U.S. patent application number 11/977018 was filed with the patent office on 2008-05-01 for racket.
Invention is credited to Chia-Yuan Chang, Feng-Hsiang Chang.
Application Number | 20080102995 11/977018 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39330972 |
Filed Date | 2008-05-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080102995 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chang; Chia-Yuan ; et
al. |
May 1, 2008 |
Racket
Abstract
A racket includes a handle, a frame connected to the handle and
having a longitudinal axis extending from and aligned with the
handle, and a stringed web supported on the frame. The frame has
two ends that are opposite to each other along the longitudinal
axis. The stringed web is formed by a plurality of intersecting
longitudinal strings and transversal strings defining a plurality
of meshes. The longitudinal strings and the transversal strings
together further define a primary ball-striking portion on a
substantially central portion of the stringed web, and the meshes
located in the primary ball-striking portion gradually increase in
size in a direction from one of the two ends to the other one of
the two ends of the frame.
Inventors: |
Chang; Chia-Yuan; (Kaohsiung
Hsien, TW) ; Chang; Feng-Hsiang; (Kaohsiung Hsien,
TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
WEIDE & MILLER, LTD.
7251 W. LAKE MEAD BLVD., SUITE 530
LAS VEGAS
NV
89128
US
|
Family ID: |
39330972 |
Appl. No.: |
11/977018 |
Filed: |
October 22, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
473/543 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 60/00 20151001;
A63B 60/002 20200801; A63B 51/00 20130101; A63B 51/08 20130101;
A63B 49/08 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
473/543 |
International
Class: |
A63B 59/00 20060101
A63B059/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Oct 25, 2006 |
TW |
095139333 |
Claims
1. A racket for ball games comprising: a handle; a frame connected
to said handle and having a longitudinal axis extending from and
aligned with said handle, said frame further having one end
connected to said handle and another end opposite to said handle;
and a stringed web supported on said frame and formed by a
plurality of longitudinal strings running generally parallel to
said longitudinal axis and a plurality of transversal strings
running generally perpendicular to said longitudinal axis and
intersecting said longitudinal strings to define a plurality of
meshes, said longitudinal strings and said transversal strings
together further defining a primary ball-striking portion
substantially on a central portion of said stringed web and a
secondary ball-striking portion extending around said primary
ball-striking portion; wherein said meshes located in said primary
ball-striking portion gradually decreases in size in a direction
from said one end of said frame to said another end of said
frame.
2. The racket of claim 1 wherein the distance between two adjacent
ones of said transversal strings in said primary ball-striking
portion gradually decreases in a direction from said one end to
said another end of said frame.
3. The racket of claim 1 or 2, wherein the distance between two
adjacent ones of said longitudinal strings in said primary
ball-striking portion gradually decreases in a direction from said
one end to said another end of said frame.
Description
PRIOR APPLICATION DATA
[0001] This application claims priority to Taiwan Application No.
95139333, entitled Racket which is entitled to a priority date of
Oct. 25, 2006.
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a racket for ball games,
more particularly to a racket for ball games having a stringed web
that may be combined with a handle of different rigidity or
flexibility so as to produce various ball-striking effects and to
fit users or players of various playing skill and strength, and
specifically a 10 stringed web that produces a greater ball
striking effect, so as to extensively increase the speed of racket
swing and ball rebound as well as stability in hitting.
[0004] 2. Related Art
[0005] FIG. 1 shows a conventional racket 1 for ball games
comprising a handle 3 and a racket head with a frame 2 connected to
the handle 3 and supporting a stringed web 4 that forms the hitting
face of the racket 1. A badminton racket with a substantially
oval-shape racket head is described herein as the representative
prior art, and the shuttlecock used in relation thereto is termed
herein generally as the "ball."
[0006] The frame 2 has a lower end 21 connected to the handle 3 and
an upper end 22 opposite to the handle 3. A longitudinal axis X
extends from the lower end 21 to the upper end 22.
