grip

Abstract

The design aims to provide a good fit when the user grips the product, while also enhancing the anti-slip effect in one direction, connecting the index finger side and the little finger side of the hand holding the product. [Solution] The grip 10 can be held by the user, and on the surface of the grip 10, surface structure elements 11 consisting of an uneven shape that generates different friction resistance in one direction connecting the index finger side and the little finger side of the hand held by the user and in the other direction opposite to this one direction are continuously formed in the direction connecting the index finger side and the little finger side.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to a grip that a user holds and uses. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an invention for a golf club grip to be attached to a golf club shaft. This golf grip has a twill weave pattern formed on the surface of a cylindrical grip body, with vertically elongated convex portions that are generally rectangular in plan view and horizontally elongated convex portions that are generally rectangular in plan view alternately combined. In this golf grip, the vertically elongated convex portions are formed in a vertically elongated mountain shape with gently curved convex surfaces, and the horizontally elongated convex portions are also formed in a horizontally elongated mountain shape with gently curved convex surfaces. Furthermore, spaces are formed between the vertically elongated convex portions and horizontally elongated convex portions. The vertically elongated convex portions have a plurality of vertically arranged vertical convex stripes with spaces formed between each of these vertical convex stripes. The horizontally elongated convex portions have a plurality of horizontally arranged horizontal convex stripes with spaces formed between each of these horizontal convex stripes. This golf grip has a twill weave pattern that makes it highly decorative, and when the golf grip is held, even if the vertically elongated convex portions and horizontally elongated convex portions dig into the palm of the hand, the palm does not feel any pain, the anti-slip effect is not compromised, and the grip fits well. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-149786 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The golf grip of Patent Document 1 not only has good decorative properties but also provides a good fit without compromising its anti-slip effect. However, simply increasing the anti-slip effect of this type of golf grip is undesirable, as increasing the anti-slip effect can easily result in a loss of fit. This type of golf grip only needs to prevent slippage when swinging a golf club, i.e., to prevent the golf club from moving outward in the centrifugal direction. It is not necessary for the grip to have a high level of anti-slip effect in both directions along the golf grip's axis. Furthermore, this type of golf grip is not only used with dry palms, but may also be used with sweaty palms or in rainy weather. When used with sweaty or rainwater on the palms, the grip may become slippery, so it is necessary to provide a high level of anti-slip effect without losing fit. The present invention aims to provide a good fit when a user holds a golf club while increasing the anti-slip effect of the user's hand. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a grip that can be held by a user's hand, and on the surface of the grip, surface structure elements consisting of uneven shapes that generate different friction resistance in one direction, the direction connecting the index finger side and the little finger side of the hand held by the user, and in another direction opposite to this one direction, are continuously formed in the direction connecting the index finger side and the little finger side.

[0006] In the grip configured as described above, surface structural elements consisting of irregularities are continuously formed on the surface of the grip in the direction connecting the index finger and little finger of the user's hand, creating different frictional resistance in one direction and in the opposite direction. Because the surface structural elements formed on the surface create different frictional resistance in one direction and the other direction connecting the index finger and little finger of the user's hand, this grip is useful when a large frictional resistance is required in one direction connecting the index finger and little finger of the gripping hand, but not in the other direction.

[0007] When this grip is used to hold equipment in sports that involve swinging clubs, rackets, or sticks, such as golf clubs, tennis, hockey, or cricket, a centrifugal outward force is applied to the equipment. It is necessary to increase frictional resistance in the direction from the index finger to the little finger of the hand gripping the grip, and to prevent slipping in particular in that direction. By forming the surface structure elements to generate high frictional resistance in the direction from the index finger to the little finger of the hand gripping the grip, it is possible to improve the fit when the user grips the grip while enhancing the anti-slip effect in the direction from the index finger to the little finger of the hand gripping the grip.

