Reminder Ribbed Golf Club Grips

Abstract

A golf club grip with reminder ribs is provided having a hollow body with an inner diameter configured to fit over a shaft, the hollow body including a protruding feature extending along the length of the hollow body. The protruding feature protrudes from an outer surface of the hollow body without the need for the shaft to be inserted into the hollow body. By not requiring the golf grip to be on the shaft to create a protrusion above the outer surface of the body, the reminder rib formed by the protrusion can be ensured to be approximately 0.040 inches, thus complying with current golf rules.

Description

[[BACKGROUND ART]]

[0001] Many types of grips are available that can be used for gripping devices, including tools such as hammers and shovels, and sporting goods such as tennis rackets, squash rackets, racquetball rackets and golf clubs. Grips provide shock absorption properties, provide resistance to torque, and facilitate a user maintaining control of the device, including allowing a firm grip with little or no slipping.

[0002] The more stably and repetitively a golfer can position his or her hand on a golf club grip, the more stable the alignment with the golf club head will be, and thus the more stable the strike to the golf ball will be. Golf grips may incorporate various techniques to assist a golfer in positioning the hands. For example, a golf grip may have lines or other markings drawn on the grip surface to guide hand placement. The rules of the Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) permit a raised rib called a reminder rib. Reminder ribs can be used to assist a golfer in consistently positioning the hand, promoting enhanced control and a greater possibility of achieving lower scores. Accordingly, there continues to be a need for improved reminder ribs that allow a golfer to more easily align a golf grip and more consistently repeat a golf game. [[SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION]]

[0003] A golf club grip with a reminder rib is provided. The described golf club grip design provides an improved reminder rib that protrudes without needing to be inserted over the shaft of a golf club. The non-circularity caused by the protruding reminder rib can provide an easily detectable hand alignment mechanism even when not on the shaft of a golf club.

[0004] A golf club grip with a reminder rib may include a hollow body having an inner diameter configured to fit onto a shaft, the hollow body having a protruding feature extending along the length of the hollow body, the protruding feature protruding from the outer surface of the hollow body without requiring the shaft to be inserted into the hollow body. In fact, the hollow body can engage directly with the shaft, and the region having the protruding feature can be coplanar with the surrounding grip core within the hollow body.

[0005] This summary of the invention is provided to provide a simplified introduction to some of the concepts that will be further described in the embodiments for carrying out the invention described below. This summary of the invention is not intended to identify any major or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0006] [Figure 1] Figures 1A to 1D show a golf club grip with a reminder rib. Figure 1A is a side view of the golf club grip. Figure 1B is a top view of the golf club grip. Figure 1C is a cross-sectional side view of the golf club grip with the shaft shown separately. Figure 1D is a cross-sectional view of Figure 1A divided by line AA'. [Figure 2] Figures 2A and 2B show exemplary implementation configurations of the protruding features within the grip body. [Figure 3] Figures 3A and 3B show exemplary mounting configurations of the protruding feature integrated with the grip body. [Figure 4] Figures 4A to 4C are perspective and cross-sectional views of the rounded protruding features for gripping. [Figure 5] Figures 5A to 5C are perspective and cross-sectional views of the triangular protruding feature for the grip. [Figure 6] Figures 6A and 6B are perspective and cross-sectional views of the trapezoidal protruding feature for the grip. [Figure 7] Figures 7A to 7C are perspective and cross-sectional views of the square protruding feature for the grip. [Figure 8] Figures 8A to 8C are perspective and cross-sectional views of the thin, rounded protruding feature for gripping. [Figure 9] Figures 9A to 9C are perspective and cross-sectional views of the two-tiered, rounded protrusions for the grip. [Figure 10] Figures 10A to 10C are perspective and cross-sectional views of the two-tiered box-shaped protruding feature for the grip. [Figure 11] Multiple beaded grips are shown for the second stage of the protruding feature. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0007] A golf club grip with a reminder rib is provided. The described golf club grip design provides an improved reminder rib that protrudes without needing to be inserted onto the golf club shaft. The non-circular shape of the protruding reminder rib provides an easily detectable hand alignment mechanism even when it is not on the golf club shaft.

