U.S. patent application number 16/412421 was filed with the patent office on 2020-11-19 for pickleball paddle.
The applicant listed for this patent is Feng-Yu Lee. Invention is credited to Feng-Yu Lee.
Application Number | 20200360778 16/412421 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000004109124 |
Filed Date | 2020-11-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20200360778 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lee; Feng-Yu |
November 19, 2020 |
PICKLEBALL PADDLE
Abstract
A pickleball paddle includes a paddle body and a handle
connected to the paddle body. At least one hollow member is
disposed in the paddle body. Rolling members that can roll in the
hollow member are disposed in the hollow member. By providing the
at least one hollow member in the paddle body and the rolling
members that can roll in the hollow member, the pickleball paddle
can enhance an explosive force for hitting a ball and absorb
vibrations.
Inventors: |
Lee; Feng-Yu; (Taichung
City, TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Lee; Feng-Yu |
Taichung City |
|
TW |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000004109124 |
Appl. No.: |
16/412421 |
Filed: |
May 15, 2019 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 2102/08 20151001;
A63B 59/42 20151001; A63B 2209/02 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A63B 59/42 20060101
A63B059/42 |
Claims
1. A pickleball paddle, comprising a paddle body and a handle
connected to the paddle body; at least one hollow member being
disposed in the paddle body, rolling members that can roll in the
hollow member being disposed in the hollow member.
2. The pickleball paddle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the paddle
body includes a substrate, two face plates, and a frame; the two
face plates are respectively superposed and fixed to two sides of
the substrate, and the frame is fixedly connected to a
circumferential side of the substrate.
3. The pickleball paddle as claimed in claim 2, wherein the
substrate is a honeycomb panel having at least one honeycomb hole,
and the hollow member is disposed in the honeycomb hole.
4. The pickleball paddle as claimed in claim 2, wherein the hollow
member is located on the circumferential side of the substrate and
is located on an outer side of the frame.
5. The pickleball paddle as claimed in claim 2, wherein the hollow
member is detachably mounted to a circumferential side of the
frame.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
[0001] The present invention relates to a pickleball paddle, and
more particularly to a pickleball paddle which can enhance an
explosive force for hitting a ball and absorb vibrations.
2. Description of the Prior Art
[0002] Pickleball is a paddle sport (similar to a racquet sport)
that combines elements of badminton, tennis, and table tennis. The
game started during the summer of 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Wash.
The pickleball court is similar to a doubles badminton court. Two
or four players use solid paddles made of wood or composite
materials to hit a perforated polymer ball, similar to a Wiffle
Ball, over a net. A pickleball paddle is shaped like a larger table
tennis racket, originally made from wood. In these days, the
pickleball paddle may be made from glass fiber, composite materials
and graphite fiber.
[0003] The sport shares features of other racquet sports, the
dimensions and layout of a badminton court, and a net and rules
somewhat similar to tennis, with several modifications. Only the
serving side may score a point (similar to badminton). The ball is
served with an underhand stroke so that contact with the ball is
made below waist level (waist is defined as the navel level) in an
upward arc. A player may enter the non-volley zone to play a ball
that bounces and may stay there to play balls that bounce. The
design of pickleball is to enable the players to be active.
Pickleball is a patient competitive sport, not depending on
strength or brute force. The player must exit the non-volley zone
(the first seven feet from the net) before playing a volley, which
is beneficial to reduce an excessive smash in front of the net.
[0004] In the United States, pickleball has become a regular sport
in physical education classes of junior high schools, and has
become popular among young people and the elderly. In New York,
more than 500 schools have set pickleball as a course. There are
many pickleball competitions in the United States every year. The
United States has the International Federation of Pickleball.
[0005] A conventional pickleball paddle on the market includes a
paddle body and a handle connected to the paddle body. In order to
make the paddle body have a better shock-absorption effect, the
paddle body has an accommodating space. Composite filler is
disposed in the accommodating space. The composite filler is
usually made of EVA foam. Although it provides a better
shock-absorption effect after the composite filler is used, the
explosive force for hitting a ball is greatly weakened. Besides,
the overall mass of the paddle is increased, which affects the
user's experience.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] In view of the drawbacks of the prior art, the primary
object of the present invention is to provide a pickleball paddle
which can enhance an explosive force for hitting a ball and absorb
vibrations. The present invention can effectively solve the problem
that the existing pickleball paddle has less explosive force for
hitting a ball and that the mass of the existing pickleball paddle
is large.
[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention
adopts the following technical solutions:
[0008] A pickleball paddle comprises a paddle body and a handle
connected to the paddle body. At least one hollow member is
disposed in the paddle body. Rolling members that can roll in the
hollow member are disposed in the hollow member.
[0009] Preferably, the paddle body includes a substrate, two face
plates, and a frame. The two face plates are superposed and fixed
to two sides of the substrate, respectively. The frame is fixedly
connected to a circumferential side of the substrate.
[0010] Preferably, the substrate is a honeycomb panel having at
least one honeycomb hole, and the hollow member is disposed in the
honeycomb hole.
[0011] Preferably, the hollow member is located on the
circumferential side of the substrate and is located on an outer
side of the frame.
[0012] Preferably, the hollow member is detachably mounted to a
circumferential side of the frame.
