Grip for sports stick

Abstract

A grip attachable to a sports stick may have a grip surface gripped by a hand of a user, the grip surface including N surfaces in contact with each other, wherein the cross section of the grip is a polygon having N sides depending on the number of the surfaces, the lengths of the bases of at least two surfaces among the surfaces are greater than the lengths of the bases of the remaining surfaces, a grip guide line parallel to the shaft is displayed in the center of each plane, by selecting one grip guide line that matches the reference line of the shaft of the golf club from among the N grip guide lines, the grip surface that meets the user's hand changes, N is a positive integer, and the sports stick includes a golf club, a tennis racket, a table tennis racket, a hockey stick, or a badminton racket.

Description

Grip of a sports club

[0001] The present invention relates to a grip for a sports club.

[0002] In sports that require a swing motion, such as golf, tennis, table tennis, and badminton, the grip is crucial. The grip is the sole link between the player striking the ball with the club head and the ball. Therefore, the way the ball moves during the swing significantly depends on the grip. Factors that determine ball movement include spin, initial speed, and launch angle, and these factors can vary depending on the grip. The degree to which people rotate their grip when holding a sports club can vary.

[0003] For example, in golf, the grip of a golf club generally has a round cross-section (R1 in Figure 1), and depending on how much you rotate the grip, it is called a neutral grip, strong grip, weak grip, etc. Even if you find a grip that suits you, because the grip part is round, it is difficult for beginners to align both hands correctly every time, and the grip may not fit your hands, causing you to use a lot of strength without realizing it. There is a grip called a lip grip (R2 in Figure 1), which has one end slightly protruding, but the lip grip only increases the fit when holding the neutral grip, and is not suitable for holding any other grip.

[0004] Taking tennis as an example, the grip of a tennis racket generally takes the shape of an octagon, and can be classified into Continental, Eastern, Semi-Western, and Western grips depending on the bevel at which the index knuckle (the lower part of the index finger) is located. Fig. 2 illustrates a cross-section of a tennis racket grip according to one embodiment. In other words, even with a tennis grip of the same shape, the spin and speed of the ball can vary depending on how the grip is held and the ball is hit.

[0005] A grip for a sports club may be provided to provide a user with an appropriate grip surface through at least one of the grip shape and guide lines.

[0006] The technical task to be achieved by this embodiment is not limited to the technical task described above, and other technical tasks can be inferred from the following embodiments.

[0007] A grip for a sports club may be provided to provide a user with an appropriate grip surface through at least one of the grip shape and guide lines.

[0008] The technical task to be achieved by this embodiment is not limited to the technical task described above, and other technical tasks can be inferred from the following embodiments.

[0009] A grip for a sports club may be provided that provides a grip surface suitable for the user through at least one of the grip shape and guide lines. By selecting a guide line that provides a grip surface suitable for the user and attaching it to the club, the user can induce an efficient and safe swing.

[0010] Figure 1 illustrates a cross-section of a grip of a golf club according to one embodiment.

[0011] Figure 2 shows a cross-section of a grip of a tennis racket, according to one embodiment.

[0012] FIG. 3 shows a front view or cross-section of a grip of a golf club according to one embodiment.

[0013] Figure 4 shows an octagonal shape of the grip cross-section according to one embodiment.

[0014] FIG. 5 shows the overall appearance of a golf club grip according to one embodiment.

[0015] Figure 6 shows a state in which guide lines are displayed on each of the grip surfaces according to one embodiment.

[0016] FIG. 7 shows a state when a golf club with a golf grip attached is addressed, according to one embodiment.

[0017] FIG. 8 illustrates a cross-section of a golf grip or a front view of the golf grip (i.e., a view toward the shaft of the golf club), according to one embodiment.

[0018] FIG. 9 illustrates a cross-section of a golf grip or a front view of the golf grip (i.e., a view toward the shaft of the golf club), according to one embodiment.

[0019] FIG. 10 illustrates a cross-section of a golf grip or a state in which the golf grip is viewed from the front (i.e., viewed in the direction of the shaft of the golf club), according to one embodiment.

[0020] Figure 11a shows the major and minor axes of the grip according to one embodiment.

