Goldsmith, Edward M. (Granada Hills, CA, US)
Easton, James L. (Los Angeles, CA, US)

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11/484339

09/09/2008

07/10/2006

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Easton Sports, Inc. (Van Nuys, CA, US)

473/563

A63B59/14

473/560-563

1601116	Hockey stick	September, 1926	Hall
2201706	Method of coating the blades of air propellers	May, 1940	Sukohl	154/40
2304322	Hockey stick	December, 1942	Werlich	273/67
2649133	Method and device for producing high-pressure tubes of hardening materials as cement	August, 1953	Just	154/1.8
2674557	Process of making nonmetallic pipe	April, 1954	Boggs	154/83
2762739	Fiber-reinforced structural panel and method of making same	September, 1956	Wiess	154/90
2774596	Hockey stick	December, 1956	Bredenberg	273/67
2912245	Hockey stick	November, 1959	Gardner et al.	273/67
2964065	Polytetrafluoroethylene tubing and method of making the same	December, 1960	Haroldson	138/76
3020192	Method and apparatus for applying resilient sleeves	February, 1962	Stephens et al.	156/423
3125478		March, 1964	Pratt	156/184
3353826	Reinforced hockey stick	November, 1967	Traverse	273/67
3489412	HOCKEY STICK WITH CURVED BLADE	January, 1970	Franck et al.	273/67
3533623	HOCKEY STICK	October, 1970	Dumont	273/67
3544104	LAMINATED FIBERGLASS DIVING BOARD	December, 1970	Jenks	272/66
3561760	HOCKEY STICK WITH FLARED UPPER AND LOWER PORTIONS	February, 1971	Klay	273/67
3563546	HOCKEY STICK WITH SHOULDER ON BACKHAND SURFACE FOR PUCK CONTROL	February, 1971	Dawe	273/67
3631897	PRESTRESSED TUBULAR ARTICLE	January, 1972	Fischer et al.	138/141
3638942	REPLACEABLE BLADE AND SHANK FOR HOCKEY STICK AND A HOCKEY STICK MADE THEREWITH	February, 1972	Bassett	273/67A
3720410	BALL HOCKEY STICK WITH CURVILINEAR STRIKING FACES	March, 1973	Saytar	273/67A
3727936	SKI OF SHAPED LAMINATED MATERIAL AND METHOD FOR ITS MANUFACTURE	April, 1973	Klir et al.	280/11.13L
3809401	HOCKEY STICK	May, 1974	Hankele	273/67A
3813098	PRESTRESSED ELEMENTS	May, 1974	Fischer et al.	273/72R
3851880	HOCKEY-TYPE GAME APPARATUS	December, 1974	Ritch	273/128R
3859162	PRE-PREG MATERIALS, CHEMICALLY INTEGRAL COMPOSITE FOAM STRUCTURES PREPARED THEREFROM, AND METHODS OF PREPARATION	January, 1975	Johnson et al.	161/160
3910578	Lacrosse stick	October, 1975	Brine, Jr.	273/96D
3934875	Hockey stick	January, 1976	Easton et al.	273/67A
3961790	Hockey stick	June, 1976	Milligan	273/67A
3970324	Foam-filled, cellular structural product	July, 1976	Howat	280/610
3982760	Stick for hockey or the like	September, 1976	Tiitola	273/67A
4013288	Hockey stick	March, 1977	Goverde	273/67A
4013810	Sandwich panel construction	March, 1977	Long	428/308
D244790	Field hockey stick	June, 1977	Carlson et al.	D34/35BC
4052499	Method of reinforcing the handle of hockey sticks	October, 1977	Goupil et al.	264/265
4059269	Hockey stick or the like, particularly blade structure thereof	November, 1977	Tiitola	273/67A
4061520	Method of making composite high strength to weight structure	December, 1977	Cecka et al.	156/245
4070020	Composite high strength to weight structure with fray resistance	January, 1978	Dano	273/73F
4070021	Composite high strength to weight structure having shell and sleeved core	January, 1978	Cecka et al.	273/73F
4076240	Hockey stick	February, 1978	Haddad	273/67A
4084818	Hockey stick with reinforcement filament winding	April, 1978	Goupil et al.	273/67A
4086115	Method of making a hockey stick	April, 1978	Sweet, Jr. et al.	156/178
4124208	Hockey stick construction	November, 1978	Burns	273/67A
4124670	Method of producing a composite high strength to weight structure having a shell and weight controlled cellular core	November, 1978	Cecka et al.	264/45.3
4128963	Method for preparing a composite high strength to weight structure with fray resistance	December, 1978	Dano	264/46.6
4129634	Method for preparing a composite high strength to weight structure having shell and sleeved core	December, 1978	Cecka et al.	264/45.3
4134587	Ice hockey stick	January, 1979	Diederich	273/67A
4148482	Hockey stick reinforcing method and product	April, 1979	Harwell, Jr. et al.	273/67A
4159114	Ice hockey stick	June, 1979	Ardell et al.	273/67A
4172594	Ice hockey stick blade structure	October, 1979	Diederich	237/67A
4180413	Ice hockey stick	December, 1979	Diederich	156/185
4200479	Method of making a hockey stick	April, 1980	Ardell et al.	156/154
4212461	Composite high strength to weight structure having shell and weight controlled core	July, 1980	Cecka et al.	273/73F
4239215	Devices for practising ball-game stroke play	December, 1980	Farr	273/29A
4241115	Resin coated wooden articles produced by contacting a wooden article with a rather quick curing phenoxy or polyamide resin system	December, 1980	Temin	427/384
4273601	Method for the production of elongated resin impregnated filament composite structures	June, 1981	Weingart	156/189
4320160	Fabric structure for fiber reinforced plastics	March, 1982	Nishimura et al.	428/107
4343468	Hockey stick blade structure	August, 1982	Lindgren	273/67A
4351528	Sports stick handle	September, 1982	Duplin	273/67A
4353549	Hockey stick	October, 1982	Goupil et al.	273/67A
4358113	Hockey stick	November, 1982	McKinnon et al.	273/67A
4358117	Lacrosse stick	November, 1982	Deutsch	273/326
4361325	Hockey stick shaft	November, 1982	Jansen	273/67A
4369970	Hockey stick and method of manufacturing the same	January, 1983	Salminen	273/67A
4461479	Golf club having weighted handle	July, 1984	Mitchell	273/81A
4488721	Hockey stick blade with synthetic coating and exposed wear resistant base	December, 1984	Franck et al.	273/67A
4504344	Method of manufacturing a stick and a stick manufactured according to said method	March, 1985	Helle et al.	156/185
4512573	Hockey stick having a U-shaped head	April, 1985	Coolen	273/67A
4520042	High-modulus, flexible urethane coating and method of preparation	May, 1985	Smith	427/209
4537398	Hockey stick having laminated blade structure	August, 1985	Salminen	273/67A
4570932	Hockey stick having wedge insert in the blade	February, 1986	Cote	273/67A
4579617	Method of manufacturing tanks, containers, pipes, etc.	April, 1986	Öberg et al.	156/184
4591155	Method of making hockey sticks	May, 1986	Adachi	273/67A
4600192	Hockey stick manufacture	July, 1986	Adachi	273/67A
4651990	Protective device for goaltender hockey stick	March, 1987	Profit	273/67A
4660832	Shock and vibration absorbent handle	April, 1987	Shomo	273/73J
4664379	Hockey stick	May, 1987	Melby	273/67A
4684130	Ice hockey stick	August, 1987	Drolet et al.	273/67A
4739994	Lacrosse stick with graphite-loaded handle	April, 1988	Lewis, Jr.	273/326
4765856	Process for manufacturing custom moldable hand grip	August, 1988	Doubt	156/212
