Patent · US Expired

Game racket with incurvate contact surfaces

US5150896A · kind A · utility

14Cited by
16References
20Claims
0Family size

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateMar 3, 1992
Grant dateSep 29, 1992
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 3, 2012

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
  • CPC primaryA63B60/006
  • WIPO fieldFurniture, games
  • WIPO sectorOther fields

Abstract

A game racket (20) having rigid, incurvate contact surfaces (29) with apertures (52) for the passage of air rather than the conventional network of stringing, both contact surfaces (29) having a continuous, smooth corrective curvature able to automatically compensate for the lateral and longitudinal torsional forces that are exerted by an incoming ball (56) onto the racket (20), when a player fails to hit the ball dead center on the racket face. Having no stringing, the racket of the present invention is completely maintenance-free and provides numerous other advantages over conventional racket designs, including: texturable contact surfaces (38); a variety of aperture (52) shapes and patterns with aerodynamic fairing (53); contact surfaces (29) whose playable area extends to their extreme periphery (31 and 33); means for employing vibration-dampening and shock absorbant materials in the racket's construction; and a curvature which aids in the execution of "slice" shots. An alternative design allows the two contact surfaces (43 and 44) to have differentiated curvatures and textures (39, 40, 41, 42, 54 and 55) for forehand and backhand shots. Insofar as the racket (20) itself compen…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.