Preformed Lacrosse Pocket Durability and Adjustment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional lacrosse pockets suffer from durability issues, require adjustment, and are affected by wet and dry conditions, leading to inconsistent performance and difficulty in use, especially for beginners.
Innovation Solution
A preformed lacrosse pocket made from durable materials like thermoplastic polyurethane, featuring a throat fastener zone, channel zone, sidewall zones, and scoop zone with specific apertures for secure attachment to the lacrosse head, providing consistent performance and visibility, and minimizing the need for adjustments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional lacrosse pockets are constructed from laces or mesh and connected to the back of the head, then the pocket can be attached to the lacrosse head, but the pocket suffers from durability issues and requires adjustment
Solution Approach 1:
The pocket is pre-formed with integrated fastening features (apertures and fasteners) that allow direct attachment to the lacrosse head without requiring field adjustment. The pocket material is pre-configured with the correct shape and dimensions, eliminating the need for players to make adjustments after attachment.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the material parameter from traditional laces or mesh to a solid, durable material that maintains its shape and properties across various conditions. This material parameter change eliminates durability issues and reduces the need for adjustment while maintaining ease of operation.
2Reliability
If conventional lacrosse pockets are constructed from laces or mesh, then the pocket can retain a lacrosse ball, but the performance is affected by wet and dry conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the material parameter from absorbent mesh or lace materials to a non-absorbent, weather-resistant solid material. This parameter change makes the pocket performance independent of wet and dry conditions, as the material does not change its properties when exposed to moisture.
3Reliability
If the pocket material is made from durable materials like thermoplastic polyurethane, then the durability is improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pocket is pre-formed as a complete assembly with all fastening features integrated into the pocket material itself. This preliminary action allows the durable material to be molded into the final shape with built-in apertures and fasteners, simplifying the manufacturing process by eliminating separate assembly steps.
Data Source
AI summary
A preformed lacrosse pocket, including a pocket material is disclosed. The pocket material includes a throat fastener zone, including a plurality of throat fastener apertures configured to accept a plurality of throat fasteners operable to couple the throat fastener zone to a throat region of a lacrosse head, and a channel zone adjacent to the throat fastener zone extending distally from the throat fastener zone. The pocket material is further formed to include a pair of sidewall zones adjacent to the channel zone, the sidewalls zones configured to define voids between the lacrosse head and the pocket material, when installed in the lacrosse head, scoop zone adjacent to the channel zone and the pair of sidewall zones, including a plurality of scoop fastener apertures configured to accept a plurality of scoop fasteners operable to couple the scoop fastener zone to a scoop region of the lacrosse head.