[0008] Current reminder rib designs tend to have inconsistencies in rib height depending on shaft size, tape layer, etc. As a result, the effect of such designs is limited when in the player's hand. Some players don't feel the reminder at all. Advantageously, the reminder ribs presented herein are consistently measured regardless of shaft size and tape layer, providing a more distinctive feel while meeting PGA and USGA requirements.

[0009] Figures 1A to 1D show a golf club grip with a reminder rib. Figure 1A is a side view of the golf club grip. Figure 1B is a top view of the golf club grip. Figure 1C is a cross-sectional side view of the golf club grip with the shaft shown separately. Figure 1D is a cross-sectional view of Figure 1A divided by line AA'.

[0010] Referring to Figures 1A to 1C, the flexible grip 100 includes a body 110 and an end cap 120 at the distal end of the body 110. The body 110 may have a slightly frustoconical shape. The body has a protruding feature 115 extending along the length of the body 110, which provides a reminder rib. The end cap 120 may include a through hole 125 that allows air to escape during installation.

[0011] The main body 110 has a hollow core with an inner surface 130 that connects to the shaft 140 of the golf club, so the main body 110 can also be called a hollow body. The inner diameter of the main body 110 is configured to fit onto the shaft 140 of the golf club, so that when the grip 100 is attached to the butt end 145 of the shaft 140 of the golf club, the core diameter (inner diameter) of the grip 100 becomes the size corresponding to the butt diameter of the shaft 140 (either by intentionally matching it or by making it oversized or undersized).

[0012] Advantageously, according to the embodiments described herein, the protruding feature 115 protrudes from the outer surface 150 of the main body 110 without the need to insert the shaft 140 into the main body 110.

[0013] The projection of the protruding feature 115 may extend substantially linearly longitudinally to the outside of the body 110 for a desired distance, for example, in the case of a standard grip, for a range of about 7 to 8 and 3 / 4 inches, which may be substantially the entire length of the body of the grip 100. To maintain compliance with PGA rules, the protruding feature 115 protrudes about 0.040 inches (e.g., about 1 mm) beyond the outer diameter of the body 110. The protruding feature 115 is a separate area within the body 110 (see, for example, Figures 2A and 2B). However, in some cases, the protruding feature 115 may be integral with the rest of the body 110 (see, for example, Figures 3A and 3B).

[0014] The outer surface of the grip area may include, or may not include, a design, color, and / or texture on all or part of the protruding feature portion 115, and this may be the same as or separate from the rest of the outer surface adjacent to the protruding feature portion 115. In some cases, the outer surface 150 of the body 110 may include a groove around the protruding feature portion 115 (see, for example, the groove 410 shown in Figure 4B). The groove may be of any length, width, or depth as desired. As an example, the groove may have a depth ranging from about 0.3 mm to about 2.0 mm. The groove may run around the entire perimeter, a portion of the perimeter, or only the length of the protruding feature portion 115. For example, the grip may include a first groove (not shown) on the outer surface of the body 110 adjacent to a first side of the protruding feature portion 115, and a second groove (not shown) on the outer surface of the body 110 adjacent to a second side of the protruding feature portion 115. The groove can be used to help the protruding feature portion 115 stand out more on the outer surface of the grip 100.

[0015] The protruding feature portion 115 can have various geometric shapes, structures, or forms that may vary along the length of the main body 110 or remain constant. In fact, the protruding feature portion 115 can have various cross-sectional shapes. Examples of various designs are shown in Figures 4A to 4C, 5A to 5C, 6A, 6B, 7A to 7C, 8A to 8C, 9A to 9C, 10A to 10C, and 11.

[0016] In some cases, the protruding feature portion 115 is formed from an elastomer material having a greater durometer hardness than the rest of the hollow body 110. Currently, it has been found satisfactory to form the region of the protruding feature portion 115 with an elastomer material having a durometer hardness of 45 Shore A to 90 Shore A. In some cases, the protruding feature portion 115 is formed from an elastomer material having a durometer hardness of 60 Shore A to 90 Shore A. In some cases, the protruding feature portion 115 is formed from an elastomer material having a durometer hardness of at least 80 Shore A. Currently, it has been found satisfactory to form the rest of the body 110 with an elastomer material having a durometer hardness in the range of 30 to 60 on the Shore A scale. In some cases, the rest of the body 110 is formed from an elastomer material having a durometer hardness in the range of 34 to 35 Shore A.

