Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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ONE PIECE LACROSSE STICK
RELATED APPLICATIONS
The patent application is a continuation-in-part of United States Patent
Application Serial Number 10/710,719, titled the same, filed July 29, 2004,
incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to lacrosse sticks and, more particularly,
to a lacrosse stick comprising a single, molded, unibody shaft and head.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conventional lacrosse sticks today comprise a tubular metal shaft and a
molded high density composite plastic head. The tubular metal shaft and head
arrangement has been in existence since at least the mid 1970's, see for
example, United States Patent No. 4,037,841, title LACROSSE STICK HAVING
TUBULAR METALLIC HANDLE, issued July 26, 1977, incorporated herein by
reference. FIG. 1 shows a conventional lacrosse stick 100 having a
conventional metal shaft 102 and a conventional head 104. Shaft 102 further
has a butt end 106 and a head end 108. Head 104 further has a base 110,
divergent sidewalls 112, and a lip 114.
Extending from base 110 is a shaft junction projection 116 that
comprises a female socket 118. Shaft junction projection 116 is a length dl.
Head end 108 of shaft has a corresponding head junction projection 120 that
comprises a male plug 122. Male plug 122 is shown as having a cross-section
consistent with the remainder of metal shaft 102, but some conventional
shafts have a male plug 122 with a reduced cross-section. Head junction
projection 120 has a length d2, which typically is consistent with length dl.
Frequently, shaft 102 and head 104 are secured using a pin or screw extending
through both the shaft and head and secured using another pin or nut, not
specifically shown but generally known in the art.
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While the conventional shaft/head connection works, it has several
drawbacks. One major drawback is that shaft junction projection 116 is
considered part of head 104 and, by rule, a player using stick 100 cannot
place his/her hands on the stick in such a way that the player's hand contacts
head 104. Most players, however, prefer to have a hand placed as close to
base 110 as allowable by rule. Using conventional stick designs, a player can
place his hands on spot 124 that is a minimum distance dl from base 110.
Another major drawback includes the fatigue the multiple components
experience because they are separate and joined. In particular, head junction
projection 120 typically has a bore (not specifically shown) that aligns with
a
similar bore in shaft junction projection 116. A bolt, screw and nut, pin, or
the like typically traverses both shaft junction projection 116 and head
junction projection 120 to secure head 104 to shaft 102. The projections 116
and 120, as well as the bolt and bore, typically experience fatigue during
play.
Lacrosse sticks and heads frequently have decreased performance because of
the fatigued connection. Sometimes the equipment needs to be replaced.
Thus, it would be desirous to develop a lacrosse head that cured these
and other deficiencies of the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an improved lacrosse stick. In
particular, the improved lacrosse stick comprising a unibody construction
where the head and shaft are molded into a solitary unit.
The foregoing and other features, utilities and advantages of the
invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of a
preferred embodiment of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
The accompanying drawings illustrate various embodiments of the
present invention and are a part of the specification. The illustrated
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embodiments are merely examples and illustrations of the present invention
and do not limit the scope of the invention.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional tubular lacrosse shaft and mating
head;
FIG. 2 is a top elevation view of a lacrosse stick constructed in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of a lacrosse stick constructed in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of a lacrosse head having steps; and
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrative of making a lacrosse stick in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 6 shows another lacrosse stick constructed in accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 7; shows a comparison of various points between a conventional
lacrosse stick and a lacrosse stick constructed in accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention; and
FIG. 8. shows a representation of the flexible polymeric material
described in FIG. 5.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 2
to 8. It is to be understood that the drawings are diagrammatic and schematic
representations of the presently preferred embodiments, and are not limiting
of the present invention, nor are they drawing to scale.
The present invention relates to an improved lacrosse stick comprising
a lacrosse head and a lacrosse shaft connected such that the lacrosse head and
lacrosse shaft are a unibody member without a discernable connection, such
as, a socket and plug connection. One possible type of unibody member is a
lacrosse stick comprising a head and shaft molded as a single unit from a
composite material, which will be further explained below. Constructing the
lacrosse stick as a unitary member will remove many of the fatigue issues
associated with prior art connections using head and shaft projections.
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Further, constructing the lacrosse stick as a unitary or unibody member
provided increased rigidity to the stick that increases throwing power and
accuracy by moving the point at which the stick flexes during use lower on
the shaft.
Referring now to FIG. 2, a lacrosse stick 200 consistent with an
embodiment of the present invention is shown. Lacrosse stick 200 includes a
shaft 202 and a head 204. Shaft 202 has a butt end 206. Head 204 has a base
208 (or ball stop), divergent sidewalls 210, and a lip 212 traversing
divergent
sidewalls. Divergent sidewalls 210 have a top edge 210t and a bottom edge
210b. Transition portion 214 is a seamless transition section. While
transition portion 214 is shown having a particular shape, the shape is
largely
a matter of design choice. Lacrosse stick 200 may be coated with a uniform
rubberized coating 200C as disclosed in co-pending United States patent
application 10/735,596, titled SPORT SHAFT, filed December 12, 2003,
incorporated herein by reference. Coating 200C provides asetetic quality of
uniformness, but also may provide a temperature regulation quality to
increase the comfort of handling the lacrosse stick 200.
