Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TITLE OF THE INVENTION
[0001] BLADE CORE FOR HOCKEY STICK AND THE LIKE
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to hockey sticks or like-game
sticks. More specifically, the present invention is concerned with a core for
blade of a hockey or like-game stick and a method for making a blade having
such a core.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Hockey is a widely popular sport. Conventional hockey sticks
and like-game sticks include a blade and a shaft. The conventional
manufacture process for such sticks involves a large number of individual
operations. The separate steps include cutting, planning, sanding,
laminating, tapering, fitting, bonding and finishing of the various pieces
that
make up the sticks. This process is very labour intensive and costly.
[0004] Blade structures using interior cores are well known in the art.
Such blades include an interior core which has opposed side surfaces joined
with a pair of reinforced plastic layers, the length and height of which are
substantially equal to the length and height of the entire finished blade.
These reinforced plastic layers are laminated onto the core and are
themselves covered by protective layers of wood veneers or equivalent
materials.
[0005] Examples of such blade structure are disclosed in United States
patents nos 4,013,288; 4,124,208 and 4,488,721; and in Canadian patents
nos 1,047,561; 1,188,343; 1,183,883; 2,228,104 and 2,244,601.
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[0006] A drawback of the prior art hockey stick blade and method for
making same is the manufacturing time in making the blade. Another
drawback is the fact that the interior core can only be used to make a
specifically shaped blade since it dictates the finished blade dimensions.
[0007] It thus remains a need to provide a faster and less costly
method for making blades mountable in a shaft of a hockey or like-game stick.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The general object of the present invention is therefore to
provide an improved blade for a hockey or like-game stick and method for
making same.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] More specifically, in accordance with the present invention,
there is provided a preformed core for a blade of a hockey stick or like game
stick, said stick including a shaft, said core comprising:
distal and proximate ends, said proximate end being configured
and sized to receive the shaft;
top and bottom edge portions, said top edge portion being
tapered; and
first and second opposite lateral faces, said first and second
lateral faces being configured and sized to respectively receive first and
second preformed skins;
wherein said core is so dimensioned that the shape of the blade
is defined by the shape of the first and second preformed skins.
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(0010] According to another aspect of the present inveniton, there is
provided a blade core assembly for a blade of a hockey stick or like game
stick, said stick including a shaft, said core comprising:
a core including:
- distal and proximate ends;
- top and bottom edge portions, said top edge portion being
tapered; and
- first and second opposite lateral faces;
and
a shaft receiving member including:
- upper and lower portions, said lower portion being mountable
to said proximate end of said core, said upper portion configured and sized to
receive the shaft;
- first and second opposite lateral sides;
wherein when said shaft receiving member is mounted to said
core, a) said first lateral face of said core and said first lateral side of
said
shaft receiving member are in the same first plane, b) said second lateral
face
of said core and said second lateral side of said shaft receiving member are
in
the same second plane; c) said first and second planes are configured and
sized to respectively receive fist and second preformed skins, and d) said
core is so dimensioned that the shape of the blade is defined by the shape of
the first and second preformed skins.
[0011] According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a blade to be mounted to a shaft of a hockey stick or like game
stick,
said blade comprising:
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a preformed core having distal and proximate ends, top and
bottom edge portions and first and second opposite lateral faces; said top
edge portion being tapered;
a shaft receiving member having lower and upper portions and
first and second lateral sides; said lower portion being mounted to said
proximate end of said core, said upper portion being so configured and sized
as to receive the shaft;
first preformed skin mounted to both said first lateral face of said
core and said first lateral side of said shaft receiving member; and
second preformed skin mounted to both said second lateral face
of said core and said second lateral side of said shaft receiving member;
wherein said preformed skins define the shape of the blade.
[0012] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a hockey stick or like game stick, said stick comprising:
a blade including:
- a preformed core having distal and proximate ends, top and
bottom edge portions and first and second opposite lateral faces; said top
edge portion being tapered;
- a shaft receiving member having lower and upper portions and
first and second lateral sides, said lower portion being mounted to said
proximate end of said core; and
- first preformed skin mounted to both said first lateral face of
said core and said first lateral side of said shaft receiving member; and
- second preformed skin mounted to both said second lateral
face of said core and said second lateral side of said shaft receiving member;
wherein said preformed skins define the shape of the blade;
and
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a shaft having a lower section mounted to said upper portion of
said shaft receiving member.