[0017] In some cases, the entire body 110 (including the protruding feature portion 115) is formed from the same elastomer material (and hardness), and a wrap of a different material from the body 110 is applied around the outer surface 150 of the body 110.

[0018] As described above, the protruding feature 115 may be a separate region within the body 110. Figures 2A and 2B show exemplary implementations of the protruding feature within the body of the grip. Referring to Figure 2A, the region 210 (in the body 220) of the protruding feature 230 is formed of an elastomer material having a greater durometer hardness than the rest of the hollow body 220. The elastomer material of the region 210 of the protruding feature extends to the inner diameter (ID) of the hollow body 220, forming a rib section of the hollow body 220. In the illustrated embodiment, the protruding feature 230 includes a two-stage structure having a first step 232 protruding by a first height from the outer surface 225 of the body 220 and a second step 234 protruding by a second height from the first step 232, where the first and second heights can be 0.040 inches or less to comply with regulations. Furthermore, the illustrated embodiment also includes grooves 236 adjacent to the protruding feature portion 230 (for example, providing a first groove and a second groove). Therefore, although the cross-sections shown in Figures 4C, 5C, 6C, 7C, 8C, 9C, 10C, and 11 do not explicitly show a separate region corresponding to region 210, these protruding features can be implemented in the same manner as shown in Figure 2A, with the protruding features being part of a separate region within the body that extends to the inner diameter of the hollow body.

[0019] Advantageously, according to certain implementation configurations, the rib section (region 210) lies coplanar with the circumferential inner diameter (e.g., circumferential surface 240) of the hollow body 220. This coplanar configuration allows for greater control over the projection height. In an alternative implementation configuration, as shown in Figure 2B, the rib section 250 includes an inward projection 260 that extends beyond the circumferential inner diameter (e.g., circumferential surface 240) of the hollow body 220. The inward projection 260 can be used to provide additional height to the projection feature after the grip is fitted onto the shaft.

[0020] Further, as described above with reference to FIGS. 1A to 1D, in some cases, the protruding feature 115 may be integrated with the remaining portion of the main body 110. FIGS. 3A and 3B show an exemplary implementation of a protruding feature integrated with the main body of the grip. Such a golf grip may further include a wrap made of a material different from that of the main body, fitted around the outer surface of the main body. It should be understood that a wrap may also be applied to implementations of protruding features made of different elastomer materials, for example, as described with reference to FIG. 2A.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 3A, the grip 300 may include a wrap 310 that abuts against the protruding feature 320 of the main body 330 such that the protruding feature 320 extends over the outer surface 315 of the wrap 310. In an implementation with such a wrap, the original height of the protruding feature may be greater than 0.040 inches, as long as the height difference between the outer surface of the wrap and the top of the protruding feature is about 0.040 inches, so as to ensure that the grip complies with regulations.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 3B, the grip 340 may include a wrap 350 covering the protruding feature 320 of the main body 330. When the wrap covers the protruding feature, a seam (not shown) of the wrap may be aligned at the protruding feature 320 so that the seam provides additional texture and / or height. For an implementation with such a wrap, the combined height of the seam and the protruding feature may be maintained at 0.040 inches or less from the outer surface (e.g., outer surface 355) of the wrap (e.g., wrap 350).

[0023] As described above, the protruding feature may have various geometric shapes, structures or configurations. FIGS. 4A to 4C are a perspective view and cross-sectional views of a rounded protruding feature for a grip. Referring to FIG. 4C, the grip 400 with the protruding feature 405 may have a completely circular rounded cross-section. The grip 400 may also include a groove 410.

[0024] Figures 5A to 5C are perspective and cross-sectional views of the triangular protruding feature for the grip. Referring to Figure 5C, the grip 500 with the protruding feature 505 may have a triangular cross-section, forming a V-shape.

[0025] Figures 6A and 6B are perspective and cross-sectional views of the trapezoidal projection feature for the grip. Referring to Figure 6B, the grip 600 with the projection feature 605 may have a trapezoidal cross-section. The draft angle may be, for example, 25 degrees. In some cases, the corners of the trapezoid can be softened to reduce sharp edges.

[0026] Figures 7A to 7C are perspective and cross-sectional views of the square protruding feature for the grip. Referring to Figure 7C, the grip 700 with the protruding feature 705 can have a complete box-shaped cross-section.

