Sport racket cover

Abstract

A sport racket cover 10 comprises a sleeve 12 which is configured for encasing a racket portion 101 of a sport racket 100, such as a padel racket; a tennis racket, or a squash racket. The cover includes a closure mechanism 16 which is moveable between an open position (P1; figure 1A) in which a racket portion 101 of a sport racket 100 can be encased by the sleeve 12 such that the racket portion 101 is at least partially surrounded by the sleeve 12, and a closed position P2 in which the racket portion 101 of the sport racket 100 cannot be removed from the sleeve 12. The sleeve 12 of the sports racket cover 10 also comprises towelling material 14, for instance made out of cotton or wool, for allowing the sport racket cover 10 to be used as a towel by a user of the sport racket cover 10, to allow the towelling material 14 to absorb any sweat from the user whilst they are playing a game using the sport racket 100. The sport racket cover 10 can then be washed between uses, as required.

Description

Field The present disclosure relates to a sport racket cover, which also comprises towelling material, for instance made out of cotton or wool, for allowing the sport racket cover to be additionally used as a towel by a user of the sport racket cover and the related sport racket. Background There currently existing sport racket covers for covering sports rackets in use, such as padel rackets, tennis rackets, or squash rackets. These covers include those which define a sleeve encasing a racket portion of the sport racket, and which can be zipped up around the edge of the racket portion of the sport racket, such to cover the racket portion of the sport racket whilst leaving the handle portion of the racket exposed during transport by the user. The present invention relates to an improvement in such sport racket covers, whereby amongst other features, the sleeve of the sport racket cover further comprises towelling material for allowing the sport racket cover to be additionally used as a towel by a user, for example to absorb any sweat from the user whilst they are playing with the sport racket which the sport racket cover is intended to be used with. Summary According to a first aspect of certain embodiments there is consequentially provided a sport racket cover defining a sleeve which is configured for encasing a racket portion of a sport racket, wherein the cover comprises a closure mechanism which is moveable between: an open position in which a racket portion of a sport racket can be encased by the sleeve such that the racket portion is at least partially surrounded by the sleeve; and a closed position in which the racket portion of the sport racket cannot be removed from the sleeve; wherein the sleeve comprises towelling material for allowing the sport racket cover to be used as a towel by a user of the sport racket cover. According to a second aspect of certain embodiments there is provided an assembly comprising the sport racket cover according to the first aspect, and the sport racket. According to a third aspect of certain embodiments there is provided a method of encasing a racket portion of a sport racket, using a sport racket cover according to the first aspect, wherein the method comprises: locating, whilst the closure mechanism from the sport racket cover is in the open position, the racket portion of the sport racket within the sleeve from the sport racket cover, such that the racket portion is at least partially surrounded by the sleeve; and moving the closure mechanism to the second position, whilst the racket portion remains at least partially surrounded by the sleeve, such that the racket portion of the sport racket, when the closure mechanism is in the second position, cannot be removed from the sleeve. According to a fourth aspect of certain embodiments there is provided a method of using the sport racket cover according to the first aspect as a towel, wherein the method comprises: using the towelling material from the sport racket cover as a towel. It will be appreciated that features and aspects of the invention described above in relation to the various aspects of the invention are equally applicable to, and may be combined with, embodiments of the invention according to other aspects of the invention as appropriate, and not just in the specific combinations described herein. Brief Description of the Drawings Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1A represents a perspective view of a sport racket cover in a first, open, position, for allowing a racket portion of a sport racket to be inserted into, and encased by, a sleeve of the sport racket cover such that the racket portion is at least partially surrounded by the sleeve, in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosure; and Figure 1B represents a perspective view of the sport racket cover in a second, closed, position, where the racket portion of a sport racket is encased by the sleeve such that the racket portion of the sport racket cannot be removed from the sleeve. Detailed Description Aspects and features of certain examples and embodiments are discussed I described herein. Some aspects and features of certain examples and embodiments may be implemented conventionally and these are not discussed / described in detail in the interests of brevity. It will thus be appreciated that aspects and features of apparatus and methods discussed herein which are not described in detail may be implemented in accordance with any conventional techniques for implementing such aspects and features. The present disclosure relates to a sport racket cover 10 defining a sleeve 12 which is configured for encasing a racket portion 101 of a sport racket 100. Such a sport racket 100, in some more limited embodiments, might comprise for example a padel racket; a tennis racket, or a squash racket. The cover 10 comprises a closure mechanism 16 which is moveable between an open position P1, as shown in the embodiment relating to Figure 1A for example, in which a racket portion 101 of a sport racket 100 can be encased by the sleeve 12 such that the racket portion 101 is at least partially surrounded by the sleeve 12; to a closed position P2, as shown in the embodiment relating to Figure 1B for example, in which the racket portion 101 of the sport racket 100 cannot be removed from the sleeve 12. The sport racket cover 10, such as in some embodiments its sleeve 12, further comprises, and / or is made of, and / or defines, towelling material 14. In this way, the presence of this towelling material 14 thus allows the sport racket cover 10 to be used as a towel by a user of the sport racket cover 100, for instance