Method of fabricating and installing the grip of a hand-held implement
US4016640A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 27, 1975 |
| Grant date | Apr 12, 1977 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 27, 1995 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T29/53657
- WIPO fieldFurniture, games
- WIPO sectorOther fields
Abstract
A grip for the handle of a hand-held implement that, in as-produced form, is comprised of a thin walled tubular member open at one end and a boot integral with the tubular member that closes its other end. The grip's average internal girth along its longitudinal axis, as produced, is substantially less than the average external girth of the implement's handle portion to be covered by the grip along that handle portion's longitudinal axis. The grip, which may have a novel exterior gripping surface, is produced by dipping a male mandrel into an elastomeric latex and, thereafter, curing the latex skin formed on the mandrel prior to stripping of the grip from the mandrel. The grip is installed on an implement's handle by creating a pressure differential between the interior and exterior of the grip, thereby causing the grip to stretch radially outward from its longitudinal axis. This stretching step allows the implement's handle to be inserted through the grip's open end until the handle's free end bottoms out in the grip's boot. Subsequently, the pressure differential is released, thereby causing the grip to stretch into a tight friction fit with the handle. The grip's boot may therea…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.