4770915	Flexible composite material and process for preparing same	September, 1988	Nakagawa et al.	428/74
4793616	Golf club	December, 1988	Fernandez	273/167H
4799985	Method of forming composite fiber blends and molding same	January, 1989	McMahon et al.	156/166
4818318	Method of forming composite fiber blends	April, 1989	McMahon et al.	156/166
4871491	Process for preparing composite articles from composite fiber blends	October, 1989	McMahon et al.	264/29.2
4874563	Process for preparing tows from composite fiber blends	October, 1989	McMahon et al.	264/29.2
4923541	Method for making composite reinforced tubes	May, 1990	Burger	156/87
4968032	Hockey stick shaft	November, 1990	Redekop	273/67A
5024712	Process and machine for manufacturing tubular pieces from at least one web of supple material and tubular pieces thus obtained	June, 1991	Lecourt et al.	156/184
5042804	Hand grip for sporting equipment or tools	August, 1991	Uke et al.	273/75
5042805	Sports implements with a long handle or portion	August, 1991	Nakai	273/80B
5048441	Composite sail mast with high bending strength	September, 1991	Quigley	114/90
5050878	Hockey stick made of composite materials and its manufacturing process	September, 1991	Deleris	273/67A
5067726	Lacrosse stick head with a throat wall rib and ball stop member	November, 1991	Brine, III et al.	273/326
5076872	Process for preparing a flexible composite material	December, 1991	Nakagawa et al.	156/166
5078396	Reinforced dual-blade hockey stick	January, 1992	Cavallaro et al.	273/67A
5127649	Foam hockey stick blade cover	July, 1992	Carbeonero	273/67A
D329888	Hockey stick	September, 1992	Christian	D21/211
5160135	Stick	November, 1992	Hasegawa	273/67A
5174567	Athletic training device	December, 1992	Nordstrom	273/67A
5183264	Hockey stick	February, 1993	Lanctot	273/67A
5188872	Composite structural member with high bending strength	February, 1993	Quigley	428/36.2
5206085	Preformed yarn useful for forming composite articles and process for producing same	April, 1993	Nakagawa et al.	428/372
5217221	Hockey stick formed of composite materials	June, 1993	Baum	273/67A
5242637	Process for the production of composite molded articles	September, 1993	Inoue et al.	264/45.3
5261662	Handle for an ice hockey stick	November, 1993	Prevost	273/67A
5303916	Hockey stick shaft	April, 1994	Rodgers	273/67A
5306003	Hockey stick shaft	April, 1994	Pagotto	273/67A
5312100	Hockey stick handle with detachable blade and method of manufacture	May, 1994	Ilacqua et al.	273/67A
5332212	Coated hockey stick blade	July, 1994	Susi et al.	273/67A
5333857	Hockey stick	August, 1994	Lallemand	273/67A
5364693	Orthopedic support materials	November, 1994	Moren et al.	428/263
5380002	Variable-weight play pieces	January, 1995	Spector	273/58H
5407195	Blade construct for a hockey stick or the like	April, 1995	Tiitola et al.	273/67A
5419553	Hockey stick shaft	May, 1995	Rodgors	273/67A
5423531	Hockey stick handle	June, 1995	Hoshizaki et al.	273/67A
5423735	Orthopedic cast composed of an alkoxysilane terminated resin	June, 1995	Callinan et al.	602/8
5435548	Hockey stick blade	July, 1995	Leduke et al.	273/67A
5439215	Composite, pultruded fiberglass resinous hockey stick, method and device for manufacture thereof	August, 1995	Ratchford	273/67A
5456463	Hockey stick with ergonomic handgrip	October, 1995	Dolan et al.	273/67A
5458330	Composite baseball bat with cavitied core	October, 1995	Baum	273/72R
RE35081	Composite structural member with high bending strength	November, 1995	Quigley	428/36.2
5470067	Detachable puck dispensing apparatus and method for hockey stick	November, 1995	Diresta	273/57.2
5492425	Applicator for grip-enhancing substances	February, 1996	Carter et al.	401/10
5496027	Reinforced hockey stick blade and method of making same	March, 1996	Christian et al.	273/67A
5511776	Roller hockey stick blade	April, 1996	Huru	273/67A
5520385	Article assembled with thermoreponsive material and method	May, 1996	Quigley et al.	273/57.2
5524884	Striking implements	June, 1996	Haines	273/67R
5533723	Composite baseball bat with cavitied core	July, 1996	Baum	273/72R
5549947	Composite shaft structure and manufacture	August, 1996	Quigley et al.	428/36.2
5556677	Composite shaft structure and manufacture	September, 1996	Quigley et al.	428/36.2
5558326	Hockey stick blade cover and method	September, 1996	Adamson et al.	273/67A
5577725	Hockey stick handle	November, 1996	Pagotto et al.	273/67A
5582405	Hockey stick	December, 1996	Montgomery	273/67A
5582406	Hockey stick blade coupler	December, 1996	Babcock	273/67A
5593158	Shock attenuating ball bat	January, 1997	Filice et al.	473/520
5599242	Golf club shaft and club including such shaft	February, 1997	Solviche et al.	473/318
5603498	Lightweight field hockey stick	February, 1997	Crawford et al.	473/563
5607154	Blade replacement system for hockey sticks	March, 1997	Meumann et al.	473/562
5607226	Illuminated hockey stick	March, 1997	Toth et al.	362/251
5624115	Composite baseball bat with cavitied core	April, 1997	Baum	473/567
5628509	Hockey stick replacement blade and method of connecting a replacement blade to a hockey stick shaft	May, 1997	Christian	473/562
5633299	Wood composite	May, 1997	Van Druten et al.	524/14
5636836	Hockey stick shaft	June, 1997	Carroll et al.	473/561
5653468	Stabilizer beam for roller blading	August, 1997	Ostapyk	280/809
5653643	Vibration absorbing material for handles of sporting equipment	August, 1997	Falone et al.	473/300
5655981	Metalized hockey stick	August, 1997	Reed	473/560
5674141	Broomball broom	October, 1997	Laforest	473/559
5676608	Hockey stick blade and method of making the same	October, 1997	Christian et al.	473/563
5685791	Composite lacrosse stick	November, 1997	Feeney	473/513
5685792	Street and ice hockey stick	November, 1997	Ruoff	473/563
5688571	Composite tubular member with internal reinforcement and method	November, 1997	Quigley et al.	428/36.1
5690850	Hockey stick blade application/removal tool	November, 1997	Anderson	219/535
5695416	Hockey stick and hockey stick replacement blade	December, 1997	Christian	473/562
5697857	Plastic hockey stick blade structure	December, 1997	Christian et al.	473/563
5700533	Fiber Braid Material	December, 1997	You	428/36.3
5718647	Replaceable hockey stick components	February, 1998	Tiitola	473/562
5728008	Ball striking device with means of imparting enhanced forward momentum to the ball	March, 1998	Howard	473/308
5728016	Hockey stick with reinforced blade	March, 1998	Hsu	473/563
5744528	Alkoxysilane terminated resin and methods of making and using same	April, 1998	Callinan et al.	524/265
5746955	Process for making a composite hockey stick shaft	May, 1998	Calapp et al.	264/103
