U.S. patent application number 11/893713 was filed with the patent office on 2008-06-19 for lacrosse net.
Invention is credited to Stephen F. Lundberg.
Application Number | 20080146385 11/893713 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39528053 |
Filed Date | 2008-06-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080146385 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lundberg; Stephen F. |
June 19, 2008 |
Lacrosse net
Abstract
A modified form of a lacrosse net provides increased adherence,
integrity, and "give" as a result of a coating applied to the
fibers. In one form, the fibers are manually coated by brushing
them with a natural latex mixture followed by evaporation of the
volatile components, which gives the coated fibers a tacky and
energy absorbent nature. The soft nature of the coating may also
aid in dissipating energy during impact with the ball, and this
could contribute to the sense of increased "feel." There are many
natural and synthetic polymers that might be capable of delivering
similar benefits, including conventional synthetic elastomers,
e.g., butyl rubber. Thermoplastic elastomers are a growing field of
interest in coating technologies, and with the appropriate tuning,
they can be made with all of the same properties as the natural
rubber coating. A brush-on method delivers the desired coating
thickness and properties, but other methods, such as dip coating
and spray coating, may increase feasibility for scaling-up the
process. In one arrangement, the entire fiber is composed of a
rubbery material. The resulting properties may not be exactly what
is desired, however, because the underlying integrity of the nylon
fiber would be absent, and this might result in netting with a
"springy" feel.
Inventors: |
Lundberg; Stephen F.;
(Douglas County, CO) |
Correspondence
Address: |
W. THOMAS TIMMONS
1320 PRUDENTIAL DRIVE, SUITE 208
DALLAS
TX
75235-4117
US
|
Family ID: |
39528053 |
Appl. No.: |
11/893713 |
Filed: |
August 17, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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60875220 |
Dec 15, 2006 |
|
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|
60875434 |
Dec 18, 2006 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
473/513 ;
427/260 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 59/20 20151001;
A63B 2209/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
473/513 ;
427/260 |
International
Class: |
A63B 59/02 20060101
A63B059/02 |
Claims
1. A lacrosse net comprising netting material and a coating applied
to the fibers, wherein the net provides increased adherence,
integrity, and "give" as a result of a coating applied to the
fibers.
2. A lacrosse net according to claim 1, wherein the fibers are
manually coated by brushing them with a natural latex mixture
followed by evaporation of the volatiles.
3. A lacrosse net according to claim 2, wherein the fibers of the
net are substantially coated on only the inside of the net.
4. A lacrosse net according to claim 2, wherein the fibers of the
net are substantially coated on both the inside and the outside of
the net.
5. A lacrosse net according to claim 1, wherein the net materials
are coated prior to making the net.
6. A lacrosse net according to claim 1, wherein the fibers of the
net are substantially coated on only the inside of the net.
7. A lacrosse net according to claim 1, wherein the fibers of the
net are substantially coated on both the inside and the outside of
the net.
8. A lacrosse net according to claim 1, wherein the entire net is
substantially coated.
9. A lacrosse net comprising fiber netting material and a
substantially natural rubber coating applied to the fibers, wherein
the net provides increased adherence, integrity, and "give" as a
result of a coating applied to the fibers.
10. A lacrosse net according to claim 9, wherein the fibers are
manually coated by brushing them with a natural latex mixture
followed by evaporation of the volatiles.
11. A lacrosse net according to claim 10, wherein the fibers of the
net are substantially coated on only the inside of the net.
12. A lacrosse net according to claim 10, wherein the fibers of the
net are substantially coated on both the inside and the outside of
the net.
13. A lacrosse net according to claim 9, wherein the net materials
are coated prior to making the net.
14. A lacrosse net according to claim 9, wherein the fibers of the
net are substantially coated on only the inside of the net.
15. A lacrosse net according to claim 9, wherein the fibers of the
net are substantially coated on both the inside and the outside of
the net.
16. A lacrosse net according to claim 9, wherein the entire net is
substantially coated.
17. A lacrosse net composed entirely of a material wherein the net
provides increased adherence, integrity, and "give" as a result of
the material.
18. A lacrosse net according to claim 17, wherein the material is
natural rubber.
19. A lacrosse net comprising leather or uncoated nylon netting
material and a coating applied to the fibers, wherein the net
provides increased adherence, integrity, and "give" as a result of
a coating applied to the fibers.
