wherein said outer
circumferential surface of said first member and said gripping
surface of said second member have different friction.
5. The golf club grip, as recited in claim 2, wherein said outer
circumferential surface of said first member and said gripping
surface of said second member have different friction.
6. The golf club grip, as recited in claim 4, wherein said outer
circumferential surface of said first member has greater friction
than said gripping surface of said second member.
7. The golf club grip, as recited in claim 1, wherein each of said
first and second members has a viscosity to provide a predetermined
stickiness on each of said gripping surface and said outer
circumferential surface.
8. The golf club grip, as recited in claim 5, wherein each of said
first and second members has a viscosity to provide a predetermined
stickiness on each of said gripping surface and said outer
circumferential surface.
9. The golf club grip, as recited in claim 7, wherein said first
member is much sticky than said second member.
10. The golf club grip, as recited in claim 1, wherein said first
and second member have different colors.
11. The golf club grip, as recited in claim 8, wherein said first
and second member have different colors.
12. The golf club grip, as recited in claim 1, wherein said first
and second member have different fabric textiles.
13. The golf club grip, as recited in claim 11, wherein said first
and second member have different fabric textiles.
14. The golf club grip, as recited in claim 12, wherein said second
member comprises a thin reinforced rubber layer laminated with
cotton yarn to form said fabric textile of said first member.
15. A method of manufacturing a golf club grip for a golf club
including a shaft and a club head attached to a lower end of the
shaft, wherein the method comprises the steps of: (a) preparing a
first raw rubber layer which is shaped and sized to form at least a
pair of first rubber pieces; (b) preparing a second raw rubber
layer which is shaped and sized to form at least a pair of second
rubber pieces; (c) aligning said pair of first rubber pieces with
said pair of second rubber pieces in an end to end manner in two
halves of heat mold respectively; and (d) forming said pair of
first rubber pieces and said pair of first rubber pieces in said
heat mold to form said golf club grip including a tubular first
member and a tubular second member coaxially extended from a lower
end of said first member, wherein said raw rubber of said pair of
first rubber pieces is integrated to form said tubular first
member, wherein said raw rubber of said pair of second rubber
pieces is extended from said lower end of said first rubber piece
to form said second member which is integrated coaxially with said
first member, wherein said first and second members have different
natures to provide two different properties of said golf club
grip.
16. The method as recited in claim 15, in the steps (a) and (b),
further comprising a step of adding additives into at least one of
said first raw rubber layer and said second raw rubber layer so as
to provide different hardness for said first and second
members.
17. The method, as recited in claim 16, wherein said second member
is softer than said first member.
18. The method as recited in claim 15, in the steps (a) and (b),
further comprising a step of adding additives into at least one of
said first raw rubber layer and said second raw rubber layer such
that each of said first and second members has a viscosity to
provide a predetermined stickiness on said outer circumferential
surfaces for said first and second members.
19. The method, as recited in claim 18, wherein said first member
is much sticky than said second member.
20. The method as recited in claim 15, in the steps (a) and (b),
further comprising a step of coloring at least one of said first
raw rubber layer and said second raw rubber layer to provide
different colors for said first and second members.
21. The method as recited in claim 15, in step (b), further
comprising a step of overlapping a textile fabric on an exterior
surface of each of said first rubber pieces and painting a rubber
latex on said textile fabric to attach said textile fabric on said
exterior surface of said first rubber piece, wherein said textile
fabric is treated to integrally coat on an outer circumferential
surface of said second member, in step (d), to form a frictional
coarse surface thereof while said first member contains no fabric
textile so as to provide two different frictional surfaces of said
first and second members.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE OF RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This is a Continuation-In-Part application of a
non-provisional application, application Ser. No. 11/192,775 filed
on Jul. 29, 2005 and a non-provisional application, application
Ser. No. 10/771,710 filed on Feb. 03, 2004, which is a
Continuation-In-Part application of a non-provisional application,
application Ser. No. 29/196,500 filed on Dec. 29, 2003.
BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of Invention
[0003] The preset invention relates to a golf accessory, and more
particularly to a golf club grip having at least two integrated
portions with different natures to form a tapered tubular body for
attaching to a holding end portion of a shaft of a golf club.
[0004] 2. Description of Related Arts
[0005] Golf is one of the most popular sports in the world. All
lower handicapped golfers recognize that the main key of having a
good golf swing mostly depends on whether the golfer correctly
grips the golf club.
[0006] No matter a golfer uses an interlocking grip, a natural grip
or an overlapping grip, a proper grip is one of the most important
fundamental. If the golfer grips his or her golf club too tight,
his or her arms will be too tense to release the body twisting
power to maximize the club head speed at impact of the golf ball
through a golf swing. On the other hand, if the golfer grips his or
her golf club too loose, the golf club may slip out of his or her
hands through the golf swing. Also, the power from the uncoiling
body will fail to transmit to the golf club through the golfer's
hands. The flying trajectory, such as straight, draw or fade, of
the golf ball can also be controlled by the gripping hands of the
golfer.