5772541	Vibration dampened hand-held implements	June, 1998	Buiatti	473/520
5816949	Hockey stick	October, 1998	Dutchburn	473/563
5816962	Hockey stick blade protector	October, 1998	Etersque	473/563
5816963	Sports bats	October, 1998	Brooks et al.	473/564
5823901	Hockey stick blade and handle and method of securing same	October, 1998	Burger	473/560
5827141	Stick blade	October, 1998	Lukey et al.	473/563
5839977	Applique for a hockey stick	November, 1998	Maurer et al.	473/446
D404449	Hockey stick having an elastomeric sleeve about an aluminum shaft	January, 1999	Burger	D21/727
5863268	Metal goalkeeper's hockey stick	January, 1999	Birch	473/563
5863269	Joint system for two-piece hockey stick	January, 1999	Filice	473/562
5865694	Tennis racket with vibration damping and torsional elasticity	February, 1999	Duong-Van	473/520
5865696	Composite hockey stick shaft and process for making same	February, 1999	Calapp et al.	473/561
5866051	Method of making continuous glass fiber-reinforced thermoplastic foam sandwich composites	February, 1999	Lin et al.	264/45.9
5879250	Stick handle for an ice hockey stick or for a stick intended for a game of similar type	March, 1999	Tahtinen et al.	473/561
5888601	Composite tubular member having consistent strength	March, 1999	Quigley et al.	428/36.1
5904873	Hockey stick blade removal system	May, 1999	Sadler et al.	219/535
5928090	Golf shaft for controlling passive vibrations	July, 1999	Cabales et al.	473/318
D412544	Wooden hockey stick having an elastomeric sleeve about its handle	August, 1999	Burger	D21/727
5943767	Hockey stick blade tool	August, 1999	Milam	29/800
5967913	Configured and adjustable grip for game stick	October, 1999	Sulenta	473/560
5979288	Helical braider	November, 1999	Gallagher et al.	87/36
5980404	Street hockey stick	November, 1999	Gentile	473/560
5980674	Method for manufacturing tubular constructions from fiber reinforced thermoplastic sheets	November, 1999	Burger	156/189
5997970	Fiber-reinforced rodlike article	December, 1999	You	428/36.2
6001035	High temperature heat tolerant hockey stick shaft	December, 1999	Roberts	473/562
6004900	Composite article for sublimation-printing and method of manufacture	December, 1999	O'Brien, III	503/227
6019691	Hockey stick	February, 2000	Hillborn	473/563
6033326	Hockey stick with replaceable blade edge	March, 2000	Lee	473/560
6033327	Variable rigidity hockey stick	March, 2000	Bird	473/560
6033328	Hockey stick shaft	March, 2000	Bellefleur et al.	473/561
6036610	Reinforced baseball bat	March, 2000	Lewark	473/564
6039661	Reinforced hockey replacement blade and method of making the same	March, 2000	Christian et al.	473/562
6045906	Continuous, linearly intermixed fiber tows and composite molded article thereform	April, 2000	McMahon et al.	428/364
6062995	Joint assembly comprising a deforming element	May, 2000	Murphy et al.	473/562
6062996	Formable sports implement	May, 2000	Quigley	473/563
6063839	Prepreg of reinforcing fibers, epoxy resins, crosslinked rubber particles and curing agent	May, 2000	Oosedo et al.	523/206
D430249	Hockey stick shaft	August, 2000	Burger	D21/757
6102819	Apparatus and method for removing a replaceable hockey stick blade from a handle	August, 2000	Christian et al.	473/563
D431273	Hockey stick having two wood veneers on opposed wide sides and composite cloth exposed on remaining sides	September, 2000	Burger	D21/757
6113508	Adjusting stiffness and flexibility in sports equipment	September, 2000	Locarno et al.	473/516
6117029	Hockey stick shafts, hockey sticks, and methods of making them	September, 2000	Kunisaki et al.	473/561
6129962	Sports implement and shaft having consistent strength	October, 2000	Quigley et al.	428/36.1
6152840	Composite baseball bat with cavitied core	November, 2000	Baum	473/564
6155932	Golf shaft for controlling passive vibrations	December, 2000	Cabales et al.	473/319
6176640	Tubular composite structural parts having clamp area configuration to prevent cracking under clamping stress	January, 2001	Gonczi	403/375
6183384	Hockey stick blade for roller or street hockey	February, 2001	Roberto	473/563
6203447	Bonding apparatus for modular shafts	March, 2001	Dillard	473/316
6206793	Composite hockey stick handle with resilient shroud	March, 2001	Burger	473/561
D440617	Hosel portion of hockey stick	April, 2001	Goldsmith et al.	D21/753
6224505	Hockey stick shaft	May, 2001	Burger	473/561
6234923	Street hockey stick	May, 2001	Gentile	473/563
6241633	Hockey stick shaft and method of making the same	June, 2001	Conroy	473/561
6248031	Hockey stick handle	June, 2001	Brodie	473/560
6250193	Braided structure with elastic bias strands	June, 2001	Head	87/2
6257997	Adjusting stiffness and flexibility in sports equipment	July, 2001	Doble et al.	473/516
6267697	Hockey stick with triangular handle and multiple bending planes	July, 2001	Sulenta	473/560
6273829	Metal matrix composite shafts for golf clubs	August, 2001	Carlson et al.	473/316
6273835	Hockey stick blade sleeve	August, 2001	Battis et al.	473/563
6274230	Articles of composite construction and method of producing patterns thereon	August, 2001	Sarrelongue et al.	428/293.7
6306474	Hybrid fiber-reinforced plastic	October, 2001	Yoshioka et al.	428/36.4
6352485	Fiber reinforced molded products and processes	March, 2002	Philpot et al.	473/564
6358166	Hockey stick	March, 2002	Yu	473/561
6364792	Ice hockey stick	April, 2002	Evanochko	473/560
6364793	Adhesive layer and its application to hockey stick blades	April, 2002	Valarik	473/563
6395210	Pultrusion method and device for forming composites using pre-consolidated braids	May, 2002	Head et al.	264/137
6399199	Prepeg and carbon fiber reinforced composite materials	June, 2002	Fujino et al.	428/396
6403504	Composite fiber blends	June, 2002	McMahon et al.	442/197
6515081	Composition of epoxy resin, curing agent and reactive compound	February, 2003	Oosedo et al.	525/531
6525125	Polyolefin compositions having variable density and methods for their production and use	February, 2003	Giardello et al.	524/439
6565280	Fastening mechanism for connecting a sports attachment to a sports shaft	May, 2003	Post	403/325
6610382	Friction control article for wet and dry applications	August, 2003	Kobe et al.	428/119
7144343	Hockey stick	December, 2006	Goldsmith et al.	473/562
20010029813	IMPACT INSTRUMENT	October, 2001	Schroder	81/20
20020007022	EPOXY RESIN COMPOSITION FOR FIBER-REINFORCED COMPOSITE MATERIAL, PREPREG, AND FIBER-REINFORCED COMPOSITE MATERIAL	January, 2002	Oosedo et al.	525/527
20020061374	COMPOSITE TUBULAR MEMBER HAVING IMPACT RESISTANT MEMBER	May, 2002	O'Brien	428/36.9
20020107095	WEIGHTING SYSTEM FOR SPORTS BALLS AND HITTING IMPLEMENTS	August, 2002	Becker	473/564
20020198071	BALL BAT	December, 2002	Snow	473/564