[0013] According to a final aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a method of making a blade to be mounted to a shaft of a hockey
stick or like game stick, said method comprising the steps of:
(a) making a preformed core for the blade, said core having a
size that is smaller than that of the blade, said core including distal and
proximate ends, top and bottom edge portions, and first and second opposite
lateral faces;
(b) making a shaft receiving portion including upper and lower
portions and first and second opposite lateral sides;
(c) mounting said lower portion of said shaft receiving member
to said proximate end of said core;
(d) making first and second preformed skins;
(e) mounting said first preformed skin to said first lateral face of
said core and to said first lateral side of said shaft receiving member and
mounting said second skin to said second lateral face of said core and to said
second lateral side of said shaft receiving member, wherein said first and
second preformed skin define the final shape of the blade.
[0014] It is to be noted that the terms "plastic" and "plastic material" are
used interchangeably herein and are to be construed as including recyclable
pastics such as, for example, polyethylenes and non-recyclable plastics such
as, for example, thermosetting plastics obtained by reacting polyester resins.
[0015] Other objects, advantages and features of the present invention
will become more apparent upon reading of the following non restrictive
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description of preferred embodiments thereof, given by way of example only
with reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] In the appended drawings, like reference numerals refer to like
elements throughout and in which:
[0017] Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a blade according to
a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
[0018] Figure 2 is a front view of the core and skins of the blade of
Figure 1;
[0019] Figure 3 is a front view of the assembled core and skins of the
blade of Figure 1;
[0020] Figure 4 is view similar to that of Figure 3 where the blade
further includes a supplemental protective layer;
[0021] Figure 5 is a top view of a sheet of material with the cut out
skins of the blade of Figure 1;
[0022] Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 2 with the skins being made
of a different material;
[0023] Figure 7 is a view similar to that of Figure 4 with the skins being
made of a different material;
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[0024] Figure 8 is a view of the core and the skins of the blade
according to the present invention, with each skin being made of two pieces of
different material; and
[0025] Figure 9 is a perspective view of an assembled hockey stick or
like game having a blade constructed with the core of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0026] With reference to Figures 1 to 5 of the appended drawings, a
first preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described.
[0027] Figure 1 shows an exploded view of a blade 10, to be mounted
to a tubular hockey shaft 12 or like-game stick .
[0028] The blade 10 includes a preformed core 16, a shaft receiving
member 18 and first and second preformed skins 20 and 22. It is to be
understood that the terms "first" and "second" are used herein only for
convenience and hence, are interchangeable.
[0029] The core 16 is shown having distal and proximate ends 24 and
26, top and bottom edge portions 28 and 30, and first and second opposite
lateral faces 32 and 34 (see Figures 2, 3, 4 and 6). Again, the terms "first"
and "second" are interchangeable.
[0030] The top edge portion 28 is tapered, the reason for which will be
described hereinbelow.
[0031] Generally stated, the proximate end 26 is configured and sized
to receive the shaft receiving member 18, the first and second lateral faces
32
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and 34 are configured and sized to respectively receive the first and second
preformed skins 20 and 22.
[0032] At least one of the first and second faces 26, 28 may include
cavities 36. In the example shown here, it is the first face 32 which includes
the cavities 36. As will easily be understood by one skilled in the art, the
cavities 36 are advantageously provided on the face that is on the reverse
side of the blade, i.e. the side less used for forceful shots by the hockey
player.
[0033] The shaft receiving member 18 is shown including upper and
lower portions 38 and 40 and first and second opposite lateral sides 42 and
44 .
[0034] The upper portion 38 is configured and sized to be
conventionally mounted to the hollow shaft 12 .
[0035] Preferably, the upper portion 38 is smaller in dimension than the
lower portion 40 such that lower portion 40 forms a shoulder 46. The hollow
shaft 12 has a lower section 48 that is mountable to the upper portion 38 of
the shaft receiving member.
[0036] The lower portion 40 is configured and sized to be mounted to
the proximate end 20 of the core 16 as will be described hereinafter.
[0037] More specifically, the proximate end 26 of the core 16 includes a
recess 54 corresponding to the shape of the lower portion 40 of the shaft
receiving member 18 so as to be engaged thereby in a complementary fit.
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[0038] Keeping the above in mind, a hockey stick blade 10 in
accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention is made as
follows.
[0039] The blade 10 is constructed by first making a preformed core 16.
of the type described above and having a size that is smaller than that of the
finished blade 10.