whilst they are playing with the sport racket 100 which the sport racket cover 10 is intended to be used with. It may be seen that the presence of this towelling material 14 as part of the sport racket cover 10 (or its sleeve 12, in some narrower embodiments) may also serve to provide additional support and padding for protecting any sport racket 10 encased within the sleeve 12 of the sport racket cover 10 in use. With respect to the particular sport racket cover 10 shown in Figures 1A and 1B, it may be seen that the sport racket cover 10 is effectively a padel racket cover, and hence is sized for use with a padel racket. It will be appreciated however that the present teaching of employing towelling material 14 to the sport racket cover 10 may be employed in respect of any required sport racket, such to allow the sport racket cover to be alternatively one of a tennis, or squash, racket cover (and hence be commensurately sized for use with one of a tennis, or squash, racket), for example. In accordance with some embodiments, such as that shown in the Figures, the towelling material 14 may define at least one, or more than one, outer surface of the sleeve 12. By having the towelling material 14 define at least one such outer surface of the sleeve 12, this outer location for the towelling material 14 makes it easier to access by the user in use. Appreciably though, in some embodiments, it might be such that the towelling material 14 might additionally / alternatively define at least one, or more than one, inner surface of the sleeve 12 (for example an inner surface of the sleeve 12 which is configured to contact the racket portion 101 of the sport racket 100, when the racket portion 101 of the sport racket 100 is encased by the sleeve 12 in use). In this way, although making the towelling material 14 more difficult to access by the user in use, this may help to better prevent the towelling material 14 from getting dirty in use, for example whilst the racket cover 10 (and the outer surface(s) of the sleeve 12), is lying on the ground awaiting to be used. Staying with potential locations for the towelling material 14, it may be seen that the sleeve 12 may in some embodiments comprise a first side 12A and a second side 12B such that, when the racket portion 101 of the sport racket 100 is encased by the sleeve 12 such that the racket portion 101 is surrounded by the sleeve 12, the racket portion 101 is located between the first side 12A and the second side 12B of the sleeve 12. In this way, depending on the extent of towelling material 14 required, in accordance with some embodiments, at least one of, or both, the first side 12A and the second side 12B may comprise the towelling material 14. By having both the first side 12A and the second side 12B of the sleeve 12 comprise the towelling material 14, this may therefore provide the user with a greater amount of towelling material 14, such to then allow for the towelling material 14 on the first side of the sleeve 12 to be used at a first point in time during a game, whilst then allowing for the towelling material 14 on the second side 12B of the sleeve 12 to be used at a second (later) point in time during the game. This then means the user is able to access two different portions of the towelling material 14, individually, as the game progresses, which may be particularly convenient in use. In accordance with some embodiments, the sleeve 12 may be additionally provided with an inner layer (not shown in the Figures) which is configured for thermally insulating the racket portion 101 of the sport racket 100 whilst it is encased by the sleeve 12. This inner layer may, in some more limited embodiments, bethen attached to the towelling material 14, to effectively provide a dual-layered sleeve 12 in which is provided with the towelling material 14 as a first, potentially outer, layer, and the inner layer as the second layer. It will be appreciated that the inner, thermally insulating, layer could be made of any required material to help provide the requisite thermal insulation in use. For example, in some particular embodiments, the inner layer could comprise, and / or be made of, a wool, or cellulose, or some sort of metallic layer (or foil), such as aluminium foil (like is used in cool bags, for example). The provision of any such inner layer, which is separate from the towelling material 14, and whether this inner layer is thermally insulating or not, may also serve to provide a bonus / alternative effect of better preventing any moisture (such as sweat) from the towelling material 14 from permeating onto the racket portion 101 of the sport racket 100, once the sport racket 100 is re-encased by the sleeve 12 after the sport racket 100 has been used, for example during transport from the sport court to the home of the user. With respect to the closure mechanism 16 which may be employed to help retain the racket portion 101 of the sport racket 100 within the sleeve 12 whilst the closure mechanism 16 is in the closed position, in some embodiments (such as that shown in Figures 1A and 1B) the closure mechanism 16 might comprise a drawstring portion. In this way, the drawstring portion 16 may then extend around (and / or be tightened around) a handle portion 102 of the sport racket, in this closed position, for preventing the racket portion of the sport racket being removed from the sleeve 12 in use. It may be appreciated, however, that other forms of closure mechanism 16 might be used, as required. For example, in some potential embodiments, the closure mechanism 16 might additionally / alternatively comprise a zipper portion (not shown in the Figures), which is configured to be zipped up around a portion, or edge, of the racket portion 101 of the sport racket 100, such to cover the racket portion 101 of the sport racket 100, whilst leaving the handle portion 102 of the racket 100 exposed, in the closed position P2 of the closure mechanism 16. With respect to the material composition and / or structure for the towelling portion 14, it may be appreciated that the towelling portion 14 may be formed of any material(s) which allow the towelling portion 14 to serve its function as a towel in use. So for example, in some embodiments, the towelling portion 14 may be made out of any of: cotton (potentially Egyptian cotton in some more limited embodiments); wool; or bamboo; or any combination(s) thereof. In this respect as well, it will be appreciated that the towelling material 14 may comprise any appropriate towel weight, for example in some embodiments between 300 GSM and 900 GSM (grams per square meter). Though bearing in mind the application for the towelling material 