Baseball/softball bat with radially deflectable inner barrel

A baseball or softball bat, comprising:

• an elongated handle having a proximal end and a distal end;
• an elongated barrel having a proximal tapered section and a distal generally cylindrical section, wherein the distal end of the handle is disposed within the tapered section of the barrel and extends proximally therefrom;
• a vibration absorbing member at a connection of the handle to the barrel;
• and
• a dual tube assembly disposed entirely within the cylindrical section of the barrel, the dual tube assembly comprising coaxial first and second cylindrical inner tubes disposed in fixed radial relation to one another, wherein the second inner tube is attached to the cylindrical section of the barrel by an elastomeric-like foam spacer to permit limited linear displacement of the dual tube assembly relative to the barrel.

A baseball or softball bat, comprising:

• an elongated handle having a proximal end and a distal end;
• an elongated barrel having a proximal tapered section and a distal generally cylindrical section, wherein the distal end of the handle is disposed within the tapered section of the barrel and extends proximally therefrom;
• a vibration absorbing member at a connection of the handle to the barrel;
• and
• a dual tube assembly disposed entirely within the cylindrical section of the barrel, the dual tube assembly comprising coaxial first and second cylindrical inner tubes disposed in fixed radial relation to one another, wherein the second inner tube is attached to the cylindrical section of the barrel by an elastomeric-like vibration-absorbing spacer to permit limited linear displacement of the dual tube assembly relative to the barrel;
• wherein when the barrel is elastically deformed at the point of contact with a ball when the bat is swung in normal use, the barrel may contact the first cylindrical inner tube to limit the elastic deformation of the barrel.

A baseball or softball bat, comprising:

• an elongated handle having a proximal end and a distal end;
• an elongated barrel having a proximal tapered section and a distal generally cylindrical section, wherein the distal end of the handle is disposed within the tapered section of the barrel and extends proximally therefrom;
• a vibration absorbing member at a connection of the handle to the barrel;
• and
• a dual tube assembly disposed entirely within the cylindrical section of the barrel, the dual tube assembly comprising coaxial first and second cylindrical inner tubes disposed in fixed radial relation to one another, wherein the second inner tube is attached to the cylindrical section of the barrel by an elastomeric spacer to permit limited linear displacement of the dual tube assembly relative to the barrel;
• wherein when the barrel is elastically deformed at the point of contact with a ball when the bat is swung in normal use, the barrel may contact the first cylindrical inner tube to limit the elastic deformation of the barrel;
• and
• wherein the dual tube assembly moves linearly as a unit within the barrel in response to contact with an elastically deformed portion of the barrel.