HK1059405B - Spiral wrap golf club grip - Google Patents

Description

Spirally wrapped golf club grip

Technical Field

The invention belongs to the field of golf clubs, and particularly relates to a spirally wrapped golf club handle.

Summary of the invention

The golf club grip of the present invention solves the problem of the upper end of the elastic strap of the golf club grip disengaging from the shaft of the golf club during golf play, particularly when the golf club is removed from and inserted into a golf club backpack. This problem is solved by providing a circumferential groove under the cap of the underlisting sleeve (underlisting sleeve) in which the edge of the upper portion of the resilient strip fits tightly to avoid the strip falling out.

These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, which, when taken in conjunction with the drawings, illustrate by way of example the principles of the invention.

Brief description of the drawings

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view showing the upper portion of a spirally wrapped golf club grip using a prior art technique, which begins to disengage from the shaft of the golf club;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the golf club grip shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view in section showing a golf club with a golf club grip of the prior art being inserted into a golf club backpack to cause the breakaway shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a side view of an underlisting sleeve for use with a spiral-wrapped golf club grip embodying the present invention;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the upper portion of the underlisting sleeve of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a horizontal sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a broken top view of a handle elastic strap embodying the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a bottom view showing the underside of the handle strap of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional view taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional view taken along line 11-11 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 12 is a broken side view showing the strap of FIGS. 8-10 about to be helically wrapped over the underlisting sleeve of FIGS. 4-7;

FIG. 13 is an enlarged fragmentary front view showing the leading edge of the elastomeric strip manually inserted into the upwardly extending circumferential groove formed in the underside of the underlisting sleeve cap;

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary side elevation view showing the elastomeric strip helically wrapped around the underlisting sleeve;

FIG. 15 is an enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional view taken along line 15-15 of FIG. 14;

FIGS. 16, 17 and 18 are fragmentary side elevational views showing the lower portion of the elastic band helically wrapped around and secured to the lower portion of the underlisting sleeve; and is

FIG. 19 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a handle embodying the present invention.

Detailed description of the preferred embodiments

Referring to the drawings, FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 show a golf club C having a shaft 20 with a prior art resilient grip GPA mounted on its shaft H. The handle GPA includes a polyurethane-felt strip S helically wrapped over a resilient, underlisting UPA, similar to that shown and described in my U.S. patent No.6,386,989. During golf, many prior art golf club grips are inserted into and removed from a conventional golf club backpack. During such insertion and removal, the golf club grip GPA is in sliding contact with the other golf club grips and the side walls of the golf club backpack B, as shown in fig. 3. This contact causes the upper end of the resilient strap to disengage from the golf club shaft. The manner of disengagement of the upper ends 19 of the elastic strips S is shown in figures 1 and 2. Such a breakaway not only impairs the appearance of the grip, but also distracts the golfer from the swing due to the rough feel of the breakaway portion of the strap.

Referring to fig. 4-12, there are shown components of a preferred form of golf club grip G embodying the present invention. The handle comprises a resilient down-tube U having an integral cap 22 at its upper end and an integral joint 24 at the lower end of the tube. The upper portion of the fitting 24 defines a circumferential groove 25 for purposes described hereinafter. It should be particularly noted that the underside of the cap 22 is formed with a circumferentially extending recess 26 which receives the upper end of the resilient strip S of figures 8 to 11 in the manner described below.

