U.S. patent application number 17/306958 was filed with the patent office on 2021-08-19 for pickleball paddle.
The applicant listed for this patent is Feng-Yu Lee. Invention is credited to Feng-Yu Lee.
Application Number | 20210252357 17/306958 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005569136 |
Filed Date | 2021-08-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20210252357 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lee; Feng-Yu |
August 19, 2021 |
PICKLEBALL PADDLE
Abstract
A pickleball paddle includes a paddle body and a handle. The
paddle body includes a substrate and two face plates on front and
rear sides thereof. An elastic member is provided between the
substrate and each of the two face plates. The elastic member
between the substrate and the face plate is configured to reduce
the reaction force generated by the ball hitting the face plate and
prolong the time that the ball stays on the face plate. The user
can control the trajectory of the ball better. It enhances
entertainment fun.
Inventors: |
Lee; Feng-Yu; (Taichung
City, TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Lee; Feng-Yu |
Taichung City |
|
TW |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005569136 |
Appl. No.: |
17/306958 |
Filed: |
May 4, 2021 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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17006920 |
Aug 31, 2020 |
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17306958 |
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16412421 |
May 15, 2019 |
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17006920 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 59/42 20151001;
A63B 2102/08 20151001; A63B 60/54 20151001 |
International
Class: |
A63B 59/42 20060101
A63B059/42; A63B 60/54 20060101 A63B060/54 |
Claims
1. A pickleball paddle, comprising a paddle body and a handle, the
paddle body including a substrate and two face plates on front and
rear sides thereof; an elastic member being provided between the
substrate and each of the two face plates, at least one hollow
cylindrical space being provided in the substrate, either end of
the hollow cylindrical space being tightly attached to the elastic
member, a rolling member being provided in the hollow cylindrical
space, the rolling member being configured to roll back and forth
along a longitudinal direction of the hollow cylindrical space and
hit the elastic member; wherein when a user swings the paddle body
forward to hit a ball, the rolling member in the hollow cylindrical
space is in close contact with the elastic member on the rear side
due to inertia; when the face plate of the paddle body hits the
ball, the elastic member provides a deformation space to absorb
part of an impact force to reduce the speed of the ball and to
increase a contact area of the ball with the face plate so as to
control the ball effectively, due to inertia, the rolling member
instantly hits the elastic member on the front side from a position
of the elastic member behind the hollow cylindrical space, so that
the elastic member on the front side receives the impact force and
then transmit it to the ball hitting the face plate on the front
side.
2. The pickleball paddle as claimed in claim 1, wherein an axis of
the hollow cylindrical space is perpendicular to the paddle body.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELAYED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This is a continuation-in-part application of co-pending
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/006,920, "PICKLEBALL PADDLE",
filed on Aug. 31, 2020.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a pickleball paddle, and
more particularly to a pickleball paddle having a face plate
capable of controlling a ball without refraining the speed of
returning the ball.
2. Description of the Prior Art
[0003] Pickleball is a very popular sport in Europe and America in
recent years, and it is the fastest growing sport in the world.
Pickleball is a paddle sport (similar to a racquet sport) that
combines elements of badminton, tennis, and table tennis. It has
the advantages of interest, entertainment, diversified gameplay and
adaptability, and gradually becomes popular all over the world.
[0004] A conventional Pickleball paddle includes two face plates
and a substrate. The existing face plates are made of carbon fiber
or glass fiber. The substrate is made of a harder plastic honeycomb
board. In this way, the pickleball paddle can provide a better
explosive force when hitting a ball. Because the face plates and
the substrate of the paddle are made of harder materials, when the
user swings the paddle to hit a ball, the paddle is instantly
stressed. The vibration of the overall paddle is relatively large,
causing the user to feel unwell. Especially, after the face plate
of the paddle is impacted by a force, the speed of returning the
ball is fast, and the deformation of the face plate is small (the
contact area between the face plate and the ball is small), so the
ball stays on the face plate for a short time. As a result, it is
difficult for the user to control the direction of the ball
effectively, reducing the entertainment of the sport. The inventor
once proposed a solution to the problem. A rolling member is
provided in the existing face plate to directly hit the face plate,
so that the paddle can enhance its explosive force better. But,
this will influence the user's ability to control the ball. Based
on this, in view of the explosive force required by the existing
pickleball paddle and the need to enhance the effectiveness of the
direction control of the ball during a shot, it is necessary to
improve the existing pickleball paddles.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] In view of the drawbacks of the prior art, the primary
object of the present invention is to provide a pickleball paddle
with a face plate capable of controlling a ball without refraining
the speed of hitting the ball.
[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention
adopts the following technical solutions:
[0007] A pickleball paddle comprises a paddle body and a handle.
The paddle body includes a substrate and two face plates on front
and rear sides thereof An elastic member is provided between the
substrate and each of the two face plates for reducing the speed of
a ball. At least one hollow cylindrical space is provided in the
substrate. Either end of the hollow cylindrical space is tightly
attached to the elastic member. A rolling member is provided in the
hollow cylindrical space. The rolling member is configured to roll
back and forth along a longitudinal direction of the hollow
cylindrical space and hit the elastic member.