[0021] Figure 11b shows a state in which the major and minor axes of the grip are rotated clockwise according to one embodiment.

[0022] FIG. 12a illustrates a table tennis racket with an inclined grip, according to one embodiment.

[0023] FIG. 12b shows a front view of a grip portion of a table tennis racket according to one embodiment.

[0024] Figures 13a and 13b show the positions of guide lines for tilting and mounting the grip on a cross-section of the grip according to one embodiment.

[0025] A grip attachable to a sports club, wherein an outer surface of the grip that a user can hold with his or her hand includes N planes, a cross-section of the grip is a polygon composed of N sides, the length of the base of at least two of the planes is longer than the length of the base of the remaining planes, a guide line parallel to the shaft is displayed on each of the planes, and a grip surface that meets the user's hand is changed by selecting one guide line that coincides with the reference line of the shaft from among the N guide lines, wherein N is a positive integer, and the sports club may include a golf club, a tennis club, a table tennis club, a hockey club, or a badminton club.

[0026] The above N is 8, the above cross-section is an octagon, the lengths of the bases of two of the eight planes are longer than the lengths of the bases of the remaining six planes, and the bases of the two planes can be parallel to each other and have the same length.

[0027] The above N guide lines may be displayed in different colors or distinguished by different characters.

[0028] A grip attachable to a sports club, wherein the grip has a cross-sectional shape that is a distorted circle or a polygon in which at least two sides are longer than the remaining sides, and at least one guide line parallel to the shaft is displayed on an outer surface of the grip, and the at least one guide line can be positioned such that an imaginary line connecting a guide point where the cross-section and the guide line meet and the center of the cross-section is spaced apart from the major axis of the cross-section by a predetermined angle in a counterclockwise direction.

[0029] The above predetermined angle may include at least one of 15 degrees, 30 degrees, and 45 degrees.

[0030] A grip attachable to a sports club, wherein the grip has a cross-sectional shape that is a polygon or a distorted circle in which at least two sides are longer than the lengths of the remaining sides, and the grip is rotated clockwise by a predetermined angle, so that both a major axis plane including the major axes of any two or more grip sections and a minor axis plane including the minor axes of the grip sections may not be perpendicular to or parallel to the face surface of the sports club.

[0031] A sports club equipped with the above grip may be disclosed.

[0032] Below, several embodiments will be described clearly and in detail with reference to the attached drawings so that those skilled in the art (hereinafter, “ordinary technicians”) can easily practice the present invention.

[0033] Hereinafter, a "golf club" is described as a representative example, but the "golf club" in this specification may be replaced with any sporting club for swinging. For example, the "golf club" may be replaced with a "tennis club," a "table tennis club," a "badminton club," a "hockey club," a "floorball club," etc.

[0034] The front view of the grip refers to the shape seen when looking at the grip in the direction of the shaft axis. The cross-section of the grip refers to the shape seen when cutting any middle part of the grip in a direction perpendicular to the shaft. Hereinafter, "grip" or "shape of the grip" may refer to the front view of the grip or the cross-sectional shape of the grip.

[0035] Figure 3 illustrates a grip of a golf club according to one embodiment.

[0036] The grip may be formed as a distorted circle or polygon. In one embodiment, the cross-section of the grip is not a circle or a regular polygon. For example, the grip may be formed as an ellipse (31) having a major axis and a minor axis, or as a polygon (32, 33) in which some of the sides have different lengths than the other sides. For example, the grip may be a hexagon (32) or an octagon (33). Hereinafter, the distorted circle may include an ellipse shape. Hereinafter, the polygonal grip may include a shape in which the corners are smoothly rounded or filleted.

[0037] FIG. 4 illustrates a frontal or cross-sectional view of a grip according to an embodiment, and FIG. 5 illustrates an overall view of the grip according to an embodiment. In the embodiments of FIGS. 4 and 5, the grip of the golf club may be octagonal. An octagonal golf club grip may provide the user with greater stability and control. By providing a stronger contact between the grip surface and the hand, a more accurate and powerful swing may be achieved. In addition, an octagonal grip may provide ease of rotation, thereby facilitating a transitional motion during a downswing. An octagonal grip may have a flat portion, thereby helping to reduce wrist bending, thereby relieving wrist strain. An octagonal grip may help the user maintain a consistent grip, thereby achieving consistent results during repeated swings. An octagonal grip may provide various options for a stronger or weaker grip.

