Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02221067 1998-01-23
1) Goalie Hockey Stick with a Concave Curved Paddle
FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to a special curvature of a goalie hockey stick suitable for
goalie's in the sport of hockey.
CLARIFICATION OF TERMINOLOGY USED IN THIS PATENT
Blade
As used herein the term "blade", shall refer to the section of the goalie hockey stick that sits
flat on the ice when the goalie stick is held in the vertical position.
Paddle
As used herein the term "paddle", shall refer to the section of the goalie hockey stick where
the shaft is widened on a conventional goalie hockey stick. The above said widened section of
the shaft extends from the blade's heel to the handgrip section of the shaft.
Shaft
As used herein the term "shaft", shall refer to the section of the goalie hockey stick that the
goalie grips with his/her hands and extends down through the paddle .
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The apF'k on relates to a goalie hockey stick suitable for playing the postion of goalie in
the sport of hockey.
The governing bodies of various hockey leagues generally lay down rules that
manufactures have to follow if the manufacturer desires their hockey sticks to be legal in the
above said hockey leagues . An e,~am,fle being the National Hockey League ("NHL") . According
to the "NHL" the length of the shaft of a goalie stick shall not exceed 58 inches and the length of
the blade is limited to 15 1/2 inches. The blade cannot be more than 3 1/2 inches except at the
heel where it can be 4 1/2 inches. The wider part of the shaft, herein referred to as the "paddle",
CA 02221067 1998-01-23
must not exceed 3 1/2 inches in width and the length of the paddle must not exceed 26 inches
from the heel.
Several modifications to the traditional goalie stick have been pruposed . For example
in U.S. Pat. no. 5,456,463 (Dolan et al.), an ergonomic handgrip that is claimed to be more
comfortable and functional. In U.S. Pat. no. 4,544,157 (Curtis), the shaft has a couple of bends
which is designed to improve the goalie's ability to handle the puck. Both of the above stated
U.S. patents address special problems associated with the goalie hockey sticks. By bending the
shaft, both U.S. Pat. no. 5,456,463 and U.S. Pat. no. 4,544,157 have stopped the puck from
sliding under the shaft when the paddle is placed flat on the ice. Both U.S. Pat. no 5,456,463 and
U.S. Pat. no. 4,544,157 claim to have changed the shape of the shaft to provide a more
comfortable feel for the goalie .
Conventional goalie hockey sticks have tended to be made of wood, which may be laminated
or solid in construction. Several new products are now readily used in the construction of goalie
hockey sticks. These products may or may not be well suited for lamination.
Up until now goalie hockey sticks have tended to have paddles that are straight along their
longitudinal axis. Due to the center of the paddle being thicker than the outside edge of the
above said paddle, conventional goalie sticks generally have a concave curvature perpendicular
and symmetrical to the paddle's longitudinal axis.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a goalie hockey stick, that has a curvature
along the paddle's longitudinal axis. The above said curvature, will be concave when viewing
from front of the above said goalie stick. The above said concave curvature, will allow the goalie
to more accurately direct the puck when stopping the above said puck, with the above said
paddle.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a goalie stick that is easier to pick up
off of the ice, than a conventional goalie hockey stick.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a goalie hockey stick that allows
the goalie to shoot the puck better.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
CA 02221067 1998-01-23
Accordi"g to the present invention, a goalie hockey stick co",prises a blade, apaddle and a
shaft.
The paddle of the above said goalie stick has a concave curvature along the paddle's
longitudinal axis.
The above said concave curvature, may or may not be sy"""el,ical along the longitudinal axis of
the above said paddle, of the above said goalie hockey stick. The above said paddle, may or
may not have a concave curvature perpendicular to the above said paddle's longitudinal axis.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the concave paddle of the above said
invention, will allow a goalie to have more control of a puck rebounding off of the concave
paddle,than theabove said goalie would have with a conventional goalie stick whose paddle is
straight along the paddle's longitudinal axis.
According to another aspect of the above said invention, the concave curvature of the paddle
,
of the above said invention, will allow a goalie to pick the above said invention up off of a flat
surface, easier than the above said goalie could pick a conventional goalie stick up off of a flat
surface.
According to another aspect of the above said invention, the concave curvature of the paddle
of the above said invention, will allow the goalie to raise a puck easier.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become
appa,~r,l from the following detailed description of plt7rel,~d embodiment taken in conjunction
with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
To further the reader's understanding of the present invention, reference may be had to the
acco"")anying cl~.~i.lgs, namely FIG. 1, FIG. 2 A, FIG.2B, FIG.3 and FIG. 4.
FIG. 1 is a front view of the goalie hockey stick according to the present invention . Viewing
from the front the present invention looks like a conventional goalie stick.
FIG. 2 A is a side view of the goalie stick according to the present invention. In the above
said side view, the goalie stick according to the present invention is shooting a puck.
FIG. 2 B is a side view of the goalie stick according to the present invention. In the above said
CA 02221067 1998-01-23
side view, the goalie stick accordi.lg to the present invention is laying on a flat surface.
