# US 2013/0157789 A1 · Color-coded practice band for a tennis racket > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2013/0157789 A1 - Document ID: US20130157789A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/326,946 - Filed: 2011-12-15 - Published: 2013-06-20 - Earliest claimed: 2011-12-15 - Inventors: Kristen J. Grady; Benjamin T. Rogers - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130157789A1 ## CPC - A63B 69/38: for tennis {(A63B61/006, A63B69/0073 and A63B69/0097 take precedence)} - A63B 49/00: Stringed rackets, e.g. for tennis (strings therefor A63B51/00) - A63B 49/08: with special construction of the handle - A63B 60/14: Coverings specially adapted for handles, e.g. sleeves or ribbons - A63B 2071/0694: {Visual indication, e.g. Indicia} - A63B: APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT (apparatus for passive exercising, massage A61H) ## Abstract A practice band to surround or replace the existing grip of a (e.g., tennis) racket so that a visual indication is provided as to where the hand or hands should be correctly positioned with respect to the grip by a player who is practicing a variety of (e.g., tennis) strokes. According to a preferred embodiment, the practice band is provided with a series of parallel-aligned stripes having different colors to correspond with the different positions around the grip to which the player's hand or hands should be rotated depending upon the stroke to be practiced. The practice band is also provided with printed indicia that is applied over the stripes to identify the different strokes to which the colored stripes of the band correspond. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A combination comprising: a racket having a head at one end to hit an object by one of a variety of strokes and a grip at the opposite end to be held in the hand of a user; and a band to be located over and in surrounding engagement with at least some of the grip of the racket, said band having a set of visual indicators corresponding to different positions around said grip at which said grip is to be held in the hand of the user depending upon a particular stroke chosen by which to hit the object with the head of the racket. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The combination recited in claim 1, wherein the set of visual indicators of said band are different colors, said colors being indicative of respective ones of the variety of strokes and the corresponding positions around said grip at which said grip is to he held in the hand of the user to hit the object with the head of the racket. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The combination recited in claim 2, wherein said different colors are arranged in parallel-aligned stripes running along said band. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The combination recited in claim 1, wherein the set of visual indicators of said band is printed indicia indicative of respective ones of the variety of strokes and the corresponding positions around said grip at which said grip is to be held in the hand of the user to hit the object with the head of the racket. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The combination recited in claim 1, wherein the set of visual indicators of said band are different colors and printed indicia, said colors and said printed indicia each being indicative of respective ones of the variety of strokes and the corresponding positions around said grip at which said grip is to be held in the hand of the user to hit the object with the head of the racket. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The combination recited in claim 5, wherein said different colors are arranged in parallel-aligned stripes running along said band, and said printed indicia is located over said colored stripes. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The combination recited in claim 1, wherein the set of visual indicators includes a designation on said band by which the center of said band is aligned with the center of said grip when said band is located over and in said surrounding engagement with said grip. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The combination recited in claim 1, wherein said band is a flat strip that is adapted to be wrapped around the grip of the racket so as to lie in said surrounding engagement therewith. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The combination recited in claim 8, wherein said flat strip has first and opposite ends and an adhesive located on at least one of said first and opposite ends to hold said ends together when said flat strip is wrapped around said grip. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The combination recited in claim 8, wherein said flat strip is a sticker that has a layer of adhesive by which to attach said sticker in said surrounding engagement with said grip. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The combination recited in claim 1, wherein said band is manufactured from a flexible stretchable material so as to be pulled over and held by means of friction in said surrounding engagement with said grip. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The combination recited in claim 1, wherein the set of visual indicators is positioned on said band and said band is sized with respect to said grip so that the hand of the user does not cover the set of visual indicators of said band when the grip is held in the hand of the user. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The combination recited in claim 1, wherein said racket is a tennis racket. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The combination recited in claim 1, wherein the grip of said racket has eight sides and said band also has eight sides, the eight sides of said hand lying adjacent respective ones of the eight sides of said grip when said band is located over and in said surrounding engagement with said grip. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The combination recited in claim 1, wherein said band is a stiff sleeve to slide on and off the grip of the racket. ### Claim 16 A racket having a head at one end to hit an object by one of a variety of strokes and a grip at the opposite end to be held in the hand of a user, said grip having a set of visual indicators formed thereon and corresponding to different positions around said grip at which said grip is to be held in the hand of the user depending upon a particular stroke chosen by which to hit the object with the head of the racket. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The combination recited in claim 16, wherein the set of visual indicators of said grip includes different colors, said colors being indicative of respective ones of the variety of strokes and the corresponding positions around said grip at which said grip is to be held in the hand of the user to hit the object with the head of the racket. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The combination recited in claim 17, wherein the different colors of said set of visual indicators are arranged in parallel-aligned stripes running along the grip of the racket. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The combination recited in claim 18, wherein the set of visual indicators of said grip also includes printed indicia indicative of respective ones of the variety of strokes at which said grip is to be held in the hand of the user to hit the object with the head of the racket, said printed indicia being applied over said parallel-aligned stripes. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The combination recited in claim 16, wherein said grip is fixedly attached to the opposite end of the racket.