Shock absorbing sheet material
AssigneeGEOS Corporation
InventorsCharles R. Lau, William Jensen, Perrin A. Allen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A thin, sheet material substantially aids in absorbing a mechanical impact or shock--useful in widely disparate applications, e.g., on handle/grips of sports equipment such as bats, rackets, paddles, clubs or the like. The material is formed of a three layer laminate including a central resilient fabric embedded in a low solid-content, large pore polyester or polyether urethane elastomer, bounded by large pore polyurethane of open and closed surface pore configuration, respectively. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, grip enhancement is effected by providing mating open surface pore urethane surfaces--as by a glove cooperating with a handle wrapping or the like.
Claims12
In combination in an impact absorbing material, a laminate having a first, central layer and second and third layer adhered to opposite sides of said first layer, said first layer including a textile base disposed in polyurethane, each of said second and third layers comprising polyurethane, the surface of said second layer remote from said first layer having opened pores.
A method of forming an impact absorbing, grip-aiding material comprising the steps of forming a first, central layer of a composite laminate by impregnating a textile with a polyurethane in a dimethyl formamide carrier, leaching out said dimethyl formamide, drying said layer and buffing the surface of said layer, and forming second and third layers adhered to opposite side of said central layer, said second and third layers being formed by disposing polyurethane in a dimethyl formamide carrier onto said central layer, leaching out said dimethyl formamide, and drying said polyurethane, and buffing the outer surface of said second layer to create an open pore, suede-like surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.