20. A lacrosse net according to claim 19, wherein the coating
comprises substantially natural rubber.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] N/A
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not Applicable
INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT
DISC
[0003] Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] 1. Field of the Invention
[0005] The invention relates generally to netting for lacrosse
sticks and, in one of its aspects to material or a coating material
for the netting.
[0006] 2. Description of Related Art
[0007] Netting for lacrosse sticks are made of many materials, but
typical materials are leather or nylon. The different materials
give a different feel to the stick and netting during play.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] A modified form of a lacrosse net provides increased
adherence, integrity, and "give" as a result of a coating applied
to the fibers. In one form, the fibers are manually coated by
brushing them with a natural latex mixture followed by evaporation
of the volatile components. Natural latex is essentially a mixture
of small natural rubber particles suspended in water with the aid
of a surfactant. When the aqueous media is evaporated after
application, the remaining coating is composed largely of natural
rubber, which in addition to providing the expected, albeit small
(due to the integrity of the underlying nylon fibers), increase in
elasticity, also yields a fiber finish with an increased
coefficient of friction, giving rise to the "tacky" feeling that
results in increased ball control. It is important to note,
however, that the tacky nature of the coating does not cause it to
be overly "sticky," such that it would become quickly obscured by
dirt or other foreign materials. Rather, a nice balance is
present.
[0009] The tacky and energy absorbent nature of the modified fibers
provides the greatest benefit over the conventional technology in
which the netting is composed of either leather or uncoated nylon.
The tackiness results from the rubber coating generally existing at
a temperature above its glass transition temperature (T.sub.g)
during normal use. From an application point of view, this is the
temperature above which a natural or synthetic polymer transforms
from a hard, often brittle plastic, to a soft, malleable, and often
tacky material. Because room temperature is well above the T.sub.g
of natural rubber, the fibers are coated with a material that
provides the observed tackiness and elasticity even when wet. The
soft nature of the coating may also aid in dissipating energy
during impact with the ball, and this could contribute to the sense
of increased "feel."
[0010] There are many natural and synthetic polymers that have
T.sub.g values below room temperature and might be capable of
delivering similar benefits. In general, conventional synthetic
elastomers, e.g., butyl rubber, can offer some of the same
advantages, provided there is an application method that is equally
facile. Thermoplastic elastomers are a growing field of interest in
coating technologies, and with the appropriate tuning, they can be
made with all of the same properties as the natural rubber coating.
The benefit of thermoplastic elastomers lies in that fact that they
are completely synthetic, relatively inexpensive, easily-processed,
and, most importantly, can be precisely tailored for specific
properties through variation of composition. While the natural
latex coating is inexpensive and can be applied easily,
thermoplastic elastomers can be prepared with a finely-tuned
balance of elasticity and tackiness in order to impart a
combination of properties that approaches that of an ideal coating.
More generally, a coating composed of any polymer that provides
increased fiber integrity, elasticity, and tackiness, regardless of
T.sub.g or elasticity would be a candidate for the coating.
[0011] Regarding the method of application, a brush-on method
certainly delivers the desired coating thickness and properties,
but other methods may increase feasibility for scaling-up the
process. Certainly dip coating and spray coating are attractive
because they are fast and could be incorporated into a continuous
industrial process. By varying the concentration and/or viscosity
of the solution from which the coating is applied, it may be
possible to control the thickness of the coating. To a limit, a
thicker coating would dissipate impact energy more efficiently and
give a better sense of feel.
[0012] In one arrangement, the entire fiber is composed of a
rubbery material. The resulting properties may not be exactly what
is desired, however, because the underlying integrity of the nylon
fiber would be absent, and this might result in netting with a
"springy" feel.
[0013] These and other objects, advantages and features of this
invention will be apparent from the following description taken
with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein is shown a
preferred embodiment of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING
[0014] FIG. 1 is a cross-section of a lacrosse net according to the
present invention, with a brush applying a coating according to the
present invention;
[0015] FIG. 2 is an alternative embodiment of a lacrosse net
according to the present embodiment; and
[0016] FIG. 3 is yet another alternative embodiment of a lacrosse
net according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0017] Referring now to the drawing, and in particular to FIG. 1, a
modified form of a lacrosse net according to the present invention,
referred to generally by reference numeral 10, provides increased
adherence, integrity, and "give" as a result of a coating 12
applied to the fibers 14 on one side applied by brush 16. In one
form, the fibers are manually coated by brushing them with a
natural latex mixture followed by evaporation of the volatile
components. Natural latex is essentially a mixture of small natural
rubber particles suspended in water with the aid of a surfactant.
