Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
This invention relates to a racket, especially a tennis
racket, of the type having a grip shell that is slid ably
adjustable on a shaft of the racket frame.
A racket of this type is disclosed in DUMMY 70 I 618.
In order to arrest the grip sleeve, an oval longitudinal Barlow
is provided, on one side, between the grip sleeve and the shaft
of the racket, the elliptical major axis of this longitudinal
Barlow extending in the separating plane of the grip sleeve and
the shaft. A pin that is adapted correspondingly oval in cross
section can be inserted into this Barlow. By a rotation of the
pin by up to 90, the grip sleeve can be wedged to the shaft by
the pin. In this manner, the grip may be shortened from its nor-
met length, which is indicated by a marking that is not described
in detail. However, because of the hard impacts that occur dun-
in play, and the resulting vibrations, a gradual shifting of the
grip shell cannot be precluded. Thus, the short length of the
grip that was adjusted for a young person, will noticeably be
extended toward the normal length, which may result in over-
straining of the wrists and the muscles of the arm. Finally, item also happen that the grip sleeve detaches itself completely
from the shaft, since the end position cannot be recognized. In
this case, the racket may be flung out of the grip sleeve during
hitting and other players or other persons or objects may be
endangered or damaged.
In this context, the invention
, " Jo
I
provides a racket of the corresponding type in such a way that a
continuous adjustment of the grip sleeve is possible by simple
means and that the danger of an unintended independent shifting
of the grip sleeve on the shaft or the detaching of the grip
sleeve from the shaft is safely avoided. In addition, the
intended adjustment of the grip sleeve is able to be checked at
any time.
According to the present invention there is provided a
racket having a frame with a hand-grip shaft and a hand-grip
sleeve which is longitudinally slid able and fixable on the shaft,
wherein an adjusting screw device is provided for producing the
longitudinal sliding of the hand-grip sleeve in an continuously
adjustable manner and for fixing of the hand-grip sleeve in any
arbitrary position along the shaft within a range of adjustment
and wherein an imprinted guide is located on the shaft spanning
at least a range of movement of a top end edge of the grip sleeve
during said longitudinal sliding thereof. Desirably the guide
has cross bars that are arranged at an equal distance ox 1 mm to
5 mm from one another.
Thus in accordance with the invention, an adjusting
screw is used for producing the longitudinal sliding movement and
for fixing the position of the hand-grip sleeve, an imprinted
marking is used in the vicinity of the top end edge of the hand-
grip sleeve.
Thy invention has the special advantage that each
player can individually adapt a racket, such as a tennis racket,
of a normal size to his or her game, playing method, etc. The
imprint, will then serve as an adjustment marking for the length
of the grip. Because of the arrangement of the imprint in the
adjusting range of the end edge of the grip sleeve, no special
display windows have to be provided in the grip sleeve.
In particular embodiments of the present invention the
.1
owe- - 2 -
~23~
guide has a rectangular shape or a wedge shape. In particular
the guide may have two opposed wedge patterns. Suitably one
opposed wedge pattern is differently imprinted from the other.
Desirably the difference in imprinting is one of color. Suitably
the difference in imprinting is in the nature of cross bars
thereon.
In a particular embodiment of the invention tongue
means is secured within a recess in a bottom end of the tubular
piece and engages within a pyrometric groove within a head of the
adjusting screw in a manner precluding longitudinal and radial
movement thereof. Suitably a threaded end of the adjusting screw
is in threaded engagement with a threaded Barlow located at a
bottom end of the hand-grip of the frame. Desirably the hand-
grip shaft of the frame is a single bar-like member and said
-threaded Barlow is formed in the bottom end thereof.
In a further aspect thereof the present invention
provides a racket having a handle sleeve shiftable longitudinally
along a shank of the racket and fixable in any position, a
marking being provided for at least one position in which the
longitudinal shifting and the fixing of the handle sleeve is
effected by means of a setting-screw between the handle sleeve
and the shank of the racket and the marking extends over at least
the range of adjustment of the front and edge of the handle
sleeve and is applied to the shank of the racket as at least one
of an impression and imprint.