[0027] Figures 8A to 8C are perspective and cross-sectional views of the thin, rounded protruding feature for the grip. Referring to Figure 8C, the grip 800 with the protruding feature 805 may have a cross-section with a complete bead shape.

[0028] In some cases, the protruding feature has two stages of protrusion, the second stage of which protrudes from the first stage of which, and both the first and second stages protrude from the outer surface of the hollow body without the need to insert the shaft into the hollow body. Here, the combined height of the first and second stages protrudes approximately 0.040 inches beyond the outer diameter of the surrounding grip body.

[0029] Figures 9A to 9C are perspective and cross-sectional views of a two-tiered, rounded projection feature for the grip. Referring to Figure 9C, the grip 900 may have two projections 910, where the first tier 912 has a rounded cross-section and forms a rounded box, and the second tier 914 is a bead line.

[0030] Figures 10A to 10C are perspective and cross-sectional views of a two-tiered box-shaped projection feature for a grip. Referring to Figure 10C, the grip 1000 may have two projections 1010, where the first tier 1012 has a box-shaped cross section and forms a sharp box, and the second tier 1014 is a bead line.

[0031] As seen in Figures 9A to 9C and Figures 10A to 10C, the second step can be a single bead along the length of the first step. However, in some cases, the second step is formed by at least two beads along the length of the first step. Figure 11 shows a grip with multiple beads for the second step of a protruding feature. Referring to Figure 11, two beads 1100 are shown on a box-shaped protruding feature 1110 for a grip 1120.

[0032] While this subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and / or actions, it should be understood that the subject matter as defined in the attached claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or actions described above. Rather, the specific features and actions described above are disclosed as embodiments implementing the claims, and other equivalent features and actions are intended to be within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A golf club grip with a reminder rib, The golf club grip comprises a hollow body that defines the outermost surface of the golf club grip, the hollow body having an outer diameter and an inner diameter configured to fit onto the shaft, The golf club grip has a protruding feature that extends along the length of the hollow body, The aforementioned protruding feature extends radially beyond the outer diameter defined by the hollow body that defines the outermost surface of the golf club grip, without requiring the shaft to be inserted into the hollow body. The entire protruding feature is integrally formed from a different elastomer material having a greater durometer hardness than the hollow body. The elastomer material of the protruding feature extends to the inner diameter defined by the hollow body, forming a rib section of the golf club grip separate from the hollow body. The rib section defines a rib section length that extends along most of the length of the hollow body, The rib section is coplane with the circumferential inner diameter defined by the hollow body, along the entire length of the rib section which extends along most of the length of the hollow body. Golf club grip with reminder rib.

2. The golf club grip with reminder rib according to claim 1, wherein the protruding feature protrudes 0.040 inches from the outer diameter of the hollow body.

3. The golf club grip with reminder ribs according to claim 1, wherein the elastomer material of the protruding feature portion has a durometer hardness of 60 Shore A to 90 Shore A.

4. The first groove on the outermost surface of the hollow body adjacent to the first side of the protruding feature, The second groove on the outermost surface of the hollow body adjacent to the second side of the protruding feature, The golf club grip with reminder rib according to claim 1, further comprising the above.

5. The golf club grip with reminder rib according to claim 1, wherein the protruding feature portion has a rounded cross-section.

6. The golf club grip with reminder rib according to claim 1, wherein the protruding feature portion has a triangular cross-section.

7. The aforementioned protruding feature portion has a trapezoidal cross-section, as described in claim 1, for a golf club grip with a reminder rib.

8. The aforementioned protruding feature has two protruding sections. The second stage of the two-stage protrusion protrudes from the first stage of the two-stage protrusion, Both the first and second stages protrude from the outermost surface of the hollow body without requiring the shaft to be inserted into the hollow body. The golf club grip with reminder rib as described in claim 1.

9. The golf club grip with reminder rib according to claim 8, wherein the first step has a rounded cross-section.

10. The first step is a golf club grip with a reminder rib according to claim 8, having a box-shaped cross-section.

11. The first step is a golf club grip with a reminder rib according to claim 8, having a trapezoidal cross-section.

12. The golf club grip with reminder ribs according to claim 8, wherein the second step is a single bead along the length of the first step.

13. The golf club grip with reminder ribs according to claim 8, wherein the second step comprises at least two beads along the length of the first step.

Images