[0007] The handle 3 includes a shaft portion 32 connected to the
frame 2 and a grip portion 31 connected to the shaft portion 32.
The shaft portion 32 is generally made of alloy (such as titanium
alloy or aluminum alloy) or composite material 2 (such as carbon
fibers).
[0008] A stringed web 4 is formed by a plurality of longitudinal
strings 41 running generally parallel to the longitudinal axis X,
and a plurality of transversal strings 42 running generally
perpendicular to the longitudinal axis X and intersecting the
longitudinal strings 41 to define a plurality of meshes 40. The
longitudinal strings 41 and transversal strings 42 further define a
primary ball-striking portion C on a substantially central region
of the web 4 and a secondary ball-striking portion D extending from
the outer periphery of the primary ball-striking portion C to the
frame 2. The secondary ball-striking portion D has an upper section
D2 extending from the primary ball-striking portion C to the upper
end 22 of the frame 2 and a lower section D1 extending from the
primary ball-striking portion C to the lower end 21 of the frame 2.
The meshes 40 located within the primary ball-striking portion C,
defined by the longitudinal strings 41 and the transversal strings
42, are substantially equal in size. The distance between two
adjacent transversal strings 42 located at the lower section D1
outside the primary ball-striking portion C gradually increases in
a direction towards the lower end 21 of the frame 2. Similarly, the
distance between two adjacent ones of the transversal strings 42
located at the upper section D2 outside the primary ball-striking
portion C gradually increases in a direction toward the upper end
22 of the frame 2. In other words, the meshes 40 located outside
the primary ball-striking portion C gradually increase in size in a
direction from around the primary ball-striking portion C toward
the lower end 21 and toward the upper end 22 of the frame 2.
[0009] By such design of the racket 1, assuming that all the
strings of the web 4 are equally tensioned on the frame 2, the
primary ball-striking portion C, where the transversal strings are
more closely spaced and the meshes 40 are smaller in size, is
provided with a stiffer ball-hitting face and consequently produces
greater ball rebound speed. The optimal ball-hitting area, called
the "sweet spot" of the racket 1 falls mainly on the center of the
primary ball-striking portion C. When the impact of the ball is at
the center of the primary ball-striking portion C, an excellent
hitting force is produced thus achieving a solid ball-striking
effect.
[0010] Under the same force applied to hit the ball, a greater arm
of force will produce a greater torque. Thus, because the distance
from the grip portion 31 to the upper section D2 is longer than to
the primary ball-striking portion C, when the ball hits the upper
section D2, the ball rebound force is large and the flying speed of
the ball is fast. In contrast, since the distance from the grip
portion 31 to the lower section D1 is less than to the center of
the primary ball-striking portion C, when the ball hits the lower
section D1, the ball rebound force as well as the flying speed is
reduced.
[0011] Players with ordinary playing skill and normal strength are
usually not able to make center hits, i.e., to hit the ball exactly
at the center, which is the sweet spot, of the primary
ball-striking portion C, and thus, a good hit is seldom produced,
much less a solid ball-striking effect. Furthermore, as the
stiffness of the striking face of the stringed web 4 gradually
decreases in a direction toward the upper region of the primary
ball-striking portion C, the ball rebound force generated at the
upper region decreases accordingly. This limits the ball-striking
effect even when a player of good skill and strength tries to
produce a stronger ball hitting effect by hitting the ball at the
upper region of the primary ball-striking portion C where the arm
of force is longer.
[0012] In addition, for players with ordinary playing skill and
normal strength, if the racket 1 has a shaft portion 32 that is
more flexible and less rigid, swinging the racket can be more
comfortable and relaxed; however, an excellent ball striking effect
cannot be achieved if the ball is not hit at the sweet spot of the
racket face. Meanwhile, to those players with good skill and
strength, if the racket 1 is made of a shaft portion 32 that is
less flexible and more rigid, the racket 1 can be swung at greater
speed, however, the ball rebound speed and the hitting force are
still subject to some limitations as explained above.