The present invention will be further illustrated by
way of the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of
illustration only several embodiments in accordance with the
present invention and in which:-
. \ - pa -
,. I
~7~3~3~
Figure 1 is a handle of a racket according to the
invention, as a partial section in top view;
Figure 2 is a wedge-shaped or imprint on the shaft: and
Figure 3 is an opposite double-wedge-shaped imprint on
the shaft.
A hand-grip shaft of a racket, especially a tennis
racket, that is part of a frame that surrounds the strung surface
(only the hand-grip shaft of the frame being shown), has the
reference number 1. On the end area 2 of said shaft 1, a hand-
grip sleeve 3 is guided so that it can be longitudinally slid
thrilling. The position of the grip shell 3 can be changed and
fixed by means of an adjusting screw 4. This takes place by
means of a tongue-and-groove connection between the adjusting
screw 4 and the grip sleeve 3 and a threaded guiding of the
adjusting screw 4 in a threaded Barlow 5 in the end of the
shaft 1. In this regard, while the frame shaft 1 is illustrated
as a single bar-like shaft of the type found on wood and molded
plastic rackets, this invention is also applicable to rackets
formed of bent metal wherein the hand-grip shaft is formed of a
pair of rods or tubes, corresponding to the ends of the bent
metal piece. In such a case, a plate or block with a threaded
Barlow would be attached at the end of the shaft so as to
function in an equivalent manner to Barlow 5 in the illustrated
shaft 1.
The tongue-and-groove connection, as can be seen in
Fig. 1, is provided by a pyrometric groove 6 in the head 7 of the
adjusting screw 4 and one or several flange-like tongue means 10
that can be inserted, for
~3~3~
example, into a recess 8 of the bottom end 9 of the
hand-grip sleeve 3. The flange-like tongue means may
be developed as individual teeth or wall surfaces.
Because of this manner of mounting, the adjusting screw
4 can be turned in the grip sleeve or but it cannot be
moved in axial and radial directions. By means of a
screwing-in or screwing-out of the adjusting screw 4 in
the tapped hole 5, the grip sleeve 3 can be moved
longitudinally with respect to the frame shaft 1 and
the length of the grip of the racket can be adjusted.
At least in the adjusting area 11 in the vicinity
of the top edge 12 of the grip sleeve 3, an imprint 13
produced by engraving, embossing, printing, stamping,
labeling or the like), is provided on the shaft 1
which, according to the adjusted position of the grip
sleeve 3, is more or less covered by said grip sleeve
3. Advantageously, crossbars 14 are provided in order
to obtain a clearer View of the adjusted position of
the grip sleeve 3. The distance of the crossbars 14
from one another is expediently between lam and Sum,
and the length of the crossbars 14 may possibly, in
addition, as shown in Figure 1, progressively decrease
in length.
Indicia, also, may expediently by used for marking
the balance, i.e., the distribution of weight or the
shifting of the center of gravity of the racket.
Therefore, as balancing or weight symbols, for example,
from the top to the bottom, using L, LO and M for
flown, low medium and Madame, may be used
The imprint 13 may be rectangular or square/ or,
as shown in Figure 2, wedge- or arrow-shaped, or may,
according to Figure 3, have a double-wedge shape, in
which case the two wedges 15 and 16 are preferably
arranged with their major sides opposing one another
~23~3~!
thus creating rectangle in combination. It is advantageous for
the two opposing wedges 15,16 to be imprinted differently, for
example, for the one wedge 15 to have cross ribbing and for the
other wedge 16 to have longitudinal ribbing and/or to provide
each with a different coloration. In addition, ink stamping
within recessed indicia (formed such as by engraving or emboss-
in) has the advantage that it cannot be worn off very fast.
Even though the main area of application of the invent
lion concerns tennis rackets, it may also, advantageously, be
used in the case of other types of rackets, such as squash rack-
eta, badminton rackets, racquetball rackets, etc.
While the illustrated and described embodiments relate
to use of hand-grip sleeve 3 formed of a single tubular piece, it
should be appreciated the imprinted adjustment position guide 13
may also be used with adjustable hand-grip sleeves formed from
half-shells as shown and described in my co-pending Canadian
application 457,657 filed on even date herewith. Likewise, the
nature and manner of mounting of tongue means 10 within recess 8
may correspond to that described in said application.
- 5 -
