VENTED SHAFT FOR A LACROSSE STICK
A vented shaft for a lacrosse stick is disclosed herein. The shaft includes an elongate tube having a wall, an external surface, an internal surface, and an inner hollow defined therein. The wall of the tube has a plurality of holes defined therethrough for permitting fluid communication between the inner hollow and the outside of the tube. The elongate tube also has a designated top end for retaining a closed-loop frame with a net suspended in the frame. Configured as such, the vented shaft is lightweight and thus easy for a lacrosse player to wield during a match.
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The present invention generally relates to lacrosse sticks. The present invention more particularly relates to the elongate shafts that are incorporated within such lacrosse sticks and manually wielded by participants in the sport of lacrosse.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONAccording to convention, a lacrosse stick basically includes both an elongate handle and a head. The elongate handle, often simply called the “shaft,” has both a designated top end and a designated bottom end. The head, in turn, is mounted on the designated top end of the elongate handle and includes both a closed-loop frame and a net suspended substantially within the confines of the frame. Together, the closed-loop frame and the net form an open pocket suited for receiving, holding, and releasing a lacrosse ball.
During play in a lacrosse game or match, a participant generally wields a lacrosse stick by gripping the lower portion of the elongate handle with one or both hands. In doing so, a participant playing in, for example, an “attack” or “attackman” position is able to scoop up, catch, carry, pass, and make shots on goal with a ball by using the head mounted on the top end of the elongate handle. An opposing participant playing in, for example, a “defense” or “defenseman” position commonly engages and closely guards an attackman who has the ball. In doing so, the defenseman vigorously attempts to both intercept the ball and prevent the attackman from advancing the ball upfield and scoring a goal. During such engagement, sharp direct blows and also indirect glancing blows are frequently inflicted at various points along the lengths of both participants' lacrosse stick handles as the defenseman, for example, stick checks the attackman.
To better enable lacrosse players to be deft in their stick-wielding and ball-handling skills, manufacturers of lacrosse sticks conventionally fabricate the elongate handle or shaft of each lacrosse stick from lightweight materials. To even further reduce the weight of lacrosse sticks, manufacturers also typically fabricate each lacrosse stick so that the shaft is generally hollow. In fabricating the shafts of lacrosse sticks in this manner, however, manufacturers must be careful not to unduly reduce the overall strength and robustness of the shafts. In this way, the sticks are not prematurely bent or broken during lacrosse games wherein sharp direct blows and/or indirect glancing blows are frequently inflicted along the lengths of participants' lacrosse sticks.
Though manufacturers to date have been somewhat successful in improving the wieldability of lacrosse sticks, there is still room for improvement. In particular, it is desirable to make the shafts of lacrosse sticks even lighter while still largely maintaining the overall strength and robustness of the sticks. At the same time, it is also desirable to manufacture the shafts so that their overall form and surface contours facilitate easy gripping and thereby minimize slippage in a player's hands.
In view of the above, there is a present need in the art for an improved lacrosse stick shaft that is lightweight, robust, and easy to grip.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention provides a vented shaft for a lacrosse stick. In one embodiment, the shaft includes an elongate tube having a wall, an external surface, an internal surface, and an inner hollow defined therein. The wall of the elongate tube has a plurality of holes defined therethrough for permitting fluid communication between the inner hollow and the outside of the tube.
In addition, the present invention also provides a lacrosse stick. In one embodiment, the lacrosse stick includes an elongate tube, a closed-loop frame, and a net. The elongate tube has a wall, an external surface, an internal surface, and an inner hollow defined therein. The closed-loop frame is retained on a designated top end of the elongate tube, and the net is suspended in the frame. The wall of the elongate tube has a plurality of holes defined therethrough for permitting fluid communication between the inner hollow and the outside of the tube.
Furthermore, it is believed that various alternative embodiments of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art when the detailed description of the best mode contemplated for practicing the invention, as set forth hereinbelow, is reviewed in conjunction with the appended claims and the accompanying drawing figures.
The present invention is described hereinbelow, by way of example, with reference to the following drawing figures.
