Safety device for securing a damping element to a racket

Abstract

A locking device (5) for securing a damping element (30) having a groove (32) to a tennis racket (40), wherein the locking device has, at least in its state of use: an elastic eyelet section (12) which is designed for arrangement in the groove of a damping element (30) to be secured, at least one fastening device connected to the eyelet section (20), and at least one at least partially flexible gripping section (21, 22) which has a counter-fastening device that can be connected to the fastening device.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a device for securing a damping element on a racket strung with strings, in particular a tennis racket, according to claim 1 and to parts of such a device according to claims 9 and 10.

[0002] Damping elements are known for use in tennis. These can be clamped between at least two strings of a tennis racket to dampen the impact when hitting a ball. Such a damping element is made of an elastomeric material, is usually plate-shaped, and has a lateral groove, usually designed as a circumferential groove. The clamping is usually between two adjacent strings that extend along the direction of the racket's handle axis, near the handle of the tennis racket (i.e., outside the intended hitting area of ​​the stringing for the tennis ball).

[0003] However, it has been found that such dampening elements often detach from the racket during play and are thus lost. To solve this problem, the generic patent 10 2021 126 574 A1 proposes a dampening element with a loss-prevention device firmly attached to the dampening element. This safety device is a flexible element that is secured to the frame of the tennis racket.

[0004] Based on this, the invention aims to provide an improved arrangement for securing a damping element on a tennis racket.

[0005] This object is achieved by a safety device having the features of claim 1.

[0006] The securing device according to the invention is designed to be separate from the dampening element, which has the advantage that different dampening elements can be secured to the tennis racket (or another stringed racket) using the securing device. This means that the user can select the dampening element that best suits their needs, which does not need to have a securing device itself. Furthermore, the securing is not carried out on the frame but via at least one string. For this purpose, the device has at least one flexible gripping section designed to grip at least one string of the tennis racket, which can facilitate installation on the racket. Thus, the device has the following elements: - an elastic eyelet section which is designed to be arranged in the groove of a damper element to be secured, - at least one fastening device connected to the eyelet section, and - at least one flexible encircling section which has a counter-fastening device connectable to the fastening device, so that the encircling section can be held on the fastening device by means of the counter-fastening device in a bent state in which the encircling section can encompass at least one string.

[0007] It has proven particularly advantageous to design the fastening device as a projection and the counter-fastening device with a recess such that, when the counter-fastening device is arranged on the fastening device, the projection of the counter-fastening device extends through the recess. To achieve particularly reliable fastening, it is usually preferable to provide an edge extending completely around the recess, so that the recess is an opening.

[0008] To prevent accidental detachment of the enclosing portion from the fastening device, the projection preferably has a shaft portion and a head portion that is larger than the shaft portion. To allow fastening and detachment of the enclosing portion, at least a portion of the projection, in particular its head, and / or the edge of the enclosing portion surrounding the recess is made of an elastic material. It is particularly preferred that the entire enclosing portion be made of an elastic (and not just a flexible) material.

[0009] Particularly effective securing is achieved when two encircling sections are provided. These preferably extend essentially in opposite directions when free from external forces. It is particularly advantageous if both encircling sections are provided with a recess that can be attached to a common projection serving as a fastening device.

[0010] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the device is constructed in two parts, comprising a first part and a second part, the first part having the eyelet portion and the second part having at least one encompassing portion. These two parts can in principle be separated from one another, but are naturally connected to one another when in use. This two-part design results in particular in simple manufacture. It is preferred for the first part to have a coupling portion with a coupling aperture through which the projection, which forms the fastening device and which belongs to the second part, extends.

[0011] The invention will now be described in more detail using a preferred embodiment with reference to the figures. Fig. 1 first part and second part of an embodiment of a securing device according to the invention for securing a damper element, as well as a damper element which can be secured to the stringing of a tennis racket with this securing device, Fig. 2 the first part and the second part from Fig. 1, wherein the first part is attached to the second part so that the complete safety device is in its use state, Fig. 3 the safety device Fig. 2 and the damper element made of Fig. 1, wherein the eyelet portion of the securing device is received in a circumferential groove of the damper element, Fig. 4 that in Fig. 3 Shown after the two encircling sections of the securing device have been folded over and secured to a projection of the securing device, Fig. 5 essentially the Fig. 3, wherein the damper element is clamped between two adjacent strings of a tennis racket, and wherein the safety device is not yet in its safety state, Fig. 6 that in Fig. 5 Shown while a gripping section is folded over, and Fig. 7 that in the Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 Shown, wherein the safety device is in its secured state, in which the damper element is held captively on the stringing of the tennis racket.

[0012] The Fig. Figure 1 shows a first part 10 and a second part 20, which are the two components of the described embodiment of the securing device according to the invention, as well as a damper element 30, which is suitable for being secured to the stringing of a tennis racket by means of the securing device. In the state of Fig. 1, the first part 10 is not yet attached to the second part 20, so that the safety device is not yet in its use state; this is shown in Fig. 2 shown.

