A padle racket
The innovative padel racket design using thermoplastic materials and a core member within through-going openings addresses the high cost and recyclability issues of conventional rackets, enhancing performance and reducing material waste through a dual-material ball-striking surface with improved spin and aerodynamics.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- EP2024166285
- Authority / Receiving Office
- EP · EP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-03-26
- Publication Date
- 2025-10-01
- Estimated Expiration
- Not applicable · inactive patent
AI Technical Summary
Conventional padel rackets are expensive, complex to construct, and difficult to recycle due to their composite material composition, which requires costly pyrolysis, and have a high ratio of solid material to holes, affecting recyclability and performance.
A padel racket design featuring a head part with two ball-hitting parts made of different materials, one with through-going openings and a core member that extends into these openings, creating a planar ball-striking surface with varying coefficients of friction for enhanced performance and reduced wind resistance.
The design allows for high-quality rackets with improved spin and kinetic energy transfer, reduced material costs, and increased recyclability by using thermoplastic materials and a core member for reinforcement, while maintaining structural integrity and aerodynamics.
Smart Images

Figure IMGAF001_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical field
[0001] A padel racket comprising a handle part, a neck part and a head part comprising a first ball-hitting part and a second ball-hitting part, where the first ball-hitting part is opposite to the second ball-hitting part.Description
[0002] "Padel" or "padel tennis" is a racket sport which is typically played on an enclosed court. Padel rackets are traditionally made out of composite materials without string and have their own specifications that are different from those of other sports rackets, the head of a padel racket having a ball-hitting surface which is planar and a blade that may be perforated.
[0003] A conventional padel racket may be made out of a frame that comprises a handle and a holder, where the holder is configured to rim and / or surround a core body, and a blade is attached to the holder. Blades are traditionally constructed from composite materials, such as fibreglass or carbon fibre, where holes are bored in a predefined pattern in a composite material sheet.
[0004] The construction of a traditional padel racket is a relatively complex process with a high need for human interaction to create and build a single padel racket. High-quality padel rackets are very expensive as expensive material is utilized to construct the rackets in order to ensure that they have the necessary stiffness and meet the official requirements for weight and construction.
[0005] As the rackets are made out of a composite material, there is an issue regarding the recycling of the material of the rackets since the composite material has to be recycled through pyrolysis, which means that the cost of recycling is relatively high, and it may not be feasible or cost / effective to recycle glass fibre because the cost of new glass fibre is lower than the recycling cost of the composite material.
[0006] Furthermore, the sheet of the blade of a padel racket has a high ratio of solid material vs. holes, where the holes of the blade make up less than 30% of the area of the blade in order to maintain a stiffness of the blade. The solid material may be defined as the solid material of the core member or the side walls of the first ball-hitting part.
[0007] Thus, there is a need to be able to construct high-quality padel rackets from non-composite or composite material that can be recycled. In order to obtain high-quality padel rackets made of recyclable material, the construction of the racket needs to be constructed in a different manner than the traditional rackets to obtain performance qualities similar to those of traditional rackets.
[0008] In accordance with the invention, there is provided a padel racket comprising a handle part, a neck part and a head part comprising a first ball-hitting part and a second ball-hitting part, where the first ball-hitting part is opposite to the second ball-hitting part, where the first ball-hitting part and / or the second ball-hitting part has / have a first inner surface facing a central part of the head part and a first outer surface facing away from a central part of the head part, where the first ball-hitting part is constructed from a first material, where the first ball-hitting part and / or the second ball-hitting part comprise(s) one or more through-going openings, where each through-going opening defines an opening volume; and a core member constructed from a second material, where the core member faces the first inner surface of the first ball-hitting part and / or the first inner surface of the second ball-hitting part, where the core member comprises a protruding part having a protrusion volume, where the protruding part extends into the opening volume in a direction from the central part of the head and in a direction towards the first outer surface and fills at least part of the opening volume, and where the protrusion defines a second outer surface.