14 to be in a sporting context, where a lot of sweat may be produced in use, in some embodiments the towelling material 14 may comprise a towel weight of at least 500 GSM, or in some more limited embodiments a towel weight of at least 600 GSM. Employing such increased towel weights has also been found to provide improved protection for the sport racket 100 whilst it is encased by the sleeve 12 in use. In terms of the extent of towelling material 14 employed for the cover 10, it may be seen that a reasonable proportion of the sport racket cover, and / or the sleeve 12, may be formed of the towelling material 14, to help provide a sufficient amount of towelling material 14 for use by the user in use. With this in mind, and in accordance with some embodiments, at least 60%, or at least 70%, or at least 80%, or at least 90%, of the mass of the sport racket cover 10 (and / or the sleeve 12) may be from the towelling material 14. In terms of these mass measurements, these of course are to be understood as meaning when the towelling material 14 is dry, i.e. before use of the towelling material 14 and / or before any sweat has been absorbed by the towelling material 14. Though of course, in so far as the towelling material 14 is configured to absorb sweat when used, the sport racket cover 100 in accordance with some embodiments may be configured to be machine-washable between uses. In so far as a sport racket cover 100 may be provided, as per the above, it may be appreciated that such a sport racket cover may then have application in related methods, such as those which use the towelling material from the sport racket cover as a towel, such as for example to absorb moisture (such as sweat or water) from a user / owner of the sport racket cover. Equally, and as is apparent from the disclosure relating to Figures 1A-1B, an operation of the sport racket cover herein described may be at the end of a game using the sport racket, where the racket portion of the sport racket is then configured to be encased / housed back within the sleeve of the sport racket cover, ready for transportation. In this way, the sport racket cover may be used in applicable methods which comprise, for example: locating, whilst the closure mechanism from the sport racket cover is in the open position, the racket portion of the sport racket within the sleeve from the sport racket cover, such that the racket portion is at least partially surrounded by the sleeve; and moving the closure mechanism to the second position, whilst the racket portion remains at least partially surrounded by the sleeve, such that the racket portion of the sport racket, when the closure mechanism is in the second position, cannot be removed from the sleeve. Appreciating the foregoing, there has accordingly been described a sport racket cover defining a sleeve which is configured for encasing a racket portion of a sport racket, wherein the cover comprises a closure mechanism which is moveable between: an open position in which a racket portion of a sport racket can be encased by the sleeve such that the racket portion is at least partially surrounded by the sleeve; and a closed position in which the racket portion of the sport racket cannot be removed from the sleeve; wherein the sleeve comprises towelling material for allowing the sport racket cover to be used as a towel by a user of the sport racket cover. There has also been described a method of encasing a racket portion of a sport racket, using any sport racket cover described previously, wherein the method comprises: locating, whilst the closure mechanism from the sport racket cover is in the open position, the racket portion of the sport racket within the sleeve from the sport racket cover, such that the racket portion is at least partially surrounded by the sleeve; and moving the closure mechanism to the second position, whilst the racket portion remains at least partially surrounded by the sleeve, such that the racket portion of the sport racket, when the closure mechanism is in the second position, cannot be removed from the sleeve. There has also been described a method of using any sport racket cover as described previously as a towel, wherein the method comprises: using the towelling material from the sport racket cover as a towel. There has also been described a sport racket cover (10) defining a sleeve (12) which is configured for encasing a racket portion (101) of a sport racket (100), such as a padel racket; a tennis racket, or a squash racket. The cover comprises a closure mechanism (16) which is moveable between an open position (P1) in which a racket portion (101) of a sport racket (100) can be encased by the sleeve (12) such that the racket portion (101) is at least partially surrounded by the sleeve (12), and a closed position (P2) in which the racket portion (101) of the sport racket (100) cannot be removed from the sleeve (12). The sleeve (12) of the sports racket cover (10) also comprises towelling material (14), for instance made out of cotton or wool, for allowing the sport racket cover (10) to be used as a towel by a user of the sport racket cover (10), to allow the towelling material (14) to absorb any sweat from the user whilst they are playing a game using the sport racket (100). The sport racket cover (10) can then be washed between uses, as required. In order to address various issues and advance the art, this disclosure shows by way of illustration various embodiments in which the claimed invention(s) may be practiced. The advantages and features of the disclosure are of a representative sample of embodiments only, and are not exhaustive and / or exclusive. They are presented only to assist in understanding and to teach the claimed invention(s). It is to be understood that advantages, embodiments, examples, functions, features, structures, and / or other aspects of the disclosure are not to be considered limitations on the disclosure as defined by the claims or limitations on equivalents to the claims, and that other embodiments may be utilised and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A sport racket cover defining a sleeve which is configured for encasing a racket portion of a sport racket, wherein the cover comprises a closure mechanism which is moveable between:an open position in which a racket portion of a sport racket can be encased by the sleeve such that the racket portion is at least partially surrounded by the sleeve; anda closed position in which the racket portion of the sport racket cannot be removed from the sleeve;wherein the sleeve comprises towelling material for allowing the sport racket cover to be used as a towel by a user of the sport racket cover.