[0040] Preferably, this preformed core 16 is made of a single piece of
wear-resistant material such as plastic. It is advantageous to use materials
that are both strong enough to withstand the impact of a hockey puck and the
like yet, light enough so that the user may easily manipulate the stick.
Furthermore, as illustrated in the appended Figures, the bottom edge portion
30 or the core 16 may be in contact with the playing surface when the stick is
used, hence the use of wear resistant material to manufacture the core 16.
[0041] In a preferred embodiment, the core 16 is made of thermosetting
plastic reinforced with high modules fibres such as glass, carbon or kevlar
fibres. Conventionally, some blades 10 are curved such as those mounted to
ice-hockey sticks and hence, have a concave or puck-hitting side. In this
respect, it may be convenient to make the core 16 with a corresponding
curvature. Conversely, the core may be made straight and curved during the
skins gluing steps described hereinbelow.
[0042] As aforementioned, at least one of the first and second faces 26,
28 may include cavities 36. In this way, the core 16 will be made using the
least material possible and hence, will have the minimum possible impact on
the overall weight of the blade 10.
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[0043] The shaft receiving member 18 may be made out of the same
wear-resistant material as core 16, out of wood or out of any other suitable
material. The shaft receiving member 18 is then mounted to the core 16.
Specifically, an adhesive is provided between the lower portion 40 of the
member 18 and the complementary recess 54 of the core proximate end 26.
In this way, the first face 32 of core 16 and the first side 42 of member 18
are
in the same lateral plane (hereinafter "first lateral plane") while the second
face 28 of core 16 and the second side 44 of member 18 are in the same
lateral plane (hereinafter "second lateral plane"). The adhesive may be for
example an epoxy-based adhesive, a vinyl-ester-based adhesive, a
polyurethane-based adhesive or a metacrylate-based adhesive, when the
core 16 is made of thermosetting plastic and the shaft receiving member 18 is
made of wood. Of course, other suitable ways of mounting the shaft receiving
member 18 to the core 16 may also be contemplated.
[0044] One skilled in the art will understand that the core 16 and the
shaft receiving member 18 could be made of the same material and hence
could be a single piece.
[0045] The first and second preformed skins 20, 22 may be made by a
variety of known ways. Preferably and with reference to Figure 5, the
preformed skins 20, 22 are pre-cut out of a sheet of material 56 which will be
described in details hereinafter. Skins 20, 22 may be cut by a variety of ways
known in the art such as with a die cutter.
[0046] With particular reference to Figures 1, 2 and 3, the first skin 20
is mounted to both the first face 32 of core 16 and to the first side 42 of
member 18 while the second skin 22 is mounted to the second face 34 of core
16 and the second side 44 of member 18. Preferably skins 20 and 22 are
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mounted to the core 16 and to the member 18 via an adhesive applied to their
respective inner sides 58. The adhesive may be an epoxy-based adhesive, a
vinyl-ester-based adhesive, a polyurethane-based adhesive or a metacrylate-
based adhesive, for example. In this way, the shaft receiving member 18 is
securely mounted to the core 16 both by the adhesive provided befinreen its
lower portion 40 and the recess 54 of the core 16 and by the skins 20 and 22.
(0047] With reference to Figures 3, it is to be noted that the core is so
dimensioned in height that when the first and second skins 20, 22 are
mounted to the first and second faces 32, 34 as explained above, the skins
20, 22 meet over the tapered top edge portion 28. Specifically, the top parts
60 of the skins 20, 22 meet and adhere to one another via an adhesive such
as that used to attach the skins 20, 22 to the core 16 and to member 18. This
is an advantage since it provides a blade 10 having a top portion that is very
thin which is a desired feature in hockey stick blades.
(0048] The top edges 62 of the skins 20, 22 form the top edge 64 of the
blade 10; the bottom edges 66 of skins 20, 22 and the bottom edge 30 of the
core 16 form the bottom edge 68 of the blade ; and the distal end 24 of the
core 16, and the distal ends 70 of the skins 20, 22 form the distal end 72 of
blade 10.
(0049] Therefore, the core 16 is advantageously so dimensioned that
the shape of the blade 10 is defined by the shape of the first and second
preformed skins 20, 22. Hence, the same core 16 can be used for a variety of
blades shaped in different manners. A particular blade shape may be
selected on the basis of the shape of the skins 20, 22. Hence, the skins 20,
22 as preformed according to the desired final shape of the blade 10 .