[0009] The padel racket comprises a first and a second ball-hitting part (comparable to the blades of a conventional racket), where the ball-hitting part comprises an outer surface area that comprises one or more holes. The head of the racket further comprises a core member arranged between the first and the second ball-hitting parts and configured to extend into an opening, where the second outer surface of the protrusion of the core member and the first outer surface together define the ball-hitting surface of the padel racket. Thus, when the padel racket strikes a padel ball, the padel ball comes into contact with the first outer surface of the first ball-hitting part as well as the second outer surface of the core member.
[0010] By having the protrusion to extend into the opening volume and create a second outer surface, the protrusion may be utilized to create a substantially flat ball-hitting part, so that the first material of the first ball-hitting part and the second material of the core member and / or the protrusion may cooperate to create a surface constructed of two different materials, while being relatively flat. Thus, the first material may e.g. be utilized to create a first ball-hitting part that has the strength of maintaining its shape during a ball strike, while the second material may be used to provide a sense of solidity for the head of the racket.
[0011] Accordingly, the first outer surface of the first material and the second outer surface of the second material may define a ball-striking surface on one or two sides of the padel racket.
[0012] Furthermore, the use of two different materials to create a ball-striking surface of the head may mean that the ball-striking surface of the padel racket has two different coefficients of friction, so that when the ball is hit at an angle, the two different materials may grip the ball differently, where the first material may e.g. provide the ball with a striking force allowing the ball to travel in the direction of the strike, while the second material may provide the ball with a rotational force allowing the ball to spin while travelling in the direction of the strike.
[0013] Moreover, the first material defines an opening whose edges may be utilized to increase a rotational force on the padel ball, as the corners of the edges may increase the friction between the first outer surface and the padel ball, and grab the ball at the moment of impact to create more spin on the ball. Traditional padel blades are often provided with a surface texture, such as a rough surface or slightly raised parts on the surface, to increase the possibility of spin applied to the padel ball via the ball-striking surface of the blade.
[0014] The through-going opening of the first ball-hitting part and / or the second ball-hitting part may be defined by one or more side walls, where the side wall of one through-going opening may also be a side wall of an adjacent through-going opening. Thus, one side wall may abut a first through-going opening and a second through-going opening.
[0015] In one or more exemplary embodiments, the core member may comprise at least one through-going hole extending from the first inner surface of the first ball-hitting part to the first inner surface of the second ball-hitting part, and extending through the core member. The through-going hole may extend from one second outer surface of the core member to the opposing second outer surface of the core member. The through-going hole may thereby extend through the head part of the padel racket, where the through-going hole may provide fluid communication from the first outer surface of the first ball-hitting part to the first outer surface of the second ball-hitting part. The through-going opening may have a second central axis that is normal to a plane of the first outer surface of the first ball-hitting part and / or the first outer surface of the second ball-hitting part. This means that when the racket is used, the wind resistance of the racket may be reduced as wind hits the first outer surface and may flow through the through-going hole.
[0016] In one or more exemplary embodiments, the through-going hole may have a hole diameter that is smaller than the diameter (smallest or widest diameter) of the though-going opening of the first ball-hitting part and / or the second ball-hitting part. The diameter of the through-going hole and / or the through-going opening may be a straight line that is drawn from one edge of the through-going hole or the through-going opening to an opposite side of the through-going hole or the through-going opening, where the line may pass through the centre of the opening. By having a through-going opening that is larger than the through-going hole, the through-going hole may be arranged in the protrusion of the core member and may extend from within the opening volume on one side of the head to an opposing opening volume on the opposite side of the head.
[0017] In one or more exemplary embodiments, the first through-going opening may have a first central axis, and the through-going hole may have a second central axis, where the first central axis and the second central axis are coaxial and / or coextensive. This means that the through-going opening and the through-going hole may be aligned, so that there is provided fluid communication from the first outer surface of the first ball-hitting part to the opposing first outer surface of the second ball-hitting part.