[0008] In the grip configured as described above, the surface structural elements preferably have a sloping rising surface portion that rises while inclining in the height direction as the user moves in one direction connecting the index finger side and the little finger side of the hand that is gripping it, and a descending portion that descends from the top of the sloping rising surface portion with a gradient greater than the inclination angle of the sloping rising surface portion, and are arranged in a scale-like pattern in the direction connecting the index finger side and the little finger side of the hand that is gripping it and in the direction in which each finger extends. When gripping this grip, when moving the gripping hand in the direction of ascending the sloping rising surface portion, the gripping hand slides up the sloping rising surface portion, resulting in low frictional resistance. Conversely, when moving the gripping hand in the opposite direction to ascending the sloping rising surface portion, the gripping hand catches on the descending portion, resulting in high frictional resistance. This design provides different frictional resistance in one direction and another in the direction connecting the index finger and little finger of the hand gripping the grip. In other words, it allows for increased frictional resistance in the desired direction and decreased frictional resistance in the unnecessary direction, resulting in a better fit for the user while enhancing the anti-slip effect on the user's hand. Furthermore, this grip may be used when the palm of the user is sweaty or in rainy conditions. When gripping the grip with water on the palm, the grip may become slippery. However, because the surface structural elements are arranged in a scale-like pattern, water between the palm of the user and the grip flows easily upward along the inclined rising surfaces of the surface structural elements. This improves water drainage between the palm and the grip, making the grip less likely to become slippery due to water.

[0009] In a grip configured as described above, the surface structure element may have a width at one end in the direction connecting the index finger side and the little finger side that is greater than the width at the other end, so as to generate different frictional resistance in one direction connecting the index finger side and the little finger side of the user's hand when gripping the grip and in the other direction opposite this one direction. Similarly, the surface structure element may have a height at one end in the direction connecting the index finger side and the little finger side that is greater than the height at the other end, so as to generate different frictional resistance in one direction connecting the index finger side and the little finger side of the user's hand when gripping the grip and in the other direction opposite this one direction. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment in which the grip of the present invention is used on a golf club. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a schematic view of the grip when held. [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2A is a plan view showing the surface structure elements on the surface of the grip, and FIG. 2B is a schematic diagram showing the height of the surface structure elements. [Figure 5] 10 is a graph showing the results of a friction test when a tactile contactor is moved to a grip in the air. [Figure 6] 10 is a graph showing the results of a friction test when a tactile contactor is moved to a grip in water. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a surface structure element in the form of a low triangular prism. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a triangular prism having a surface structure element tilted so that the base end side is lower. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0011] Below, an embodiment of the grip of the present invention, used as a grip for a golf club, will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. As shown in Figure 1, the grip 10 of the present invention is made of rubber or thermoplastic elastomer and is fitted onto the base end of the shaft S of the golf club C (the opposite side when the head H side of the golf club C is considered the tip). As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the grip 10 has a substantially cylindrical shape into which the shaft S can be fitted, and the outer shape of the grip 10 is a substantially frustoconical shape, becoming narrower at the tip than at the base end. The grip 10 of this embodiment utilizes biomimetics to give the surface of the grip 10 a fish-scale-like uneven shape, thereby maintaining a good feel (fit) when gripping the grip 10, while exhibiting frictional anisotropy that makes the frictional resistance in the direction of centrifugal outward movement greater than the frictional resistance in the direction of centrifugal inward movement relative to the hand gripping the grip 10, thereby increasing the gripping force (anti-slip effect) when gripping the grip 10 and swinging the golf club C. The grip 10 will be described in detail below.

[0012] The surface of the grip 10 as a whole has a shape resembling overlapping tile-like arrangement of fish cycloid scales. This shape is formed on the surface of the grip 10 by creating multiple surface structural elements 11 consisting of uneven surfaces. Figure 3 is a plan view of the grip 10, and the surface structural elements 11 are shown only in the enlarged portion enclosed by the dashed line in Figure 3, with the illustration of the surface structural elements 11 in other parts omitted. Figure 4(a) is an enlarged plan view of the surface of the grip 10, and the shape of the surface structural elements 11 is roughly fan-shaped, as shown by the thick line on the far left of Figure 4.

[0013] The surface structure elements 11 generate frictional resistance in the hand holding the grip 10, and by making the shape asymmetrical in the axial direction of the grip 10, different frictional resistances are generated in one direction and the other direction of the axial direction of the grip 10 (one direction connecting the index finger side and the little finger side of the user's hand holding the grip). The surface structure elements 11 in this embodiment are arranged in rows along the axial direction of the grip 10, like the arrangement of fish scales, and adjacent surface structure elements 11 in the circumferential direction of the grip 10 (the direction in which the fingers of the user holding the grip extend) are arranged in rows diagonally relative to each other. Furthermore, the surface structure elements 11 imitating the circular scales of a fish are arranged so that the head side of the fish is at the base end of the grip 10 and the tail side of the fish is at the tip end of the grip 10.

