Racket

1. Field Of The Invention

The invention relates to a racket, more particularly to a racket having provisions to reduce vibrations at the handle thereof.

2. Description Of The Related Art

Conventional rackets, such as squash and tennis rackets, are made entirely of a single material. Examples of materials used for racket fabrication include composite materials containing graphite or glass reinforcing fibers, aluminum, etc.

When the racket is struck by a ball, the resulting impact is transmitted from the racket frame to the handle. The handle of most conventional rackets is seldom capable of absorbing vibrations and damping the impact transmitted to the user's hand. Thus, injury to the user's wrist or elbow may result if the force of impact is relatively strong.

Therefore, the objective of the present invention is to provide a racket having provisions to damp impact transmitted to the user's hand, so as to minimize the vibrations at the handle thereof.

Accordingly, the preferred embodiment of a racket of the present invention comprises a substantially oval-shaped frame, a shaft, and a neck portion interconnecting the frame and the shaft. The shaft has a first portion adjacent to the neck portion and a second portion serving as a handle for the racket. The frame, the neck portion, and the first portion of the shaft are integrally made of a first material, such as composite materials containing graphite or glass reinforcing fibers, aluminum, etc. The second portion of the shaft is made of a second material, such as rattan or polyurethane elastomers. A layer of elastic and adhesive material, such as polyurethane adhesives, is provided between respective joint end faces of the first and second portions. One of the joint end faces has a tongue projection, while the other one of the joint end faces has a socket to receive the tongue projection. The elastic and adhesive layer fastens the tongue projection in the socket to interconnect the first and second portions.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a plot of the vibrations which result when a conventional racket is struck;

FIG. 2 is a regression line obtained from the plot of FIG. 1 and used for computing the damping factor of the conventional racket;

FIG. 3 is an illustration of the preferred embodiment of a racket according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a plot of the vibrations which result when the racket of the present invention is struck; and

FIG. 5 is a regression line obtained from the plot of FIG. 4 and used for computing the damping factor of the racket of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the preferred embodiment of a racket according to the present invention is shown to comprise a substantially oval-shaped frame 10, a neck portion 20 and a shaft 30. The shaft 30 has a first portion 31 adjacent to the neck portion 20, and a second portion 32 serving as a handle for the racket. The frame 10, the neck portion 20, and the first portion 31 of the shaft 30 are integrally formed and are made of a material such as composite materials containing graphite and/or glass reinforcing fibers, aluminum, etc. The second portion 32 of the shaft 30 is made of a more flexible material, such as rattan or plastic, preferably polyurethane elastomers. The second portion 32 has an upper joint end face provided with a tongue 33 which is received in a socket 11 formed on a lower joint end of the first portion 31. A layer of elastic and adhesive material 50, such as polyurethane adhesives, is provided between the tongue 33 and the socket 11. The elastic layer 50 has adhesive properties to attach the first and second portions, 31 and 32. As in conventional rackets, a layer of adhesive tape may be wrapped around the second portion 32 of the shaft 30.

Plots of the resulting vibrations, when a conventional racket and the racket of the present invention are struck, are shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, respectively. FIGS. 1 and 4 are plotted with the aid of a damping testing machine to ensure a high degree of accuracy. Compared to the vibrations of the conventional racket, the effective duration and the amplitude of the vibrations of the racket of the invention is much shorter, thereby minimizing the risk of injury to the user.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 5, the natural logarithms of the peak-to-peak amplitudes of the vibrations plotted in FIGS. 1 and 4 are first computed in order to determine the damping factors of the conventional racket and of the racket of the present invention. The computed natural logarithms are then plotted and are used to obtain an appropriate regression line. The damping factor can then be determined from the slope of the resulting regression line. Preliminary tests show that the conventional racket has a damping factor of 34, while the preferred embodiment has a damping factor of 112, which is more than three times the damping factor of the conventional racket.

The main advantage arising from use of the racket of the present invention is that the vibrations of the shaft is minimized and the impact transmitted to the user's hand is damped, thereby minimizing the risk of injury to the user's elbow or wrist. The elastic and adhesive layer firmly connects the first and second portions of the shaft even though they are made of different materials.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment, but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.