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US 7,972,229 B2Granted
Baseball bat
AssigneeMacDougall & Sons Bat Company, LLC
InventorJohn A. MacDougall
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A novel baseball or softball bat is disclosed. The bat has a handle of a heavy, strong wood such as hickory, to resist breakage, and a barrel of a lighter wood such as sapele, to facilitate a controlled and comfortable swing. Methods for making the bat are also disclosed. It may be formed of a plurality of wedge-shaped pieces of wood, and the two species of wood may be joined by interleaving these wedges over part of the bat's length.
Claims28
A wooden bat, comprising:
- a. a handle section including a first wood;
- and
- b. a barrel section including a second wood;
- c. wherein said handle and barrel sections are securely joined together;
- and
- d. wherein said first wood has a higher density than said second wood;
- and
- e. wherein said bat further comprises a longitudinal axis and a plurality of elongate wood battens extending along said axis, said battens meeting transversally with each other along surfaces extending substantially radially outward from said axis;
- and
- f. wherein the wood of said battens has a grain that is substantially cylindrically symmetrical about said axis.
7 more elements
A wooden bat, comprising:
- a. a first section including a handle;
- and
- b. a second section including a barrel;
- wherein,
- c. said first and second sections each contain respective cylindrical portions and respective joint portions;
- d. said cylindrical portions are substantially cylindrically symmetrical about a longitudinal axis of said bat and so constructed as to be substantially free of air gaps;
- e. said respective joint portions each comprise wedges of wood arranged about said axis, each of said wedges having two longitudinally extending sides converging radially toward said axis, at least two of said wedges being separated from one another by a wedge-shaped space;
- f. said respective joint portions being so constructed as to join matingly with each other, with the wedges from said handle section filling the spaces between the wedges of said barrel section, and vice versa, so that the sections, when joined, create a substantially solid bat;
- g. wherein said bat comprises a plurality of elongate wood battens extending along said axis, said battens meeting transversally with each other along surfaces extending substantially radially outward from said axis;
- and
- h. wherein the wood of said battens has a grain that is substantially cylindrically symmetrical about said axis.
8 more elements
A method of making a wooden bat, comprising the steps of:
- a. providing a sufficient number of elongate wedge-shaped battens to form an approximately cylindrical blank around an axis, each of said battens having two faces which extend longitudinally, said faces each having two longitudinal margins and outer portions adjacent said margins, and a central portion located between said outer portions;
- b. removing material from the central portions of the faces of each of said battens, leaving the outer portions undisturbed;
- c. applying glue to the faces of said battens;
- d. assembling said battens to form the cylindrical blank by disposing the battens about the axis and placing said outer portions of said battens proximate one another, glue filling the spaces between said central portions of neighboring battens;
- e. clamping the assembled blank so as to provide a radially inwardly directed force on the blank while the glue hardens;
- and
- f. machining the blank to form a desired shape for the bat.
4 more elements
A method for making a wooden bat, comprising the steps of:
- a. providing at least a first and a second set of elongate wedge-shaped battens, each set sufficient to form an approximately cylindrical blank, said battens each having longitudinally extending faces and an end;
- b. applying glue to the faces of said battens;
- c. assembling said battens to form the cylindrical blank by disposing the battens about a longitudinal axis;
- d. alternating the placement of said battens within said first set so that the ends of approximately half of the battens, comprising a first half of said first set, extend a predetermined distance beyond the ends of a second half of said first set of battens, and wedge-shaped spaces exist between said battens of said first half;
- e. alternating the placement of said battens within said second set so that the ends of approximately half of the battens, comprising a first half of said second set, extend a predetermined distance beyond the ends of a second half of said second set of battens, and wedge-shaped spaces exist between said battens of said first half;
- f. disposing the two sets so that the first half of the battens of each set extend into and substantially fill the spaces found between the first half of the battens of the other set, the ends of said respective first halves being proximate the ends of said respective second halves, thereby forming a unitary substantially cylindrical blank comprised of both sets of battens;
- g. clamping the blank so as to provide a radially inwardly directed force on the blank while the glue hardens;
- h. clamping the ends of the blank to provide a longitudinally inwardly directed force on the blank while the glue hardens;
- and
- i. machining the blank to form a desired shape for the bat.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.