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US 7,442,134 B2Granted
Ball bat including an integral shock attenuation region
AssigneeEaston Sports, Inc.
InventorsWilliam B. Giannetti, Dewey Chauvin, Enemecio Hernandez
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A ball bat includes multiple layers of one or more composite materials. One or more “integral shock attenuation” (“ISA”) regions, which have a substantially lower axial stiffness than neighboring regions in the bat, are provided to attenuate shock waves resulting from an “off-center” hit. ISA regions may be incorporated into the transition region, the handle, and/or the barrel of the ball bat to provide vibration damping, shock attenuation, stiffness control, increased flexure, and/or improved feel.
Claims14
A ball bat, comprising:
- a barrel comprising a first composite material including a first fiber;
- a handle comprising a second composite material including a second fiber;
- and
- a transition section joining the barrel to the handle, with at least a portion of the transition section comprising a third composite material including a third fiber that is different than the first and second fibers, wherein the third fiber has a lower axial stiffness than that of the first and second fibers, and wherein the portion of the transition section comprising the third composite material has a lower axial stiffness than an axial stiffness of the handle due to the presence of the third fiber;
- wherein the barrel further comprises a fourth material, which is the same material as the third material, adjacent to a closed end of the barrel.
2 more elements
A ball bat, comprising:
- a first region, comprising a first composite material, having a first axial stiffness;
- a second region, comprising a second composite material, having a second axial stiffness;
- and
- a third region longitudinally joining the first region to the second region, wherein the third region comprises a third composite material having fibers different than, and having a lower axial Young's modulus than, fibers in the first and second composite materials, and wherein a fourth material comprising at least one of an elastomeric rubber, an elastomeric urethane, and an elastomeric foam is embedded within the third composite material, such that the third region has a third axial stiffness that is lower than the first and second axial stiffnesses.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.