Split Core Hockey Stick Blade

Abstract

A composite hockey stick blade having a paddle portion that includes an inner foam core overlaid, or sandwiched, with a plastic wrap. The inner foam core is formed having an upper section of a first foamed material and a lower section of a second foamed material, wherein the density of the upper foam core section is substantially less than the lower foam core section. More preferably, the upper foam core section has a density of about 3-5 pounds per cubic foot, while the lower foam core section has a density of greater than about 30 pounds per square foot. In addition, one or both of the foam core sections may be fiber reinforced. The location of the upper foam core section relative to lower foam core section within the paddle region may be varied to provide a hockey stick blade having different twisting and flexing characteristics.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD[0001]The present invention relates generally to a hockey stick blade and, more particularly to, a split core hockey stick blade.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Typical current hockey stick blades or replacement blades are generally made of a core material reinforced with one or more layers of synthetic material, such as fiberglass, carbon fiber or graphite. Traditionally, the core of the blade has been made of natural materials, such as wood or a wood laminate. Traditional wood constructions, however, are expensive to manufacture due to the cost of wood and the manufacturing processes employed. Further, wood sticks and blades are relatively heavy and have somewhat limited durability. Finally, due to variabilities relating to wood construction and manufacturing techniques, wood sticks are difficult to manufacture with consistent tolerances, and even the same model and brand of sticks and blades may have differences in terms of mechanical properties, such as stiffness...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006]It is therefore an advantage of the present invention to provide a composite blade for a hockey stick with improved response while handling, passing and / or shooting a puck.

[0007]It is another advantage of the present invention to provide a composite blade for a hockey stick that assists in preventing puck “flutter” that may occur when a player shoots or passes the puck.

[0008]It is a related advantage of the present invention to provide a composite blade for a hockey stick that minimizes twisting of the blade.

[0009]It is still another advantage of the present invention to provide a blade for a hockey stick that has decreased weight without adversely affecting the performance or mechanical characteristics of the blade.

[0010]In accordance with the above and the other advantages, the present invention provides a composite hockey stick blade formed as a composite structure having an inner foam core overlaid with, or sandwiched within, with a plastic wrap that provides regions of increased stiffness within the overall structure of the paddle. To achieve the regions of increased stiffness, the inner foam core is formed having an upper section of a first foamed material having a first set of mechanical characteristics and a lower section of a second foamed material having a differing set of mechanical characteristics. The inner foam core is thus considered a split foam core. Preferably, the upper foam core section consists of a substantially less dense foam material than the lower foam core section, thus the lower foam core section provides increased stiffness as compared to the upper foam core section. More preferably, the density of the upper foam core section is about 3-5 pounds per cubic foot, while the density of the lower foam core section is greater than about 30 pounds per square foot.

[0011]The location and density of the upper foam core section relative to the lower foam core section allows the flexing and twisting characteristics of the paddle portion of the hockey stick blade to be more precisely controlled and thereby provide more consistent performance. In addition, the presence of higher density foam core materials allows the thickness of the plastic wrap along the front face and rear face of the blade to be decreased without adversely affecting the performance or mechanical characteristics of the blade.

Problems solved by technology

Traditional wood constructions, however, are expensive to manufacture due to the cost of wood and the manufacturing processes employed.

Further, wood sticks and blades are relatively heavy and have somewhat limited durability.

Finally, due to variabilities relating to wood construction and manufacturing techniques, wood sticks are difficult to manufacture with consistent tolerances, and even the same model and brand of sticks and blades may have differences in terms of mechanical properties, such as stiffness and curvature.

Nevertheless, these composite sticks and blades still have disadvantages.

The additional layers of fiber material add weight and cost (raw material and manufacturing costs) to the stick and blade.

Images