[0007] The term "grip" is misleading since it implies a forceful
pressure. In fact, a more proper way is to "mold" the golfer's
hands into the proper position, and then to hold the golf club with
the proper amount of pressure that allows the hands to work
together to control the club head. For a right-hand golfer, his or
her left hand will be the upper holding hand and his or here right
hand will be the lower controlling hand. For a left-hand golfer,
the right hand will be the upper holding hand and the left hand
will be the lower controlling hand.
[0008] The middle finger H1, ring finger H2 and little finger H3 of
the upper holding hand H, i.e. the left hand of a right-hand
golfer, are used to hold on the upper end portion of the grip G of
a golf club, as shown in FIG. 5. The three holding fingers H1, H2
and H3 should apply an appropriate pressure to the grip G that is
enough to support and hold the golf club through the grip G. In
other words, the golfer should be capable of holding the golf club
at the upper end portion of the grip G without the other hand and
the thumb and index finger contacting the grip G. By means of the
three holding fingers H1, H2 and H3 with appropriate pressure
applied to the grip, the arm of the golfer should become an
extension of the golf club hinged to the golfer's body with his or
her shoulder. The appropriate holding pressure of the three holding
fingers H1, H2, H3 applied to the grip G varies with the weight and
length of the golf club as well as the nature of the grip G. The
minimum holding pressure should be just enough to hold the golf
club to prevent slipping off the hand through the golf swing. Then,
the index finger and the thumb of the upper holding hand H should
be simply placed on the grip G in position as shown in FIG. 5.
[0009] Then, simply place the lower controlling hand H' on a middle
portion of the grip G in such a manner that the ring finger H2',
the middle finger H3' and the index finger H4' are placed on the
grip G and aligned with the middle finger H3 of the upper holding
hand H while the little finger H1' of the controlling hand H' is
overlapped on top of the middle finger H3 of the holding hand H for
an overlapping grip, or the little finger H1' of the controlling
hand H' is interlocked with the middle finger H3 of the holding
hand H for an interlocking grip. Also, the index finger and the
thumb of the upper holding hand H should be simply placed on the
grip in position as shown in FIG. 5 while the center of the palm of
the controlling hand H' is facing the target. The grip pressure of
the controlling hand H' is applied at the contacts of the middle
phalanges H21', H31' of the ring finger H2' and the middle finger
H3' of the controlling hand H' with the grip G.
[0010] In fact, by varying a few pressure points, you can better
shape your shots. For example, in order to hit a fade, the golfer
can grip the golf club a little bit tighter with the litter finger
H1, the ring finger H2 and the middle finger H3 of the holding hand
H. Also, when more pressure is exerted by the thumb and index
finger of the controlling hand H' of the golfer, a right-to-left
trajectory will be resulted.
[0011] In addition, the golfer can control the ball flying
trajectory between a hook to a slice simply by adjusting the
gripping position of the controlling hand H' with respect to the
gripping position of the holding hand H, such as a strong grip or a
weak grip. The grip pressure of the controlling hand H' is for
feeling and controlling but not for supporting and holding the golf
club. Therefore, the grip pressure of the controlling hand H'
should be merely tight enough to control the club but still light
enough to allow you to feel the weight of the golf club throughout
the swing.
[0012] It is why most of the golfers wear gloves with their holding
hands to enhance frictional contact with the grip but keeping their
controlling hands bare to ensure feeling for swing control.
[0013] No matter whether the golfer grips the golf club somewhat
firmly or softly, what is really important is keeping your level of
grip pressure constant throughout the swing. Therefore, the nature
and surface condition of the grip can substantially affect the
golfer to apply the appropriate grip pressure. Some golf club grips
provide anti-slip design on the grip surface for better frictional
contact with the golfer's hands, it can substantially help to
prevent slipping and provide constant grip pressure throughout the
swing for the holding hand but may adversely affect the control and
feeling of the controlling hand. Some golf club grips provide
smooth and soft grip surface for better controlling but it also
invites the holding hand to grip tighter to prevent slipping off.
However, any excess grip pressure through the hand may also tense
the arm and shoulder muscles and unexpectedly affect the golf
swing. How to produce a grip that fits to the different needs of
the holding hand and controlling hand of a golfer becomes a
challenge for the development of a better club.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
[0014] A main object of the present invention is to provide a golf
club grip which has at least two integrated portions with different
natures to form a tapered tubular body for attaching to a holding
end portion of a shaft of a golf club. Therefore, the golfer is
able to tailor make the golf club grip depending on the personal
preference and need by selecting the fabric textile, color,
hardness and viscosity of each of the first and second members of
the golf club grip.