[0013] The first part is preferably a one-piece part made of an elastic material, in particular an elastomer, and has an eyelet section 12—in the illustrated embodiment, essentially rectangular—an intermediate section 14 extending from the eyelet section 12, and an adjoining coupling section 16 with a coupling opening 16a. The eyelet section 12 naturally also encloses an opening (here without a reference symbol).

[0014] The second part has a first enclosing section 21 and a second enclosing section 22, wherein the two enclosing sections 21, 22 extend substantially in opposite directions and in the state of Fig. 1 essentially define a plane. Between the two encompassing sections 21, 22 lies a central section 23, from which a projection 25 extends—essentially perpendicularly. The first encompassing section 21, the second encompassing section 22, and the central section 23 are preferably made in one piece from a valuable elastomeric material; the projection 25 can be made in one piece for this purpose, but can also be a separately manufactured and subsequently assembled part. The projection 25, which forms a fastening device, has, in the illustrated embodiment—and this is preferred—a shaft section 25a and a head section 25b that is thicker than the shaft section.

[0015] The encompassing sections 21, 22 each have a recess in the form of a completely bordered opening 21a, 22a, whereby a counter-fastening device is formed in each case.

[0016] The Fig. 2 shows the state (also referred to as “use state”) in which the coupling portion 16 of the first part 10 is slipped over the projection 25, so that the first part 10 is fastened to the second part 20 and the complete securing device is present.

[0017] The Fig. 3 shows the state in which the eyelet section 12 is inserted into the groove of the damper element 30. This arrangement of the damper element 30 on the eyelet section 12 can occur when the first part 10 has been attached to the second part 20, or even beforehand.

[0018] The Fig. 4 shows the state in which the two encircling sections 21, 22 have been folded over and the projection 25 extends through the two openings 21a, 22a of the encircling sections.

[0019] The Fig. 5 to 7 show how the assembly formed by the securing device and damper element 30 is attached and secured to the stringing of a tennis racket. For this purpose, the damper element 30 is first pushed between two adjacent strings 44 of the tennis racket, so that these two strings 44 (and possibly also another string running transversely thereto) are located in sections in the groove 32 of the damper element 30. In this state, the encircling sections 21, 22 are folded over such that they each encircle at least one string, and are secured to the projection 25 by means of their openings 21a, 22a ( Fig. 7) so that the assembly is attached and secured to the strings. The damper element is in vibration-damping contact with at least two strings 44 of the strings, as is generally known from the prior art. List of reference symbols 5 Device for securing a damper element 10 first part 12 eyelet section 14 Intermediate section 16 Coupling section 16a Coupling breakthrough 20 second part 21 first encirclement section 21a first breakthrough 22 second encirclement section 22a second breakthrough 23 Middle section 25 lead 25a Shaft section 25b Head section 30 Damper element 32 circumferential groove 40 tennis rackets 42 frames 44 strings

Claims

[1] Securing device (5) for securing a damping element (30) having a groove (32) to a tennis racket (40), wherein the securing device comprises, at least in its state of use: an elastic eyelet section (12) which is designed to be arranged in the groove of a damper element (30) to be secured, at least one fastening device connected to the eyelet section (20), and at least one at least partially flexible encompassing section (21, 22) which has a counter-fastening device connectable to the fastening device. [2] Safety device according to claim 1, characterized by that the fastening device is designed as a projection (25) and the counter-fastening device has a recess, preferably an opening (21a, 22a). [3] Safety device according to claim 2, characterized bythat the projection (25) is formed with a shaft portion (25a) and a head portion (25b) which is enlarged compared to the shaft portion (25a). [4] Safety device according to one of claims 2 or 3, characterized by that exactly one projection (25) is provided. [5] Safety device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by in that it has two encompassing sections (21, 22), each with a counter-fastening device connectable to the at least one fastening device. [6] Securing device according to claim 4 and claim 5, wherein both encompassing sections (21, 22) each having a recess can be fastened to the one projection (25). [7] Safety device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized byin that it is formed in two parts with a first part (10) and a second part (20), wherein the first part (10) has the eyelet section (12) and the second part (20) has the at least one encompassing section (21, 22), wherein the first part (10) and the second part (20) are connected to one another in the use state. [8] Safety device according to claim 7, as far as directly or indirectly related to claim 2, characterized by that the first part (10) has a coupling section (16) with a coupling opening (16a) through which the projection (25) extends in the use state. [9] First part (10) for use as a component of a securing device (5) according to claim 8, wherein the first part comprises the eyelet portion (12) and the coupling portion (16) connected to the eyelet portion (12). [10] Second part (20) for use as a component of a securing device according to claim 8, which has the projection (25) and at least one encompassing section (21, 22) with a recess.

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