To facilitate an understanding of the present invention, a list of parts and features highlighted with numeric designations in
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- 10 lacrosse stick
- 12 shaft (of lacrosse stick)
- 14 head (of lacrosse stick)
- 16 closed-loop frame (of head)
- 18 net (of head)
- 20 end cap
- 22 elongate tube (of shaft)
- 24 wall (of tube)
- 26 external surface (of tube)
- 28 internal surface (of tube)
- 30 inner hollow (of tube)
- 32 hole(s) (in wall)
- 34 outside (of tube)
- 36 designated top end (of tube)
- 38 designated bottom end (of tube)
- 40 mounting bore (in frame)
- 42 mounting bore (in tube)
- 44 cross section (of tube)
- 46 periphery (of cross section)
- 48 peripheral side(s) (of cross section)
- 50 peripheral edge(s) (of cross section)
- 52 elongate lateral surface(s) (of tube)
- 54 recess(es) (in external surface)
- 56 bottom(s) (of recess(es))
- 58 periphery (of tube)
- 60 central axis (of tube)
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Moreover, as shown in the embodiment depicted in
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Furthermore, though the elongate tube 22 in the above-described embodiment is preferably made of lightweight aluminum or an aluminum alloy, such a tube may instead be fabricated from one or more other materials in alternative embodiments. Such other materials may include, for example, titanium, magnesium, composites, nano-materials or various other suitable materials. Depending on the particular material(s) utilized to fabricate a particular tube, various alternative and/or additional manufacturing processes may be necessary. For example, in one or more of such other processes, the holes and recesses defined in the wall of a tube may instead be pre-formed via one or more molding steps.
In summary, the present invention provides an improved lacrosse stick shaft that is lightweight, robust, and easy to grip.
While the present invention has been described in what is presently considered to be its most practical and preferred embodiment or implementation, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed hereinabove. On the contrary, the present invention is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the claims appended hereinbelow, which scope is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures as are permitted under the law.
Claims
1. A shaft for a lacrosse stick, said shaft comprising:
- an elongate tube having a wall, an external surface, an internal surface, and an inner hollow defined therein;
- wherein said wall has a plurality of holes defined therethrough for permitting fluid communication between said inner hollow and the outside of said tube.
2. A shaft according to claim 1, wherein said elongate tube comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of aluminum, magnesium, and titanium.
3. A shaft according to claim 1, wherein said elongate tube has open ends.
4. A shaft according to claim 1, wherein said elongate tube has a designated top end that is structurally adapted for retaining a closed-loop frame and a net suspended in said frame.
5. A shaft according to claim 1, wherein said elongate tube has a designated bottom end that is structurally adapted for retaining a end cap.
6. A shaft according to claim 1, wherein said elongate tube has a cross section with a periphery that is substantially polygonal such that said cross section has a number of peripheral sides and a matching number of peripheral edges with said number being at least three.
7. A shaft according to claim 6, wherein at least some of said peripheral sides are concave.
8. A shaft according to claim 6, wherein at least some of said peripheral edges are rounded.
9. A shaft according to claim 6, wherein said number is numerically even.
10. A shaft according to claim 9, wherein said number is numerically equal to eight.
11. A shaft according to claim 9, wherein said external surface of said elongate tube includes a number of elongate lateral surfaces corresponding to said number of peripheral sides of said cross section, and said holes are defined only through every other elongate lateral surface of said number of elongate lateral surfaces.
12. A shaft according to claim 1, wherein no more than two of said holes are defined through said wall at any cross section along the length of said elongate tube.
13. A shaft according to claim 1, wherein said wall of said elongate tube has a plurality of recesses defined in said external surface.
14. A shaft according to claim 13, wherein at least some of said recesses are spaced apart in a substantially even fashion about the periphery of said elongate tube.
15. A shaft according to claim 13, wherein at least some of said recesses are elongated along the length of said elongate tube.
16. A shaft according to claim 13, wherein at least some of said holes are defined through said wall of said elongate tube at the bottoms of at least some of said recesses.
17. A shaft according to claim 1, wherein at least some of said holes are spaced apart in a substantially even fashion about the periphery of said elongate tube.
18. A shaft according to claim 1, wherein at least some of said holes are elongated along the length of said elongate tube.
19. A lacrosse stick comprising:
- an elongate tube having a wall, an external surface, an internal surface, and an inner hollow defined therein;
- a closed-loop frame retained on a designated top end of said elongate tube; and
- a net suspended in said frame;
- wherein said wall has a plurality of holes defined therethrough for permitting fluid communication between said inner hollow and the outside of said tube.
20. A lacrosse stick according to claim 19, wherein said wall of said elongate tube has a plurality of recesses defined in said external surface, and at least some of said holes are defined through said wall of said tube at the bottoms of at least some of said recesses.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 11, 2007
Publication Date: Dec 11, 2008
Applicant: BRINE CORP. (Milford, MA)
Inventor: Kyle Larry Lamson (Chelmsford, MA)
Application Number: 11/761,151
International Classification: A63B 59/02 (20060101);