Hockey Stick

Abstract

A hockey stick comprising a handle and a blade which is integral therewith. The blade projects at an obtuse angle from the handle, thereby forming an elbow between the handle and the blade. A flexible net is secured in the elbow between the handle and blade.

Description

This invention relates to a hockey stick, and more particularly, to a hockey stick that is adapted for use in street hockey and ice hockey.

Hockey is now becoming an increasingly popular sport in the United States. Its popularity as a spectator sport has led to the formation of many amateur and semiprofessional teams. With the advent of the popularity of the sport, it is also becoming a popular street game. Thus, many children are now playing street hockey using a plastic ball instead of a puck.

Through the years, various improvements have been made in hockey sticks. However, substantially all of these improvements have related to improvements in the blade of the stick. See, for instance, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,677,542, 3,561,760, and 3,563,546. One improvement that has been made in a hockey stick is the provision of a rigid guard which is adapted to receive a puck in a receptacle in the blade to enable the player to carry the puck in the receptable. This improvement is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 682,807.

The hockey stick of my invention also includes means for carrying a puck or ball when playing hockey. However, the device of my invention includes a flexible net which readily pivots from one side to the other side of the blade. Accordingly, the hockey stick is useable for both forehand and backhand shots. In the device of U.S. Pat. No. 682,807, the guard is rigid, and can be used only for forehand shots. Additionally, the guard is extremely small, and cannot be used in connection with the total length of the blade, but is only used in connection with a small portion of the blade. Thus, the guard is only adapted for use with highly skilled players and accordingly would be of little or no use to children or other people who play the game only on a part-time basis.

It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide a novel hockey stick.

It is another object of this invention to provide a hockey stick that includes a flexible net for catching and stopping a puck in both the forehand and backhand position.

These and other objects of this invention are accomplished by providing a hockey stick comprising a handle and a blade integral therewith, and a flexible net positioned over the blade and extending along substantially the entire length of the blade.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the hockey stick of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the hockey stick of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3--3 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 4--4 of FIG. 3.

Referring now in greater detail to the various figures of the drawings wherein like reference characters refer to like parts, a hockey stick embodying the present invention is generally shown at 10 in FIG. 1. Device 10 basically comprises a handle 12, a blade 14 and a net 16.

The handle 12 and blade 14 are the elements of all hockey sticks. Thus, the blade 14 is integral with the handle 12 and projects at an obtuse angle therefrom, thereby forming an elbow. In the embodiment shown, as seen in FIG. 4, the blade and handle are unitary, and are formed from wood. However, the hockey stick of this invention is adapted to be formed from the same materials as any of the hockey sticks known to the art, including those where the blade is integrally attached to the handle. The stick can be formed from wood, aluminum, plastic or a combination of these materials.

A rod 18 extends across the elbow between the handle 12 and the blade 14. Rod 18 has one end 20 that is secured in a hole adjacent the toe 22 of blade 14. A second end 24 of the rod is secured in a hole in handle 12. The ends 20 and 24 are secured in place by a pressed fit, or if desired, an adhesive can be used to additionally secure the ends in place. Regardless of the method of securement, the rod 18 is rigidly secured in the blade and handle. Rod 18 can be formed from metal, such as aluminum or steel, or other rigid material.

The net 16 has an upper edge that is secured to the rod 18. This securement is accomplished by forming loops 26 in the top strands of the net, and adhesively securing these loops to the rod 18. The net also includes free ends 28 which are secured in holes in the handle 12 and blade 14. The free ends 28 are adhesively secured in place within the holes.

The net 16 can be formed from any durable webbing known to the art, such as rawhide or synthetic strands. Webs formed from nylon or polyester resins are particularly durable, and are adapted for use in this invention. The rod 18, the loops 26 and the ends 28 of the net 16 can be adhesively secured in place by any of the adhesives known to the art, such as epoxy or silicone adhesives.

One of the features of the hockey stick of this invention is the flexibility of the net 16. Thus, the hockey stick can be used in its normal manner in both forehand and backhand play. Whenever the puck or ball used in playing the game hits the blade 14 and bounces over the blade, it will be caught in the net 16. Since the hockey stick can be used in both forehand and backhand play, and since the net is flexible, the puck or ball will be caught regardless of whether a backhand or forehand shot is being attempted. Thus, as shown in FIG. 3, the net 16 will readily move from the position shown in full line in FIG. 3 to the position shown in phantom at 16' in FIG. 3 upon impact with an object.

It is thus seen that the hockey stick of this invention can be used where any of the hockey sticks have been used in the prior art. However, having the flexible net 16 renders the hockey stick much easier to use, especially when used in playing street hockey with a ball. Having the net 16 which will catch the puck or ball and aids in propelling the same will render the game far more exciting. New rules have been developed to encompass the carrying of a ball or puck within the net for a given period of time prior to the time that it must be shot from the net.

The hockey stick of this invention will also be an invaluable aid to new hockey players, who are not sufficiently adept at controlling or stopping a puck or ball solely with the blade 14. Since the net 16 is flexible, the hockey stick will be able to be used in all of the shots and motions which were usable with the prior art hockey sticks.

As best seen in FIG. 4, the net 16 extends over substantially the entire length of the blade 14. Additionally, it projects up a substantial portion of the handle 12. In this way, any puck or ball which bounces over the blade 14 will almost certainly be caught by the net.

Again referring to U.S. Pat. No. 682,807, it is seen that the guard used in connection with the blade extends only along approximately 30 percent of the length of the blade. Thus, it is quite possible that a puck, upon striking the blade, will hop over the small guard. Additionally, because the guard is rigid, it can be used only in connection with forehand shots. As pointed out above, the hockey stick of this invention has a net which extends along substantially the entire length of the blade, and in addition is flexible, enabling it to be used for both forehand and backhand shots.

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully illustrate my invention, that others may, by applying current or future knowledge, readily adapt the same for use under various conditions of service.

Claims

1. A hockey stick comprising a handle and a blade integral therewith, said blade projecting at an obtuse angle from said handle, a rod having one end secured in said blade and another end secured in said handle, a flexible net suspended from said rod and having portions thereof secured to said blade and other portions thereof secured to said handle, whereby said net bridges the elbow between said blade and handle, said net extending along a substantial portion of the length of said blade, and said net being

2. A hockey stick comprising a handle and a blade integral therewith, said blade projecting at an obtuse angle from said handle, a rod extending from a point adjacent the toe of said blade to a point along the length of the handle, said rod having one end secured in said blade adjacent said toe and the other end secured in said handle, a flexible net suspended from said rod and being secured to said blade and to said handle, said net extending along a substantial portion of the length of said blade, and said net being of sufficient length to permit it to pivot from one side of said blade and said handle to the other side of said blade and said handle

5. The hockey stick of claim 2 wherein said rods are adhesively secured in

6. The hockey stick of claim 5 wherein said net is adhesively secured to said blade and said handle.