[0038] According to one embodiment, an outer surface of a grip that a user can hold with a hand may include N planes, and a cross-section of the grip may be a polygon having N sides. That is, the number of planes (N) varies depending on the number of sides of the polygon. N is a positive integer. A portion where two planes meet may be rounded or filleted. For example, the cross-section may be octagonal, and the outer surface of the grip may include eight planes. The length of the base (the side in the cross-section) of at least two of the planes may be longer than the length of the base (the side in the cross-section) of the remaining planes. In the case of an octagon, the length of the base of two of the eight planes may be longer than the length of the base of the remaining six planes. According to one embodiment, the bases of the two planes may be parallel to each other and have the same length, but are not limited thereto.

[0039] Referring to Fig. 4, among the eight sides forming the octagon, the lengths of two sides (L1, L5) are longer than the lengths of the remaining six sides (L2, L3, L4, L6, L7, L8). The two longer sides (L1, L5) are parallel to each other and have the same length. The lengths of the remaining six sides (L2, L3, L4, L6, L7, L8) may or may not be the same. Eight rectangular planes having each of the eight sides (L1 to L8) of Fig. 4 as a base are grip surfaces that are held by the user's hand. A point or line indicating the center of each side or each of the grip surfaces may be indicated. The point or line indicated at the center of each of the grip surfaces may be referred to as a guide line. Referring to Fig. 4, eight guide lines (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80) are illustrated. The guide lines are indicated on the grip surface, but for convenience of explanation, they are indicated on the front or cross-section of the grip. The circle drawn with a dotted line in the middle represents the shaft. According to one embodiment, the guide lines may be distinguished by color. FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate a state in which guide lines are indicated on each of the grip surfaces according to one embodiment. The guide lines (O, Y, G, B, I, P, W, R) of FIG. 6 may correspond to the guide lines (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80) of FIG. 4, respectively.

[0040] In one embodiment, the grip may be attached to the shaft with one of the eight guide lines aligned with the shaft's reference line. Since the grip is not circular in shape, if the guide line aligned with the shaft's reference line changes, the degree of rotation of the grip will change, and the appearance of the golf club to which the golf club grip is attached will change when the user addresses the golf club. This can change the feeling when the user holds the grip, and the degree to which the grip is rotated can also naturally change.

[0041] Fig. 7 illustrates a state when a golf club with a golf grip attached is addressed, according to one embodiment. Fig. 7 illustrates a top view of a golf club in an addressed state when a user addresses the golf club to hit a ball (B). The head (H) of the golf club is facing the ball (B). The reference line (S) is a line indicating the center of the shaft and is depicted on the outer surface of the shaft. In the correct address state, the reference line (S) of the shaft points upward (i.e., in the 12 o'clock direction of the shaft cross-section opposite the ground). The grip may be a distorted circle or a polygon rather than a circle. Since the shape of the grip is not a circle, when the same grip is attached to the outer surface of the shaft, the grip surface and feel in the user's hand may vary depending on the relative position of the guide line from the reference line of the shaft. Since the rectangular surface with a long base (referring to Fig. 4, the grip surface with L1 and L5 as bases) is easy to come into contact with the user's palm, the user is likely to turn the club accordingly depending on how much the rectangular surface is rotated from the shaft's reference line.

[0042] FIGS. 8 to 10 illustrate a golf club addressed as in FIG. 7, but for convenience of explanation, the grip (G) portion of the golf club is enlarged and the grip (G) portion is illustrated in a frontal or cross-sectional view. The guide points (C1, C2, C3) of FIGS. 8 to 10 may represent at least a portion of the guide lines described above with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6. The first guide point (C1), the second guide point (C2), and the third guide point (C3) may correspond to the first guide line (30), the second guide line (20), and the third guide line (40) of FIG. 4, respectively.