CA489072	December, 1952
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EP0226420	June, 1987			Flexible composite material and process for preparing same.
EP0351201	January, 1990			Non-shrinkable hybrid yarn.
EP0407996	January, 1991			Process for the production of composite molded articles
EP0441971	August, 1991			SPORTING GOODS AND SHOCK ABSORBING MATERIAL USED BY BEING FITTED TO THE SPORTING GOODS.
EP0523913	January, 1993			Striking implements
EP0532444	March, 1993			Process for impregnating wood with plastic material.
EP0585965	March, 1994			Process for the production of composite molded articles.
EP0597166	May, 1994			Hockey stick.
EP0662391	July, 1995			Composite shaft structure and manufacture.
EP0733469	September, 1996			Composite structural member with high bending strength and method of manufacture
EP0742266	November, 1996			Epoxy resin compostions for fiber-reinforced composite materials, prepregs and fiber-reinforced composite materials
EP0764453	March, 1997			Hockey stick handle
EP0487549	September, 1997			COMPOSITE STRUCTURAL MEMBER WITH HIGH BENDING STRENGTH AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE.
EP0504230	July, 1998			HOCKEY STICK.
EP0927628	July, 1999			HYBRID FIBER-REINFORCED PLASTIC
EP0947562	October, 1999			EPOXY RESIN COMPOSITION FOR FIBER-REINFORCED COMPOSITE MATERIAL, PREPREG, AND FIBER-REINFORCED COMPOSITE MATERIAL
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WO/1991/016955	November, 1991			GOLF PUTTER
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WO/1994/021334	September, 1994			A STICK FOR PLAYING A GAME
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WO/1996/002385	February, 1996			NON-SKID WATER BASED COATING
WO/1996/013549	May, 1996			WOOD COMPOSITE
WO/1997/003730	February, 1997			STREET AND ICE HOCKEY STICK
WO/1997/003820	February, 1997			COMPOSITE TUBULAR MEMBER HAVING CONSISTENT STRENGTH AND METHOD
WO/1997/029808	August, 1997			ANATOMIC-ISOBARIC HANDLE
WO/1997/033660	September, 1997			METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A BLADE
WO/1997/041929	November, 1997			IMPROVED HOCKEY STICK
WO/1998/001189	January, 1998			HOCKEY STICK BLADE HAVING AN ABRASION RESISTANT COATING AND PROCESS FOR COATING SAID BLADE
WO/1998/019753	May, 1998			HOCKEY STICK SHAFT
WO/1998/024616	June, 1998			BRAIDED STRUCTURE WITH ELASTIC BIAS STRANDS
WO/1998/041292	September, 1998			HOCKEY STICK SHAFTS, HOCKEY STICKS, AND METHODS OF MAKING THEM
WO/1998/055182	December, 1998			ICE HOCKEY STICK
WO/1999/017845	April, 1999			METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A STICK SHAFT
WO/1999/032198	July, 1999			CONFIGURED AND ADJUSTABLE GRIP FOR GAME STICK
WO/1999/060030	November, 1999			POLYOLEFIN COMPOSITIONS HAVING VARIABLE TOUGHNESS AND/OR HARDNESS
WO/2000/003769	January, 2000			HOCKEY STICK
WO/2000/009222	February, 2000			HOLLOW CORE TECHNOLOGY
WO/2000/010655	March, 2000			ADJUSTING STIFFNESS AND FLEXIBILITY IN SPORTS EQUIPMENT
WO/2000/027632	May, 2000			MOULDING MATERIALS
WO/2000/032278	June, 2000			BLADE STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING BLADE
WO/2000/046255	August, 2000			POLYOLEFIN COMPOSITIONS HAVING VARIABLE DENSITY AND METHODS FOR THEIR PRODUCTION AND USE

