Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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N~THOD OF NAKING A HOCKEY STICK AND STRUCTURE OF SUCH HOCKEY
STICK
FIRTn OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to a hockeystick, and more particularly to an ice hockey stick and the
method of making such ice hockey stick having a reduced .
weight and a specific portion with an improved structural :
strength.
BA~KGROUND OF THE INV~NTION
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As shown in FIG. 1, a wooden hockey -stick 10 of the
prior art comprises a wooden shaft 12, a plastic ~lade 14 ~:
having a head end provided with a cavity 16 into which the
lower ènd of the shaft 12 is inserted adhesively. The hockey
stick 10 of the prior art is quite popular among the players ~
in view of the fact that the shaft 12 is provided with an ~ ;
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appropriate elasticity and is therefore capable of providing
a player with a good feel when the blade 14 hits a puck.
However, the hockey stick 10 described above is defective in
that its shaft 12 is vulnerable to breakage and that the
edge of the cavity 16 is vulnerable to cracks.
Another prior art hockey stick 20 of aluminium material
is shown in FIG. 2. The hockey stick 20 comprises a tubular
shaft 22 of aluminium alloy, a wooden handle 24 fastened to
the top end of the shaft 22, and a plastic blade 26 fastened
to the bottom end- of the shaft 22. Such prior art hockey
stick 20 as described above has inherent advantages that the
shaft 22 of aluminium alloy is less vulnerable to breakage,
and that the juncture of the shaft 22 and the blade 26 is
less likely to crack because of the blade 26 which is
solidly fastened to the bottom end of the shaft 22. However,
such hobkey stick 20 of aluminium alloy as described above
is also defective in that it is too rigid to absorb the
shock wave generated by the blade 26 upon hitting a puck,
thereby resulting in a severe discomfort or e~en an injury
to the wrists holding the hockey stick 20.
SUMMARY OF TH~ INVENTION
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- It is therefore the primary objective of the present
invention to provide a method of making an ice hockey stick
having appropriate elasticity and strength.
The foregoing objective is attained by a method of
making a hockey stick, which comprises the steps of: (a)
placing a mandrel of a predetermined length in a bag made of
a heat-resisting material, with a metal tube being disposed
outside the bag and near the open end of the bag; (b)
disposing a wooden handle at the outside of the closed end
of the bag such that the wooden handle is coaxial with the
mandrel; ~c) wrapping the bag, the metal tube and the wooden
handle with a carbon fiber fabric sheet preimpregnated with
epoxy resin; (d) removing the mandrel so that the bag, the
metal tube, the wooden handle and the carbon fiber sheet
form together a primary stick; (e) arranging the primary
stick in the càvity of a molding tool provided with an air
tube; ~f) closing the molding tool and then heating the
molding tool up to a predetermined temperature before
injecting the compressed air under a predetermined pressure
into the bag via the air tube of the molding tool; and (g)
upon the completion of the hardening of the carbon fiber
fabric layer, opening the molding tool to remove therefrom a
newly formed hockey stick.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a front elevational schematic view of a
wooden hockey stick of the prior art.
FIG. 2 shows a front elevational schematic view of an
aluminium hockey stick of the prior art.
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FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing that a wooden
mandrel is contained in a heat-resistant bag, which is then
wrapped with a carbon fiber fabric sheet, according to a
first preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a primary stick
formed in the first preferred embodiment of the present
invention.
FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing that the primary
stick is arranged in a molding tool, according to the first
preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 shows a sectional schematic view of a hockey
stick of a second preferred embodiment of the present
invention.
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FIG. 7 shows another sectional schematic view of the
hockey stick of the second preferred embodiment of the
present invention. ~
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
As illustrated in FIGS. 3-5, a method of making a
ho~ckey stick, according to a first preferred embodiment of ~ ~ :
the present invention, includes the steps of: ta) making a
plastic bag 30 of a heat-resistant material; (b) disposing a
wooden mandrel 32 of an appropriate length in the plastic ~ . :
bag 30; (c) attaching a metal tube 34 having a rectangular
cross section to an open end of the plastic bag 30; (d)
disposing a wooden handle 36 in- the outside of the plastic ; ;
bag 30 such that a diametrically small end 362 of the wooden
handle 30 is disposed at the bottom end of the plastic bag
30 and that the small end 362 is coaxial with the mandrel
32; (e) wrapping with a carbon fiber fabric sheet 38
preimpregnated with epoxy resin a portion between the metal
tube and the small end 362 such that the tubular end presses
against the junoture between a large end 361 and the small
end 362; (f) withdrawi-ng the ma-hdrel 32 from the plastic bag -~
30 so that the carbon fiber fabric sheet 3~, the metal tube :~
34 and the wooden handle 36 form jointly a primary stick 40;
(g~ using a molding tool 42 which has a cavity 43 with an
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inner diameter slightly greater than the diameter of the
primary stick 40 and which has an air tube 44 in
commuication with the cavity 43; (h) arranging the primary
stick 40 in the cavity 43 such that one end of the air tube
44 is in communication with the interior of the plastic bag
30; (i) closing the molding tool 42, and then heating the
molding tool 42 up to and appropriately beyond the melting
point of the epoxy resin, and injecting the compressed air
into the plastic bag 30 via the air tube 44 so that the
outer edge of the primary stick 40 is intimately attached to
the inner wàll of the cavity 43; and (j) cooling the molding
tool 42 before removing therefrom a newly formed hockey
stick 50.
The hockey stick 50 comprises a hollow shank 38 of
carbon fiber, a metal tube 34 inserted securely in the lower
end of the shank 38, and a wooden handle 36 provided
coaxially with a diametrically large end 361, a
diametrically small end 362 inserted securely in the upper
end of the shank 38, and a shoulder 363 formed between the
large and the small ends 361 and 362.
The advantages inherent in the hockey stick 50 of the
present invention are described and explained hereinafter.
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The shank 38 of carbon fiber material is provided with
appropriate flexibility and rigidity and is therefore not
vulnerable to breakage and vibration.
As shown in FIG. 6, the blade 52 has a fixing end 54,
which is held securely by the metal tube 34 located at the
bottom end of the shank 38.
The bottom end of the shank 38 is less likely to crack
at the time when the blade 52 hits a puck, thanks to the
metal tu~e 34 which serves to reinforce the structural
strenqth of the juncture between the shank 38 and the blade
52.
The method of thé present invention may be modified, as
illust~ated in ~IG. 7. For example, the carbon fiber fabric
sheet 38 is used to wrap the plastic bag 30, the mandrel 32
and the wooden handle 36. Thereafter, the metal tube 34 is
disposed at the end of the carbon fiber fabric sheet 38. As
a result, the hocksy sti~k 50 so formed is provided with the
~etal tube 34, which is fitted over the bottom end of the
shank 38, and with a blade 56 having a blade body 561 and a~
top tube 562 of rectangular construction-.
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