As can be appreciated, transition portion 214 is shown to distinguish
from the socket an plug construction of the prior art. Further, head 204 and
shaft 202 may be constructed of different materials. When constructed of
different materials, transition portion 214 provides a transition between
shaft
material A and head material B. Notice, transition portion 214 could be
different materials C, a combination of the same materials A and B, a
combination of materials A, B, and C, or the like. However, once cured, the
transition from shaft 202 to head 204 through transition portion 214 will be
seamless.
Butt end 206 comprises an end stop 216. End stop 216 could be
integrated into shaft 206 using a unibody constructions similar to co-pending
United States patent application 10/876,945, titled "SHAFT WITH END STOP,
filed June 25, 2004, and incorporated herein by reference as if set out in
full.
Moreover, shaft body 218 could have one or more tapered section 220 or
enlarged section 222 similar to co-pending United States patent application
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10/735,596, and co-pending United States patent application 10/887,175,
titled SPORT SHAFT WITH VARIABLE CONTOUR, filed July 7, 2004, and
incorporated herein by reference as if set out in full.
As shown in the FIGS., and described in the above incorporated co-
pending applications, the head 204 and shaft 202 can be offset. The offset
can be accomplished by an offset established in the shaft 202, such as, for
example, at transition portion 214, or in the head 204. Moreover, the head
may have a generally concave shape as shown to give the head a scoop
contour. Finally, the shaft 202 can be curved along its length or along
portions thereof instead of the traditional straight shaft designs.
One method of manufacturing the shaft 200 comprises use of graphite
or other materials. According to this one embodiment, a graphite sheet is
wrapped around an internal member such as a dowel. In this case, the
member would have the designed with a shape similar to the shaft and head
unibody construction described above. The number of times the graphite
sheets is wrapped around the dowel determines the strength of the shaft.
Therefore, stronger shafts may be wrapped multiple times. When the desired
number of graphite layers has been achieved, the dowel is removed, leaving
the graphite in a tubular arrangement. The tubular graphite is then inserted
into a mold, where it is heated and formed into the mold shape, which in this
case is a unibody lacrosse stick.
Similar composite sticks are shown and described in US patent
application serial number 10/441,400, titled ONE- PIECE SHAFT
CONSTRUCTION AND A METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION USING BLADDER MOLDING,
filed May 20, 2003, by Blotteaux, and incorporated herein by reference
described conventional carbon molding techniques. Unlike the present
invention, however, Blotteaux relates mostly to straight devices or devices
with simple curved shapes. Further, Blotteaux discloses a means for fusing
two separate parts together to form a seamed stick unlike the seamless stick
described above. In particular, Blotteaux partially wraps and partially forms
two parts, mates the partially formed pre-wrapped parts, and finishes the
process. However, Blotteaux and other conventional methods of making
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composite sticks are unsatisfactory for Lacrosse sticks. In particular,
Blotteaux (and other conventional methods) relate specifically to hockey
sticks and golf clubs. Both hockey sticks and golf clubs are formed using
relatively simple non-complex shapes.
Lacrosse sticks comprise, however, a relatively simple non-complex
shaft combined with a complex head shape. In particular, the head comprises
base 208 (or ball stop), divergent sidewalls 210, and lip 212 traversing
divergent sidewalls. Sidewalls 210 frequently are curved, see FIG. 3, or
contain one or more steps 402, see FIG. 4. Step 402 is shown as an abrupt,
acute angle step, but step 402 could be more gradual, more like an incline
than a step, or more abrupt making an angle 404 up to and even exceeding 90
degrees, i.e., step 402 could be slightly undercut as desired. Moreover, step
402 could be located in shaft 202 instead of head 204. Unlike, for example,
hockey sticks and golf clubs, using conventional dowels or mandrels (see
mandrel 50 of Blotteaux) does not work satisfactorily for lacrosse heads
because the dowel is relatively rigid and does not allow easy removal prior to
curing or otherwise fixing the shape of the shape.
Thus, it is necessary to use a deformable or flexible polymeric
material, see for example, FIG. 8 showing flexible polymeric material 802
and 804 formed into a lacrosse stick head shape, instead of conventional
dowels for at least the head portion of the shaft, although flexible polymeric
material could be used for the entire dowel including the head and shaft pre-
curing formation. Moreover, flexible polymeric material 802 and 804 are
shown as a single piece, they could each be made of two or more parts. Using
flexible/deformable material allows the dowel to be removed prior to
formation. Referring now to FIG. 5, a flowchart 500 illustrative of using
flexible polymeric material to make one piece lacrosse sticks. Flowchart 500
is described using the flexible polymeric material for the head and a
conventional dowel for the remainder of the stick as that is the more complex
process, both one of skill in the art would understand the conventional dowel
could be replaced by a flexible polymeric dowel. By flexible, it should be
understood that the flexible polymeric dowel has sufficient rigidity to form a
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shape and be wrapped with the composite material, but retain sufficient
flexibility that the flexible polymeric can be pulled, pushed, or otherwise
drawn out of and removed from the wrap prior to the curing or fixation
process.