[0018] In one or more exemplary embodiments, the one or more through-going openings may have a first inner shape that is a polygonal boundary shape having at least three line segments, or more specifically at least four line segments, or more specifically at least five line segments, or more specifically at least six line segments, or even more specifically seven or more line segments. The shape of the through-going opening may be seen as the shape at a right angle to the first outer surface of the first ball-hitting part and / or the second ball-hitting part. The boundaries of the opening may define a plane that is coplanar with a plane of the first outer surface and / or the first inner surface of the first ball-hitting part and / or the second ball-hitting part. By providing a polygonal shape of the through-going opening, the side walls of the opening may be utilized to increase the strength of the first ball-hitting part and / or the second ball-hitting part, where the side walls may be arranged in a predefined pattern to define two or more through-going openings, with a plurality of straight walls that separate one through-going opening from another through-going opening. In one embodiment, the plurality of through-going openings may be of different polygonal shapes.
[0019] In one or more exemplary embodiments, the one or more through-goings opening may have a first inner shape that is a hexagonal shape. By providing the through-going openings in a shape that is hexagonal, the first ball-hitting surface may be provided with a plurality of through-going openings that are arranged in a hexagonal pattern, where one central hexagonal opening may have six adjacent hexagonal openings, each opening being connected to the adjacent opening via a side wall. By providing a hexagonal shape, the first ball-hitting part and / or the second ball-hitting part may be provided with a strength that is optimal for maintaining the shape of the ball-hitting part during the strike of the ball. Furthermore, when the first ball-hitting part and / or the second ball-hitting part is / are constructed out of a thermoplastic material, it is relatively simple to define a mould that has a hexagonal pattern allowing the thermoplastic material to flow through the mould during the moulding process.
[0020] In one or more exemplary embodiments, the through-going openings may be formed in a substantially planar material. Thus, when the first ball-hitting part and / or the second ball-hitting part is / are manufactured, the first ball-hitting part may be made, moulded or formed as a flat surface, where the through-going openings may be formed in the planar material. The through-going openings may be stamped out, laser cut, or cut by any other known means.
[0021] In one or more exemplary embodiments, the first material of the first ball-hitting part and / or the second ball-hitting part may be made of a thermoplastic material, where the first ball-hitting part and / or the second ball-hitting part may optionally be moulded into their shape. Traditional padel rackets are constructed from a composite material, such as fibreglass or carbon fibre, where a reinforcement material is introduced into a resin and hardened into its shape to give the material a high degree of stiffness. The use of a thermoplastic material is not usual in the production of padel rackets, whereas the first material of the first ball-hitting part and / or the second ball-hitting part may be constructed from a thermoplastic material, and the core member may be utilized to provide further reinforcement to the head part of the padel racket. Thus, the second material of the core member may be used to add support to the first thermoplastic material and to increase the rigidity of the thermoplastic material.
[0022] In one or more exemplary embodiments, the first material of the ball-hitting part may be a fibre-reinforced thermoplastic material. The fibres of the material may be short fibres that allow the thermoplastic material to be injection-moulded, blow-moulded or subjected to any form of thermoplastic forming. The fibres may be of a carbon, glass or other suitable material, where the length of the fibres may be less than 15 mm, or more preferably less than 10 mm, or more preferably less than 8 mm, or even more preferably around 6 mm.
[0023] In one or more exemplary embodiments, the head part may comprise a ball-hitting surface, where the ball-hitting surface may comprise the first outer surface and the second outer surface. The ball-hitting surface of the head may be the part of the head that is intended to come into contact with the padel ball. Thus, when the racket is used to hit the padel ball, the ball-hitting surface may be in direct contact with the padel ball, while the kinetic energy of the padel racket is transferred to the padel ball via the ball-hitting surface.
[0024] In one or more exemplary embodiments, the first outer surface may define a first plane, and the second outer surface may define a second plane, where the first plane and the second plane may be coplanar. The first plane of the first outer surface may abut the peripheral boundary of the first outer surface. Thus, the peripheral boundary may be seen as the outermost part of the first outer surface, i.e. the part of the first ball-hitting part that is distant from a longitudinal axis of the padel racket. The longitudinal axis of the padel racket may extend through the handle, the neck and the head of the padel racket, and may extend along the longitudinal extension of the padel racket. The second outer surface may define a second plane that is configured to abut the second outer surface, where the second plane is coplanar with the first plane of the first outer surface. Thus, when the two planes are coplanar, the first outer surface and the second outer surface create a planar surface of the first ball-hitting surface, allowing the padel ball to come into contact with the first ball-hitting surface and the second ball-hitting surface.
