Ice-hockey goal frame with puck deflector

• US 7,121,965 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2004
• Issued: 10/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 1196501 Ontario Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ontario Inc. (Magna International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Riley, Terence William
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Eugene
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHAMBERS, MICHAEL S
• Application Number:
  US10/833,281
• Publication Number:
  US 20040214667A1
• Time in Patent Office: 902 Days
• Field of Search: 473/476, 473/478, 473/415
• US Class Current: 473/478
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/24 Ice hockey
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 63/004 Goals of the type used for football, handball, hockey or the like

Abstract

The puck-deflector is a one-piece moulding in polyurethane, having a sloping apron for deflecting the puck up and into the net. The puck-deflector fits around the bottom pipe of the goalframe, and prevents incoming pucks from striking the bottom pipe, and rebounding back out over the goal-line.

Claims

1. Hockey goalframe apparatus, wherein:

the apparatus is structurally suitable for use in the game of ice-hockey, on an ice-rink;

the apparatus includes a goalframe, which includes a bottom-pipe;

the apparatus includes a puck-deflector, which is so arranged in front of the bottom-pipe as to prevent the bottom-pipe from being directly struck by an incoming puck;

the puck deflector includes an apron, which is as high, vertically, as the bottom pipe, and which lies in front of the bottom pipe, and is extensive enough, as to its dimensions and position, to prevent an incoming puck from striking the bottom-pipe;

the apron includes a front-nose-piece;

the front-nose-piece has a vertical height that extends from the ice surface to at least half-way up the vertical height of the bottom-pipe;

in cross-sectional profile, the front-nose-piece has an angled upper-surface that is so angled that an incoming puck striking the angled upper-surface is directed upwards, and has an under-surface that lies in contact with the ice;

the material of the front-nose-piece is a dead plastic material, which either is polyurethane, or has substantially the same characteristic quality of deadness, from the standpoint of its lack of resilient recovery after being deformed by an impact from a hockey puck, as polyurethane;

in cross-sectional profile, the front-nose-piece, between its upper-surface and under-surface, has the form of a one-piece moulding of the said dead plastic material.

2. Apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plastic material is polyurethane.

3. Apparatus of claim 2, wherein the polyurethane material includes fillers, mixed into the material, the resulting filled material being structurally tougher, but riot more resilient, than the same material unfilled.

4. Apparatus of claim 2, wherein the polyurethane material is unfilled.

5. Apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the goalframe apparatus includes a net;

the apron includes an angled upper surface, which is so configured that when an incoming puck strikes the said surface the puck is deflected upwards into the mesh of the net.

6. Apparatus of claim 5, wherein the angled upper surface is inclined at an angle such that, when a point on the surface is struck by an incoming puck, the surface at that point is no steeper than thirty-five degrees to the horizontal.

7. Apparatus of claim 6, wherein the angled upper surface extends forwards and downwards from the bottom-pipe to a point that is within about five millimetres of the ice surface.

8. Apparatus of claim 5, wherein:

in respect of every point on the apron that could be struck by an incoming puck, and which lies more than a height HA above the ice surface, the apron at that point lies sloping at an angle-A to the horizontal;

the height HA is less than ten millimetres;

the angle-A is less than forty degrees.

9. Apparatus of claim 8, wherein the height HA is less than five millimetres.

10. Apparatus of claim 8, wherein the angle-A is less than thirty-five degrees.

11. Apparatus of claim 1, wherein the whole apron including the front-nose-piece of the puck-deflector, is, in cross-sectional profile, in the form of a one-piece polyurethane moulding.

12. Apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the puck-deflector has been formed as a moulding in polyurethane;

in making the moulding, hot polyurethane melt was poured into a mould, at a temperature of more than sixty-five deg-C;

and the melt was maintained at a temperature of more than seventy deg-C, in the mould, over a period of several hours, before cooling.