Graham, Mark S.

Jones Day

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of a U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/318,326 filed on Dec. 23, 2005, issuing as U.S. Pat. No. 7,144,343 on Dec. 5, 2006, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/929,299 filed on Aug. 14, 2001, now abandoned, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/479,429 filed on Jan. 7, 2000, now abandoned. Each of these applications is hereby incorporated in their entirety be reference. This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 120 to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/318,326 filed on Dec. 23, 2005, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/929,299 filed on Nov. Aug. 14, 2001, now abandoned, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/479,429 filed on Jan. 7, 2000, now abandoned.

What is claimed is:

1. A hockey stick blade comprising: a lower portion, extending from a toe section to a heel section to form a front face and a back face of the blade; and an upper portion having a longitudinal axis and comprising a defined region of reduced longitudinal bending stiffness in a direction generally perpendicular to the front face and the back face of the blade when measured relative to regions in the upper portion that border either side of the defined region along the longitudinal axis, wherein the upper portion is configured to be permanently mounted to a hockey stick shaft.

2. The hockey stick blade of claim 1, wherein the defined region of reduced longitudinal bending stiffness comprises a first outer most exterior concave surface having a continuous curved transition into the first outer most exterior surface and a second outer most exterior concave region having a continuous curved transition into the second outer most exterior surface.

3. The hockey stick blade of claim 1, wherein the blade is comprised of one or more inner core elements overlain with one or more layers of fibers disposed in a hardened matrix material.

4. The hockey stick blade of claim 3, wherein at least one of the layers of fibers extend internally within the blade between the front face and the back face.

5. The hockey stick blade of claim 1, wherein the blade is comprised of one or more inner core elements overlain with one or more layers of aligned fibers disposed in a hardened matrix material.

6. A hockey blade configured to be permanently mounted to a hockey shaft comprising: (a) a lower portion extending from a toe section to a heel section to form a front and a back face of the blade; and (b) an upper portion having a longitudinal axis extending from the heel section toward a mating section adapted to be permanently mounted to a shaft; the upper portion comprising: a front side having a first outer most exterior surface generally facing in the same direction as the front face of the blade; a back side having a second outer most exterior surface generally facing in the same direction as the back face of the blade; and an outer most exterior concave surface having a continuous curved transition into at least one of the first or second outer most exterior surfaces, wherein the concave surface forms a region of reduced width dimension, as measured between the first and second outer most exterior surfaces, relative to bordering regions on either side of the concave surface along the longitudinal axis.