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[0050] As shown in Figure 1, the length of the core 16 and the blade 10
may be substantially similar. However, the height of core 16 is smaller than
that of the blade. As discussed hereinabove, the top edge portion 28 of the
core 16 is tapered to yield a pointed top edge. This is an advantageous
feature since it allows the top skins 20 and 22 to meet without creating a
significative void in the top edge portion thereof. Indeed, such a void would
either fill with adhesive, which would unnecessarily make the blade heavier,
or
would stay void and create a frail spot in the blade.
[0051] The skins 20, 22 may be made of a variety of materials. In the
preferred embodiment of Figures 1 to 4, the skins 20 and 22 are made of high
modulus fibre such as glass, carbon and/or kevlar fibres in a rigid binding
resin. The skins 20 and 22 could also be made of thin strip reinforcement of
parallel axial high modulus fibres in a matrix of thermoset resin, for
example.
Of course other suitable materials for making skins 20, 22 such as, for
example, high quality wood veneer and acrylonitrile/butadiene/styrene plastic
(ABS plastic) may also be used.
[0052] Turning now more specifically to Figure 4 of the appended
drawings, the skins 20, 22 are also configured to receive a protective layer
74
thereon. This protective layer 74 may cover the whole blade 10 with the
exception of the distal end 72 if so desired. The protective layer 74 may
advantageously be made of a reinforcing high modulus light weight fabric.
Preferably, the protective layer 74 is made of fiberglass woven textile within
a
matrix of plastic material.
[0053] Turning now briefly to Figure 6 of the appended drawings, a
blade 100 will be described. The major difference between the blade 100 and
the blade 10 of Figures 1-5 concerns the skin 102 which is made of wood
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instead of the fibre making the skin 20 as discussed hereinabove. This
illustrates that the two skins are not necessarily made of the same material.
[0054] Figure 7, which is very similar to Figure 4, illustrates a blade 200
where both the first and second skins 202 and 204 are made of wood veneer
and are covered by a protective layer 206 advantageously made of a
reinforcing high modulus light weight fabric.
[0055] With reference to Figure 8, which illustrates, in a sectional view
similar to that of Figure 2, a blade 300 according to a fourth embodiment of
the present invention, each of preformed skins 302 and 304 includes
superimposed outer and inner layers. More specifically, each skin 302 and
304 is provided with respective inner wood veneer layers 306 and 308 and
outer fibre layers 310 and 312. As previously mentioned, other types of
materials can be used to make the layers. Outer and inner layers are
advantageously mounted to the core 16 by means of an adhesive such as for
example an epoxy-based adhesive, a vinyl-ester-based adhesive, a
polyurethane-based adhesive or a metacrylate-based adhesive.
[0056] It will be appreciated to one skilled in the art that the various
blades 10, 100, 200 and 300 illustrated in Figures 1 to 8 and described
hereinabove, are all provided with a shaft receiving member that is so
configured and sized to conventionally mount the blade to a hollow shaft.
[0057] On the other hand, Figure 9 of the appended drawings illustrates
a hockey stick 400 provided with a blade 402 manufactured according to an
aspect of the present invention and integrally mounted to the shaft 404 of the
hockey stick.
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(0058] As will be understood by one skilled in the art, the blade end of
the shaft 404 is shaped as the lower portion 40 of the member 18 (see Figure
1 ) to be mounted to the recess 54 of the core 16. The two skins 406 (only
one shown) are then secured to the core 16 and to the blade end of the shaft
404.
[0059] It will therefore be understood that the term "shaft" used herein
and in the appended claims should be construed as meaning an actual shaft
404 as shown in Figure 9 or a shaft receiving member 18 as illustrated in
Figure 1 or any variation thereof.
(0060] It is also within the scope of the present invention to provide a
blade core assembly (see Figure 1 ) which includes the preformed core 16 and
the shaft receiving member 18 which are pre-assembled.
[0061] It is to be understood that even though the appended drawings
illustrate regular player's hockey stick, the present invention could be used
to
construct a goalkeeper hockey stick. The terms "hockey stick" and "blade"
being generically used herein.
[0062] It is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its
application to the details of construction and parts illustrated in the
accompanying drawings and described hereinabove. The invention is
capable of other embodiments and of being practised in various ways. It is
also to be understood that the phraseology or terminology used herein is for
the purpose of description and not limitation. Hence, although the present
invention has been described hereinabove by way of preferred embodiments
thereof, it can be modified, without departing from the spirit, scope and
nature
of the subject invention as defined in the appended claims.