More particularly, the strip S is made up of a first individual portion S1 and a second individual portion S2 of different widths, the portion Sl preferably being wider than the portion S2. Portion S1 includes a bottom backing layer 30 (preferably of felt material) whose inner face, i.e., bottom face, is glued to underlisting sleeve U as described above. Section S1 also includes an upper layer of a suitable resilient plastics material, such as a smooth closed cell polyurethane layer, generally designated 34, which may be bonded to the upper surface of its adjacent base layer. Portion S1 may be formed with vertical vents (not shown), such as described in my U.S. patent No.5,645,501, 7/8 of 1997. Section S2 is similar in construction to section S1 and includes a backing layer, generally designated 36 (preferably a felt material) at the bottom of the opening, the inner face, i.e., bottom face, of which is bonded to underlisting sleeve U. Section S2 also includes a top layer 40 of a suitable resilient plastic material, such as a polyurethane layer, which may be bonded to the upper surface 36 of the substrate layer adjacent thereto. The polyurethane layers of the sections S1 and S2 of each strip may be formed in the usual manner by coating the felt with one or more layers of a solution of polyurethane (e.g., polyester or polyether) dissolved in Dimethylformamide (DMF), immersing the coated strip in water to wash out the DMF and coagulate the urethane, and finally removing the water by pressure and heat. In this manner, the apertures are formed in the polyurethane layer, and the underside of the polyurethane layer is attached to the upper surface of the felt layer. The polyurethane layer preferably has a thickness of 0.2 to 1.40 mm, and the felt layer has a thickness of about 0.7 to 1.90 mm.

The felt layers 30 and 36 function as backing layers for the polyurethane layer 34 and the polyurethane coating 40 to increase the strength of the polyurethane. The felt together with the polyurethane cushions the vibrations of the grip when the golf club strikes a golf ball. It should be noted that other materials may be substituted for the felt and function as a backing layer to reinforce the strength and shock-absorbing properties of the polyurethane, for example, a synthetic plastic such as ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer, known as EVA. The felt may be made of a generally suitable material, like nylon, cotton, polyester or the like.

The entire underside of the backing layer 30 of section S1 has adhesive 54 initially covered by a releasable tape 56 in the usual manner. Peelable strip 56 has a thin strip 56B which can be peeled away from the main body of strip 56 to expose adhesive 54 at one edge of portion S1, while the main body of the strip remains on the adhesive covering the remainder of portion S1.

Referring to fig. 11, the side edges of the polyurethane layer 34 of the portion S1 are formed with reinforcing edges 46 and 47 extending laterally and outwardly. The side edges of the polyurethane layer 40 of the portion S2 are also formed with reinforcing edges 48 and 49 extending laterally and outwardly. In fig. 11, the side edges of the felt layer 34 of the portion S1 are skived into side edges 50 and 51 which are inclined outwardly and upwardly. Likewise, the side edges of the felt layer of portion S2 are skived into outwardly and upwardly sloping side edges 52 and 53. Underlying portion S2 is adhesive 58 (fig. 9) initially covered by peelable tape 59. The combination of section S1 and section S2 forms a composite strip S with the reinforced side edge 49 of section S2 overlying the skived side edge 50 of section S1, as shown in fig. 11, and pressing against section S1. The ends of the strip S are then cut into leading and trailing edges 60 and 62.

It should be particularly noted that the inwardly concave side edges of the upper region of the polyurethane layer 40 of portion S2 may be embossed with a raised pattern to form a debossed indicium I, such as the name of the manufacturer of the golf club grip. This embossing not only decorates the golf club grip, but the embossing process additionally increases the density of the polyurethane layer 40, thus reducing the extensibility of the second portion and thus increasing the hoop strength (hop strip) of the strip S. It is also desirable to mold the polyurethane layer of section S1 in a first color and the polyurethane layer of section S2 in a second color that contrasts with the first color. With this arrangement, the handle will produce a pleasing appearance of multiple colors when the strip S is helically wrapped around the underlisting sleeve.