Referring specifically to FIG. 5, comprises providing a flexible
polymeric material shaped into a desired shape for,a lacrosse stick head, step
502. The lacrosse stick head is wrapped with, for example, graphite sheets, a
predetermined number of times, step 504. A dowel is provided, step 506.
The dowel is wrapped with, for example, graphite sheets, a predetermined
number of times, step 508. Steps 502/504 and 506/508 can be performed in
multiple orders,-which is largely a matter of design choice. Further, if a
single dowel of flexible polymeric material is provided for both the head and
shaft, steps 506/508 are collapsed into steps 502/504. Also, the dowel of
steps 506 /508 could be a conventional dowel or a separate flexible polymeric
material dowel as desired. When the desired number of graphite layers has
been achieved, the flexible polymeric and dowel are removed, step 510,
leaving the graphite in a tubular arrangement. The head portion and shaft
portion are mated, step 512, and inserted into a mold, step 514, where it is
heated and formed into the mold shape, which in this case is a unibody
lacrosse stick, step 516. Steps 512, 514, and 516 are conventional and will
not be further explained herein. As can be appreciated, one flexible
polymeric could be used for both the shaft and head.
Referring now to FIG. 6, another unibody lacrosse stick 600 is shown.
Unibody lacrosse stick 600 is constructed using the flexible polymeric to
allow at least the lacrosse head to be preformed prior to insertion into the
mold. It has been found that other materials can be added to portions of the
mold, such as, for example rubber bumper 602 in lip 604 of stick 600. This is
allowable because the flexible polymeric can be shaped and wrapped in such a
way that the rubber bumper 602 can be secured prior to insertion in the mold.
Once finished, the rubber bumper 602 is a seamless part of stick 600, similar
to the end stop identified above. Rubber additions can be made in numerous
locations about the stick, but it has been found bumper 602 on lip 604 is
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particularly advantageous for unibody lacrosse stick 600. In particular,
unibody lacrosse stick 600 has a head portion 606 that is more rigid than
conventional heads, as identified in the prior art typically formed using
injection molding techniques. Because it is stiffer, quite unexpectedly, the
head portion 606 is able to drive through surface irregularities to assist in
fielding a ground ball, for example. However, because head portion 606 is
more rigid, it also does not flex with surface irregularities, causing nicks
and
other damage to lip 604. Rubber bumper 602 protects lip 604 from the nicks
and other damage powering through surface irregularities or less rigid
lacrosse stick heads cause. In addition or in the alternative, head portion
606
may have plastics, such as, for example, plastic edges 608 in sidewalls 610 of
head portion 606. Plastics, similar to rubber, may be included in other
portions of unibody lacrosse stick 600. Finally, metals could be molded into
unibody lacrosse stick 600 as well. For example, the shaft portion 612 of
unibody lacrosse stick 600 may have a metal section 614.
Quite unexpected prior to the development of the unibody lacrosse
stick of the present invention, the unibody lacrosse stick provides
significant
and unexpected benefits over conventional lacrosse sticks. Referring first to
FIG. 7, a unibody lacrosse stick 700 consistent with the present invention is
shown next to a conventional lacrosse stick 702. Unibody lacrosse stick 700
has a flex point A located on the shaft (point A is shown as a reference in
FIG. 7 and is not shown to scale). Conventional lacrosse stick 702 has a flex
point B, which is typically in the head portion (about the base in most cases)
of the conventional lacrosse stick 702 because the injection molded plastic is
the weaker point. Flex point A is below or lower than flex point B. Below or
lower means flex point A is closer to butt end 706. Moving the flex point A
lower than flex point B greatly, and unexpectedly, increases the accuracy and
power of stick 700. This was unexpected because until the stick 700 was
developed, it was unknown that the flex point on conventional stick 702 was
significantly too high. It has been found that having flex point A about 1 to
2
feet below where flex point B is on conventional sticks works well, but the
best results seem to occur when flex point A is about 1.5 feet below where
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flex point B is on conventional sticks. In addition to stick 700 have a better
location of the flex point A, unlike convention stick 702, which typically has
an injection molded head, stick 700 reduces the flex of the head portion 704.
This also increases accuracy and power.
Another advantage of stick 700 is that it is significantly lighter than
conventional sticks, but also stronger. One prototype of stick 700 weights
between about 300 to 350 grams and specifically about 320 grams whereas
conventional sticks of comparable length and thickness weight about 360 to
380 grams. Moreover, the reduced head weight causes the stick to have
significantly greater balance than conventional sticks, with the balance point
C of stick 700 being below balance point D of stick 702. Balance point C and
flex point A could be designed to coincide as a matter of design choice.
While the invention has been particularly shown and described with
reference to an embodiment or embodiments thereof, it will be understood by
those skilled in the art that various other changes in the form and details
may
be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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