FIG. 3 is an angular view of the goalie stick according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is an angular view of a conventional goalie stick.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE l'Kt~tKKED EMBODIMENT
By first describing the conventional goalie hockey stick 12, FIG.4, it is believed that a clearer
understanding of the present invention will be obtained. A conventional goalie hockey stick,12,
comprises of a shaff 9, a paddle 10, and a blade 11. The paddle 10, is formed by either
widening the the shaft 9, or by rigid attachment of a paddle 10, to a shaft 9. Generally, the blade
11, is rigidly attached to the shaft 9, in a conventional goalie hockey stick 12. It can be conceived
that a goalie hockey stick 12, may have the blade 11, rigidly attached to the paddle 10, and have
the shaft 9, rigidly attached to the paddle 10.
The paddle of a conventional goalie stick is straight along the paddle's longitudinal axis.
Generally a conventional goalie stick has the longitudinal axis of the paddle coincident with the
longitudinal axis of the shaft,. Conventional goalie sticks may or may not have the blade
desi!J,led with a curvature along the blade's longitudinal axis.
The fcll~ ;.lg is a description of the present invention. The goalie hockey stick 6, as shown
in FIG. 3, is a hockey stick illlended to be used by a goalie in the game of hockey. The goalie
hockey stick 6 as shown in FIG. 3, has some features similar to those features found in more
conventional goalie hockey sticks, FIG 4., including a shaft 4, a paddle 2, and a blade 1..
FIG 2A, FIG 2B and FIG 3 shows the concave curvature of the paddle along the paddle's
longitudinal axis of the present invention. The above said concave curvature of the above said
paddle may be symmetrical or assy,ll~l,ical.
The present invention may or may not have the blade 1, designed with a curvature along the
blade's longitudinal axis. The present invention may or may not,have longitudinal axis of the
paddle coincident with the longitudinal axis of the shaft.
When a goalie is in his (or her) proper goaltending stance, the concave curvature of the
present invention's paddle will give the above said goalie, a pa,~bc' c surface that can be placed
CA 02221067 1998-01-23 G
in the path of a puck being shot at the above said goalie's net. It is readily apparent to those
skilled in geometry that a parabolic surface can allow you to focus the direction that objects will
deflect off of the above said parabolic surface.
It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art of invention that the above-described
embodiment provides a goalie hockey stick 6 FIG3 where the above said goalie hockey stick 6
will allow a goalie to more accurately direct the puck when ~lopping the above said puck with the
the paddle 2 of the above said goalie hockey stick 6.
Another advantage of the present goalkeepers stick is that due to the paddle's curvature along
the longitudinal axis of the above said goalie stick 6 the above said goalie hockey stick 6
cannot lie nat against a flat surface 3 as shown in FIG 2B. It will be readily apparent to those
skilled in the art of invention when a goalie drops the above said goalie stick 6 on the ice or
any other flat surface 3 the above said goalie stick 6 will be easier to pick up off of the ice or
any other flat surface 3 than a conventional goalie hockey stick 12.
Another advantage of the present goalie hockey stick 6 is the above said goalie hockey stick
will improve the goalie's shooting capability. Due to the high lie of goalie hockey sticks as
co",pa,~d to a rorw~ 's hockey stick the goalie often shoots off of the heel of the goalie hockey
stick. It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art of invention that the present
invention's curvature along the paddle's longitudinal axis will cause the heel of the above said
goalie hockey stick 6 to angle under a puck 7 as shown in FIG 2A . The ability of the present
invention to angle under a puck 7 when a goalie is shooting the above said puck 7 will allow the
above said goalie raise the above said puck 7 easier than the above said goalie could raise
the puck 7 with a conventional goalie hockey stick.
W~med is:
1. A go~è~ ,pr,sing: a blade a paddle and a shaft rigidly attached
paddle section of the above said goalie~e~ n~ y It~s longitudinal axis. The
curvature along the longitud~~' LA;~ ot the above said paddl~ to more
~c~ .. ly focus the direction a puck will rebound off of the paddle of the abo~ie
CA 02221067 1998-01-23
GOALIE HOCKEY STICK: Concave curvature along the longitudinal axis of the paddle
Inventor: Kent W. Mayhew
Field of search .... 273/67 A, 67 C, 67 Da
273/67 DB, 67 DC, 67 R, 81.3, 80 C
D21/210-216
References Cited
Canadian Patent Documents
1159485 12/1983 Canada 273/63 A
U.S. Patent Documents
1,183,473 5/1916 Mvl~,ece 273/67 A
1,979,174 10/1934 Robertson 273/81.3
4,544,157 10/1985 Curtis 273/67
5,456,463 10/1995 Dolan et al. 273/67
D. 263,329 3/1982 Clayton D21/210
ABSTRACT
k~ey stick including a shaft, a paddle and a blade. The paddle=de a~4
attached, to the~ dle is so designed that the paddle hA.C a vurlcave curvature along
the paddle's longitudinal axis. T~said 20.,w~/e curvature of the paddle, may or may not
be sy",l"elrical, alon~ the lu,,yitudinal axis ~ dle. Both the shaft and blade
6el,u~,s of the above said goalie hockey stick, may be straight o~