[0015] Another object of the present invention is to provide a golf
club grip, wherein the two portions of the golf grip are made of
rubber in different colors for purposes of decoration and
identification of the two portions for proper gripping with the
holding and controlling hands of the golfer.
[0016] Another object of the present invention is to provide a golf
club grip, wherein two portions of the golf grip are made of rubber
in different hardness for purposes of identification of the two
portions for proper gripping with the holding and controlling hands
of the golfer.
[0017] Another object of the present invention is to provide a golf
club grip, two portions of the golf grip are made of rubber with
different compositions for purposes of identification of the two
portions for proper gripping with the holding and controlling hands
of the golfer.
[0018] Another object of the present invention is to provide a golf
club grip, two portions of the golf grip are made of rubber with
different viscosity for purposes of identification of the two
portions for proper gripping with the holding and controlling hands
of the golfer.
[0019] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a
golf club grip which comprises a first portion forming an upper
anti-slip arrangement and a second portion forming a lower control
arrangement, wherein the upper anti-slip arrangement is connected
coaxially with the lower control arrangement to form a tubular body
for attaching to a holding end portion of a shaft of a golf club.
The anti-slip arrangement provides a frictional surface to enable
the three holding fingers (i.e. the middle, ring and little
fingers) of a gloved holding hand of the golfer to better holding
the golf club with appropriate pressure and the control arrangement
provides a smoother surface to ensure better feeling and control
for the bared controlling hand of the golfer.
[0020] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a
golf club grip, wherein the anti-slip arrangement further comprises
a cotton yarn reinforced surface layer to provide a coarse surface
for better frictional contact with the gloved holding hand of the
golfer and a harder surface structure than the control arrangement
to ensure an anti-slipping grip with appropriate pressure while the
control arrangement still provide a softer and smoother feel for
controlling grip of the bared controlling hand of the golfer.
[0021] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a
golf club grip, wherein the anti-slip arrangement of the grip has a
length long enough for the three holding fingers (the middle, ring
and little fingers) and the index finger of the upper holding hand
of the golfer to completely grip thereon normally while the index
finger is just placed at the lower end of the anti-slip
arrangement, so that the ring, middle and index fingers of the
controlling hand can naturally place on the control arrangement of
the grip and align immediately with the index finger of the holding
hand.
[0022] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a
golf club grip, wherein the anti-slip arrangement at an upper
portion of the grip and the control arrangement at a lower portion
of the grip are made of rubber in different colors for purposes of
decoration and identification of the two portions for proper
gripping with the holding and controlling hands of the golfer.
[0023] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a
golf club grip, wherein an upper portion of a bottom side of the
control arrangement is provided with an anti-slip surface structure
which is sized and shaped to ensure the middle phalanges of the
ring, middle and index fingers of the lower controlling hand are in
contact therewith to provide a better frictional contact for some
golfers.
[0024] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a
method for manufacturing the golf club grip with two integrated
portions in economic cost, wherein the manufacturing process is
easy and simple that the golfer is able to tailor make the golf
club grip to fit the personal need in lower cost so as to ensure a
comfortable interlocking, natural or overlapping grip between the
holding hand and the controlling hand of the golfer.
[0025] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a
method for manufacturing the golf club grip with anti-slip and
control arrangement in economic cost, in which the cotton yarn
surface reinforced anti-slip arrangement is integrated with the
control arrangement to form an integral body with an even thickness
at the junction between the lower end of the anti-slip arrangement
and the upper end of the control arrangement so as to ensure a
comfortable interlocking, natural or overlapping grip between the
holding hand and the controlling hand of the golfer.
[0026] Accordingly, in order to accomplish the above objects, the
present invention provides a golf club grip for a golf club
comprising a shaft and a club head attached to a lower end of the
shaft, wherein the golf club grip comprises:
[0027] a first member which is rubber made tube having a lower end,
an upper end and a gripping surface defining between the upper end
and the lower end;
[0028] a second member which is rubber made tube having an upper
end and a lower end coaxially integrated with the upper end of the
first member to form an elongated integral tubular body for
attaching to an upper end portion of the shaft of the golf club,
wherein the first and second members have different natures to
provide two different tones of the golf club grip; and
[0029] a rubber made endpiece integrally formed at the upper end of
the second member.
[0030] Accordingly, the first member can be a lower control
arrangement which is a rubber made tube having a lower end, an
upper end and a gripping surface having a softness adapted for
enhancing a sense of touching feel for a controlling hand of the
golfer to grip thereon.
[0031] The second member can be an upper anti-slip arrangement
which is a rubber made tube having an upper end and a lower end
coaxially integrated with the upper end of the control arrangement
to form an elongated integral tubular body for attaching to an
upper end portion of the shaft of the golf club, wherein the
anti-slip arrangement provides an outer anti-slipping surface to
provide a predetermined gripping friction for a holding hand of the
golfer to grip thereon, wherein the anti-slip arrangement has a
length at least long enough for at least a middle finger, a ring
finger and a little finger of the holding hand of the golfer to be
completely gripped thereon, so that a ring finger, a middle finger
and an index finger of the controlling hand of the golfer is
capable of naturally placing on the control arrangement.
