Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02286499 1999-10-29
FIE?rD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to hockey sticks, and more
particularly to hockey sticks for use by a goaltender.
BACRGROOND OF T8E INVENTION
Hockey is in a game played by two opposing teams having,
lf~ during normal play, three forward players, to defense of players,
and one goaltender. The forward and defensive players each use a
hockey stake that is relatively thin and lightweight so as to
permit easy manipulation of the hockey stick for purposes of
passing and shooting, and alike.
In contrast, goaltenders use a specially designed goaltender's
hockey stick that has an ice contacting blade having a high blade
height, a widened blocking portion extending angularly upwardly
from the blade, and a handle extending upwardly from the central
area of the blocking portion. While the handles of most hockey
sticks used by goaltenders are straight, one goaltender's hockey
stick has a handle with a specially designed shape. This
particular prior art goaltender's hockey stick is taught in United
States patent 4,544,157, issued to Curtis, which patent is
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incorporated herein by reference. The goaltender's stick as taught
in the Curtis patent, comprises a blade with a shaft connected to
the heel end of the blade, with the blade extending to one side of
the shaft. The shaft has a widened lower portion and a narrowed
upper portion, with the widened lower portion being widened in the
plane of the blade . The narrowed upper portion includes a bent
region adjacent the widened lower portion, with the bent region
having, in seriatim, an initial straight handle portion, a bend, a
reverse bend, and an upper straight portion. The purpose of the
bend and the reverse bend is to align the upper straight portion
with the outer edge of the widened lower portion, so that a
goaltender can place the stick on an ice surface with the upper
straight portion and the outer edge of the widened lower portion
both contacting the ice, thereby precluding a puck from going
underneath the goaltender's stick.
One very significant problem with all prior part hockey sticks
for use by a goaltender, including conventional goaltender sticks
and the goaltender stick that is the subject of the Curtis patent,
?~ is that the handle, which is disposed at the lower end of the shaft
and immediately above the blocking portion is oriented straight and
along the longitudinal axis of the handle of the goaltender's
stick. Accordingly, in order to grip the handle of the
goaltender's stick during play, the goaltender's hand must be
2J oriented at an extreme angle, which is very physically stressful to
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the goaltender's wrist. It is quite common, especially in the case
of young goaltenders, for the wrist to become fatigued during play,
thus making it difficult to hold the stick. As a result, it is
common for goaltenders to straighten out their wrists during play
S while holding a goaltender's stick, thus causing the blade of the
goaltender's stick to be oriented upwardly at an angle with respect
to the ice surface, which is unacceptable.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a hockey
1!' stick for use by a goaltender, which hockey stick is more
comfortable than prior art hockey sticks for use by a goaltender.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a
hockey stick for use by a goaltender, which hockey stick is easier
to grip during use than prior art hockey sticks for use by a
goaltender.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a
hockey stick for use by a goaltender, which hockey stick is less
2~? fatiguing to use than prior art hockey sticks for use by a
goaltender.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide
a hockey stick for use by a goaltender, which hockey stick
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precludes a goaltender from inadvertently angling the blade of the
stick off the ice surface.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide
a hockey stick for use by a goaltender, which hockey stick permits
a goaltender to be able to place the stick on an ice surface with
most of the shaft and the outer edge of the blocking portion both
contacting the ice, thereby precluding a puck from going underneath
the goaltender's stick.
In
SUI~iARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there
is provided a novel hockey stick for use by a goaltender. The
hockey stick comprises a blade having a bottom edge; a blocking
portion extending angularly upwardly from the blade and having
opposed inner and outer edges and defines a medial longitudinal
axis; a shaft extending upwardly from the blocking portion and
2c.- having inner and outer edges, a lower end and an upper end; and, a
hand grip having an inner end an outer end and being operatively
disposed on at least one of the blocking portion and the shaft such
that the inner end is disposed between the inner edge of the
blocking portion and the medial longitudinal axis and the outer end
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is disposed toward the outer edge of the blocking portion with
respect to the inner end, and defining a hand grip axis extending
between the inner and outer ends of the hand grip.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention,
there is provided a novel hockey stick for use by a goaltender.