[0025] In one or more exemplary embodiments, the protrusion may have a first outer shape, where the first outer shape corresponds with a first inner shape of the through-going opening. This means that when the through-going opening has an inner shape that is e.g. hexagonal, the protrusion may be formed in a shape that allows the outer surface of the protrusion to match the inner surface of the through-going opening, and the outer surface of the protrusion may also be hexagonal, where the outer shape of the protrusion mates with the inner shape of the through-going opening.
[0026] In one or more exemplary embodiments, the protrusion volume is equal to or smaller than the opening volume. The volume of the protrusion may be defined as the volume of material that enters and is present in the opening volume of the through-going opening. The protrusion may enter the opening volume from the first inner surface and may fill out a part of the opening volume, or the protrusion may fill out substantially 100% of the opening volume. Thus, the protrusion volume may have a volume that is equal to the opening volume, or may have a size that is 95% of the opening volume, or may have a size that is 90% of the opening volume, or may have a size that is 85% of the opening volume.
[0027] In one or more exemplary embodiments, the second outer surface is a planar surface. The protrusion may be formed in a shape where the second outer surface is a planar surface. Thus, the second outer surface will have a surface that is flat and allows the opening in the first ball-hitting part to be provided with a surface of the core member that is flat. Thus, by providing a planar surface on the second outer surface, it may be possible to maintain a flat surface on the first ball-hitting surface of the padel racket.
[0028] In one or more exemplary embodiments, the first outer surface may have one or more surface protrusions. The surface protrusions may extend in a direction away from the centre of the padel racket, where the protrusions may extend outwards from the first outer surface. This means that the second outer surface may be provided with one or more protrusions that may be utilized to increase the friction coefficient of the first outer surface.
[0029] In one or more exemplary embodiments, the first material is different from the second material. By having two materials of different compositions, it may be possible to allow the two materials to work together to provide the racket head with advantages that cannot be achieved with only one material. The materials may e.g. have a different friction coefficient, where the first material may have a first friction coefficient, while the second material may have a second friction coefficient, allowing the ball to spin more or less depending on the composition of the material. The first material may be lighter than the second material, and vice versa.
[0030] In one or more exemplary embodiments, the first material may have a first hardness, and the second material may have a second hardness, where the first hardness is higher than the second hardness. By having the first material of a first hardness that is higher than the second hardness, the first material may operate as a scaffolding material or a skeletal material giving the first ball-hitting part and / or the second ball-hitting part their outer shape or outer structure by providing a scaffolding in the outer shape of the head of the racket, or by providing an exoskeletal structure that may support the shape and protect the inside of the head of the racket. The second material may be a softer material, where the second material may be used for dampening, for providing a solid core inside the external scaffolding structure of the first material, and e.g. for providing increased weight to increase the momentum of the padel racket. Furthermore, when a padel ball comes into striking contact with the head of the racket, the padel ball may come into contact with both the harder material and the softer material, and the different materials may provide the ball with different ball-striking effects, such as spin or kinetic energy.
[0031] In one or more exemplary embodiments, the second material may be a foam material. The foam material may be a material that is formed by trapping pockets of fluid (gas or liquids). The foam material of the second material may e.g. be lighter than that of the first material, allowing an increase in the first material, i.e. an increase in the rigidity of the first material, by having thicker walls or parts, while the second material is configured to fill out the inner volume of the racket head and provide a core, thereby allowing the head to feel solid when the player hits the ball.
[0032] In one or more exemplary embodiments, the first inner surface of the first ball-contacting / -hitting part and the first inner surface of the second ball-contacting / -hitting part may define a second inner volume, where the core member may define a second outer volume that is larger than the first outer volume. Thus, when the core member is arranged in between the first ball-hitting part and the second ball-hitting part, the core member may be compressed in some areas by the first ball-hitting part and / or the second ball-hitting part, causing a compression force in the core member. This may mean that the areas of the first ball-hitting part and / or the second ball-hitting part that are provided with through-going openings may have a part of the core member that is forced into the opening volumes, allowing the protrusion of the core member to be a result of compression force applied by the first inner surface of the first ball-hitting part or the second ball-hitting part.
