Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Title:PLASTIC HOCK~Y ST~CK BLADE STRUCTtJ~
BACKGRO~JN~ OF T~E INVE~TION
1. Fielt of the In~ention
The present in~ention relates generally to a hockey stic-k blade, and
more partic~ rly, to a ~oller or ice hockey blade constructed of a plastic material and
having a stru~re ~abling im~ t .l puck control.
2. l:~escrîption of the Prior Art
Hockey stic~s have experieIlced dramatic ~hanges throughout the years.
For example, ice hockey s~cks have evolved from a plain ~rooden stick having a
straight blade and handle to a signiff~ntly improved stick ha~ing a curved blateand bein$ ~ orced with fiber glass or the like. Sig~i~cAnt evolution has also
15 occurred in construction of the stick itself from sticks in which the ha~dle and blade
portions were both const~ucted of wood and were joined with one another through
various yro~s~ to forrn a single, integral unit, to sticks constructed of al~um
or plastic and used wi~ re~lac~hle wooden blades.
Historically, wooden blades, whether i"~eE,l~lly joined with a wood
20 shaft and sold as a unit or sold separately as a repl~cP~nt blade with a plastic or
aluminum shaft, were wrapped with friction or o~er tape. This helped tc ~r~,teelthe blade from wear as well as to provide the blade with a high frictional surface to
enable the player to better control, pass and shoot the puck.
Hockey sticks have also evol~red fron~ being used exclusively in
25 connection wi~ the ga~e of ice hocke~ to being used for in-line roller or s~eet
hockey utilizing a plasdc puck or ball. Because of this, some hockey stick
manufacturers have begun producing co~ usite or plastic hocke~r sticks as well as
composite or plastic Ieplacement blades. Although many of these plastic sticks and
blades a~e intended primarily for use in in-line roller or street hockey, the~ also
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have applicability to ice hockey. These cu~ Yictin~ plastic blades are, for the
most part, provided with a rela~dvely smooth hoe. Thus, the plastic repl~c~T-~ntblades currently on the market still need to be taped with fri~tion tape o~ the like in
orde~ to provide the desi~ed ~rictional surface for controlling, passing, and gl~otir.g
5 the pucl~
Ac~r~ gly, there is a need in the art for a plas~c hG~-~ s~ck blade
which Plimin~t~ the need for ~plJL.g the same with fric'don tape or the like, but
yet still provides for the desired puck control.
SUMMAKY OF THE ~NVENTION
In cont~ast to d~e p~ior art, the present inven~on provides a plastic
h:>~e~ stick blade whic~ can be formed il.leg~ y wi~ a plastic harldle or can beconstruc~ed as a repl~cPm~nt ~lade. ~he blade in accordance ~n~ the present
invention includes a surface design which substantially simt-l~tPs a stick ~
15 w~th ,fric1;on tape. ~ccordingly, the p~esent i..v~,.l;on pro~ndes a plastic hockey
stick blade ~Y~ihi1;~g puck cc1r.lf~ ' dble to that of a blade w~ d with
f.~iction tape, ~nt~ollt the need to wrap ~e stick.
More spe~f;t ally~ the blade of the l,res~.~ v~Lion in~ltl~c a series of
grooves formecl diagonally in ~e front and back faces of the blade. It ~as been found
20 that such stmcture provides a highly desirable fric~onal surface substanlially
simulating that of friction tape ~4rapping for controlling, passing and shootin~ the
puck. The blade of the present invention is also constr~lcted of a material w~ich
provides the desired weight, toughness and rp~ enfy and which can be shaped,
filed and curved to meet individual spefific~;o~.
P,e~æ~ably, ~e series of t;l~e~ extend from the toe end to the heel ent
of the blade and extend from the top of ~e stic~ diagonally rearwardly toward the
l~olLv~ Lably the series of ~;,ooves are sloped or angled relative to the boLLoi,.
of the blade at an angle less than 90 deg~ees.
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Accordingly, it is an object of the p~esent invention to pro~ide a plastic
hockey ~tick blade ha~ing its front and back surfaces provided with a structure
sim~ tin~ that of friction ta~e ~vra~ g.
Another object of t~e present invention is to provide a plastic hockey
5 stick blate which does not need to be wrapped with friction tape or the like, yet
PY~ihite highly desirable p~lck control charactP~istics.