[0014] As described above, the surface of grip 10 as a whole has a shape in which circular fish scales are arranged in a tile-like pattern, and as shown in Fig. 4, surface structure element 11 has inclined rising surface portion 12 that rises while sloping in height as it progresses toward the tip side (from the little finger side to the index finger side of the user's gripping hand), and descending portion 13 that descends from the top of inclined rising surface portion 12 at a gradient greater than the inclination angle of inclined rising surface portion 12. Each surface structure element 11 has a width (length in the circumferential direction of grip 10, shown as d in Fig. 4) of 3 mm at the longest point on the tip side, a width (length in the circumferential direction of grip 10, shown as e in Fig. 4) of 1 mm at the shortest point on the base end side, a length of the inclined rising surface portion (shown as f in Fig. 4) of 2 mm, and a height (shown as h in Fig. 4) from the top of inclined rising surface portion 12 to the bottom of descending portion 13 is set to 420 µm. The lengths such as widths of the surface structure elements 11 shown by d, e, f, and h in FIG. 4 are merely examples and are not limiting.

[0015] 5 and 6 show the results of a friction test when the height from the top of the inclined rising surface portion 12 to the bottom of the descending portion 13 was set to 140 μm, 280 μm, and 420 μm. The results of the friction test shown in Fig. 5 are the results of measuring the static friction coefficient when a load of 20 g is applied to the surface of the grip 10 in the air with the tactile contactor, and Fig. 5a shows the static friction coefficient when the tactile contactor is moved from the base end to the tip end of the grip 10 in the air (from the head end to the tail end of the fish when the round fish scales are arranged in a tile-like pattern), and Fig. 5b shows the static friction coefficient when the tactile contactor is moved from the tip end to the base end of the grip 10 in the air (from the tail end to the head end of the fish when the round fish scales are arranged in a tile-like pattern). The results of the friction test shown in Figure 6 are the results of measuring the static friction coefficient when a load of 20 g is applied to the tactile contactor against the surface of grip 10 underwater. Figure 6(a) shows the static friction coefficient when the tactile contactor is moved underwater from the base end to the tip end of grip 10 (from the head to the tail end of the fish when the circular scales of the fish are arranged in a tile-like pattern), and Figure 6(b) shows the static friction coefficient when the tactile contactor is moved underwater from the tip end to the base end of grip 10 (from the tail to the head end of the fish when the circular scales of the fish are arranged in a tile-like pattern).

[0016] As shown in Figures 5 and 6, when the height from the top of the inclined rising surface portion 12 to the bottom of the descending portion 13 is 140 μm, 280 μm, and 420 μm, the frictional resistance when moving from the tip side to the base end of the grip 10 is greater than the frictional resistance when moving from the base end to the tip side. Also, the frictional resistance when moving from the tip side to the base end of the grip 10 is greater than the frictional resistance when moving from the base end to the tip side of the grip 10 in air and water. This indicates that the frictional resistance when moving from the tip side to the base end of the grip 10 can be made greater than the frictional resistance when moving from the base end to the tip side of the grip 10 not only when the grip 10 is held with dry hands, but also when sweat or rainwater is attached to the grip 10 or the hand holding the grip 10. This indicates that the grip 10 has a high anti-slip effect not only when the grip 10 is held with dry hands, but also when sweat or rainwater is attached to the grip 10.

[0017] When golf club C is swung, a centrifugal outward force is generated in golf club C. The grip 10 needs to generate high frictional resistance in the axial direction from the tip end to the base end with respect to the gripping hand, thereby restricting the centrifugal outward movement of golf club C. Surface structure elements 11 are formed on the surface of grip 10, and the surface structure elements 11 have an inclined rising surface portion 12 that rises while sloping in height as it progresses from the base end to the tip end (from the little finger side to the index finger side of the user's gripping hand), and a descending portion 13 that descends from the top of the inclined rising surface portion 12 at a gradient greater than the inclination angle of the inclined rising surface portion 12. When the hand gripping grip 10 moves from the base end to the tip end, the palm of the hand repeatedly ascends the inclined rising surface portion 12 of the surface structure element 11 and then descends the descending portion 13, so the frictional resistance when moving from the base end to the tip end of grip 10 is not large. In contrast, when the hand holding the grip 10 moves from the distal end to the proximal end, the palm of the hand repeatedly descends the inclined rising surface portion 12 while engaging with the descending portion 13 of the surface structure element 11, so the frictional resistance is large when moving from the distal end to the proximal end of the grip 10. In this way, the frictional resistance when moving from the distal end to the proximal end of the grip 10 is larger than the frictional resistance when moving from the proximal end to the distal end of the grip 10, so the grip 10 can have a good fit and an increased anti-slip effect on the holding hand.

