STRING ALIGNER

Abstract

The present invention is a tennis racket string aligner. In several embodiments the present invention is a small handheld tool that consists of prongs, a base, and a handle with a pressure point area. The handle may be made of plastic, rubber, or other suitable material. The prongs should be durable enough that the racket strings do not stick to the prongs when pressure is applied. The string aligner may be made out of a combination plastic, rubber or metal.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This patent application is related to and claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/224,950 filed Jul. 13, 2009.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention generally pertains to string or cord aligners. More specifically, the present invention relates to a string aligner for aligning the strings of a tennis racket.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention is particularly applicable to tennis rackets and will be described in related to such rackets. However, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention has broader applications and may also be adapted for use in other racket sports, such as squash, racket ball, badminton and the like.

Tennis racket strings are easily taken out of alignment, many times just by hitting the ball. The harder the ball is hit and the greater the spin of the ball, resulting in a greater number of strings being misaligned. Currently, tennis players reconfigure their strings using their thumbs, fingers, and fingernails. For many, this is a tedious process. Many women find that this process damages their fingernails.

Accordingly, it has been considered desirable to develop a new and improved tennis racket string aligner which would overcome the foregoing difficulties and others while providing better and more advantageous overall results.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a tennis racket string aligner. In several embodiments the present invention is a small handheld tool that consists of prongs, a base, and a handle with a pressure point area. The handle may be made of plastic, rubber, or other suitable material. The prongs should be durable enough that the racket strings do not stick to the prongs when pressure is applied. The string aligner may be made out of a combination plastic, rubber or metal. The base of the string aligner may be approximately 1″ high and 2″ wide. The base may have eight prongs attached to it. Each prong may be approximately ¼″ by ¼″ at the tip and may taper out to ½″ by ½″ as it enters the base. The top of the base may contain the pressure point area. It may be approximately 15/16″ in diameter. The pressure point area may have a raised perimeter of about 1/16″ high. Alternatively, the pressure point area may have an indented perimeter of about 1/16″ deep. A logo coin may be placed within this perimeter. A wide variety of logos can be used, such as sports companies, event names, and other designs. In other embodiments the string aligner may not have the pressure point area, and logos or other advertisements could be applied to the entire head. The overall length of the string aligner is about 5 1/4 ″ in some embodiments. The rounded handle is about ½″ in diameter and may also have grips applied in some embodiments. To align the strings, the player pushes the prongs through the strings at various places on the racket face. The player can insert the tool into several locations on the racket face to get all the strings properly aligned. The pressure point area provides players with an optimal place to put pressure on as they position the prongs between the strings.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is, therefore, one of the primary objects of the present invention to provide a portable tennis racket string aligner.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a pocket sized tennis racket string aligner.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a tennis racket string aligner that is lightweight.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are merely exemplary of the invention, and are intended to provide an overview or framework for understanding the nature and character of the invention as it is claimed. The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate various embodiments of the invention; and together with the description serve to explain the principles and operation of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a general perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a general perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a general perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention being used on unaligned strings of a tennis racket.

FIG. 4 is a general perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention with newly aligned strings of a tennis racket.

FIG. 5 is a general perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a general perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF A PRESENTLY PREFERRED AND VARIOUS ALTERNATIVE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Prior to proceeding to the more detailed description of the present invention it should be noted that, for the sake of clarity and understanding, identical components which have identical functions have been identified with identical reference numerals throughout the several views illustrated in the drawing figures.

Reference is now made, more particularly, to FIGS. 1 and 2 which are general perspective views of one embodiment of the present invention. The current embodiment of the present invention is a string aligner 10 which comprises handle 12, base 14, pressure point area 16, and prongs 18. Prongs 18 are preferably shaped as four sided pyramids which could have flat, rounded or pointed tips. Prongs 18 could be constructed out of any suitable material, but preferably they are made from rubber or plastic. Base 14 and handle 12 are preferably constructed of a substantially rigid material such as metal or rigid plastic.

Reference is now made, more particularly, to FIGS. 3 and 4 which are a general perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention being used on strings of a tennis racket. FIG. 3 shows tennis racket 20 with strings 22 being in an unaligned state. Prongs 18 of string aligner 10 are inserted between strings 22 at different locations until proper alignment is achieved. As shown in FIG. 4, the strings 22 are evenly spaced in horizontal and vertical alignment by means of string aligner 10.

Reference is now made, more particularly, to FIGS. 5 and 6 which are general perspective views of another embodiment of the present invention. The current embodiment of the present invention is a string aligner 10 which comprises handle 12, base 14, pressure plate 16, and prongs 18. Prongs 18 are preferably shaped as four sided pyramids which could have flat, rounded or pointed tips. Prongs 18 could be constructed out of any suitable material, but preferably they are made from rubber or plastic. Base 14 and handle 12 are preferably constructed of a substantially rigid material such as metal or rigid plastic.

While a presently preferred and various alternative embodiments of the present invention have been described in sufficient detail above to enable a person skilled in the relevant art to make and use the same it should be obvious that various other adaptations and modifications can be envisioned by those persons skilled in such art without departing from either the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A device for aligning racket strings comprising:

a plurality of string aligning members,

a handle,

wherein said plurality of string aligning members are attached to said handle.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising a head with said plurality of string aligning member directly attached to said head,

wherein said head is attached to said handle.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein said plurality of string aligning members are substantially shaped as prismatoids.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein said plurality of string aligning members are substantially shaped as pyramids.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein said plurality of string aligning members are substantially shaped as pyramids with flat tops.

6. A device for aligning racket strings comprising:

a plurality of string aligning members,

a head,

a handle,

wherein said plurality of string aligning members are attached to said head, and said head is attached to said handle.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein said handle is an elongated handle.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein said plurality of string aligning members are substantially shaped as prismatoids.

9. The device of claim 6, wherein said plurality of string aligning members are substantially shaped as pyramids with flat tops.

10. The device of claim 6, wherein said handle is inclined in relation to said head.

11. The device of claim 6, wherein said handle is inclined by at least 5 degrees in relation to said head.

12. The device of claim 6, wherein said handle is inclined by at least 25 degrees in relation to said head.

13. The device of claim 6, wherein said handle is inclined by at least 45 degrees in relation to said head.