[0032] In a preferred embodiment, the anti-slip surface of the
anti-slip arrangement is integrally coated with a thin reinforced
rubber layer laminated with cotton yarn to provide a frictional
coarse surface as the outer anti-slipping surface for frictional
contact with the golfer's holding hand and to limit and control the
elasticity of the rubber material to produce a reinforced harder
surface for better holding feel of the holding hand of the
golfer.
[0033] In a preferred embodiment, an upper portion of a bottom side
of the control arrangement is provided with an anti-slip surface
integrally coated with a thin reinforced rubber layer laminated
with cotton yarn which is sized and shaped to ensure the middle
phalanges of the ring, middle and index fingers of the lower
controlling hand are in contact therewith to provide a better
frictional contact for some golfers.
[0034] In a preferred embodiment, the anti-slip arrangement is long
enough to enable an index finger of the holding hand of the golfer
placing at the lower end thereof and the ring finger of the
controlling hand can be aligned with the index finger of the
holding hand.
[0035] In a preferred embodiment, the first member is made of
non-fiber material provided thereon for enhancing a sense of
touching feel for a controlling hand of the golfer to grip on the
first member. The second member comprises a textile fabric provided
thereon to enhance the gripping friction of the second member for
the holding hand of the golfer to grip on the second member.
Alternatively, the first and second members have different colors
to form to two-tone golf club grip so as to enhance the aesthetic
appearance thereof and to guide the golfer to grip the golf club.
Thus, the first and second members have different hardness to
enhance the feeling of the golf club grip for the golfer to control
the golf club. In addition, the first and second members have
different viscosities to enhance the gripping friction of the golf
club grip for the golfer to control the golf club.
[0036] The present invention further provides a method of
manufacturing a golf club grip as described above, comprising the
steps of:
[0037] (a) overlapping a cotton yarn or the like on an exterior
surface of a first raw rubber layer and painting a rubber latex on
the cotton yarn to attach the cotton yard on the exterior surface
of the first raw rubber layer to form a thin reinforced rubber
layer laminated with the cotton yarn;
[0038] (b) preparing a second raw rubber layer which is shaped and
sized to form at least at pair of control members;
[0039] (c) shaping the first raw rubber layer that is coated with
the cotton yarn laminated rubber layer to form at least pair of
anti-slip members;
[0040] (d) aligning the pair of anti-slip members with the pair of
control members in an end to end manner in two halves of heat mold
respectively; and
[0041] (e) vulcanizing the pair of anti-slip members and the pair
of control members in the heat mold to form a golf club grip which
is a tubular body including a tubular anti-slip arrangement and a
control arrangement coaxially extended from a lower end of the
anti-slip arrangement, wherein the raw rubber of the pair of
anti-slip members are vulcanized and integrated to form the tubular
anti-slip arrangement while the cotton yarn reinforced rubber
layers are also vulcanized to integrally coat on an outer
circumferential surface of the anti-slip arrangement, wherein the
raw rubber of the pair of control members is vulcanized with the
lower end of the anti-slip arrangement to form the tubular control
arrangement which is integrated coaxially with the anti-slip
arrangement.
[0042] In the step (a), each half of anti-slip member has two or
more longitudinal sections having different thickness to form a
tapered tubular body and appropriate weight of raw rubber to ensure
the junction between the anti-slip arrangement and the control
arrangement being evenly integrated to provide an even thickness
here.
[0043] These and other objectives, features, and advantages of the
present invention will become apparent from the following detailed
description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended
claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0044] FIG. 1 is a perspective of a gold club grip according to a
preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0045] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the golf club grip with
the golf club according to the above preferred embodiment of the
present invention.
[0046] FIG. 3 illustrates a step of a method of manufacturing a
golf club grip for the golf club according to the above preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
[0047] FIG. 4 is a schematic bottom view of the golf club grip
attached to the golf club according to the above preferred
embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the anti-slip
arrangement gripped by a holding hand of a golfer and a control
arrangement gripped by another controlling hand of the golfer.
[0048] FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a conventional golf club grip
with a golfer gripped with both hands.
[0049] FIG. 6 is a perspective of a golf club grip according to a
preferred embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the
first and second members having different properties.
[0050] FIG. 7 illustrates the golf club grip with first, second,
and third members having different natures of fabric textile,
color, hardness and viscosity.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0051] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4 and 6 of the drawings, a golf club
grip 1 for a golf club 1A according to a preferred embodiment of
the present invention is illustrated, wherein the golf club grip 1
comprises a first member 20 and a second member 10.