[0018] Furthermore, sometimes the grip 10 is shifted slightly towards the tip when gripping, or the golf club C is held shorter when swinging to adjust the distance of the golf ball. In this case, the hand gripping the grip 10 is moved from the base end to the tip end. Since the frictional resistance when moving the grip 10 from the base end to the tip end is smaller than the frictional resistance when moving it from the tip end to the base end, it is easy to move the hand gripping the grip 10 from the base end to the tip end. In this way, frictional anisotropy in the axial direction is exhibited on the surface of the grip 10, which not only allows for a high grip force to be maintained when swinging the golf club C, but also improves operability when gripping the grip 10 slightly towards the tip end or when holding the golf club C shorter.

[0019] Furthermore, the surface of the grip 10 has a shape that resembles overlapping fish scales arranged in a tile-like pattern. It is known that the structure of fish scales reduces fluid resistance such as water, and when water such as sweat or rainwater adheres to the surface of the grip 10, this scale structure makes it easier for the water to flow towards the tip of the grip 10. Therefore, when a user grips the grip 10, sweat or rainwater between the palm of the gripping hand and the grip 10 easily flows towards the tip of the grip 10's surface. The grip 10 has increased frictional resistance when the gripping hand moves from the tip to the base, so when the golf club C is swung, the grip 10 is not only less likely to slip, but water between the grip 10 and the palm of the gripping hand also flows more easily towards the tip, making the grip 10 even less likely to slip and increasing the grip strength.

[0020] In the grip 10 configured as described above, surface structure elements 11 made of uneven shapes that generate different frictional resistance in one direction in the axial direction of the grip 10 (the direction connecting the index finger side and the little finger side of the user's gripping hand) and in another direction opposite to this one direction are continuously formed on the surface of the grip 10 in the axial direction (direction connecting the index finger side and the little finger side) of the grip 10. The surface structure elements 11 formed on the surface of the grip 10 generate greater frictional resistance in the direction from the tip side to the base end side in the axial direction of the grip 10 (one direction in the direction connecting the index finger side and the little finger side of the gripping hand) than in the direction from the base end side to the tip side (the other direction in the direction connecting the index finger side and the little finger side of the gripping hand).

[0021] The golf club C is used by swinging it, and when the golf club C is swung, a centrifugal outward force is applied to the golf club C. When swinging, the grip 10 of the golf club C requires a large frictional resistance in the direction from the tip end to the base end in the axial direction of the grip 10, whereas when the golf club C is held short, it is preferable that the frictional resistance in the axial direction of the grip 10 from the base end to the tip end is small.

[0022] In this embodiment, the surface structure element 11 has an inclined rising surface portion 12 that rises while sloping in height as it progresses from the base end side to the tip end side in the axial direction of the grip 10 (one direction connecting the index finger side and little finger side of the user's gripping hand), and a descending portion 13 that descends from the top of the inclined rising surface portion 12 at a gradient greater than the inclination angle of the inclined rising surface portion 12, and is arranged like scales in the circumferential direction of the grip 10 (the direction connecting the index finger side and little finger side of the user's gripping hand and the direction in which each finger extends). When the hand holding the grip 10 is moved from the base end side to the tip end side, the palm of the hand repeatedly ascends the inclined rising surface portion 12 of the surface structure element 11 and then descends the descending portion 13, so that the frictional resistance when moving from the base end side to the tip end side of the grip 10 is not large. In contrast, when the hand gripping the grip 10 is moved from the distal end to the proximal end, the palm of the hand repeatedly descends the inclined rising surface portion 12 while engaging with the descending portion 13 of the surface structure element 11, resulting in a large frictional resistance when the grip 10 moves from the distal end to the proximal end. As a result, when swinging the golf club C, the descending portion 13 of the surface structure element 11 engages with the palm of the hand gripping the grip 10, providing a high anti-slip effect when gripping the grip 10. Furthermore, when gripping the grip 10 with a slight shift toward the distal end or when holding the golf club C shorter to adjust the flight distance of the golf ball, the hand gripping the grip 10 is moved from the proximal end of the grip 10 to the distal end. Because the frictional resistance when the hand gripping the grip 10 moves from the proximal end to the distal end is smaller than the frictional resistance when moving from the distal end to the proximal end, it is easy to move the hand gripping the grip 10 from the proximal end of the grip 10 to the distal end. This allows for improved operability when the grip 10 is held slightly shifted toward the tip or when the golf club C is held short.