7. The hockey stick of claim 6 further comprising a first outer most exterior concave surface having a continuous curved transition into the first outer most exterior surface and a second outer most exterior concave surface having a continuous curved transition into the second outer most exterior surface.

8. The hockey stick of claim 6, wherein the blade is comprised of one or more inner core elements overlain with one or more layers of fibers disposed in a hardened matrix material.

9. The hockey stick blade of claim 8, wherein at least one of the layers of fibers extend internally within the blade between the front face and the back face.

10. The hockey stick of claim 6, wherein the blade is comprised of one or more inner core elements overlain with one or more layers of aligned fibers disposed in a hardened matrix material.

11. A two piece hockey stick comprising: (a) a shaft, and (b) a blade configured to be detachably mated to the shaft, said blade comprising: (i) a lower portion extending from a toe section to a heel section to form a front and a back face of the blade; and (ii) an upper portion, having a longitudinal axis generally extending from the heel toward the shaft, comprising: a front side having a first outer most exterior surface generally facing in the same direction as the front face of the blade; a back side having a second outer most exterior surface generally facing in the same direction as the back face of the blade; and a focused flex region having a continuous curved transition into at least one of the first or second outer most exterior surfaces, wherein the focused flex region has a reduced width dimension, as measured between the first and second outer most exterior surfaces, relative to bordering regions on either side of the focused flex region along the longitudinal axis.

12. The hockey stick of claim 11 further comprising a first outer most exterior concave surface having a continuous curved transition into the first outer most exterior surface and a second outer most exterior concave surface having a continuous curved transition into the second outer most exterior surface.

13. The hockey stick of claim 11, wherein the blade is comprised of one or more inner core elements overlain with one or more layers of fibers disposed in a hardened matrix material.

14. The hockey stick blade of claim 13, wherein at least one of the layers of fibers extend internally within the blade between the front face and the back face.

15. The hockey stick of claim 11, wherein the blade is comprised of one or more inner core elements overlain with one or more layers of aligned fibers disposed in a hardened matrix material.

16. A hockey stick comprising: a shaft and a blade adapted to being joined to the shaft comprising,: a lower portion extending from a toe section to a heel section to form a front and a back face of the blade; and an upper portion having a longitudinal axis generally extending from the heel toward the shaft, the upper portion being comprised of a defined region of reduced longitudinal bending stiffness in a direction generally perpendicular to the faces of the blade when measured relative to regions in the upper portion of the blade that border either side of the defined region along the longitudinal axis.

17. The hockey stick blade of claim 16, wherein the defined region of reduced longitudinal bending stiffness comprises a first outer most exterior concave surface having a continuous curved transition into the first outer most exterior surface and a second outer most exterior concave region having a continuous curved transition into the second outer most exterior surface.

18. The hockey stick blade of claim 16, wherein the blade is comprised of one or more inner core elements overlain with one or more layers of fibers disposed in a hardened matrix material.

19. The hockey stick blade of claim 18, wherein at least one of the layers of fibers extend internally within the blade between the front face and the back face.

20. The hockey stick blade of claim 16, wherein the blade is comprised of one or more inner core elements overlain with one or more layers of aligned fibers disposed in a hardened matrix material.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The field of the present invention relates to hockey sticks and the blades thereof.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Generally, hockey sticks are comprised of a blade portion and a shaft or handle portion. Traditionally, these portions were permanently joined to one another. In more recent times, the blade and shaft have been constructed in a manner that facilitates the user's replacement of the blade (i.e. the blades can be removably detached from the shaft and another blade can be attached and the removed blade can be attached to another shaft). The blades and shafts have been constructed, in whole or in part, using a wide variety of materials, including wood, aluminum, plastic and composite materials such as carbon, graphite, aramides, polyethylene, polyester and glass fibers.

The blade portion is typically comprised of front and back faces, a hosel portion that extends longitudinally toward the shaft from the heel of the blade and a lower portion that extends generally perpendicular relative to the hosel portion away from the heel. In conventional construction, the hosel portion of the blade employs a continuously uniform or a continuously gradually tapering cross-sectional geometry relative to and along its longitudinal axis moving from the upper portion of the hosel near the shaft toward the heel. Consequently, a uniform or gradually tapering longitudinal bending stiffness in the hosel results.

The longitudinal bending stiffness of a member or a section of a member is the stiffness along a given longitudinal axis of the member relative to a defined direction. For example as illustrated in FIG. 9A, a member having a rectangular cross-sectional area has a longitudinal axis defined as Z′, a width defined as X, a height defined as Y and a length defined as L, where the width X is greater than the height Y. As illustrated in FIG. 9B, the longitudinal bending stiffness of the member illustrated in FIG. 9A in the direction X′ (which as illustrated is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis) may be measured by applying a force F to the member in the direction of X′ (i.e. normal to the Z′-Y′ plane) and measuring the bending of the member in that direction at a defined position. Alternatively, as illustrated in FIG. 9C, the longitudinal bending stiffness in the Y′ direction is measured by applying a force F to the member in the Y′ direction (i.e. normal to the Z′-X′ plane) and measuring the bending of the member in that direction at a defined position of the member.