[0013] The invention has obvious advantages and beneficial effects
compared with the prior art, in particular, it can be known from
the above technical solutions.
[0014] By providing at least one hollow member in the paddle body,
rolling members that can roll in the hollow member are disposed in
the hollow member. When the paddle body hits a ball, the speed of
the paddle instantaneously drops. At this time, the rolling members
hit the front inner wall of the hollow member from the rear inner
wall of the hollow member at a constant speed due to inertia, and
the rolling members apply an impact force to the hollow member.
Therefore, the hollow member brings the paddle a secondary
explosive force, which can enhance the explosive force for hitting
the ball greatly. Besides, because the interior of the hollow
member is not solid, the rolling members rolling in the hollow
member can absorb part of the vibration of the paddle when the
paddle hits the ball, providing a shock-absorption function.
Furthermore, the rolling members rolling in the hollow member may
be configured to adjust the weight of the paddle body.
[0015] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described,
by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] FIG. 1 is a front view in accordance with a first embodiment
of the present invention;
[0017] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view in accordance with the
first embodiment of the present invention; and
[0018] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view in accordance with a second
embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0019] Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, there is shown a specific
structure of a first embodiment of the present invention,
comprising a paddle body 10 and a handle 20.
[0020] The paddle body 10 includes a substrate 11, two face plates
12, and a frame 13. The two face plates 12 are superposed and fixed
to two sides of the substrate 11, respectively. The frame 13 is
fixedly or detachably connected to the circumferential side of the
substrate 11. The substrate 11, the face plates 12 and the frame 13
are made of a fiber material. The fiber material may be glass fiber
or graphite fiber. The frame 13 may be made of metal.
[0021] In this embodiment, the substrate 11 is a honeycomb panel
having a plurality of honeycomb holes 111. By designing the
substrate 11 into a honeycomb panel, the weight of the paddle can
be reduced effectively. Besides, because the honeycomb panel has
the honeycomb holes 111, the honeycomb holes 111 can absorb part of
the vibration of the paddle when the paddle hits a ball, providing
a shock-absorption function. A hollow member 14 is disposed in each
honeycomb hole 111. Rolling member 15 which can roll in the hollow
member 14 are disposed in the hollow member 14. The hollow member
14 may be made of various materials such as plastics. The hollow
member 14 may have various shapes, such as a spherical shape, a
square shape and the like. The number of the hollow members 14 is
not limited thereto. The rolling members 15 may be made of various
materials such as metal. The rolling members 15 may have various
shapes, such as a spherical shape, a square shape and the like. The
number of the rolling members 15 is not limited thereto.
[0022] The use of this embodiment is described as follows:
[0023] When the user grabs the handle 20 and swings the paddle body
10, the paddle is speeded with certain acceleration by the user,
and the rolling members 15 in the hollow member 14 are in close
contact with the rear inner wall of the hollow member 14 due to
inertia. When the paddle body 10 hits a ball, the speed of the
paddle instantaneously drops. At this time, the rolling members 15
hit the front inner wall of the hollow member 14 from the rear
inner wall of the hollow member 14 at a constant speed due to
inertia, and the rolling members 15 apply an impact force to the
hollow member 14. Therefore, the hollow member 14 brings the paddle
a secondary explosive force, which can enhance the explosive force
for hitting the ball greatly. Besides, because the interior of the
hollow member 14 is not solid, the rolling members 15 rolling in
the hollow member 14 can absorb part of the vibration of the paddle
when the paddle hits the ball, providing a shock-absorption
function. Furthermore, the rolling members 15 rolling in the hollow
member 14 may be configured to adjust the weight of the paddle body
10.
[0024] FIG. 3 illustrates a specific structure of a second
embodiment of the present invention. The specific structure of the
second embodiment is substantially similar to the specific
structure of the foregoing first embodiment with the exceptions
described hereinafter.
[0025] The hollow member 14 is located on the circumferential side
of the substrate 11 and is located in the frame 13.
[0026] The use of the second embodiment is the same as that of the
first embodiment described above, so the use of the second
embodiment will not be described in detail herein.
[0027] The handle 20 is connected to the paddle body 10. The handle
20 is made of glass fibers or graphite fibers. The handle 20 is
adapted for the user to hold the paddle.
[0028] The feature of the present invention is described below.
[0029] By providing at least one hollow member in the paddle body,
rolling members that can roll in the hollow member are disposed in
the hollow member. When the paddle body hits a ball, the speed of
the paddle instantaneously drops. At this time, the rolling members
hit the front inner wall of the hollow member from the rear inner
wall of the hollow member at a constant speed due to inertia, and
the rolling members apply an impact force to the hollow member.
Therefore, the hollow member brings the paddle a secondary
explosive force, which can enhance the explosive force for hitting
the ball greatly. Besides, because the interior of the hollow
member is not solid, the rolling members rolling in the hollow
member can absorb part of the vibration of the paddle when the
paddle hits the ball, providing a shock-absorption function.
Furthermore, the rolling members rolling in the hollow member may
be configured to adjust the weight of the paddle body.
[0030] Although particular embodiments of the present invention
have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various
modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from
the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the
present invention is not to be limited except as by the appended
claims
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