[0023] Furthermore, the grip 10 may be used when the palm of the hand holding it is sweaty or in rainy weather, and gripping the grip 10 with water on the palm can cause the grip 10 to become slippery. However, by arranging the surface structure elements 11 in a scale-like pattern, water between the palm of the hand and the grip 10 can easily flow up the inclined rising surface portions 12 of the surface structure elements 11, improving the drainage of water between the palm of the hand and the grip 10, making the grip 10 less likely to become slippery due to water.

[0024] The surface structure element 11 in the above embodiment is roughly fan-shaped, but is not limited to this. As shown in Figure 7, the surface structure element 11 may be a low triangular prism, or as shown in Figure 8, the surface structure element 11 of Figure 7 may be inclined so that the height of the base end is lower.

[0025] The above embodiment is an embodiment in which the grip 10 of a golf club C is used, but the grip of the present invention is not limited to the grip 10 of a golf club C. The grip of the present invention is suitable for use as a grip for holding tools that are used by swinging (swinging) other than golf clubs, such as tennis, hockey, or cricket rackets and sticks. A force acting outward in the centrifugal direction is applied to tools such as rackets or sticks, and it is necessary to prevent slipping, particularly in the direction from the index finger side to the little finger side of the hand holding the grip. By forming a surface structure element that generates a large frictional resistance in the direction from the index finger side to the little finger side of the hand holding the grip, it is possible to improve the fit when the user holds the grip while also increasing the anti-slip effect in the direction from the little finger side to the index finger side of the hand holding the grip.

[0026] The circular (annular) hand rim that rotates the drive wheels of a wheelchair also functions as a grip for the user. To move the wheelchair forward, the user grips the hand rim and rotates it forward. After rotating the hand rim a certain angle, the user must slide the hand gripping the hand rim backward to return it to its original position. The grip of the present invention has a surface structure element formed continuously in the direction connecting the index finger and little finger sides of the user's gripping hand. The surface structure element is made of a concave-convex shape that generates different frictional resistance in one direction, that is, in the direction connecting the index finger and little finger sides of the user's gripping hand, and in the other direction opposite to that direction. By forming a surface structure element on the surface of the hand rim that generates a large frictional resistance when the hand rim is rotated forward and a small frictional resistance when the gripping hand is slid backward, the operability of the wheelchair hand rim can be improved. [Explanation of symbols]

[0027] 10...Grip, 11...Surface structural element, 12...Inclined rising surface, 13...Descending section.

Claims

1. A grip that can be held by a user's hand, The grip has a surface structure element formed continuously on the surface of the grip in a direction connecting the index finger side and the little finger side of the user's hand, the surface structure element having an uneven shape that generates different friction resistance in one direction connecting the index finger side and the little finger side of the user's hand when the grip is held, and in another direction opposite to this one direction.

2. The grip of claim 1, The surface structure elements have an inclined rising surface portion that rises while sloping in height as it progresses in one direction, that is, the direction connecting the index finger side and the little finger side of the hand held by the user, and a descending portion that descends from the top of the inclined rising surface portion at a gradient greater than the inclination angle of the inclined rising surface portion, and are arranged in a scale-like manner in the direction connecting the index finger side and the little finger side of the hand held by the user and in the direction in which each finger extends.

3. The grip according to claim 1 or 2, The surface structure element has a width at one end in a direction connecting the index finger side and the little finger side that is longer than the width at the other end.

4. The grip according to claim 1 or 2, The grip has a surface structure element in which the height of one end in the direction connecting the index finger side and the little finger side is higher than the height of the other end.

Images