[0033] In one or more embodiments, the through-going openings of the first ball-hitting part may cover more areas of the first ball-hitting part than the side walls of the first ball-hitting part. Thus, the through-going openings may cover more than 50% of the area of the first ball-hitting part, so that the total area of the through-going openings, seen in a 2D plane, is larger than the total area of the side walls seen in the same 2D plane.
[0034] In one exemplary embodiment, the through-going openings may expose solid parts of the core member, where some of the through-going openings may expose through-going holes, and where the ratio of through-going holes in the through-going openings may be less than 50% of the through-going openings that expose solid parts of the core member, where more preferably the ratio of through-going holes in the through-going openings may be less than 30% of the through-going openings that expose solid parts of the core member, and where more preferably the ratio of through-going holes in the through-going openings may be less than 20% of the through-going openings that expose solid parts of the core member.
[0035] In one or more exemplary embodiments, the padel racket may comprise a first racket part and a second racket part, where the first racket part may define a part of the handle, the neck and the head of the padel racket, and may have a first connecting part, and the second racket part may define a part of the handle, the neck and the head of the padel racket and may have a second connecting part, and where the first racket part and the second racket part may be connected with each other via the first connecting part and the second connecting part.Brief description of the drawings
[0036] The following is an explanation of exemplary embodiments with reference to the drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a padel racket, Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a first racket part in accordance with the present disclosure, Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a first ball-hitting part of a padel racket, Fig. 4 is a perspective, exploded view of a padel racket in accordance with the present disclosure, Figs. 5A and 5B are cross-sectional views of a first ball-hitting part, Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a first ball-hitting part being in contact with a padel ball, and Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a head part of a padel racket. Detailed description
[0037] Various exemplary embodiments and details are described below, with reference to the figures when relevant. It should be noted that the figures may or may not be drawn to scale and that elements of similar structures or functions are represented by like reference numerals throughout the figures. It should also be noted that the figures are only intended to facilitate the description of the embodiments. They are not intended as an exhaustive description of the disclosure or as a limitation on the scope of the disclosure. In addition, an illustrated embodiment needs not have all the aspects or advantages shown. An aspect or an advantage described in conjunction with a particular embodiment is not necessarily limited to that embodiment and can be practised in any other embodiments even if not so illustrated, or if not so explicitly described.
[0038] Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a padel racket 1 in accordance with the present disclosure, where the padel racket 1 comprises a handle part 3, a neck part 5 and a head part 7. The handle part 3 is configured to have a grip part 9 which allows the user to grip the padel racket 1, and where the handle part 3 is connected to the neck part 5, which is configured to connect the handle part 5 with the head part 7.
[0039] The head part 7 comprises a first ball-hitting part 11 and a second ball-hitting part 13 (hidden from view) which is opposite the first ball-hitting part 11. The padel racket 1 has a longitudinal axis A extending in a central position along the length of the padel racket 1. The first ball-hitting part 11 comprises one or more through-going openings 15 which are formed between side walls 17 that are formed in the first ball-hitting part 11. The head part 7 further comprises a core member 19 that is sandwiched between the first ball-hitting part 11 and the second ball-hitting part 13 (hidden from view). The core member 19 extends into the through-going openings 15, where the through-going openings 15 expose the core member 19 to the surroundings. The core member 19 may further comprise one or more through-going holes 23 which extend from the first ball-hitting part 11 to the second ball-hitting part 13 (hidden from view) via the core member 19.
[0040] Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a first racket part 25, where the first racket part 25 may be seen as one half of an outside of the padel racket 1, as shown in Fig. 4. The first racket part 25 may have a handle part 3', a neck part 5' and a head part 7', where the head part 7' comprises the first ball-hitting part 11. The present view of the first racket part 25 shows a first inner surface 27 of the first ball-hitting part 11 which faces the core member 19 (not shown) and the second racket part (not shown), as shown in Fig. 4.