The longitudinal bending stiffness in the X′ and Y′ directions may or may not be the same at a given section or region since the bending stiffness relates to the member's construction which is a function of the member's design, dimensions, geometry, and the properties of the materials employed. Thus, the longitudinal bending stiffness of a given member at a given position may vary depending on the direction in which the longitudinal bending stiffness is measured, and the stiffness at different positions may vary depending on the construction of the member at that position. As illustrated in FIGS. 9B and 9C the bending stiffness in the X′ direction is greater than the bending stiffness in the Y′ direction for the given force F (i.e. the member bends less in the X′ direction than in the Y′ direction of a given section when the same force F is applied). The assumption upon which the diagrams in FIGS. 9B and 9C are based is that all other relevant construction factors effecting the bending stiffness in the X′ and Y′ directions are equal except for the width X being greater than the height Y. Accordingly, a greater longitudinal bending stiffness should result in the X′ direction. It should be recognized, however, that the construction of the member can be modified in other respects so as to create a greater relative bending stiffness in the Y′ direction despite the width X being greater than the height Y.

The “feel” of a hockey stick is a result of a myriad of factors including the type of materials employed in construction, the structure of the components, the dimensions of the components, the rigidity or bending stiffness of the shaft and blade, the weight and balance of the shaft and blade, the rigidity and strength of the joint(s) connecting the shaft to the blade, the curvature of the blade, etc. Experienced players and the public are often inclined to use hockey sticks that have a “feel” that is comfortable yet provides the desired performance. Moreover, the subjective nature inherent in this decision often results in one hockey player preferring a certain “feel” of a particular hockey stick while another hockey player preferring the “feel” of another hockey stick.

In order to modify the “feel” and/or performance of the hockey stick, the hosel portion of the blade can be uniquely modified in geometry and/or bending stiffness as described in more detail below.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to hockey sticks. A preferred embodiment relates to hockey stick blades comprising a face, an upper portion, and a lower portion. The upper portion having a longitudinal axis and being comprised of a defined region of reduced longitudinal bending stiffness in a direction that generally extends away from the face of the blade when measured relative to regions in the upper portion of the blade that border either side of the defined region along the longitudinal axis.

Another preferred embodiment relates to hockey sticks comprising a blade and a shaft. The blade is comprised of a face, an upper portion, a heel, and a lower portion. The upper portion having a longitudinal axis generally extending from the heel toward the shaft. The upper portion being comprised of a defined region of reduced longitudinal bending stiffness in a direction that generally extends away from the face of the blade when measured relative to regions in the upper portion of the blade that border either side of the defined region along the longitudinal axis. The blade and shaft are adapted to being joined to one another.

Another preferred embodiment relates to hockey stick blades comprising a face, an upper portion, and a lower portion. The upper portion having a longitudinal axis and being comprised of a defined region having a reduced width dimension in a direction that generally extends away from the face of the blade when measured relative to regions in the upper portion of the blade that border either side of the defined region along the longitudinal axis.

In yet another preferred embodiment relates to hockey sticks comprising a blade and a shaft. The blade is comprised of a face, an upper portion, a heel, and a lower portion. The upper portion having a longitudinal axis generally extending from the heel toward the shaft. The upper portion being comprised of a defined region having a reduced width dimension in a direction that generally extends away from the face of the blade when measured relative to regions in the upper portion of the blade that border either side of the defined region along the longitudinal axis. The blade and shaft are adapted to being joined to one another.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate presently preferred embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain various principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a hockey stick in accordance with a preferred embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a right side view of the hockey stick blade in accordance with the embodiment set forth in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the hockey stick blade in accordance with the embodiment set forth in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the hockey stick blade in accordance with the embodiment set forth in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a rear view of the hockey stick blade in accordance with the embodiment set forth in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the hockey stick blade in accordance with the embodiment set forth in FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a detailed rear view of the focused flex region of the hockey stick blade in accordance with the embodiment set forth in FIG. 1.

FIG. 8A is a detailed diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view of the hockey stick blade in accordance with the embodiment set forth in FIG. 1 taken along line A-A of FIG. 7.

FIG. 8B is a detailed diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view of the hockey stick blade in accordance with the embodiment set forth in FIG. 1 taken along line B-B of FIG. 7.

FIG. 8C is a detailed diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view of the hockey stick blade in accordance with the embodiment set forth in FIG. 1 taken along line C-C of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9A is a diagram illustrating a member having a longitudinal axis and comprising a rectangular cross-sectional area having width X, height Y and length L.

FIG. 9B is a diagram illustrating the member of FIG. 9A with a force applied to the member in the X′ direction.

FIG. 9C is a diagram illustrating the member of FIG. 9A with a force applied to the member in the Y′ direction.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made to the construction and operations of preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The following descriptions of the preferred embodiments of the present invention are only exemplary of the invention. The present invention is not limited to these embodiments, but may be realized by other embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a hockey stick 10 in accordance with a preferred embodiment as disclosed herein. FIGS. 2-7 are diagrams illustrating from different perspectives and views the blade portion of the hockey stick illustrated in FIG. 1. As shown in FIGS. 1-7, a hockey stick 10 is comprised of a handle or shaft 20 and a blade 30. The shaft 20 is preferably comprised of a hollow tubular member having a top section 50, a middle section 60 and a bottom section 70. The cross-sectional area of the shaft 20 is generally rectangular throughout the longitudinal length of the shaft 20 and generally employs two sets of opposed walls 21, 22, 23 and 24. The blade 30 is comprised of a heel 80, an upper portion 90, a lower portion 100 and front and back faces 120 and 140 respectively. The heel 80 is generally defined as the angular junction between the lower portion 100 and upper portion 90. The upper portion 90 in the preferred embodiment is comprised of two sets of opposed walls 31, 32, 33, and 34 and a mating section 95. The mating section 95 in a preferred embodiment is comprised of a rectangular cross section (also having two sets of opposed walls 31a, 32a, 33a, and 34a) that is adapted to mate with the bottom section 70 of the shaft 20 in a four-plane lap joint along the inside of walls 21, 22, 23, and 24. The outside diameter of the rectangular cross-sectional area of the mating section 95 is preferably dimensioned to make a sliding fit inside the hollow center of the bottom section 70 of the shaft 20. Preferably, the blade 30 and shaft 20 are bonded together at the four-plane lap joint using an adhesive capable of removably cementing the blades to shafts. Such adhesives are commonly known and employed in the industry and include Z-Waxx™ and hot melt glues. Other mating configurations and methods known in the art may be used as well with the present invention. Alternatively, the blade 30 and shaft 20 may be permanently mounted to one another using construction and assembly structures and techniques known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