[0052] The second member 20, which is rubber made tube, has a lower
end 201, an upper end 202 and a gripping surface 21 defining
between the upper end 202 and the lower end 201.
[0053] The first member 10, which is rubber made tube, has an upper
end 102 and a lower end 101 coaxially integrated with the upper end
202 of the first member 20 to form an elongated integral tubular
body for attaching to an upper end portion of the shaft of the golf
club 1A, wherein the first member 10 has an outer circumferential
surface 11 integrally extended from the gripping surface 21 of the
second member 20. The first and second members 20, 10 have
different natures to provide two different properties.
[0054] A shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the first member 10 forms an
anti-slip arrangement and the second member 20 forms a lower
control arrangement to provide two different properties.
[0055] Accordingly, the circumferential gripping surface 21 of the
second member 20 has a softness adapted for enhancing a sense of
touching feel for a controlling hand H' of a golfer to grip
thereon.
[0056] The anti-slip arrangement of the first member 10 is
coaxially integrated with the upper end 202 of the second member 20
to form an elongated integral tubular body for attaching to the
upper end portion of the shaft 1A of the golf club. The anti-slip
arrangement of the first member 10 forms a circumferential
anti-slipping surface on the circumferential surface 11 to provide
a predetermined gripping friction for a holding hand H of the
golfer to grip thereon.
[0057] The upper end 102 of the first member 10 of the golf club
grip 1 further integrally provides a rubber made endpiece 30 to
cover the upper end 102. The elongated integral tubular body of the
golf club grip 1 is adapted for coaxially attaching to an upper end
portion of a shaft 1A1 of the golf club 1A that can be a driver, a
fairway wood, an iron, or a putter. The anti-slipping surface 11 of
the second member 10 is constructed to provide a predetermined
gripping friction for the holding hand H which generally wears a
golf glove to grip thereon.
[0058] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 4, the anti-slip arrangement of the
first member 10 has a predetermined length L1 long enough for at
least a middle finger H3, a ring finger H2 and a little finger H1
of the holding hand H of the golfer to be completely gripped
thereon and that a ring finger H2', a middle finger H3' and an
index finger H4' of the controlling hand H' of the golfer is
capable of naturally placing on the control arrangement 20. Of
course, the golf club grip 1 can be classified into man size, woman
size, teenager size, and child size according to the different
sizes of their hands. Therefore, the length L1 of the anti-slip
arrangement of the first member 10 should be varied from different
size of the holding hand of man, woman, teenager, or children of
different age according to the requirement as described above.
[0059] In order to better understand the novel structure of the
golf club grip 1 of the present invention to form the anti-slip
arrangement of the first member 10 and the lower control
arrangement of the second member 20, a method of manufacturing the
golf club grip 1 according to the preferred embodiment of the
present invention is illustrated in FIG. 3 and described in the
following, wherein the method comprises the following steps.
[0060] (a) Overlap a textile fabric such as a cotton yarn 12 or the
like on an exterior surface of a first raw rubber layer 11' and
paint a rubber latex 110' on the cotton yarn 12 to attach the
cotton yard 12 on the exterior surface of the first raw rubber
layer 11' to form a thin reinforced rubber layer 111' laminated
with the cotton yarn 12, as shown in FIG. 3(A).
[0061] (b) Prepare a second raw rubber layer 210' which is shaped
and sized to form at least a pair of control members 21', as shown
in FIG. 3(B).
[0062] (c) Shape the first raw rubber layer 110' that is coated
with the cotton yarn laminated rubber layer 111' to form at least a
pair of anti-slip members 13', as shown in FIGS. 3(A) and 3(C).
[0063] (d) Align the pair of anti-slip members 13' with the pair of
control members 21' in an end to end manner in two halves of heat
mold M respectively.
[0064] (e) Vulcanize the pair of anti-slip members 13' and the pair
of control members 21' in the heat mold to form the golf club grip
1 including the tubular anti-slip arrangement 10 and the control
arrangement 20 coaxially extended from the lower end of the
anti-slip arrangement of the first member 10, wherein the raw
rubber of the pair of anti-slip members 13' is vulcanized and
integrated to form the tubular anti-slip arrangement of the first
member 10 while the cotton yarn reinforced rubber layers 111' are
also vulcanized to integrally coat on an outer circumferential
surface 11 of the anti-slip arrangement of the first member 10,
wherein the raw rubber of the pair of control members 21' is
vulcanized with and extended from the lower end 101 of the
anti-slip arrangement of the first member 10 to form the tubular
control arrangement of the second member 20 which is integrated
coaxially with the anti-slip arrangement of the first member 10, as
shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.
[0065] In other words, only the first member 10 contains the
textile fabric to provide a gripping friction on the anti-slipping
surface 11 of the first member for the holding hand H which
generally wears a golf glove to grip thereon. There is no textile
fabric provided on the gripping surface 21 of the second member 20
to enhance the sense of touching feel for a controlling hand H' of
a golfer to grip thereon.