[0041] The handle part 3' may comprise one or more handle reinforcement members 29 which may be configured to reinforce the handle part 3' to provide the handle part 3' with increased rigidity. The neck part 5' may comprise one or more neck reinforcement members 31 which are configured to reinforce the transitional area (neck part) between the handle part 3' and the head part 7' to ensure that there is no torsion between the two parts and to reduce the flexibility of the neck part 5'. The head part 3' may comprise a first boundary wall 33 that extends continuously around the first inner surface 27 of the first ball-hitting part 11 in order to provide a boundary for the core member 19 (not shown) and to prevent the core member 19 from moving in a direction along the longitudinal axis of the padel racket 1 or in a transverse direction. Thus, the boundary wall 33 surrounds the core member 19 to hold it in position when the padel racket 1 is assembled.
[0042] The first ball-hitting part 11 comprises the first inner surface 27 and a first outer surface 35 (hidden from view), where the first inner surface 27 has a plurality of through-going openings 15 which are formed on the first inner surface 27 by a plurality of side walls 17 that separate each of the through-going openings 15.
[0043] A second racket part 21 (as shown in Fig. 4) may be identical to the first racket part 25 and may have all the same elements as the first racket part 25.
[0044] Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the first ball-hitting part 11 of the padel racket 1 as shown in Fig. 1. The first ball-hitting part 11 comprises a plurality of through-going openings 15 and a plurality of side walls 17. The side walls 17 define the first inner surface 27 of the first ball-hitting part 11 and the first outer surface 35 of the first ball-hitting part 11. Each side wall 17 has a height B, and the through-going opening 15 has a diameter C which extends from an inner face 43 of the side wall 17 to the opposing inner face 43' of the side wall 17, where the height B and the diameter C define an opening volume 37 of the through-going opening 15. The opening has an inner opening 39 and an outer opening 41, which allows fluid communication from one side of the ball-hitting part 11 to the opposite side of the ball-hitting part 11. In this embodiment, the through-going openings 15 have a hexagonal shape, where each opening 15 has six side walls 17, and where a second opening 15' is positioned on an opposing side of the side wall 17.
[0045] Fig. 4 is a perspective, exploded view of the padel racket 1 in accordance with the present disclosure. The padel racket 1 comprises the first racket part 25 and the second racket part 21 which are identical to each other, and as shown in Fig. 2, where an inner part 45 of the first racket part 25 and an inner part 47 of the second racket part 21 face each other, and where the core member 19 is positioned between the first racket part 25 and the second racket part 21. When the two racket parts 25, 21 are connected to each other via a connection part 49 of the first racket part 25 and a connection part 51 of the second racket part 21, the core member 19 is sandwiched between the first racket part 25 and the second racket part 21, and the boundary wall 33 ensures that the core member 19 does not move in a longitudinal or transversal direction, while the first inner surface 27 of the first ball-hitting part 11 and the first inner surface 27 of the second ball-hitting part 13 ensure that the core member 19 does not move in a radial direction (orthogonal to the longitudinal direction and the transverse direction). The first inner surface 27 of the first racket part 25 and the first inner surface 27 of the second racket part 21 and the boundary wall 33 define an inner volume 55 of the head part 3, configured to receive the core member 19.
[0046] Fig. 5A shows a cross-sectional view of the first ball-hitting part 11 and the core member 19, as disclosed in e.g. Fig. 1, where a third outer surface 53 of the core member 19 abuts the first inner surface 27 of the first ball-hitting part 11. In this embodiment, the core member 19 may be of a material that is softer than the material of the first ball-hitting part 11, where the core member 19 has a size that is larger than the inner volume 55 of the head part 7 (shown in Fig. 4), which means that the first inner surface 27 provides a compression force on the third outer surface 53 of the core member 19 so that a part of the third outer surface 53 of the core member 19 is pushed into the opening volume 37, where the pushed part is a protrusion 57 of the core member 19. Thus, as the compression force pushes onto the core member 19, the protrusion 57 seeks into the opening volume 37 where the protrusion 57 defines a second outer surface 59 which is positioned close to the outer opening 41 of the through-going opening 15. The outer surface of the core member 19 transitions from the third outer surface 53 of the core member 19 to the second outer surface 59 of the core member 19, where there may be an unfilled volume 61 in the opening volume 37 between the inner face 43 of the side wall 17 and the protrusion 57, as the surface tension of the protrusion 57 does not allow the protrusion 57 to fill up the entire opening volume 37. The second outer surface 59 may be coplanar with the first outer surface 35 of the side wall 17, so that the first outer surface 35 and the second outer surface 59 create a substantially planar outer surface of the first ball-hitting part 11.