A~other object of the ~.es~l invention is to provide a plastic hockey
sti~c blade either i.~L~ dlly formed with a plastic shaft or as a repl~mPrlt blade in
which the front and rear faces have a series of spaoed E;roo~.es to simulate friction
10 tape wIap.
I~ese and other objects of ~he present i~ Lion will becon~e ay~a~el~t
with rer~c.lce to the drawings, the des~nption of ~e ~rer~ d emboAi~e~t and ~e
appended rl~im8
DESCR~PI ION OF TH~ DR~WINGS
Pigure 1 is broken apart, isometric view of a plastic hockey stick
embodying a plastic repl~cpm~nt blade in acco~dance wi~ the present inv~ntio~-
Fi~ure 2 is a sectional view of the repl~ce~nt blade of Figure 1 as
viewed along the sectio~ line 2-2 of Figure 1.
Figllre 3 is an enlarged view of a por~on of a face of the hockey blade in
accordanoe with the present invention showing the ~l~t~iletl structure of the series
of alternatin~ grooves and ribs.
Figure 4 is an elevational right side view of a hockey stick blade in
accordance w~th ~he present invention.
2S Figure 5 is an elevational left side view of a hockey stick blade in
accordance with the present invention.
f ~F'`-'
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DESCRIl~IION OP THE PI~ ERRED EMBODII-IENT
Figure 1 illu~.ltes a plastic hockey stick in~o,~ordli~.g the hockey stick
blade 10 in acco~dance with ~e present invention. As shown, such Uade i~ d~s a
blade portion 11 and a neck or shaft connec~on portion 12. Because the blade 10 of
5 Fig~lre 1 is shown as a repla~ ent blade, the outer end of ~e portion 12 is provided
with a tenon 14 adapted for col~ne~i~-n with ~e hollo~ end o~ a repl~c~ n~nt shaft
15 in a m~ ~ known in the art. It should be noted that the blade of ~e ~r~.lt
i,lvt:.~Lion can be provided eithe~ as a repl~Pm~nt blade as show~ in Pigure 1 or
~Itegl~lly joined ~th a sha~ simil~r to structures ~,o- .. in the art. As shown best
in Pigures 4 and 5, the blade portion 11 includes a toe end 16, a heel end 18 and top
19 and l~otlu~l 20 edges. The cross sectional configuration of ~e blade portion 11 is
Si~ilA- to ~at of hockey stick blades coIrunon in tihe art Thus, it is relatively ~in
compaIed to its height and is substAnti~lly of equal tl~irl~nP~.s t-hro~lg~o~t, except at
its edges. The blade portiorl 11 is also provided wi~ a front face 21 and a back or rear
faoe 22 as shown in Figures 2, 4 and 5.
~ accordance ~i~ ~e present invention, both the front 21 and rear 22
faces are provited wi~ a series of spaoed ~;lCXS~S 24, or alternating ~;.oove~ 24 and
ribs ~!6, P~n~irtg subst~ntiAlly from near the toe end 16 to the heel end 18 andeYt~nAin~ ~roughout the faces of the blade from 1 he top edge 19 to the botLoi~L edge
20. AS shown best in Pigures 1, 4 and 5, the g~GOv~ 24, or g~ou~ s 24 and ribs 26,
extend ~iA~ ~n~11y relative to the top 19 and l~lLu~ 20 edges of ~e blade and
~efe~c.bly slope from the top edge 19 downwardly and re~ ~vardly toward the
~ol~o~.. edge 20 The speafic angle of slope "A" (Figure 5) of the gl~reS 24 relative
to the top 19 and bottom 20 edges can v~y to some degree and s~ll ;~rfc~ . the
25 desired f~ n of eliminating the ~riction ~ape wrap and pro~ndin~ puck cor~trol.
