Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
CA 02272497 1999-OS-19
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COMPOSITE GOALKEEPER'S HOCKEY STICK
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to hockey sticks suitable for playing
the sport
of hockey, and particularly, to goalkeeper's hockey sticks made of polymer
composite
materials and which are suitable far use in ice and/or off-ice hockey.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Traditionally, hockey sticks for use in ice hockey have been made of selected
woods
with careful attention being paid to the quality and orientation of the wood
grain for each
of the stick components. Developments in order to improve the stiffness and
strength
of the stick have included improved quality control of the woods used,
lamination of the
shafts and the bonding of fiberglass to the outer faces of the paddle and
blade sections.
The governing bodies of the various hockey leagues generally lay down rules
for the
construction of hockey sticks to be used in their leagues. For instance, the
National
Hockey League specifies in its rule book that no goalkeeper's hockey stick
shall exceed
58 inches in length from the heel to the end of the shaft and no more than
15'/Z inches
from the heel to the end of the blade. Furthermore, according to the rule book
of this
league the blade must not be more than 3'h inches in width except at the heel
where
it can be 4'/ inches. Also all edges of the blade must be leveled and the
curvature of
the blade must not exceed a certain prescribed maximum. Some goalkeepers
prefer
that the blade have no curvature at all. The wider part of the shaft, herein
referred to
as the paddle, must not exceed 3'h inches in width and the length of the
paddle must
not exceed 26 inches from the heel.
Certain problems arise with the use of a goalkeeper's stick constructed in the
usual
manner.
Not only is the goalkeeper's stick relatively heavy thereby limiting
goalkeeping mobility
but it is also of limited durability due to cracking, chipping or breaking.
Furthermore,
such construction is not suitable for off ice hockey due to fast wearing of
the bottom
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surface of the blade. Finally, due to wood construction limitations it is
hardly feasible
to add ergonometric and/or geometric features to the goalkeeper's stick which
features
allow for better handling of the stick in play and of the puck thereof leading
to increased
control and improved goalkeeping.
Some of these problems arise from the fact that the narrow portion of the
shaft or
handgrip, which is the upper portion, extends from the center of the widened
portion of
the shaft or paddle. Because of this arrangement, a goalkeeper's stick will
often break
at the connecting point between the paddle and the handgrip.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes the above shortcomings.
It is accordingly a primary objective of the present invention to provide a
goalkeeper's
hockey stick suitable for use in ice and/or off-ice hockey wherein the wear
resistance
of the stick is greater than the best goalkeeper's hockey sticks, the weight
is in the lower
range, or even less, of the best goalkeeper's hockey sticks, the stiffness is
equivalent
to or greater than the best fiber reinforced wood hockey sticks, and the
breaking
strength is equal to or greater than the best goalkeeper's hockey sticks.
More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a
goalkeeper's
hockey stick which is relatively light in weight thereby improving a
goalkeeper's
performance, a hockey stick which does not readily chip, crack or break
thereby leading
to improved life cycle economics.
According to another object of the present invention, a goalkeeper's hockey
stick is
provided which is equally suited for use on ice and/or off-ice as the bottom
surface of
the blade does not readily wear off.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a goalkeeper's
hockey stick
construction allowing for the addition of ergonometric and/or geometric
features.
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In accordance with another object of the present invention there is provided a
hockey
stick for use by a goalkeeper, comprising a blade member having a heel end, a
shaft
having a paddle portion connected to a handgrip portion, said paddle portion
being
connected to said heel end, said blade member extending to one side of the
shaft, the
improvement comprising a blade member, a paddle portion and a handgrip portion
made of polymer composite said handgrip being joined or bonded to said paddle
portion.
In accordance with yet another object of the present invention there is
provided a
hockey stick for use by a goalkeeper, comprising a blade member having a heel
end,
a shaft having a paddle portion connected to a handgrip portion, said paddle
portion
being connected to said heel end, said blade member extending to one side of
the shaft,
the improvement comprising a blade member and paddle portion being made of
polymer
composite; and a handgrip portion made of wood and fiberglass said handgrip
being
bonded to said paddle portion.
Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from
the
following description, wherein preferred embodiments of the invention are
clearly shown.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention will be further understood from the following
description with
reference to the drawings on which:
Figure 1 is a side view of a preferred embodiment of the invention;
Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view along lines A-A of Figure 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The hockey stick 10 shown in the drawings is a hockey stick intended to be
used by a
goalkeeper in the game of hockey.
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- Referring to Figure 1, the hockey stick 10 has a generally L-shape,
including a shaft 11
and a blade 12 joined at the heel end 13. The shaft 11 has two sections: a
narrow
handle portion or handgrip 14 and a widened portion or paddle 15.
The hockey stick is shaped such that the paddle 15 portion of the shaft 11 has
a width
substantially equal to the width of the blade 12. The handario 14 nnrfinn hac
~ ~e~irl+h
less than the width of the paddle 15 portion and has a rectangular cross-
section and
chamfered edges 16 both at the front two edges and at the two rear edges of
the shaft
11. The handgrip 14 portion of the shaft 11 connects to the paddle 15 portion
of the
shaft 11 midway between the front 17 top corner and the rear 18 top corner of
the
paddle 15 portion.
As can be seen in the embodiment of Figure 2, the goalkeeper's hockey stick,
paddle
and blade 12 portions, is a composite sandwich construction consisting of a
thin light
15 weight ABS thermoplastic polymer resin core 20 with fiberglass and graphite
fibre
materials in an epoxy resin matrix forming the outer-surface skins 21 bonded
to the ABS
core 20.
A wood/fiberglass handgrip 14 portion is centrally bonded and/or mechanically
joined
to the back face of the composite sandwich construction i.e. to the paddle 15
portion.
Also, all wood or all composite handgrip 14 can be used.
Alternatively, other thermoplastic or thermoset polymer resin cores can be
used, with
fiberglass or graphite by itself, or with other combinations of fibers, such
as, for
instance, aramid.
Other lightweight cores could consist of foam, honeycomb or balsa, for
instance.
With respect to the thermoset resin, polyester or vinylester can be used or a
thermoplastic resin such as nylon can form a matrix skin.
Prepeg materials (fibrous materials pre-impregnated with resin and partially
cured as
purchased) can also be used.
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In an alternative embodiment, the handgrip 14 portion can be mounted centrally
on the
composite sandwich construction i.e. to the paddle 15 portion in such manner
as to
allow the handgrip 14 portion to fall flush with the outer-surface skins of
said paddle 15
portion. Further, a thumbhold and/or a backlip can be added to the
goalkeeper's hockey
stick thereby enhancing the goalkeeper's performance.
In yet another embodiment of the invention, shock absorbing means such as foam
or
honeycomb can be added to the front face 19 of the blade 12 and paddle 15 in
order to
reduce rebounds of the puck when contacting the blade 12 or paddle 15 of the
goalkeeper's hockey stick during play.
The playing performance of the stick is a critical aspect of the invention,
and the new
composition achieves results leading to better playing performance. Also,
increased
durability for use both on and off ice is combined with a decrease in weight
of the order
of 15% thereby resulting in an overall increase in play performance.
The above-described embodiments provide a goalkeeper with a hockey stick that
is
easy and comfortable to hold and handle. Furthermore, the dimensions of the
stick are
not changed and as such they comply with the rules of the National Hockey
League.
The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from
the spirit
or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to
be
considered as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention
being indicated
by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all
changes that
come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore
intended
to be embraced therein.
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