In the preferred embodiment, the hockey stick 10 has a longitudinally extending axis 40 that extends from the top section 50 of the shaft 20 through the bottom section 70 of the shaft 20 and through the upper portion 90 of the blade 30 generally toward the heel 80. The upper member 90 further comprises a focused flex region 110, which is preferably comprised of a region of reduced longitudinal bending stiffness in a defined region of the upper portion 90 of the blade 30. The stick has a reduction in longitudinal bending stiffness—or a focused flex region 110—that gives it a higher flexibility about the axis line 200. The present invention is not directed to providing increased flexibility about the axis line 130, but rather in the direction of axis line 130. Put another way, stick of the present invention has a reduction in longitudinal bending stiffness—or a focused flex region 110—that modifies the ability of the stick to flex in the general direction that extends away from the face 120 of the blade 30 (i.e. in a direction generally normal to the plane defined by longitudinal axis 40 and transverse axis 200). The reduction of the bending stiffness is measured relative to the sections of the upper portion 90 of the blade 30 that immediately border either side of the focused flex region 110 moving along the longitudinal axis 40—that is, the sections above and below the focused flex region 110. Hence, the section of the upper portion 90 located above the focused flex region 110 as well as the section of the upper portion 90 of the blade 30 located below the focused flex region 110 have a longitudinal bending stiffness measured in a direction of axis line 130 that is greater than that in the focused flex region 110.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3-7, the reduced bending stiffness in the focused flex region 110 may be achieved by modifying the geometry of the upper portion 90 of the blade 30. As shown in a preferred embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-8, the widths of the two opposed walls 31 and 32 of the upper portion 90 are reduced generally in the direction of the axis line 130 so as to create a tapered, or hourglass, shape when viewed from a rear perspective as in FIG. 7. The reduction in the bending stiffness in the focused flex region 110 may be controlled using other construction techniques or modifications, in addition to or in combination with modifications to the geometry of the upper portion 90. For example, internal or external structural configurations on the upper portion 90 may be employed to achieve the relative reduction in the bending stiffness in the focused flex region 110. In addition, the materials employed to construct the upper portion 90 in the focused flex region 110 may be varied either in quality (i.e. longitudinal bending stiffness properties) or quantity so as to result in a reduction of bending stiffness without necessarily changing the general structure, outer dimensions, or geometry of the upper portion 90 in the focused flex region 110.

One advantage, however, that is associated with changing the outward geometry of the upper member 90 in the focused flex region 110 is that the focused flex region 110 would be more readily detectable to the consumer and therefore may be advantageous from a marketing perspective. In this regard, a modification in the outer dimensions or geometry of the upper portion 90 without change to the bending stiffness is also contemplated by the present invention. Furthermore, it should be understood that while the focused flex region 110 is depicted in FIGS. 1-7 as being positioned below the rectangular cross sectional area of the mating section 95 it is contemplated that it may be placed within the this area as well.

One advantage offered by the present invention is that it allows the stick designer to create a specific point, or area, where the stick will flex the most. This focused flex region 110 can be used to create a stick with a lower flex point than other sticks known in the art. This can be used to create a stick with different feel and an increased ability to generate lift on the puck—that is, to shoot the puck into the air.

The blade 30 may be constructed of a variety of materials including wood, plastic, and composite materials such as fiberglass, carbon fiber, Kevlar™, graphite fiber, foam and other materials known to those of ordinary skill in the art. As illustrated in FIGS. 8A-8C, when the blade 30 is formed of composite materials, the blade 30 may be manufactured by using a plurality of inner core pieces 160 composed preferably of compressed foam, such as polyurethane, however, other materials may also be employed such as wood, other foams and fiberglass. The inner core pieces 160 generally are dimensioned generally to have the external shape of the blade 30 when aligned with one another so as to be capable of fitting in a desired mold. Each inner core piece 160 is individually inserted into a first sleeve 170 preferably composed of a woven synthetic reinforcement material such as carbon fiber, fiberglass, Kevlar™ or graphite fiber materials. The inner core pieces 160, having been individually inserted into the woven fiber sleeves 170, are preferably also together enclosed into an additional woven fiber sleeve 180 preferably constructed of the same material as the first sleeve 170. An additional layer of woven fiber reinforcement material 190 may also be layered between the two sets of sleeves on the top section of the blade 30 to form part of walls 31 and 31a of the upper portion 90 and the top edge 150 of the blade 30. The section may be sized to form a portion of the front 120 and rear faces 140 of the blade 30. The blade assembly is then inserted into a mold having the desired shape of the blade 30. A suitable matrix material or resin is then injected into mold to impregnate the woven fiber materials 170, 180, 190 and the blade 30 is cured. In the illustrated preferred embodiment, the molding process together with the dimensions of the inner core pieces 160 define the unique shape of the focused flex region 110 on the upper portion 90 of the blade 30.

While there has been illustrated and described what are presently considered to be preferred embodiments and features of the present invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made, and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof, without departing from the scope of the invention.

In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular element, feature or implementation to the teachings of the present invention without departing from the central scope of the invention. Therefore, it is intended that this invention not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed herein, but that the invention include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.