Hockey stick

• US 7,850,553 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2006
• Issued: 12/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bauer Hockey, LLC
• Original Assignee: Easton Sports Incorporated (BRG Sports, Inc.)
• Inventors: DeLap, Christopher K., Goldsmith, Edward M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Graham; Mark S
• Application Number:
  US11/485,642
• Publication Number:
  US 20060281592A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,617 Days
• Field of Search: 473560-563
• US Class Current: 473/563
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/24 Ice hockey
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/02 with reinforcing fibres, e.g. carbon, polyamide fibres
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 59/70 with bent or angled lower parts for hitting a ball on the ground, on an ice-covered surface, or in the air, e.g. for hockey or hurling
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/52 with slits
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/345 using matched moulds
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/44 using isostatic pressure, e.g. pressure difference-moulding, vacuum bag-moulding, autoclave-moulding or expanding rubber-moulding
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/46 using matched moulds, e.g. for deforming sheet moulding compounds [SMC] or prepregs
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/865 completely encapsulated
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/5227 Clubs

Abstract

A hockey stick having a composite blade and a shaft is disclosed. The composite blade includes a heel section that is recessed relative to the front and back faces of the blade. The recessed heel section is configured to be received by a hockey stick shaft or an adapter member configured to connect the blade to the shaft. The composite blade preferably comprise a foam inner core overlaid preferably with substantially continuous fibers disposed in a matrix material and may include an internal bridge structure extending from one side of the blade to the other. The blade may also be preferably comprised of a core comprising non-continuous fibers disposed within a matrix material. In another aspect, processes for manufacturing the previously described hockey stick blade(s) are described.

Claims

1. A method for making a hockey stick blade comprising:

providing a plurality of inner core elements;

wrapping one or more of the inner core elements with an adhesive tape comprising one or more plies of fibers coated with a tacky resin matrix;

employing the adhesive properties of the tape to position the inner core elements relative to one another to form a blade pre-form structure;

placing the blade pre-form structure into a mold having the desired exterior shape of a hockey stick blade; and

curing the pre-form structure in the mold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the hockey stick blade is configured to be detachably coupled to a hockey stick shaft.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the hockey stick blade is configured to be permanently attached to a hockey stick shaft.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the hockey stick blade is permanently attached to a hockey stick shaft.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said mold is configured to impart one or more exterior cavities on the outer surface of the blade.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of removing the cured blade from the mold and filling said one or more exterior cavities with a filler material.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said filler material is selected from the group consisting of fiberglass, urethane, epoxy, ABS, styrene, polystyrene, carbon, aramid and resin.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said filler material completely fills at least one exterior cavity.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said mold is configured to impart opposing exterior cavities on opposing outer surfaces of the blade.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein one of said opposing exterior cavities on opposing outer surfaces of the blade is an incurved region.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of said plies of fibers is comprised of directionally aligned fibers.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said adhesive tape is comprised a first ply of fibers oriented in a first defined orientation and a second ply of fibers oriented in a second defined direction different than the first defined orientation.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the inner core elements is formed of a foam material.

14. A method for making a hockey stick blade comprising:

providing a plurality of inner core elements;

wrapping the inner core elements with an adhesive tape comprising fibers pre-impregnated with a resin matrix to form a plurality of substructures of the blade;

employing the adhesive properties of the tape to position the substructures relative to one another to form a hockey stick blade pre-form structure;

placing the hockey stick blade pre-form structure into a mold configured to impart the desired exterior shape of a hockey stick blade; and

curing the blade pre-form structure in the mold.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the hockey stick blade is configured to be detachably coupled to a hockey stick shaft.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the hockey stick blade is configured to be permanently attached to a hockey stick shaft.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the hockey stick blade is permanently attached to a hockey stick shaft.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein said mold is configured to impart one or more exterior cavities on the outer surface of the blade.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of removing the cured blade from the mold and filling said one or more exterior cavities with a filler material.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said filler material is selected from the group consisting of fiberglass, urethane, epoxy, ABS, styrene, polystyrene, carbon, aramid and resin.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein said filler material completely fills at least one exterior cavity.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein said mold is configured to impart opposing exterior cavities on opposing outer surfaces of the blade.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein one of said opposing exterior cavities on opposing outer surfaces of the blade is an incurved region.

24. The method of claim 14, wherein one or more of said plies of fibers is comprised of directionally aligned fibers.

25. The method of claim 14, wherein said adhesive tape is comprised a first ply of fibers oriented in a first defined orientation and a second ply of fibers oriented in a second defined direction different than the first defined orientation.

26. The method of claim 14, wherein at least one of the inner core elements is formed of a foam material.

27. A method for making a hockey stick having a blade:

providing a plurality of inner core elements;

wrapping one or more of the inner core elements, with an adhesive tape comprising a fiber substrate pre-impregnated with a tacky resin matrix, to form blade substructures;

forming a blade pre-form structure by employing the adhesive properties of the tape to position the blade substructures relative to one another;

placing the hockey stick blade pre-form structure into a mold configured to impart the desired exterior shape of a hockey stick blade; and

curing the pre-form structure in the mold.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the hockey stick blade is configured to be detachably coupled to a hockey stick shaft.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the hockey stick blade is configured to be permanently attached to a hockey stick shaft.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the hockey stick blade is permanently attached to a hockey stick shaft.

31. The method of claim 27, wherein said mold is configured to impart one or more exterior cavities on the outer surface of the blade.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising the step of removing the cured blade from the mold and filling said one or more exterior cavities with a filler material.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein said filler material is selected from the group consisting of fiberglass, urethane, epoxy, ABS, styrene, polystyrene, carbon, aramid and resin.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein said filler material completely fills at least one exterior cavity.

35. The method of claim 27, wherein said mold is configured to impart opposing exterior cavities on opposing outer surfaces of the blade.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein one of said opposing exterior cavities on opposing outer surfaces of the blade is an incurved region.

37. The method of claim 27, wherein one or more of said plies of fibers is comprised of directionally aligned fibers.

38. The method of claim 27, wherein said adhesive tape is comprised a first ply of fibers oriented in a first defined orientation and a second ply of fibers oriented in a second defined direction different than the first defined orientation.

39. The method of claim 27, wherein at least one of the inner core elements is formed of a foam material.