The hockey stick comprise a blade having a bottom edge; a blocking
portion extending angularly upwardly from the blade and having
opposed inner and outer edges and defines a medial longitudinal
axis; a hand grip having an inner end and an outer end and being
operatively disposed on at least one of said blocking portion and
said shaft such that said outer end is disposed toward said outer
edge of said blocking portion with respect to said inner end, and
defining a hand grip axis extending between the inner and outer
l~~ ends of the hand grip; and, a shaft extending upwardly from the
blocking portion and having inner and outer edges, a lower end and
an upper end.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of
the hockey stick for use by a goaltender, according to the present
invention, as to its structure and use, together with further
CA 02286499 1999-10-29
objectives and advantages thereof, will be better understood from
the following drawings in which a presently preferred embodiment of
the invention will now be illustrated by way of example . It is
expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the
purpose of illustration and description only, and are not intended
as a definition of the limits of the invention. In the
accompanying drawings:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of
the hockey stick for use by a goaltender, according to the present
invention;
Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the preferred
embodiment of the hockey stick for use by a goaltender, of Figure
15 1;
Figure 3 is an inner side elevational view of the preferred
embodiment of the hockey stick for use by a goaltender, of Figure
1;
Figure 4 is a front elevational view of a first alternative
and, embodiment of the hockey stick for use by a goaltender,
according to the present invention; and,
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Figure 5 is a front elevational view of a second alternative
and, embodiment of the hockey stick for use by a goaltender,
according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED AND ALTERNATIVE F~ODIMENTS
Reference will now be made to Figures 1 through 3, which show
a first preferred embodiment of the hockey stick for use by a
goaltender, according to the present invention, which hockey stick
is indicated by the general reference numeral 20. The goaltender' s
hockey stick 20 comprises a blade 30 having a bottom edge 32 and a
top edge 34 that are opposed one to the other, an end edge 36, and
a heel 38. The blade 30 may be flat or curved, as desired. A
substantially flat blocking portion 40 extends angularly upwardly
from the blade 30 and has inner edge 42 and an outer edge 44 that
are opposed one to another. Further, the blocking portion 40
defines a medial longitudinal axis "A".
A substantially straight shaft 50 has an inner edge 52 and an
outer edge 54, a lower end 56 and an upper end 58. The shaft 50
extends upwardly from the blocking portion 40. In the preferred
embodiment, as illustrated, the shaft 50 extends upwardly from the
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blocking portion 40 at the inner edge 42 of the blocking portion
40.
A hand grip 60 having an inner end 62 an outer end 64 is
'~ operatively disposed on the shaft 50, adjacent to the lower end 52
of the shaft 50 adjacent the blocking portion 40. M~rP
specifically, the inner end 62 of the hand grip 60 is disposed
adjacent the lower end 56 of the shaft 50, immediately above the
blocking portion 40. Further, the inner end 62 of the hand grip 60
i!- is disposed between the inner edge 42 of the blocking portion 40
and the medial longitudinal axis "A". The outer end 64 of the hand
grip 60 is disposed toward the outer edge 44 of the blocking
portion 40 with respect to the inner end 42. The hand grip 40 also
defines a hand grip axis "B" extending between the inner end 62 and
the outer end 64 of the hand grip 60. In the preferred embodiment,
as illustrated, the hand grip axis "B" is oriented at an angle of
less than twenty degrees with respect to the bottom edge 32 of the
blade 30. In this manner, the hand of a goaltender is in a neutral
orientation while holding the goaltender's hockey stick 20. As a
?'~ result, the hocke stick 20 for use b a
Y y goaltender is more
comfortable, is easier to grip during use, is less fatiguing to
use, than prior art hockey sticks for use by a goaltender.
Further, the hockey stick 20 for use by a goaltender precludes a
goaltender from inadvertently angling the blade 30 of the stick off
the ice surface.
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Further, in the preferred embodiment as illustrated, the outer
edge 54 of the shaft 50 and the outer edge 44 of the blocking
portion 40 are substantially parallel one with the other and are
substantially aligned one with the other, thereby permitting a
goaltender to be able to place the stick 20 on an ice surface with
most of the outer edge of shaft 50 and the outer edge 44 of the
blocking portion 40 both contacting the ice, thereby precluding a
puck from going underneath the goaltender's stick 20.
Reference will now be made to Figure 4, which shows a first
alternative embodiment of the hockey stick for use by a goaltender,
which hockey stick is indicated by the general reference numeral
120 . The goaltender' s hockey stick 120 has a hand grip 122 that is
operatively disposed on the shaft 124 and the blocking portion 126,
iJ essentially the same location and orientation as in the preferred
embodiment; however, the there is an additional straight potion 128
that extends the shaft 124 straight to the blocking portion 126.
Reference will now be made to Figure 5, which shows a second
alternative embodiment of the hockey stick for use by a goaltender,
which hockey stick is indicated by the general reference numeral
220. The goaltender' s hockey stick 220 has a hand grip 222 that is
operatively disposed on the blocking portion 224, instead of on the
shaft 226, as in the preferred embodiment, although in essentially
25 the same location and orientation as in the preferred embodiment.
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Other variations of the above principles will be apparent to
those who are knowledgeable in the field of the invention, and such
variations are considered to be within the scope of the present
invention. Further, other modifications and alterations may be
used in the design and manufacture of the apparatus of the present
invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the
accompanying claims.