[0013] In view of this, in terms of the design of rackets in
general, even if the shaft portion 32 can be made more flexible or
more rigid as required, this still cannot satisfy the demands of
different players with different skill and strength.
SUMMARY
[0014] Various embodiments are disclosed herein for overcoming the
drawbacks in the prior art and for providing additional advantages
and benefits for the invention associated therewith.
[0015] It would be advantageous to provide a racket with a stringed
web capable of generating various ball-striking effects when
combined with a shaft portion of different rigidity or flexibility
to suit players of different skill and strength. It would
particularly be advantageous to provide a racket with a stringed
web which produces greater ball swing impact and ball rebound speed
and stability in hitting.
[0016] The racket according to the present invention comprises a
handle, a frame connected to the handle, and has a longitudinal
axis extending from and aligned with the handle. The frame further
having two ends that are opposite to each along the longitudinal
axis, and a stringed web supported on the frame and formed by a
plurality of longitudinal strings running generally parallel to the
longitudinal axis and a plurality of transversal strings running
generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and intersecting
the longitudinal strings to define a plurality of meshes, the
longitudinal strings and the transversal strings together further
defining a primary ball-striking portion on a substantially central
portion of the stringed web and a secondary ball-striking portion
extending around the primary ball-striking portion, characterized
by the fact that meshes located in the primary ball-striking
portion gradually increase in size in a direction from one of the
two ends of the frame to the other one of the two ends of the
frame.
[0017] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
frame has one end connected to the handle and another end opposite
to the handle, and the meshes gradually increase in size from the
other end to the one end of the frame or, in other words, the
meshes gradually decrease in size from the one end to the other end
of the frame. By such design, the stiffness of the upper section of
the primary ball-striking portion can be enhanced, and a greater
striking force on the ball can be affected. Thus, when a player of
good skill and strength takes an offensive attack, he has the
option, if he considers it necessary, to hit the ball at the upper
section of the primary ball striking area to lengthen the arm of
force to thereby produce greater power when hitting the ball. An
even greater power when hitting the ball is produced with a racket
made of a shaft portion that is more rigid and less flexible,
resulting in even greater ball rebound speed and stability.
[0018] Therefore, by such design of the stringed web and by varying
the stiffness or flexibility of the shaft portion, various ball
striking effects may be produced to suit different players of
different skill and strength.
[0019] Other systems, methods, features and advantages of the
invention will be or will become apparent to one with skill in the
art upon examination of the following figures and detailed
description. It is intended that all such additional systems,
methods, features and advantages be included within this
description, be within the scope of the invention, and be protected
by the accompanying claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale,
emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of
the invention. In the figures, like reference numerals designate
corresponding parts throughout the different views.
[0021] Other features and advantages of the present invention will
become apparent in the following detailed description of the
preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings,
in which:
[0022] FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a conventional prior art
racket structure.
[0023] FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating the racket of the present
invention according to a first preferred embodiment.
[0024] FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, enlarged view showing the mesh
design of the stringed web of the racket in the first preferred
embodiment shown in FIG. 2.
[0025] FIG. 4 is a plan view of a second preferred embodiment of
the racket according to the present invention; and
[0026] FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, enlarged view showing the mesh
design of the stringed web of the racket in the second preferred
embodiment shown in FIG. 4.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0027] The embodiments of the invention described herein may
include any one or more of the features described in relation to
other inventions. As such, various different embodiments may be
configured with any element, feature, or step, disclosed herein,
either alone or in combination.
[0028] Referring to FIG. 2 in conjunction with FIG. 3, a racket 5
according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention
is shown therein. The racket 5 comprises a handle 7, a frame 6
extending from the handle 7 and a stringed web 8 supported on the
frame 6. In this embodiment, a badminton racket is described, but
the present invention is not limited thereto and is applicable as
well to other types of rackets such as tennis racket, squash racket
and the like, all of which may be produced according to the concept
of the present invention.