When the aqueous media is evaporated after application, the
remaining coating is composed largely of natural rubber, which in
addition to providing the expected, albeit small (due to the
integrity of the underlying nylon fibers), increase in elasticity,
also yields a fiber finish with an increased coefficient of
friction, giving rise to the "tacky" feeling that results in
increased ball control. It is important to note, however, that the
tacky nature of the coating does not cause it to be overly
"sticky," such that it would become quickly obscured by dirt or
other foreign materials. Rather, a nice balance is present.
[0018] The tacky and energy absorbent nature of the modified fibers
provides the greatest benefit over the conventional technology in
which the netting is composed of either leather or uncoated nylon.
The tackiness results from the rubber coating generally existing at
a temperature above its glass transition temperature (T.sub.g)
during normal use. From a technical point of view, the T.sub.g is
the temperature at which sufficient kinetic energy is present to
facilitate segmental motion of long chain molecules (polymers).
From an application point of view, this is the temperature above
which a natural or synthetic polymer transforms from a hard, often
brittle plastic, to a soft, malleable, and often tacky material.
Because room temperature is well above the T.sub.g of natural
rubber, the fibers are coated with a material that provides the
observed tackiness and elasticity (though there are other
considerations that factor into the latter) even when wet. The soft
nature of the coating may also aid in dissipating energy during
impact with the ball, and this could contribute to the sense of
increased "feel."
[0019] There are many natural and synthetic polymers that have
T.sub.g values below room temperature and might be capable of
delivering similar benefits. In general, conventional synthetic
elastomers (e.g., butyl rubber) can offer some of the same
advantages, provided there is an application method that is equally
facile. Thermoplastic elastomers are a growing field of interest in
coating technologies, and with the appropriate tuning, they can be
made with all of the same properties as the natural rubber coating.
The benefit of thermoplastic elastomers lies in that fact that they
are completely synthetic, relatively inexpensive, easily-processed,
and, most importantly, can be precisely tailored for specific
properties through variation of composition. While the natural
rubber coating is inexpensive and can be applied easily,
thermoplastic elastomers can be prepared with a finely-tuned
balance of elasticity and tackiness in order to impart a
combination of properties that approaches that of an ideal coating.
More generally, a coating composed of any polymer that provides
increased fiber integrity, elasticity, and tackiness, regardless of
T.sub.g or elasticity could be considered.
[0020] Regarding the method of application, a brush-on method
employed so far certainly delivers the desired coating thickness
and properties, but other methods may increase feasibility for
scaling-up the process. Referring now to FIG. 2, an alternative
embodiment of a lacrosse net according to the present invention is
referred to generally by reference numeral 20. Certainly dip
coating and spray coating 22 of fibers 24 are attractive because
they are fast and could be incorporated into a continuous
industrial process. By varying the concentration and/or viscosity
of the solution from which the coating is applied, it may be
possible to control the thickness 16 of the coating. A thicker
coating (to a limit) would dissipate impact energy more efficiently
and give a better sense of feel.
[0021] Referring now to FIG. 3, yet another embodiment of a
lacrosse net according to the present invention is referred to
generally by reference numeral 30. A coating 32 is applied to
individual fibers 34 prior to their being made into a net. In this
embodiment the fibers would have similar properties to the prior
embodiments but could have some relative motion between the
fibers.
[0022] In one embodiment, the entire fiber is composed of a rubbery
material. The resulting properties may not be exactly what is
desired, however, because the underlying integrity of the nylon
fiber would be absent, and this might result in netting with a
"springy" feel.
[0023] From the foregoing it will be seen that this invention is
well adapted to attain all of the ends and objectives hereinabove
set forth, together with other advantages which are inherent to the
apparatus.
[0024] It will be understood that certain features and
subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without
reference to other features and subcombinations. This is
contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims.
[0025] As many possible embodiments may be made of the invention
without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood
that all matter herein set forth or shown in the figures of the
accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not
in a limiting sense.
SEQUENCE LISTING
[0026] Not Applicable
* * * * *