2. The sport racket cover according to claim 1, wherein the sport racket cover is a padel racket cover.

3. The sport racket cover according to any preceding claim, wherein the towelling material defines an outer surface of the sleeve.

4. The sport racket cover according to any preceding claim, wherein the sleeve comprises an inner layer for thermally insulating the racket portion of the sport racket whilst it is encased by the sleeve.

5. The sport racket cover according to any preceding claim, wherein the closure mechanism comprises a drawstring portion.

6. The sport racket cover according to any preceding claim, wherein the closure mechanism, when in the closed position, is configured to extend around a handle portion of the sport racket.

7. The sport racket cover according to any preceding claim, wherein the sleeve comprises a first side and a second side such that, when the racket portion of the sport racket is encased by the sleeve such that the racket portion is surrounded by the sleeve, the racket portion is located between the first side and the second side of the sleeve;wherein both the first side and the second side comprises the towelling material.

8. The sport racket cover according to any preceding claim, wherein at least 70% of the mass of the sleeve is from the towelling material.

9. The sport racket cover according to any preceding claim, wherein the towelling material comprises a towel weight of at least 500 GSM.

10. An assembly comprising the sport racket cover according to any preceding claim, and the sport racket11. A method of encasing a racket portion of a sport racket, using a sport racket cover according to any of claims 1-9, wherein the method comprises:locating, whilst the closure mechanism from the sport racket cover is in the open position, the racket portion of the sport racket within the sleeve from the sport racket cover, such that the racket portion is at least partially surrounded by the sleeve; andmoving the closure mechanism to the second position, whilst the racket portion remains at least partially surrounded by the sleeve, such that the racket portion of the sport racket, when the closure mechanism is in the second position, cannot be removed from the sleeve.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein moving the closure mechanism to the second position comprises tightening the closure mechanism to the second position.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the sport racket is a padel racket, and the sport racket cover is a padel racket cover.

14. A method of using the sport racket cover according to any of claims 1-9 as a towel, wherein the method comprises:using the towelling material from the sport racket cover as a towel.10

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