[0047] Fig. 5B shows another embodiment of the core member 19, where the core member 19 may have a protrusion 63 that is formed in the same shape as the shape of the through-going opening 15. Thus, the protrusion 63 has a second outer surface 65 which is planar and extends from the inner face 43 of the side wall 17 on one side of the through-going opening 15 to the opposing inner face 43' of the opposite side wall 17' on the opposite side of the through-going opening 15. Consequently, the protrusion 63 may have a side wall 67 which extends from a third outer surface 69 to the second outer surface 65, which abuts the inner face 43 of the side wall 17 all around the through-going opening 15. Thus, the protrusion 63 fills out substantially the entire opening volume 37 of the through-going opening 15, and there is substantially no free volume inside the opening volume 37 as the opening volume 37 comprises the pre-formed protrusion 63. The second outer surface 65 is planar, and the first outer surface 35 is planar, which means that the entire outer surface of the first ball-hitting part 11 and / or the second ball-hitting part 13 is planar.
[0048] Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional descriptive view of the first ball-hitting part 11 of Fig. 5b being in contact with a padel ball 71 during a ball strike between the padel racket 1 and the padel ball 71, where a contact surface 73 of the padel ball 71 comes into contact with the first outer surface 35 of the first ball-hitting part 11 and with the second outer surface 65 of the core member 19. The moment of inertia of the padel ball 71 and the striking force of the padel racket 1 means that the padel ball 71 is compressed, and the relatively rigid side wall 17 does not move relatively to the ball 71, while the contact surface between the second outer surface 65 of the protrusion 63 and the contact surface 73 of the padel ball 71 compresses the protrusion 63 and allows an edge 75 between the inner face 43 of the side wall 17 and the first surface of the side wall 17 to grip and deform the padel ball 71 and provide increased friction between the contact surface 73 of the padel ball 71 and the first ball-hitting part 11 of the padel racket 1. Thus, there is a higher probability that the edge 75 transforms the movement of the padel racket 1 into a rotational force of the padel ball 71.
[0049] Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the head part 7 of the padel racket 1, where the first ball-hitting part 11 of the first racket part 25 and the first ball-hitting part 11 of the second racket part 21 sandwich the core member 19 within the inner volume 55 of the head part 7. In this embodiment, a through-going hole 77 has been formed in the core member 19, which through-going hole 77 extends from a first opening 79 to a second opening 81 and allows fluid communication from an outer surface 83 of the first ball-hitting part 11 of the first racket part 25 to an outer surface 85 of the first ball-hitting part 11 of the second racket part 21. The through-going hole 77 may have a diameter D that is smaller than the diameter C of the through-going opening 15, and the through-going hole 77 may extend from the first protrusion 63 to a second protrusion 63' which is opposite the first protrusion 63.
[0050] The use of the terms "first", "second", "third" and "fourth", "primary", "secondary", "tertiary", etc., does not imply any particular order, but are included to identify individual elements. Moreover, the use of the terms "first", "second", "third" and "fourth", "primary", "secondary", "tertiary", etc., does not denote any order or importance, but rather the terms "first", "second", "third" and "fourth", "primary", "secondary", "tertiary", etc., are used to distinguish one element from another. Note that the words "first", "second", "third" and "fourth", "primary", "secondary", "tertiary", etc., are used here and elsewhere for labelling purposes only and are not intended to denote any specific spatial or temporal ordering.
[0051] Furthermore, the labelling of a first element does not imply the presence of a second element and vice versa.
[0052] It is to be noted that the word "comprising" does not necessarily exclude the presence of other elements or steps than those listed.
[0053] Also, it is to be noted that the words "a" or "an" preceding an element do not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements.
[0054] It should further be noted that any reference signs do not limit the scope of the claims.
