Abstract: A golf club heat consisting of a completely closed hollow metal body, a yieldable ball striking face on the hollow body, a pressurized compressible silicone fluid in the follow body, a hosel connected to the hollow metal body, a threaded port in the hosel through which the silicone fluid is placed in the hollow body, and a sealing plug in the threaded port.

Abstract: A hand-operated implement, which is a shock-producing or vibration-producing implement, having an attenuating handle. The implement has a handle attached to the implement, which handle has a central core, a gripping surface and a gel shock- or vibration-absorbing material positioned adjacent to or recessed in the core and under the gripping surface, wherein the gel shock- or vibration-absorbing material is a gel having a cone penetration between about 100 and 350(10.sup.

Abstract: A ball hitting sports tool has a ball hitting part and a grip part which is integrated with the ball hitting part through a stem and at least one of the ball hitting part, stem and grip part is provided with a buffer part in which a gel material with a penetration value of approximately 50 to 200 is used as a buffer material.

Abstract: A racket for playing tennis or similar ball games having a straight bar type stem part which continues to an annular ball hitting part. A hole is provided in the stem part in which a vibration absorbing member is stored. Said vibration absorbing member comprises a buffer layer made of a gel material and a mass member supported by this buffer layer. The buffer layer is fixed so that it can be deformed in said hole and said mass member is supported so that it does not contact the internal surface of the hole. Said vibration absorbing member can be put in an outer casing and inserted into the hole. In this case, the buffer layer is deformed in the outer casing and the mass member is held so that it does not contact the internal surface of the outer casing.

Abstract: An iron type golf club head comprising a composite material of light metal or synthetic resin containing silicon carbide whiskers at 2 to 80% by volume and occupying 20% or more by volume of the body of the club head. The club head can be 10 to 60% lighter than a club head made entirely of steel with the same configuration and size, while the moment of inertia is approximately the same. Weight metal inserts having a specific gravity greater than steel can also be embedded in the club head.

Abstract: A game ball is comprised of an outer layer of foamed polyurethane plastic having a density of approximately 15 pounds per cubic foot, the layer having an external integral skin having a density of 20-30 pounds per cubic foot providing a protective cover and an integral inner skin having a density of 20-30 pounds per cubic foot providing a cavity in which a core ball of resilient material is contained. The core ball has a density of 70-76 pounds per cubic foot and a lesser degree of compressibility than the foamed layer of polyurethane plastic. The core ball is lubricated by carbon contained in the core ball when fabricated from natural rubber and by means of a lubricating film when fabricated from natural rubber and polybutadiene so that in either case the core ball is free to move or shift within the cavity when the baseball is impacted by a bat.

Abstract: A plug for damping vibrations of tennis racket cords comprising a flat parallelepiped body of resilient material provided with a pair of outer channels having laterally open slots to permit the plug to be inserted between the cords and the cords to be connected. The plug also has a pair of parallel inner holes located on the same plane with the axes of the channels and serving to increase the resilience of the material and make the plug adaptable to various types of rackets.

Abstract: A finger hole insert characterized by a tubular body provided with a wedge shaped portion longitudinally extending along an inner wall surface. The wedge shaped portion includes a pair of planar surface portions angled at 80.degree.-120.degree. relative each other. The wedge shaped portion permits better control of the ball by increasing the frictional engagement between the finger tip and the ball at certain times during the bowler's swing, but does not interfere with the release of the bowling ball.

Abstract: Novel ball-gripping inserts adapted to be attached within receiving holes bored into the surface of a bowling ball in order to provide lined finger- and thumb-receiving holes which improve the ability of the bowler to grip and release the ball in the desired manner. The present elements are molded from silicone rubber so as to be generally cylindrical, relatively thin-walled hollow elements which are adapted to receive the fingers and thumb of the bowler therewithin. An essential feature is the presence of a seat or finger tip-engaging portion at the base of the finger-receiving opening to limit and uniformly guide the extent to which the fingers are inserted. Another essential feature involves the presence of a cut or recess in the interior wall of the insert, in a location adjacent the fingernail of the bowler, to facilitate the entry of air and release the vacuum caused by the rapid removal of the fingers from the elements during release of the ball.

Abstract: An extended athletic playing surface that increases running speed of an athlete performing on the surface and reduces the likelihood of injury to the athlete has a multi-layer construction. The athlete's foot impacts on an upper surface of a sheet material that has a low mass per unit area and is stiffly resilient. The upper surface is supported on either discrete "bumper pads" of a resilient material, or preferably a combination of horizontal, spaced apart supports and bumper pads. The composite structure rests on a conventional surface such as a concrete base. The composite surface is characterized by a low effective vertical mass and a composite vertical compliance that is extremely large in comparison to any comparable known athletic surface. The surface also has a high effective horizontal mass and a low horizontal compliance.

Abstract: A toy, game or other play device wherein a trackway, slide, maze or other play surface is coated with superhydrophobic material that is highly water repellent, whereby a drop of water applied thereto forms into a ball that can then be manipulated by a player to carry out predetermined play activities. Alternatively, a tiny vehicle or other toy body having a hydrophilic coating thereon may be wetted with water and placed on the super-hydrophobic surface whereby the slightest force applied thereto causes the body to skim at high speed over the surface. The toy body may be in the shape of an arrow which can be caused to move along the playing surface, when tilted, and come to rest at a particular number, word or symbol provided on the playing surface.

Abstract: A toy, game or other play device wherein a trackway, slide, maze or other play surface is coated with super-hydrophobic material that is highly water repellent, whereby a drop of water applied thereto forms into a ball that can then be manipulated by a player to carry out predetermined play activities. Alternatively, a tiny vehicle or other toy body having a hydrophilic coating thereon may be wetted with water and placed on the super-hydrophobic surface whereby the slightest force applied thereto causes the body to skim at high speed over the surface.

Abstract: A bowling lane including a wooden lane, a varnish layer on the top surface of the wooden lane, and a siloxane conditioning layer covering the layer of varnish from twenty to forty feet beyond the foul line. The siloxane layer may be a dimethylpolysiloxane of approximately 60,000 ctk's at 25.degree. C initially blended with a carrier base oil such as kerosene.