[0043] Fig. 8 shows the first guide point (C1) aligned with the reference line (S) of the shaft, and Fig. 9 shows the second guide point (C2) aligned with the reference line (S) of the shaft. Referring to Figs. 8 and 9 simultaneously, the shape of the user's hand and the grip may vary depending on how the grip is attached to the shaft. Referring to the cross-section of the grip, since two sides of the octagon are longer than the other sides, it is easy to grip the user's palm on the grip surface with the relatively longer side as the base. Since the grip of Fig. 9 is rotated clockwise compared to Fig. 8, it is easy to induce a neutral grip or continental grip under the grip attachment state of Fig. 8, and it is easy to induce a strong grip or western grip under the grip attachment state of Fig. 9.

[0044] Fig. 10 shows the third guide point (C3) aligned with the shaft's reference line (S). Fig. 10 shows the grip rotated counterclockwise compared to Fig. 8. The grip attachment state of Fig. 10 is ideal for inducing a weak grip. According to one embodiment, the lengths of each side of the grip's octagonal shape and the internal angles between the sides can be designed and modified as needed.

[0045] Figure 11a shows a front or cross-sectional shape of a grip according to one embodiment.

[0046] Referring to Fig. 11a, in a distorted circle, the major axis (LX) is the longest imaginary line among the lines inside the cross-section that pass through the center (CP) of the cross-section, and the minor axis (SX) is the shortest imaginary line. In a polygon, the major axis (LX) is the longest imaginary line among the lines that pass through the center (CP) of the cross-section and reach perpendicularly to each side, and the minor axis (SX) is the shortest imaginary line. The major axis plane is an imaginary plane that connects the major axes of each of two or more arbitrary cross-sections of the grip, and the minor axis plane is an imaginary plane that connects the minor axes of each of two or more arbitrary cross-sections of the grip.

[0047] Conventionally, either the major axis or the minor axis of the grip is manufactured so that it is parallel to the face surface of the sports club. If the major axis is parallel to the face surface, the minor axis is perpendicular to the face surface, and if the major axis is perpendicular to the face surface, the minor axis is parallel to the face surface. Referring to Fig. 11a, an imaginary plane including the major axis (LX) or the minor axis (SX) is shown as being parallel or perpendicular to the face surface (F, or head surface).

[0048] Figure 11b shows a front or cross-sectional shape of the grip according to one embodiment.

[0049] According to one embodiment, the grip shape of the sports club is manufactured as a distorted circle, a polygon (excluding a regular polygon), etc., and the major axis plane and the minor axis plane of the grip can be manufactured to be inclined (rotated) at a predetermined angle in the clockwise direction compared to the conventional direction. By manufacturing the major axis plane and the minor axis plane to be inclined at a predetermined angle in the clockwise direction compared to the conventional direction in which they are attached, neither the major axis plane nor the minor axis plane is parallel to the face surface (or head surface) of the sports club (see Fig. 11b). The major axis plane or the minor axis plane can be inclined at a predetermined angle (for example, 15 degrees, 30 degrees, 45 degrees, etc.) in the clockwise direction relative to the face surface (in the case of a golf club, the angular difference between the face surface and the major axis plane or the minor axis plane caused by the loft angle is ignored, i.e., the loft angle is assumed to be 0 degrees). Accordingly, the user naturally turns the grip, and depending on the degree of turning, it becomes easy to hold the racket in a weak grip, eastern grip, neutral grip, semi-western grip, strong grip, western grip, etc. Fig. 12a shows a table tennis racket with an inclined grip according to one embodiment, and Fig. 12b shows a front view of the grip portion according to one embodiment.

[0050] Figure 13a shows guide lines for tilting and mounting the grip according to one embodiment.