[0055] Although features have been shown and described, it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the claimed invention, and it will be made obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed invention. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than restrictive sense. The claimed invention is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents.List of references:
[0056] 1Padel racket 3Handle part 5Neck part 7Head part 9Grip part 11First ball-hitting part 13Second ball-hitting part 15Through-going opening 17Side wall 19Core member 21Second racket part 23Through-going hole 25First racket part 27First inner surface 29Handle reinforcement members 31Neck reinforcement members 33Boundary wall 35First outer surface 37Opening volume 39Inner opening 41Outer opening 43Inner face of side wall 45Inner part of first racket part 47Inner part of second racket part 49Connection part of first racket part 51Connection part of second racket part 53Third outer surface 55Inner volume of head part 57Protrusion 59Second outer surface 61Unfilled volume 63Protrusion 65Second outer surface 67Side wall of protrusion 69Third outer surface of core member 71Padel ball 73Contact surface of padel ball 75Edge of side wall 77Through-going hole 79First opening of through-going hole 81Second opening of through-going hole 83Outer surface of first ball-hitting part of first racket part 85Outer surface of first ball-hitting part of second racket part ALongitudinal axis of padel racket BHeight of side wall CDiameter of through-going opening DDiameter of through-going hole
Claims
1. A padel racket comprising: - a handle part configured for providing a gripping surface; - a neck part connecting the handle part with a head part; the head part comprising: - a first ball-hitting part and a second ball-hitting part, where the first ball-hitting part is opposite to the second ball-hitting part, where the first ball-hitting part and / or second ball-hitting part has / have a first inner surface facing a central part of the head part and a first outer surface facing away from a central part of the head part, where the first ball-hitting part is constructed from a first material, where the first ball-hitting part and / or the second ball hitting part comprise(s) one or more through-going openings, and where each through-going opening defines an opening volume; and - a core member constructed from a second material, where the core member faces the first inner surface of the first ball-hitting part and / or the first inner surface of the second ball-hitting part, where the core member comprises a protruding part having a protrusion volume, where the protruding part extends into the opening volume in a direction from the central part of the head and in a direction towards the first outer surface and filling at least part of the opening volume, and where the protrusion defines a second outer surface.
2. A padel racket in accordance with claim 1, wherein the core member may comprise at least one through-going hole extending from the first inner surface of the first ball-hitting part to the first inner surface of the second ball-hitting part, and extending through the core member.
3. A padel racket in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein the one or more through-going openings has / have a first inner shape that is a polygonal boundary shape having at least three line segments, or more specifically at least four line segments, or more specifically at least five line segments, or more specifically at least six line segments, or even more specifically seven or more line segments.
4. A padel racket in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein the one or more through-going openings has / have a first inner shape that is a hexagonal shape.
5. A padel racket in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein the first ball-hitting part and / or the second ball-hitting part is / are made of a thermoplastic material, where the first ball-hitting part and / or the second ball-hitting part may optionally be moulded into their shape.
6. A padel racket in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein the head part comprises a ball-hitting surface that comprises the first outer surface and the second outer surface.
7. A padel racket in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein the first outer surface defines a first plane, and the second outer surface defines a second plane, where the first plane and the second plane are coplanar.
8. A padel racket in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein the protrusion has a first outer shape that corresponds with a first inner shape of the through-going opening.
9. A padel racket in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein the protrusion volume is equal to or smaller than the opening volume.
10. A padel racket in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein the second outer surface is a planar surface.
11. A padel racket in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein the first material is different from the second material.
12. A padel racket in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein the first material has a first hardness, and the second material has a second hardness, where the first hardness is higher than the second hardness.
13. A padel racket in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein the second material is a foam material, where the material is formed by constructing a material that traps pockets of fluid.
14. A padel racket in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein the first inner surface of the first ball-hitting part and the first inner surface of the second ball-hitting part define a second inner volume, and where the core member defines a second outer volume that is larger than the first outer volume.
15. A padel racket in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein the padel racket comprises a first racket part and a second racket part, where the first racket part defines a part of the handle, the neck and the head of the paddle racket and has a first connecting part, and the second racket part defines a part of the handle, the neck and the head of the padel racket and has a second connecting part, and where the first racket part and the second racket part are connected with each other via the first connecting part and the second connecting part.
Citation Information
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