Sporting Equipment Grip With Beveled Seam Stitching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional grip designs for sporting equipment face issues with securely attaching layers of material, leading to adhesive bond deterioration and an undesirable feel due to seam exposure, which affects performance and durability.
Innovation Solution
A grip design featuring grip end portions with receivers that accommodate multiple layers, using a combination of adhesives and molding techniques to secure layers without significantly increasing weight, and incorporating beveled edges for stitching to hide seams below the surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If adhesive is used to secure the cushioning layer to the grip base, then the layers are initially strongly bonded, but the adhesive bond deteriorates over time with use
Solution Approach 1:
The grip is divided into multiple functional layers: grip base, cushioning layer, and decorative layer, each serving specific purposes. This segmentation allows optimization of each layer's properties independently while maintaining overall structural integrity through mechanical attachment methods.
Solution Approach 2:
A stitching system acts as an intermediary mechanical fastener between the layers, providing durable attachment that does not rely on adhesive bonds. The stitching penetrates through the layers to create permanent mechanical connections that resist deterioration over time.
2Reliability
If conventional stitching methods are used to secure layers, then the layers are mechanically attached, but the stitching creates an undesirable feel and exposes seams to the user's hand
Solution Approach 1:
The stitching is repositioned from the surface level to an embedded position within the grip structure. By moving the stitching to a different spatial dimension (inside the grip rather than on the surface), the solution maintains attachment reliability while eliminating the undesirable tactile sensation for the user.
Solution Approach 2:
The grip layers are designed to overlap continuously around the grip base, creating seamless coverage. The stitching secures these overlapping edges internally, maintaining the continuous outer surface that provides comfortable contact with the user's hand without interruption from visible or palpable seams.
3Ease of operation
If the grip size is increased to accommodate larger hands, then hand comfort and prevention of hand overlapping is improved, but the grip weight significantly increases
Solution Approach 1:
Different layers of the grip provide different local functions: the grip base provides structural support and size, the cushioning layer provides comfort and shock absorption, and the decorative layer provides aesthetics. This local differentiation allows optimization of each region's properties to achieve comfort without uniformly increasing overall weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The grip utilizes composite construction with multiple material layers, each selected for specific properties. This composite approach allows the grip to achieve the desired size and comfort characteristics while managing overall weight through strategic material selection and layer thickness optimization.
Data Source
AI summary
A grip for sporting equipment includes a base defining a receiver for receiving a gripping end. The base includes a pair of opposed grip base ends and an intervening center portion. At least one sheet of material is provided for encircling at least the base center portion. The at least one sheet of material includes at least two opposed beveled edges which when abutting define a seam disposed within a groove. The opposed abutting beveled edges are secured one to the other by stitching disposed within the groove. An adhesive strip overlays the groove and stitching. A substantially transparent top protective layer may overlay at least a portion of the at least one sheet of material, the adhesive strip, and the base. In turn, items of sporting equipment and methods for providing grips for sporting equipment are described.