13. Apparatus of claim 12, wherein:

the goalframe apparatus includes a net;

the apron includes an angled upper surface, which is so configured that when an incoming puck strikes the said surface the puck is deflected upwards into the mesh of the net;

the angled upper surface is inclined at an angle such that, when a point on the surface is struck by an incoming puck, the surface at the point is no steeper than thirty-five degrees to the horizontal;

the angle upper surface extends forwards and downwards from the bottom-pipe to a point that is within about five millimetres of the ice surface;

in respect of every point on the apron that could be struck by an incoming puck, and which lies more than a height HA above the ice surface, the apron at that point lies sloping at an angle-A to the horizontal;

the height HA is less than ten millimetres;

the angle-A is less than forty degrees,

the apron has a front-edge, which faces towards an incoming puck, and which contains the forward-most extremity of the apron;

in profile of the front-edge of the apron, the front edge is radiused such that the forward-most tip of the front edge is at least two and no more than five millimetres off the ice surface;

every point on the froward edge of the apron that is less than the height HB above the ice-surface lies sloping either at a steeper angle than forty degrees or lies sloping in the opposite sense from the slope on the upper angle surface of the apron;

the height HB is less than five millimetres;

the attachment region includes and under-pipe portion, a behind-pipe portion, and a front-pipe portion;

the said portions are so configured that, when assembled onto the bottom-pipe from underneath, they act to grip the bottom-pipe, and thereby to attach the puck-deflector to the goalframe;

the puck-deflector, including the apron and the attachment region, is done as a one-piece polyurethane moulding;

the material of the puck-deflector is so prepared and formed as to have a hardness of between durometer-55 and durometer-85, shore-A.

14. Apparatus of claim 12, wherein:

the moulding has a cross-sectional profile; and

the moulding is a one-piece moulding, at least as to its cross-sectional profile.

15. Apparatus of claim 1,

wherein:

the front-nose-piece has a front-edge, which faces towards an incoming puck, and which contains the forward-most extremity of the apron;

in profile of the front-edge of the apron, the front-edge is radiused such that the forward-most tip of the front-edge is at least two and no more than five millimetres off the ice surface.

16. Apparatus of claim 1,

wherein:

every point on the front-nose-piece that is less than a height HB above the ice-surface lies sloping either at a steeper angle than forty degrees or lies sloping in the opposite sense from the slope on the upper angled surface of the apron;

the height HB is less than five millimetres.

17. Apparatus of claim 16, wherein the height HB is less than two millimetres.

18. Apparatus of claim 1,

wherein:

the puck-deflector includes an attachment region; and

the attachment region is so configured that, when assembled onto the bottom-pipe of the goalframe, it acts to grip the bottom-pipe, and thereby to attach the puck-deflector to the goalframe.

19. Apparatus of claim 18, wherein the whole apron including the front-nose-piece, and the attachment region of the puck-deflector, is, in cross-sectional profile, in the form of a one-piece polyurethane moulding.

20. Apparatus of claim 18, wherein the material of the puck-deflector is so prepared and formed as to have a hardness of between durometer-55 and durometer-85, shore-A.

21. Apparatus of claim 18, wherein:

the attachment region includes a skirt that lies outside and behind the bottom pipe, and extends upwards above the bottom pipe in such manner as to overlie a region of the net that is adjacent to the bottom pipe;

the skirt is provided with lacing-posts, which protrude inwards through the apertures of the netting, for securing skirt and net together.

22. Hockey goalframe apparatus,

wherein:

the apparatus is structurally suitable for use during the game of ice-hockey, on an ice-rink;

the apparatus includes a goalframe, of metal, which includes a bottom-pipe;

the apparatus includes a puck-deflector, which is so arranged in front of the bottom-pipe as to prevent the bottom-pipe from being directly struck by an incoming puck;

the puck-deflector includes a front-edge, which is defined as that edge of the puck-deflector that is first impacted by an incoming puck that is in contact with the surface of the ice;

the puck-deflector, at least in respect of the said front-edge, is made from a plastic material;

the plastic material has the characteristic of being as dead, from the standpoint of its lack of resilient recovery after being deformed by an impact, as polyurethane; and

the puck-deflector includes an abutment shoulder, which, in use, serves to prevent the front-edge from lifting off the ice-surface.

