# US 10,864,419 B2 · Hockey-stick blade with tailored performance regions

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- Number: US 10,864,419 B2
- Document ID: US10864419B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/504,767
- Filed: 2019-07-08
- Published: 2019-10-31
- Granted: 2020-12-15
- Earliest claimed: 2012-11-28
- Assignees: Bauer Hockey, LLC
- Applicants: Bauer Hockey Ltd.
- Inventors: Edsel Padilla Villar; Michael Lloyd Snow; Michael Mountain
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10864419B2

## CPC

- A63B 59/70: with bent or angled lower parts for hitting a ball on the ground, on an ice-covered surface, or in the air, e.g. for hockey or hurling
- A63B 60/08: characterised by the material
- A63B 2102/22: {Field} hockey
- A63B 2102/24: Ice hockey
- A63B 2209/02: with reinforcing fibres, e.g. carbon, polyamide fibres
- B29L 2031/52: Sports equipment {; Games; Articles for amusement}; Toys (B29L2031/54 takes precedence)
- A63B: APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT (apparatus for passive exercising, massage A61H)
- B29L: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES

## Abstract

A hockey-stick blade includes a heel region, a toe region spaced longitudinally from the heel region, and a mid-region located between the heel region and the toe region. The toe region includes one or more reinforcing elements, optionally of different lengths, located at different vertical positions within the toe region. The blade further includes a hosel that optionally is tailored to substantially match the strength and stiffness characteristics of an attached or integral hockey stick shaft. The mid-region of the blade exhibits improved feel and flexibility characteristics due to the increased stiffness in the toe region.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A hockey-stick blade including a front face, and a rear face spaced from the front face in a lateral direction, comprising:
a heel region;
a toe region spaced from the heel region in a longitudinal direction;
a mid-region located between the heel region and the toe region;
a plurality of core elements including at least an upper core element and a lower core element and wherein a first reinforcing element is positioned on a lower surface of the upper core element, wherein a second reinforcing element is positioned on an upper surface of the lower core element; and
means for selectively stiffening the toe region such that the toe region is longitudinally stiffened to a greater extent than the mid-region and the heel region.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The hockey-stick blade of claim 1 wherein the means for selectively stiffening the toe region comprises the first reinforcing element and the second reinforcing element.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The hockey-stick blade of claim 1, wherein the first and second reinforcing elements comprise fiber-reinforced plies.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The hockey-stick blade of claim 3, wherein the fiber-reinforced plies are disposed within a hardened resin matrix.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The hockey-stick blade of claim 4, further comprising a plurality of ribs positioned between each pair of vertically neighboring core elements running longitudinally from the toe region toward the heel region.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The hockey-stick blade of claim 1 wherein the plurality of core elements are spaced apart from one another in a vertical direction.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The hockey-stick blade of claim 6 wherein one reinforcing element has a length in the longitudinal direction that is greater than a length of another reinforcing element in the longitudinal direction.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The hockey-stick blade of claim 1 further comprising serrated plies positioned around the toe region.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The hockey-stick blade of claim 1, wherein the first reinforcing element is longer than the second reinforcing element.