3-Dimensional Printed Sporting Implement and Method of Manufacture Thereof

A blade holder for mounting a skate blade onto a skate boot, the blade holder comprising:

• a lower blade mounting portion arranged to mount the skate blade thereon;
• and
• an upper boot mounting portion arranged to be mounted onto a bottom of the skate boot;
• wherein the lower blade mounting portion and the upper boot mounting portion are joined as a unitary body formed of a customizable 3-dimensional printed structure.

A hockey goalie mask comprising:

• a main body portion arranged to be worn about a head of a user so as to cover a jaw, a forehead, and temporal regions of the head of the user, the main body portion including a viewing region comprising a plurality of viewing openings for alignment with eyes of the user when the main body portion is worn about the head of the user;
• and
• at least one bar member spanning across the viewing region between respective ones of the viewing openings so as to define at least part of the boundary of said respective ones of the viewing openings;
• wherein the main body portion and said at least one bar member are joined as a unitary body formed of a customizable 3-dimensional printed structure.

A sporting implement comprising:

• a shaft arranged to be gripped by a user;
• and
• a sporting tool arranged to be supported on one end of the shaft;
• wherein at least one of the shaft and the tool comprises (i) a lattice frame formed of a 3-dimensional printed lattice structure and extending along a length of the at least one of the shaft and the tool, and (ii) at least one reinforcement strip wrapped about a portion of the lattice frame;
• and
• wherein said at least one reinforcement strip is formed of a composite fibre and resin material which extends as a unitary member along a majority of said length.

A sporting implement comprising:

• a shaft arranged to be gripped by a user and being formed at least in part with a composite fibre and resin material;
• a sporting tool protruding from one end of the shaft;
• and
• at least one impact resistant member formed of plastic material and supported externally on (i) the shaft along a lower portion of the shaft adjacent to the sporting tool or (ii) on the sporting tool so as to extend externally over said composite fibre and resin material.

A sporting implement comprising:

• a shaft arranged to be gripped by a user, the shaft comprising a lattice frame extending along a length of the shaft, in which the lattice frame is formed of a 3-dimensional printed lattice structure;
• and
• a sporting tool formed at one end of the shaft;
• wherein at least one of a geometry and a density of the lattice frame varies gradually along a gradient portion of the length of the shaft.

A sporting implement comprising:

• a shaft arranged to be gripped by a user, the shaft comprising a lattice frame extending along a length of the shaft, in which the lattice frame is formed of a 3-dimensional printed lattice structure;
• and
• a sporting tool formed at one end of the shaft;
• wherein the shaft is formed in shaft sections spanning respective portions of the length of the shaft and being joined to one another at one or more junctions between corresponding adjacent pairs of the shaft sections;
• and
• wherein each junction further comprises:
• a male connector formed on one of the shaft sections of the corresponding adjacent pair;
• a female connector formed on another one of the shaft sections of the corresponding adjacent pair, the female connector receiving the male connector slidably therein longitudinally of the shaft;
• and
• a perimeter groove extending circumferentially at least partway about the shaft when the male connector is fully inserted into the female connector;
• wherein the perimeter groove has boundary surfaces defined in part on both shaft sections of the corresponding adjacent pair whereby a bead of weld material received within the perimeter groove immovably fixes the shaft sections relative to one another.

A sporting tool for a sporting implement having a shaft arranged to be gripped by a user, the sporting tool comprising:

• a hockey blade arranged to be mounted at one end of the shaft, in which the hockey blade comprises a lattice frame formed of a 3-dimensional printed structure;
• the 3-dimensional printed structure defining at least one recess in a surface of the blade;
• and
• a plastic insert mounted into the recess to define a portion of an exterior surface of the blade.

A hockey stick comprising:

• a shaft arranged to be gripped by a user, the shaft comprising a first shaft section forming a first lengthwise portion of the shaft, and a second shaft section forming a second lengthwise portion of the shaft, the first and second structures being arranged for mating connection with one another to define the shaft;
• and
• a hockey blade arranged to be mounted on the first shaft section at one end of the shaft;
• wherein at least the hockey blade comprises a lattice frame formed of a metallic 3-dimensional printed structure defining the hockey blade and the first shaft section of the shaft.