[0051] Referring to Fig. 13a, the cross-sectional shape of the grip is a distorted circle, and at least one guide line can be drawn on the outer surface of the grip surface. The guide line is marked on the cross-section to make it easy to identify the position of the guide line. The guide line is parallel to the central axis of the shaft. The user can install the grip by tilting it clockwise by aligning one guide line with the reference line of the shaft. The guide line can be drawn such that an imaginary line (G1, G2, G3) connecting a guide point (e.g., C1, C2, C3 of Figs. 8 to 10) where the grip cross-section and the guide line meet and the center (CP) of the grip cross-section is spaced apart from the major axis (L_R) of the grip cross-section by a predetermined angle in the counterclockwise direction. The predetermined angle may include, but is not limited to, 15 degrees, 30 degrees, 45 degrees, etc. According to one embodiment, the guide lines may include a first guide line (G1) spaced 15 degrees counterclockwise from the major axis (L_R) of the grip cross-section of the elliptical shape, a second guide line (G2) spaced 30 degrees counterclockwise, and a third guide line (G3) spaced 45 degrees counterclockwise.

[0052] Figure 13b shows guide lines for tilting and mounting the grip according to one embodiment.

[0053] Referring to Fig. 13b, the cross-sectional shape of the grip is a polygon in which at least two sides are longer than the remaining sides, and at least one guide line can be drawn on the outer surface of the grip surface. The guide line is marked on the cross-section to make it easy to identify the position of the guide line. The guide line is parallel to the central axis of the shaft. The user can tilt the grip clockwise to mount it by aligning one guide line with the reference line of the shaft. The guide line can be drawn such that an imaginary line (G1, G2, G3) connecting a guide point (e.g., C1, C2, C3 of Figs. 8 to 10) where the grip cross-section and the guide line meet and the center (CP) of the grip cross-section is spaced apart from the major axis (L_R) of the grip cross-section by a predetermined angle in the counterclockwise direction. The predetermined angle may include, but is not limited to, 15 degrees, 30 degrees, 45 degrees, etc. According to one embodiment, the guide lines may include a first guide line (G1) spaced 15 degrees counterclockwise from the major axis (L_R) of the grip cross-section of the polygonal shape, a second guide line (G2) spaced 30 degrees counterclockwise, and a third guide line (G3) spaced 45 degrees counterclockwise.

[0054] The descriptions are intended to provide exemplary configurations and operations for implementing the present invention. The technical concept of the present invention encompasses not only the embodiments described above, but also implementations that can be achieved by simply modifying or altering the above embodiments. Furthermore, the technical concept of the present invention encompasses implementations that can be easily achieved by modifying or altering the above embodiments in the future.

Claims

1. For grips that can be attached to sports clubs, The outer surface of the grip, which can be grasped by the user's hand, includes N planes, The cross section of the above grip is a polygon consisting of N sides, The length of the base of at least two of the above planes is longer than the length of the base of the remaining planes, Each of the above planes is marked with a guide line parallel to the shaft, By selecting one guide line that matches the reference line of the shaft from among the N guide lines, the grip surface that meets the user's hand changes. The above N is a positive integer, The above sports grips include golf clubs, tennis clubs, table tennis clubs, hockey clubs, or badminton clubs.

2. In paragraph 1, The above N is 8 and the cross section is octagonal, The lengths of the bases of two of the eight planes above are longer than the lengths of the bases of the remaining six planes. The two bases of the above two planes are parallel to each other and have the same length.

3. In paragraph 1, The above N guide lines are indicated in different colors or distinguished by different letters.

4. For grips that can be attached to sports clubs, The cross-sectional shape of the above grip is a distorted circle or a polygon in which at least two sides are longer than the remaining sides, The outer surface of the grip is provided with at least one guide line parallel to the shaft, A grip in which at least one guide line is positioned such that an imaginary line connecting a guide point where the cross-section and the guide line meet and the center of the cross-section is spaced apart from the long axis of the cross-section by a predetermined angle in the counterclockwise direction.

5. In paragraph 4, A grip wherein the above predetermined angle includes at least one of 15 degrees, 30 degrees, and 45 degrees.

6. For grips that can be attached to sports clubs, The cross-sectional shape of the above grip is a polygon or a distorted circle in which at least two sides are longer than the remaining sides, A grip in which both a major axis plane including the major axes of any two or more grip sections and a minor axis plane including the minor axes of the grip sections are neither perpendicular nor parallel to the face surface of the sports club, by rotating the grip clockwise by a predetermined angle.

7. A sports club equipped with a grip according to any one of clauses 1 to 6.

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