[0029] The frame 6 has a longitudinal axis X extending from and
aligned with the handle 77 and two ends 61, 62 that are opposite to
each other along the longitudinal axis X, one end 61 being
connected to the handle 7 and the other end 62 being opposite the
handle 7.
[0030] The handle 7 includes a shaft portion 72 connected to the
end 61 of the frame 2 and a grip portion 71 connected to the shaft
portion 72.
[0031] The stringed web 8 is formed by a plurality of longitudinal
strings 81 running generally parallel to the longitudinal axis X
and a plurality of transversal strings 82 running generally
perpendicular to the longitudinal axis X and intersecting the
longitudinal strings 81 to define a plurality of meshes 80. The
longitudinal strings 81 and transversal string 82 together further
define a primary ball-striking portion A (the area bounded by the
imaginary line as shown in FIG. 3), and a secondary ball-striking
portion B which is the remaining portion of the stringed web 8
located at the outer bounds of the primary ball-striking portion
A.
[0032] In this embodiment, the meshes 80 bounded by the
longitudinal strings 81 and transversal strings 82 and located in
the primary ball-striking portion A gradually increase in size in a
direction from the end 61 to the other end 62 of the frame 6. This
is achieved by gradually increasing the distance between two
adjacent ones of the transversal strings 82 located in the primary
ball-striking portion A in a direction from the end 61 to the other
end 62 of the frame 6, and/or by gradually increasing the distance
between two adjacent ones of the longitudinal strings 82 located in
the primary ball-striking portion A from the end 61 to the other
end 62 of the frame 6.
[0033] As the meshes 80 gradually increase in size in a direction
from the end 61 to the other end 62 of the frame 6, the stiffness
of the stringed web 80, and hence the rebound force on the ball,
conversely decreases gradually in that direction. Meanwhile, as
stated above, under the same force of swinging a racket, the
greater the arm of force the greater is the torque generated, i.e.,
the greater the distance from the grip portion 7 1 to the spot
where the ball is hit, the greater is the hitting force on the
ball. Thus, the torque produced in striking the ball increases
gradually in a direction from the end 61 to the other end 62 of the
frame 6. Simply put, the larger the mesh size of the stringed web
8, the less is the rebound force on the ball and vice versa, and
the greater the distance of the impact spot to the grip portion 71,
the greater is the striking force on the ball, and vice versa.
Accordingly, by the design of the racket 5 in this embodiment, the
increase in the striking force on the ball in the upper area of the
primary ball-striking portion A can compensate for the rebound
force that is reduced due to the decrease in mesh size, and thus,
the sweet spot can be evenly distributed over the entire primary
ball-striking portion A. Consequently, regardless of where on the
primary ball striking portion A the ball is hit, the striking force
on the ball is rendered substantially uniform.
[0034] Thus, even if a player of ordinary skill and strength failed
to hit the ball at the intended striking point on the primary
ball-striking portion A, because the forces generated by the entire
primary ball-striking portion A to strike the ball tend to be
uniform, a solid and ideal ball-striking effect can still be
achieved. Additionally, if the racket 5 is made of a shaft portion
72 that is less rigid and is more flexible, a more relaxed and
comfortable feeling of swinging the racket 5 can be provided. In
view of this, the racket 5 according to this embodiment is suitable
for players with ordinary playing skill and strength.
[0035] Referring to FIG. 4 in conjunction with FIG. 5, a second
preferred embodiment of the racket 5 according to the present
invention shown therein similarly comprises a handle 7, a frame 6
connected to the handle 7, and a stringed web 8 supported on the
frame 6. As in the first embodiment, a badminton racket is
illustrated as an example. The structural design described in the
present invention may be used to produce a tennis racket, a squash
racket and the like, and shall not be limited to the badminton
racket described in this embodiment.