[0066] In which, the first and second raw rubber layers 11' and
210' may have different compositions so that, after the
vulcanization process, the anti-slip members 13' can be harder than
the control members 21'. Various additives may be added into the
first and second raw rubber layers 11', 21' to control their
hardness and softness. For example, sulfur can be used to harden
the raw rubber and keep it remaining flexible in the room
temperature. Preferably, the lower control arrangement of the
second member 20 is softer than the upper anti-slip arrangement of
the first member 10. It is worth to mention that a predetermined
material (1904 hardening agent) is added to the first member 10 to
increase the hardness thereof for preventing any torque occurring
at the first member 10. During the golfer swings the golf club, the
golfer will apply the torque at the upper portion of the shaft of
the golf club to twist at the first member 10. Since the upper
portion of the shaft of the golf club is received in the first
member 10, the angle of the club face will be unintentionally
changed once the torque occurs at the first member 10.
[0067] In the step (a), the cotton yarn 12 which is overlapped on
the exterior surface of the first raw rubber layer 11' is adhered
on the exterior surface of the first raw rubber layer 11' by the
rubber latex 110' such that, during the vulcanization step (e), the
rubber latex 110' of the thin reinforced rubber layer 111' is
vulcanized to integrate with the first raw rubber layer 11' to form
the anti-slip arrangement of the first member 10. The amount of the
rubber latex 110' to be painted on the exterior surface of the
first raw rubber layer 11' is to form a thin layer of rubber latex
110' having a thickness slightly smaller than a diameter of each
cotton filament of the cotton yarn 12. In other words, the cotton
yarn 12 would not be completely covered by the rubber latex 110'
and at least a portion of the cotton yarn 12 should be evenly and
spacedly exposed outside around the anti-slip arrangement of the
first member 10 after vulcanization so as to produce a coarse
exterior surface as the anti-slipping surface 11 so that the
holding hand H of the golfer can be substantially in contact with
such exposed portions of the cotton yarn 12. Accordingly, the
anti-slipping surface 11 not only provides a frictional contact
with the golfer's holding hand H but also limits and controls the
elasticity of the rubber material to produce a reinforced harder
surface for better holding feel of the holding hand H of the
golfer. In other words, the cotton yarn 12 is only formed on the
first member 10 to provide different properties with respect to the
second member 20.
[0068] In order to provide a better gripping effect, most of the
golf club grips 1 are made in taper shape, i.e. to gradually
increase its outer diameter from a lower end to an upper end.
Especially, the taper angle of the upper end 102 of the anti-slip
arrangement of the first member 10 generally increases for a better
holding effect so that the thickness of the upper end 102 is much
thicker than that of the lower end 101, as shown in FIG. 2. In
addition, in order to ensure an even and smooth integration of the
raw rubber materials of the lower ends of the anti-slip members 13'
and the upper ends of the control members 21' to form the elongated
integral tubular body of the golf club grip 1.
[0069] Each of the anti-slip members 13' has two or more
longitudinal sections having different weight of raw rubber to form
a tapered tubular body and to ensure the junction between the first
member 10 and the second member being evenly integrated to provide
an even thickness there. In order to doing so, as shown in FIG.
3(D), a taper shaped additional raw rubber piece 130' is attached
to an interior surface of each of the anti-slip members 13' so as
to gradually increase the weight of total raw rubber from the lower
end to the upper end.
[0070] Both the anti-slip members 13' and the control members 21'
should be weighted to ensure quality. Preferably, the weight of
each of the anti-slip members 13' is approximately 18.8 g and the
weight of each of the control members 21' is approximately 11.8
g.
[0071] As shown in FIGS. 3(B) and 3(C), both the anti-slip members
13' and the control members 21' are each cut into a predetermined
taper shape adapted to form a semi-tubular shape member
corresponding to the designated size and shape of the upper portion
and lower portion of golf club grip 1.
[0072] As shown in FIGS. 3(F) and 3(G), the anti-slip members 13'
and the control members 21' are aligned in an end-to-end manner in
a semi-circular mold socket M11 or M12 of one of the base mold M1
and the upper mold M2 of a steel made vulcanization mold M. The
semi-circular mold sockets M11 and M12 are aligned to form a
plurality of tubular mold sockets after the base mold M1 and the
upper mold M2 are connected together, wherein a plurality of core
shafts S are coaxially placed inside the tubular mold sockets
respectively to ensure the tubular shape of the golf club grip 1
after vulcanization. During the vulcanization, the temperature
within the vulcanization mold M should be heated to 100 degree
Celsius or more.
