RACQUET GRIP TAPE WITH TAPERED ENDS
A sports equipment tape that has an adhesive backing at each end, and is tapered at both ends. Tapering the tape at both ends allows the tape to be applied evenly at the beginning of the handle of a piece of sports equipment using the adhesive, and allows the tape to end with no excess tape and no discontinuity of the tape, without the need to cut the tape. This leads to a fast, easy, and reliable way to apply the grip tape to a handle of a piece of sporting equipment.
The present invention is related to sports racquets and paddles, and more particularly to a racquet or paddle handle grip tape that is shaped to conform to the handle.
After market grip tape is sold for a variety of sports devices, such as hockey sticks, tennis racquets, baseball bats, and other types of sports equipment. This grip tape comes on a roll and the user applies the tape to the handle of the equipment. The roll of tape is rectangular on the initial and final ends, which leads to an uneven contour of the tape at the beginning and ending of the handle as the tape is layered or wrapped over itself while being wound over the handle. To avoid this uneven discontinuity of the handle tape, the user must try to cut the tape to match the surface contours, but grip tape is very sticky and cutting the tape does not lead to favorable results in many cases. The result is a poor experience for the user, discontinuities in the application of the tape, and poor performance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention is a preselected length of tape that has an adhesive backing at each end, and is tapered at both ends. Tapering the tape at both ends allows the tape to be applied evenly at the beginning of the handle using the adhesive, and allows the tape to end with no excess tape and no discontinuity of the tape, without the need to cut the tape. This leads to a fast, easy, and reliable way to apply the grip tape to a handle of a piece of sporting equipment.
The invention will best be understood with reference to the Detailed Description of the Invention below, along with the accompanying drawings of the inventor's best mode of using the invention.
The present invention allows a user who is not trained to apply such handle wraps to easily and quickly direct the tape around the handle in exactly the correct position to eliminate waste and bulky overlap while preventing any bare spots or gaps in the tape. The use of the adhesive patches make it easier to apply, although a full adhesive backing will also work with the invention. The invention can be used with many different types of sporting equipment, but is especially well suited for beach tennis racquets such as those depicted in
The tape 10 can be made out of natural materials such as leather or synthetic materials, and may have some elasticity but is preferably limited in the amount of stretch to allow the tape to be wrapped tightly around the handle.
While a preferred embodiment is disclosed and depicted in the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the specific depicted embodiments. Rather, a person of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize various modifications and substitutions to the embodiments depicted, and the invention is intended to include all such modifications and substitutions. Accordingly, the invention is not limited herein except where expressly stated, and the scope of the invention is properly determined by the words of the appended claims using their plain and ordinary meanings, consistent with the disclosure herein.
Claims
1. A sports equipment handle tape, comprising:
- an elongate strip having a first end and a second end, the elongate strip having a first straight edge between the first end and the second end, and a second edge having a tapered section at the first end and the second end;
- a first adhesive patch at the first end on an inner surface, and a second adhesive patch at the second end on the inner surface;
- wherein the tape is adapted to be applied so that the first edge is parallel to a longitudinal axis of a handle at a first end, and the second edge is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the handle at the second end; and
- wherein the first and second adhesive patches are used to adhere the tape to the handle.
2. The sports equipment handle tape of claim 1, wherein the tape is made of a natural material.
3. The sports equipment handle tape of claim 1, wherein the tape is made of a synthetic material.
4. The sports equipment handle tape of claim 1, wherein the tape is symmetric about a transverse axis passing through a midpoint of the tape.
5. The sports equipment handle tape of claim 1, further comprising a beach tennis racquet handle.
Type: Application
Filed: May 4, 2020
Publication Date: Nov 4, 2021
Inventor: Mark Bonfigli (Shelburne, VT)
Application Number: 16/866,247