Pf~fe,~bly, ho~ever, such angle "A" ~neasured rela~ve to ~he l~ollu.,. of the blade as
defined by the base line "B" is less ~an 90 degrees. The base line "B" is a straight
line forming a tangent approximately at the center of ff~e bo~to". edge 20. More
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~r~er~bly, an~le "~" is between about 30 and 85 degrees and most ~r~f~.~bly
between 50 and 80 deg~ecs. The ~nost ~ef~able angle ~or t~he ~,,oo~es 24 is about 70
degrees relative to the base line "B"
Although the ~.ele~ied ernbodiment shows t}-e ~,~ves 24 as
~Yt~n~ing f~om the top edge 19 downwardly and re~ wa~dl~r ~oward ~e t~llo~. edge20 on bo~ the front 21 and rear 22 hces, it is contempla~ed *lat i~ r~,~. d fric~;o~
bPn~it will also be achie~lred from a structure in whidl the se~es of ~Gov~s 24, or
the alt~ l;ng gr~ov~s 24 aI~d ribs 26, extend from ~e top edge 19 downwardly andforwardly towaI~d ~e L~oll.J~ edge 20. Ihe s~ucture illustrated in Pigules 1, 4 and 5,
however, in which the ~Sr~v~ extend do~nwardly and rearwaIdly toward the
ol~ edge 20 ~s preferl~d.
~eference is next made to ~igures 2 ant 3 sho ~nng ~e details of the
g~oove or g~oove and rib structure. Figure 2 is a sectional view as viewed along ~e
section line 2-2 of Figure 1, ~hile Figure 3 is an enlarged view of ~e ~ e or
groove and rib pat~ern. The surface configuration of each faoe 21 and 22 of ~e blade
is ~"L~llsed of ~ series of spaced ~ es 2~ or alternat~ng groo~es 24 and ribs 26.
bly lhe corners of the gr~v~., ~l and ribs ~6 are rela~dvely square as shown in
:Fi~re 3; how~:v~, each of ~e comers can have a radius, if desired, hr molrlin~
tolerances or ~e like. F~rther, the wid~ of ~e 2;~oove 24 designated by ~ n~ion
WG, the width of the rib 26 designated by ~e r~imPr~ciQn WR and the height of ~erib 26 (and thus the depth of the K,o~,~e 24) designated by the dirnension H can be
varied to some extent without altering the func~o~alit~r of ~e structure. P.eferably,
howetrer, the width of the groove WG is between about 030 and 090 inches and
most ~ rerably about .060 inches, the width of the rib ~R (or ~e distance between
the grooves 24) is ~rer~lbly bet~een about .070 and .130 inches and most ~rerelably
about .10 inches and l:he height H of the rib (or depth of the groove) is be~ween about
.020 and .060 inches deep and most ~re~rdbly about .040 inches deep. Preferably, the
series of spaced grooves or alternating ~rooves and ribs extends throughout
2~34~
substantially ~e entire length of the blade portion 11 from the toe end 16 to the heel
end 18. The density of the ~ .~rib c~Tnhi~TiC~n measured in a direction parallelto the base line "B" is between about 8 and 20 per inch, more ~.efelably betweenabout 10 to 18 per inch and most ~refe~ably L~twe~lL about 1~ to 16 per inch
The blade of the present i.~.. lion ca~ be man~ctllred in a vanety of
ways The ~ ~cd involves molding ~e blade and molding tlle series of
spaced ~;~wv~s or alternating gr~4~,es and ribs wi~in the blade portion 11. It is
rontPm~ Te~ however, tllat the blade portion ~ould be for~ned smooth and the
spaced 15,1wves cotlld be cut into the blade surface via conventional m/~nR
l~e hockey sticl~ blade in accorda~ce with ~e ~ese~.l invention can be
used ~i1:her as an ice hockey blade or as an in-line roller or street hockey blade. The
tPrj~l from whid~ the blade 10 is constlucted may vary widely; ho~Jt ~, ~e
~efe~ l m~t~n~l is a co~ ~iLe ~aphite or a blend of fiber glass and Nylon to
provide dPsired weight, rP~ rncy~ streng~ and durability to ~e blade. Such
15 m~t~ri~lc also enable the blade to be cur~ed and sh~ped to meet indiv~dual needs
and spp~ ic~tinns.
Although the description of the ~.efe~led embodiment has been quite
Spff ifir, it iS cl~ntPm~lated that various m~rlifir~tjons can be made to the ~-ær~
emboriimpnt without deviating from the spirit of the present inv~ on-
20 Ac~o~ .gly, it is contemp~ that ~e scope of the present invention be rii~ tP~ bythe appPnAe-l claims rather than by the rl~ Lion of the ~reft:~ed e~nbo~imf~nt