[0073] It is worth to mention that the endpiece 30 is placed at the
base mold M1 at the upper end 102 of the second member to
integrally attach at the upper end 102 of the second member. In
addition, the color of the endpiece 30 can be the same of the color
of the second member to provide a uniform appearance or can be
different from the second member to enhance the aesthetic
appearance of the golf club grip. Alternatively, the endpiece 30
can be attached to the upper end 102 of the second member after the
first member is integrally coupled with the second member in the
step (e).
[0074] According to the preferred embodiment, as shown in FIG.
3(E), before the step (e), the method may further comprise a
pre-shaping step in an aluminum mold M', wherein a half of the
anti-slip member 13' and a half of the control member 21' are
aligned end to end in a semi-circular mold socket M1' of the
aluminum mold M' to form a semi-tubular body before the
vulcanization.
[0075] According to the golf club grip 1 of the present invention,
as shown in FIG. 4, the upper anti-slip arrangement of the first
member 10 is integrated coaxially with the lower control
arrangement of the second member 20, wherein the anti-slip
arrangement of the first member 10 provides a frictional surface to
enable the three holding fingers H1, H2, H3 (i.e. the middle, ring
and little fingers) of a gloved holding hand H of the golfer to
better holding the golf club 1A with appropriate pressure and the
control arrangement of the second member 20 provides a smoother
surface to ensure better feeling and control for the bared
controlling hand H' of the golfer.
[0076] The anti-slip arrangement of the first member 10 further
comprises a cotton yarn reinforced coarse surface as the anti-slip
surface 11 for better frictional contact with the gloved holding
hand H of the golfer and a harder surface structure than the
control arrangement of the second member 20 to ensure an
anti-slipping grip with appropriate pressure while the control
arrangement of the second member 20 still provide a softer and
smoother feel for controlling grip of the bared controlling hand H'
of the golfer.
[0077] As mentioned above, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the anti-slip
arrangement of the first member 10 of the golf club grip 1 has a
length L1 long enough for the three holding fingers H1, H2, H3 (the
middle, ring and little fingers) and the index finger H4 of the
upper holding hand H of the golfer to completely grip thereon
normally while the index finger H4 is just placed at the lower end
101 of the anti-slip arrangement 10, so that the ring, middle and
index fingers H2', H3' and H4' of the controlling hand H' can
naturally place on the control arrangement of the second member 20
of the golf club grip 1 and align immediately with the index finger
H4 of the holding hand H. Also, the control arrangement of the
second member 20 should generally have a length L2 longer than a
size of the controlling hand H' for a completely and comfortably
grip thereon.
[0078] According to the preferred embodiment of the present
invention, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, for some golfers who may need
to hold the golf club with their lower controlling hands H' with
more pressure, an upper portion of a bottom side of the control
arrangement of the second member 20 can be made to provide with an
additional anti-slip portion 22 which is sized and shaped to ensure
the middle phalanges of the ring, middle and index fingers H2', H3'
and H4' of the lower controlling hand H' are in contact therewith
to provide a better frictional contact for those golfers. In order
to made such additional anti-slip portion 22, in the step (b) of
the manufacturing method of the golf club grip 1, a piece of cotton
yarn 22' is attached to an upper end portion of an exterior surface
of one of the pair of control members 21' by painting a rubber
latex onto the piece of cotton yarn 22' like the adhering method of
the cotton yarn 12' on the first raw rubber layer 11' as taught in
the step (a).
[0079] Since the cotton yarn surface reinforced anti-slip
arrangement of the first member 10 is integrated with the control
arrangement of the second member 20 to form an integral body where
the lower end 101 of the anti-slip arrangement of the first member
10 is fused with the upper end 202 of the control arrangement of
the second member 20 so as to ensure a comfortable interlocking,
natural or overlapping grip between the holding hand H and the
controlling hand H' of the golfer.
[0080] It is worth to mention that the cotton yarn 12 of the
anti-slip arrangement of the first member 10 renders a less
elasticity than the control arrangement of the second member 20 and
provides a reinforced harder surface while the control arrangement
of the second member 20 would have a softness softer than the
anti-slip arrangement of the first member 10 for enhancing a sense
of touching for the controlling hand H' of the golfer. Therefore,
the golfer is able to swing the golf club 1A by securely holding
the anti-slip surface 11 by the gloved holding hand H while
feelingly control the golf club 1A by holding the controlling hand
H' on the gripping surface 01 of the control arrangement 20. The
anti-slip arrangement 10 can be made harder than the control
arrangement 20 in the sense that the anti-slip arrangement 10 is
less deformative with respect to pressure.
[0081] FIGS. 1 to 4 illustrate the first and second members 10, 20,
having different properties, form the anti-slip arrangement and the
control arrangement respectively and the manufacturing method
thereof. FIG. 6 illustrates the first and second members 10, 20
forming in different natures to provide different properties.