23. Apparatus of claim 22, wherein the abutment shoulder abuts against a ripple-bar on the bottom-pipe.

24. Apparatus of claim 22, wherein the abutment shoulder abuts against the ice-surface behind the bottom-pipe.

25. Hockey goalframe apparatus, wherein;

the apparatus is structurally suitable for use in the game of ice-hockey, on an ice-rink;

the apparatus includes a goalframe, of metal, which includes a bottom-pipe;

the apparatus includes a puck-deflector, which is so arranged in front of the bottom-pipe as to prevent the bottom-pipe from being directly struck by an incoming puck;

the puck-deflector includes a front-edge, which is defined as that edge of the puck-deflector that is first impacted by an incoming puck that is in contact with the surface of the ice;

the puck-deflector, at least in respect of the said front-edge, is made from a plastic material;

the plastic material has the characteristic of being as dead, from the standpoint of its lack of resilient recovery after being deformed by an impact, as polyurethane;

the front-edge of the puck-deflector, being that edge of the puck-deflector that is first impacted by an incoming puck that is in contact with the surface of the ice, is of an impact-deadening structure;

the front-edge impact-deadening structure is of such form that the structure is able to deflect, under impact from the puck, over a sufficient distance, and with sufficient resistance to deflection, as to absorb substantially all the kinetic energy of the incoming puck;

whereby a puck striking the front-edge impact-deadening structure is brought substantially to rest, substantially without bouncing back.

26. Apparatus of claim 25, wherein the front-edge impact-deadening structure has the form of a thin-walled hollow enclosure.

27. Apparatus of claim 26, wherein the goalframe includes a backpipe, and the said front-edge impact-deadening structure is included in a portion of the puck-deflector applied to the backpipe.

28. Puck deflector, wherein:

the puck-deflector is structurally suitable for fitment to the bottom pipe of a hockey goalframe, and when so fitted is structurally suitable for use in the game of ice-hockey, on an ice-rink;

the puck-deflector is so structured as to prevent the bottom-pipe from being directly struck by an incoming puck;

the puck deflector includes an apron, which is adapted to lie in front of the bottom pipe, and is extensive enough, as to its dimensions and position, to prevent an incoming puck from striking the bottom-pipe;

the puck-deflector, at least in respect of the sad apron, is made from a dead plastic material;

the plastic material has the characteristic of being as dead, from the standpoint of its lack of resilient recovery after being deformed by an impact, as polyurethane.

29. Puck-deflector of claim 28, wherein:

the puck-deflector includes an attachment region;

the attachment region is so configured that, when assembled onto the bottom-pipe of the goalframe, it acts to grip the bottom-pipe and thereby to attach the puck-deflector to the goalframe.

30. A mould for pour-moulding the puck-deflector of claim 29 in polyurethane, where the mould is separable into three mould-components.

31. Puck-deflector of claim 29, wherein the whole puck-deflector of the goalframe apparatus is a one-piece plastic moulding.

32. Puck-deflector of claim 29,

wherein:

the attachment region includes an under-pipe portion, a behind-pipe portion, and a front-pipe portion; and

the said portions are so configured that, when assembled onto the bottom-pipe of the goalframe, from underneath, they act to grip the bottom-pipe.

33. Hockey goalframe apparatus, wherein:

the apparatus is structurally suitable for use in the game of ice-hockey, on an ice-rink;

the apparatus includes a goalframe, of metal, which includes a bottom-pipe;

the apparatus includes a puck-deflector, which is so arranged in front of the bottom-pipe as to prevent the bottom-pipe from being directly struck by an incoming puck;

the puck-deflector includes a front-edge, which is defined as that edge of the puck-deflector that is first impacted by an incoming puck that is in contact with the surface of the ice;

the puck-deflector, at least in respect of the said front-edge, is made from a plastic material;

the plastic material has the characteristic of being as dead, from the standpoint of its lack of resilient recovery after being deformed by an impact, as polyurethane;

the attachment region includes an under-pipe portion, a behind-pipe portion, and a front-pipe portion; and

the said portions are so configured that, when assembled onto the bottom-pipe of the goalframe, from underneath, they act to grip the bottom-pipe.