[0036] The second embodiment differs from the first in that, the
meshes 80 located in the primary ball-striking portion A and
bounded by the longitudinal strings 81 and the transversal strings
82 gradually increase in size in a direction from the other end 62,
which is the end opposite to the handle 7, to the one end 61, which
is the end connected to the handle 7, of the frame 6. That is, in
contrast to the first embodiment, the second embodiment has meshes
80 in the primary ball-striking portion A that gradually decrease
in size in a direction from the one end 61 to the other end 62 of
the frame 6.
[0037] In this embodiment, the distance between two adjacent
transversal strings 82 located in the primary ball-striking portion
A of the stringed web 8 gradually increases in a direction from the
other end 62 to the one end 61 of the frame 6 or, in other words,
the distance between two adjacent ones of the transversal strings
82 located in the primary ball-striking portion A of the stringed
web 8 gradually decreases in a direction from the one end 61 to the
other end 62 of the frame 6. Furthermore, the distance between two
adjacent ones of the longitudinal strings 81 located in the primary
ball-striking portion A of the stringed web 8 also gradually
increases in a direction from the other end 62 to the one end 61 of
the frame 6, that is, the distance between two adjacent ones of the
longitudinal strings 81 located in the primary bail-striking
portion A of the stringed web 8 gradually decreases in a direction
from the one end 61 to the other end 62 of the frame 6.
[0038] By such design of the racket 5 according to this embodiment,
the stiffest portion of the stringed web 8 with the greatest
resulting torque is concentrated at the upper section of the
primary ball-striking portion A (the area closer to the upper end
62 of the frame 6). As the meshes 80 gradually decreases in size in
a direction from the one end 61 to the other end 62 of the frame 6,
the stiffness of the stringed web 8 conversely gradually increases
in that direction. Moreover, since under the same force applied to
swing the racket 5, the greater the arm of force the greater is the
torque produced, the torque generated on hitting the ball gradually
increases in a direction from the one end 61 to the other end 62 of
the frame 6. Accordingly, at the upper section of the primary
ball-striking portion A, because the stiffness of the stringed web
8 and the torque resulting therefrom are increased, a very large
hitting force can be generated against the ball.
[0039] When a player of good skill and strength makes a powerful
strike at the ball, he has the option of striking the ball at the
upper section of the primary ball-striking portion A so as to
generate a strong ball striking force. In addition, the racket 5
may be made with a shaft portion 72 that is more stiff and less
flexible, so that the strong ball striking force against the ball
can be enhanced even more, thereby increasing the power of the
racket 5 and the ball rebound speed, and consequently achieving a
powerful ball striking effect. Accordingly, the racket 5 in this
embodiment is more suitable for players of good skill and
strength.
[0040] Specifically, with the longitudinal strings 81 diverging
from the end 62 of the frame 6, hitting force is redirected to the
end 62 of the frame 6, vibration is reduced, the sweet spot is
enlarged, and stability in hitting is increased. Furthermore, as
the meshes in the upper section of the racket face are smaller than
those at the lower section near the handle, the upper section
imposes larger force than the lower section, and thus the ball is
drawn inward toward the player so that the chances of dropping the
racket are reduced and, in turn, the chances of hitting back are
increased. In addition, because of the pattern of meshed strings,
the lower section with more loose meshes will tend to deform on
impact of the ball, and the deformed strings will better hold the
ball and stabilize it in hitting back. As a result, a 30% increase
in the force in serving the ball, a 30% increase in the force in
driving the ball from the bottom line, and a 30% increase in the
force in volleying can be achieved in the racket of the present
invention according to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.
[0041] According to the present invention, the racket 5 may be
arranged to suit players of different skill and strength by
providing the shaft portion 72 with different hardness or rigidity.
At the same time, the player may select the appropriate ball
striking point on the primary ball-striking portion A to hit the
ball so as to produce different impact force against the ball and
thereby achieve the objectives of the present invention.
[0042] While various embodiments of the invention have been
described, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the
art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible
that are within the scope of this invention. In addition, the
various features, elements, and embodiments described herein may be
claimed or combined in any combination or arrangement.
* * * * *