Referring to fig. 12-15, to secure the upper portion, or leading edge 60, of the resilient strip S within the circumferential groove 26 of the cap 22, the upper edge of the strip is manually inserted into the groove 26 (fig. 13). After the upper edge of the strip S is secured in place in the groove 26, the strip is wrapped helically down the outer surface of the underlisting sleeve U (fig. 14). When the strip S is spirally wound to a position where the lower edge, i.e., the trailing edge 62, is horizontally aligned with the lower portion of the connector recess 25, the lower edge of the strip is manually tucked into the recess by temporarily expanding a lip 70 provided on the recess for the lower edge of the strip to enter the recess. When the lip 70 returns to its original position, the lip will firmly secure the lower end of the strap to the upper portion of the joint, as shown in fig. 16-18. A finished handle G embodying the present invention is shown in fig. 19. From there it can be seen that the upper end of the strap S is locked in the recess 26 of the cap to avoid disengagement, while the lower end of the strap is restrained by the tab lip 70 to avoid disengagement. The above arrangement for securing the upper edge of strap S is particularly useful in securing a two-piece strap to the upper portion of the underlying sleeve because the narrow strap portions are easily disengaged.

The strip S may be helically wrapped around the underlisting sleeve U and the upper and lower edges of the strip secured within the grooves 26 and 25 while the underlisting sleeve is positioned on a mandrel M in the usual manner. After the strap is secured to the underlisting sleeve U, the sleeve and strap combination is removed from the mandrel and slip-fitted over the handle portion of the golf club.

It should be understood that various modifications and changes to the preferred embodiments described above do not depart from the scope of the invention. For example, the elastic strip may be one piece in construction rather than the two-part construction described above.

Claims (4)

1. A golf club grip assembly comprising:

an elastic underlisting sleeve formed with a cap at its upper end and a joint at its lower end,

forming a downwardly facing circumferential groove in the underside of the cap;

the elastic band is spirally wrapped and adhered on the underlisting sleeve between the lower portion of the cap and the joint, and the upper edge of the elastic band is firmly fixed inside the downward-facing circumferential groove to prevent the upper portion of the elastic band from being detached from the underlisting sleeve,

an upwardly facing groove is formed in the upper portion of the joint, the exterior of which has a deformable circumferential lip that can expand outwardly to securely hold the lower end of the resilient strip within the upwardly facing groove to engage the downwardly facing circumferential groove of the cap to prevent the entire length of the resilient strip from disengaging from the down tube.

2. A golf club grip assembly comprising:

an elastic underlisting sleeve formed with a cap at its upper end and a joint at its lower end,

forming a downwardly facing circumferential groove in the underside of the cap;

an elastic strip consisting of a first separate part and a second separate part is helically wrapped around and adhered to the underlisting sleeve between the lower portion of the cap and the nipple, and the upper edge of the elastic strip is fixedly secured within the downwardly facing circumferential groove to prevent the upper portion of the elastic strip from disengaging from the underlisting sleeve,

an upwardly facing groove is formed in the upper portion of the joint, the exterior of which has a deformable circumferential lip that can expand outwardly to securely hold the lower end of the resilient strip within the upwardly facing groove to engage the downwardly facing circumferential groove of the cap to prevent the entire length of the resilient strip from disengaging from the down tube.

3. A method of making a golf club grip, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a resilient underlisting sleeve having a cap formed at its upper end and a nipple formed at its lower end, the underside of the cap being formed with a downwardly facing circumferential groove;

forming an upwardly facing recess in the upper portion of the coupling, the outwardly facing recess being defined by a deformable lip;

providing an elastic strip;

spirally wrapping and adhering the elastic band on the underlisting sleeve between the lower portion of the cap and the nipple, and the upper edge of the elastic band being fixedly secured within the downwardly facing circumferential groove to prevent the upper portion of the elastic band from disengaging from the underlisting sleeve,

expanding the joint lip outwardly to receive and secure the lower end of the resilient strap within the upwardly facing recess to secure the lower portion of the strap to the lower portion of the down tube;

so that the downward-facing circumferential groove of the cap and the upward-facing groove of the nipple cooperate to prevent the entire length of the elastic strip from disengaging from the sleeve.

4. A method according to claim 3, characterized in that the elastic strip is formed of a first separate part and a second separate part, the upper edge of one of the first separate part and the second separate part being positioned inside said downwardly facing circumferential groove of the cap.