[0008] Preferably, an axis of the hollow cylindrical space is
perpendicular to the paddle body.
[0009] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has
obvious advantages and beneficial effects. Specifically, it can be
known from the above technical solutions.
[0010] Through the elastic member sandwiched between the substrate
and the face plate, the elastic member is used to reduce the
reaction force generated by the ball hitting the face plate and to
increase the contact area between the face plate and the ball.
Besides, at the moment of hitting the ball, in cooperation with the
design of the rolling member to hit the elastic member due to
inertia, the elastic member absorbs a part of the impact force
generated by the rolling member and transmits it to the face plate,
so as to appropriately increase the explosive force of the entire
face plate. The user can control the trajectory of the ball better.
It also has the explosive force of hitting the ball without loss,
and enhances the sports function and entertainment fun.
[0011] 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
[0012] FIG. 1 is a front view in accordance with a preferred
embodiment of the present invention;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view in accordance with the
preferred embodiment of the present invention in a state of not
hitting a ball; and
[0014] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view in accordance with the
preferred embodiment of the present invention in a state of hitting
a ball.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0015] Referring to FIG. 1 through FIG. 3, there is shown a
specific structure of a preferred embodiment of the present
invention, comprising a paddle body 10 and a handle 20.
[0016] The paddle body 10 includes a substrate 11 and two face
plates 12 on front and rear sides thereof. An elastic member 13 is
provided between the substrate 11 and each of the two face plates
12. The elastic member 13 is configured to absorb part of the
reaction force when a ball 40 hits the face plate 12, thereby
reducing the speed of returning the ball, providing a deformation
space, increasing the contact area of the ball 40 on the face plate
12, and prolonging the time that the ball 40 stays on the face
plate 12.
[0017] At least one hollow cylindrical space 101 is provided in the
substrate 11. Either end of the hollow cylindrical space 101 is
tightly attached to the elastic member 13. A rolling member 30 is
provided in the hollow cylindrical space 101. The rolling member 30
is configured to roll back and forth along the longitudinal
direction of the hollow cylindrical space 101 and hit the elastic
member 13. In the process of swinging the paddle body 10 to hit the
ball 40, the rolling member 30 impacts the face plate 12 due to
inertia and transmits part of the impact force to the face plate 12
through the elastic member 13, thereby appropriately increasing the
explosive force for the face plate 12 to hit the ball. In this
embodiment, the face plate 12 is made of carbon fiber or glass
fiber, and the elastic member 13 may be made of cork or other
materials. The axis of the hollow cylindrical space 101 is
perpendicular to the elastic member 13. The rolling member 30 may
be plural. The rolling member 30 may be made of metal or other
materials. Besides, the rolling member 30 may have a spherical,
square or other shape, but not limited thereto.
[0018] The use of this embodiment is described as follows:
[0019] When the user swings the paddle body 10 for hitting a ball,
the paddle is speeded with certain acceleration by the user, and
the rolling member 30 in the hollow cylindrical space 101 is in
close contact with the rear elastic member 13 due to inertia. When
the paddle body 10 hits the ball 40, at the moment the ball 40 hits
the front face plate 12, the elastic member 13 absorbs part of the
impact force, reduces the speed of the ball and increases the
contact area between the ball and the face plate to control the
ball effectively. As shown in FIG. 3, when the ball 40 hits the
front face plate 12, the front face plate 12 and the elastic member
13 are slightly deformed backward. FIG. 3 is a microscopic
schematic view. In fact, there is no such large deformation as
shown in the figure. Since the speed of the ball 40 hit by the
elastic member 13 is slowed down, the user can take advantage of
the slowed speed and the larger contact area to effectively control
the direction of motion of the ball. At the same time, the rolling
member 30 hits the front elastic member 13 from the rear elastic
member 13 at a constant speed due to inertia. At this time, the
front elastic member 13 will offset a part of the instantaneous
impact force generated by the rolling member 30 and will transmit a
part of the impact force to the front face plate 12. The front face
plate 12 is subjected to the reaction force and the impact force
successively at the moment of hitting the ball, so that the front
face plate 12 as a whole can ensure a certain explosive force of
hitting the ball.
[0020] The feature of the present invention is that through the
elastic member sandwiched between the substrate and the face plate,
the elastic member is used to reduce the speed of returning the
ball hitting the face plate of the paddle and increase the contact
area between the ball and the face plate. Besides, at the moment of
hitting the ball, in cooperation with the design of the rolling
member to hit the elastic member due to inertia, the elastic member
absorbs a part of the impact force generated by the rolling member
and transmits it to the face plate of the paddle, so as to
appropriately increase the explosive force of the entire face
plate. The user can control the trajectory of the ball better at a
sufficient speed of returning the ball.
[0021] 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 scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the present
invention is not to be limited except as by the appended
claims.
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