[0082] Accordingly, the first and second members 10, 20 have
different elasticity. One advantage of the present invention is
that since the first member 10 and the second member 20 have
various elasticity, a greater frictional force is created between
the first member 10 and the golf glove of the holding hand H while
a lesser frictional force is created between the second member 20
and the bare hand of the golfer. Since the bare hand, i.e. the
controlling hand H', of the golfer directly contacts with the
second member 20, the fingers of the bare hand have better sense of
touching comfortably so as to enhance the control of the golf club
1A. In addition, the vibration of the golf club 1A during the swing
could be absorbed by the second member 20 so as to further enhance
the swinging control of the golf club 1A. Therefore, the golfer
would feel comfortable when his or her controlling hand H' holds
the first member 20 and his or her holding hand H holds the first
member 10. This arrangement reduces the risk of the bare hand
getting hurt and also helps the gloved hand to apply swinging force
to golf club 1 directly.
[0083] Alternatively, the viscosity of each of the first and second
members 10, 20 is selectively adjusted by adding a predetermined
additive into the raw rubber of the first and second members such
that the first and second members 10, 20 have different viscosities
to provide different stickiness of the controlling hand H' and the
holding hand H of the golfer. Accordingly, the viscosity of the
first member 10 is different the viscosity of the second member 20
such that the golfer is able to hold the golf club grip in
position. In other words, the viscosity of each of the first and
second members 10, 20 provides a predetermined stickiness between
the hands of the golfer and the outer circumferential surface of
the golf club grip 1. Accordingly, the first member 10 is much
sticky than the second member 20 such that the holding hand H of
the golfer has a better feeling at the first member 10. Likewise,
the first member 10 is less sticky than the second member 20 to fit
the need of the golfer.
[0084] The manufacturing method of the golf club grip 1 to provide
different viscosities at the first and second members 10, 20 is the
same as the above mentioned method as shown in FIG. 3, except the
anti-slip members 13' becoming the first viscosity member and the
control member 21' becoming the second viscosity member. In other
words, the viscosity of the first raw rubber layer 110' is
different from the viscosity of the second raw rubber layer 210'.
Accordingly, an additive can be added to one of the first and
second raw rubber layers 110' 210' to alter the viscosity thereof
when the first and second raw rubber layers 110' 210' are made of
same material, so as to provide two different viscosities of the
first and second members 10, 20.
[0085] Also, as described above, a color of the second member 20 is
different from a color of the first member 10 to form a two-tone
color club grip. The first and second members 10, 20 are made of
rubbers of different colors and hardness for purposes of
identification and various elasticity. Accordingly, the rubbers of
different elasticity are dyed of different colors. Thus, the first
member 10 and the second member 20 would appear in different colors
so as to help the golfer to identify the two portions. As a result,
the golfer can easily place her hands onto the correct portions.
Moreover, the different colors serve the aesthetic purposes and
make the club more attracting. In addition to the various colors,
the portions may be variously patterned and decorated with paints
for the purposes of increasing the frictional contact and
decoration. For example, stripes of colors are provided at the ends
and interface of the first member 10 and the second member 20,
respectively. The stripes can be any colors different from those of
the first and second members 10, 20 in order for indication of the
same.
[0086] It is worth to mention that the golfer is able to tailor
make the golf club grip depending on the personal preference or
need by selecting the fabric textile, color, hardness and/or
viscosity of each of the first and second members 10, 20 of the
golf club grip. In addition, a third member and a fourth member can
be integrally and coaxially extended from the first and second
members to form the elongated integral tubular body of the golf
club grip 1 of the present invention as shown in FIG. 7. In other
words, the golf grip 1 can contain more than two tubular portions
having different natures to provide different fabric textile,
color, hardness and/or viscosity for the golfer to handle the golf
club. For example, a third member 40 has a lower end 401 and an
upper end 402, wherein the upper end 402 of the third member 40 is
coaxially integrated with the lower end 201 of the second member
20, wherein an outer circumferential surface 41 of the third member
40 is integrally extended from the gripping surface 21 of the
second member 20. Therefore, the second member 20 is integrally
extended between the first and third members 10, 40 end-to-end to
form an elongated integral tubular body for attaching to the upper
end portion of the shaft 1A of the golf club. The first, second,
and third members 10, 20, 40 would have different fabric textiles,
colors, hardness and/or viscosities. In other words, the first
member 10 may have a combination of fabric textile, color,
hardness, and viscosity different from the second and third members
20, 40.
[0087] One skilled in the art will understand that the embodiment
of the present invention as shown in the drawings and described
above is exemplary only and not intended to be limiting.
[0088] It will thus be seen that the objects of the present
invention have been fully and effectively accomplished. The
embodiments have been shown and described for the purposes of
illustrating the functional and structural principles of the
present invention and is subject to change without departure from
such principles. Therefore, this invention includes all
modifications encompassed within the spirit and scope of the
following claims.
* * * * *